Sorry we didn't update for a while, having a life and all. For heavan's sake READ AND REVEIW, or I might give up on life itself. Kidding, but I'll be upset.
Disclaimer: WE DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT.
Samantha Whitlock
What had just happened? Carla had had the upper hand, she was in any case winning, but now, now she was lying on the ground.
She had whispered "I couldn't do it," what on earth had she meant, I was helpless, I didn't know what to do. The surroundings were basically destroyed, though they could grow back. The tree bent in half, the only things still intact were vampires. Emmett stood there just staring at my friend, my sister, like the rest of them, with their mouths hanging open. They weren't doing anything! Did they even care that she was on the ground, for all they knew she could be dead!
I gripped the tree I was perched in hard; it didn't take long for me to hear the tree breaking beneath me. I was enraged, how could they be so unreliable?! I leapt from the tree, using my full speed, I was next to Carla in less than a millisecond. I knelt next to her lying figure on the ground, her white eyelids were closed, her face still. Never in all my years of knowing Carla, had I known her face to be so, so emotionless.
"Carla," I whispered, like a question, a longing to know if she was alright.
No response. Everything surrounding me was silence, I couldn't even hear the wind, nothing, it was like Carla had stopped it. She had always said she ran with the wind, and I with light and sound. Though this was different, it was like the wind had always ran with her, been her invisible friend and guide, and now it had stopped for her. Her hair was all over her face, and leaves woven throughout it. Her red dress was ripped up to half uop her thighs, and the side of it a gauging hole down the centre, in any other circumstance I'd throttle her for destroying this dress, though not now.
"Carla!" I shouted at her, "Carla! Wake up!" Saying those words, I never would of imagined myself saying those words, not to a vampire.
"Don't you all even CARE?! You're all just standing there being useless!" I had never shouted so much in my life, but I couldn't think of what else to do.
"Samantha," I heard Jasper whisper, strained, unsure.
I whipped my head to him, I could feel the raw emotion on my face, if I could've of cried this would be the moment. I scooped Carla in my arms, and brushed the hair away from her face. Still she hadn't moved, I was beginning to become scared, not only worried, but terrified of what would happen.
"Carla, move, please," I begged in whispers, though only to her, because no one else seemed to care, though I would care. Losing her would be the end of my world, even if I had Jasper, without Carla I wouldn't be able to survive. She was my other half, and I hers. We were like the sun and moon. Carla the sun, so bright, shedding the light in all situations, and I the moon, the guide through the night, when the sun needed a rest, a brake. Without the Sun, the moon would have to guide and endless night, and without the moon, the sun would constantly have to shine light on others, an endless day.
I cupped my hand around Carla's face, to a human her skin was like ice, to me it felt warm, Carla always felt warm, the aura surrounding her was warm and happy. Like the sun. With two fingers I lifted her eyelids, though what I saw was impossible.
Gasping, I pulled my hand away from Carla's face, just barley catching her again, after I had released my grip on her body. That look, that look about her eyes, I had seen it before, seen it too many times before.
I knew that look about her eyes, the way that her eyes changed, though only when she was using her unique ability. They changed from butterscotch to a normal hazel, a human eye colour, green hazel. I had asked Carla, though all she had done was shrug, she said that it was strange, green hazel was her eye colour when she was human, and also the colour her eyes turned every time she used her ability.
Slowly, with exaggerated caution, I lifted both Carla's eyelids again, they were that same colour. She was definitely using her ability. Though what strong emotion had passed through her mind and soul for this to happen? She must be in a illusion, she must of put herself in one of her own illusions. If it was conscious or not, and for what reason or if she even knew she did it, I don't know. Though to brake from one of Carla's illusions was impossible, she had to brake it herself, this I had learned from experience.
"Amazing," I heard Edward mumble in shock, I whipped my head to glare at him.
"What? What could possibly be amazing about this situation?" I snarled at him, infuriated, never had I found myself to sound so scary.
"No, no, not the situation, what she is capable of doing, if it's true, she has one of the most amazing talents I have come across," I still glared at him, though I forgot if it was for the reason of him insulting the situation, or if it was because I just didn't like him that much.
