It always rains here.
Not that I mind it, of course; the constant drumming of it on my roof, the windows, the walls.
It silences thought.
Silences the pain.
Instead of remembering, I hear the rain.
And forget.
Force myself to forget, I should say.
And for a while, it's nice; sitting in bed, hearing the rain pound relentlessly against the walls I encase myself into day after day, night after night.
And then the memories return, and the fragile shell I've created shatters.
It is a constant, constant occurrence.
I'm tired.
I'm so tired.
But I have to keep going.
Because somewhere, out there, is the one whom I love.
I've spent the last five thousand years in vain searching for him, even though I thought it was worthless.
Part of me still held onto hope, however.
Part of me still felt him, and I held onto that feeling for five thousand years.
And last night, in the pouring rain, I finally saw him.
He looked different; his pale blonde hair plastered against his face, blood-red gaze searing into me like a brand.
But I knew it was him.
And as we stood there, ten feet from one another, my clothes drenched and tight against my skin, I said nothing.
I just stared, unblinking, at the man I used to call my husband.
And he stared back, his gaze hungry.
As if he was looking for his next victim.
I remember calling out to him, my hearing distorted and echoing in my mind, but he said nothing.
He simply stared.
As if he didn't recognize me.
It all felt like a dream; still does, in fact.
Maybe it never even happened.
I woke up in my bed this morning, after all, dressed in night clothes and my hair dry.
But I still felt him.
I felt him more now than I ever had before.
So now I continue my hunt.
For even though he left me, he is somehow still alive.
And I will spend the rest of my life searching for him.
…
"Are you sure you're okay?"
I blinked, turning.
Maggie stared back at me, concern evident on her face, and I forced a smile.
"Yes, I'm fine. Just tired," I lied, hoping she would get the hint, and thankfully she did.
"...okay. Just checking. Anyway, did you hear about the new family? They're so weird. But the dad? Totally hot. He-" Maggie rambled, her words echoing distantly in my head like a hive of bees as I sorted through the stack of books in front of me. Maggie and I worked at a local bookstore in the small town of Forks, Washington. I never thought I'd end up here, honestly.
It was a town where everyone knew your name, life story, and deepest secrets and would talk about them with everyone else, leaving no room for privacy.
Oddity enough, I relished in it.
I loved hearing the gossip, sitting in the background while others rambled on about the latest town drama.
Did I mention the fact that it always rained here?
Because even now, in the heat of the summer, it was pouring. I caught myself staring at the droplets as they raced down the windowpane, dripping onto the sidewalk.
"-th to Elena? Are you there?"
I shook my head, glancing over at Maggie who rolled her eyes.
"Sorry, I was-"
"Thinking. Yeah, I know. You always do that. As I was saying-" She continued, and I let her sentence drift away as I stood from my seat at the counter and rolled the book cart down the aisles, putting away the books I had labeled the day before.
Just then, the door rang, and I turned to greet the newcomer, only to stop dead in my tracks.
It was a man in his early twenties, yet his light amber eyes seemed to hold the knowledge of a thousand centuries. He looked at me, confusion highlighting his cocked golden eyebrow and narrowed gaze, but it was gone in an instant as he put his hands in the pockets of his jeans. His light blue polo shirt clung to his muscled frame as he walked inside, drops of water shining on his cropped blonde hair. He smiled at Maggie, asking her a question, but I could barely hear it through the roaring in my veins.
Part of me screamed in warning at the sight of him, yet the other, bigger half was calm.
I didn't know which one to believe.
So I chose to stand there, staring at this poor man like I had seen a ghost.
"Are you alright, miss?" I heard him say, and I shook my head again, clearing away the fog.
"Y-yeah. You just…remind me of someone I used to know," I said, hoping he wouldn't ask any more questions, and he smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes. His gaze bored into me, searching. Immediately I felt my walls lock into place, and I narrowed my eyes, my fists clenching slightly. After a minute he nodded to himself like he was confirming a question in his mind, before turning back to Maggie.
As soon as he left, the door shutting quietly behind him, I released a breath I didn't realize I had been holding.
"Well that was interesting," Maggie said, glaring at me as if I had interrupted something very serious, and I looked at her.
"I don't like him," I said as I plucked another book from the cart, setting it next to the others.
"Yeah, I can tell. You looked at the guy like he just murdered your cat," she said, scoffing.
"He had strange eyes, Maggie. And he was unnaturally handsome. Someone like that doesn't just come in here, certainly not to this town of all places," I said, glancing back at the door as if the man would come prowling in, searching for a human-sized snack.
