Heh, this was originally suppose to be only half of Ch.6 but length and plot worked out for a full chapter. Anyways I thought yall would enjoy getting to read this now instead of in another 3 or 4 days. Enjoy and as always comments are greatly appreciated.
Ch.6
BPOV
Lying here in the same thicket for longer than I cared to keep track was finally starting to wear on me. I had been going non-stop since I woke up and now there was nothing to do. What could I do? Thirst wasn't plaguing me and I didn't feel up to aimlessly killing. Plus, if I did want to find others like me I had no clue how to go about it. Staring up at this empty sky held no interest to me anymore.
Shifting upright to my side, my hand extended gently towards a patch of purple wild flowers. I allowed my fingertips to gently caress their petals; underestimating my strength at times, consequently crushing a few. Their purple petals were more lavender at the edges with vine like leaves tangling around the grass. My untrained fingers combed roughly through my hair before plucking a flower along with its limp stem. Bringing it slowly towards my head I began braiding one side of my head, starting at the top. If it weren't for my vampire traits, my hair wouldn't be cooperating as well as it was. Reaching the end of the first stem, I dipped my hand back down for another lavender decoration.
When my fingertips found the end of my chocolate strands I realized sadly that I had nothing to hold my hair in place, but what did it matter. Who would see me anyways? As my arms fell limply to my side, the braid relaxed and lost all tension. One flower wriggled loose and tumbled downwards into my upraised palms. It looked so dismal, crumpled, and deformed as if it didn't belong. In some ways I found resemblance to myself in this lone plant.
"Great now you're resorting to flowers for friends. Can't you relate to something other than an inanimate object, Bella?" Surprised at what I just called myself, my muscles twitched allowing the broken flower to wither into the grass. Had I just unconsciously called my self the same name Edward had called me? Was that my name, truly? I guess Bella wasn't bad, my name or not, I liked it. Of course it didn't really matter if I had a name or not, I'll never have anyone to introduce myself to at this rate.
Picking up the flower one last time, I tenderly tore the petals from their receptacle and flicked each one into the swaying blades of grass below me. So immersed was I in this odd task, I didn't notice the approach of a lone vampire until she was standing a few yards away.
"Hello, Bella. Long time no see," she began pleasantly upbeat. "No don't fret, I'm not here to hurt you," she soothed in response to my half startled half defensive stance. At the sound of her voice my muscles had reacted with out command and placed me a safe distance away. She stood nonchalant before me, her firey garnet waves of hair dangling neglected around her shoulders. I wasn't sure if I wanted to trust her, she was a complete stranger to me. However, this new guest made no moves to force my immediate decision, so content to think things out I began to analyze.
As I noticed earlier, her stance was amiable and she obviously knew my name. But then again Edward had known my name and who knows what he is up to. Anxiously I searched her for signs of similarities to myself or the others. She did not hold the same gaze all Edward's family had held for me. Her smile was darker and more sinister than any I had seen before; it failed to spread across her features. Yet, it seemed more as if she had little experience in smiling rather than wishing to pose a threat, so where was the fault in that? I myself hadn't smiled for quite some time. Taking one last sweep of her face I zeroed in on her eyes, they were red like mine filled heavily with ebony pupils. This vampire was one of my own, causing my dead heart to tingle in excitement. I allowed myself to trust her under one condition: that I never let my guard down.
Sensing my acceptance of her presence, the female vampire continued. "I didn't mean to startle you, but I caught your scent while passing through and thought you'd like to travel together. After all last time I was graced with your presence you were human." I might have been overanalyzing, but I thought she almost hissed as she bit off the last word in her sentence.
"I'm sorry to be so rude, but I don't know your name. Either that or I just have no recollection of it." If there was any blood left in my veins it would have gone straight to my cheeks in a rosy flush. I hated to insult the one creature on this planet that put forth effort to show compassion towards me.
"No worries Bella, I remember nothing from my past. My name is Victoria, but I prefer to be called Vicky." I was getting used to her awkward smile, but her name gnawed annoyingly at my memory. I had heard of her before, but I failed at recalling where.
