' I think she'll be alright.'
' She can't be left alone though, somethings...not quiet right with her. She's...suffering. She's suffering worse than
I could ever imagine. '
I opened my eyes, the fluorescent lighting burning them. The light, and the whispering voices reverberating through
my ears made me want to hurt myself, and the the people whose voices were making me want to hurt myself.
' OUT!' I screamed, ' TURN THE GOD DAMNED LIGHTS OUT! AND SHUT THE FUCK UP! SHUT UP! '
The lights were switched off moments after I had spoken. Following my command, the voices stayed silent.
I squirmed a little, feeling soft cotten against my chest, and the fabric of jeans against my legs.They dressed me?
Whoever was here had probably seen me naked, but I didn't much care.
I scrunched up my face in frustration, not wanting to open my eyes. Maybe, if I lay here long enough in a
comatose state, I'll die from starvation or better, they'll decide they don't want me taking up precious
room, kill me, and dispose of my body in a very inhumane way. I shouldn't get my hopes up though.
Against my better judgement, my eyelids flew open.
I was lying on a couch, one that seemed to be sagging beneath my weight. I twitched slightly, making the
couch creak with strain. Sitting before me on a wooden stool was a man who was beautiful beyond compare,
a vampire like me. He was looking down at me with the kindest eyes I've ever had the pleasure to meet. He
beemed down at me, revealing brilliantly white teeth. Behind him stood someone I had never seen in the flesh,
but knew all too well.
Sam Uley stood behind the gorgeous vampire, looking stern, arms folded across his chest.
Eight other figures stood splayed across the room. Five of them were boys, built pretty much the same,
all with the same chopped black hair and naturally tanned skin. A girl, as tan and almost as built as the five boys,
stood brooding in the kitchen doorway, staring at me like the abomonation I am.These are probably her clothes
I'm wearing, and she probably hadn't exactly agreed to let me wear them.
An old man in a wheel chair was beside Sam, staring at me. The look on his face, the look of pity,
made me want to jump off the couch and rip his face off. Sitting at the foot of the couch, looking quiet blank, was
another blonde vampire, his hands resting on my feet.
' Hello,' the vampire sitting on the stool whispered, ' I'm Dr. Carlisle Cullen.'
' Hello, ' I replied in a monotone voice.I felt oddly calm, although I wanted to run, to escape from this place.
Dr. Carlisle looked down at me, a smile playing at the edge of his lips.
' Sam here told me that he found you in the woods just at the edge of the La Push territory.' Dr. Carlisle said
smoothly.
No,' I replied, sighing.
' No?' Dr. Carlisle questioned, raising his eyebrows in curious surprise.
' No,' I said, calculating my exact reply, ' No, he didn't find me. I tracked him down. I let myself be found.'
' Why? '
I sighed and closed my eyes. Usually, I would be agitated by the calmness in which Dr. Carlisle was
speaking to me, but I myself was feeling calm, almost calm induced, which made me wonder if they
had drugged me.I opened my eyes, looking at Dr. Carlisle and no one else.
' You want the whole story don't you ? Thats what you want isn't it? Or are you just playing coy for the sake
of playing coy ? ' I asked, my words coming out briskly.
' The whole story would be nice,' the blonde vampire at my feet replied before Dr. Carlisle could get a word
in edge wise. ' It's kind of hard untangling emotions when you don't know the source of them. '
' I don't know what the hell you're talking about,' I said, rolling my eyes,' But I'll only tell you my story if
you make me a promise.'
' And what would that be?' Dr. Carlisle asked patiently.
' Kill me.'
' Oh here we go again.' Sam said impatiently, rolling his eyes.
' Sam,' the man in the wheel chair beside him said sternly. The old man looked at Sam with harsh eyes, but
Sam needed no other indication to be quiet. The one word from the old man had shut him up. I glared at Sam,
wishing he would've killed me earlier to save me from all this stupid questioning.
Dr. Carlisle grabbed my chin lightly,and turned my face so I was staring at him instead of Sam.
He looked deep into my eyes, and I looked into his. His were perfect gold, impenetrable pools
of topaz. I shut my eyes in haist, not wanting him to look into my eyes any longer. I wouldn't let him see
my imperfect eyes, one bright blue, one the same topaz as his. My eyes started to well with tears,
a flash of blistering sweat consuming my body. Agony, sheer agony.
A hand, as cool as granite, swipped the oncoming tears away from my eyes in one swift movement.