I shook Carla, though I got no response, nothing, I felt like I could scream. I heard Edward shuffle and move behind me. I looked in his direction, vaguely interested in what he was doing, he was talking to Renesmee, and I could of easily of heard, though I found no reason.
Edward suddenly appeared beside my side, along with Renesmee, I put Carla behind me, and arranged myself in a defensive position.
"What are you doing?" I snarled at him and Renesmee.
Bella hissed from behind me, and I let a terrifying growl rip from my throat at her, and in response I heard silence.
"Please, Sam, trust me, trust Renesmee, I don't have time to explain this in full, though Renesmee has an ability too," I glared at him, though I could feel myself releasing my hostile pose.
"Renesmee has the ability to project pictures into your head, her thoughts in other words, and if I am on the right track, she could be the one exception on breaking Carla's illusions," I felt my facial expression change, and change to admiring.
"Would that work? What would she put into Carla's mind?" I asked in wonder, I sounded useless again, even though annoying, Edward was wise.
"There's only one way to find out," Edward told me quietly, while reaching for my arm as if to help me up
I gently laid Carla's immobile body on the ground, and stood, though ignoring Edward's offering hand, I didn't need help, I wasn't retarded. Jasper flashed to my side, and wrapped his arms around me, as if he was supporting me. I suppose he was, if he hadn't of done that, I think I might of fallen back onto the ground. His arms encircled around my arms, and fit my body into a protective chamber inside his arms, despite the circumstances, I felt safe there.
Renesmee knelt on the ground by Carla, in the exact spot I had been, her bronze ringlets falling from her shoulders and swaying on her back. For a vampire she was very beautiful. Unconsciously I felt my body move, though Jasper constricted me and all of a sudden I felt a wave of calmness. I knew I wanted to be worried, though I couldn't; all I felt was peace and calm. It must be Jasper, using his ability to calm the situation, typical; he had always been like a buffer., even as a human.
Renesmee put her pale hand on Carla's temple, and closed her eyes, seeming to be in deep concentration. I didn't know what she was showing Carla, though I knew it would be something to get her out of a trance, to break this darkness Carla seemed to be in. Renesmee was at for about a minute when I saw a twitch of Carla's eyes, I jolted forward, though Jasper constricted me yet again. I knew he was right to keep me detained, and myself being in control most of the time, I should find it easy. Carla's eyes began twitching again, though it was constant.
"Sam," I heard Carla whisper, her lips barley moving.
"Carla! I'm here, come back," I told her., desperation and hope spreading through every limb in my body.
"Sam," She said my name again, though it wasn't like a realization of that I was right in front of her, more like she was calling to me, searching for me.
What was Renesmee showing her? Was it of something bright? I couldn't think of what it could be, of what would wake her from an illusion.
"Sam," Carla called in her normal voice, and at that moment though her eyes were still closed, I knew what Renesmee was showing her.
She was showing her images of me, images of her only family, the only thing that Carla truly cared about in this endless world of ours. She lost all her family when she joined me on my quest, and over the years lost all her own blood relatives, though created new family bonds with me. I knew Carla inside and out, every angle of her face, every pitch of her voice, every stride in her run, everything. Just as she knew me, so if she saw my face in a place of blackness, it would be her beacon, it would work as well as any light. Just like lighthouses, we guided each other through the rough spots, through darkness.
I watched Carla as her eyes fluttered open, she looked so vulnerable, she didn't have a clue what was going on. She looked up at Renesmee who was hovering over her body. Her whole body went rigid, and she let out a terrifying hiss as she scrambled backwards.
She looked at them all, her pose growing more and more hostile as she stood up, though finally her eyes met gaze with mine. Jasper let me go, and I flashed to her side, in an instant, using my ability to advantage myself.
I wrapped my arms around her waist, and she just stood there in shock, frozen, everything hostile about her had melted away. I pulled away, holding her hands, I beamed at her and she just stared at me back.
"Carla! What on earth were you doing?!" I felt my fake anger surge through me, I was trying to be light hearted.
"I-I couldn't do it," She mumbled, her face turning sad, I didn't know what she was on about again, it was the exact thing she had said before she fell to the ground.
