POV: Jared – Vampire – Original Character (I Invented Him)

I soundlessly ghosted through the hallways of Volterra. I feared that I'd made a grave mistake, but there was no use in agonizing over that now. I had made my decision, and there was no way to change it.

The newborn – Kathryn – had finally become fully immortal, and, immediately, had recognized the burning thirst in her throat. I had wanted to feed her quickly, but had heard a summons from Jane down the hall. If I had ignored her command to come immediately, she would have completely lost it, which would have been extremely painful for me. So I had promised Kathryn that I would return with 'food' as soon as possible. But, most importantly, I had ordered her not to leave my chamber.

Now I had a sickly feeling in the pit of my stomach that Kathryn's typical newborn thirst for blood would catapult her straight into trouble. There was no way to tell, of course, but I had been a newborn once before, and I knew the initial strength of the desire to find… to kill… to feed. However, Heidi's 'tour group' would arrive shortly, and then, if I was careful, I might be able to seize a human or two and bring them to Kathryn. The trouble would be doing so unnoticed, but I would figure something out.

"Jared?" The voice was Jane's, and it snapped me back to the moment like a recoiling rubber band.

"Greetings, Jane," I said, my tone polite. Jane's countenance was typically blank, and I was unable to tell whether she was angry, concerned, or, as usual, bored. So I simply asked, "What is it? Is something wrong?"

She groaned. "Aro sent me. He requires an update on your progress."

I suddenly felt confused. "Progress?"

"You've forgotten? I should have assumed so. You were immature enough to createthe newborn… I shouldn't actually have expected you to locate and end it."

I suddenly wanted to sink into the ground and disappear. Preoccupied with protecting Kathryn, I had completely forgotten to create an excuse for why I hadn't eliminated her yet. "Uh… I… uh… I've been planning a course of action," I said, "to make sure that I don't fail you again."

"Planning," Jane pried, "for two days?"

I frantically groped for a suitable explanation, and finally replied, "I tried to locate the newborn, but failed. She…"

"It is a female, after all?" Jane pressed.

I gulped. I had all but forgotten about my previous uncertainty of the newborn's gender. Nervously, I stammered, "I… I told you, Jane, that I think that it was a blond female. She must have run deep into the city, because I couldn't find her. And… now that two days have passed, her transformation is most likely complete, and… she could be anywhere."

"You've failed, then?" Jane's expression turned passively sympathetic, as if she truly thought that Aro was going to do away with me.

"I haven't failed," I quickly answered. "Far from it. I will find the newborn, and destroy her."

"It," Jane interrupted.

"What?"

"It's an 'it', Jared, not a 'she'. It's hardly anything of value… just another animal… another monster… easily disposed of and replaced."

Easily disposed of and replaced. I wondered if Jane – and Aro – saw me as simply replaceable. Was I really just another pawn in the Volturi's game? And did Aro even trust me to find the newborn on my own, or was he simply using me? If I failed to complete this task, (which I already had, technically,) would Aro just find someone else to do it? Did I really have the 'diligence' and 'potential' that he flattered me with, or was I just one of many identical, replaceable guards?

I pulled myself out of my musings. "I will find the newborn, Jane," I assured her. "She… it… will be quickly eliminated."

"I hope so," Jane sighed, shaking her head slightly. "Otherwise… you know what would happen."

"I will make sure to fulfill my purpose," I stated. "I…" Suddenly, I heard familiar footsteps in the distance. "Is that Heidi?"

Jane turned her head towards the source of the sound. "Yes, it is Heidi," she clarified. "With a rather large selection of humans, as well."

For the first time, I felt true remorse for the group of oblivious humans. Their lives were all about to end in a bloody massacre, and none of them even knew. But I reminded myself that, until I escaped from Volterra, I would need to feed on human blood. And I would need to hurry a decent amount of that blood to Kathryn.

"Jane, may I please greet Heidi?" I requested, hoping to find an opportunity to seize one of the humans.

"Alright," Jane flatly permitted. "I will explain your progress to Aro, and hopefully he will be pleased. Or…" Jane smiled beatifically. "You know."

I tried to smile back. Jane's repeated mention of what might very well be my fate made me wonder if she knew what I was up to. "Uh… goodbye, Jane," I stuttered. "Give Aro my best regards."

Jane nodded, and I hurriedly approached Heidi's tour group. There was indeed a pleasing party of humans, and they smelled utterly… well… appetizing. "Greetings, Heidi," I said.

That was when I noticed a ghostly blur just behind her – the blur of another immortal.

An immortal that I knew very well.

An immortal with powerful instincts.

An immortal that, if noticed, would surely be destroyed, along with me.

Kathryn.

She was only inches behind Heidi… close enough for Heidi to grab her and rip her apart. Suddenly, I wanted to scream.