Heat
Rosalie had purchased first class tickets. It made sense that someone like her would always travel as easily as possible. But I had never flown first class before and I really couldn't believe that the seats reclined all of the way back and didn't bother the person behind me. But since this was a strange flight, no one was behind me anyway. In fact, there were only three other people in first class with us. Rosalie ignored me as I toyed with all of the buttons and free stuff I was given when the plane took off. Occasionally she would give me the 'stop looking so bourgeois' look but I could only smile in return. She was taking me to Alice. I was going to see Alice again and I was certain that she would come back with me. Once I had grown bored with the gadgets, I fell asleep. It was a red eye flight after all. When I woke up, I found that Rosalie was in the same position she had been in the entire time. This time, though, her eyes were closed. Pretending to sleep, maybe? I glanced at my watch. It was about ten a.m. our time.
"Rosalie?" I whispered to her. Her eyes shot open and she turned her head to the right to face me, quirking a brow.
"If it's ten in the morning our time, what time is it in Moscow?"
"Nine in the evening."
"Of the same day?"
"Yes,"
"How much longer is the flight?"
"We're due to land at 3 in the morning, Moscow time."
I sighed, thanking her, to which she responded with a nod. I opened the window a crack and glanced outside. It was growing dark, but I could still see the ocean beneath us. I bet it was freezing and I momentarily shivered at the thought of being submerged in it. "Ah, the joys of feeling cold," Rosalie commented. I turned to her and noticed that she was watching me. She must have seen me shiver. I nodded awkwardly.
"You don't feel cold?"
"No, though we can feel heat. Disgusting feeling."
"What about another vampire? What do they feel like to you, temperature wise?"
"The same another human feels to you. Completely normal."
I nodded and studied her face for a moment. It really was something to behold. Alice was beautiful, yes, just as beautiful as Rosalie in my opinion. But Rosalie was…there was no point in describing her because you'd just have to see her to understand. So I decided to let it drop as best as I could and focus on the tactic at hand. Allotting time for customs, we had a small layover in Moscow where Rosalie hoped to get me more efficient clothes. From Moscow we would fly to Norilsk on a small commercial liner and in Norilsk Rosalie had a car waiting for us. From there it would be about a two hour drive to Sangvine. If all went according to plan we would arrive in Sangvine, undetected, in the morning.
Then came the dangerous part: Sneaking me through Sangvine aka Vampire Village. Rosalie had closed her eyes again and I brought my arm up to my nose. I pulled the sleeve back and placed my skin directly on my nose, inhaling deeply. The faintest smell of the soap I use in the shower…and nothing else. I smelled like Dove. Hardly the cause for a vampire losing their cool. Of course, I knew that it was the blood pumping beneath this skin that was the real cause of all of this trouble. Stupid blood.
"Everything would just be easier if I was a vampire," I said dramatically, resting my head against my chair. Rosalie shot up then, glaring at me so intensely that I jumped when I saw it. She looked me over for a moment, as if she were calculating my words in her mind. Then she shook her head slowly at me, as if I was a small child.
"No, things would not be easier," she said slowly.
"But the thing that has been causing all of this trouble is this!" I threw my wrist in her face and she jumped back, giving a quiet hiss. I lifted my head and looked at the other passengers. All three of them looked to be asleep. Thank God.
"You really are something," Rosalie said in shock. "I could have ripped your wrist in half just then. Do you realize that?"
"I trust you, Rosalie. Just like I trust all of the Cullens. Except perhaps Edward now. But honestly, you're super strong and super fast and super gorgeous and you get to live forever. What's so bad about that?"
Rosalie shook her head slowly and looked at me disappointedly. I gulped, feeling guilty and not even knowing why. Rosalie looked so sad as she sat back in her chair and looked straight ahead. "There is so much more to us than superhuman. A lot of what we are is in fact subhuman. You will never understand the tortures we have to face daily and you should be thankful for that."
"Like what?"
Rosalie turned her head to me and shrugged. "Every move we make around you, any human, is stinted. When I do this," she reached out and cupped my cheek in her hand, "You cannot possibly understand how gentle I am right now. One misplaced tap of my finger," I felt her fingers drum along my skin just as tenderly as her touch, "would result in a broken jaw if not more severe damage. And that doesn't even include how you smell.