I dropped her hands, and watched them sway, lifeless next to her body, and then I look at her face. Some ancient sadness was covering her face, some concern I didn't know about, she wasn't one to show sadness.
"I couldn't do it, I'm pathetic, I can't even use my ABILITY IN A FIGHT! I CAN'T DO ANYTHING, MY LIFE IS FRICKEN JOKE, WHAT HAVE I BEEN DOING WITH MY LIFE, I AM STUPID, I DON'T DESERVE TO LIVE!" She shouted at nothing, her face changing from sad to infuriated, though not at anyone, but at herself.
I felt the anger in my body coarse through me, I was shaking, I was so angry at her, who was this person in front of me, it wasn't Carla, it wasn't my friend. It was a person unknown to me.
"I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO DO! DAMN IT, WHO AM I, WHAT IS MY PUR-," She shouted, though I interrupted.
I swung my fist back and into her cheek, she went flying backwards and into a tree, I flashed to her, my face something from a nightmare, I was beyond enraged. I gripped the front of her destroyed dress, and pulled her so her face was a mere few centimeters from my face, she looked horrified.
"WHO ARE YOU?! WHO YOU ARE, YOU ASK. YOU ARE CARLA, YOU IDIOT! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU GOING ON ABOUT!?" I screamed at her face, she flinched backwards, I could barley hear the gasps from behind me.
The feeling that course through was like none other I had felt before, it was a new emotion, I had never let myself become this angry. I felt the red haze cover my eye sight, changing my vision.
"You are my friend, you are the person that if wasn't here with me for this past two centuries, I wouldn't of been able to survive," I was still enraged, this feeling felt horrible though I went with it. "You are a person who laughs when everyone else cries, someone who see the bright side of every dark day!" I shouted and shouted at her, she was crumbling at my words, realization seemed to be coursing through her.
"Sam," She whispered my name, at that I dropped her to the ground, she didn't brake her fall.
I flashed to the closest tree and swung my fist back and into the center of tree, the tree broke instantly under my fist, bark and pieces of tree flying everywhere. I flashed back to Carla, no one could see me move, I was moving with light and sound.
"Have you woken up yet, Carla?!" I screamed, my voice echoing throughout the forest, my hair was all over the place, Carla's eyes were butterscotch again.
"Sam, I'm sorry," She mumbled, she truly sounded ashamed with herself, she knew I was never like this, this was something I had never experienced myself doing.
Though at her words I instantly began to feel my anger fading, I felt myself calming, she looked like she was beginning to understand.
"You have an ability, like none other in the world, you should be proud." I told her in my, normal voice, almost like I was lecturing her.
She stood up, gazing past me at the tree that I had s=destroyed, it would be laying on the ground in half now.
"Sam, I am sorry. Though what it this ability I have, what can I do with it?" She asked me.
I opened my mouth to argue with her yet again, though much to my surprise she interrupted me.
"Nothing. Nothing is what I can do with it, how have I helped you these past years, you giving me life to this world I live in, what have I ever done to thank-you?" She asked me, her voice was calculating and proper, she was very serious about this.
I didn't even have to think about my response, her worries were pointless, the last thing I thought was that she owed me anything.
"Carla, yes now you are unable to use your ability to your potential, though that is only because you don't know how. If you don't know something, you learn how to do it. You don't owe me anything, we are friends, friends don't owe each other anything." I reminded her.
"But," She began, though I interrupted her.
"If you argue the point one more time, I will throw you across this whole forest," I threatened her, though compared to my last rage session it sounded pathetic.
Carla smiled at me, her face lighting up in amusement, it didn't take long before she started laughing. She gripped her sides, she was laughing so hard, I wasn't at laughing stage yet, but I beamed a smile at her, she was okay now.
Jasper was at my side in a minute and gripped my hand tightly and I gripped it hard back, and we watched Carla fall to the ground in hysterics.
I turned my head to look at my new vampire family, well first impressions were always important at least they knew what I was capable of.
I beamed a huge reassuring smile at them, all their faces relaxing. They all moved so that they were surrounding Carla.
