Chapter 1: Lost and Found

Chapter 1: Lost and Found

The pain wracked through her, unrelenting as it was, she somehow found the strength to overcome it. Terrified to find herself lying in the rain only a shadow fleeting in the distance but no one else in sight. She had no clue as to how she had come to be in the circumstances she was now in, and at the moment it didn't matter. The pain she was in now would surely drive her insane. It coursed through her veins, each time feeling as if it were pounding on newly formed bruises. Her throat felt parched, burned and torn. She of course did not know what would quench that thirst. Her skull felt the need to split in two, her eyes burned with an intensity to match the flames of the sun, and her bones ached continuously.

"What's happening to me?!" She shouted to the heavy clouds, fists clenched, and eyes black as coal.

She walked through the forest, unsure of which direction her body was going in. The pain still the same, the hunger and the thirst all the more intensified. She looked ahead only to feel as if someone else were looking through her eyes. Her eyes swiveled to a small creature hidden in the covering of the bushes. Without another thought she leapt at it with incredible speed. The animal stood no chance as she capture it easily. She grew frightened with her behavior, but bit the animal without another thought. The small creature, which was now, confirmed a rabbit, squeaked in pain as Arcia dug her teeth into the creature, savoring the warm blood trickling down her throat. This did indeed quench her undying thirst.

'This is absolutely disgusting' her mind thought. 'Stop at once!' and with that she threw the animal to the floor, screaming as she realized what she had been doing. She fell back on her haunches, troubled by her inability to control herself. She had just eaten a rabbit! In all her confusion and stupor, she could not see why she would do such a thing. She curled up in a ball, her hands covering her eyes. Only then did she notice how cold her hands had become; how hard they had become. She wept as the moon held its sway over her bidding her to close her eyes and sleep. It was with nightmares that she slept.

"I smell something this way!" The voice caught up to Arcia's ears as she slowly woke; the sun was awfully bright today. The voice sounded quite far away as if it had only echoed to her by mistake.

The pain still coursed through her just as intense as the previous day had been. When would this agony end? Why did she just not die? It all made no sense to her. She meant to stand but her body was simply to weak to fulfill the task.

"Alice we're heading this way…" The voice was both annoyed and demanding.

Arcia grew alarmed. Was someone looking for her? She couldn't let anyone find her now, not the way she was. She had attacked that rabbit without meaning to. Her eyes flashed searching for an escape. For all she knew, she would attack the people that were looking for her without wanting to.

She weakly took on a standing position, propping herself up against the tree. Once again the same voices echoed through her head. Why could she hear them? Where were they? And why did they sound so far away? She blinked once and the very next moment she opened her eyes she saw a goddess. Her hair was short, black and spiked out. Her face seemed to be carved out of porcelain; her skin sparkling magnificently in the sun. Arcia gaped at the figure that stood before her. Had an angel come to save her?

"Oh god…" Alice, the seemingly goddess figure, spoke.

"Help me." Arcia begged as she came crashing down to the floor.

"Jasper!" Alice barely spoke above a whisper but the boy she had called was at her side in seconds.

"So this is what you smelled." Jasper said slightly pitying the girl curled up on the floor.

"Her blood smelled exquisite but it's obvious she's not an animal as I had hoped." Alice eyed the girl with sympathy. "Someone bit her, she's transforming."

"She was abandoned by her creator? I'm surprised he didn't kill her with the smell of her blood." Jasper sniffed at the air again.

"I'm taking her to Carlisle." Alice stated at once.

"Sounds like the right thing to do. I'll save you some bites." Jasper smirked and bounded off to hunt his quarry.

Alice gracefully danced to the girls' side and lifted her with ease. Her eyes gazed upon the girls' features, only to see that her face was contorted in pain. Her skin was beginning to lose its color, turning into the hard, porcelain white skin that vampires had. It was also obvious that this girl had not been able to feed much. Alice sighed, this poor girl probably had no idea what she was to become. An immortal creature of night.

Alice swiftly passed through the woods with lightning speed towards the Cullen's' House. Carlisle could help her, she hoped. The girl slightly opened her eyes.

"Put me down." Arcia whimpered. "I don't want to hurt you…" and at once Alice knew what she meant.

Since she hadn't fed in the last 2 days, Arcia was likely to strike at anything living, or what she thought was living. The fact that Arcia hadn't fed did not surprise Alice as much as the fact that she had the ability to control herself even when starved. She smiled down comfortingly at the girl below who held an expression of utter fear.

