AN: Hey guys! I'm back...eh sorta {J: "actually, she's been kidnapped by ninja monkeys and- OWW! Wha'd I do?"} {S: Don't tell them that! ...Sheesh, these poor guys here, have been patiently waiting for the next update and you come rolling in... **grumble, grumble** ... so anyway, please do continue guys, and don't mind the dog. he's had too many buiscuts today anyway. V.V' ..."} So I just wanted to say that I should have a bit more free time to write, so be on the lookout for any new updates and feel free to message or comment me any time. And now sit back, relax, and enjoy the show! ^-^/
Serenity's POV:
Looking into deep crimson orange flames, my mind seemed to race back and forth as I wondered what my family would think of me if they saw me now. Nothing hurt more than knowing that I had taken someone's life, no matter how despicable they were or how justifiable the situation might have been. Everything felt so cold and numb, as if someone had wrapped me up and threw me into the frigid depths of the Pacific. Someone died because of me… my thoughts looped on repeat as I still tried to process it all. Demetri's arms sprang out to my shoulders as he clasped me in a tight unyielding grip, fear, anger and something else marring his features as he held me close, my tears still trickling down my cheeks as I involuntarily buried my face in his shoulder. No one should have been looking for me, no one should have seen me like this, or seen how badly this hurts me, and yet, I'm glad it was him that found me. As physically impossible as it should have been, he felt warm and safe, as though my frozen limbs were being thawed out just by being near him.
Taking a final deep breath while trying to stanch back the overflowing beady tears, I turned to face him. "Please don't think any less of me," I whispered, my voice cracking slightly. For some strange reason, I didn't want him to see me as less than human. He shook his head softly before murmuring down at me, "Since when will I ever do that to you?" I shook my head, knowing that one day I was bound to do something just as bad again and that it would be all my fault. "Serenity, I may not be the best person to say this, but you have got to trust me and try to relax. You're going to be okay." Looking up at him, I saw that anger and fear had melted away and I had wondered how long it had taken me to notice it till just now.
Doubt still lingered as it poked its head out from around a corner in my mind, "I'm a monster though… how is it ever going to be okay Demitri? What if I ever kill again? What if-" Demetri gently tilted my head upwards as he waited for me to calm. My heart stuttered into my throat as my voice stopped working, and he lifted me up to cradle me as he began to walk away, the pillar of smoke melding with the night. "I can't promise you the world Serenity, but maybe I can give you a piece of mind that I can help you from becoming a target ever again. But it all depends on if you want to; I refuse to force you into anything," he said softly, his sweet breath fanning my face gently. I tried to concentrate on his words, but I was beginning to learn something new about myself as I nodded at him, and it was that though my genes are partially vampire, it didn't exclude me from doing some very human things as my consciousness drifted away, my eyelids beginning to close as my sight faded to black.
Demetri's POV:
"Serenity…" I sighed as I moved towards the woods with her safely tucked in my arms as I began to think about what it was that she was going through. I don't want to see her carry this burden all by herself, to watch as she struggles with her faith and moral. I knew from experience that it wasn't easy accepting what it was like to extinguish someone's life and that its one of the toughest things to ask someone to do in this world. My mind flipped back to where we were had just left from in the ally as I tried to recall the scents that lingered behind us, but it was difficult as I tried to usher Serenity's sleeping form away to safety. It had been damp and musty, the smoke filling my nostrils as I searched for any other clues. Whoever tried attacking her was now long dead, however his scent clang to her and it was messing with my senses as I began changing course for her car instead.
Gazing down, I could still see the trail of tears that marred her beautiful face as she slept, and it angered me to no end to know that I wasn't there in time to protect her, to know that she must have been scared and helpless as she faced on her attacker all alone. I shifted her in my arms so that she could be more comfortable while she rested and made my way over to the side of one of the brick buildings all the while as my feet prepared for the quick jump onto the roof. It didn't take me long to find her car after that, but as I moved to place her in the passenger seat and then move for the driver's side, I felt something tug softly on the bottom hem of my shirt. My fingers wrapped around her small hand as I leaned down to her, giving her the assurance that she was safe now, that I wasn't going to let anything else happen to her as long as I was around. Her grip on my shirt eased a bit, but she still didn't let go. I would probably not like the idea at any other time, however knowing that if we had been in Voltura a lot sooner, this might not have happened. As much as she'd hate me for it, I have to get her over there, if not for my sake, then at the very least for her own safety.