"Do you even know who he is?" Maggie said, and I shrugged.
"Who cares? He gives me the creeps," I replied, shuddering slightly, and she laughed drily.
"That was Carlisle Cullen. He's Fork's new hot-shot doctor from some big city. Too bad he's married, though. Has a great family, though they don't get out much. Maybe he needs a side chick?" She asked slyly, and I giggled.
"Maybe. Why don't you ask him?" I joked, lightening the tense mood and maggie laughed.
The rest of the day flew by after Carlisle left; not that I was complaining. As soon as I locked the doors, I said goodbye to Maggie and drove down the street towards my home.
Right as I turned the corner, however, my car stopped.
"What the hell?" I said as I turned the key, the engine sputtering, and I groaned.
"Not tonight, please," I sighed as I opened the hood, looking inside.
"Looks like we found ourselves a little snack."
I resisted the urge to groan again as I closed my eyes, shaking my head.
"Really? Here too? In the middle of nowhere?" I asked, turning around and crossing my arms as three scraggly-looking vampires walked towards me.
One thing about me that you should know is that I'm a witch.
Not your typical Harry Potter type, mind you.
I shapeshift.
And, as far as I know, I'm immortal. And immune to vampires. And werewolves.
Don't ask me how. I don't know. I don't really know anything really, other than the fact that my family is powerful. How powerful? I don't know that either. So don't ask. I haven't seen any of my family for over three thousand years; they more or less disappeared without a trace, leaving me alone.
I'm used to it, though.
"Listen, guys, I've already had a rough day and I really don't feel like giving you The Talk right now, so I'd appreciate it if you left me alone," I said, turning back to my car. To my great dissatisfaction, however, one of them grabbed my shoulder and bit me anyway.
I almost laughed when I saw his face contort in the most confused look I'd ever seen.
Leaning back against the hood, I crossed my arms as he stepped back, looking at his companions with disbelief.
"Surprised? Yeah, they all are. Your venom doesn't work on me, hobo," I said with a chuckle, and the three vampires had the decency to look shocked.
"But… you're human," one of them said, her auburn hair plastered against her face, and I laughed.
"Yeah, good guess honey," I said drily, smirking.
"You have blood running through your veins. I could smell it a mile away," The one who bit me snarled, his mouth dripping with my blood, and I nodded.
"Great observation, Sherlock. But the thing is, I'm not human. At least, not that I know of. I'm from a very powerful family; one that you shouldn't mess with. So I suggest you leave, now, before I burn you all to the ground," I warned, and they stiffened.
"I know you. You're…Gods, you're the one the Volturi are after," the vampire standing behind the redhead walked forward, staring at me. He looked familiar; the renaissance clothes, the dreads…a memory of a long night filled with alcohol and drunken artists poked at my mind.
"The who? I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about," I said as I raised an eyebrow, and the vampires looked at me like I was the dumbest thing they'd ever seen. Just then, I felt a hand on my arm, and I looked up to see Carlisle looking at me, assessing.
"I'm okay," I said quietly, knowing he saw the bite mark on my skin. I was surprised when I felt his arm slide around my waist protectively.
As if I needed it.
"I think you three should leave. Now," he said softly, and as he locked eyes with the others, I saw fear hidden in their eyes. They left almost as quickly as they had come, and I turned back to Carlisle with a question in my eyes.
"I…thank you…?" I said, and he nodded.
"Anytime. Are you sure you're alright?" he asked, and I shrugged, wincing.
"Yes, I'll be fine. I just need to-" I stopped, looking at the woods behind his shoulder.
Two figures stood in the treeline, black cloaks billowing behind them. Their blood-red eyes gazed at me cooly, and I felt a chill run down my spine.
Instinctively I felt my hands wrap tighter against Carlisle's arms.
"Is she alright?" one of the shadows asked, his voice dark and deep, and Carlisle gave an almost imperceptible nod. Not even a moment later the shadows vanished, almost as if they had never been there.
"Who were they?" I asked Carlisle, suddenly suspicious of this oddly protective human, and he sighed.
"Felix and Demetri. They belong to the highest order of Vampires, also known as the Volturi," Carlisle stated, and I felt very sweaty all of a sudden.
"Um..okay. So why are they suddenly concerned about me? One of the vampires told me a few minutes ago that these Volturi were after me. Why?" I asked, fearing the answer, and Carlisle looked at me with something akin to pity.
"It's…a long story. Maybe you'd better come to my home. My family would be glad to have you," he said, and I nodded.
"Sure. I've got time."