Thanks for the feedback!! xxx! I realised that i've been spelling Riley's name wrong (i'm such a dope) so i corrected it - please forgive my blonde moment. Also, i was reading the part Bree was in in Eclipse, and i've decided not to stick too closely to the book in relation to what she said - my Bree is a little more well informed. However, the ending will be the same (aww). This was only supposed to be a short story and all, but there's details i just refuse to leave out, so there's still a few more chapters to go. xxxx

THREE: TRAP

The days without Riley seemed never-ending, oppressing, and bleak. I was looking forward to his return much more than I should. Not that others paid much attention to me, but if they had, they would have noticed how even more reclusive I had become, and how I seemed to jump slightly every time Riley's name was mentioned. I couldn't help it. My situation seemed even more terrifying without him there, and my only explanation was that he made me feel safe.

Worringly though, I had noticed Victoria throwing me dirty looks. A dirty look from Victoria was like a death stare. It chilled every bone in my body. Ever since the first time I had seen her, I always got the impression that she didn't like me. I couldn't understand what I had ever done to her. But I was always careful to stay out of her way, and not to provoke her. With Riley gone, I felt even more afraid of her - he might be the only person who would save me from her.

The days dragged on, merging together to form the longest period of time I had ever experienced. Every minute felt like an hour. And the worst thing about the waiting was that I was waiting for someone who wasn't mine.

As much as it was crazy to want it, I wanted to be with Riley. I couldn't imagine a worse situation though. He was Victoria's; the last thing I needed for another reason for her to hate me, and I had no doubt that she would rather kill me then see me with him. And of course, the main reason it was so crazy, was that he didn't feel the same. Of course he didn't. He could see how weak and pathetic I was, and he just wanted to help, because he was a good person. He didn't want anything more from me.

So all I had were daydreams. Losing myself in them made the time go a little faster, and made me happy while they lasted. Once I woke to reality, and remembered that a) he wasn't there and b) he wasn't mine, I found the daydreams were always preferable.

Three days after his departure, he returned. The door of our room was unlocked, and he walked in. My relief was overwhelming, and I think I was the only one who was genuinely pleased to see him. A few of the more confident vampires, the ones who had accepted their fate and who now revelled in what they were, greeted him.

Many of the vampires had now accepted the situation. They looked forward to going to Forks to take out the coven that lived there. Families, past lives… had all been forgotten. I wondered how they could do that, so easily, so efficiently. I missed my family and friends dreadfully, and I wished there was some way I could let them know I was OK, but I didn't want to do anything that would put them in danger. They were safer being in the dark.

I felt a jolt as Riley's eyes sought out mine, almost purposely. As though I was the only person he had come in here to see. I battled with this idea, and the hope that was slowly taking me over.

Then I noticed the bag he carried. Many others had noticed it too, and were eyeing it curiously.

"This is Bella Swan's scent. Make a note of it, because as you all know, she's the reason we're all here."

He started taking items of clothing out of the bag and passing them around. A babble of talk erupted, as some made comments on how nice she smelled, others laughing as they fought over who got first dibs, and other things that sickened me. She was just a girl, and regardless of what she had done to piss Victoria off, she didn't deserve what I hoped would never happen to her. No one deserved anything like this, ever.

I obediently inhaled her scent from a shirt that was passed to me, and felt even more sickened by how my throat burned for a taste. I hated what I was. I passed it on, making a face.

But then Riley was standing in front of me, and I temporarily forgot all about Bella, and how thirsty I felt now.

"Hi," he said softly, smiling at me. I was glad no one else was noticing this little exchange between us, too distracted by the scent enclosed in Bella's attire.

"Hi," I replied, returning his smile. I noticed how much better I felt now, all my angst fading away.

"You're OK," he said. He said it quietly, more to himself than to me.

"Yes, I am," I said, just as quietly. His eyes were very warm. I found myself wondering how he felt about me. Like, how he really felt. He was always so kind to me, always looking out for me, so he had to care. But was it in a brotherly-sisterly kind of way, or was it a something more?

No, I couldn't, I couldn't. I couldn't dwell on this. It would only make me obsessed, and desperate. And the last thing I wanted was to start seeing things that weren't really there.

This was a dangerous trap I had fallen into. I was starting to yearn, because I was starting to fall for him. I had no idea how to escape this trap, and I knew I had to. The longer I stayed trapped… I would just be getting in way too deep. But the dangerous thing about this trap, was that I didn't want to escape it.

I returned from hunting early, as usual. I was always the first one back. The rule was that we come back to the house when we were full, and wait outside until everyone had returned. Then Riley would bring us up to the room. Of course, there were always vampires who didn't come back. Those who wanted to escape their situation. No one ever went to bring them back.

I knew the death count in Seattle had risen even higher. There weren't that many people out at night, now. This… army that had been created, that I was a part of, albeit unwillingly, was the main reason for so many deaths, although I liked to think I didn't really contribute that much to it. Although, taking seven lives a week was still seven lives too many. And then of course there were the loose vampires, who were now probably wild and out of control. I took a little comfort in the fact that at least I wasn't still human, and frightened. At least here, I couldn't get hurt, and didn't have to constantly look over my shoulder. I knew where the enemy was, and where the danger lay. I was the danger.

But always, no matter how early I arrived back to the house, Riley was there waiting for me. I wondered how quickly he must have to feed in order to beat me back to the house, and why he would even bother. But the small amount of time we had, just to talk, was the best part of my day, always.

