Disclaimer: Twilight and New Moon are the property and creation of Stephenie Meyer. I am no such genius and have no claim on them.
It was an entire hour before I'd soaked the guilt out of my brain. When I had finally emerged from the shower, my face was beet-red from the heat of the water. It was worth it though. A thick, humid steam had filled the bathroom and only dissipated after I propped open the door. I took my time working a brush through my hair. For a reason I didn't want to admit, I was stalling. I didn't want to go back into my room, in the dark, alone.
Victoria was still out there somewhere.
Just the thought made my heart race. Victoria, with her feral grace and lethally vindictive smile.
I took a deep, calming breath, thinking of Edward's eyes: calm pools of assurance and love. My heart was still racing, but at least it was for a different reason this time.
I placed the brush back in my bag and looked in the mirror. I remembered back to when I used to believe the old superstition that a vampire's reflection didn't exist and crinkled my nose in amusement. Really, where did a belief that silly come from?
Something moved in my room.
My heart jumped to my throat, stifling my windpipe. I couldn't breathe! Images of flame-red hair and malicious red-violet eyes flashed into my mind. My hands shook violently as I steadied myself against the bathroom counter, sparing only one glance into the dim hallway before looking into the mirror again. My already pale skin was drained of all blood, my eyes dilated until the pupils were frightened black discs.
I forced myself away from the sink and took a tentative step into the hallway, hoping against hope it was only Edward behind the flimsy door. But he was never clumsy, never made any unintentional noise.
And if it was Victoria….
Hopefully she would sate her thirst with me, leave Charlie with as much peace as could be salvaged.
My nerves couldn't handle any more. My hand touched the brass doorknob, chill against my flesh. All the heat that I had obtained from nearly boiling myself in the shower faded, leaving my blood running thin in my veins.
My fingers wrapped slowly around it, white-knuckled and tremulous. With some difficulty, I forced my wrist to twist the knob and my foot forward just one small step.
At that precise moment, lightning flashed outside my window, throwing my room into sharp relief and highlighting the face of the vampire standing there in front of me.
At that precise moment, I felt consciousness slipping away and saw the floor flying up to meet my face.