"Maybe I should fight you, Blondie," Emmett suggested to me, he smiled hugely at the idea, though her wasn't the one I wanted to compete with.
Edward had been watching me, I smirked at him, and Alice let out a trill of laughter. Carla stood up and stood next to Emmett trying to figure out what was going on. I let go of jasper's hand and walked a few steps backward, I was happy now, happy because everyone surrounding me was happy.
I curled my finger for Edward to walk towards me, I smirked while beckoned him, he smirked back and moved from Bella's side towards me.
"Okay mind reader, we will have a battle, of two things." I told him.
He smiled at my idea already hearing it in my head, though I planned to say it out loud so everyone could understand.
"Will we have a battle of speed and skill, you may be able to read my mind, though can you read the movements of light and sound?" I questioned him, I was excited, this would be a load of fun.
Carla let out a chortle of laughter, and I beamed again, all my previous happiness swirling through me. Everyone, knowing a battle was coming moved into the tree again.
The last fight was one of brute strength, though this was completely different, I was not strong physically like Carla and Emmett. Though that didn't mean I was weak, I wanted to see how Edward faired against the ability of light and sound.
Carla Mansfield
There was nothing but darkness. I couldn't see a thing, there was nothing to tell me of my surrondings, nothing to pinpoint where I was, even who I was. There was nothing above me, or below me, nothing but black. I couldn't even find myself, my body, it was like I was a prisoner in my own mind, in a place where I didn't even know who I was. I had nothing, no memories, no sights, no smells, nothing but the thoughts that ran though my head, in and out every second. The very minute they passed through my head they were forgotten once again, fading away like the mist, so it was as if they had never exist here was no way to count time, no way to tell how long I had been here, floating in this ocean of darkness. There was only the present second, stretching on like an eternity before me.
With no conscious start and no foreseeable end. Everything was lost in this place, swept up by the silent tide, it was an endless abounds of nothingness and I was stuck smack bang in the middle. I couldn't remember anything before the darkness, nothing that had been or was. This eternity of blackness was my life. It was like I had been born again, in a whole new world, a world that was nothing like the one from which I came. At least I didn't think it was anything like where I came from. A distant thought, a memory, locked in the confides of the back of my head started to wriggle. It fought to break free, a realization just under the surface of my consciousness was trying to make itself know. I could almost see it now, the colours, a face, someone I knew? I wasn't sure. The picture started to become clearer, more defined as the memory thrashed harder. It hurt my head. Suddenly everything was spinning and everything hurt, like a hundred needle points were piercing every part of my skin. I let out a moan. In a flash of light the memory became clear, my consciousness came rushing back to me. I remember, that person, that face, its…….
And that was when I hit the ground. My falling had finally come to an unwritten and unexpected end. Everything was pain and then there was nothing once again. I couldn't exactly feel anything under me, yet I knew, somehow, that my descent had stopped. The shock and force of the halt jolting me out of my moment of realization, the memory and all the thoughts attached now floating away into the darkness. I could see them, a line of silvery dots, almost like water droplets, floating away from my motionless figure. They were quite striking against the canvas of never ending blackness. But these memories, no matter how much they called out to me, how much I wanted them, they couldn't hold my attention for long, something much more demanding was consuming my every thought. Just to my right was a archway of blinding white light. It jogged another memory, something about moving toward the light, don't go toward the light? What was that about. But the thought was gone as soon as it had come.
Floating away from me, following the previous memory which I could just see, almost invisible in the distance. The light demanded all my attention. As I watched it, my eyes mesmerized by its glow, captivated, unable to look away, the light began to pulse. Slowly at first, but then faster and faster, until it hurt to look at it, hurt so much, my eyes began to water, but I couldn't look away, I could never look away.
It was pulling my body toward it, like it was the center of this black world, pulling everything into its gravitational circle. It was like a black hole, but this time it was the world that was black and the hole that shone brighter than anything else. I couldn't stop myself, without ever consciously giving the order, my leg began to move forward, step by step, dragging my frozen body toward the light. Soon it didn't need my help, I was caught up in a gravity so strong there was nothing I could do to stop it. Vampire strength or not. As that thought entered and left my head I became confused.
