Chapter 2
Vision
A sudden shift of wind wafted a new scent my way. I turned, halfway through the door, and looked for the cause. A young black-tailed doe stood at the edge of the yard, petrified. I let loose a terrifying snarl, and it bolted. I smiled, pleased that my roar wasn't frightening to humans alone.
I turned to enter the house, and stopped. I felt something change in my head, and in that instant my mind was racked with electric pain. I screamed, and clung to the door for support. The door cracked and groaned under my colossal grip, but I was oblivious even when it cracked and sent me reeling to the floor. My eyes were clamped shut and realized that I was still screaming. Then, as suddenly as it had come, the pain stopped. I opened my eyes hesitantly, and knew I was no longer in the white house, and quite possibly no longer in my body.
She was staring at herself, running through a large expanse of woodland. She caught the now familiar scent of a deer, and she dropped into a hunting stance. She saw her own black eyes grow hungrier as she quickly gained on the unsuspecting animal. When she caught sight of the young doe the predator inside her completely took over, and in a matter of seconds she was drinking deeply from the corpse. She looked up at the star-lit sky, and her eyes were no longer that shocking red… but a warm, honey color.
Another intense pain racked my body and the vision shifted suddenly.
She was gazing down on a large brick mansion in the midst of a huge expanse of golden grassland. The main door burst open, and a tall figure erupted from it so fast that he was almost a blur. He had to be a vampire to have the ability to run that swiftly. A smaller, somehow daintier, figure soon followed going even faster – if that were possible.
The small figure cried out, and her voice was beautifully expressive, clearly showing how desolate she felt. "Jasper! Wait!"
He stopped for an instant, and then took off again. But that instant was all that the woman needed. She was immediately at his side, with a firm grip on his arm.
"Maria. Let me go." He said calmly, but his burgundy eyes were oozing anger, and somewhere behind the rage there was a hint of sadness. Her grasp never loosened, and she stared up at him with eyes the same deep red as his.
"Why are you leaving us?" She said, and her voice had a frantic beauty to it.
"Maria, we've had this discussion."
"Jasper, you don't even know who you're looking for!"
"I'll know when I find her." He said, and he finally shook off her vice-like grip. He stepped back, and he began to turn away from her.
"But… You can't leave me, Jasper!" She said her voice was miserable.
"Maria." He said, turning to face her again. "I don't love you."
The atmosphere abruptly changed. Maria began to smile, and then closed her eyes. She shook her head violently, and when she opened her eyes, the pain in her eyes had returned.
"Hiding the pain won't make it go away Jasper." She whispered, looking at the grass beneath her elegant shoes. When Maria looked up he was meters away and running faster than before. She watched him until he began to disappear into the distance.
A faint whisper carried by the wind reached Maria, and she fell to the ground. Her long brown curls broke free of their meticulous pins and covered her heartbroken face. Her delicate frame was racked by sobs –but was denied the release that tears would bring. No vampire could weep, no matter how desperately they wished to.