This update is not as long as the previous one's! ;)
I hope you like where this is heading! And you know it; let me know! :D

...Nothing lasts forever...

37.

The girl's eyes grew wide and she shook her head.

"No. No. Please tell me it's not true...!" She whispered scared. I wrinkled my forehead and felt completely lost.

"Wait, calm down. First you need to tell me what this is all about." I said calmly but the girl looked completely distraught. Suddenly the door leading to the backrooms flew open and a boy came out. When I looked closer I saw he was no boy at all, even though his face was that of an angel, with soft fair skin and silky brown hair that curled lightly by his ears. The only thing that made me even more curious was his pitch black eyes.

"Abi!" He exclaimed and dove forward, gently wrapping his arms around the girl. She sobbed and clutched the man-boy's white fluffy shirt.

"She...she's one of them, Josef! One of them!" She cried and Josef looked bewildered around until he saw me. His eyes darkened, if possible and he looked just as desperately sad as the girl did. I was dumbstruck, unable to understand what this was all about.

"Your blood is no longer yours." He said and the girl almost howled hollowly. I looked from him to her and felt a sting in my stomach.

"What's your name?" I asked carefully and the girl looked up at me with broken eyes.

"Abrianna." She whispered and sniffled.

"And…you are my sister?" The girl nodded in response.

"I am two years older. You were barely five when you were given to the orphanage. That's why you don't remember me. My father...our father...was never a good man. He always kept us separated because he thought your sickness was contagious." The girl's sobs stopped and it sounded like she had been waiting a lifetime to say this.

"But...why is it such a disaster that I am a vampire?" I asked, though even I knew being a vampire rarely was a blessing. Abrianna looked from me to Eric and to Pam and I sighed.

"Okay. We'll go somewhere else and talk." I pulled my hand from Eric's clutch but he refused to let god and I turned to look at him.

"You're not leaving." He said lowly and I glared at him.

"Watch me." I said and jerked my hand free.

"Come on Abrianna. We'll go somewhere we can be alone." I said and reached out my hand. Abrianna looked suspiciously at me.

"You can trust me. We are family." I said gently and smiled. Alcide came up to me. He had already healed and stood firmly by my side.

"You can trust Ashlyn. And me."

"Okay." Abrianna said lowly and took Josef's hand. I followed behind them and glanced over my shoulder at Eric. His head was lowered and his eyes were narrow slits as he stared back at me.

First when we were outside and the door was closed was I able to relax.

We walked a good while until we found a quiet, empty diner and a table as far back as we could.

Abrianna suddenly grabbed my hand across the table and I looked at her.

"I can't believe I've found you, sister. It's a curse in a blessing, but finding you gives me hope." Her voice was thick and I felt a lump grow in my throat.

"I only wish I'd found you before...before you were turned." Abrianna whispered and tears gleamed in her eyes.

"Abrianna, dear sister, I am mostly baffled by the fact that I have a sister. But there are many questions that need to be answered. Now, tell me. Why is it so devastating that I am a vampire now?" I gently squeezed her hand. Abrianna took a deep breath and her slightly darker blue eyes met mine.

"Your blood. It was poisonous to vampires. Right?" She asked and I nodded.

"And to stay alive you had to seek out vampires. Right?" I nodded again.

"And now...that you're a vampire your blood isn't your own anymore. It's the blood of whoever changed you, right?"

"Yes. Eric." I said lowly and Abrianna's eyes glowed.

"That prick changed you? What the fuck?" She exclaimed.

"Ashlyn had no choice in the matter. She had been drained completely and the only way to save her was changing her. Eric happened to be the one to do it." Alcide defended me and I smiled lovingly at him.

"Oh...I'm sorry." Abrianna said and looked at me sadly and I shook my head, shrugging my shoulder.

"It's okay. Eric and I...have a history. A short one, but still." I said and Abrianna just gaped at me.

