A/N: A few notes before this chapter. This is Chapter two from Edward's P.O.V. There are two reasons for this. First, I realized that working on the whole first person thing left me lacking a descirption of Kari. Which brings me to me other reason. I decided what better way to describe Kari than Edward seeing her for the first time. It would set up for later. The beginning were he's contemplating his relationship with Bella will too.
EDWARD
The week of the collection was going well. It was a little boring for my tastes. Things didn't look like they were going to get anymore interesting either. It was already midday on thursday and the only a had a day and a half left and there was no fun yet.
I drove my volvo at a hundred miles an hour towards our next stop. I looked over at Bella, who was staring out the window with her arms crossed over her chest. She was silent. I hated the silence, then again I hated the fighting too.
It seemed that's all we ever did. We either didn't talk or fought. It had been that way since the beginning of the war. I had a feeling I knew why but whenever I bring it up, she finds something else for us to fight about.
I knew that she blamed me for our daughters death. She never said it but she didn't need to. I could always see it in her eyes and hear it in the silence. She always found reasons to be angry with me just so she didn't have to admit what she was really angry about. I didn't know what to do anymore.
I thought many times about asking her if she wanted a divorce, but I could never get the words out. It was apparent to everyone, even the family, that we didn't love each other like the used to. She barely let me touch her anymore. She wouldn't even sleep with me. I had to resort to taking what I wanted from the human slaves that we kept in the house. This seemed to just make her even more angry with me.
I think she's insecure about my being caustious about sex with her when she was a human but here I was screwing every female human in our house. I tried to explain to her many times that I just used them as playthings and I didn't think of them they way I did of her. I told her that I didn't care about them. I told her it didn't mean a thing. I enjoyed the fact that they hurt afterward. She didn't believe me. She still doesn't now.
We pulled up outside a house that was miles away from any other. I saw Carlisle park his Mercedes behind me and Alice pulled the porsche behind him. The van with this months collection was behind her.
I got out of the volvo and used my vampire speed to get the door for Bella. Alice and Jasper were walking up to us as I held my hand out to Bella. She took it and I pulled her out of the car. She allowed me to slide my hand around her waist today. This surprised me but I took advantage. Carlisle and Esme joined us now.
"Looks like we might get some fun today." Alice said with an evil smile.
"What do you mean?" I asked as we headed for the house.
"I just had a vision. It seems as though the stupid human were about to meet has decided to attempt to hide her family from us." Alice explained. "She's also going to be very gutsy."
"Excellent." I said ready for the chance to instill fear in somebody else.
Alice's grin grew wider. I had a feeling there was more but she wouldn't say. I tried to read her thoughts as we continued accross the lawn. Prepared for that she began rciting her alphabet in Spanish, Russian, French, Chinese, and Greek. I chuckled at the smile she flashed me.
We entered the front door without bothering to knock. Why should we? We're the superior species, not them. We walked into an empty living room. There was a T.V. the wall furtherest from us. A couch was opposite the T.V. and two armchairs on the wall across from the bay window. There was an end table on one side of the couch and one in between the armchairs. Lamps that were off sat on both tables.
I held up my hand for them to stop. I wanted to see if I could hear where they were. I heard someone turn off the faucet in the kitchen. I heard blood pumping as though from fear and deep breathing from someone. No thoughts reached my head though. That was odd. I knew someone was in the kitchen.
A few seconds later, the second most beautiful human I've ever seen came around the corner. She had beautiful blue eyes that showed curiousity not fear. That struck me as odd and intriguing. She had waist length dirty blonde hair that was hanging in a long braid down her back. She was tall, I'd say just short of ix feet, but petite, weighing probably less than one hundred and thirty pounds. She had a few freckles on her face but no blemishes. Her face was a little dirty and sweaty. She was probably cleaning. She wore a pair of tight jeans with a white form fitting tank top. It was low cut and showed off her generously sized breasts.
She stood there with her arms crossed in front of her just watching them. I gave her a minute to take us in before I began her interrogation.
"What's your name?" I finally demanded.
"Kari." she replied. She didn't sound in the least bit frightened. I'd have to do something about that.
"Well, Kari, our research says that their are supposed to be seven of you here." I stated.
"That's right." She replied. Her tone told me I would have to fight her to get what I wanted.
"Well, where are they?" I pressed. I used a tone one would use on a five year old.
"Now, why would I tell you that?" she countered. Now, I was getting angry.
"I can just read your mind for the answer." I said. Or I hoped I could. "But it would be easier if you just answered me." Maybe, she get smart.
"Sorry. I've always done things the hard way." she answered.
I stared at her hard for a few moments and got nothing. She had averted her eyes to the floor so I forced her to look at me. Maybe,eye contact would help. I stared into her eyes but still got nothing. This hadn't happened since I met Bella. I hated it when I couldn't see into people's minds.
"That's interesting." I commented toward my family. "This hasn't happened in thirteen years."
"What?" Bella asked. I could here the irritation in her voice. Irritation no doubt that I was giving a human girl more attention than I was giving her. Even if it was negative attention.
"I can't get a thing from her." I answered and turned back to the girl. "So I'll ask you again, human, where is everyone else?"
"I'm not telling you. I won't aid you in turning my sister into whores and my brothers into slaves." she said defiantly .
I had half a mind to snap her like a twig but I controlled the impulse. I didn't want to hurt her just yet.
"We gonna find them whether or not you tell us. It would be easier on everyone if you just tell us."
"Like I said before, I always do things the hard way."
I looked me up and down, she would be a fun new toy to play with. She would be a challenge. I enjoyed a challenge.
"No matter what we do with the family, I want her. She looks like she'd be a real challenge. I like a challenge." I told the others
"Go to hell." I said through gritted teeth.
