Chapter 2: Changing
'I knew there was something different about him.' Mary Alice thought when she was overcome by the sheer pain from the bite that Eli had given her. Then just as her head hit the pillow, a searing heat ran through her entire body. It was the most painful thing she had ever felt in her life. More painful than when her father started beating her in the field when the townspeople caught her not two days ago.
'It feels like I'm on fire.' She screamed internally. Mary Alice wasn't sure if she was screaming to where she could be heard or not. The only thing she could really hear was her own erratic heartbeat in her ear. It was beating so fast that she thought she was having a heart attack. Maybe she was, she really didn't care at this point. Even if Alice were to leave this place she would never be free of the ridicule and fear the people of this world held in their own hearts for her. She would rather be dead than go through that.
Eli watched as his patient was writhing in pain. Screaming at the top of her lungs and begging for it to stop. He knew that his little Alice couldn't even hear herself scream. He knew that the only thing she would be hearing was her own heartbeat going out of control. Eli could remember his own changing and how painful it was. It killed this poor man to do this to the young girl, but he wanted a better life for her. A life where she wouldn't be feared. He wanted her to have a family that wouldn't throw her away like the filthy mortals that raised her in their home. He knew he shouldn't talk about the humans with such disdain but it was times like these that he really wanted to tear someone's throat out.
The changes that were going through the young girls body was more than any one person experienced in a lifetime. Her heartbeat was going out of control like a wild stallion running in a field. His hoofs beating the ground like a sledgehammer. The heat running through her body was almost more than she could bear, but she knew she had to be strong. If her mother had taught her anything in this life it was to be strong and face the fears of these years.
Mary Alice knew she was screaming at the top of her lungs at this point because she could feel her throat going dry. She struggled to breathe as her heartbeat got faster and faster, like it was running its last lap. She could feel a certain thirst get more and more intense as the change progressed. The only thing that really scared her was that she didn't think it was for any water or anything else she was accustomed to.
Mary Alice could feel her body changing. Changing more than she ever experienced during her womanly cycle. After her body was done with its transformation, she could still feel the immense heat running all over her and the heartbeat in her chest. By now it slowed to a crawl. Little Alice knew she was going to die any moment now. She knew that this life would be over in a matter of minutes. She knew that she would never be able to see her mother and her sister again even though she desperately wanted to. She felt the warmth of tears against her cheeks but they felt thicker than normal.
Mary Alice slowed her breathing to the point where she barley needed to anymore. The fire was still there but she knew it would end soon and for that she was grateful. She opened her eyes for only a moment and if she was surprised by the red tint in everything around her, she didn't show it. It was either she didn't want to or she didn't have the energy to. The doctor didn't know. Alice looked up and him smiled and spoke only a few words. "Thank you." She whispered before her heart finally quit beating and her chest rose and fell for the last time. The young girl closed her eyes and fell on her pillow one last time as a human in a cruel world. Eli dropped his head onto his forearms he placed on the bed beside the girl who looked to be sleeping and sobbed with no tears.
It wouldn't be long before she woke up not remembering who she was or why she's here in this room. He placed a hand on the girl's cheek and noticed that her skin was still hot to the touch. It didn't bother him though and he leaned up to kiss his little Alice on the forehead. After, he stood and walked toward the door. Eli knew he had some paperwork to fill out and he needed to make preparations for his new daughter to arise and begin her life anew. He also knew that he wouldn't need to worry about funeral preparations for the girl, for no one would be coming to retrieve the body before him.
The man tried to convince himself that he made the right decision in doing this; he tried to convince himself that there was so much more for this girl to live for, so much more to see as time went on in her immortal life. When he touched the girls skin that last time he saw her future. Eli saw his little Alice living with a good family made of vampires that lived off of animal blood; he saw her dancing and frolicking in the fields of the forest by her family's home. More importantly he saw her happy and in love. What he couldn't see was the face of his child's mate. It pained him to know that he would not be with her when she met her mate. It pained him to know that he would only have time to teach her the basics of being a vampire. He would only have time to introduce her to the new life she would live and the new diet that would provide her with sustenance and energy to survive until the end of time itself. As he walked to the door he smiled and as he turned the handle he looked back at the girl lying in the bed behind him. "Sleep well my little Alice. I'll see you soon."