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Does anyone else really want to skip New Moon because it's too depressing? I'm maybe too optimistic about how happy for Carys I can make it at times - but I'll try to make it exciting and interesting at least, so we'll see how we go, and hope it's not a slog...
New Moon
Prologue
Carys ran as fast as she could, heart racing, lungs burning, every muscle screaming at her to stop, her only conscious thought to turn left when she came to the end of the darkened street. She ignored it all, ignored everything but her instincts, and pushed herself harder, ran faster, flung herself around the corner to the right instead, threw her hands out to propel herself back off the wall she nearly collided with, and pushed on.
Carys didn't know how much she had in her, but whatever she had needed to get her just that bit further; far enough ahead that the snarls that began to fill the night air behind, above, and to the left of her would find their prey elsewhere.
Elsewhere, namely, the two men chasing behind, ignorant to the growing tempo and volume of the snarls that began to now fill the rooftops to both sides of the long, narrow street as they chased after their prey, determined to catch her, shouting at her to stop and come back, laughing at her fear; ignorant to the fact that she was now far more afraid of what was above her than behind her; equally ignorant to the fact they too were now prey and the predators that had caught wind of their strong, fast pumping hearts and ragged breath were far more powerful than they could imagine.
For Carys, sprinting ahead, her lungs protesting each and every panting breath, less and less air entering her bloodstream, a stitch knotting low in her side and stabbing painfully as if it would soon rip open, the knowledge that she was now leading those men to their certain deaths was less onerous than the knowledge of what they were now shouting they would do to her if they caught her.
She just had to be faster. Faster. Faster! She screamed at herself in the knowledge that if she was going to survive, she had to play by the same rules as a bear attack: outrun the others.
She clutched her camera to her waist with one hand to stop it from slamming heavily against her ribcage and spurred herself on. The snarls reached a crescendo; the men behind her slowed, searching the edges of rooftops fearfully for the source of the sound; Carys came to the end of the street, followed her instincts again and turned left this time, bursting out onto the wider, well-lit road; screams echoed through the air behind her for a moment or two before they suddenly cut off.
Carys winced, tripped, caught herself at just the right moment, and carried on.
Rather than slow, she ran harder, in case the vampires she'd been watching for weeks before the two men had caught sight of her crouched at the corner of a side street with her camera in hand, trying to take a picture with the help of a mirror left lying broken at the entrance of an alley, followed her scent as well. She hadn't thought of the threat of humans that night; she'd been blinded by the fact she could finally observe the vampires she'd discovered and have a better understanding of their numbers.
Carys came to the end of the road, slapped her hand against the corner of the brickwork to help her turn, and lost the last of her breath as a snarl ripped through the air behind her. A body made of stone slammed into her from the front. Red eyes flashed, impossibly white teeth glinted and shone in the darkness. Her feet had lost purchase on the ground when she'd been tackled, and suddenly, there was nothing below her. The little she could see over the vampire's shoulder sped by in a blur as he ran.
She expected the pain that slammed into her when she was thrown to the floor and razor-sharp teeth sank into her flesh, but neither came.
Instead, when she was released in the middle of an alley, far away from where she'd been before, she was dropped unceremoniously to her feet and left to stumble back against the wall, sinking to the floor when her legs gave out.
The figure came towards her again, sauntering forward as he twitched his sleeve and came into the dim light of the street lamp. It illuminated his face enough that she could see he was handsome, tall, broad-shouldered, his long rich-blond hair hanging low against his neck and shoulders. He was far more in control of himself than the others she'd seen that night, far more composed, and yet his eyes glowed, dark-red with hunger.
Carys pressed back against the brickwork, eyes wide, forcing herself not to focus on the pain or the way her palms burned where she'd scraped them, trying to compel her subconscious mind to answer the question: Friend, or Foe?
The vampire crouched low before her, a slow grin wreathing his face as he flashed his teeth once again.
His low, musical voice sounded strangely proud as he said, "Oh, your family's going to be so angry, aren't they, Mrs Cullen?" the instant before his hand darted towards Carys' neck.
A/N: I'm still on my two to four-week break but I wrote this just now and I'm oddly proud of it so want to share and... Leave you all in suspense for a bit? Am I the evil narrator here? P.s., I promise - the flashforwards from If It's Not Too Late will be played out at different points in New Moon.
Remember: I love Carlisle, I love Carys, and I love them together.
