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Chapter 3:
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The next morning Bella stood on the sidewalk with the door of her truck half open, looking up and back the street. The road was empty and not even a leaf stirred in all that grayness. She got into her truck and drove to school.
That afternoon she half expected to come home and find the woman waiting in her room to take her away to her death as she promised the previous night at dinner. But she wasn't there. Nor the next day. Nor the day after. Bella didn't know how to feel about that. She was beginning to get nervous and the anticipation that clawed at the corners of her heart was confusing. She couldn't understand why she was so desperate to see this woman again. She wasn't even feeling all that suicidal anymore. She just wanted to see her. Maybe to talk. To be friends. Was such a thing possible? Could the woman ever change her mind about killing her?
Bella thought it was worth the risk to find out so instead of going home that day she drove up to the Cullen house. This time she knocked on the door but there was no answer. She waited and knocked again. Then she went inside.
There was no one home. She strolled into the kitchen and found the refrigerator exactly as she had seen it the other day, sitting on the counter and plugged into a socket over the phone.
Phone. It was the house phone and Bella still had the number to it from when the Cullens lived here. She kept that in mind and walked briefly through the rest of the house. She wasn't sure if the woman wasn't here or if she simply didn't want to be bothered. Bella went into her bedroom and opened the top dresser drawer. This time she rifled through the clothes, not caring if the woman would notice later on. What was she going to do? Call the police? She had been stalking Bella for months so it was only fair that Bella stalked her back.
She explored a little more but she didn't find much. Just the bare minimum required for living. Or the appearance of living. No music, no TV. No computer. Just clothes and kerosene and a fridge full of blood.
It was over an hour drive back home and she tried the number right away in case the woman had gotten home. It rang. No one answered. Later she tried again, while dinner was simmering on the stove. Still no one answered. That night she tried one more time before bed on her cellphone. She waited a long time but nobody picked up. There wasn't even an answering machine or voicemail.
She called again in the morning and again when she got home after school. She went to bed wondering if maybe the woman had left town after all and that night she had a dream.
It came to her like a nightmare but it wasn't a nightmare. The woman was naked. Her body luminous and perfect in every detail. Her red hair afire on her pale shoulders. Smiling. Smirking. Bella was naked as well. Helpless. Her heart racing, both in the dream and in reality. She was trying to resist but the woman was overpowering her. She had Bella's wrists in her hands and Bella could feel the sinful satin of her skin whispering against her own as she tried to squirm away. The cold globes of her breasts. The terrible softness of them. She was trying to scream but she couldn't. Then the woman bit into her throat with her teeth and she woke up.
It was pitch black in the room. She was breathing heavy and her hair was damp and there was a disturbing dampness between her legs as well. She got out of the bed and turned on the light. She was almost expecting the woman to be in the room with her but she wasn't. Her face was streaked with sweat and her body was light and feverish. She wiped her forehead with her arm and then she left her room and went to the bathroom.
Before going back to bed she got a glass of water from the kitchen. She didn't turn on the light. She just stood at the sink in the darkness and drank a full glass before filling it again from the tap. She was wearing nothing but her sleepclothes and the tiles were cold under her socks. She turned around, still drinking, and saw the phone on the wall. She wondered if the woman would be home right now and then she set down the glass and picked up the receiver.
It rang for a long time and Bella listened to it sleepily, her eyes closed, leaning a bare shoulder against the wall. She didn't expect anyone to answer and then someone did.
The ringing stopped and her eyes opened. No one spoke. Bella blinked, listening. She couldn't even hear breathing. Just silence.
"Hello?" she whispered.
"Who is this?"
"Me. Bella."
The woman didn't reply. Bella had recognized her voice. Her eyes darted and she waited for more but the other woman didn't say anything. According to the time on the microwave it was 3:32AM.
"Are you still there?" Bella asked.
"What do you want?"
"Nothing. I was just getting a glass of water and wondering if you're still in town. I wasn't sure if this was still the same number, but I guess it was."
"Isn't it past your bedtime, Ms Swan?"
"Yeah. I had a bad dream. I'm not sure if I'll be able to sleep."
"What was it about?"
"You could probably guess."