"But whatever. Continue your story Abrianna." I leaned back and grabbed Alcide's hand and his fingers instantly braided with mine.

"Well...your blood could have cured me of my...problem. Which in turn would make me safe and normal." I wrinkled my forehead.

"What...are you?" I asked. Abrianna's eyes flickered from me to Alcide before she looked at Josef, sitting silently next to her.

"You can trust them. They are family now, no matter." He said gently and Abrianna nodded, reassured. Her eyes met mine again, steadier this time.

"I am the human equivalent of the Goddess Yemanya. She is the mother of all. The ruler of gestation, pregnancy, fertility, abundance and life. My name; Abrianna, means 'mother of many nations'." Abrianna drew her breath deeply and glanced over at Josef who smiled and seemed completely at peace. I wanted to ask her what that meant, to give me a straight answer, but I understood she needed time to gather up the strength to speak words she probably once swore to never utter.

"I can bring life and heartbeat back into vampires." She said in a hushed tone and now I lost my gift of speaking. My body felt heavy and numb.

"What...?" My voice was thin and shivering. Abrianna didn't have to say it again. I'd heard her. But the magnitude of it...it bolted me to my seat, leaving me dazed.

"Are you sure...?" Alcide spoke for me. Abrianna nodded and looked lovingly over at Josef.

"Josef is proof." She said simply and Josef looked at me with pitch black eyes.

"I am 798 years old. I was nineteen when I was changed. Five years ago I met Abrianna and she used her gift to give me life again. Now I am what we call, a halfbreed. I have a heartbeat, the heat and the mortality of a human, but my aging process is still very slow. But I also have the strength and the speed of a vampire. Unfortunately I also have the occasional lust and need for human blood."

"Un-fucking-believable." Alcide breathed and brushed his fingers through his hair.

"I can create life where there is none." Abrianna said silently.

"Does anyone know of this?" I asked, just as silently. Abrianna shook her head hard.

"No. Just myself and Josef. And now you."

"If anyone learns of this..." I started and bit my lip.

"Exactly. If anyone learns of my gift I would be locked up and used to change vampires back to humans. And the minute a vampire can walk in daylight and command more than they already do it will mean the end of the world. They would have more power than what good is, especially when they get to keep their vampire superstrength and speed, among other gifts they might have."

"Is that why your eyes are completely black?" Alcide asked and Josef nodded.

"It's the only outer visible sign of the halfbreeds. My eyes were green before."

"Are there more halfbreeds?" Alcide asked.

"No, not as far as I know. I am the only human Yemanya and Josef is the only one I've changed."

"If Eric ever learns of this..." I whispered and covered my mouth with my hand.

"It will be the end of us all..." Alcide murmured and shook his head in disbelief.

"The only upside of this is that I can't die." Abrianna said and smiled meekly.

"The gift of the Goddess grants me a long, long life. Old age is all that can kill me." Abrianna smiled sadly.

"Or if the Goddess decides that my power is no longer needed on earth and she takes it from me, including my life." She suddenly looked big eyed at me and she reached out her hand, grabbing my limp one.

"Ashlyn! I can change you! I can give back your stolen life!" Her words made something churn in me and I looked up. Life? A half-life? A chance to give Alcide the family I was sure he longed for? I looked at him but his face told me nothing of whether he was pro or against the idea.

"Ashlyn! Isn't it a wonderful thought?" Abrianna asked eagerly and smiled from ear to ear.

"I don't know..." I whispered.

Eric smiled coldly as the words seeped out through the thin walls of the diner and up to him, sitting perched on the edge of the roof. So, Abrianna had a gift of her own? He would surely be able to use that to his advantage. Amazing...giver of life...he would be able to walk in daylight. He would be able to take control of everything. He would be able to deal with his vampire enemies and clear the path for himself. The thought of ripping open their hidey-holes during the day made him grin.

Oh yes...this would indeed get interesting.

...expect you and me...

Oh no...what is Eric planning...?