Serenity's POV:
By the time that my body had stopped moving, it registered somewhere in my mind that I was on something that was really comfy and that this kind of comfort didn't come from the seats of a car. My head felt kind of fuzzy, but as my eyes began to flutter open it all came crashing back at me as I recalled this morning, the alley, and finally Demetri as he had scooped me into his arms. Pain slowly burned the back of my skull as I had gently pressed my hand against small lump, but it didn't really seem to bother me as much as the grief that wracked my nerves. My eyes scanned my surroundings as I took in where I was at, and I was surprised to find that I was nowhere near where I had imagined. No cozy cabin that was beginning to grow on me, not even my boring old room with all my things seemed to greet me. Nope, not in this long lifetime…. My thoughts buzzed softly as I fumbled with the crisp tangled sheets and fluffy giant pillows.
One question seemed to echo softly as I wondered where I was at and that was, where is Demetri? It's not like I wanted to be totally dependent on him, but being that I was all alone in who knew where, I would rather have him around rather than a total stranger. Staring back at the door, my eyes caught sight of a very petite girl with bright golden hair, strikingly dark burgundy eyes, porcelain skin and heart-shaped face. I thought that she was very pretty but gathering information from looking at the way she was staring at me, she did not look happy. Within her small hands though, she seemed to carry a bowl and judging by the way the steam emanated from it, my stomach would have bet that it was some kind of soup. Before I could ask her about it, her glare intensified and I could feel a pinprick of pain from the center of my chest as it began to blossom towards the rest of my body. At the exact moment that I wanted to scream for it to stop, Demetri walked in as he began to yell at her.
"What do you think you're doing? Can't you see that she's in enough pain as she is?" she stared at him coolly as she rolled her eyes. "And I have to play maid because 'why' exactly?" she replied in a soft melodic voice. Demetri snatched the bowl from her as he slowly made his way over to me, his voice shooting over his shoulders, the loud roar from earlier becoming a soft sinuously lethal hum. "All I asked was that you made sure to bring her some food while I went to go take care of something. Since I'm done you can leave if you want, but I do ask that you don't hurt her again Jane." she slowly shook her head as she quickly took her leave and once she was out of sight, the pain seemed to just vanish as if it had never happened. He then mumbled something under his breath before staring patiently back at me, asking me if I was okay. I nodded lightly, still unsure whether I was or not, or if I had already entered the whole shock process and not known about it. But instead of answering his question, something else came out as I asked, "Where am I Demetri? Am I even in Washington?"
Without really needing to, Demetri sighed as he gave the bowl to me, his arms reaching to one of my sides for a pillow as he propped the container on top of it, his senses seeming to be extremely aware of his movements as he tried not to drop it on me. "Serenity, I'm going to need you to listen to me. I know that it's a lot to ask from you, and I really don't expect you to not fight me when I ask you, but please come with me," I opened my mouth to speak, but it almost hurt for me to ask him where he was going and why he had to leave. My mind thought about the girl that I had seen earlier and a quick pinch of jealousy poked her head out. "Why do you have to go? Out of all times, why now?" I whispered, scared that he might disappear. He shook his head, "I can't really tell you all the reasons right now on why I have to leave Serenity, but I am asking that you go with me. I don't want to see you hurt ever again, and the only way that I can think of for that to happen is if you go with me." When he mentioned me being hurt, I flinched as I recalled the ally, but at the same time that his words sunk in, I was also glad to hear what he was asking me.
Demetri's POV:
I really didn't want to see her broken, I didn't want her to let the events of today affect how she saw herself or the world. And as I waited for her answer, I held my breath, feeling as though I would lose her. When I thought she wouldn't reply, her voice stuttered softly almost as she rushed to say her answer. "I'll-I'll go… with you, I mean." I let go of the breath that I was holding, relief flooding me as my arms moved of their own accord and wrapped around her, bringing her close to me. After a few seconds though she began to yell as my eyes looked around looking for the source of her pain. I quickly dropped my arms and pulled the sheets away, the echoing clatter came from the floor as I found the offending object. I reached down to pick up the now empty bowl of soup that Jane had brought in earlier, embarrassment trying to bring a splash of color back into my pale cheeks. "I am so sorry Serenity, I really didn't mean for that to happen, I swear." She shook her head as she tried shaking off the excess soup.