A soft snort came from the other end of the phone. "Go back to sleep, Ms Swan," said the other woman. "You have nothing to be afraid of—tonight."
Then she hung up.
Bella stood there looking at the phone in her hand. Then she put it back in the cradle and went upstairs.
She didn't try calling again the next morning or in the afternoon. The dream stayed with her all day. Distracted at school, daydreaming on the way home. She didn't know why her sub-conscious would do that to her. She knew her feelings for the redhead were disturbingly crush-like but it was nothing like that.
The next night she lay in bed with her phone in her hands. Her teeth were brushed and she had already said goodnight to her father. After a while she decided to try calling. She listened to it ring for a long time, thinking no one would pick up. Then someone picked up.
Again the woman didn't speak first and Bella could hear only silence. She sat up in the bed and held the phone at her ear.
"Hello?" she said tentatively.
"You again."
"Yeah. Me."
"What do you want this time?"
"Nothing. Just calling."
The woman exhaled into the receiver. As if she was annoyed. Bella swapped the phone to her other ear and brushed her hair back.
"So what's going on?" she asked. "Are you busy right now?"
"Why?"
"No reason. Just thought we could talk."
"Talk."
"Yeah."
"I don't see what we could possibly have to talk about."
"We talked plenty the other night. At the restaurant."
"And what was the point? Nothing."
"Maybe we could just chat then."
"Chat?"
"Sure. Why not?"
"I don't have time for this."
"What else do you have to do that's more important? Kill me?"
The woman didn't reply. Bella smiled and waited a moment and then continued.
"Because it's been days and I haven't even seen you."
"Is that what you want, Ms Swan? To see me?"
"Maybe. Sure. Why not? You're the closest thing I have to a friend."
"You have many friends. I met two of them the other night."
"They don't understand me. They don't really care."
"Neither do I."
"No. But you do understand. Don't you?"
"Perhaps."
"And I understand you as well. So why can't we be friends?"
"Because I'd rather kill you?"
"Would you really? Wouldn't you rather be friends?"
The woman again fell silent. Bella looked at her bedroom door. She'd been speaking softly so her father wouldn't hear and now she got up and closed the door.
"I would," she said.
"Would what?"
"Rather be friends."
"Of course you would. What's your alternative? Death?"
"Maybe. But what's yours?
"My what?"
"Your alternative. Killing me won't achieve anything. It won't bring James back. It won't make you feel better. You know that or else you would've done it already."
Again more silence from the other woman. Bella sat down on her bed anxiously and made her voice more earnest.
"Look, just talk to me, okay? Please?"
"Fine. What would you like to talk about?"
"I don't know. Anything."
"You're the one who called me."
"Alright. Tell me your favorite color."
"Excuse me?"
"Your favorite color. What is it?"
"Red."
"That's what I thought. The color of love."
"And anger."
"And passion."
"And blood."
"Yeah. And blood."
"And what is your favorite color, Ms Swan?"
"Black."
"Black is the color of death."
"Yeah…"
This time it was Bella who fell silent. She tucked some hair behind her ear and it was the woman who spoke next.
"Well? Is there anything else you'd like to talk about?"
"Yeah. But I can't think of anything."
"Such a silly girl, aren't you Ms Swan?"
"I guess."
"Do you know what I'd like to do to you right this moment? If I had you in my hands right now?"
"I could imagine."
"No. You couldn't."
"Tell me then. I'm not afraid."
"You might be."
"I doubt it. I'm curious, anyway. Vampires don't have fangs, right? So it's gotta be different from books and TV. How do you do it?"
The woman didn't reply for a moment. Bella settled down on the bed, laying on her stomach with her feet in the air behind her, like a girl relaxing for a conversation with a boyfriend.
"I mean, you already said you can't leave a crime scene," she said. "So no matter when you did it, you'd have to take me back to your place. Right?"
"That's right."
"So what would you do?"
"What do you mean?"
"How would you kill me? Like, specifically. The first time you came for me, you were going to break my neck, but that's not what you wanted to do at first, was it?"
"No."
"Then what were you going to do?"
"Well, ideally you were supposed to be more resistant. Resistance helps get me in the mood."
"Okay, let's pretend I was trying to fight back. Say you had to drag me into the house. What then?"
"Then I would have to pacify you, wouldn't I?"
