So, this isn't about Bella and Edward, although they're going to be in it, just...not as main characters. I think you'll like this story though, so give it a chance!
um...i own most of these characters. except of course the ones i refer to from twilight and the likes. Those dont belong to me, sadly. Ok, read.
Chapter 1: Just Walking
I'm walking through the forest. Just walking. Safe enough, sticking to the trail, right? Wrong. I hear a rustling behind me, stirring the ferns and greens. My instincts are screaming for me to run. I glance into the forest behind me, quickening my pace. The path becomes more treacherous as I discover I am being led further and further into the forest. The trail markers begin disappearing, seeing fewer and fewer of the blue spray marks as I sprint through the thickening growth of trees. The noises behind me persist and I begin to get more nervous. I know for sure now, someone is following me. Someone or something is following my path. Then I hear the breathing. Harsh, growling and panting noises whip over my shoulder. I turn and look back while I run, coming face to face with three outrageously huge wolves. They snap their teeth in my direction and I let out a squeal. I know, as soon as the path becomes invisible, that I won't make it out of this. I'm far away from the town, maybe by 10 miles. So no one will hear me scream. I turn to look again, the wolves, only a foot from me.
Then I trip. It all seems to be slow motion as I careen through the air and skid through the brush, coming to a full impact collision with a huge oak tree. I let out a cry of pain as I am sure the impact broke numerous ribs and damaged internal organs along the way. The wolves stop, circling around me. I realize how outrageous this whole scene is. The huge wolves snarl and snap, drool flipping off their jowls and landing on my face, stinging my skin. Tears coursing down my face, I scream out in fright. The wolf closest to me, black with cold blue eyes, assesses me with contemplative eyes. His lips close over his deadly fangs as he backs away. My eyes open wide in surprise and relief, expecting the other two to back down as well. But they hold their ground, moaning and growling at their retreating mate as he passes.
One of the remaining two comes close to me, sniffing my shirt with a swift movement. Catching a whiff of something, obviously something unpleasant, he growls deeply. The next thing I know, the grey wolf is lunging at me, claws thrown forward in attack. They strike my chest, pinning me with extreme force against the ground. My lungs collapse under the power. I hear more crushing with agonizing pain. I scream out.
I close my eyes and wait for the pain of the teeth.
I hear a strange thud, as the weight is lifted off of me. A cool gust of wind washes over me and I open my eyes, confused. A pale white man stands in front of me, between me and the wolves.
"No! Get away from them, they'll kill you!" I scream through the burning in my chest from the broken ribs. He turns to me, his eyes an oddly black color.
"Don't move," he says, his tone forceful in a way I cannot describe. His order has me stuck in place. He turns his attention back to the wolves, seeming to crouch in a defensive motion. He flings himself into the forest with such a speed that I can't be sure I even really saw him. The wolves follow quickly, flinging dirt behind them with their big paws. I use this precious time to calm myself, as I find that I am shaking.
What the hell just happened? My mind tries desperately to assemble the present facts in my head to some feasible conclusion. I close my eyes tight with the pain as I push myself into a sitting position. I wince, my chest constricting with the bruising. Then something else comes into the forest. I see a figure running through the gloom, but it's dark under the canopy of thick leaves, and I only see a pale glow of a person.
Holding a hand around my chest, I grasp the tree and pull myself to my feet, feebly.
"Who's there?" I manage to choke out, blood making an appearance at my lips. My strength weakens, and I fall back to my knees, wiping desperately at my mouth.
The figure stops, pacing at a distance where I can't see them. They pause, and though I can't see them, I sense their eyes dwelling on me. I can almost feel the deliberating nature as the person takes a hesitant step towards me. In the light, I see that this person is the same man who just saved me. Well, he saved me from the wolves. Thinking about the blood still leaking from my lips, I can't say whether I will survive after all.
"Are—" I start, though I find I have to clear my throat to stop choking on my own blood, "Are the wolves gone?" I manage to get out before slumping over on my side. His eyes widen and he takes a step forward, though does not quite approach me. He looks at my face, then at my chest where my arms hangs loosely around my wounds. Then his eyes flick back to my face, staring at the blood coming from my mouth in horror, and oddly enough, also in desire.
