Next chapter! Sorry, it took awhile. I'll update more often from now on. Hope you'll like it!

What had happened, I wondered. Everything was so confused in my head. It felt as if I had been drinking and yet, I didn't remember drinking this much. And then, a little memory flashed in my brain. Pain. I remembered the way it had left my body, crawling like a snake out of it.

And then, I opened up my eyes, and for the first time, I saw the light. The sunlight. I immediately knew it was the morning. I was in the middle of what seemed to be nowhere, in the middle of a forest and yet, the only light was on me. I looked up to what people had called the sky and saw how blue it was. I had never been able to see it for myself, people had only described it to me and now that I could see it for myself, it seemed to be more radiant that I had thought. There was no clouds at all, if I believed what my beloved sister had told me, they were often hiding the sun, and they looked like cotton wool, all puffy and comfy. There was none today. I saw little "v" moving in the sky and I assumed it was what Aro called birds. They were beautiful. Big, with long wings and their feathers … I wanted to touch them, to know what I had been touching for all those years where I couldn't see. I took a deep breath, inhaling the smell of the nature, letting it take over all my senses. The wind blew some leafs and I felt cold. The colors were gorgeous, more than I had ever thought they could be. Autumn, was it? I didn't know. How could I? I had never seen that kind of thing. Ever. The beauty of nature took my breath away. I had never thought it could be this … beautiful. When I thought of leafs, I didn't know there was shapes, I didn't know there could be different kinds of them. No one had ever cared enough to tell me all of this. And the trees … There was dozens of them, all different and yet, I was amazed by everything. The grass … I didn't know it was supposed to be that kind of green. I always thought it was more of a yellowish green. And the birch … I didn't know it looked like that. I always pictured it as something ugly but in fact, it was pretty. It made me want to touch every single tree with birch. And let's not talk about the cedars. Was my Christmas tree looking like that every year? And I didn't even know.

And then, I saw something coming out of the shades. It looked like what I would assume was a dog. But it seemed faster, skinnier and … bitter, stronger, meaner, wilder. The word came into my mind by itself. A wolf. How did I know that? I had no clue myself but I did. That was the most beautiful animal I had ever seen. A wolf. A grey one, with golden eyes and some black and white in its fur. I wanted to touch it. I took a step forward and so did the wolf. And when I looked in its eyes, leaning down to pet it, it disappeared.

And as I was frowning, I heard a voice, "Didyme. Didyme, wake up."

I knew that voice too well. All of a sudden, I wasn't in that forest any more. It didn't smell like fresh air and I couldn't feel the wind on my skin any more. I was back in the dark again. Although, I was sure that all I had to do was open up my eyes and I would get to see all those beautiful things once again.

But when I did, all I was able to see was darkness. Endless darkness. I wasn't sure, but I thought I had shed a tear or two before I heard my brother's voice, "How are you feeling, sister?"

He didn't have to ask. I was pretty sure he could read it on my face. "It … It didn't work," I whispered.

I wanted to get up and I didn't even have time to do it, I was already up. I didn't even have time to think about what I wanted to do that it was already done. "What did you do to me?" I asked in a murmur.

"He turned you into a vampire," another voice said. I had never heard that voice. It was … sweet, calm, reassuring, and yet, I could feel all the power of whoever was talking.

"Vampire?" I said. "It doesn't exist."

"If you could see, it would be much easier," Aro groaned. "Don't you feel different? You should. Speed, agility, strength, you've got it all now."

"But for every strength, there is a weakness. You can never walk into the sunlight again … not with someone watching you."

"Would I burn?" I demanded.

I heard the man laughing. "Of course not. That's just a silly lie. You would shine. And that is very unlikely for humans. They would know you're not one of them."

Not human. The word hit me as I realized what Aro had done to me. He had taken my life away. He had taken everything away from me. All of this … so that I could see again? He had never asked my opinion. But you wanted this, I reminded myself. I didn't know it involved dying nor turning into a monster.

I didn't have to wait and listen to know exactly where my brother was standing. The second I wanted to get to him, I did the next one. I was a little amazed by what I was able to do, and yet … it wasn't what I wanted. I squeezed Aro's arm, not caring if I ripped it off. I heard him moaning in pain. "You're hurting me."