A cold breath came down to my ear, and whispered, ' I can make you no promises of death, but
I swear, if you tell me what happened, I can ease the pain.'
'Ok,' I replied within seconds, keeping my eyes welled shut.' I'll tell you...'
(Dani's Story)
'HOW COULD YOU? HOW COULD YOU?AH...FUCK...HOW COULD YOU? ' I screamed, kicking the
dryed leaves up from beneath my feet. I paced between the trees, kicking at whatever got in my way.
Derrick looked at me, tears beginning to well in his eyes.
' I'm sorry.' he whispered.
' Is that all you can say? I'm sorry? Well fucking sorrys not good enough! You slept with my best
friend for Christ's sake. Oh wait, scratch that, you slept with my EX best friend." I said vehemently,
throwing my hands up in the air and continuing to stomp around on the early fall leaves that scattered
the floor of the asphalt trail that lead through the forest. The trail we were at that day had been Derrick's
and my favorite place, our special place. That sounds so corny but it's true. It was a trail at the northern
border of Sequoia National park, at least seventy-eight miles east of Fresno. His reason for going to
"our spot" that day was to tell me something important. I thought maybe it would be something good,
but I was wrong.
' It wasn't like that Dani,' Derrick said, shuffling his feet nervously, one hand in his pocket, the other
pushing the emo swipe out of his face.
' What was it like then,' I asked sarcastically, my pin straight black hair blowing in the wind.' You tripped and
accidentaly had sex!? '
' No, I mean...' Derrick mumbled, staring down at his Van clad feet ' It was just...I like her. Ya, know.'
Derrick looked up into my fierce blue eyes.
' And I was planning to break up with you anyways.' Derrick said, not looking away from my intense
gaze.
I did not blink, did not cry, I just stood there, fuming beneath the surface.
' Fine, I guess we're over then dickhead,' I snapped, turning on my heels to head back down the path
towards where my car was parked. I had every intention of leaving Derrick's sorry ass there. I stalked
down the pathway for only a few seconds before my wrist was grabbed by one of Derrick's cool hands.
' Dani...' he pleaded, but I didn't give him the time to talk. I swung around and punched him in the
mouth.
Derrick released my wrist, and I took off runing. I left the path where Derrick sat crumpled, howling in
pain,and headed off into the forest. I can't tell you why I didn't just head back to my car and drive off,
I guess it would've been the smart thing to do, but at the time, I wasn't thinking straight. I was too
angry, too overwhelmed with frustration to think at all.
I tripped and stumbled through the trees, tears now running freely down my cheeks. Branches caught at
my clothes,and somewhere along the line, I lost both of my shoes.
After hours, or maybe minutes of running, I collapsed onto the forest floor, leaves and grass sticking to
my clothes and hair. I banged my fists against the ground, furious. I loved Derrick, I really did.
I had wanted to be with him, forever.
I lay there like that for hours on end, crying.
As twilight began to settle, casting shadows across the trees, I stopped banging my fists against
the ground in fury. I lay, curled up in a ball, mud staining my cheeks where the tears had once
been. A light wind rustled the trees, but other than that, the world was a silent place.
At sometime during the night, someone approached. At first I thought it might have been an
animal, but then I heard low whispers ring through the silence.The person, whoever they were, moved
almost without making a sound. I didn't stir as they neared the spot where I lay. I didn't much
care who it was, I had figured it was probably somebody coming to look for me.Although,
now that I think about it, it was probably unlikely that anybody was going to come looking for me.
My parents died when I was young. Their bodies were found in a dumpster right outside of Las Angeles.
After their deaths I was sent to live with my Aunt Beatrice and Uncle Henry. They already had six
kids of their own, so I was sort of an imposition on them. They wouldn't have noticed if I had
disappeared, and I don't think they would've cared anyways.
The person approached me with spectural silence. I made sure to keep my eyes closed as tightly
as possible as the figure leaned over me, placing a hand on my neck.
When he spoke, it was with a musical, trilling voice. At first I did not hear his words, but then,
quite sternly, he commanded me to open my eyes. Obediantly, I did as intructed.
With one easy hand movement, he turned me over so that I was lying on my back, staring up at
him. I gasped in horror and, at the same time, in exhileration. The man I stared up at was wild
looking, yet unmistakably beautiful. His face was evenly proportioned, brilliantly white even in
the darkness. The bronze hair that framed his face was in tangles. He was easily the most
beutiful person I had ever seen, yet his features reminded me of a lion's. The line of his mouth
was curved into a brutal sneer. His eyes glinted with some sort of wanting, what he wanted I
did not know then.