"Okay. But how would you do that? Would you just hit me, or…?"
A sigh came over the phone, as if this was all just a bit childish for a woman of her seriousness. But she played along. "Well, at first I would probably just rough you up a little," she said. "Slap you a few times. Make you cry and keep still. Then I would throw you down and kick you while you were on the ground. Break a few ribs, maybe. By then you're resistance ought to be fairly broken."
Bella was listening very closely. The woman seemed to be waiting to see if Bella was scared but Bella wasn't.
"What then?"
"After that I suppose I would drag you upstairs by the hair to one of the bedrooms. Some of the beds are still there with bare mattresses on top and plastic covers over the mattresses. Perfect to catch the blood. At this point you would likely begin begging and blubbering. But I wouldn't listen. Instead I would simply slap you again and begin tearing off your clothes."
"My clothes?"
"Oh, yes. I wouldn't want a single drop of your blood to be wasted on your clothes. I'd rather lick it directly off your skin. I've watched you get dressed through your window. You have a very lovely body, don't you Ms Swan?"
Bella's throat went tight. She could feel a soft throb in it. Again the woman seemed to be waiting to see if Bella was scared and again Bella wasn't.
"What would you do then?" she asked huskily.
"Well, let's see. At this point you would be naked and cowering on the bed. Covering yourself with your hands. Watching as I took off my own clothes as well. Then I would climb into the bed as well and take your head and smash it into the headboard. Just for fun. From there it would simply be a matter of surrendering to my instincts. I would control you with a hand in your hair and the occasional slap to your snivelling face. Then I would begin to feed. Firstly a bite of one of your milky shoulders. Safely away from any artery. The pain for you would be excruciating, but the wound wouldn't even be close to lethal. Just an appetizer. A taste. Something to make you scream. After that I would likely bite your other shoulder as well. And your arm, carefully avoiding the brachial artery. Or as carefully as possible, considering I would be quite frenzied at this point. Deaf to all your begging. Heedless to every tear. You might even try fighting, but that would stop after I snap your arms like twigs. I can almost hear your screams right now. I think you would have a very beautiful scream. But soon the screams will stop as well and you'll do nothing but whimper and shiver in agony as my venom enters your system. Paralysing you. As I bite into your juicy calves. Your succulent thighs. Breaking all your bones as I do so. Staining your skin red and then licking it all up. Licking the blood from your breasts and from around your nipples. From your face and neck. Finally I would gather you up in my arms while you were yet alive. Listening to the dim beat of your heart behind that fractured rack of rib bones. Your eyes would be glazed and staring. Your head lolling on your shoulders. Your skeleton shattered. I would take your chin and force you to look at me and then perhaps I would kiss you lavishly on the mouth, the kiss of death, before finally using my teeth to rip open the carotid artery in your throat and bask in that final fountain of blood as you at last expire in my arms."
The silence that followed was deafening. Bella's face was full of blood and beaming with heat and her heart was slamming so hard she thought the other woman might even be able to hear it.
"So," purred the woman silkily into the phone. "What do you think of that, Ms Swan?"
Bella swallowed the lump in her throat. "I didn't know you were into girls."
No reply. Bella blinked at the phone and swallowed again.
"Are you still there?" she asked.
"Seriously, Ms Swan? That's what you took from that? That I like girls?"
"I'm just surprised, that's all."
The woman scoffed. "It's really nothing surprising," she said. "Most female vampires are into girls, at least to some degree. Female victims are simply tastier. And after all, it's always the beautiful things that are more worth breaking. Crushing a flower is infinitely more fun than stepping on grass."
"That sounds very misogynistic."
"It's a misogynistic world. Just be grateful you were born in a time where such a word has even been invented."
Bella didn't answer. She could still feel the heat in her face and she was still laying there on her stomach. She heard the woman sigh.
"So you truly are not scared?" she asked. "Not even after all I just told you?"
"No. I guess not."
"A pity."
"You sound like you've thought about it a lot."
"I hardly think of anything else. I fantasize of destroying you daily."
"If you want me so badly, why don't you just do it?"
"I wish I knew."
"Does it make me less desirable that I'm not afraid?"
"Somewhat."
"I guess you really wanted to hear me scream."
