Chapter 9: The Evil-Doer
When I opened my eyes shear exhaustion rippled over my body. Struggling with my confinements, my nocturnal vision washed over the room in which I was imprisoned. The dull ache of my burnt flesh was torturous. My thirst was now peaked by the injuries that I suffered. I has been a millennium since I have known this amount of thirst. My thoughts were constantly interrupted by the tantalizing hunger for the life giving substance. The sky extinguished the light of the sun and gave way to twilight. I had millions of stars twinkling above me to sooth my agony.
I heard the rumble of the concrete blocks being moved. Two minds approached, one male, old for his species and one female, relatively young but a dangerous asset for the male. A quarter of an hour passed before they gained access to my chamber. Their scent was strangely familiar, but something entirely new to my senses. The male was attempting to cloak his thoughts, though not to very much effect. The female showed no interest in hiding her intentions Suffer her thoughts called to me. She had a horrifying mind. My eyes met hers. The blackish rubies attempted to sear my flesh.
The male approached slowly, his translucent skin glowed softly in the now rising moon. Both of their eyes were strange and unsettling. The crimson hue was so unnatural, so evil. I shuddered when I caught the stare of the female again who was still throwing her mental daggers. The male approached, his shoulder length jet black hair floated behind him disappearing into the confines of his cloak.
"I see that you have survived the sun," he said inquisitively. "I have been informed of those of your kind who have gained this ability over time, we have captured others who have not been so fortunate," his eyes gleamed, "Although it does seem to have significantly effected your strength," he pondered aloud. Tentatively, he reached his long fingered hand out as if graze the edge of my cheekbone, "Simply beautiful," he whispered. The female snarled at this, her evil little mind twisting maliciously.
"Quiet yourself Jane, your powers are obviously useless against one of his strength. You may leave us now." Her tiny eyes flamed with fury. With a flick of her cloak she ran from the chamber. To the mortal eye, she would have merely dissipated into the night air. I smiled at her obvious strife and chuckled to myself at her youthful tendencies.
"She can be difficult," he stated to himself as much as to me, "but she has proved herself useful in the past." His eyes seemed to wander in his memory. A flash of his contempt for a recent failure coupled itself with the burning image of amber eyed beings. I caught only a glimpse before he regained his mental composure. "I have many questions for you." I did not respond. I was certainly not willing to be this being's informant while confined by cast iron chains. There were very few things that could hold me captive in my normal state, but after the exposure I endured from the last day break, this was sufficient, barely. I would not regain my strength until I had fed on many more than I have taken over the last century. Or I could easily be revived if the others would come. The blood of one even a fraction of my age would be enough. But I was not ready to endanger the others yet. I was unsure of the abilities of my captors. I would not reveal the names or locations of my beloved to these evil beings. My loved ones would not suffer as I have suffered. I was suddenly aware of my ignorance. I truly believed myself indescribable and certainly was unaware of the threat posed by these creatures.
"Your capture proved to be much easier than others of your kind," his beastly lips curled into a smile. "You are so trusting of the humans you employ, especially with your..." he paused searching for the word, "...weakness. How strange to live in harmony with the creature upon whom you feed." He paced the room with his arms clasped arrogantly behind his back. "We had to merely bribe one of them and kill the rest to gain access to your home. We were pleasantly surprised to find you deep in slumber on a lavish bed, like a mere mortal," he laughed at this. "Although it took many of us to move you, we do have the necessary resources. We have slaughtered many of your kind by exposing them to the rays of the sun. Such a weakness is formidable," a vicious laugh slipped from his mouth. "You are the first to survive the light of day. Some hold their forms better than others, but most are nothing but a pile of ash when we return. So I wonder how long you have been in existence to be able to only suffer a minor burn..." he trailed off. "There are many ways in which I could gain access to your mind," his eyes flickered as he approached me.
You will show me. His mind said opening itself to me as bony fingers reached for my face. I smirked at his vanity. I waited for his touch and used the mental strength that was still of my command. As his hand clasped my face and I used the mind gift to hold him readily in place. His face turned to horror at the realization of my control. I smiled angelically up at my captor. I inflicted his mind with one thought, I feed upon the evil-doer. And then with a malicious spiral of my mind I took from him his thoughts.
I saw evil things-- corruption, greed, betrayal, conquest. He had sought to, and succeeded in destroying many of his kind. He fed recklessly upon mortals and thought himself the dominant being of the world, he felt utter confidence... except for one thing. His fear quickly surfaced in the dark pool of his consciousness. Staring into the swirling waters of his thoughts I saw them, those he gaged to be more powerful than himself. My power of the mind-gift of control was wavering in my fragile state. I grasped at the last of his thoughts as he pulled away from me, Cullen. The image of many sets of beautiful golden eyes poured into my mind.
In shock he retreated from my imposing touch. Clearly shaken, he pressed against the wall behind him. "Well well, clearly I have underestimated you." Evil spread over his face, "I have another test for you then. We will see if your strength can last through another visit with the sun," his laugh was more nervous than evil. "I think not," he said sharply. He huffed as he stomped from the chamber. He did not sealing the entrance as he made his exit.