I wasn't a Vampire? Vampires didn't exist. I was a normal Human girl at the age of . It was at that precise moment, when that very thought entered my head that I walked into the light. My foot touching the threshold and the rest of my body following not a second after.
All I could see was light, I was light, and that thought, the reality of who I was, was the last thing I remembered before I fell into the abyss of light, in its own way just as scary as the eternity of darkness I was leaving behind. A split second before I lost copiousness yet again I felt my mind go black, becoming like the black eternity behind me. He thought of my year old human self being projected out of me by some strong and powerful force, one stronger than I had ever felt leave my body before.
I knew what this meant, It was my power of illusions, but where this illusion was going to end up, I didn't know. I had no time to ponder any further as the blinding light filled my eyes, blinding me, my mouth, choking me and finally my mind, wiping all memories and thoughts from its grasp and I was sucked into oblivion.
I walked with my head bent low. The cloak I wore kept my eyes in shadow, but there was always the possibility that it wasn't enough, always in the back of my mind was the risk that I might be recognized. It was times like these that I was so scared I hardly dared to breath, I had to focus all my attention on putting one foot in front of the other, on making sure my body was still, that the tremors that rattled me from the inside, stayed that way.
I had done this enough times to know what I was doing, this should be a piece of cake for me by now, but it wasn't. That was the harsh reality I had to face, that every day, every single stinking day it got harder. Harder and harder, until I thought it must stop, things must come to an end, for they could not get any worse than this, nothing could be worse than this.
But then the next day, as I woke up to greet a world of death, disease and poverty, I knew, it the darkest most forbidden reaches of my heart, that today was going to be harder and it never failed to live up to my expectations. Each day was worse, far worse then I even imagined it could be, life kept throwing blows at my fragile waist. Till I cowered, every night on my knees, barley able to stand. I was a girl destroyed. I didn't know how it had come to this, how my life, once so bright and perfect had been smashed into a million pieces.
But I was lying to myself, I knew exactly how it had come to this, more importantly exactly who had brought my life to the way it is now. His name was Louise Mansfield and he was formally my Uncle, now he is the very darkness and suffering that finds its way into every inch of my life, sucking the light from me, from my world. He is no longer my Uncle, he is a monster. It all happen just over a year ago. I was and I lived with my two parents and little brother, Danny. We lived a simple life. My father was the towns blacksmith and my mother helped deliverer babies to the towns women. Our family was loved by so many, we were friends with everyone, every step I took was paved by love and friendship.
Wherever I went I got a ruffle of my hair, or a pinch of my cheek, I used to run laughing through the town from dawn till dusk. All the town people used to say they had never known anyone with so much spirit, so much strength, so much heart. That they had never seen anyone happier. I am glad they cant see me now. It all ended when there was a breakout of Spanish influenza in when I was .
It came unawares and unannounced, no one was prepared and it spread like wildfire, bringing with it fear, despair and death. Neighbors lost sight of Neighbor. Some people ran, leaving everything they had behind, others stayed and survived, but most of us, yes, almost everyone died. Including my parents. My mother died first, her body weak from looking after all the dead and dying, made easy prey. My father fell ill short after.
I still remember his final words, "Promise me Carla, Promise me that light will ever leave your eyes, no matter what happens from here on in, don't let that spirit die. Stay strong. Look after Danny for me. I love you!"
They were the fieriest words I had ever heard my father speak, it sounded as if his very heart was being poured into my ears. They were my fathers last seconds alive, his last wish and I couldn't fulfill any of it. Once my father died me and Danny were left all alone. There was no one to help to lost starving kids, in times like these, it was every man for themselves. We managed though, I found us food and more often than not good shelter or a place to stay. But we had a long journey ahead of us, it was longer and harder than I could have every imagined.
But we did it, I kept my promise, I stayed strong. The place we were headed was London. There I remembered we had an Uncle living, from my fathers side. He was the only living relative I knew where to find, he was our only hope. If only I knew then what I knew now. The very second he opened that door, welcomed us into his home with big smiles and open arms, if only I realized I was making the biggest mistake of my life. The first few weeks were like a fairy tale, everything was perfect.
