This will be the last chapter, sorry it's so long.
Chapter 12: I am...
Though time has passed and nothing changed, I had not touched one of the books that I was given. I was afraid of the secret that flowed in my veins. But I had not forgotten of the books. Tao would try and encourage me to start reading them. I had no idea why, and he didn't know either. I have stayed human too. I hate being human and I shove the idea from my mind at night so I can sleep peacefully in his arms. I have given thought to the books. As the book bag sits and collects dust I wonder about the secret that I really am. Then two months pass, and we move back to California. Having my grandmother meet Tao and allowing me to go to his house.
"I'm thinking of starting the books." I told Tao as we lay in his bed one night. I closed my eyes as he squeezed me tighter to his chest.
"You don't have to, there's nothing saying that you need to."
"Well, I'm not going to find out what the books are about unless I read them."
He squeezed me closer to his chest. "Alright. Now go to sleep."
I didn't go to sleep, I stayed awake for another couple of hours feeling Tao's cool breath on the back of my neck. I listened to the activity in the house as Dan and Ten moved through it.
The next morning I awoke to Tao's whispering breath. He was still holding me, but he was saying something. I couldn't tell what it was that he was saying. I looked around with my eyes, but didn't see anyone. I turned over to look at him, his eyes were closed and his breath was even but his lips were moving.
"Tao?" I whispered. His lips stopped moving, but he still breathed. "Tao?" I said a little louder. I took his arm and shook it around in the air. "Tao?" he still didn't move. "Ten!" I yelled. In a few seconds he was in the doorway.
"What's wrong?" Ten asked. Tears were streaming down my face.
"Something's wrong with him, he won't move, and I can't wake him up."
Ten sat on the edge of the bed with me and he looked at him.
"It looks like he's sleeping."
"Can vampires sleep?"
"No." He took Tao's arm and shook. He grabbed Tao's shoulder and shook him, rolling him onto his back. Tao still didn't move. I sat next to his legs. In my mind I was begging, Wake up, wake up, please! Nothing did anything. Soon Dan was in, then we called the Cullen family.
"I don't know what to make of it." Carlisle said after examining Tao for awhile. I sat in the living room with Bella, a vampire. I tried to think of what he was saying this morning. Edward was with Carlisle, trying to see what kind of activity was running through Tao's mind. I thought more of his moving lips. It looked like, 'Bah Boh', but I knew that wasn't it. I thought a little harder, and noticed how his tongue moved, 'Blah Booh' I felt like I was getting closer. I tried to add what I heard of his voice, then I saw, 'Black Book', I knew I had it. I asked for someone to get the messenger bag.
In the kitchen, alone, I opened the first book, the black hardcover with no title. On the cover page were the blood red words:
Obey death...
It talked about the living and what life meant. It continued into life after death with the advantages and disadvantages of death. At the end of the book was a self analysis. It gave questions and I was supposed to write my answers on a different piece of paper. I got a piece of paper and pen. Some of the questions were essays. At the end I looked through what the answers were, and everything, even the essays matched up with my answers. I was amazed by that fact. I looked at the clock and saw that I spent all day reading without knowing it. My stomach growled for the first time. I got a snack from the fridge and decided to move my seat to the floor in a corner. Once settled and I had eaten, I opened the second book. It was a paperback with a red cover. The cover page said:
beware the darkness...
As I read through it told me all that I need to know about the darkness and it's tie to the living world, it's affect on the human race and its advantages and disadvantages of holding its power. I certainly learned a lot from that book. It taught me about a few spells that I could try in any magnitude of darkness. My eyes peeled away from the book to look out the window. The moon wasn't out tonight. I turned back to the book and continued to read. About half way through someone touches my shoulder. I flinch and see that it was Bella.
"It's midnight." She whispered. I look at the clock, she was right. I pull the fabric bookmarker over the book to mark my page and closed it. I took a dead breath and rubbed my eyes.
"Thank you." I whispered back. Before she could finish standing up I pull her sleeve. "Is he alright?" I ask with hysteria in my voice.
"We still haven't figured out what's wrong." She tells me. I look at the floor, then her face.
