First of all, thanks to Sarah and hersheybar for reviewing. This story
would not come out nearly as fast without all the lovely feedback I get.
On that note, I don't know how many loyal readers I actually have, but I expect I might be losing some after this chapter. Let's just say the crossover I've mentioned several times comes out full swing, and the story takes a major twist, and I don't know how some people are going to feel about that. Then again, people may like it. Who knows?
Chapter 7
Emma woke up around 1AM and saw Kristen sleeping soundly on the other side of the room. Careful not to disturb her, Emma sat up quietly. On her bedside table, she saw a white piece of paper. If it's from the One Last Wish Foundation again, she thought, I'm gonna scream.
Fortunately, it wasn't. It was just a short sweet note that read:
Emmykins,
We're here for you, okay?
Sean and Michael
Emma smiled, laying the note back where she found it. So they knew. Well, at least she wouldn't have to worry about her family anymore. Keeping her illness from the people at school she could do, but hiding it from the people she lived with had been hard. Emma was eternally grateful to her stepsister for helping get things out in the open.
Suddenly, Emma felt the urge to go downstairs at that very minute. She didn't know why, but she knew it was imperative that she go to the kitchen.
Well, she was hungry anyway, having slept through dinner. No biggie.
As quietly as she could, Emma crept through the dark hallways and headed downstairs into the kitchen. Once there, she pulled some Oreos out of a cabinet. One thing about dying, she reflected, was that you no longer had to worry about eating healthy.
At that moment, a hand clasped over her arm. Before she could scream, another one covered her mouth. Emma started struggling, but it was useless against the iron grip that was holding her captive.
"If you stop struggling and promise not to scream, I'll let you free," came the whispered voice of Max Pine. Emma immediately stopped struggling, and Max let her go. She whirled around to face him.
"What is the meaning of this?" she whispered harshly, "I broke up with you! You have no right to be breaking into my house at night!" She ignored the fact that he had assumed she would come into the kitchen. There were too many unexplainable things about Max sometimes, and it was easier to focus on the present situation rather than how it came to be.
"I need to talk to you," he whispered back.
"Too bad," she said. She started to brush past him, but was stopped by his question.
"Do you want to die?"
She turned to face him. "What kind of stupid question is that? Of course I don't want to die. But I don't have a choice, now do I? Now if you'll excuse me, I have better things to do than talk to my ex-boyfriend in my kitchen at one in the morning." Again, her plan to escape was thwarted.
"Actually, you do."
"I do what?" she asked him in confusion. Why did he have to be so cryptic all the time?
"You have a choice."
Emma rolled her eyes. "Listen Max, I think you missed the telegram. I'm dying this summer. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it."
"I'm being serious. You do have a choice and if you'll just listen to me for one minute . . ."
Emma crossed her arms over her chest, shifting the bag of Oreos. "And what is this wonderful choice you have to offer me, huh?"
Max shifted his gaze. "Outside. I don't want to chance anyone in your family waking up."
Emma sighed, but followed him out into the yard. A normal girl would have wondered about the sanity of following her ex-boyfriend, whom she'd found in her kitchen at 1AM, outside and away from her family, holding a bag of Oreos. However, no matter how weird the situation, Emma felt perfectly safe with Max. Somewhat annoyed, but perfectly safe.
"Would it be too much to ask for a straight answer out of you?" she asked impatiently, "I have better things to do with the time I have left on earth than to try to decode the cryptic clues you drop."
"You may have more time than you think," Max said.
"Again with the ambiguity . . ." Emma began, but Max cut her off.
"Emma, please. You have no idea how hard this is for me. You have no idea what a risk it is for me to even suggest what I'm going to tell you. Just let me do this at my own pace."
Emma closed her mouth. She pulled out an Oreo and took a bite. "Fine, go ahead. I'm listening."
"You think that you only have one choice, right? That choice being that you let this cancer take its course and die over the summer, right?"
"I never told you I had cancer," Emma said, a bit freaked out, "There could be any number of things wrong with me."
"Yeah, there could, but I actually had a little chat with your stepsister after school, so I know the basic facts."
That must have been why Kristen was late getting home after school. Emma nodded, accepting Max's explanation.
"Well, you have another choice, and let it be known, I never would have suggested it to you at this time, possibly never, if the situation wasn't what it was. Had there been any other option, I wouldn't have suggested anything. But since you seem to be stuck between a rock and a hard place, you need an alternative. That's what I'm offering."
"So, whatever it is you're offering is a last resort," Emma said.
Max nodded. "If chemotherapy or radiation therapy had a chance, this never would have been offered. It's important that you know the only reason I'm telling you about this is because modern medicine can't do anything."
"Sure, I understand, but why is this option such a last resort type of deal?"
"Well, for one, it's illegal."
"Goody. I haven't really lived if I don't manage to get a criminal record before I die."
Max shot her a look. "For the record, the fact that I'm absolutely in love with you is illegal, too."
