Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns all.
Rated M for a reason.
Chpt 25 Out of Control
BPOV
A week of my new life has passed already and like everything else so far it has been contradictory, both the quickest and slowest week of my life.
I am sitting in a tree for a number of reasons. Because the view is wonderful, I can see trouble or dinner coming for miles and because Pete says I need some quality alone time. I suppose I have been a little difficult to live with. Not that I'm really alone, I can hear Char mooching around about half a mile away, minding me but not being obnoxious about it.
I am thankful that Jasper took so much time beforehand to explain being a newborn to me because otherwise I'm pretty sure I'd be bat shit crazy by now. And I'm not even a normal newborn. No, apparently there's nothing normal about Bella Swan. I feel like I am completely out to lunch but the others assure me I am very calm and controlled, more like I'm almost a year old than a mere week.
Initially there's just so much going on you don't get a chance to focus on anything properly. I still haven't managed to hold a proper conversation without gettin' distracted, zoning out sometimes, absorbed in some random new bit of information or sensation. I feel like I'm totally ruled by my instincts, thankfully there only seem to be four main ones for me to deal with. Hunt, kill, fuck, fight. The order of preference depending on what is in front of me at the time. Not very civilised although I'll be the first to admit I'm enjoying the sex part. Jasper's not complaining either, even though I've practically raped him on more than one occasion he's wandering around the place with a huge smile on his face proclaimin' himself to be a happy and satisfied man.
He's had to sit on me a number of times to prevent me giving in to my instincts. To stop me chasing after prey when it isn't safe, to stop me starting a fight because my anger is out of control or to stop me molesting him when we have an audience. I feel like a toddler on sugar coated steroids. Calm and controlled my sparkly stone ass.
I love sparking, every time the sun comes out I stop in childish wonder and watch the light refracting off my skin, its beautiful. The rest of me's not bad either, I grew two inches, still short compared to Jasper and Pete but I'm taller than Char now. My body has become curvier and I look like Jessica Rabbit without the ears, deserving of my new sex kitten voice. All in all I'm not complaining although I still look cute and completely harmless and someone's in for a shock one day. They haven't started teaching me to fight yet because I'm still too volatile and no one wants to lose a limb to the cute baby member of the family but apparently I have shown a natural talent for it once or twice already.
There have been lots of surprises. I was amazed to find out that you can actually feel it when your eyes change color, going black from desire or rage, it's a useful early warning system giving me a slim chance to rein it in before I lose control. The bloodlust was another shock, that first drink on that first hunt set off a frenzy. I am thirsty all the time, even now having just hunted there is a low burn in my throat, nagging at me, irritating and distracting me. An eternity of mild tonsillitis awaits and sometimes I even get a little twinge in my chest, like now. Gradually I am learning to think around it and ignore it, unless something warm and pulsing with blood is in front of me and then I hunt it without a second thought. Hence my minder, I am not allowed anywhere near a human, it couldn't possibly end well no matter how much I detest the idea.
Getting control of my strength and speed has been easier than I expected, the vampire mind is like a steel trap. As soon as you've worked out once how much force or speed to use you never forget but from time to time you come across something new and accidently crush or shred it before you even realise. At least now I understand why Pete had so little work done on the house, I was only going to wreck most of it anyway and fixing it up has taught me a lot. Bella the Builder, can we fix it? Yes we can. Repeatedly in fact.
And then there is my gift, as soon as I described my experience during the change and we tied it together with Jasper's losing the ability to feel me and Edward's inability to read my mind Pete pronounced that it was my gift. A shield. We still don't know very much about it and Jasper says it's possible that it may never amount to much but he's still pissed he can't feel or influence my emotions anymore. And so am I, it brought us closer and made us feel like we were two halves of one person. Some gift, but we will work on it when I can concentrate properly.
Apart from the long road ahead there is one other blot on my landscape, Pete says Edward is coming. Despite my rampaging newborn emotions I can't find it in me to be bothered. He'll come. There will be trouble. He'll leave, possibly in pieces, because Jasper is extremely bothered. The mate thing. I can't deny that it worries me but I still don't see how I can belong with Edward when Jasper is everything to me. Oh well I suppose the impending visit will sort that out once and for all. You can't be mated to someone your lover has shredded, can you?
Movement in the periphery of my vision pulls me back to my environment. Four dust trails, coming this way at an inhuman pace. Executing an elegant back flip I throw myself out of the tree, landing perfectly on the balls of my feet momentarily distracting myself, there are many things about being a vampire I am coming to adore and the physical grace of movement is one of them. Pulling myself together I set off, running for Char.
"Char!" I shout as soon as I see her. "Vampires, four, coming from the East."
Without a word she takes my hand and we sprint back to the house.