But he wasn't there. I felt myself deflate a little. I had been looking forward to asking him how the trip went. I loitered around the alley for a while, feeling increasingly anxious as minutes went by and he still hadn't arrived. Had something happened to him? Had he been provoked into a fight with another vampire and torn apart? Horrible, frightening images of Riley in pieces attacked me, vividly. My breathing became uneven. I had to calm down.

I gingerly tested the door of the house. The longer I dwelled in this street, the more anxious I became. The door was unlocked, so I stepped inside. My sensitive ears picked up on two voices, one that made me flinch in fear, and one that made me almost weak with relief. Victoria and Riley. Curiosity took a firm grip on me, and I crept a little closer to the voices, to make out what they were saying.

"… she's absolutely useless. She isn't feeding like she should, so she's just going to be useless and feeble when she's fighting the others."

Victoria's voice was irate, and it quickly dawned that she was talking about me.

"Why did you bother changing her, anyway?" she continued. "You should have just killed her. She'll be no good to us."

I froze.

"We needed more females. They can be just as strong, if not stronger than some of the males." Riley's voice was emotionless.

"Well, Bree's certainly not included in that sentence. Obviously."

I stopped listening, beyond caring how many more times Victoria could emphasise how useless I was. It had been Riley in that dark street, that night. Riley who had grabbed me, in such a surreal, unbreakable grip. Riley who had changed me into… into… this.

I fled, before either of them could realise I was listening. How could it have been Riley? Why didn't he ever tell me? The one person here, the only person I felt I could trust completely, the person I had grown to… love? He was the person who had taken my life away, and changed me into this foul creature.

I couldn't take it in. Not my Riley. No, it can't be.

But he wasn't my Riley, I reminded myself. He doesn't care about you. All he wants is for you to fight in the army, and be the monster you're supposed to be.

I felt hollow and empty. Everything, bit by bit, everything that I cared about, was being stolen from me. This was not how my life was supposed to turn out.

I was only fifteen. I had snuck out to a party at my friend's house, and made that fatal mistake of walking home alone. I missed my friends. I missed my parents, and my sister. I was right in the middle of my summer holidays, enjoying the fact I had no school. My summer job provided me with money to go shopping with at weekends. I ached to have that life back. But it had been stolen from me.

Stolen by Riley. I still couldn't accept that.

I didn't want to feel all these pains. I didn't want to feel betrayed, lost, desperate, homesick - anything. I didn't want to feel. I attempted to numb my emotions, and just become dead… unable to feel the pain of everything that I had lost and would never be able to find again.

To distract myself, I paid attention to my surroundings. I was in a park. The wind was fierce, I noticed; the bushes and trees around me struggled ferociously to remain where they stood, an ominous sign to me. My ears picked up the sounds of more voices. I didn't really have a plan. I just followed the sound, uninterested, but in need of something to take my mind off Riley.

It was a group of teenagers, talking, laughing. They can't have been that much older than me, and it shocked me that they thought it was a good idea to hang out in the park this late at night. Especially with all these vampires on the loose. Of course, they didn't know that, but they had to have some idea of the danger of Seattle now. Or maybe, like me, they just didn't think it would happen to them.

The wind suddenly blasted itself into my face, the combined smell of the six teenagers stunning my brain. My throat burned, my mouth watered. I struggled. I was thirsty. Of course I was. I wasn't "feeding like I should". But I didn't want to be a monster.

Hopelessness and dejection rose within me like a tidal wave. What was the point in fighting with myself anymore? Riley wanted me to be this monster - why else would he have changed me? Victoria wanted me to be this monster. Every single impluse in my body, and my burning throat, was screaming at me to be this monster.

I was a monster. Why resist any longer?

I walked away, ignoring my thoughts, ignoring my feelings. I was trying so desperately to find a space in my mind that was empty of thought, so I could hide there, and not face anything else that was rapaging around in my mind. But I couldn't.

I had just killed, drained the life from those teenagers. Thanks to me, there would be many things they would never experience… their parents will all grieve together for the loss of their children… those teenagers' lives had barely started… and I had stolen their lives from them.

No, I couldn't think about it. It would kill me, too. I needed to be numb. I tried to block my feelings again. My conscience, still ever present, throbbed and writhed in agony, weighed under with the guilt. I tried and failed to ignore it.

I returned back to the house. It sickened me, but I felt better than I had ever felt since waking up here. I felt a little less weak, and my throat barely bothered me. I felt a little more alive. Guilt raged within me. It was wrong to take a life, just so I could feel more alive. Wrong.

The majority of the vampire army had returned; boasting, bragging, talking. There were less and less every day. No one even tried to break up the fights anymore. Our numbers were slowly dwindling, but there were never any new additions, not anymore.

When they noticed me, a hush seemed to fall over the group. I paused, feeling self-conscious. Was it because I wasn't the first back here, for once? Expressions varied from smug to alarmed, and I couldn't figure out why at first. I didn't like them staring at me. I lowered my eyes and stared at the ground.

My eyes. Of course. I wondered dully how red they had become.

I heard Riley's voice, and my reaction was like always. Relief, affection, and a feeling of safety. But then it vanished. How could I feel safe with him anymore, knowing that he had been the one to stalk me down that dark street, and attack?

"Has anyone seen Bree?" His voice sounded a little anxious.

"She's there." I didn't look at the person who pointed me out.

"Bree," Riley said, relief in his tone. I couldn't help myself. I looked up at him. I watched how his expression changed from relief, to that of horror.