Chapter 18

Dawn's skin was as pale as death. Her golden sheen had gone. Two fang-marks bruised one shoulder and it seemed as if the venom was slowly eating her alive. Anyone else would have assumed a drug overdose or a snake bite. Carlisle knew differently. She was emaciated and probably didn't have a shred of body fat left on her. Her usually plump figure was gone. She didn't even look like Dawn anymore. Her golden hair was dead and had also lost its sheen.

"Get her suitcases and things," Carlisle told them, "we're taking her home with us."

Everyone ran around the room at lightning speed to get her clothes and art supplies. Within seconds, they were gone. Carlisle left a generous pile of money at the front desk and the manager didn't ask any questions.

The ride home was painfully slow even with Edward's crazy driving. They decided against the plane because it wasn't fast enough. Dawn didn't even stir.

Upon getting home, Carlisle set to work immediately. He let the doctor side of him take over as he examined Dawn and began hooking machines up to her. To his knowledge, there was no antidote for the venom.

Just as the thought to ask Pumpkin entered her mind, she peeked cautiously around the side of the door. Victoria was resting with her head on Pumpkin's shoulder.

"Pumpkin? Alex bit you a couple of times, didn't he? Why didn't you get sick?"

Pumpkin frowned, looking at her cousin's unconscious form.

"He didn't inject very much venom into me," she said, "Alex's goal was never to kill me. I smell him all over her. He intended to kill her."

She leaned over to inspect the wound.

"It looks like her skin was cut by the sword first," she said, "and then Alex bit her. There's probably a venom pocket there."

Carlisle retrieved a syringe and drew some of the fluid from the swollen area. What he found disturbed him.

Dawn did not have red blood, but the fluid inside the syringe was red.

"Oh my..."

Pumpkin's face paled.

"I thought red venom was only in legend..." she said shakily, "I never dreamed it was real."

"Red venom?" he asked, puzzled.

"Legend has it that some vampires, when they're feeling particularly malicious, can make a red venom that has a very toxic dose even to creatures that can't easily be killed by it. Regular vampire venom can only sting a Siren if their teeth even break the skin. That's not regular venom. It's likely that Victor and Alex planned this out a long time ago."

Carlisle's heart sank into the center of the earth.

"Is there any way that we can counteract it?" he asked.

"I don't remember..." Pumpkin sighed, "I would have to do some research for that. Maybe Alice would help me."

He stroked Dawn's forehead. She was burning up.

"There are one of two things that can happen," Pumpkin said, "first, obviously, it could kill her. Second, she could survive and become a half-blood. I don't remember there ever being a record of a half-Siren, half-vampire, but it's a possibility."

"What can I do for her until then?" Carlisle asked.

"Well, someone has to feed her. I have to go out and gather energy for her. When I get back, I can transfer it to her so that she won't die in her sleep. In the meantime, you can just take care of her and be with her. She'll feel your presence even if she's not awake and can't respond. I've also heard in legends that if the bond between the lovers is strong enough that they can mind-link. I don't remember how to do that, either."

She left to assemble Dawn's band. Carlisle sat in the chair beside her hospital bed. Automatically, he switched on the radio. It didn't seem right to leave her in total silence. He rested his head against the side of the bed.

Suddenly, he had a strange feeling. It was as if the room began to fog up. Blackness engulfed him. A few seconds later, he emerged on the beach by an ocean. The shimmering waves were beautiful, better than any tropical vacation pamphlet.

Dawn was emerging from the water, sparkling droplets shining on her golden skin. She ran to him and pounced on him, getting him all wet.

"Dawn!" he breathed, embracing her.

"Hey. Glad you could make it."

He pressed his lips to hers. When they finally resurfaced for air, he brushed a wet strand of hair out of her face and looked into her dark eyes. They were the color of the earth, chocolate, and dark coffee.

"I didn't know if you could do it or not, but I'm glad you did," she told him.

"Dawn, what's happening to you?"

"The venom's eating me up," she sighed, "it doesn't look good. Nor does it feel good. If I were in my physical body right now, I'd be screaming."

"Is there a way I can help you?" he asked.

"Well, pain medication won't do any good...that bastard Alex injected me with red venom. It's slow-acting. I wasn't sure if I'd die or not, so I tried to make it where you couldn't find me. I didn't want to put you through that again. I figured if I just left, it would be easier on you."

She sat down on a nearby rock. He sat beside her.

"There's only one way to guarantee that I don't die, but I can't possibly ask for that."

"Tell me," he demanded.

She shook her head. He grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Dawn, if you really and truly love me, you will tell me. Stop being selfish."

She looked at him, surprised.

"A vampire's heart," she said uneasily, "since vampire hearts don't beat and since they don't need it to send the blood to the rest of their bodies, I would have to have a vampire's heart transplanted into me. My own two hearts aren't going to survive this. The lower one might, but the upper one is decaying as we speak."

"Okay, does blood type or anything have to do with this?" he asked.

"Not likely."

"Is there a specific way it has to be done?"

"You'd have to get my heart out in one piece, which would be really tough. If it escapes, it could cause an infection and kill me. It would let the venom get to the rest of my body. Then, we would have to take the vampire's heart and get it attached. Then, I'd have to be shot through with regular venom to help counteract the red stuff since the green venom heals."

"What would happen if you lived?"

"I'm not sure..." she muttered, "I'm not sure what I'd become."

He started to go, but she pinned him down in place.

"Carlisle, please don't do anything stupid."

"I won't."

They kissed again.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

Her decaying heart ached as she watched him leave. Never in her lifetime had she felt anything so beautiful as this. She already had an idea of what he planned to do, but she was powerless to stop him.

Please, God, let him be okay no matter what happens to me.