A/N - Okay, I'm updating a) before I get hurt and b) before you lot go insane. Or more insane, depending on who you are! And If you guys are really super and I get 71 (I know, random number) reviews I will update tomorrow, or maybe today. It all depends on you.

crazyladywithashovel: Evil? Moi? Yes... I am rather, aren't I? Haha. This whole evil genius thing is fun. But the most important thing in this chapter is on the very last line.

LebaneseBella08TJ: I may need to learn how to do that sleeping with my eyes open thing... That would freak my friends out AND I could sleep through all of my lessons. Everyone loves Demetri, but you all should be very angry with him for being a liar!

Demetri: I am NOT a liar!

Me: Ooops. If I stop being nasty to you can we all hug you? Oh, and bring Edward, too!

Demetri: JANNNEEEE!! HELP!!

Unigirl150: Ehem... Where was I? Oh yes, Jane and trees, she now has a fear of oak trees, and of Nat and Diana. Lets all go plant a tree to keep the evil vamps away.

Phew, long AN.

Chapter 24 - Hurt

I had run barely half a mile before I collapsed. Dry, broken sobs ripped from my chest with every breath I took. I curled into a ball and rocked myself slowly, still sobbing. I wished for tears, sleep and Demetri, three things I had taken from myself forever. Figures.

I closed my eyes, wishing that some miracle would occur and somehow I would fall into a black hole that, preferably, wouldn't spit me back out. The pain of transformation was nothing, nothing next to this. Every second ripped up my dead heart further until even the torn remnants ached and were shredded again.

I couldn't tell you how long I sat there that night. But it wasn't long enough for me to forget him, I knew that this was one of those times were time doesn't heal anything – it just pours salt in the wound every now and then to ensure that you don't forget about it. Bring on the salt, I thought to myself sarcastically, but truthfully anything would have been better than the fresh, horrible pain.

I truly, truly wanted to die.

A picture flitted through my mind, but it was not the face I expected to haunt me. It was Edward Cullen's face, distorted in pain, golden eyes filled with the torture of a broken heart, asking to die. My eyes flew open.

Would that be me? Would I be like Edward, eyes filled with pure pain, heart ripped beyond repair, begging to die for a second time? I shuddered at the memory of his expression, so blissful at the thought of his death nearing closer. But he had Bella; she had saved him at the very last minute, which wouldn't happen to me.

I couldn't let this kill me. I wouldn't let it hurt me like it had hurt Edward – I was stronger than he was. I got to my feet, looking around. It was daytime now, late afternoon, and quite cold for July. I was still in the little clearing I had collapsed in… however long ago I had collapsed.

I took a tentative step forward, testing myself. I was steady, I felt oddly healthy, too. I half smiled to myself and sat back down again, crossing my legs. A bird sang in a tree and I copied its whistle, it flew down onto the grass by my feet and cocked its little head. I whistled again.

"NATALIE!"

I sighed. The bird flew off in shock as Diana's relieved shriek echoed through the forest. I jumped up and ran over to her, she gave a hug that, had I been human, would have surely broken something in my body.

"Chill, Diana. I'm okay. Just… a bit upset," I told her. 'A bit upset' was a huge understatement but she didn't need to know that.

"Are you sure? I mean, you have a right to be upset and everything but I'm sure no one gets over that kind of that quickly, Nat." Her wide, black eyes were filled with concern and anger; anger that I presumed had been directed at Demetri.

His name sent a flash of pain through the tatters of my silent heart and my body threatened to collapse again. I half smiled at her, my lips pulling down, ready to sob.

"I'm never going to be over it, Diana. I don't think I want to be," I admitted, my voice sounding sad. "But I have to try and live, I don't want to end up like Edward." She nodded, understanding what I meant; I would try to be normal, but inside it would be agony that no one could heal.

"I don't know about you," I grinned, "But Forks is driving me insane already! I think maybe we need to leave sooner rather then later." She nodded in agreement and grinned back before taking off into the forest.

I ran after her, laughing, and feeling strangely normal. Though, deep down I knew it; I would never be the same again. We whipped through the forests together and as we ran, something hit me.

I belonged to a coven. Our coven.

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