Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer. I do not own any of the Twilight characters. I only own Juliet.

AN: Yes, finally I have updated!. My apologies for the delay; writer's block and life got me distracted. I know this chapter is short but the following chapters will be longer. Hope this wets your appetite, and thanks again for those of you who haven't given up on me.

CHAPTER VIII – THROUGH NEWBORN EYES

[POV Juliet]

Pain. All I feel is pain and all I see is darkness. For some reason my eyes wont' work. My limbs are unresponsive, but then my entire body feels like its on fire. I try to scream but this pit that I'm in drowns out my cries. I want to die! Please let me die! After what seems like an eternity I am finally released. I feel like I've fallen from a four story house. Suddenly it feels like millions of ants are crawling underneath my skin as I begin to feel my limbs again. Slowly, more out of fear than inability, I open my eyes and I see light; a ceiling. Where am I? What happened to me? But before I can even attempt to answer myself, my brain tells me there's danger and commands my body to protect itself. My body reacts without my instruction. I am barely conscious of my actions. Everything is moving so fast I feel nauseous and my nostrils burn. I scan my surroundings and find that I am in a room. Then I see the source of my threat; a male figure sitting across from me. Without choice I obey the foreign voice screaming inside. Defend! Fear engulfs me. Who is this intruder? Where am I? What happened to me? As I stare down my opponent he begins to rise from his perch. No, stay away! Fear engulfs me. Suddenly I hear myself hissing like a crazed mountain lion and feel something hard against my back. Vaguely I realize I'm against a wall on top of a bed. Then the male begins to speak to me. He calls me a name. Juliet. My name? Yes, my name. Marcus. Yes, I know him. I try to draw upon memories but none come to my aid; my mind is clouded. Broken images flash through my mind. It makes no sense. Nothing makes sense. Then suddenly I am attacked from within. Fiery acid sears through my esophagus. I grasp my throat vainly trying to locate the source. The male speaks to me again, but I cannot listen. So much pain. No, not again! I do not even notice Marcus' departure.

I struggle with my new found pain trying to quell it: swallowing continuously, controlled breathing; contracting the throat muscles; but nothing works. Then I hear footsteps and my brain refocuses on this new noise ignoring the pain, for now. Immediately my body takes a defensive position. I don't know why something tells me I cannot be found in a weakened state. A man enters the room, but it is not until he speaks that my brain begins to respond. Marcus. Yes, Marcus is safe. I coax my body to relax. Slowly my body cooperates with me and I sit upon the bed. A bed, yes, I know this bed. I know this room. As soon as the realization escapes my thoughts, an object is thrown at me. Before my hesitation gives birth, my nostrils are assaulted with the most delicious smell I've ever encountered. My mouth waters with hunger and immediately attack the bag consuming its contents. As the liquid flows through my body, a welcomed wave of relief washes over me. The burning in my throat begins to lessen and my head feels lighter, clearer.

As I suck the last drop from the container, a duplicate is thrown to me from my visitor. Again my body reacts for me and I repeat the consumption several more times. Eventually the burning disappears and I feel absolutely sated. My muscles soften and I finally feel a mastery over my flesh. With this peace comes recognition. More images flash within my mind: faces, sounds, smells. There are too many holes to make sense of it all. But, Marcus is always there. Marcus is my friend. Yes, I am Juliet. The grand hall with Aro and Caius. Marcus embracing me, no, biting me, changing me. With great effort I find my voice.

"I do not remember much. I try but…" My frustration takes over and I grasp my head trying to get a handle on my stress. There are so many questions and I have no answers; answers that I should know. Why don't I know myself?! Then I hear his voice again; Marcus.

"It is normal to feel…confused. Over time you may remember more."

I close my eyes as he speaks to me. "May?"

"Yes. For many of our kind, human memories are lost. Only fragments are recovered."

So, it is true I am no longer human. "I see." Feeling more composed, I sit up and face Marcus.

"Do you feel better?"

I detect concern in his voice but I cannot be sure. Suddenly shame floods my senses as I realize that moments earlier I tried to attack him, my friend, and my creator. "Yes. Thank you. I…I am sorry for earlier."

"No need for apologizes. I expected it."

I am appalled by his reply. "You did?!"

"Yes. It is normal to react that way. Most likely you will repeat such behavior. Your emotions are amplified, you see. In addition, the hunger, the burning in your throat, it will be constant for some time. You will need to feed frequently."