I got angrier when she used that phrase. I was already in hell. I had to live with the thoughts of what happened to my daughter all those years ago. My marriage had gone under because of what happened to my daughter. I had lost a brother and sister in the war that followed my daughter's murder. Nobody could tell me about hell. I was there.
I raised my hand and struck her. My ring caught her lip and cut it. I smelled the almost glorious scent as she fell to the floor from the force. I noticed her lift her hand to wipe the blood but it wasn't very often a vampire could sample blood without biting the human. No reason to waste a good opportunity. I grabbed her wrist and pulled it away from her mouth.
"I don't think so." I whispered then leaned in like I was going to kiss her.
I took her bottom lip in my mouth and sucked the blood off. It was the second best thing, I'd ever tasted in my life. It was rivaled only by Bella's blood. I had to force myself not rip her throat open and take it all.I did still want to play with her after all.
"Another reason to keep you around. Only one human had better blood than you." I said to the girl after I pulled away then I glanced back at Bella.
I imagined she would've blushed if she could. I looked at the rest of the family.
"Find the others." I ordered. "Search everywhere until you find them. I'm going to stay with my new friend. Just to make sure she doesn't get too brave."
The others scattered through the looking for her family. The girl tried to stand up but I pushed her back down.
"No one told you to get up." I said.
She stared at me for a long time. I stared right back at her. I saw fear a little more dominant in her eyes but her curiousity was still on the surface.
"You weren't always like this, were you?" she asked.
Was I that easy to read? Or was this pathetic human just good at seeing things? Whatever the reason for her question, I certainly wasn"t going to answer it. What could a human tell me about how was before? What could a human possibly know about how the world made me like this.
"That's none of your business, human." I replied digusted. She was to be my toy, not my therapist.
She didn't say anymore. She just continued to stare. I stared at her as well. Suddenly, I saw not curiousity but sympathy on the surface of her eyes. This was almost laughable. She was going to spend the rest of her life as my slave and she felt sorry for me. I was really going to need to fuck her up. Before I had a chance to say anything else to her, my family returned with hers.
Esme was holding to children who didn't look much older than five. They were struggling against her and crying. I almost felt sorry for them. They didn't even know what was going on. Then again, he figured it would be easier for them that way.
"It's going to be okay."The girl told them in a motherly voice.
"Shut up!" I yelled and kicked her.
"Please, leave them alone!" she begged from the floor. "Take me! Do what you want but please leave them!"
Finally, I heard the fear I've been trying to get out of her since I've been here. I had a sudden idea to teach her a lesson. One that would bring that fear out to ten times its potential. I grabbed her by the wrist and yanked her off the floor. I pulled her close until she was inches away from my face.
"I can't do that." I said in barely above a whisper. "Especially after the stunt you just pulled but I have a solution to the problem."
Her eyes widened as if she knew something terrible was coming. There's definately only one way to get to a human. Threatened their family and they'd be like putty in your hands. I know because as a vampire it was the same way with my family. And continued to explain me solution,
"You don't want them taken to be placed in the service of our friends. And well, it's been a couple days since the family's been hunting. We were just considering having lunch at the next place we stopped at but we can make it a little earlier."
"No!" she yelled. I knew she understood what I was getting at. "Please, no!"
She struggled to get out of my grasp. I had to give her credit. Holding her like that was a challenge, even with my vampire strength.I pulled her back to me, turned her around and wrapped my arms around her waist.
"What do you guys think?" I asked
"The smell pretty good." Alice said sniffing the hair of the child she was holding. The child flinched.
"Please!" the girl cried still trying to escape my grasp.
"Hush, you'll get what you want and we'll get what we need." I whispered.
Fear had become arousing for me. Hearing the fear in his voice and the panic running through her veins was driving me insane. I leaned down and kissed her neck. I heard the loud sound of a bone snapping and one of the children screamed in pain. I looked up to see Bella, who was holding her, had twisted her arm so far behind her back that it snapped.
"Bella," I said with a sigh. "I thought we talked about this."
How many times did I have to tell her? It wasn't about anything but the fun and the fear.
"Just because we talk about it doesn't mean I have to like it." Bella replied as the child continued to whimper in pain.
"So are we having lunch or what?" Jasper asked nipping at the neck of the boy he was holding.
"Be my guest!" I said with a smile.
"No!" the girl yelled and struggled to get away again.
I tighten my grip on her waist as the family growled. I heard the ripping of skin and her families screams of pain as their blood was drained from them. She cried and screamed. I kept making shushing noises in a condescending way. She tried to look away but I wouldn't let her. She needed to learn to obey and watching this would help her do that. She struggled but I just held her tighter. Eventually, I let her slide to her knees on the floor. She was crying hysterically.
Once the family finished, I leaned down to her ear and whispered,
"Maybe that will teach you some obedience."
I grabbed her wrist again and dragged her outside. She was still hysterical as I tied her up with some rope and put hr in the trunk of my volvo. I don't think she even realized what was happening. Then I climbed into the driver's seat next to a disgruntled Bella.
"Why do you need her?" Bella asked angrily. "You just got a new girl last month!" she said.
"I know but that one was too obedient. She wasn't any fun. This one will be though." I told her. "But I know how much you hated the last one, so why don't you dispose of her for me?"
"Fine, whatever." Bella replied as though she could care less either way.
She crossed her arms over her chest and stared out the window. She didn't speak to me through the rest of the collections proccess.
A/N: Like I said, I'm trying something knew with the first person. I may have slipped into third person a couple times. I apologize for that. Also, I just want to say that this is my first time thinking about the mind of the torturer as opposed to the tortured. PLease, be gentle. I hope it turned out okay. Reviews are excepted and appreciated.