"Well Vicky I'm very happy to meet you, again." My smile faltered slightly when I caught the quick, suspicious glance she threw at me, was she hiding something?
Reassembling herself, Vicky cleared her throat politely before beginning. "Well Bella I would like to talk to you in private, but it seems we have some visitors approaching and now is our only chance to give them the slip." Her posture appeared agitated and pleading. "That is if you trust me."
My head swept in the direction she was staring. 3 miles east of us came the sound of two cars followed by a scent all too familiar; it was Edward and his family. Part of my old self urged me towards him, but the more logical vampire fought desperately against the attempt at suicide. We had to get away and Vicky, my new ally, seemed to know a way out.
"I trust you," came my weighted words. I had someone to look out for me and me for her. Lonesome would no longer prod at the dead heart beneath my chest.
At these words, she grabbed my arm and practically dragged me along behind her. We sprinted blindly, to me, through the trees making our way further north. My new leader often made sharp changes in our direction as if sensing a better route for escape. Her eyes always searching the horizon for signs of something, I knew not what.
Leaves patted at my face, soon turning into pines. The air became cooler, drier and the ground was firm. Our once quite steps transformed into a soft pattering against the compacted earth laden with dead pine needles.
Curiosity caused me to search behind us, wishing to discover the location of our pursuers. To my excitement, there was no trace at all. We were free from interruptions and calamities. But why then had we not stopped?
"Vicky, they aren't following us anymore, why don't we stop?" My attention returned to her once more. That sly, peppy smile peered over her shoulder at me.
"I'm aware; it's just that I know of this place up ahead. If you're not hungry you don't have to join me." She was hinting at something, painfully obvious that my comprehension could not grasp. "Silly Bella, I figured that a new born would be more eager to hunt, there is a small camp ground just up ahead."
At her last comment my whole body froze, causing us to stumble clumsily to a halt. Did she expect me to take the lives of innocents? How could she handle it herself? My head reeled madly with questions, leaving me to stare blankly at the annoyed vampire before me.
"Come on Bella, you can't tell me that you don't like human blood. Is that what is bothering you?" Her ebony eyes searched confidently into mine, "your eyes are as black as pitch, when was the last time you fed?"
"Well, I…" my lips froze unsure if I wanted to reveal my oddness. Would she think that I am weird if I tell her?
"Oh, don't worry about it. I'll teach you how if you haven't figured it out yet." She tugged lightly at my hand, eager to satiate herself.
"It's not that, you see I don't enjoy killing humans." It all came out in one breath, barely audible even for a vampire's keen hearing.
Giggling at my predicament, Vicky proposed her easy solution. "Well I can kill them for you if you don't mind them a few minutes old." Her grin was mixed with anticipation and encouragement for me to follow her ways. I wasn't so sure I would be okay with that either, did she not understand that I felt guilty taking lives to sustain my own?
"Vicky, that wouldn't solve anything. I don't want someone to die in order for me to live. It's not their fault that I'm this monster." I didn't want to see her expression to this response. My eyes picked out every little detail hidden in the dirt, distracting myself from the situation.
"You are so silly Bella, why do you think of it in that perspective? You over think the morality of our diet." Ducking her head lower to make eye contact with me, she brought my gaze away from the earth below us. "How can I explain this to you logically in a way you can relate to? Okay, you should have noticed by now that humans are our main and only diet. But besides that, every organism that is created has to have something to check its population. Am I not correct?" Vicky's gaze had become sterner and concentrated as she coxed me towards what she said is natural. My head nodded quickly in answer so as not to keep her waiting.