My Uncle lived very comfortable, big lavish rugs, crackling fires, even an old serving lady to poor tea in the dining room after supper. It was amazing. We had a life back. Of course the shadow of our parents death was never far away, but I felt, deep in my heart that we were going to get through this. A week later was the first time my Uncle came home drunk. He was nothing like the man I had known.
I remember greeting him at the door, his face covered in sweat, glistening red and sickly looking in the lamp light. His eyes huge and bloodshot, pupils dilating. His hair was a mess, his clothes all rumpled, he was a sight to be seen. I had never seen my Uncle, my nice, kind, smiling Uncle look so terrifying. But the scariest thing, the thing I remember to this very day was the look on his face.
It still sends shivers up my spine, brings sweat to my forehead, chokes me, makes the darkness, a huge hulking figure, rear up and swallow me whole. He had a look that can only be describe as hunger. Raw, uncontrolled, beastly hunger. He staggered into the door, crashing into me and sending me flying.
"Carla, Ah, Carla," I remember him slurring, is words barley coherent.
That was when he grabbed my by the arm and dragged me up the stairs to his room. I didn't know what was going on, I was confused and scared but I trusted him. He was our savior, the man who had given us our life back and I trusted him with all my fragile little heart. I was surprised my cries that night didn't wake my brother and I thank the Gods that they never did. That was the first night I cried myself to sleep, my body hurting from head to toe. I didn't get out of bed for three days, bed ridden from fear and despair.
That was the first and last time I trusted my Uncle, but only the first of many tear, bruised nights that would follow. But I suffered in silence, my pain as no ones but my own. I remember what he would say to me as I crawled back to my room each night.
"Its for Danny's sake, Carla, think about Danny." And after that night that's all I ever did, my every breath, my ever tear, my every shiver was for Danny.
Because without this home, without this man, no matter how vile, Danny would never survive. The went on for one very long year. I remember every night I would pray to god that I would die. I had lost my spirit, lost all hope, all strength, I was a girl destroyed. It was this very day that I had snuck out of the house. My Uncle never did let us out, but Danny was hungry and we needed food.
My Uncle was a selfish, careless man, he never thought about us, about our needs, he never thought about Danny. That was my job. I knew where my Uncle kept his stash of money, so ever Tuesday, once a week I would steal a few coins. Enough for a meal, but not enough to be noticeable, and snuck out into the towns market.
Today was that day. These days I was scared all the time, my life had become one big never-ending canvas of fear and pain. I didn't like to think of what would happen if I was caught, what would happen to me, or worse to Danny. So I didn't think about it, I had a job to do and that's what I did. I focused on the job at hand. I made my way through the crowd, it was packed so tight that I was jostled from all sides. Tripping and tumbling, twice my hood almost came down, twice I was almost lost everything and twice I was just saved.
I don't know what you would call what took place in the market that day. Was it fate, chance, luck, destiny? I guess I will never know, all I can say is that what happened that day ended my life as I knew it, but it also saved me from an existence of fear and pain. It gave me a second chance. I was being shuffled through a particularly rough patch of crowd. From what I could gather it was a feud over the price of some rare jewel.
I swear all merchants are so snobby. To escape to crowds that were practically suffocating me I managed to worm my way to the edge of the main stalls, into a small gap between a garbage can and the mouth of an ally. I managed to catch some much needed breaths and straighten my flustered clothes. It was then as I was checking my coin purse was still in its place, there were after all so many pickpockets around, that it happened, the event that changed my life, inconsequently and irreversibly, I dropped a penny.
I watched hopelessly as it rolled into the mouth of the ally and disappeared into the darkness. I heard a dull ring as it hit some invisible object coming to a stop. I had come this far, I needed that coin, without it we would go hungry tonight and Uncle would…… I shivered. I took a deep breath, taking one last glance back at the crowds of the market place and plunged into the unknown blackness of the ally.
It was well known in these parts that you never went into alleys, especially children and especially alone. Whether it was just a story to scare children or actual fact I didn't know, but it was a risk I had to take. I walked slowly, one foot after the other, my hands stretched out in front of me just incase I ran into something, or someone, I shivered again. It was then I realized that things had gotten very cold very fast, my body was convulsing, my teeth chattering, Goosebumps rising on my skin. How odd.