"Um… is it okay if you can grab me a towel, please?" she replied softly, her cheeks a little rosy as she tried to clean off the remnants. I nodded and left for the towel pantry in the hallway. Since I was by her room, I decided to ask Jane for her brother and whether she had seen him yet as she nodded and rolled her eyes as if I should have known. "He took off a little while ago, said that he was catching an earlier flight back so that he could be there by sundown." Although she had been acting okay so far, Jane still had me pretty pissed as she tried showing off her powers on Serenity, and it took a little while longer for me to nod back at her with a civil reply. "Guess I'll just have to talk to him after we get back then," I then mumbled under my breath as I rushed back to Serenity to make up for any lost time.
Serenity's POV:
Demetri eventually came back however there wasn't a use for the towel anymore, at least not for the soup. He then gave me the towel before coughing and turning away from me, his body automatically going to the other side of the room as he rummaged through some drawers. For a quick second I couldn't decide what he was trying to do until he pulled something out, as he then came back over with a dark t-shirt, a hoodie, and some swim trunks folded neatly in his arms. "I really am an idiot when it comes to a few things, so I hope you'll be able to forgive me for earlier." He replied gruffly, his face still apologetic as his eyes met mine. "Anyway, I'll be in the living room, but I thought I'd bring you these just in case you wanted to change into them. They might be a bit big on you," he placed them down and just before he left, I chuckled, the words flying out of their own accord. "I don't know, if they did fit me though, I think I would definitely be concerned." He shook his head and left, giving me some privacy as I shut the door behind him, a small smile forming on my face as I then began to change.
Not too much time had passed before I went to join him in the living room, a few questions of mine still left unanswered. Taking a deep breath before rounding the corner to head down stairs, I tried to calm my thoughts down as I tried to quietly process everything leading up to today without breaking down. I knew that I still hadn't seen or heard from Julian since my grounding, and for some reason it's been bugging me, just as I also know that I haven't seen Nessie since our big fight and that I haven't been able to sense her through our mind-link. Not only have I been grounded, I've also broken a bone along the way, which ended up keeping me grounded to my room for "X" amount of time. And then today… today I was almost killed… today I ended up killing my attacker instead. The worst part was, he had a name and I heard it and he was real and I had the scars and bruises to prove it. So life was totally peachy… I sighed, wishing that for once in my life that everything could be normal, and that I didn't have to worry so much over my wellbeing or whether certain magical creatures even existed, let alone me being part of one. My feet moved of their own accord as I quickly shook my head one last time as I went down the steps.
The quiet hum of the TV drifted to my ears as a few characters argued on screen with one another over a football match; Demetri didn't seem to pay it too much attention as he flipped through something in his hands. His mind appeared to be completely elsewhere until I walked in, his gaze shifting to me as I stood in the entryway of the room. "Sorry if I had interrupted anything," I added quietly, my mind not quite seeming to function right as I watched him. He shook his head as he placed a book on a side table. "No, you're fine. Actually I was just about to go and check up on you, maybe see if there was anything that you needed," he replied as he motioned for me to sit down. My feet had a mind of their own as they slowly but surely crossed the room, plopping me down in the arm-chair next to him. "Uh-huh… I guess I'm fine for now, just kind of wondering where I should sleep or whether I should go back home to pack." I added. He swiftly shook his head before replying, "It's better if you stayed here for the night. You could use my room and in the morning I could drive you back so that you can pick up a few things if you'd like." I wasn't too sure if that was a good idea considering that I wasn't near my family, but thinking about it, I knew it would be less troublesome than facing my dad reading my thoughts or my uncle sensing my emotions, let alone having to explain myself and my bruises.
"I guess you're right, but what about you? Where would you sleep if I did stay?" I asked as I began to feel bad about inconveniencing him. "Do you even sleep?" I added as I tried to remember what species did what. Instead of him giving me a flat answer, he began to chuckle as if I had just said something that was super funny. I felt my lips pull into a pout the longer that I waited for him to answer, my eyebrows beginning to furrow as he then gave me a blank look. "You were joking, right?" he asked a little confused by what I'd said. I shook my head almost waiting for him to apologize, and when I realized that there wouldn't be any of that, I grabbed one of the pillows that I was sitting on and tried tossing it at him. Like usual though, the blasted thing missed. Demetri chuckled as I sat there fuming. "I don't sleep Serenity. Although in the future, I advise that it would be wise not to ask about ones' private life." he chided, my cheeks turning pink as he winked.