I stared up at him open mouthed, my arms and legs splayed in disarray. He stared down at me,
the lion like sneer still spread across his face.
' Who are you?' I was able to choke out.
' Dracula,' he chuckled, his voice velvet. He was obviously teasing me, yet his words scared me
senseless.
' No really,who are you? ' I asked,my words becoming more frantic, my mind reeling in it's own scared
confusion.
' Simon,' he said, still whispering.' And you? '
For a moment I wondered why he was bothering with pleasentries if he had indeed been sent to look for me,
but I responded nontheless.
' Dani,' I whimpered.
Simon smiled down at me as if he were happy to see me, but I knew that was not the case. To me, even
then, he seemed like a predator, and I the prey. I shivered uncontrolably, biting my lip in tension. For
minutes on end Simon kneeled over me, breathing in deeply, his smile becoming more beatific with
every inhaled breath. I feared him for reasons I couldn't comprehend. I wanted to get away, go back home,
but I couldn't force myself to move. It was like Simon was forcing me to stay, even though he didn't lay
a hand on me.
' Well Dani, it's a very rare occasion when somebody so...delicious...comes this far out into the woods.
Rare indeed,' Simon cooed, moving has face towards mine so that we were only inches apart.
' Delicious?' I asked stupidly, my breath catching in my chest.
' Yes, quite delicious,' Simon said, breathing in and closing his eyes in pleasure as he did so. When he
reopened his eyes I noticed for the first time their deep crimson color. ' You smell delectable, better
than that human pet the Cullen clan keeps. How I'm able to restrain myself I'm not sure.' Simon shook
his head, smiling, as if he questioned his own sanity. He lowered his head even further so that his
lips touched my neck lightly, as if he were about to kiss me. The touch of his lips against my neck
made me jump slightly. They were like ice against my skin.
' If, I weren't so hungry,' Simon whispered in my ear,' I WOULD keep you as a pet. Too bad really.'
Before I even had time to comprehend what he ment, Simon's teeth were buried deeply in the side
of my neck. Fire erupted in my veins, shooting throughout my body like a hit of heroine. I screamed
in agony unceasingly, willing my body to fight back against my captor, but my mind didn't seem
to understand anything other than the seering pain that consumed me. I had no other choice
than to lay their on the ground, screaming bloody murder, and hoping death would not be too far away.
As I felt my will to scream begin to slowly die, I prayed. I can't exactly remember what I prayed
for, all I know is that I did. My breathing was just becoming ragged, the breaths of a dying person,
when I heard the fast approach of footsteps. It sounded as if more than one pair of feet was joining
Simon and I,but I could not be sure. All I knew was that in the next split second something had slammed
itself into Simon's side, sending him flying into the trunk of the nearest tree with a crack.
I cannot describe to you the battle that followed, for I could not see it. I was too weak to move,
too weak to even lift my head off of the ground to see what was taking place just beyond my
vision. I could hear the fighting, though I wished dearly that I couldn't. Screeching, yowlimg,
screaming,filled my ears, making me cringe. The pain in my body couldn't even distract me
from the noises that filled the air.
A ripping and grinding that sounded like stone being torn apart erupted, and then, all fell silent.
The silence lasted for a while, and I can vaguely remember a burning smell. I continued to lay
uselessly on the gorund, waiting, cringing from the pain.
And then from my immediate right came a labored breathing. With the last of my strength I
turned to look at the ink black creature walking awkwardly towards me.
A wolf, bigger than I thought naturally possible, limped towards me, it's left leg completely
mutilated. If I could have moved away even an inch I would've, but my body was still
consumed in too much fiery pain to even attempt to do so. Step by step the wolf drew
closer, his dull black eyes never once wavering away from me.
The wolf came so close that he was hovering just inches above me, looking down at me with
steady eyes. It might have been my imagination, but I swear the wolf was looking at me
with pity.
And then, without warning, the wolf collapsed on top of me. There was a distinct crack as
a few of my ribs broke beneath the wolf's weight. I cringed with the increasing pain, but
did not cry out. The wolf gave a last half hearted whimper, inhaled, as if he were
sighing, and then he was gone.
I once again had no another choice but to lay completely useless on the ground, the
dead wolf lying atop me. Over the next few hours,the fire within my veins dulled,
leaving me feeling tired. Eventually, even the pain in my ribs went away. I wanted to
stay awake, even though my droopy lids protested greatly. But, eventually I sucumbed,
and fell into a dreamless sleep.