He studies my face, as if memorizing something, or concentrating very hard. His eyes run over my disheveled blonde hair and my destroyed clothes.
I study him as well, his pale skin glowing in the green haze of the forest. His golden hair falls, in disarray around his gorgeous face. I can't say, in my 17 years of living, that I have seen a more beautiful face. The lines of horror and desire between his brows only seem to make his face all the more beautiful. His eyes are a flat black, extraordinarily smooth and warming, though they send chills up my spine. His appearance is so full of contradictions. I notice, however, that though I at first thought he was a man, I can see now that he's not much older than I. His face gives away a subtle child-like innocence mixed with years and years of some ancient danger. I see, despite my crumpled height, that he is tall, and yet also very built. He stands, his hands balled into fists, his body very athletic and sinuous, yet not in a body-builder way. His white shirt only accentuates this, clinging tightly to his muscles.
I glance back at his face, and see that he has made some sort of decision. He walks over to me, kneeling down. He remains a bit distant, obviously uncomfortable with the situation. I take a breath and am hit with an irresistible scent. I try to take a deep breath, but the blood pooling in my lungs causes me to choke, sending me into a fit of coughing and sputtering. I crouch over, spitting blood to the ground. I sense the boy shiver, and then feel a reluctant hand on my back. As soon as it makes contact, I feel my heart jump with pleasure. The hand on my back feels cold as though made of ice. It soothes the injured ribs and organs as it rubs circles against my back.
"You need to see a doctor," he states, his voice still musical and soothing. I turn my face to his, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.
"I can't move," I whisper, feeling the strength leaving me fast. I fall against the ground, moaning with the pain. Then I watch his eyes. They assess my face, my injuries, and then he withdraws his hand.
"No," he murmurs, his voice low and harsh, whipping out quickly from between his pale lips. I hear steps walking up and another person kneels down beside us. Another boy kneels down, his face scrunched up in disgust as he sees my blood. His hair is dark, black and spiked. His eyes are not the black color of my savior's though. This boy's eyes are a light gold, butterscotch even. He is bigger in build than the blonde one, but just as irresistibly gorgeous.
"Not in time," the second boy whispers, assessing my injuries.
"There's still time!" my savior says, harshly, his lips pulling back over his teeth in a very dog-like action as he snarls. His strong arms pull me up from the ground as he stands. The motion is so swift, so effortless, that I'm thrown into confusion once more. Who are these boys? Why were they this deep in the forest? Well, I may not live to find out. But then I catch his irresistible scent again…I shake my head, trying to snap out of it.
"Hospital…" I try to say, my voice trailing off. My strength is gone now, I simply register being carried.
"Alexander, think about it! She's your singer! She's going to die anyway, why don't you just finish her off?" The second boy's deep, beautiful voice sounds from behind us. A roar rips out of my savior, Alexander, I presume. The roar is deafening and I try, without success, to cover my ears.
"Never, Michael, it's against our beliefs. Does our lifestyle mean nothing to you? What we've learned from Carlisle's family? Have you forgotten so easily our purposes?" his smooth voice flows so swiftly my mind has trouble keeping up.
"Well, she won't live. Maybe—" Michael's repentant voice suggests, but stops as if the option is ridiculous, "Nevermind."
"I can't accomplish it. I wouldn't be able to stop, Michael, you know that. It's difficult for me to just hold her now." Alexander takes a breath, letting it out with a shudder. He looks down at me. I meet his eyes eagerly, loving the feeling of falling when I see the glistening black irises.
"You have a choice," he says, pointedly at me, "I can take you to a hospital. You won't live, you're injuries are severe." I hear some sort of curse under his breath as he struggles with the other option, "Or I can change you. But it's a risk, I may not be able to control myself."
I struggle to take in what he says, "Change me? Into…" I trail off, glancing from his face to Michael's in a confused misapprehension.
"A vampire," Michael clarifies as if this is obvious. My mind reels. A what? I am riddled by a pain sensation in my lungs and I know I am minutes from death. I look up again with wide green eyes at Alexander's face. I see some unknown emotion plain on his face. He is readying himself emotionally for what he's prepared to try. While I am confused beyond belief, and don't even halfway believe what they say, I place my trust in this gorgeous boy's hands.
"I trust you, save me," I whisper, innocent and completely confused eyes staring openly at his face. He winces at my wording, for some unknown reason, but nods, tightly.