"The blood flowing beneath your skin isn't necessary. We are immortal, after all. But it keeps us healthy looking in the long run. But blood smells the equivalent of water's vitality." She looked to me again to make sure I understood and I nodded. However, she only scoffed in return. "You cannot possibly understand how much it burns to be in your presence."
"Burns?"
"The scent of your blood, especially, is like inhaling smoke, but more intense. But the smoke smells so good, you tease yourself and allow the burn." She absently ran her long fingers down the column of her throat and I watched her do so for a moment before looking away. Everything Rosalie did was beautiful, sensual, and it made me feel uncomfortable watching her. Like I was a voyeur or something. "There's also that," Rosalie said, breaking me from my thoughts. I looked into her eyes and noticed that she was staring at me, possibly amused.
"There's also what?"
"The fact that we're so alluring to you humans. You can hardly stay away from us as we can you."
I blushed, lowering my head. "I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault." She looked to be sincere when she said it and I smiled at her, more than surprised that she returned it…but just a little bit. "But," she continued, "back to my point, your humanity is so much more worthwhile than this." She drifted her hand casually along her torso and then flung it away as if she was a piece of garbage. I didn't like that but I didn't really know how to address it, so I let it go.
"So, everyone in Sangvine thrives on human blood?"
"Everyone in Sangvine survives on whatever they can get. As you could guess, there are not many people in Siberia. When unbelievably cold storms hit, the Sangvinicheski Regentoi send out hunters to collect people from the nearest towns. It's easier for the townsfolk to assume they were caught in the storm and froze that way. They are brought back alive and most are consumed by the Regentoi themselves. What is not consumed is released into the town and then it's first come first serve."
"That's terrible!"
"It's very Russian. But let's not talk politics. So, if a Sangvine vampire were to come across anything that still produced blood, they would probably drink it. Which makes our predicament all the more ridiculous…not to mention suicidal."
"Well, it's not like we can turn back now."
"Very true." Rosalie shook her head at me but her eyes never left mine. "Alice always talked about how you were something else. I could see why now."
"I'm going to take that as a compliment."
"As you should. Now, it would be best if you tried to get a bit more sleep." With that, she reached up and turned my little light off. Then she reached over me and held down the button that reclined my seat. I glared at her as I relaxed with my chair but as soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out again.
"Domodedovo,"
"Domedomomo,"
"Domo…ded…ovo,"
"Domonednovo,"
"Where did you hear an 'n'?"
"I don't know, Rosalie, languages aren't my forte."
"Wonderful, you know Italian but can't repeat a word. You know, two year olds can do this." Rosalie sighed and ran a hand through her hair. The plane was about forty five minutes from landing. It was dark outside and I adjusted my watch to what the flight attendant had stated as Russian time. She figured it would be good if I knew a few words in Russian but so far, I couldn't even name the airport. It wasn't my fault it was long and weird. Rosalie sighed again. "Fine, we'll learn something else. Thankfully for you, the Russians are culturally closemouthed, unlike Americans."
"Are you Russian?"
"No, I'm from New York."
"The Russia of the United States."
Rosalie shot me a look to tell me she didn't understand I told her to never mind. She shrugged it off and then taught me the word for thank you, excuse me, and a word that could mean almost whatever I wanted it to. She also told me how to say that I was American and didn't speak Russian. I repeated them over and over in my head, mouthing them as I did so just in case I'd have to use it. "Do you speak fluent Russian?"
"Yes,"
"That's impressive,"
"You've got nothing but eternity, might as well learn a language or two to pass the time." She shrugged as if it was nothing and looked away for a moment. When she looked back at me, she proceeded to inform me on a few Russian customs.
When the plane finally landed it was still dark out, unsurprisingly. However, I could make out the wind, which was blowing rather violently and see the white snow that was caked on the ground. It looked…cold. I grabbed for my ski jacket and put it on, looking over at Rosalie. She was in a thin long sleeved shirt, with one of those down vests on top of it. She was wearing super tight jeans and those big Eskimo looking boots. They were called Uglies or something. I thought it was a rather fitting name, but Rosalie, as with everything, managed to pull the boots off.