"Can I see him?" She looks at the door, I see that Carlisle was there. He nods his head. I stand up and walk to the room.
He was still lying on the bed, eyes closed, breathing evenly. I sat on the edge of the bed next to him. I put my hand to his cheek and a tear rolls down my face. Bella the others leave the room and give me some space.
"I did this to you." I whispered to him. "I know you were saying about the black book. I can't read it until I'm finished with the second book. I'm sorry that I can't just skip, but I know that you would want me to read through it." Another tear ran down face. As it did the words from the first book popped into my head. My pain of him being that way almost vanished. It felt cruel, but then, I was supposed to feel this way. I moved my hand from his cheek to his chest.
What's going on? I asked in my head. I looked over my shoulder and in the dark corner was a man. He seemed dressed for a funeral. Is that a ghost? I asked myself. I stood up and walked towards the man. I reached my hand out. I touched his head, but my hand slipped through it. I squealed. I heard Carlisle come in.
"Are you alright?" he asked. I payed no attention to him. I went to touch the dead man again, but I just rested my hand on the top of his head.
"Are you alright?" I asked the ghost.
"Where am I." The ghost whispered.
"Your in the Cullen house." I whispered. We started having a whispering conversation. "What are you doing here?"
"I don't know." His head moved up enough to look at Tao. "He sent me here. To give you a message."
"What?"
"He said, 'Don't worry love. You didn't know that you were this powerful. Read the books, you'll be fine. I love you.'"
"Is that it?"
"Yes." I remembered a small spell to guide lost or conjured souls back to the place that they belong. I whispered the small spell in the ghost's ear. Though it was an odd language I spoke it with such precision that it shocked me. "Thank you." The ghost said, tearfully as it drifted through the wall.
"Kaylee?" Carlisle asked, putting his hand on my shoulder. "Are you alright." My eyes had locked on the place where the man had been.
"I'm fine. I need to read." I said with a smile. As I drifted out the door, I glanced at Tao before leaving, and I swear he was smiling at me.
Back in my corner I opened the book again. Bella and Alice walked in again. I mark the book and set it next to me.
"Kaylee, are you alright? You seem...odd." Bella asks.
"I'm...fine." I say to them.
"Are you sure?" Alice asks.
"No...I know I'm acting differently now, but I think that this will help Tao. You know...I think that I did this to him." I was looking at my shoes now.
"It was not your fault." They say simultaneously.
"No! I did do that to him." Alice quickly sat next to me and held me in her arms.
"Noone did that. We don't know what did it, don't be blaming yourself." She tells me.
"No...he told me that I did it, by accident." Bella sits on my other side.
"When did he tell you this?" She asks, rubbing my back.
"He didn't tell me in person. He sent someone to tell me." I tell them. "You guys wouldn't understand." I say, pushing them off me. "It's a little complicated and I need to sit here and finish reading this book before I can go to sleep." I trace my finger on the cover.
"Okay. If you need anything, we're all in the living room." Bella said before patting my head. I open the book again and what I read almost shocks me. It tells me about how I can teleport through the darkness. It shows me the steps and then before it goes into the next chapter it says in bold letters:
You must teleport at least once before going onto the next chapter!
I find the darkest corner in the house, but then I figure to just go outside. I sneak out the kitchen door. I get about 10 feet from the house then I hide behind a tree so the light couldn't get me. I close my eyes and follow the steps in the book. Think of something my destination, then hold it for 10 seconds. I feel myself slipping into the darkness. I remember the words on the cover page. I control myself so that I'm not taken over by the force. I see a string, and remember that I am supposed to follow it. I float through one and I see everyone in the kitchen. There trying to find me. I smile and continue towards a dark corner in the house. I close my eyes before I can form in the living room. I feel that I'm solid and open my eyes.
So this is how death moves. I tell myself. I go into the kitchen, smiling.
"Where is she?" Dan asks.
"Hi!" I yell at him, bright faced and smiling.
"Where did you go? And without us knowing?"
"Oh. Snuck out the door, hid behind a tree.....ended up in the living room. And yes, it's top secret."
"Umm, how'd you end up in the living room if you were outside?"