When I woke next, I was sure it was day. The forest around me glowed ,casting a light
green tint over everything. Without even thinking, I sat up,the wolf falling to the ground
beside me with a thunk. I looked down at the wolf with surprise and confusion.Millions
of questions ran through my mind, but one stood dominant above the rest:
"How had I been able to move that wofl off of me?"
Even in top condition I don't think I ever would've been able to move that wolf off of me,
but yet somehow I had. It was utterly baffling. Even more baffling was my sense of...
health, if that makes sense. I did not feel tired or weak like I though I shoulde after what
happend last night. What exactly had happend last night? I placed a had against my side,
feeling my ribs to see how bad the damage to them was, but I could not feel a break.
If it weren't for the dead wolf corpse, I would've thought last nights events were completely
a figment of my imagination.
With one easy, flowing movement, I stood. Even standing seemed too easy, I felt too
aware.Something was wrong. Millions of voices seemed to be filling my head, I was
freezing and burning at the same time,but I was in no pain. I was hungry...and
very very thirsty. Maybe I wasn't okay as I thought I was. Maybe I was having
a fever or something. My thirst grew every moment that I stood there unmoving. It
consumed my thoughts so much that I needed desperately to find water, or I felt
that I would die where I stood.
I glanced at the lifeless, crippled wolf, wondering if I should bury it, but my
hunger and thirst consumed me so much that I could think of nothing
else clearly.
With tentative steps, I walked away from the wolf's rigid corpse, letting my feet
carry me where they wished. I might as well mention that there was a pile
of ashs only a couple hundred feet from where the wolf and I had been laying
that glowed silver even under their dark grey color.
I'm not exactly sure how I was able to find it, but after a few minutes of walking
I came upon a small stream. Suddenly ravenous with thirst, I crouched
down by the edge of the stream and began cupping handfuls of water into my
parched mouth. Though the water helped it did not completely sate my thirst.
I kept drinking until it felt as if I were water logged, yet my thirst still lingered
faintly. In a desperate attempt to quench my thirst, I dunked my head into
the stream, breathing in the water as if it were air. I kept my head completely
submerged in the water until something occured to me...Why wasn't I feeling
light headed from lack of air?
I pulled my head out of the water quickly, my damp hair slapping my face.
That's when I saw her...the most gorgeous girl I have ever seen. She had
an angel's face, one that any supermodel would kill for. She had black hair
that looked a little tangled at the moment, but untangled I bet it would look
like satin. Her skin was as white as marble and glistened in the faint
glow of the forest. Even her two toned eyes, one a glistening blue and the
other a deep crimson, made her beutifull.But then, after I got over the initial
shock of the woman's beauty, I began to notice the sinister glint in her eyes,
the hungry, almost gaunt look about her face. She scared me sensless.
And that's when it clicked. I wasn't seeing some other woman...I was
seeing my own reflection staring back at me from the stream's glossy
surface. I began to panic.
I stood up straight, wrapping my arms around myself as if I were holding
myself together. Harsh breaths racked my body and I began to dry heave.
Shivers swept their way up and down my spine in quick succesion. My
brain raced frantically, I was breaking down. Tears began making their
way down my cheeks, and my body began to go into convulsions. My
whole body shook from them. And then...I exploded.
In an instant I was changed, though I didn't know it.At the time I didn't
understand what was happening, I just thought I had given in to my
convulsions and that I was now on my hands and knees. Then...I noticed
that my clothes were strewn around me, shredded beyond repair. New
waves of fear coarsed though me. I crawled back to the stream and
stared once more into the water's depths.
What I saw made me cry out in pain. My face, beutifull beyond compare
only moments ago, was now the face of a wolf. I tried to scream, but
yowl's of agony were all that escaped my mouth. I closed my eyes,
shaking my head vigorously to try and dispell the horrifying image from my
mind. But, when I opened my eyes once more, the image in the water's surface
was still the same. My body was completely white from head to toe,
except for my legs and the very tip of my muzzle, which were an inky black.
Like a true wolf, I raised my head to the sky and released a howl so full of
agony that if I had heard it myself (if I weren't in the situation I should say)
I would've pitied the poor animal who was making the sound. And that's when
I began to run. I didn't stop running until I was a couple hundred miles away
from the town I used to call home...the only real home I've ever known.
(Back to reality)
I finished my story, looking at the Dr. Carlisle expectantly, but he just stared at me,
a look of pity and bewilderment spread across his beuatifull, flawless face.