But cold snaps were nothing new in Linden I guess. Where was that dam coin? My eyes still hadn't adjusted to the lack of light in the ally and I was still partially blind. I got down on my hands and knees where I thought the coin sounded like it had landed and started forward, slower, feeling along the ground with my hands. It was then that my arm touched something hard as rock and cold as ice. My eyes, now fully adjusted picked its shape out of the gloom, it was a human foot. I just managed to stifle my scream by biting down hard on my arm. It had always worked as I lay crying at night, trying not to wake Danny next to me.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I looked again. It was defiantly a human foot, so cold and hard that it could only be dead. I braced myself for what I would see next. I had seen my fair share of dead people in my life, more than any child of my age should and this was by far the most beautiful. The most beautiful of any person, living or dead that I had seen in my entire life. I couldn't stop the gasp that escaped my lips, she literally took my breath away. It was defiantly a girl, more like a female angle than anything else. She must have been my age, or perhaps a bit younger, her beauty defined all logic. She had short, silky blond hair that looked like spun gold and skin as radiant and clear as silk. She was the spitting image of an angle. What was an angle doing so far from heaven, in a place such as this. Was she really dead, could angles die? But I wasn't certain she was an angle, my harsh upbringing had robbed me of such beliefs.
Instead I thought, could anyone so beautiful ever cease to exist. It didn't seem right, someone as breathtaking as this should go on living for an eternity. I couldn't stop myself, there was no right sane person that could resist, I had to touch her face, to see what that skin, like cherry blossoms made of the finest silk felt like to my hands. I reached up, my eyes captivated, my movements not my own and laid my fingertips, like the touch of a feather, on her cheek. It was in that very second that a huge breath made her chest rise and the dead angle inhaled through her nose, smelling and her eyes flashed open, eyes as black as the pits of hell themselves. This time I couldn't scream. I was transfixed with fear and wonder, frozen into position as the angle with the soulless eyes inhaled again and then smiled. Her smile, no matter how terrifying, how deadly, was still breathtaking. Even though every nerve in my body was screaming for me to run, I had to lean closer, I just had to.
She welcomed me with open arms, embracing me in a coocume of silk. I felt her breath of my neck, shallow and feverent. I closed my eyes, not caring what happened to me now, I was in the arms of an angle, perhaps off to a better place, yes, somewhere better. In that second her lips touched my throat and pain stronger than I had ever felt shot through my body. I had never thought about how I wanted to die, I just hoped it was quick, the angle owed me that much. I was just about to give myself over to the darkness, the last remnants of my strength fading and I remembered something. Something's so blindingly strong and clear that it was like a punch in the gut, knocking all the breath from my lungs. It was the face of a small boy, a face remarkably like my own, in this memory the face was smiling, happy and joyful.
I remember what I used to say to the boy, every night before he fell asleep, "Never have I known anyone with so much spirit, so much strength, so much heart. Never have I seen anyone happier." It was Danny.
The name was like a floodgate, filling me with light and strength. A feeing so strong that it could not be controlled by my heart alone.
"Danny," I whispered, tears rolling down my face.
It was that very moment that I felt the angle go slack around me, her heard lolling back and her arms falling away as she slouched back into the wall. With nothing to hold me up, no angles wings of silk to keep me from falling into the dark abyss I was doomed. I fell backwards, down and down, falling in what seemed a never ending world of blackness, with no light and no warmth, just darkness.
Was that what awaited me at the end, I thought, more darkness than I had ever know in life, no, I had had enough darkness to last me a lifetime. And that was the last thing I thought before I was swallowed into unconsciousness.
I was falling again. Falling in a never ending see of darkness, with no notable beginning and no foreseeable end. So this really was death. This was really the end for me. I was really never seeing them again, never seeing Danny again. I could almost feel my parents calling me from the other side. Ah, Mum, Dad, how long had it been. I was ready, ready to join them. After all after a whole lifetime of it you realize darkness isn't that bad, its just necessary.