"Oh, I'd make you scream."
"What if I didn't? What if no matter what you did, I just wouldn't scream?"
"Then I'd do more."
"And if I still didn't scream?"
"Then you would die in silence. Like a fawn."
Bella smiled. It was her first genuine smile in a very long time and she sat up in the bed and chuckled softly into the phone. "Do you know what's really sick?"
"What?"
"It almost sounds kind of hot."
"That's because you don't believe it will actually happen to you."
"Will it?"
The woman didn't reply. Bella smiled again.
"So can I call you again sometime?"
"If you insist."
"Okay. Well. I better get to bed. Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
No one hung up. Bella's heart began to beat faster as the silence grew and then she heard a soft click on the other end.
Bella didn't call the next day. It seemed too soon. The day after was Friday and it rained all day. During classes she took seats by the windows or as close to the windows as she could get, watching the rain gust through the bleak gray courtyards outside, the teacher droning in the background, her notebook blank and untouched on her desk.
She called at lunchtime but nobody answered. It affected her appetite and she didn't eat at all. Angela had been ignoring her more often than usual since their trip to Port Angeles and by now Bella's friends didn't even wait around at their lockers anymore. When classes was over Bella went to her locker alone. It was still raining. Audible even over the din of conversation in the crowded corridor. She had homework but she put her entire bag in her locker and left it there and locked it.
The hallway was busy and there were students at the opposite locker bank and students coming and going from both directions with their bags and books. Bella scanned them, as if maybe she might find Victoria among them. She took her phone out of her pocket, wondering if she should call, if the other woman would pick up. Finally she called. It only rang four times before someone picked up and Bella's heart jolted as she heard Victoria's voice.
"What?"
It wasn't the most encouraging greeting but at least she had spoke first this time. Bella turned away from the crowded corridor and put a finger in her other ear. "Hi," she said. "It's me."
"Yes, I assumed as much. What do you want?"
"Just wanted to say hi. I called before but you didn't pick up. Where've you been? Stalking me?"
"I was shopping."
"What for?"
"New clothes. It's easier than washing my old things."
"Oh. Where did you get the money from?"
"An ATM machine in Seattle that I ripped out of the wall."
"You don't have any secret bank accounts or anything?"
"No."
"The Cullens did. Edward said his dad—the guy pretending to be his dad—had been investing in the stockmarket ever since it was invented. They were, like, billionaires."
"How wonderful for them."
"Wouldn't you like to be a billionaire?"
"Money isn't important to me. My liftestyle is more nomadic. All I've ever required is a mate to share it with."
"So love is the most important thing to you?"
"If that's how you want to put it."
"I'm the same way. I'd rather be with someone I loved than someone who was rich. I guess it was just coincidence that Edward was both."
The woman snorted. Bella smiled. The corridor was beginning to clear out and she leaned back against her locker to keep talking on the phone.
"Did you ever think about settling down somewhere like the Cullens used to?" she asked. "Maybe get married or whatever?"
"No."
"How come?"
"Smart murderers generally like to keep on the move. James and I rarely stayed somewhere for more than a month. Actually, this is the longest I've ever been in one place in a very long time."
"Because of me?"
"No. Because it's where he left me."
"Oh."
"The police could never actually apprehend me, of course, but they could still be extremely bothersome. Over time I've learnt it's best to simply avoid their notice."
"Yeah."
"James was more daring than I was. He cared nothing for police. But that's why we made such a great pair. I was a sheath to his brandished sword. Whenever he threatened to slash too wildly, I was there to contain him."
Bella smirked into the phone and a small snicker escaped her. The woman must've heard it.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing. It's just, you know. Sheath. Sword. There's two ways to take that metaphor."
The woman snorted. Bella could picture her rolling her red eyes and the image made her smile. The corridor was almost empty by now.
"What about blood bags?" she asked.
"What about them?"
"Why couldn't you and James settle down together and just feed from blood bags? Then you could get a house and live together. Get a job. Maybe a pet."
"Because it would've been boring."
"Boring?"
"It was his passion for hunting that attracted me to him. His strength. I'd have no use at all for a man who merely wanted to play human like your boyfriend and the rest of his ridiculous family."
"At least they weren't murderers."