Rosalie not having any luggage and mine just being a carryon, we were one of the first off the flight. The airport looked like an airport, but an old airport. It worried me a bit but with Rosalie next to me there was really nothing to fear. Rosalie vs. a Russian? I'd put my money on Rosalie. When we headed out of the gateway into the terminal, my arm instinctively looped through Rosalie's. I didn't know if it was culture shock or if the reality of our situation had gotten to me but I was suddenly very, very intimidated.
Everything was in a different language and the terminal was huge. It was huge and broad and really hot and while there weren't many people, everyone was staring at me. Okay, so they were probably all staring at Rosalie and the other girl that was clinging to her arm like a moron. But either way, I was out of my comfort zone. Rosalie seemed to understand that for she allowed me to hang onto her arm, despite the heat. With all of the people it was also humid. Honestly, it had to have been 80 degrees in there, but Rosalie and I seemed to be the only ones who noticed. She quickly pulled me into a clothing store. I couldn't read the sign but it appeared to sell sport-like clothes. I let go of her arm when we went in so that I could take my jacket off. It was stifling in this place. Of course, it was probably below freezing outside but still…. I pulled my jacket off and rolled my sleeves up, looking to Rosalie. She had done the same with her vest and rolled up her sleeves. She looked uneasy and I offered to take her vest. She shook her head and proceeded to the racks of jackets.
"We need to make this really quick," she whispered, throwing a jacket my way. I threw it on and it fit. When I told her so she grabbed one more then asked for my jean size. I gave it to her and she flitted through the racks at vampire speed. I looked around as she did so, noting that thankfully no one was paying us any mind. Finding two pairs of what looked like warm pants, she stood up and handed all of the clothes to me. Then she dug in her pocket and pulled out an American Express card. Her fingers brushed mine as she handed it to me and I felt something wet on them. I looked to my fingers and then to Rosalie who was looking very, very worried. "You need to finish this. I have to go. I'll be in that bathroom." She pointed and I followed her finger. When I saw the bathroom I turned back around and found that she was already gone. Panic came over me again but I didn't let it show as I made my way up to the counter.
I smiled at the woman and she didn't return it as she rang up the clothes. She must have known that I was American for when she told me the amount it was in English and in US currency. I handed her the card and she looked for a moment. She opened her mouth to say something but decided against it, shrugging me off as another American, I assumed. The card was swiped and I signed Rosalie's name on the electronic pad. "Spicy-ba," I said to her as she gave me the bag. She looked at me for a moment, then seemed pleased.
"Pazhalooysta," she answered. I smiled at her, immensely proud of my Russian skills, and darted for the bathroom. Rosalie had taken my carryon so I just had the bags as I headed for the door. It opened and I ran in, looking for her. It was even hotter in this bathroom and I was starting to sweat. I didn't see her. In fact, the bathroom looked empty with the exception of one woman who was drying her hands. As casually as I could I looked under the stalls. I made out Rosalie's boots in a far stall. The woman moved past me and as the door behind me opened, Rosalie shouted at me to lock the door behind me. I lunged for the door and locked the deadbolt into place.
"Is there anyone else in here?" Rosalie asked. I got down on my knees and examined the stalls more thoroughly.
"Just us, Rosalie."
The stall opened and Rosalie stepped out. Her head was kept down, her hair blocking my view of her. I watched as she headed over to a window made entirely of privacy glass. In an instant her hand was through the window, the glass shattering around her. I jumped and watched as she broke the entire window out, letting the Russian wind rush through. It was freezing and I could see flecks of snow falling in. For a moment it felt good in the heated bathroom but soon I was cold and I pulled my jacket on again. That helped a lot and as I zipped up the zipper I looked to Rosalie, only to gasp.
She had taken off all of her clothes with the exception of her underwear and was now standing in front of the window with her back to me. The wind was rushing in, blowing her hair behind her in waves but she stood solid against it, allowing the cold to hit her dead on. It was silent as she stood there with the exception of the howling wind. I couldn't think of what to say. There didn't seem to be much to say. The bathroom was large and she was about fifteen feet away from me as she stood there. Someone knocked on the door and she made no response to it. "Hello?" Thank god they were English.