"I take back every single nice word or thought that I have ever had about you…" I replied a little flatly, wishing that my body and brain could do the same. He laughed quietly as I tried to recover, "Just so that you understand how serious I am Serenity, I'm probably not going to apologize anytime soon. Sleeping arrangements aside, do you have any other questions?" I shook my head, my mind going through the possibilities of what else he would be able to embarrass me with. "Sorry, all freshly out of 'em. If I have any more, I ask ya in the morning. Night," I replied quickly as I tried making my way to the stairs. Just before I could make my escape, I felt a small tug on my wrist as I looked down to see what it was, hoping that I didn't break any other part of my body along the way. Instead, Demetri twirled me close to him as he wrapped me into a hug, his lips soft and warm as they pressed against the crown of my head. "Sleep well little Rose," his parting words soon sending me away on faulty feet.
Renesmee's POV:
Nothing scared me more than what now stood in front of me as my family stared back at me, their faces frozen in the state of an ever-unchanging scream of terror. Their skin as hard as stone as their arms pressed behind their backs, their eyes painted with dread, almost as though the danger had never left. Had I not been raised by the figures before me, I would have thought them to be made out of some kind of chalk or clay, however I knew better. My father stood protectively in front of my mother and little sister, Emmett in front of Rosalie, Jasper before Alice, and finally grandpa Carlisle in front of grandma Esme. "No…" I whispered softly, fear beginning to freeze my bones as I slowly backed away from them. All my life, all they ever wanted to do was keep my sister and me safe, seeing them like this is too much! Just when I thought that it couldn't get any worse, a small seam made its way down my grandmother's face, as though she were crying, the stone chipping away as it began to crack and crumble, giving way to a pile of dust. Soon, everyone else had started the same process, the seams growing larger and larger until there was nothing left but rubble.
A dark shroud of mist seemed to lift from the debris, hints of gold and crimson orange flickering softly in the dense mist, before creeping towards me. "No! Stay back! Stay…"my voice caught on 'away' as I tried to move from its cold tendrils. A cold heat wrapped around my ankles and wrists, tethering me as I struggled to break free. "No! No! Nooo…"
"Shh... it's okay Renesmee, you're okay. You're okay, I promise. You're okay," he whispered soothingly as he held my hands in his. I opened my eyes slowly, and blinked as I realized that it was some kind of dream. Tears tried to trickle down my cheeks, my eyes trying to clear them as I let out a deep breath, both of relief that I felt and of fear as I tried to calm down. "Where are we?" I asked when I felt that my voice wouldn't crack. Alec shifted me so that I was cradled against him, the hood of a smoke gray robe over his head as a steady stream of water poured over it. "We're almost there. You seemed to have dozed off just a little bit before we landed, so I thought I'd carry you to the car. I apologize if I had scared you Renesmee." He explained as I took in the somewhat familiar shape of a mustang, the roof of the car hanging slightly over him as he leaned in to click my belt. I shook my head as he began to leave, "you could never scare me Alec," I whispered softly as he moved to the driver's side. I closed my eyes as the car started, remnants of the nightmare lingering behind as I fought to keep my thoughts from digging deeper into what it could have meant.
**usually reserved as a place for "announcements/author's notes" **
{J: "interrupting this announcement to bring you Fido's Corner- the latest and greatest spot that sniffs out all the latest news on our favorite young, heroic and wild protagonists! Will Seren ever be able to live with her recently dark choices, or will they come back to haunt her? Will Nessie be scared away by Alec? And will Demetri ever be able to keep Seren safe? Tune in next time on...TOTAL DRAMA-"}
{S: "wrong show Jacob! sorry guys, hope you don't mind him. anyway, we hope to hear from you so don't forget to message. ^-^''/ "}
AN: I take no credit for twilight or the total drama series as they belong to their respectful owners, any of the above-mentioned is for fictitious use only.
