Chapter Six: Changing

Suddenly, the fire was burning through me. It coursed through my veins like the venom of a snake; except it wasn't snake's venom, it was vampire's venom. I bit my lower lip, fighting the compelling urge to scream at the top of my lungs, to cry out in searing pain. I bit it so hard it bled, and the taste of the blood made me woozy, but I didn't care. I wasn't paying attention right now, I could only pay attention to the pain that pulsed through each vein in my body. I could feel Edward's hands clasp around my wrists, holding me down against the bed as I thrashed around in sheer agony, and Carlisle's hands were holding my ankles down. Edward kissed my forehead, but I didn't dare open my eyes; I didn't want to see the look of pain and fear in his topaz eyes, see how much it was hurting him to have to watch me go through this. It would hurt me too much. So, I kept them locked together tightly.
The pain continued stabbing me, over every inch of my body. It reached from the tips of my toes to the top of my head. It was as if I were getting shot with a million, tiny, invisible bullets, or pushed through a glass window 50 stories up, or being cut with a razor-sharp knife. But I would survive.
"Edward..." my voice was weak, cracked and the pain was evident in it. My jaws clenched together like an iron clasp, grinding against each other as the pain only grew stronger and stronger with each stroke of the hand that counted the seconds on the clock. With each moment that passed, I was beginning to wish I hadn't done this. The blood was flowing freely from my lower lip, making me feel sick to my stomach. My guts felt like they were twisted into one big knot, which was just adding to the torture of the moment.
"I'm here, love. Stay strong. You're doing good." His whisper calmed me down somehow, and after that I remembered nothing.

-THREE DAYS LATER-

Three days later, I awoke, and knew it was over. The pain was gone, it was no longer there. I could feel that my skin was like stone in the wintertime; cold and hard, like marble or granite. I heard Edward's voice, and I felt safe again, and I knew where I was, who I was, and what had happened. Those three days surfaced in my memory, of the pain that I had just endured. But without thinking, I quickly pushed them into the back of my mind, hoping I would never have to retrieve them again.
I waited, listening, to hear something. Anything. I could no longer hear my heart beating, for it had stopped. The only thing that was still moving was my lungs. My chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm. Up, down, up, down, up, down. I couldn't believe it: it was over! I was a vampire, just like Edward. I opened my eyes, and Edward was right there. He gazed at my face, saving my eyes for last, knowing all too well what they would look like. When his gaze finally met mine, I could sense the different emotions that brewed there: worry, relief, fear, and happiness, all mixed into one.
"Is it over?" I was able to mutter.
"Yes, Bella, it's over." Carlisle was the one to answer. I smiled slightly, and closed my eyes just for the heck of it.
"Does everyone else think I'm dead?" I asked. "I mean, like the other nurses and doctors"
"Yes."
"Oh. Okay. Where is everyone else?"
"They're waiting to see you." Edward said. I smiled, and said they could be let in. I watched as they all shuffled into the room, and last to come in were Austen and Ivy. I smiled at them, and they rushed into my arms. I laughed, and they each gave me a kiss on the cheek. I let them down carefully, and then propped myself up on my pillow. They were all smiling at me. I'd been changed into one of them, and I knew I wouldn't be dying for a long, long time. I would live forever by Edward's side, and love him for all of eternity. I promised him that.
Sighing gently, I let everyone speak.
"How does it feel to be one of us?" Alice asked me eagerly.
"I don't know. I'll have to tell you when I find out." I laughed slightly, my white teeth flashing in the dim light. I rested my head back on my pillow, and then thought to myself how close I was to loosing everything I had ever worked for - my dear husband, my two lovely children, my family, and everything I wanted and needed. What would they have done if I had died? Edward would've become depressed and probably have gone back to Italy to provoke the Volturi into killing him, Alice would miss toruting me, and Esme would be crushed.
But I didn't die. I was alive. Well, not technically, because my heart had stopped beating. But I hadn't officially died. And for that I was glad. I opened my eyes, and grinned at Edward.
"Thank you," I whispered gently, and he nodded, stroking my cheek again.
Life was good.

The End.

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