"Well like I said every animal has a predator, and that is what we are to humans. Don't think that just because you were one once that it's a bad thing to kill them. Our job here is to save them, if you will, from killing themselves with over population. And while some malicious vampires enjoy torturing our natural prey before consuming them, it's up to you how much your food suffers before the end. In fact they don't have to suffer at all, but where is the entertainment in that?" A heartless laugh emerged from her as she enjoyed her little joke; however my silence cut it short. Her beautiful face paused confused at my not joining her in laughter, but then dawned on the answer. "Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot that you have a moral conflict with this topic right now." Still snickering slightly, Vicky pulled intently on my hand as if she had convinced me.
Everything she told me made sense and I guess she was right that it was up to me if my victim suffered at all. Glancing longingly at my new friend I decided that for the sake of company I'd give her ways a shot. Anyways, I couldn't deny that the predator with in me lashed out wildly at the thought of human blood. Finally giving in, my perseverance faded and allowed Vicky to drag me onwards.
The evening haze set over the mountains' edge, shielding us from the departing rays of sunlight. The lingering scent of burning pine floated along the breeze smothering the smell of humans that traveled with it. Vicky had dropped my hand as she saw the greed in the deep abyss that replaced my red irises. Her smile completely over took her face, but it was a smile that could kill. She too let the demon that she was take over as we approached the camp ground.
There were at least 3 families huddled around the bonfire they had set up teepee style. The dancing flames licked at the air, envious of the sky above. The younger couple, with no children, sat very close to each other, eyeing the forest that encircled them. Meanwhile, the two older men sat talking distance from one another discussing a hunting trip that was to take place before dawn; leaving their two wives to keep tabs on the children. The little boys were roasting smores over the bonfire, or more like setting them ablaze to more resemble firey comets. One pulled his flaming mass from the embers and held it threateningly towards the other boy. That was all it took for the two 8 year olds to begin sparing with their marshmallow spears. The entire circle of families turned their attention to this comical scene while their mothers chastised them and retained their weapons.
Taking in this whole scene caused my inner predator to hesitate; maybe I didn't want to kill all these people. "Vicky maybe this isn't a good idea, I mean they don't look like they're hurting any population or…"
"Shut up Bella, get your head on straight. They're our food, remember? You never felt bad for the hamburger when you ate it, did you?" Her voice held no morose or pity, it was dripping in malice. I knew that they would all die unless I could trick her into thinking I was going after a few and let them escape instead, that is if I could control myself.
"Okay Bella, since this is your first time you get first dibs; pick four." I knew she was being generous, so quickly I chose the fate of the eight campers. How I wished that they didn't have to be here now.
"I guess I'll take the two children and those two women sitting together." Vicky glared at me suspiciously before accepting my choices.
"In 3, 2, 1…" she counted off, before emerging from the forest that cloaked our presence.
It all happened so quickly, Vicky attacked the men first, hungrily sucking them dry, while the young couple ran screaming into the empty forest. Smelling the blood, my demon escaped and had me slowly devouring the blood of one of the mothers. I had enough control to snap her neck before she felt anything, cradling her limp form in my iron grasp. The thick, moist blood flowed smoothly down my throat as I glanced up at her horror struck friend only a yard away. By now Vicky had left in pursuit of the younger couple, leaving me alone to will the mother to run with her children. I didn't know how much longer the blood would drain from my victim's body. If the women would just grab the children and get far enough away that I could resist…
A shrill feminine scream split the air a few feet off, snapping the mother out of her trance. Desperately she grabbed the frozen children and clumsily darted towards the trees. I could feel the stream of blood growing thinner as I glimpsed them disappearing into the pines. Closing my eyes I sensed them not far off, but far enough for me to avoid the temptation. As the last drops I could prod from the body dripped onto my tongue, Vicky emerged from the trees. Blood smeared her shirt and face, matching her ruby eyes; she resembled a fiend from hell as she sniffed the air in the direction my escapees had fled.
"Do you need help getting those three?" she questioned innocently.
Lifting my head from the lifeless body in my arms, I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand before speaking. "It's okay I wasn't all that thirsty anyways."
A deep growl ripped from Vicky's chest and sent me sprawling backwards. "None must live! Do you not know what will come for us if those humans spread words of vampires? Do you not know of the Volturi?" Her eyes blazed livid at my compassion for our prey. "Bella, this is for your own good, kill them or I'll kill all four of you. Either way those three die, you choose."
