POV: Kathryn Taylor – Newborn Vampire – Original Character (I Invented Her)

It took a while to get a grip, to seize hold of what sanity remained in my consciousness. My whole world seemed to be caving in. First, I'd watched the last shreds of my humanity dissolve against my will, permanently rendering me a bloodthirsty monster incapable of returning to my mortal family. Then the instinct to feed had conquered my morals, as well, and I had violently killed without reason. Now, abruptly, everything had climaxed – I had infuriated my only remaining friend, and he had angrily threatened to end my second life. Suddenly, I didn't know who to trust anymore.

Composing myself, I eventually stopped whimpering. The hot thirst in my throat was temporarily appeased, allowing me to think more rationally. I meticulously reviewed everything that I knew about my new immortality and this city called Volterra.

I was underground.

I had no idea how to get out of here.

I would probably need to feed again within a day.

And Jared would crush me if I failed to control myself.

I shuddered, reliving the wild tirade from only a few minutes before. Jared was clearly bent on eliminating me, should I fail to master my thirst. As afraid as I was to admit it, he was my enemy now. I had best accept that.

So escaping with Jared was out. I tried to think of other logical courses of action to take, but none came to mind. I had no other allies to rely on. Feeling hopeless, I wondered if I would ever escape Volterra at all.

Then it hit me.

As quickly and directly as an arrow.

Perhaps escape wasn't necessary after all. It was a definite impossibility, as was remaining under Jared's momentary protection. Since escaping was impractical, I would need to find a way to safely remain in Volterra. Obviously, I couldn't run from the Volturi and their servants forever. So what options did that leave me? I paused to think, and the reality of what I needed to do slowly sunk in.

The Volturi were my only hope.

Most likely, they had only ordered Jared to kill me out of fear that I would oppose them. If I willingly went to the Volturi, they might accept me as a new servant of theirs and allow me to live. I could tell them about Jared having disobeyed their orders by protecting me, and then the Volturi would hopefully do away with him.

But could I really do such a thing? Could I really betray Jared, the one that had spared my life? I would already be dead if it hadn't been for him. But, at the same time, Jared was my enemy now, as hard as that was to accept. I knew what I had to do.

The hard part would be doing it.

I swallowed my guilt, knowing that betraying Jared was the only way for me to survive. I realized that I was now a fugitive, an enemy of all sides, a double agent. Both Jared and the Volturi were now potential threats. But trusting the Volturi was by far the lesser of two evils.

I dashed to the door of Jared's chamber, listening for nearby footsteps. There were none, and I took that as a sign that I could safely exit my chamber and enter the hallway without being noticed. It felt strange running from Jared, the one vampire that I had previously believed in. He had some compassion – that much was clear – but not enough to sustain my life for very long.

I ghosted down the hallway and around the corner, shivering as I approached the massive gates of the Volturi's chamber. They held painful, burning memories that I would much rather forget; I could almost feel the venom engulfing me as I recalled my transformation. Overcome, I nearly turned to run.

Stop it, Kathryn. This is your last chance at survival, I told myself.

I forced my feet to stay put and deliberately commanded myself to take a step. Here I go, I thought. Still shivering slightly, I placed my pale hand on the brass handle in front of me, closing my eyes, fearing what would await me inside the chamber, but knowing that I must confront it.

With a deep breath, I opened the door.