"Yes, I'm sure feeding from animals was just as exciting as can be."
"Maybe not. But there's another way to look at it."
"And what way is that?"
"James fed from humans. Now he's dead."
Silence. Bella was the only person in the corridor. She could see the rain spattering on the windows in the opposite wall and she could hear the sound of it.
"Live by the sword, die by it," she said. "At least vegetarians live longer."
"Not when I find them."
"What do you mean?"
"Do you really think I would leave my mate unavenged? The only reason you've been alive these last few months is because I was waiting to see if your Cullens would return."
"They won't."
"It doesn't matter. I'll find them eventually. Even if it takes hundreds of years. The loss of a mate is something that can never be forgotten."
"How will you find them?"
"Who knows. Perhaps I'll just follow the trail of animal carcasses."
"Well, if you see Edward, tell him to call me."
"He might have trouble speaking without his head."
Bella chuckled to herself. Softly. With no joy in it. She paused for a while, listening to the rain, and then she said: "I still can't believe how he left me. Without even talking to me about it. Like I was nothing to him."
"Maybe that's exactly what you were."
"But he loved me."
"If he loved you he would not have left."
"He left because he loved me."
"Don't be absurd. When you love someone you stay by their side no matter what. James and I were once cornered by a coven outside Colorado. He wanted to distract them so I could escape but I wouldn't leave him. He attacked me to try and drive me off but I still would not go. I fought by his side and we triumphed and I would've stayed even to the death. That is what a mate really is."
Small tears had come into Bella's eyes, wishing she had that kind of love with Edward. She blinked them away. "Maybe Edward will come back for me. Maybe he'll realize."
"Maybe he will. But that wouldn't be a happy ending with me around."
"Yeah, I guess not." Bella wiped her eyes and shook her head to shake it all away. "Anyway, it doesn't matter. He's gone and I'm probably gonna be dead soon. I don't care."
"Yes. Ironic how it's the innocents who suffer most, isn't it?"
"Yeah. It sucks."
"Although in many ways you only have yourself to blame. After all, you knew he was a vampire. What kind of girl would pursue such a relationship?"
"A girl in love?"
"That's an even better question: what kind of girl would fall in love with such a thing? Hm?"
"I don't know. I'm seventeen, give me a break."
"Do you know what I think?"
"What do you think?"
"I think you're just a shallow little girl who was blinded by sparkles."
"Maybe I was. So?"
"You're not going to argue?"
"No. Why should I? It's true. I loved him because he was perfect. If that makes me shallow, fine. I'm shallow. But that doesn't change the fact that I loved him with all my heart and I'd rather die than be without him."
"No. But it does change the context."
"What do you mean?"
"If all you loved about him was his perfection, then what would've stopped you from feeling the same way about any other vampire that happened into your life? All vampires sparkle. All vampires fit your shallow definition of perfect. It could've been Edward or it could've been any of his fake brothers or his pretend father. It could've even been James."
"James?"
"Yes. Now there's an amusing thought, isn't it? Think on that for a moment. If you had never met your Cullens and instead came upon James in the woods in all his perfection, do you not think you might grow to blindly worship him the same way you did Edward?"
"No."
"And how come?"
"Because he'd fucking kill me, that's why."
A chuckle came over the phone. Sort of wistful. "Yes. That's true. But suppose he spared you. Suppose he spared you the same way he spared me and instead treated you with gentleness and kindness. What then?"
"Then I guess it would be you who killed me."
More chuckles, almost laughter. "Yes. I would. I was jealous enough when James wanted to merely kill you. Your scent drove him crazy. If it was only slightly less attractive, I might've been able to convince him to abandon such a reckless hunt. But in truth, perhaps I wanted you too. Girls like you are what we lived for, James and I."
They fell silent for a moment. Bella could hear the rain and her heart.
"You still might have me," she said. "I mean, that's why you're here, right?"
"Yes. But without James…"
"Yeah. I can see how it wouldn't be the same. It's funny because I always thought vampires like you were just mindless monsters. But after talking to you a little bit, I think I'm beginning to understand. I guess it only seems evil to me because I'm human myself. But to you, humans are just food. Like a steak. In the end, if you and James ever got your hands on me, I guess it would've been no different than a romantic dinner for two. Right?"