Other voices are around me now, and I realize others must be present in the location in which we have arrived. I am placed gently on some soft surface. I feel slicing sensation at my neck, then an injection of some sort, and I realize that I have been bitten by something. The injected substance burns inside me as if my veins were alit with fire.
I feel pain, that's all. I have no other thoughts but pain. I have no idea how much time passes, there is only pain. Pain overtakes me. A blinding pain. Pain…pain…pain.
Then the pain passes, after an immeasurable amount of time. The pain is overtaken by a thirst. My eyes peek open and I see that I am in some unknown place. My vision focuses and I see that everything around the room is crystal clear. I sit up, hesitantly, remembering nothing to hint towards my current location. I am startled back into reality when, seated right next to me, is the most gorgeous man on the face of the earth.
Alexander. I recall, sighing into recognition. So it wasn't just a dream.
"Alexander," I say, my voice somehow different from normal. I hear the musical word whipping from my lips, yet fail to believe it's my own.
"I apologize, I don't know your name," he says with a small smile, the sound of his voice enticing. I concentrate for a moment, and then manage to remember my own name.
"I'm Elise," I whisper, still finding my voice, lost in his glory.
"Well, Elise, I have yet another apology to give to you. I am sorry that I had to cause you pain, I never intended to hurt you. Damn dogs…" Somehow I find myself struggling to keep up with his quick voice, tainted by some sort of sorrow and anger, though I sense the anger is directed towards himself. He regains his concentration, and continues, locking his eyes with mine again, "I understand if you wish to leave, but the point still remains that you are a vampire. I couldn't—let you die." He says with a sigh and a pleading expression.
"I'm actually a vampire?" I ask, realizing the thirst aching the back of my throat. He nods, slowly, standing and offering me his hand to rise from the couch. I take it, thrilling at the chance to touch his icy hand, although, this time I don't find his skin quite so surprising. My skin appears to be almost the same temperature as his, though I still receive an extreme case of the chills at his touch.
He leads me to a floor length mirror. I glance at the mirror, then back at him. He nods towards the mirror as if something there should strike me as odd. I glance back, realizing the oddity. I am completely and totally gorgeous.
As a human, I had always been awkwardly tall, though now, in the mirror, my long slender body looks, well, sexy. My blonde hair falls in waves to my mid-back, my bangs swept elegantly to the side. I realize that, despite the oversized t-shirt and guy's athletic shorts I'm wearing, I am quite surprisingly alluring. I walk forward, placing on hand on the mirror and leaning in close. My wide, doe eyes are a bright, blood red, set perfectly on a face of slight features. Freckles dance on the bridge of my nose, but my skin is a very, very pale shade of ivory. My pink lips form a perfect pout, somehow more inviting then they were as a human. I smile, expecting fangs, but see only perfectly straight, glistening white teeth.
"No fangs?" I say with humor, turning to see Alexander staring at me with an unusual expression as I memorize my new appearance.
"Common misconception," he says, flashing me a smile of his bright white, perfect teeth.
I giggle, somehow managing to sound more like a music box than a laughing teen girl. I spin around and stare at Alexander with the same expression he uses when looking at me—one of silent contemplation and yet, strangely also a combination of subtle desire. I take the time to wonder whether I have the same effect on him as he has on me—taking my breath away from me every time I look at him. As soon as I think the thought, I laugh inwardly. How could I ever affect someone like this? It's then I realize that my heart is not drumming a million times a minute like it did when I was in the woods with Alexander. In an unconscious gesture, I place my hand on my heart, expecting the steady beat to penetrate my palm. When I feel nothing but my breathing, my face drops into an expression of fear. Am I dead after all?
Alexander understands immediately what I'm thinking, for he takes my hand in his again, explaining gently.
"We don't have a heart beat, Elise. Don't worry, you're alright," his voice is so sincere and soft that I don't dare argue with the subject. I look into his eyes, catching the golden irises in a forceful stare. I stare at him for an immeasurable amount of time before I realize that we are only inches from each other's faces, having moved closer without realizing it. It would be only too easy to go the rest of the way and kiss his velvet lips.
Unconsciously, my eyes close and I lean in, smelling his sweet breath as he breathes so near my face.
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