That made Emma laugh. "I know your parents don't really like me, but that's a bit far fetched. However, since we're not dating anymore, I guess you don't have to worry."
"We're getting off-topic," Max said tersely.
"Then by all means, let's get back on." This bantering, this camaraderie, and how it all fit together like destiny . . . this was why she'd fallen in love with Max in the first place. She missed him, really she did.
"As with any choice, there are pros and cons. The most important thing is that you'll be alive."
"That is a good thing," Emma agreed, wondering what the heck Max was offering her.
"But you'll not only be alive, you'll never get sick again. And I'm not just talking about cancer. I mean colds, flu, pinkeye, everything. You'll be immune. Plus you'll be stronger and faster than you've ever been. Your eyesight will be better than it is now."
"Are you going to dip me in some experimental chemical?" Emma laughed, but the look on Max's face made her stop, "Continue on, Maxwell."
"We'll be able to be together. Forever. You'll be immortal. At least, if neither of us has an accident; that's something you won't be immune to."
"Good, I was afraid I was going to end up perfect there for a minute," Emma teased.
"Oh no, there are plenty of cons, too," Max was continuing, "You'll never be able to have kids."
"I think I lost that privilege already," Emma reminded him.
"But you'll lose your chance to possibly be reincarnated into a new healthy body where you could have kids. However, there's no guarantee that you would be someone who reincarnates."
"I'm Catholic, I'm not supposed to believe in reincarnation anyway," she told him, "Besides, if I was reborn in the future, I wouldn't be with YOU."
"Glad you think so highly of me, considering you told me to get lost less than a week ago," Max said wryly, "Anyway, you'd also stop aging once you die. Oh yeah, you have to die before you can live forever."
"There's always that darn catch," Emma smiled wanly. Max had gone completely loopy, she decided. She wished he would just get to the point already
"You'd never be able to see your family and friends again, because they would all think that you were dead."
Yes, she was definitely ready for this conversation to end. It was getting beyond ridiculous.
"And then there's the blood involved."
"Max, the sight of blood doesn't bother me. You know that."
"Well, yes, but . . ."
"Will you please just get to the point of this miracle cure? I'm tired and I want to go to bed," she snapped.
"I . . . you have no idea how hard this is, Emma. I have no idea as to how you're going to react and I just want to give you all the facts before you close you mind to the idea and . . ." at Emma's look, he sighed, "Alright, here goes. What I'm saying is that your choice, but only if you want it of course, um, is for me to, well . . . to turn you into a vampire."
On that note, I don't know how many loyal readers I actually have, but I expect I might be losing some after this chapter. Let's just say the crossover I've mentioned several times comes out full swing, and the story takes a major twist, and I don't know how some people are going to feel about that. Then again, people may like it. Who knows?
Chapter 7
Emma woke up around 1AM and saw Kristen sleeping soundly on the other side of the room. Careful not to disturb her, Emma sat up quietly. On her bedside table, she saw a white piece of paper. If it's from the One Last Wish Foundation again, she thought, I'm gonna scream.
Fortunately, it wasn't. It was just a short sweet note that read:
Emmykins,
We're here for you, okay?
Sean and Michael
Emma smiled, laying the note back where she found it. So they knew. Well, at least she wouldn't have to worry about her family anymore. Keeping her illness from the people at school she could do, but hiding it from the people she lived with had been hard. Emma was eternally grateful to her stepsister for helping get things out in the open.
Suddenly, Emma felt the urge to go downstairs at that very minute. She didn't know why, but she knew it was imperative that she go to the kitchen.
Well, she was hungry anyway, having slept through dinner. No biggie.
As quietly as she could, Emma crept through the dark hallways and headed downstairs into the kitchen. Once there, she pulled some Oreos out of a cabinet. One thing about dying, she reflected, was that you no longer had to worry about eating healthy.
At that moment, a hand clasped over her arm. Before she could scream, another one covered her mouth. Emma started struggling, but it was useless against the iron grip that was holding her captive.
"If you stop struggling and promise not to scream, I'll let you free," came the whispered voice of Max Pine. Emma immediately stopped struggling, and Max let her go. She whirled around to face him.
"What is the meaning of this?" she whispered harshly, "I broke up with you! You have no right to be breaking into my house at night!" She ignored the fact that he had assumed she would come into the kitchen. There were too many unexplainable things about Max sometimes, and it was easier to focus on the present situation rather than how it came to be.
"I need to talk to you," he whispered back.
"Too bad," she said. She started to brush past him, but was stopped by his question.
"Do you want to die?"
She turned to face him. "What kind of stupid question is that? Of course I don't want to die. But I don't have a choice, now do I? Now if you'll excuse me, I have better things to do than talk to my ex-boyfriend in my kitchen at one in the morning." Again, her plan to escape was thwarted.
"Actually, you do."
"I do what?" she asked him in confusion. Why did he have to be so cryptic all the time?