"Something like that. Only messier."
"Yeah."
"Besides, it's all relative. I wouldn't object to being labelled evil. In general a human life is more precious than a cow's. Most of them, anyway."
"Most of them?"
"Well, there are some people who are worth less than cows. Yourself, for instance."
"You think I'm as worthless as a cow?"
"I'd say that's a fair assessment. Wouldn't you?"
Bella shook her head, smiling. The corridor had been empty for ages and now she began shuffling her feet. "Well, I better go. I'm at school. The whole place is empty."
"I'm aware of your schedule."
"Have you been watching me these last couple days?"
"Only a little."
"Well, I'm going straight home today, so I guess you can take the night off. But why do you bother stalking me, anyway? I mean, it's not like you have to be ultra-careful. You know I'm basically just defenceless."
"What else am I going to do all day?"
"Am I really that interesting to watch?"
"You're interesting to fantasize about. Some days I swear I can almost taste you."
"There's two ways to take that metaphor too, you know."
"Who said it was a metaphor?"
Bella took it as a joke instead, shaking her head again. "Anyway, I better go. Call me the next time you go shopping. I could go with you."
"Hmph."
"It'll save you the trouble of stalking me from a distance. You could keep an eye on me at close range."
"Hmph."
"Well, I better go. Do you have a cellphone?"
"Yes. Why?"
"Because you hardly ever seem to be home. I have to call all day before you finally pick up. Do you have my number on this phone?"
"Yes."
"Well, send me a text. Okay?"
Bella waited for a reply. None came.
"Okay?" she said again.
This time the woman scoffed. "This is ridiculous," she said. "Why are you doing this, Ms Swan?"
"Doing what?"
"Trying to befriend me. Do you think it'll keep me from hurting you? Or is it merely because I'm a vampire and you're fascinated by vampires? If so, think twice. This time you're not going to wind up abandoned. This time you will get yourself killed."
"I don't care."
"You should."
"Well, I don't. I don't care about anything. All I know is that ever since Edward left you're the only person I've wanted to talk to. Maybe you're right. Maybe it's just because you're a vampire. But maybe it's because we have things in common as well. Look, just send me a text, okay? All I want is your number."
Again the woman didn't reply. Again Bella repeated:
"Okay?"
The woman didn't reply for a minute and then there was a soft click and the line went dead.
The empty click seemed to ping in her heart. She looked at the phone in her hand. She put it back to her ear.
"Hello? Victoria?"
Nothing. Only the rain.
Bella put the phone back in her pocket and began to trudge down the corridor. The parking lot was completely empty by the time she got there and she stepped out into the rain without a slicker or an umbrella. Her hair was wet in seconds. Her truck sat there in its space, red, wet, hulking in the downpour. She didn't know why the other woman had just hung up like that. She thought they were making progress. Bella opened the door and got into the truck and that's when she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket.
She pulled the door shut again and got her phone out. It was a text and her heart began beating faster than the drum of rain on the metal roof as she read it.
I'm going to kill you so slowly.
Bella smiled. She didn't know if the threat was literal or maybe even flirtatious but she didn't care. She typed in a reply and sent it.
Just let me know when you want me to come over. ;)
Then she turned the key, grinning, and pulled out into the road and the rain.
—
That night Victoria found herself perched on the rooftop of the house next door to Bella's. Crouched there in her hoody like a gargoyle or an enormous bat. In her hands she held her phone and she was staring at the screen. At the reply the girl had sent that afternoon. Victoria hadn't texted back. Instead she came here. She had been here for hours and after a while she noticed movement in the girl's window. She looked up from the phone. In that yellow square of light she saw the girl cross the room and then cross back again. Then she turned and pulled off her top. Underneath she was wearing a bra and then she took that off too. Her breasts were full for her age and they swayed softly with her movements. So soft and warm looking. Victoria's mouth salivated with venom and she almost crushed the phone in her hand. She watched as the girl then slipped on a tanktop for bed before bending below the window frame to change her bottoms as well. Then she shrugged on her robe and left the room. Victoria closed her dark red eyes and crouched there in the darkness as still as a statue. Then she opened them and continued watching the empty room until the girl would come back.
—