"Maintenance!" I shouted back. The woman made no response and it was safe to assume that she left. Rosalie still had not moved and I was growing cold. I stood up, taking a deep breath, and headed over to her. When I was halfway there I noticed that her skin was…sagging. It was, it looked like cellulite but it was all over her body, which was starting to droop and turn a strange color of yellow. I took another step closer and Rosalie hitched. Her head turned to the side but I still couldn't see her face.
"You don't want to come any closer," she urged. I stopped for a moment but took another step. She took a deep breath and lowered her head. "Don't come any closer!" she shouted.
I stopped then, not daring to move one inch closer. Rosalie didn't say anything else but turned to face the wind again. After about five minutes she spoke again. "You should go shopping. You'll want to get some food and water for yourself because Sangvine won't have any."
"I don't want to leave you here alone."
"What can you possibly do for me right now?" she was angry now. I could hear it, but it didn't deter me as much as it would have before this trip. She was so much more open on the plane…what happened? Was something this simple going to bring us back to square one? I couldn't let that happen.
"I can…be here for you, Rosalie."
"How? Are you going to tell me how you understand? 'Yes, Rosalie, the feeling of flesh rotting off your body does indeed suck. Does yours turn yellow too?'" She mocked my voice all too well and I blushed. I didn't mean like that…but how could I explain it to her? I looked at her skin again and in the chill of the bathroom it did look to be tightening up again. It still had that strange yellow haze but improvement was happening.
"Alice said that heat didn't bother you guys as much as she thought," I murmured, staring at the curves of her waist. Rosalie scoffed and I watched her hair sway as she shook her head.
"Alice has a way of downplaying things. After her little lunches with you she would always have to come home and ice herself down."
"Why would she do that?"
"I guess touching you was worth it." Rosalie gave a long, sad sigh and lowered her head. "Do you still want to be a vampire?" She turned around then to expose her back to the cold and I gasped as her face appeared to me.
The skin around Rosalie's face had fallen. It looked like wet tissue paper and just as frail. The yellow look was prominent in her cheeks but just around her chin and eyes there was a disgusting green color. Her whole body was glistening, wet with something and as it ran off of her body it looked like it was taking pieces of skin with it, it was happening so quickly. The wind blew fiercely in and I was hit with Rosalie's scent. It smelled of rotting flowers. It smelled of rot in general. She was still beautiful, because Rosalie couldn't not be beautiful. But it was hard for me to look at her right now. Not because of the way she looked, but because of how sad she was. The most beautiful woman in the world was rotting. And while the chill was slowly reverting her body back to normal, it was still flawed.
She looked at me but couldn't hold my glance for too long. I took a few more steps forward, her stench becoming stronger. She closed her eyes as I neared, that infamous proud glare overtaking her features. My hand was chilled to the bone, so I took the risk of reaching out and touching her cheek. She winced, but upon feeling the temperature of it, relaxing, exhaling and opening her eyes. I smiled at her, in awe at the feeling of her skin tightening beneath my palm. "You are so beautiful," I whispered to her. She closed her eyes and pushed against my hand. I didn't know that someone like Rosalie would need to hear someone say that to her and mean it, but I could tell she was grateful for my words. We stood there in the cold until Rosalie had returned to her normal self. When she felt that she was okay, she checked her watch and nodded, pulling her clothes back on.
"We still have about five minutes. We need to get you food."
I nodded and she pulled on her final boot, looking over at me. She opened her mouth to say something, looked me over, then let whatever she was going to say go. I didn't push her on the subject and opened the door. A security officer was standing in front of the door. He grunted in Russian at me and I squeaked a little. In an instant Rosalie was in front of me. She smiled at the guard and responded it what sounded to me like fluent Russian. He grinned at her and as she spoke, she waved me on from behind her back. I managed to sneak past the officer and ran to the nearest food store. I piled up a whole bag of food and grabbed a few water bottles and by the time I made it to the right gate, Rosalie was waiting for me with the bags. We were the last to get on the plane, but we were on the plane. And we were going to see Alice.