Jasper and Pete are waiting on the porch having heard our approach.
"Vampires, four, coming from the East." I repeat flinging myself into Jasper's opened arms.
"No rest for the wicked." Pete sighs, pecking Char on the cheek. "Upstairs ladies, J and I'll greet our visitors."
I look up at Jasper, doubt on my face. "Go on darlin'," he urges "Pete and I'll be fine and you'll be safer out of the way."
Reluctantly I nod. If the visitors aren't friendly the last thing we need is a crazy newborn tearing' up the place.
Jasper and Pete move out to stand in the yard while Char and I flit up to the bedroom with the best view of the yard and press our faces to the window.
With the vampire stillness I am coming to appreciate we wait like statues for twenty minutes until two dark haired vampires emerge into the yard.
"What can we do for ya'all?" Pete calls out in a friendly voice.
"Hello." The taller vampire responds. "We're looking for the Whitlocks, we heard they may be staying in these parts at the moment."
Pete and Jasper sigh in unison and Jasper lifts his hat shifting it forwards and down over his eyes. We can only see their backs but I know that Jasper's eyes will be black and empty, a sadistic grin forming on his perfect lips, The Major reportin' for duty.
"You've found 'em. What can we do for you folks?" Pete asks patiently.
"We were told you might be able to help us find someone we're looking for." The smaller one pipes up.
"Well son, I ain't helpin' you with nothin' until your two friends come out of hidin'. Ain't friendly behaviour." A hard edge creeps into Pete's voice.
"We're alone." The tall vampire responds, indicating himself and his friend with his hand.
"Yep." Pete responds, lifting his hat and scratching at his hair. "And I'm Martha fuckin' Stewart. Call 'em out, I ain't playin' around we gotta newborn in the house, call 'em out or I'll go lookin' for 'em."
"We're alone, as I have said." A nasty smile breaks out on the smaller vamp's face. "Surely it would not be sensible for you to leave your friend here alone with us when you have the two females in the house."
"Oh, I ain't worried about him. Ya'll can play with him while I look for ya friends." And nodding to The Major, Pete turns and saunters across the yard disappearing into the trees.
"I have to go help him." Char whispers to me. "You stay here, you understand me sugar? We can handle this but we need to know you're safe in here okay?"
I nod and she darts out silently.
Jasper and the two vampires watch each other silently.
"You don't talk much do you cowboy?" The taller vampire asks, looking The Major up and down with barely disguised interest.
Silence. Apparently not.
With a nod the vampires start edging away from each other, smiling at The Major.
"Stand. Still." The Major commands, his voice flat.
Smiling the vampires continue to move apart, making it about four feet before suddenly falling to their knees in the dirt moaning in pain. What's happening? The Major turns towards my hiding place a small smile tugging at his lips. Oh, he must be projecting something nasty at them. They don't look like they're enjoying what ever it is.
The seconds tick by and I can feel tension building inside me, patience being one of the casualties of my change.
Suddenly another vampire, short and stocky like a boulder, flashes into view, flying at The Major's back and all hell breaks loose before I can even blink. The Major has flipped the newcomer over his head and sent him sailing into the side of the garage before I have completed my dive through the bedroom window. Trying to look everywhere at once I land in an ungainly heap, springing to my feet as I try desperately to catch up with the action. The two dark haired vampires are struggling out of what ever funk The Major has been holding them in, the larger one moving towards him already.
The Major moves forwards whipping his arm out and slamming the approaching vamp into the ground, deftly ripping off his arm as he passes which he immediately swings around like a baseball bat at the head of the other vampire who has also started forwards. A resounding crash echoes across the valley. The three of them begin to circle each other, the two vampires recovering their wits quickly and attempting to work together against The Major, who is swinging his 'bat' threateningly. They come at him from opposite sides, speed increasing while the boulder, who has extricated himself from the wreckage of the garage flies up to him from behind.
A black fury envelops me and with a roar of rage I run forwards leaping onto boulder's back and locking my legs around his torso while I lock my arms around his neck, pulling back with all my strength. To my surprise his head separates from his shoulders with a metallic screech and I fall to the ground, his body following me, his head rolling away to the side. Our eyes meet, his in shock, mine in rage. "BASTARD!" I scream and kicking his body off mine I leap to my feet placing my leg on his chest, ripping his arms off in one clean jerk and beating his torso with them frantically.
Another rending screech breaks into my frenzied drumming and looking up I find The Major with two 'bats', an evil grin and his opponents down to an arm each.
About to start forward to fight with my man yet another strange vampire scent invades my nostrils sending my instincts into overdrive and my fury to a whole other level. Protect. Kill. Emitting an even more terrifying roar of rage I launch myself at the new arrival, knocking him to the ground and sinking my teeth into his throat.