"You have a choice."
Emma rolled her eyes. "Listen Max, I think you missed the telegram. I'm dying this summer. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it."
"I'm being serious. You do have a choice and if you'll just listen to me for one minute . . ."
Emma crossed her arms over her chest, shifting the bag of Oreos. "And what is this wonderful choice you have to offer me, huh?"
Max shifted his gaze. "Outside. I don't want to chance anyone in your family waking up."
Emma sighed, but followed him out into the yard. A normal girl would have wondered about the sanity of following her ex-boyfriend, whom she'd found in her kitchen at 1AM, outside and away from her family, holding a bag of Oreos. However, no matter how weird the situation, Emma felt perfectly safe with Max. Somewhat annoyed, but perfectly safe.
"Would it be too much to ask for a straight answer out of you?" she asked impatiently, "I have better things to do with the time I have left on earth than to try to decode the cryptic clues you drop."
"You may have more time than you think," Max said.
"Again with the ambiguity . . ." Emma began, but Max cut her off.
"Emma, please. You have no idea how hard this is for me. You have no idea what a risk it is for me to even suggest what I'm going to tell you. Just let me do this at my own pace."
Emma closed her mouth. She pulled out an Oreo and took a bite. "Fine, go ahead. I'm listening."
"You think that you only have one choice, right? That choice being that you let this cancer take its course and die over the summer, right?"
"I never told you I had cancer," Emma said, a bit freaked out, "There could be any number of things wrong with me."
"Yeah, there could, but I actually had a little chat with your stepsister after school, so I know the basic facts."
That must have been why Kristen was late getting home after school. Emma nodded, accepting Max's explanation.
"Well, you have another choice, and let it be known, I never would have suggested it to you at this time, possibly never, if the situation wasn't what it was. Had there been any other option, I wouldn't have suggested anything. But since you seem to be stuck between a rock and a hard place, you need an alternative. That's what I'm offering."
"So, whatever it is you're offering is a last resort," Emma said.
Max nodded. "If chemotherapy or radiation therapy had a chance, this never would have been offered. It's important that you know the only reason I'm telling you about this is because modern medicine can't do anything."
"Sure, I understand, but why is this option such a last resort type of deal?"
"Well, for one, it's illegal."
"Goody. I haven't really lived if I don't manage to get a criminal record before I die."
Max shot her a look. "For the record, the fact that I'm absolutely in love with you is illegal, too."
That made Emma laugh. "I know your parents don't really like me, but that's a bit far fetched. However, since we're not dating anymore, I guess you don't have to worry."
"We're getting off-topic," Max said tersely.
"Then by all means, let's get back on." This bantering, this camaraderie, and how it all fit together like destiny . . . this was why she'd fallen in love with Max in the first place. She missed him, really she did.
"As with any choice, there are pros and cons. The most important thing is that you'll be alive."
"That is a good thing," Emma agreed, wondering what the heck Max was offering her.
"But you'll not only be alive, you'll never get sick again. And I'm not just talking about cancer. I mean colds, flu, pinkeye, everything. You'll be immune. Plus you'll be stronger and faster than you've ever been. Your eyesight will be better than it is now."
"Are you going to dip me in some experimental chemical?" Emma laughed, but the look on Max's face made her stop, "Continue on, Maxwell."
"We'll be able to be together. Forever. You'll be immortal. At least, if neither of us has an accident; that's something you won't be immune to."
"Good, I was afraid I was going to end up perfect there for a minute," Emma teased.
"Oh no, there are plenty of cons, too," Max was continuing, "You'll never be able to have kids."
"I think I lost that privilege already," Emma reminded him.
"But you'll lose your chance to possibly be reincarnated into a new healthy body where you could have kids. However, there's no guarantee that you would be someone who reincarnates."
"I'm Catholic, I'm not supposed to believe in reincarnation anyway," she told him, "Besides, if I was reborn in the future, I wouldn't be with YOU."
"Glad you think so highly of me, considering you told me to get lost less than a week ago," Max said wryly, "Anyway, you'd also stop aging once you die. Oh yeah, you have to die before you can live forever."
"There's always that darn catch," Emma smiled wanly. Max had gone completely loopy, she decided. She wished he would just get to the point already
"You'd never be able to see your family and friends again, because they would all think that you were dead."
Yes, she was definitely ready for this conversation to end. It was getting beyond ridiculous.
"And then there's the blood involved."
"Max, the sight of blood doesn't bother me. You know that."
"Well, yes, but . . ."
"Will you please just get to the point of this miracle cure? I'm tired and I want to go to bed," she snapped.
"I . . . you have no idea how hard this is, Emma. I have no idea as to how you're going to react and I just want to give you all the facts before you close you mind to the idea and . . ." at Emma's look, he sighed, "Alright, here goes. What I'm saying is that your choice, but only if you want it of course, um, is for me to, well . . . to turn you into a vampire."