"I hope so," I snapped.

"She's a new born, Aro," the man said. "Do not piss her off. She's stronger than you are."

"Only for one year." He sighed. "Let me go, Didyme or I swear you will regret it."

"What could be worse than this, Aro? Seriously, what could? Nothing. How … Why did you do this to me? I didn't want this. I didn't want to die, nor becoming a monster. You might have chosen this life for you but you had no right to make that choice for me. Why didn't you talk to me first?" I yelled.

"You never would have agreed. You would have turned your back on me."

It was right. I would have. I … I despised vampires as he called them. They were bloodsuckers and I couldn't be one of them. It wasn't possible. There were legends about them in the city. I had heard Father talk about them many times. He said they were incredibly fast and that he didn't know yet how to kill them.

I let go of Aro's arm and I took a step back but my back hit a wall behind me. It didn't hurt but I felt tears streaming down my face as I let myself slide on the wall to the ground, my arms around my legs, crying.

"She can cry," the man said. "It's a miracle."

"There's no miracle," Aro snapped. "She's still very much blind. And her gift … I believe she has none."

"Is that all you care about?"

He didn't answer aloud so I never got to know what his answer had been.

"Why don't you take care of her? Sulplicia needs me." Who was Sulplicia, I wondered. Although, I didn't have time to ask because I heard him storming off the room, leaving me with a stranger I knew nothing about, not even his name.

He came right in front of me. I knew he was there, I could hear him even if he wasn't making any sound, I just felt his presence. "Are you okay?" he asked gently.

I didn't answer. "My name is Marcus," he said. Like I cared.

"Give … give me back my human life," I begged him.

He sighed. "That, I cannot. I'm sorry your brother did this to you. He shouldn't have."

"And you let him do it, knowing all of this."

"I … He thought he could save you. He thought you could see again. When people turn into vampires, their … imperfections all go away. If you were ugly, you can be pretty, attractive and wanted. It can repair a broken neck, allowing them to walk again, it can do great things. It should have worked out the way he thought it would for you, too."

"Only it didn't," I said, bitter. Why was I so excited about this? Why did I dream of it? I had wanted this, too. I had hoped that it would work. I thought that … that his solution would be the miracle I had been waiting for so long. I thought I would finally be free from Javier, free from everyone, that I could lead my life on my own, being who I was supposed to be all along. Only it wasn't supposed to happen. And now … Now, I wouldn't even get to go to Heaven. Because I was damned. My brother had doomed me to a life of misery, a life I didn't want, a life I hadn't chosen. Hell. It would be worse than that, I was sure.

"It's not so bad," Marcus said, trying to comfort me. "You'll see. I'm sure you'll like it one day."

This day wasn't close enough. I felt like I would be mad at my brother for years. And years. And centuries if I had to. I had trusted him so much, how could he betray me like this? I had always done what he expected of me. All of this for what? So he could just have fun with another woman. What about his wife, I wondered. I thought they were in love. But the woman he called Sulplicia … the way he said his name, I couldn't forget the tenderness I had heard in his voice. He never talked about his wife that way. What was she, anyway? Someone like him? A monster? A bloodsucker?

"I can't," I cried. "I cannot. I … I have a life, too, sir."

"I'm not that old," he replied and I could almost hear the smile on his lips. "You can call me Marcus." Although, he seemed old. He felt old. He seemed to have lived through centuries.

"Are you ..." I began to ask.

"Yes," he answered. "Of course I am. Otherwise, I would be dead."

"Who is Volterra's king?" I asked.

Marcus let out a dry laugh. "Your brother. He didn't want you to suspect anything."

"So he lied? He made you all lie for him?" I exclaimed.

"Yes, indeed. Caius and Athenodora don't mind the lying. They may be powerless against your brother—and also they don't have any gift—but they lie all the time." He laughed again. "Aro wants you to stay in here."