"I can't tell you, at least, not now." I saw that everyone was staring at me. "I need to be alone again." I tell them, trying to shoo them out of the kitchen.
"No, Kaylee. You're changing. It's scary. We need to know what your doing and why your doing it."
"I can tell you that I'm doing it for Tao, and that it's a good sign that I'm scary." I can see that everyone is worried. "I will tell you in a few days time."
"At least get some sleep." Dan says. I nod.
"I need to clean this stuff up first." I go to my corner and put the books in the bag. I pick up the bag and turn to Carlisle. "Can I sleep with Tao?"
"Umm, it's okay, but I think that you shouldn't. I'm sorry, I think it might do some psychological damage to have you so close to you. You're already freaking-out." I nod at him.
"I'll sleep on the couch." I say. I walk to the couch and set the bag on the floor. I slide onto the couch and Bella flips a blanket over me.
"Good night." she whispers.
"Good night." I close my eyes as the lights go out.
The next morning, I wake without the memory of a dream, only Tao and the books and what my job is for today. I make sure that I'm awake by sitting up and stretching. I didn't change and I was on fire. I quickly peel off my jacket and lay it on the couch. I yawn and slide into the kitchen. Bella beat me. She was making a small breakfast.
"Hey, did you sleep well?" She asks in a cheery mood. I blink a couple of times.
"Oh. Yeah. I guess, I mean, I'm awake." I sit at the table and look at the food already placed down. "This for me?"
"Yep. I wanted to make you something, you barely ate yesterday."
"Yeah, I know." I pick up the cup of coffee and take a drink. "Is Tao okay?"
"Oh...he's still..sleeping."
"Okay." I pick up a piece of bacon and nibble on it. I think about the teleporting yesterday, and the other things that I did with the ghost. I close my eyes and remember how the book said that if I practice I wouldn't have to close my eyes or even have complete darkness. I think about being at the window and soon enough, I'm there seeing that Jacob was playing with Renesme. I hadn't seen them in awhile and they hadn't been in the house. I continue to nibble on the bacon.
"Okay, scrambled eggs ala..." She stopped short of her cheer fest. "How'd you get over there? I should've heard you move."
"I'm sorry. I just wanted to do it again. Hey, how come I haven't seen Jacob and Renesme in a long time and there outside?"
"Oh. The pack came, and so Jacob just had to bring Renesme. I'll get them inside."
"Yeah, and Jacob can eat some of my breakfast for me." Bella stuck her head out the door and called them inside. I closed my eyes again and hid myself next to the door.
"She's happy to see...where is she?" bella asks. The three walk right past me. I swoop in and pick Renesme right up. She screams from the surprise attack. "Kaylee, you have to tell me how you're doing that." Bella squealed with her hand over her heart.
"I'm sorry." I say with a smile. "I still can't tell you. I'm going to tell Renesme first." I put her back on her feet.
"That was funny. You really scared me." Renesme tells me, laughing. "What are you going to tell me?" I look at Bella with a sly smile. I bend down next to her head and lead her onto the couch.
"I'm going to tell you something that noone else knows." I whisper to her. I look from side to side, making her laugh. "I'm going to tell you something nobody knows of." I lean closer and she does the same, smiling. "I see dead people." She looks at me with her jaw unhooked.
"You mean...!" and she mouths, ghosts. I nod my head once. She gasps and I see that the others responded to her reaction. She smiles and jumps off the couch with a squeal. She runs to her mother, Bella, and puts her hand to Bella's cheek. Bella looks up at me.
"It's true." I smile. Bella seems like she doesn't understand. "Don't worry about it. I'll tell the rest in due time." I get up and walk past them into the kitchen where I finish my coffee and eat a second piece of bacon. I return back to the couch and begin the book where I left off. It tells me of things that I should know about the darkness. What it fears in case I need to know, and information that could come deadly if I didn't know. I see an illustration of the Grim Reaper and how it travels through it's power over darkness. I son realized that I now the held the powers of the Reaper. In finishing the book I found spells of how to control someone, mind, body, where there soul goes, and even better, how to levitate myself and someone else. I even read things about how to control other objects. I closed the book and looked at the clock. It said noon. I watched it for awhile, then commanded it to move back an hour. It did as I said, then I told it to go back to the original time.
