Twilight and New Moon belong to Stephenie Meyer.

Sorry, sorry, sorry! I know I haven't posted for nearly two weeks, and I am very very sorry. I haven't been able to find time to write during the week, and usually do so on the weekends. But last weekend I was away, so I didn't have time to write. I know that these are pretty lame excuses, but since tennis season is over I should be able to write more often. Please be understanding and stick with me! Here's the next chapter, so enjoy!

Speeding down the highway, I realized why Edward had never been able to drive slowly. Driving through Canada, I had realized that I could see further down the road than normal. I could suddenly see 10 miles down the road, around curves and over hills. I didn't ask how at the time, but later learned that it was because of my advanced hearing and senses, my mind was able to fabricate a mental image of the environment that I couldn't see. I didn't need to worry about oncoming traffic or other cars because I could see them all coming.

I got out my map to check if I was going in the correct direction. I only knew that Tanya's family lived in Denali, but I wasn't really sure where that was. I took a wild guess when I saw that it was near the Denali National Park. Food source, of course…

I was getting hungry myself, and the thirst was getting unbearable. Every time I sped past a car, I could smell the blood of the passengers. Though for some reason, this blood was not appetizing for me. It smelled like the rust and salt of the man's blood in the hotel. Edward had always told me that the smell was different for each person, but I couldn't detect anything like that. Just a mix of smells that made me want to gag.

But despite my disgust, I still wanted the blood. Something in me was urging me to stop the car and kill the nearest person to me. Though the blood repulsed me, it attracted me at the same time. The confusion nearly made me run off the road a few times. I laughed quietly at myself, thinking how well Edward drove. Always down the center of the road, never faltering, always perfect.

He occupied the rest of my thoughts. When I wasn't resisting the urge to crash the car into some minivan, I though of what I was going to say to him when we finally met.

I had decided to go to Denali for a few different reasons. One was the idea that Brendon may have lied to me. What if Edward never really went to Jacksonville? What if he had just used that excuse for his own purposes? I had clearly seen that manipulating people was one of his fortes, so it would come at no surprise. Another reason was that once Edward had figured out that I wasn't in Jacksonville, he would have come back here. Unless of course he had extended his vacation…

I tried to think of what to say to him. I couldn't just burst into Tanya's home and exclaim 'Hey Edward! Look, I'm a vampire now, too! Do you want to go see a movie tonight? No? Okay, I'll just go find myself a rabbit to drink…'

I needed a way to say everything I felt. How scared I was of myself, scared I would hurt someone. How much I wanted to see him, that I still cared for him, how much I wanted to lie in his arms and cry. How much I wanted to cry again, to cry for him, myself, for the family l had lost, the family I may gain. I couldn't think of anything that would do all these feeling justice, except for one phrase. I love you, Edward.

But that was so cliché.

So I focused instead on driving in a strait line. Not that an accident would do much harm to me now, but I didn't want to cause a scene. I had only managed to crush the steering wheel one other time, and the three compressed areas didn't make it too hard to steer. With this in mind, I was trying to be extremely careful with the gas pedal.

The traffic thinned and grew as I switched between highways and shortcuts. The day became dark, turned to night, and then the sun rose again. Not all the way of course, just enough to give a slight light through the constant cloud cover. I never grew tired, never stopped driving. That is, until I ran out of gas.

Driving from Edmonton to Denali was a long distance, but a gas refill never crossed my mind. Even with my new body, my new senses, and my new way of viewing the world, I could still me as dim as a brick.

Looking at my map, I saw the nearest town was Whitehorse. Scratch that, Whitehorse was a city. And it was one city that I would not be visiting. The lust for blood was getting unbearable, and I couldn't risk going into a crowded area, especially a gas station. I looked at the dashboard, thinking that maybe I could make it a little farther before I had to stop. Unfortunately, I found that if I wanted to get anywhere in this car soon, a gas stop was necessary.

I quickly scanned the map again. There, less than 8 miles from Whitehorse was Fish Lake. Despite its uncreative name, it was a perfect area. There were hardly any towns on the perimeter, and water meant animals. I swerved off onto an exit and headed for the lake.

I stopped in an area close enough the Whitehorse that I could have enough gas to get there, and then parked the car. I stepped out and placed the keys in my pocket. Looking at the edge of the woods, I felt almost eager. This was a place where I was in my prime. I was the hunter, I dominated these woods. I didn't know what had come over me that I suddenly felt this way, but it was a feeling of confidence that I liked. I took a step forward, and then started to run.

It was a feeling better than the confidence that I felt as I ran. The trees sped by as I swerved and dodged around them. It was as easy as if had been walking down the streets of Port Angeles. My feet found good footing without me even thinking about it. They pushed off with force, using my new strength as the perfect advantage. I was propelled forward at an alarming rate, but it didn't matter to me. I enjoyed the momentum, the speed, the wind in my face. I smiled and laughed as I launched myself over a fallen log. My feet landed at the perfect angle, and I didn't loose any speed as I pushed off again.

Not only did I enjoy the speed, but I enjoyed my gracefulness as well. Even at the pace I was running at, I could feel that my body was moving in eloquent movements. I wasn't falling on my face, and I didn't look like a running orangutan. I reached the lake in too soon a time.

Looking at the surface of the water, I again marveled at my new vision. But I was cut off from my fascination by the scent of blood. I felt my body shudder in response to it, and I turned to face the direction it came from. My vision closed onto a deer about a hundred and twenty meters away.

I instinctively crouched down, and a low growl erupted from my chest. My mind ran through every possibility of an outcome in a second, and in that second the deer looked up into my eyes. I launched myself at it.

Before it had time to try to run, I was too close for it to get away. It never even had a chance. It stood in front of me frozen in fear. My predator side took advantage of this, and I was quick to break its neck. A gash in its neck began to bleed. It smelt the same as human blood, rusty and salty at the same time. But I didn't care. I felt my eyes grow wide for less than a moment, then my mouth was against its neck, and its warm blood was flowing down my throat.

When I brought my head up and wiped the blood from my lips, I looked down at the deer. Its eyes were glazed over and it was pale. I stood up and stepped back. Edward's words rang in my head. What he had always called himself, what I never believed, and what I now had become.

The worst kind of monster.

I killed to stay alive. I took the life of others to live. I was a monster. My immeasurable strength crumbled, and my legs gave out beneath me. I once again regretted that I was no longer able to cry, as dry heaving sobs still racked my body. I had been a predator, I had hunted in an animalistic way, and worse than that, I had partially enjoyed it. The blood gave me strength, and I could feel the thirst dying away. I was revived, but at what cost?

Is this what I had always wanted? To become this creature, this fiend of demise and sorrow? If I had known that it would be like this, would I still have wanted it?

The answer rang in my head. Yes, of course I would. Because despite the horror that appeared with my transformation also came the opposite side. This was the dark, and the light was Edward. The good part of this bargain with the devil was love.

I stood up and ran back to the car. I found my way easily, retracing steps and recognizing landmarks. My memory lead the way, my vision allowed me to see farther, pick out what direction to go. When I got in the car I peeled around and headed towards Whitehorse.

I needed to find Edward. Soon.

Hooray for Google Maps! These towns and places are real, so if you live there, yay for you! Let me know, because that would be amazing! Please review, and again, sorry for the delay!