I felt betrayed by Vicky, how could a friend force this upon anyone. My eyes leaked the pain I felt, causing Vicky's face to soften slightly.
"I'm being an awful companion aren't I? Just this once I'll clean up your mess, but you have to get over this Bella." She left without another word, towards the poor people whose lives I tried to save.
Why did life have to be so hard? The dead bodies lying motionless in the campground all seemed to be staring at me. I could feel the pain of this tragic massacre. By the edge of the fire were the bodies of the young couple. I thought that odd since Vicky had killed them in the woods.
Embers from the fire spewed upwards as a single log split, toppling the tower. Flames found their way to the two bodies and began to devour their flesh. Looking at the incineration occurring before me I realized Vicky must have brought them back to dispose of the evidence.
Once again the silence of the mountain side was cut by screams in the distance. Bowing my head in remorse I acknowledged the painful truth, I could do nothing to stop their deaths. Despondently, I placed the other three bodies on the crumpled pile of logs allowing the flames to consume their tormented expressions. Looking up at the stream of smoke leaking into the sky, I felt oddly like it was creating a beacon informing everyone of what I had done.
As I stood in thought before the fire, Vicky appeared with the three corpses; all of them pale with death. She effortlessly tossed them into the growing fire and dusted her hands off as if completing a hard day's work. I couldn't bear to look at the children that had been playing innocently just minutes before. How I wished I would never have to go through this torture ever again. I wanted to save people from myself, but I wasn't strong enough.
Vicky finally gave up on trying to console me, seeing the hopelessness in putting forth any effort. Instead she just muttered a single command, "Come."
Reluctantly I followed my only form of friendship in this world, wanting the day to end but knowing all too well that my days never ended. She led me at a brisk pace to where there were infinite pine trees in all directions. The whole forest appeared exactly the same; the only difference in any location would be the smells of the animals surrounding us. Vicky motioned for me to sit on the ground beside where she began to seat herself. We sat there in silence for what felt like an eternity, both not knowing what to say.
Finally I spoke, curious of a previous comment she had made. "So, you said you knew me before I changed. How did we meet?"
My simple question seemed to catch her off guard as she failed to retain her coy smile. Her eyelids closed as if to search for the right word or frase to best capture her story. Her lips parted, releasing no sound and then she proceeded. "I met you over a year ago. It was me, my husband, and his friend. You were playing baseball with the Cullens and we grew curious." Vicky paused as if to take a breath, even though she didn't need one, but I took it as an opportunity to slip in another list of questions.
I could hardly contain my excitement, as the questions flooded forth before I could check them. "You know who they are? How did I know them? What were they like? Were they my friends? Why was I with them? Did Edward love me?" The last question caught me off guard, since I hadn't even consciously considered it myself.
"Hold up Bella, let me finish; they are not what you think. The Cullens greeted us when we approached and introduced us to everyone. When the leader pointed you out, we noticed your mortality. Are you sure you want to know?" Vicky paused, concerned for my wellbeing. I did want to know even though she worried me with this concerned question.
"Yes, I'm sure," I mumbled hesitantly. Did I really want to know if it was that bad?
"Well, they told us quietly that you were simply their toy, for amusement, and when they were done with you they planned on making you their snack." A treacherous gasp escaped me as the hurt finally slashed all the doubts I had held in hopes that the Cullens were my friends. They had been after me all along, I was right to run away, but I couldn't help the subtle disappointment that flooded my heart. Why was I sad? I didn't remember much of them anyways, but they had come so close to gaining my trust. Vicky waited for me to come out of my aloofness and then continued. "Well James and I agreed that they were wrong to do that, and wished to save you from the tortures they had planned for you later. When the Cullens found out what we intended they stole you away with them and attempted to hide you. However James had a wonderful gift, he could track anything down and sure enough he found you. I was off trying to distract the others when it happened. He was helping you escape and that Edward, he…" the snarl cut off her angry words. Anguish and revulsion captivated Vicky's lovely face, transforming her into a terrible fiend. "Edward slaughtered James while he protected you! That bastard killed my soul mate, I hate him! I swear to his revenge!" Fear gripped me, I wasn't sure if Vicky was blaming me for her husband's death along with Edward or just Edward alone. Would she turn on me now after all she had said before about helping me? To my relief her demeanor relaxed and her breathing became more fluid.