I went through the house, half walking and half teleporting and levitating. I felt powerful, but heeded the books warning of not to let myself get carried away. I went into Tao's bedroom where I saw him, on his side, still sleeping. I lay in front of him.
"I know enough to bring you back to normal now." I slid my fingers into his hair and closed my eyes. I tried to see what had happened the night he slept by searching his memory. I saw that he was happy watching me sleep. He felt tired himself and thought it odd. There was an ora around me and it attacked him, making him sleep. I opened my eyes to see him. I took his left arm and placed it over me, like he was holding me, but weakly. I put my face in his chest and closed my eyes. I fell asleep.
When I woke I was still with Tao. The night had fallen. I looked up at his face. It was unchanged. I gently placed my hand his cheek.
"Tao?" I asked, my voice croaky.
"He's still asleep." Carlisle told me. He was on the edge of the bed behind me. He rested his hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry, he's alright."
"I know." I slid out from under his arm and went downstairs. I grabbed the bag, with my books and went back upstairs. I set the bag at the foot of Tao's bed. I took out the third book, the brown ancient looking one, from the bag. I put his arms closer to his body and sat next to him, propping my back on the head board so I could read. I opened the book and the cover page said:
Harness the truth.
I knew what I was going to read and I was ready. I took a look at Tao. He was so perfect. I put the book down as I remembered something. I got a piece of paper and wrote a sign that said:
Do not enter!!!! Anything you here, ignore. I need to do this, I'm not going to die of course. Just don't, whatever you do, come in here!!! It's crucial that I be alone now, for Tao.
I felt like a desperate girlfriend who's boyfriend was in a coma. Well, it was pretty much true. I taped the letter to the outside of the door and locked it. I ran back to the bed, got comfortable, and opened it again. All the words were written in blood. I didn't care about the ink that was used. I started to read. It started out tell some history about how demons and humans used to live together and have knowledge of one another. There was a breed of demon, they were cat. When a human and a demon had a child, they were known as half-demons and hated by all. The book went into specifics about the cat demons. They were just that, huge cats. But a cat half-demon was valuable. They were humans with cat features, sometimes tails, ears, sometimes whiskers, eyes, claws, teeth, but they could retract those features so that they could be considered human. A dog half-demon changed from half to human when the moon was full. It was a huge burden for them, because when battles were waged the opponents of a dog half-demon would make it at night. A full moon would be playing the night of the war and the half-demon's would die.
A cat half-demon was a real jewel though. They could be half or a full human at will. They had all these powers, they could move things without touching them and they control people at will. There greatest power was there power over darkness. Being able to travel through the shadows, but what they sometimes did was the Grim Reapers work. A cat half-demon was the Grim Reaper. They were free from all forces. They couldn't die, when they do die there soul finds another body, they have no need for there bodies because they move super fast and are strong with there speed. They were amazing creatures. Then showed pages of a family tree of the last cat half-demon. I looked through the tree and found that it even went into the future, that's where I saw my father and then me. I was shocked at the pictures of me and my dad. We had cat features. I read on about how I could gain control again. As I read my head started to pulse. I payed attention long enough to read the last page before my vision blurred and shifted focus. My body was in pain. I keeled over onto the floor. I felt like I was dying almost. I rolled onto my back where my head throbbed in two points at the top of my head. My fists clenched and my teeth ground. Pain all over, yet I felt like it wasn't enough. I didn't make a sound. I threw myself into a standing position only to fall down onto my face. I rolled around and flinched. Then my whole body flashed out. I looked at my hands, my nails were longer. I stood up, slowly and went to the mirror. What was looking back was the picture of me that I saw in the book, with the cat features. It didn't surprise me much. I saw Tao's form in the mirror. I turned to face him. I slid in front of him again. I blew into his face, calmly.
"Awake, my love." I said, blowing into his face again. His eyes squinted then flashed open. He was startled at who I was now. "Don't be afraid." I whispered, lifting my hand to his face. He saw my long nails and almost flinched away from them, but he knew that I was still Kaylee inside. He giggled a little.
