I suppose in the long run I had come out very lucky. I was a danger magnet, through and through. I had escaped it for the few short years at Anne's house, but it seemed like I was overdue for bad luck to catch up with me. I realized this as Julian leaned against the alley wall across from me, speaking very quickly and softly and told me how I was now apart of a full out vampire war.
"This section of New York has been the hunting grounds to a clan, so to say; my family." He pointed to his chest as he spoke. "We've lived in and around the New York area for the past 200 years. We're not a large family, but large enough to serve as a threat to rivals who would like to reclaim these streets. No vampires are allowed to live inside the confines of our grounds, which is why we were ready to forcibly move you out of your apartment." He laughed a little as he eyed my little dwelling. From what he had told me, they lived mostly underground.
It seemed so out of a movie, all about the gangs of New York. Only the gang's weapons were sharp pointed teeth and unbelievable strength instead of guns.
"A southern vampire clan has recently been moving in on our hunting grounds. Mostly hunting around the edges to see if we'd notice, picking off stray humans here and there. They're larger than us, but still young. They fight among themselves more than they should to be considered a real threat. That's why we thought, at least, until they killed two of us." His eyes were suddenly scorching, black as night. All the humor fell from his face and he turned quickly away. I tensed up a little, expecting the worst, but he turned again, his positive façade back in place and his eyes the menacing crimson.
"My family joins the world of humans when we need, and have even had associations with humans who we found useful. We have found a way to coexist. We feed when we have to, but not more than we need. The southerners are animals. If they were to overthrow my family and take control of the city, death tolls would be too high for the humans not to notice. Before long, the Volturi would choose to intervene and kill whoever was in their path." A prickle of fear settled in my chest as he said the name Volturi.
A vampire turf war, I got it. I had left the comforts of my small Canadian country home to come and get torn to pieces by rival gangs…it seemed so me. Only I could have picked the one place in the continental US where the vampire wars were still going strong.
"I don't hunt humans," I said slowly. His eyes lit up in surprise. "I live off the blood of animals. This war has nothing to do with me. If you're asking for my support, I'm not sure there's much I have to offer, especially since hunting grounds and rights to the city don't mean much to me."
"Ah, I see; the gold eyes…" He said trialing off. "Very interesting. I've heard of such a thing before, but I'd never thought I'd meet such a vampire. From what I've gathered, most of your kind lives in the western side of the states."
"They did." I said. My eyes narrowed, communicating that I didn't want to continue on the subject. He got the point.
"By moving into New York, particularly the main street of all vampiric activity, you made yourself apart of this war." The way Julian talked, he didn't mean it threateningly, he meant it as a warning. "No clan, either ours or theirs, is going to allow a vampire to live in the city, no matter what their hunting habits are."
"Then why not kill me and get it over with?" I asked angrily.
His eyes became slightly bemused, but then he puts his hands together and concentrated. "I'm willing to offer a trade."
A small nagging part of my brain kept screaming that no good would come of this. The scars on his arms were marked over and over again – there was no way I could trust him. But I nodded for him to continue, curious as to what he had to propose.
"You are obviously very strong, and quick. No one has surprised me like what you just did now in a very long time," He nodded toward the cracked wall where I had kicked him. I smiled a little triumphantly. "You still need some training; after all, you can't be more than a few years old. If you are indeed what you say, and only drink the blood of animals, there is no reason you and my family cannot coexist. In exchange for your help against the southerners, my family will allow you to live peacefully here. If you chose not, you will have to leave this moment, or else I'm sure Gavril will return to help you 'move out'."
I thought it over. Edward has told me the stories of Jasper and the southern wars and how they had devastated him. This wasn't a game. There would be casualties, in a war that I truly had nothing to do with. I should run, save myself. I couldn't see the point of even thinking about it any longer.
Just as I opened my mouth to speak, a small child holding the hand of her mother crossed the opening of the alley. Julian and I froze in the shadows as the little girl stopped to pick up her doll. She had curly blonde hair that fell to her little pink clad shoulders. Her face was still round in a baby way, her arms just lengthening enough to reach the toddler age. She laughed as her mother scooped her up in her arms and kissed her on the cheek. Just as they started to walk, the little girl turned and looked directly at me. Her bright blue eyes found my golden ones, and they touched my heart.
A sudden horrific image flashed across my mind. The little girl lying in the street, her head angled oddly, her bright blue eyes dead and empty. As empty as Anne's had been they day I found her-
Stop! I told myself. I shook my head, getting the image out of my mind. Julian noticed.
"Her name is Megan, and that's her mother Christina. They're your neighbors."
I could see what he was doing. He was connecting names to the people I knew would be killed if I didn't help. If I left now, I would feel as much guilt knowing I had the chance to protect them as I had knowing that I had killed the blonde hair woman in Forks. And that guilt would eat me alive. By only drinking the blood of animals, I had chosen to abstain from killing humans. Would I be any better if I willingly stepped out of the way for their destruction?
My eyes found Julian's; gold to crimson. He would have to teach me to fight. And he would understand that if the battle took a turn for the worse, I would run. I had no true allegiance to his family, just the need to do what I could. I would fight, but I would not die. Again.
I nodded once, and then turned to the door of my apartment. I locked it, throwing the key into the pocket of my jeans. I turned back to him, and he had a wide grin on his face.
"Well alright!" He said, smiling even wider. Yes, almost an exact twin of Emmett. "Let's go introduce you to the family!"