At least there was no pain, that was good, at least I had an escape from the fear and horror of my life. Even in a sea of darkness I could find solitude, even here was better than where I came from. Anywhere was better than that life, anything. I sighed. Right now, life seemed like a very small price to pay, just so I could forget everything, leave it all behind, float into oblivion.
I felt myself drifting further and further away, even thought there was no way to mark my passage in this sea of darkness. I didn't try to stop myself, there was no fear, no confusion, I wasn't trying to bring up memories, to think any thoughts, I was just floating on a black river, enjoying the ride. I was feeling really sleepy now, the exhaustion of all that had taken place finally getting to me. The slow, soft floating was really peaceful, lulling me to sleep, like a rocking chair, or lullaby that my mother used to sing.
So, so tired. My eye lids began to droop and I closed my eyes. The darkness of my lids was no different the that of the dark eternity that they saw when they were open, they just felt more rested, heavier. I could feel myself lying on the brink of sleep, just about to fall over into that abbess of dreams, where nothing made sense and everything was beautiful, exactly the opposite of life.
Where everything was horrible and made much too much sense, so much so that you just stopped thinking about it. I couldn't remember the last time I had a truly safe sleep. Now was my time. I took a deep breath in and plunged over the edge. At the very last second, I grabbed the edge with my fingertips, hanging perilously, dangerously close to falling. What had made me stop? What made me reach out at that last second? Was it fear? Regret? No, I had seen something, something behind my eyelids, something that shouldn't exist in a world of black. I had seen light. There is was again.
I tore my eyes open, yanking myself back from the brink of sleep. Yes, there was defiantly a light. No, not a light, a memory. A strong memory, a memory so bright, so powerful it was suddenly lighting up my whole world. Turning every inch of it, everything that had been black to bright, shining gold. It was a face. The face of an angle, with hair the colour of spun gold and eyes like honey. The face had the goofiest grin I had ever seen, smack bang in the middle of its silky skin. It was so familiar.
Suddenly two memories, too opposite feelings pulled me in half. One was fear, absolute blind terror and for a second the angles eyes turned black and the face turned cold, it was the most beautiful and most terrifying thing I had ever seen. The black angle that had ended my life. The other emotion was pure joy. An emotion so strong, so bright that it whipped the other feeling out of my mind. It numbed my sense and took over my consciousness. That face it was so, so familiar. I knew it as well as my own, maybe even better. It stirred a feeling of such love, such protectiveness, such longing that tears sprang to my eyes. Tears of light, that one by one as they fell made the cage that held me a little lighter.
Until soon enough I could see something past all the blinding light, past the darkness. It was faint, but it was there, something solid and real. As my thoughts became clearer and the angles face more focused, memories came flooding back. Running like the wind, laughing, fighting, love, friendship, family. And then, just, just as I felt my eyes flutter, the warm colour glowing under their closed lids, I remembered a name. Sam. It was then that my eyes flew open, the colour and light of this world momentarily blinding me. Everything came rushing back in one big blow. It was like my life was on fast forward.
My lagging brain catching up with everything that had happened between what I now realized was a distant memory, a human memory and all that was now, my life as a vampire and the one person that had changed it all, Sam. She was yelling words and making faces and I was just lapping it all up, swallowing up every word, every gesture, everything. It was all just so wonderful to me, even when she hurled me into a tree and yelled into my face and truthfully scared the hell out of me.
Shut up. I didn't care, I honestly didn't care, because I had just come to the amazing and abrupt realization that I had been given a second chance at life, at a life that was worth more than just living, it was worth living every moment, every second. All the colours, sounds, feelings, everything, just soak it up because in the end you only live once, not everyone is as luck as me. So take it from someone who knows, life is a blessing, so live out loud and love every minute. I laughed to myself, the sheer joy and exuberance making me dizzy. I was about to add another chapter to the book of my life, sure unfortunately I was writing in pen, I made dumb mistakes I couldn't undo, but you know what, I wouldn't trade it for the world.
And as I watched Sam ready to fight Edward I knew, from the very tips of my toes to the crown of my head, in the very core of my being, that I was right.
Co-writer: Romance-Sword.