Ch4 BPOV
Burning. My body feels each moment as if it's in the highest amount of pain possible and then it just rages ever higher. Some part of my mind remembers seeing bushfires on tv, wild out of control and burning the air itself. I think I'd rather be dropped into the middle of one of them. No matter how much it hurts I can't bring myself to beg for death. Stubborn till the fiery end. Wait, am I stubborn? Everything is so far away I can't get a grasp on anything other then the pain.
There are voices that make it through the flames. Hands like marble touch me, roll me around in a cold bath, nothing helps. It just burns. I just burn.
I try to concentrate on the voices. Women are arguing. One knows how to handle newborns, one is an experienced mother. A high pitched voice is complaining about a headache and not being able to see. One tells all of them to shut the fuck up because I've been through enough already.
If I ever make it out of this I'm buying her an ice cream. Maybe a car.
Men come and go. They don't stay for long, being ushered out by the women. One stays for a bit. Maybe ten minutes, maybe a year. There's no clock here in the fires. He says he can't hear anything. Aren't I screaming? My throat burns as if I've screamed for a lifetime.
A calm man's voice says that it's almost time. Time for what? Maybe they are cannibals and I'm being cooked alive. I suddenly have a new respect for lobsters.
More hands move me. Something soft slides over my skin just as my heart takes off at a gallop. Soon it's racing and I realise that all of the pain is leaving my limbs and centralising over my heart. Then it stops. Beats once thunderously. Once more, and suddenly I know I'm done cooking.
I open my eyes to everything. The light from the sun is filtered through gauzy curtains but I could see it all. Every beam of light. Every mote of dust twinkled like crystal. I took a deep gasping breath and tasted the world on my tongue. There were notes of sawdust and pine trees along with a mix of different kinds of sweetness. It was all a little too much yet somehow I could process everything, take it all in.
So quickly I expected my head to spin I sat up. No head spins, just perfect intake of every milimeter of the room. There were nine people in front of me. Five men, four women, all beautiful and frightened looking. That means there is a threat.
I spun up and crouched against a far wall as a hiss escaped my throat, carving a line of fire up from my chest. It was then I noticed that the women were all standing behind the men most of whom were slightly crouched. No! I won't let them hurt them.
"Get away from them. I'll help you!" I said, and then recognised that my voice had changed. The fire had given it a husky tone. My hand cupped my throat in surprise. My skin felt unnaturally smooth, like blown glass.
A tall blonde man took one step forward but slowed to a stop when I hissed again, "Bella I know that this is all very confusing but if you let us explain.."
"I will let you explain when you release those women!" It came out as a growl.
The biggest man I had ever seen was standing in front of a statuesque blonde. His curly dark hair was cut short and his amber eyes danced with mirth. He giggled.
Nothing seemed funny to me. "I'm serious damn it. Let them go now!"
The blonde man looked back at the group, "Edward?"
"I still can't hear her thoughts Carlisle." The man who answered had a lithe body and was dressed smartly in slacks and a crisp button down white shirt. His face had a boyish beauty to it and his head was crowned with unruly copper locks. Kind of like a tarnished penny. His eyes were golden as well and he looked frustrated. Yeah, right there with ya buddy.
"It's ok. She's scared but she's feeling fierce protectiveness over the women. She thinks we mean to hurt them. Her only aggression is towards us men. She would not hurt them I assure you." Another blonde man spoke this time. What skin of his that showed displayed scars that lighty shimmered. Golden hair fell over his handsome face. I had died and gone to a modelling agency.
The one named Carlisle nodded and spoke again," I just quickly want to explain one thing to you Bella. We would never hurt these woman, each one is a beloved member of our family. We are not holding them hostage, we are only trying to protect them."
I nodded curtly not entirely believing him before the women moved to the furniture between me and the men. Carlisle, penny hair, and the jolly giant didn't look too happy about it. I stalked forward and stood next to the ladies ready to pounce if anyone took a step towards them.
"What are you trying to protect them from?" I growled.
The beautiful scarred one answered, "You darling."
My body straightened in confusion, "Me? Why would I hurt them? Who the hell are you people? What the Hell is going on here?"
"What do you remember Bella?" Carlisle asked. He reminded me of something with his practiced calm manner...a doctor maybe?
"I remember walking and I think someone grabbed me. There were trees and it was dark. I was trying to fight them off and then someone showed up. Everything gets fuzzy and then I was burning." I rubbed my temples in circles trying to rouse more memories but came up empty handed.
A small woman with scars and hair like sunshine grabbed my hand trying to sooth me, "Yeah sugar. My mate and I came across four guys trying to hold you down. My name is Charlotte, and that's my husband and mate Peter." She pointed to a handsome but also scarred man. He was one that hadn't been too upset when I asked for the women to move away. This Peter stood close to the other scarred man so I figure he trusted that guys judgement. He tipped an invisible hat at me then said an enthusiastic, "Howdedo lil miss Bella."
Carlisle stepped forward again and a hiss like steam escaped me. He held his hands up in front of him in a defensive and submissive pose. "I mean you no harm Bella. When Peter and Charlotte saved you, you fell and hit your head which resulted in you having a seizure. They felt that it was not right that you should die especially after fighting off your attackers so hard. Charlotte bit you, and injected you with her venom.
That was the burning you felt. You are now a vampire, the same as we all are."
I waited to freak out, but I couldn't. Why did that sound right? Maybe it's all the extra room in my brain or the moving so fast I should be jet powered. I'm a blood thirsty monster who is technically dead.
"Holy shit, I'm a vampire." Before I realised it I was up and through a window, racing into the unknown.
ch5