Alone with my thoughts, I rested from the exhertion of strength. I gazed up at the moon above me. She smiled her silvery smile down upon me with sorrow. I must find them, the Cullens. I silently searched the vicinity for them with my mind, but to no avail. I wondered if I had traveled far from my house just outside of Rome. Staring up at the night sky I recognized many of the constellations and concluded that I must be in the same hemisphere at least, probably the same continent. My silence was broken by the sound of screams, human screams.
He flung the sobbing woman at me with a fury. Her desperate cries and pleas filled the space that we shared. The smell of her blood consumed me. If it had been possible, my mouth would have watered with the scent of the delicious substance flowing through her innocent veins.
"Have fun with that, slayer of only evil!" he called back to me laughing as he sealed the chamber.
"Stay back!" I bellowed at her from my confinements. She obeyed, seeking refuse in the corner furthest from me. Her tears trickled down her lovely cheeks as she fought to compose herself. I struggled against my chains rattling them with what was left of my strength. I roared in effort and from the torturous scent. I battled with the madness that was threatening to destroy me. I could feel her fear pulsing throughout the room. Her heartbeat was the most beautiful sound on earth. I wanted nothing more than to sink my fangs into the warmth of her alluring throat and draw the life from her rhythmic heart. I closed my eyes tightly, trying to control myself. The goodness of golden eyes filled my mind. I would not betray myself and take the life from this woman. I could not. The innocence seeped from her every pore. This frail thing had not even known the love of a man. Her golden hair fell over her face as she clutched her knees to her body. The cruel beings had stripped her and thrown her to the monster waiting below. My heart ached for her weakness, for her fragile life that hung on a mere thread now as she shared her confinement with a blood thirsty beast.
"Please love, tell me your name," I spoke to her in a soothing voice, fighting back my urges. Her shoulders shook gently and her imploring eyes gazed at me clearly not understanding my words. She spoke back to me in Italian sobs pleading with me not to kill her. I drew in an uneasy breath. I spoke back to her in her native language comforting her and explaining to her that I would not allow myself to do her harm. She was not trusting at first and only fought my perceived lies. Humans are inherently trusting creatures. They cannot resist kindness for long. Soon she found herself obeying my commands to come closer.
The moon hung high in the sky as she found herself, the lamb, stroking the hair of the lion. Although my thirst was dire, my self control was stronger still. Sofia, beautiful and gentle Sofia. I could not harm her. I asked her, in exchange for my love, only to shield me from the sun by day. I cooed into her ear, "Hold me close, darling into the morning light." We lay together awaiting the rise of the life-giving star. She lay on top of me, fighting to cover all of me with slender frame. I drifted off into the silent near-death slumber. Although the coverage was incomplete, it was sufficient.
As twilight settled in once again, I awoke. This beautiful creature, this angel sent to me had saved me. The second rising of the sun did far less damage than the first. My skin flared from the burns, but my strength was relatively unaffected. She ran her delicate hands over my flesh, soothing the pain. "Sofia," I purred and whispered in Italian, "Your beauty and strength have saved me." Her sapphire eyes glistened with tears. Her fear returned as the scraping sound of concrete being moved filled the chamber. I too tensed with anxiety. How could I save her from these monsters?
Only the male returned. I could hear the pride in his mind as he opened each of the doors making his way to us. Disgusted by his arrogance, in vain, I searched for an escape route for my angelic savior. The last boulder yielded. I was too late. Upon sight of the still living bait, he swiftly took her and held her in his inescapable clutches. His evil laugh saturated my ears and in desperation I fought to save her. I flung her capture against the wall with my mind, but it was not enough. He only howled in amusement.
"So precious, you didn't take her," he snarled, "but your attempts to save her will only be her doom." I took my gaze from his evil blood red eyes and directed them toward the crystal blue depths of hers.
"Sofia," I whispered. A calmness overcame her and she stopped struggling in his arms. I filled her mind with thoughts of my love for her and all things beautiful. The evil one turned in fury and ripped at her throat. She gasped in pain. Tears of blood streaked down my face as I watched the grotesque horror of the innocent creature being destroyed. He held her tiny frail body roughly against his and greedily gulped down every drop of her sputtering blood. I sent her one last image of love as her heart gave its last chime. The threw her to the ground shattering many of her bones.
Mad with rage, I shook furiously trying to break my chains. He only laughed at my despair. Her blood covered his lips and had spilled messily over his cloak and hair. "Again, I have underestimated you my friend. You have survived two days of sunlight and have resisted the blood that may have freed you." He clapped his hands taunting me. I turned my face from his, feeling the blood run down my face and spill to the cold ground. "I think we will keep you for a bit long, yes, a bit longer. You may prove to be useful yet." He walked outside the chamber. I heard a switch flip and the night sky above me began to disappear as the roof closed upon itself. He sealed my chamber and was gone. Alone again. I felt a chilling disgust staring at the remains of the beautiful Sofia. Disgusted by his cruelty and deeply saddened by the loss of human life, I turned my thoughts back to the Cullens. I could not risk calling the others of my kind, surly these creatures would capture them and seek to destroy them as well. Those who this evil one feared, they would be my only hope for salvation.
I snapped back to life. Jacob was shaking me furiously. "Nessie, what the hell is going on?" My eyes met his for mere second, "Jake..."
My parents climbed through the window. "I heard her scream," my dad said looking at Jake. Weakened by the intensity of Alice's vision, I lay limp in Jacob's arms, listening to the steady beat of his heart. I closed my eyes and drifted into troubled sleep.