At hearing the word "feed" a flood of memories pour out. Flashes of several people, innocent people, being attacked. There's blood everywhere; men and women are screaming. Anger I did not know I possessed erupts from within. "No! I will not feed upon humans, no!" My voice does not sound like my own, and without warning my fist flies through the nearby wall. I flinch at the crash of stones crumbling around my arm. I stare silently in fear anticipating the pain of injury, but it never comes. Instead, as the dust fades I find my hand to be unharmed. What...how? "I…I am sorry…I…"

Marcus tries to reassure me. "It is alright, Juliet. Never mind the wall."

What have I become? This anger is not familiar to me. This is not me! Again it is Marcus' voice that brings me back to reality.

"Juliet, look at me." Slowly I make myself obey and look into his eyes; his soft ruby eyes. "Juliet, I respect your choice to not feed upon humans, but understand that for the next six months the thirst will be unbearable. Animal blood will only lessen the hunger not satisfy it."

I will not waiver. I take deep breathes trying to stay calm. "I don't care. I will not kill people."

"Please, be calm Juliet. You misunderstand my explanation as grounds for an argument. Nay, I will not attempt to change your mind. I simply want to prepare you for what lies ahead; to understand the full weight of your decision. You will be in pain. Understand?"

Pain, yes I know pain. I do not wish for it, but I will gladly accept it if it means avoiding the monster from my memories. "Yes."

"I do not want to see you in pain. Will you accept bagged blood that I will acquire from a donor bank?"

Marcus' words sound sincere but his face is emotionless. "Donor? Acquire?"

"Yes. There is a devotee that works in a hospital where they store donated blood and synthetic blood. This is used as a last resort. Will you accept this option?"

Option, I wonder if that is true. It is obvious Marcus is firm in his resolve to…care for me. Care for me? "I will consider it."

"Thank you."

It is obvious that this conversation has ended as Marcus' body stiffens and moves away from me. Diverting my attention, my eyes wandered down to my hands lying in my lap. Suddenly I remember my hand breaking the wall and I began examining it. My skin seems to almost glow in the indoor light. My skins looks like baby skin; imperfections gone. My eyes trail along my arms which look rounder, tighter. Then I almost gasp when I realize the scar on my elbow is gone. Impossible! Then like a switch turning on, suddenly I hear and smell everything! I feel a light breeze flow in from a crack in the south wall. I smell the scent of salty pastries and tomatoes coming from outside the walls. I hear the footsteps of people walking on cobblestones; vendors conversing with customers; children laughing. I can hear everything! It is unbelievable. Then I feel a cold twinge go down my back. Someone is watching me. I turn to the source; Marcus.

"Why do you stare?"

"No reason."

Marcus quickly breaks his gaze from me. I don't know how but I can sense his embarrassment, which catches my attention. To my further surprise I find myself painfully aware of just how beautiful Marcus is. My memories of him are similar but nothing in comparison to what I see before me now. Marcus eventually acknowledges my gaze.

"Now why are you staring?"

"Because you look…different…yet the same." I can feel his tension but I find his insecurity no more than a side note. I cannot help but drink him in with my eyes.

"Your new vision is…clearer now, more advanced."

"Yes, it is." Again my voice sounds foreign to me; I wonder if I'll ever get used to it. I push aside my worries as a new scent enters the room. Weakness. Yes, Marcus is uncomfortable with me staring at him. To my surprise I find myself enjoying this; feeding off this shift in power. Marcus avoids my gaze as I feel my eyes burning at him. I'm not surprise that eventually Marcus excuses himself.

"You must be thirsty. I will return."

Quickly Marcus exits the room, almost too quickly. I cannot help by smile at his flight. I can't believe I made him that uneasy. I laugh to myself. But my amusement is cut short as my eyes fall upon the empty plastic bags on the bed. I read the label and gasp. Out of habit my hand flies to my mouth and my eyes begin to tremble. Plasma. Blood. Human blood. I drank human blood. No! I didn't even think twice when Marcus threw the bags to me. They smelled so good. I cradle my head as I'm consumed by guilt. How could I? I try to calm myself down. I'm not human anymore; it's not my fault; I didn't know any better. I know better now. Now that I know the smell, I can work on controlling myself. I can do this. My little internal pep talk seems to be working as I feel the tremors subsiding. I close my eyes and take deep breaths. Yes, I will be better. I will not become a monster.