I didn't want to stay with my brother. He wasn't even my brother any more. He was nothing, no one. That's what he should have been for me. No one. All this time, he used me. I didn't know why I had never seen it the way I did now, but I did. He left as soon as he noticed that I had no great power. Power. Aro really was my father's son.

"Don't blame your brother for this," Marcus said. "He meant well."

"Don't tell me what to do. How am I supposed to go back to my old life with my dead body?" I groaned. How would Javier not see anything? I didn't know how but he always knew everything. I hated it. I felt like yelling, screaming, crying and destroying everything I could.

"It's okay if you're feeling overwhelmed right now. It's the thirst. You should drink this," he told me. I knew what he'd give me. Blood. I didn't want to crave blood. I wanted to eat what I had always wanted: real food. I didn't want to kill people to feed. I didn't want to hurt anyone. I was already useless when I was human. What kind of useless was I now? A predator, a hunter who couldn't see its prey. It was pathetic.

"I don't want this," I said, lowering my voice. "I could... You know I could just run out of here and just wait for someone to be nice enough to end my misery."

I heard Marcus sighing. I wondered what he looked like. I wondered if he was old. I wondered if he meant well too or if he only wanted to use me. I was no object. I didn't want to be. I wouldn't. Not anymore. "Don't do this, okay?"

"Why would I listen to you? I don't even know you."

"I know," he said. "You'll get to know me. I think your brother has great plans for you."

"Yeah, well since he realized that I'm not 'gifted,' he's probably not going to stick around." I didn't even know what gifted meant.

"That doesn't mean anything. His Sulplicia doesn't have any gift and she's still very much alive."

"Who's she?" I asked.

"Aro's one and only," he answered with bitterness in his voice.

"You love her?"

I heard him let out a dry laugh. If I had been able to see, I bet I'd see pain and sadness in his eyes. I didn't know how it looked like, but I could hear it in his voice. "No," he said. "I don't love her."

"But you used to," I insisted.

"Why do you care?" he snapped.

"I don't. I was just wondering." I paused. "What does 'gifted' mean?"

"When you turn into a vampire, you can have … an ability, let's call it like that. Let's take your brother for example. He can read every single thought that has ever crossed your mind just by touching your hand."

I'd never let him touch me again. He wouldn't know what I thought or what I wanted to do with him once I'd get him.

"Some can read mines, inflict pain, build fake relationships, that kind of stuff," he tried to explain.

"And how do you know if you're gifted?" I said.

"I don't know. It just happens."

"It just happens? Do you realize how that sounds?" I cried. "Look, I just … got turned. I … I have no idea what to do. I don't know what's going to happen to me. I can't … Is it possible to die?"

I heard Marcus taking a step forward. The second after, I felt his hand on my arm. I shivered and drew back. I immediately felt ashamed of that reflex, but I didn't apologize.

"Sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"You didn't," I groaned. "I'm used to not knowing what's going on. It's just …"

"I know," he whispered. "I know. It's very … unusual at first. You'll get used to it, even like it one day."

"Do you?"

I heard him sighing. "Eternity is very long without someone to love."

"Eternity will be very painful with my condition."

"I don't know what to say. I have never met a blind vampire."

"Because it shouldn't exist," I hissed.

He laughed a little, but stopped when he noticed that I wasn't trying to be funny. "Sorry."

I shrugged.

"But at least, you'll be the first one! The first are always special. I'm sure that you will be very special."

I smiled sadly. I didn't even know if I was looking at him or not. Ever since I had been turned, I felt disoriented. All my landmarks were gone. I couldn't find them anymore.

Suddenly, I looked up. Something was in the air. Something that I had never really noticed before. It was … a delicious smell. It actually made my mouth filled with saliva … and something else. I realized that I was … hungry. The smell kept getting stronger and stronger. It was more and more appealing every second. I couldn't stay still any longer. I didn't even think about it; I was already gone. Surprisingly, I didn't run into any wall. It was as if I could feel the obstacles. It was easier to avoid them.

That's when I heard someone yelling behind me. "Someone catches her before she exposes her nature!"

That's when I realized that I could feel the wind on my skin. I had gotten out of wherever Aro had been keeping me.

"Someone catches her before she kills someone!"

Kill someone?