Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.
This story has been adopted. The original was written and discontinues by Amiiix3. I was graciously given permission to continue the story as I saw fit. Thank you Amiiix3 for your trust.
His hateful glare intimidated me at first. I felt the muscles in my arms clench, as I watched the bands in his jaw do the same, contracting tightly.
His fiery eyes blazed, scorching, but I could not look away. I was unable to recall the amount of time we stood in the darkened alley, challenging each other with our eyes. I attempted not to cower in the elongated period; it felt as if we were there for hours, but it could have been mere seconds.
He spoke first, his teeth glistening ominously in the dim light.
"What are you?" His words were harsh, biting.
I felt a small smile crawl across my face. His question seemed somewhat amusing, his frustration suddenly laughable.
"Whatever do you mean?" I asked lightly, a lilt in my tinkling voice. I cocked my head to the side, giving him the most innocent glance I could with my devilish eyes.
He blinked a few times, obviously taken aback. My talking shocked him.
I could not help but let the laugh escape me, allowing it to bubble and then froth over, like a bottle of champagne, but more elegant; chimes tossing in the wind. He frowned, sliding further into the alley's shadows.
"Wait," I found myself reaching for him. Catching myself, I pulled my hand back and clasped it with my other, surprised at my own actions. "I'm the same as you- no different."
He took a few steps closer, watching me with an unnerving intensity. His forehead furrowed again, aggravation tugging at his brow. "But I can't...your mind, it's like a blank wall," he whispered, leaning towards me.
A smile found its way over my cheeks again. "My power." I nodded.
He glanced at me with ruby eyes, shock replacing his irritation. "Your power? That must be something... strong, for you to be able to block me."
"Of course it is." I chided myself for allowing my ego to inflate any further. "Perhaps you'd like to learn more about it?" I tilted my head toward the entrance of the alley, the glittering New York lights flitting across the horizon on cue.
He still watched me in the demoralizing way, eyes much too sharp- not to mention captivating- for my taste. I pulled my gaze from his and glanced down at my wrist where a thin, silver bracelet sat, the chains delicate, but worn; a glance at the ancient heirloom calmed me.
"All right," he sighed. He ran a pale hand through the mop of silken hair and it fell back across his brow, a piece of fringe framing his eyes. "My name is Edward," he added after a moment of thought, lifting his hand in a gesture I remembered another fair-haired vampire doing nearly seven years prior.
"I know." I smirked at his curious expression and turned to lead the way, sure his eyes were on my swaying hips, or a region slightly below that.
An endless expanse of ebony colored the sky. Pinpricks of light were scattered across its surface, as if someone had powdered it; messy, but in a perfect disarray.
Somewhat like Edward.
His emotions were constantly changing, but the particularly delicious anxiousness was virtually tangible in the inky blackness. Grass tickled my bare legs as I crossed them beneath myself, settling on the patch of weeds that had managed to grow in the alley.
Edward simply stood over me, staring down with confusion- something that seemed forever fastened to him.
I pat the space beside me. "Sit," I urged.
He folded himself adjacent to me with caution, careful to keep a space between us. I, on the other hand, felt confident he could not hurt me. He was no longer a newborn, as he had been those many years before, and that was where the main threat lay.
"What would you like to know?" I asked, once he had ensconced himself, leaning against the wall behind us. What confused me was how crisp and proper he was, his posture nothing like the catlike stance I took, or the vulgar habits I possessed.
He clasped his hands together, staring at his fingers. A short breath of air tumbled from his lips. He regarded me, eyes gleaming. "Everything." I chuckled, both finding his words hilarious, and feeling elated at being able to hold a conversation with another; one whose blood did not tempt me.
"I can't possibly tell you everything. But I'm sure you might remember me by now- Isabella."
He nodded diligently. "Of course I do. You're the vampire that came through Denali. The one with the red eyes."
I fluttered my lashes at him. "They're still red, if you haven't noticed. And yours are too- now. Care to explain?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Golden eyes aren't particularly common among our kind," I explained, "I remembered." I raised an eyebrow and tapped the side of my temple in an exaggerated gesture. His cheek lifted, a short smile, but it fell back quickly.
"I've decided to change my eating habits." I waited, expecting him to continue, but he sat stubbornly, gazing at the ground as if he could not feel my stare.
"Why?" I finally asked, lifting my chin as if daring him to refuse my question. Another sigh heaved from him, this one larger. He seemed to collapse before my eyes, not physically, but in an emotional way.
"I was changed by a 'vegetarian' or that's what we like to call it. You were right in saying there aren't many of my kind- barely any at all. The only ones I know of are my own small coven of three and another in Alaska. Esme just joined us a few months before your visit, as Carlisle's mate- you remember him, don't you?" He did not wait for my response before continuing, as if suddenly possessed by a demon, one that would not allow him to cease relaying the story of his life to me.
I was absolutely fascinated. I could not keep my eyes off him, watching as he spoke; full, red lips moving in a blur. His hands twisted together; a nervous habit it seemed.
"...and in the home, with no freedom, and the never ending scents always bombarding me the moment I stepped out the door... It was like torture- I couldn't handle it. So I left, with much sorrow, of course, but it was a choice I could not help but make."
He uttered another sigh, this time actually sliding to the ground. It seemed the careful facade had crumbled, and all it had taken was a tiny push towards his past. I stored the information for later.
I was tempted to brush back the glossy strands of hair, always finding themselves over his eyes, but those aforementioned orbs snapped open just as my hand was hovering over his head.
I tugged it back, pulling it behind me. I could not find what had possessed me to make a move like that and possibly humiliate myself for the rest of eternity. It must have been the lack of association with others- social deprivation.
He regarded me, his sanguine irises cautious.
"Now your turn," his velvety voice mixed with the breezy air, melting into the black curtain surrounding us.
I pressed myself to the ground, so my head lay beside his, and allowed myself to be lost in the expanse of darkness above me, focusing no something past the millions of shimmering stars.
"I was born in London..." The story began.