"I'll be fine, don't worry, I'll help you." Alice's voice was soothing and the girl soon drifted back into a pained sleep.

They arrived at the house in a matter of minutes. Alice pushed past the grand wooden doors and called out Carlisle's name, once again only above a whisper. Carlisle was at her side in the next moment. Eyeing the girl, he looked at Alice with questioning eyes. As if reading his mind, she answered.

"I didn't bite her. I found her in the woods while hunting. She was bitten by another vampire, but we found no trace of him." Alice reassured her father.

"Has she fed?" Carlisle asked, fearing the answer, but his face calm.

"No, she's…" Alice looked for the right words. "She's afraid to hurt anything."

"Afraid?" Carlisle smiled happily. "She still has her human remorse and repentance intact, that's good. She'll make a nice addition to our family."

"Yeah we just got to make sure she doesn't eat Bella." Alice noted with concern as she held the girl in her arms.

"I have a feeling she won't lay a hand on a human."

"So do I." Alice smirked.

"Let's take her to your room." Carlisle ordered and shortly afterward they were both outside her upstairs bedroom.

It was simple, yet colorful. The walls had various posters of musicians, actors, actresses ranging from the 1950's to the recent time. There was no bed, only a futon casually set to the side of the room and a desk near the window. Alice gently laid the girl on the futon.

"I'll take it from here." Carlisle sat beside the girl, cloth in hand.

"Would it be ok if I cleaned her?" Alice asked curiously.

Carlisle looked at her sternly but then his expression softened. He saw nothing but sincerity and curiosity in her eyes. He handed her the cloth and stood back from the girl as Alice bent down and put the dampened cloth to the girls' cheek.

"Alice what do you see?" Carlisle spoke of her uncanny ability to see into the future.

"Not much to be honest but she's very attached to me." Alice spoke with a smile.

"Just to you?"

"She seems timid and won't be open to all, at first." Alice continued to wipe the girl's face.

"I see so I will place you in charge of her as far as hunting goes."

"Will do." Alice agreed.

"Did you eat anything while you were out hunting with Esme and the others?"

"I had a bit of deer before finding her."

"Take her hunting later tonight. She won't be able to hold off any longer no matter how much restraint she has." Carlisle instructed and left the room suddenly.

Alice was used to his sudden movements and returned to bathing the girl. She seemed to be more at ease now. Her face was not wrinkled with pain as much as before. Alice grinned finally knowing what this young girl reminded her of. She reminded her of Joan Jett, or at least the very early Joan Jett. Her hair was similar and her eyes as well.

Arcia's eyes fluttered open cautiously, afraid to wake up to the pain that seemed to double when she was conscious. The burning seemed to find no end, but at times it seemed the flame was dampened and for that she was grateful.

"How do you feel?" Alice spoke to the girl who had not seemed to take in other company.

"I'm burning." The girl's throat cried; it felt very parch.

"We'll go hunting soon." Alice said, understanding the girls' parched throat.

"Hunting?" Her eyes danced with worry.

"You need to feed on animals, humans are forbidden."

"Eat an animal!?" The girl gasped but could not yell. "Humans?!"

"So you really don't know what you are?" Alice sighed; she knew this to be the case.

"What I am?" The girl pondered and looked at Alice for the answers.

"You're like me, a vampire." Alice said coolly as she applied another damp cloth to Arcia's forehead.

"A vampire…" Arcia sighed. "I don't want to hunt."

"You'll have to, or else you'll do something you'll regret and attack a human." Alice scolded but not too harshly.

The girl shuddered at the idea of attacking a helpless human. Alice was astounded by this girls' level of compassion; it was unusual for someone who just turned into a vampire. Alice placed her icy cold hand on the girls' cheek and stared into her eyes. They still held life as they flickered between green and the amber that were common to the Cullen's.

"I'll take care of you." Alice warmly smiled.

Arcia didn't know who this girl was but she was her only comfort through this burning hell. Her arms clung to Alice's back as she pulled her into an embrace. Her face buried into the crevice of Alice's neck. Alice caught off guard by the sudden embrace merely replied by holding the frightened girl in her arms. The girl cried her last human tears.

"Oh by the way my name is Alice." The elder vampire spoke softly to the younger one while petting her hair.

"Arcia…" was all the girl managed to let out.

"That's a beautiful name." Alice replied and rocked the girl to sleep in her arms.

She held Arcia in her arms, feeling the last amounts of human blood burn inside her. Her skin was just as cold and pale as her own.