"I'm so sorry Vicky, I had no idea." I tried to console her, desperate to aid my friend.
"No, it's okay. You're safe now, so in a way James and I won." Vicky cringed at her own statement as a painful memory returned to haunt her. "But, I guess somehow you got away because when I returned looking for James you were safe in your house. Of course the Cullens were not far off, but they could not harm you."
"Why was that?" My odd question rang slowly through the night air.
"The werewolves nearby protected you. That is the only way you stayed alive, but it seems they must have had a flaw in their guard, because you are what you are now." Vicky calmly appeased my curiosity.
"Well then why didn't the Cullens kill me? What stopped them?" I desperately wanted her to clarify this puzzling problem for me.
All I received was a sad look as she shook her head from side to side. "I really have no clue Bella; maybe the werewolves chased them off. But then would they not have killed you too?"
Together we were engulfed by silence again. As we both sat reflecting on our recent conversation, I couldn't help but ponder it all. Edward wanted me dead, and yet I still felt this foreign feeling. It was neither hate nor fear of him that pestered my lost soul; it was something else, something I couldn't quite place. What ever it was, it grasped firmly around my heart and threatened to smother me whenever I thought of him. The only real light in life seemed to be shining from Edward and I yearned to follow it. Surely though, if I returned he would finish me off. So I would be forced to flee him for eternity.
Mentally slapping myself I disputed to my previous comments; Bella he wants to smile upon your lifeless corpse, how can you feel anything even close to empathy for this beast? You're best off sticking here with Vicky and if the opportunity ever arises finish him off yourself. Better him than you.
My mental battle waged on as the sympathetic side brought up another point. Did not Vicky's story match that old memory I had when I touched my scar? Recalling the event I immediately matched her to the wild red-head in the group of three. Edward had protected me against the male that threatened to attack, placing himself between us. The rest of the Cullens had done the same.
But Vicky did in fact say that the Cullens had guarded me from them when she and James tried to rescue me. That seemed to make sense since my memory didn't reveal any intimate moments between the Cullens and me. So, she could be telling the truth; anyways how would it benefit her to lie?
Damit Bella, why are you being so bipolar? I interjected, reuniting the two quarreling sides. At times I even wondered if I was just one person; if in my turning, my body was forced to make room for two. But anyways, I trusted Vicky. She was the closest thing I had to a friend.
"Hey Bella?" Vicky questioned innocently. Returning from my thoughts I glanced over to where she gazed listlessly, through an opening in the trees, towards the star specked sky.
"Yes?" I responded, assuring her I was listening.
"Would you help me with one thing?" Pausing once more, she broke her gaze from the stars to make sure of my attention. "Will you help me kill Edward to avenge James's death?" The silence that followed was terrifying; each second that ticked built upon the suspense. Part of me screamed, "Don't do it, you can't kill him!" while the other recoiled, "Now is your chance Bella! Take it!" The world spun around me waiting for my response; what would I do?
Realizing my loyalties lay with her I tentatively confirmed my allegiance. "Of course Vicky, I'll help you to avenge him." Her smile was sly as always following my commitment. I believed that I had made the right decision; "better Edward than me".
Yes, after I developed the characters at the camp ground i was desperate to salvage their lives but once again the rules that Stephenie Meyer set down (this time with the Volturi) would not have it. I am happy to say that Bella's good side is returning as her memory does, even though she cannot always surpress her thirst. And yes Victoria is a coniving little... You will find out more about it in Ch. 7!!! D
- 3- Daidallein