"I take it you got my message?"
"Yes, lovely thinking." I brushed my fingers into his hair and closed my eyes, reading his mind. He saw me, he floated around, watching me. I smiled that he was still watching over me. I opened my eyes to see that his were open too. I was happy that he was alright now. I sucked my cat features in so they weren't visible.
"I love you so much." he whispered as he closed in for a kiss. I was very happy that he was awake and happier that I could kiss him again. He pulled me away. "You smell like an animal now." I giggled into his chest.
"We should tell the others of your survival." I joke. He smiles and pulls me to his chest, then he gets up with me in his arms.
"Yes, lets." A banging on the door startled us.
"Kaylee! Stop, he's not dead, don't kill yourself!" We recognized that it was Dan. We ran to open the door. He was wide eyed when he saw Tao. "Tao!" He yelled pulling him into a hug. The others ran up from Dan's banging and yelling. "Look guys, Tao!" Carlisle was the first to get to him.
"Are you alright? What happened? How'd you do that?" Carlisle was dumping questions on him now. I ran downstairs into the living room to give them some space to sort things out.
An hour later, everyone joined me downstairs. Tao quickly sat by my side. Everyone almost seemed afraid of me.
"What did you do while you were in there, kaylee?" Carlisle asked me.
"I read. I told you guys that read would bring him back." Jasper was wrinkling his nose at me. I knew what he was smelling. I smiled at him.
"Kaylee. You don't smell right, what happened?" I thought of a grand entrance. I looked at Tao and raised my eyebrows. He smiled eagerly.
"Stay here, kaylee will show you what she's been reading for. And no peeking." He towed me upstairs. In the hallway I changed into my half cat form. "What are you going to do?" he asked silently in my ear.
"I'm going to jump off the balcony and land. Sound good?" I asked.
"Yeah, if you want them to kill you. How about...oh, how can you get to the other side of the room without them seeing."
"I can teleport." I smiled.
"You can what?"
"Teleport. And I can take you with me if you want."
"No. I'd rather not."
"Okay. I teleport to the other side of the room, and then say...something and get there attention. I'm not going to expect there reactions. Okay, see you on the other end." I smile and think of my destination. I hear Tao gasp as the darkness envelops me, I don't have to close my eyes and I can move farther, faster now. I went to the other corner of the room. Tao, wide eyed came down the stairs.
"You alright?" They all asked.
"I'm over here." I saw, waving my hand and smiling. I cross my arms in front of my chest as they turn to face me. Most of them backed away. I noticed I had a tail and that it was swishing from side-to-side. I finally saw that the fur on my cat features is orange and that my father's black. "Don't be alarmed. I'm not going to hurt anyone. Why would I, I'm your family. Don't ask how and if you could be this great, I was born this way." Renesme smiled at me from behind her mother. "Yep, this was my secret. I have unlimited power, and I accidentally put Tao to sleep. Sorry." I said to him. I nodded once.
"No worries." He walked over next to me and put his arm around me. "Yep, now she smells closer to a werewolf than a human, huh?" he asked Jasper.
"Yes. She was human a few hours ago."
"Whosawhat?" I say. I look at the clock. It was almost morning. "Wow, that really knocks me out. Time flies when your into a good book, huh?" I smile at them. I can still see the fear in them. I roll my eyes and in seconds the features are gone. They all get scared even more by that. "Oh, come on! I'm still Kaylee, I just figured out the mystery of my birth, that's all." I close my eyes and slouch a bit as I yawn, then snap back up straight. "Can I just go to bed?"
"Yeah, sure." Carlisle said with a laugh and a smile. Tao pulls my sleepy body up to the bed where I change into black silk pajama's and we lay down again on the bed.
"Don't put me to sleep again...on second thought, do it, I want to dream again. Can you do that?" Tao asked.
I giggle. "Sure. But this time you will sleep and you will wake up when I wake up, sound good?"
