~ Phoenix, Arizona - December 10, 1994 ~
Alice's short letter rocked me to my dead core. I had allowed myself to hope that our side trip to Phoenix was so I could find my mate. Why else would Alice send me here? It was her last sentence that vexed me greatly.
"Just promise to remember you are a Cullen"
What hell is that supposed to mean? My only guess is that it had to do with bloodlust. I haven't been really tempted by human blood in over two decades. Being around humans, a vampire has to deal with the constant scraping of skin, shaving nicks, paper cuts, and thousands of other ways the human body could leak blood. In other words, being around humans meant being around the scent of blood constantly. Unless I was forced to bath in it, I could not comprehend how my thirst would be an issue. However that did not stop me from gorging myself on several bobcats and a mountain lion overnight.
At 8:00pm I headed out. Within a minute I was at the address Alice had provided. Garrett was already there, having scoped out the surrounding blocks as soon as the sun started to set. My body was humming with anticipation and…fear. Neither of these emotions were common for vampires. Being the alpha predator on the top of the food chain meant most new experiences were met with a good measure of apathy. However, tonight I was on edge, reaching out with my gift for any odd thoughts that would signal trouble.
"Easy, my friend. I won't let do anything against your adopted Cullen name." Garrett's outward appearance was calm, but his thoughts betrayed the excitement coursing through him. Judging by the heat building in his throat and the venom pooling in his mouth, he would be hunting after tonight's events.
Besides the cars passing by, the only other notable human activity appeared to be from the dance studio situated on the corner. At 8:07pm, the doors of the dance studio opened. We were downwind of the studio. A second after the doors swung open, hell descended upon me. My nostrils flared as the most tantalizing scent assaulted my senses. As a group of parents and kids filed out of the building, the scent grew to nearing maddening proportions.
"What is it, Edward? You're looking absolutely feral!" Garrett's voice registered in the back corner of my mind, but it was easily ignored.
As the last parent and child filed out of the dance studio, a low, sinister hiss escaped my throat. The source of the most deliciously addictive scent was before me. I slowly stalked through the shadows focusing every bit of my talent on the woman. I knew blood would be shed and I welcomed the heinous act with open arms. Every dead cell in my body screamed for me to drain the sweet nectar from the human. I could feel Garret's arms as they wrapped around me like steel bands, trying in vain to stop my approach. Grabbing his wrists, I pulled his arms away with all my bloodlust-fueled strength. I barely registered the separated hand in my clutches or Garrett's profane curses over his lost appendage.
As I got within yards of my prey, I registered that this most glorious scent was not from the woman, but the child. I had never taken the life of a child. This complication caused my laser focus to falter just enough for me to comprehend the words coming from the mother and child.
"Mom! I left my Santa scarf inside. I need to get it! Without it Santa won't come this year!"
From the mother escaped thoughts of the little girl sleeping near a gaudy aluminum Christmas tree. A red knitted scarf with a crocheted Santa Claus was wrapped around her neck and gripped tightly in her hands.
"Okay, sweetie. Lets go back and get it." The mother turned to enter the studio, but the little girl set her shoulders and stomped her foot.
"I can get myself, Mom! I'm a big kid now!" A beat later the girl marched determinedly into the dance studio leaving the mother alone on the street corner.
"So damn independent and stubborn…just like her father!" The mother whispered into the night. Images of a young, dark haired man in a police uniform flitted through her mind before the woman remembered that she needed to go Christmas shopping for the little girl. Images of the pink character from the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers and Magic Eye Pictures puzzles dominated her scattered thoughts.
With the little girl inside, my sanity was able to beat back the bloodlust just enough for me to take a couple steps backwards. Her scent still hung heavy in the air. Instinctively, I followed the sound of her beating heart as she searched for her scarf. The rhythmic pulse of her blood thundered in my ears, as venom flooded my mouth. The need to drain the petite creature was as powerful as any drug-fueled addiction I'd seen in countless human thoughts. Her blood was heroine to me. I kept my eyes focused on the dance studio door as I waited for her to exit.
I took another deep breath and fresh air now diluted her siren's scent. I slowly started to recognize that Garrett's mangled arms surrounded me again. His voice broke through the little girls heartbeat like unwanted static, but my consciousness grabbed onto and processed a few of his words.
"...you're a Cullen"
"…she's your Singer"
"…can't kill an innocent child"
His last words made my eyes leave the door and look upon the girl's mother.
"innocent child"
The realization that I was about to happily and greedily kill a human child…take a truly innocent soul, took hold. The shaking that had taken over my body since the moment the studio door opened stopped. I allowed Garrett's other words to sink in.
"Singer"
The girl was my singer. Her blood called to me stronger than any siren's deadly serenade. The phenomenon was rare, but very real. The only other Cullen to have experienced it before tonight was Emmett. In a blink of an eye, he viciously drained a woman whose only crimes were her poor timing in hanging her laundry out and having blood that sang to Emmett. There was no shame, no guilt, in murdering your singer. The strongest of my kind always succumbed to its devilish pull.
Murdering a child, singer or not, was a different story. Truth be told, her being a child was not enough to block the call of a singer's blood. It was this child that made the difference for me. In the few seconds that reason started to filter back into my thoughts, I could feel my desires start to shift. Her scent still maddened me and I still wanted to drain her until she was a hollowed out husk. However, with each ragged breath I took I also found I wanted to protect her. Protect her from me.
The sound of the studio door opening came too soon. My tenuous control started to crumble as the girl skipped to her mother. The much sought after Christmas scarf was looped around her neck. Garrett's hold still held me in place, but my struggle to get free was half-hearted at best.
"I found it Mom!" The girl's voice and accompanying giggles rang throughout the air.
"Oh, I'm so glad, sweetie! Lets go get some dinner."
The mother and child started to walk away. With each step away from me I rejoiced. She would be safe from me. She would live to see presents under her Christmas tree this year. Once the tension poured out of my body, Garrett released his hold and I slumped against the building.
"She found her scarf," I whispered.
"What?" Garrett asked incredulously.
"She found her Christmas scarf. It made her happy." I responded flatly. I'm not sure where the words were coming from, but at that moment they were what meant most to me.
Garrett shook his head in amazement, before retrieving his severed hand.
"Help me re-attach this, " he grunted, "then I'm going for a hunt."