"It's perfect." I look into his eyes and brush my hand into his hair. I kiss his eye lids. "Sleep when I sleep, wake when I wake, but only when we're together." He smiles at the command. I kiss his eye lids again and blow slowly on his nose. "Now, you will sleep with me, but only when we're together and when you can. Now...for me to...sleep." my voice drifted as I fell asleep.
The next morning, when I woke, he woke. I still had my eyes closed. He squeezed me tighter to him.
"Morning." He whispered in my hair.
"For you and me." I laugh. My stomach rumbles.
"Come on, your hungry."
"Okay." he pulls me up into a sitting position and cradles me.
"Dan, come on, she can't hurt anyone. Stop hanging by the door." I open my eyes to see Dan in my face.
I push his face away with my hand. "Bad bunny." I say like a child. He laughs at me for doing that.
"Everyone's excepted you now, sleepy." Dan tells me before leaving.
"I want to walk." I tell Tao. He gently places me on my feet. "Thank you." I whisper to him. We walk into the kitchen where Renesme and Jacob were already seated and eating. I sit on the opposite side of the table and lean my head on Tao when he sits next to me.
"Morning, sleepy kitty." Renesme laughs.
"What? I am sleepy kitty now?" I say, smiling at her.
"I want to play with your ears later." She tells me. "And your tail."
"Man, you are a kid at heart." I eat a few pieces of bacon and drink my coffee. I widen my eyes up at the light so I can get them to open and wake up.
"Okay. I want to play. I want to see you a cat again." Renesme claps. I look at Bella.
"Is it okay?" I ask her.
"It's fine with me."
"Okay." I saw. In seconds they pop out. I smile and show my cat K-9's.
"Cool!" She yells. I laugh along with her. I get up and walk out the doorway. Renesme grabs my tail, hard.
"AHH!" I yell. I try to run away from her. "Ouch, Renesme, not so hard." I tell her, stroking my tail.
"I'm sorry." she pleaded.
"You really freaked me out!" I noticed that everyone was watching us. I see that Carlisle, Jasper, Esme, and Alice were gone. I then got an idea. "Hey, Renesme, wanna do something fun?"
"Yeah!"
"Okay, take off your shoes." She took off her shoes and left her socks on. "Stand still." I wrapped my tail around her waist. I walk and she gets excited when she's pulled around. I stop and she frowns at me. I walk in a circle. Jacob walks in from the kitchen and watches, but couldn't hold himself from talking.
"Hey, can I try?" He asks.
"Oh course. But I think your too fat!" I laugh so hard it wasn't funny anymore. "I'm sorry. Take off your shoes." I said, still laughing. I let go of Renesme but she grabs my tail, I jump before realizing that it was just her. Once I got to Jacob. I flicked my tail out of Renesme's grasp and told Jacob to hold on. He did so and when I tried to move it put so much strain on my tail that I gave up. "Either I was right and your too fat, or your socks aren't slippery enough from sweat."
"Oh, well." He slips his shoes back on and finishes the breakfast. A second later the rest of the family comes back from there hunting trip.
"I see your awake." Carlisle says to me. "We're going to leave now." He tells Ten.
"I'm sorry that you had to leave so early." Ten says.
"It's alright, we didn't know that some vampires were going to show up while we were gone. Well, I guess this good bye, for now."
"Yes." Ten shakes Carlisle's hand and then Carlisle packs up his family in a few cars and leaves.
I did get see them again. Overtime I found that I didn't have to become a vampire. I stayed at the age that I was already. Tao was happy, but the animal smell still lured him towards me in a thirsty matter. Then, one day, I decided to at least see what would happen when I got bitten. Ten told me that it was risky, and so did Carlisle, but I remembered that I couldn't die, and if I did I could come back. It was about three days after being told that it was risky that I made Tao bite me. I told him that I could come back. Well, after being bitten, I changed like a human, but like Bella I wasn't so thirsty for blood right away and the thirst didn't overpower me. I was happy. Half cat, half vampire. A weird combination, but now I couldn't die in that body. I lived forever with Tao. Complications happened, the Voltori. I was accepted into the vampire society, though. A life without fear, what more could I want than to just spend it with Tao. My life had ended, and yet it had just begun.