EPILOGUE:VICTORIA

July Twenty-Third:

The skies above the city were dark and heavy, thunder roared from the heavens as bright bolts of lightening illuminated the blacken world around. The rain poured, so densely, that I knew each humans' vision would be greatly obscured. It would make what was to come next easier, there would be no witnesses, his screams would go unheard, silenced by the sounds of the growing storm.

Since the dawn of my new birth, time had seemed meaningless. What uses was mortal constructions of time to me? I cared only that I was with her, Anne, my savior and my sister. Grateful that fate allowed that we had found one another once more, and as goddess, we had been immune to the destruction of man. We had feasted on those who had wronged us, those who would have corrupted and damaged us if they still could. I had been happy, content. Anne and I had lived peacefully with our creator and the others, until the arrival of the black coated Italians. I recalled, even after all the time I could not comprehend, that day. They'd slaughtered Hilda, had coveted Heidi for their own, and had set to kill those of us who remained. I'd escaped, I always escaped, but Anne had not followed, and had succumbed to the Italians.

Afterwards. I had wandered the earth, free from the suffering I had known in my previous life, though forced to feel the grief of Anne's demise each day. I avoided others of my kind, untrusting. Until he found me. I'd ran from him, across seas and lands—until his desires shifted from hunting me, to wanting to know me. For the first time since losing Anne, I lowered my guard, and allowed him to find me. I'd had my escape route planned, still unsure of his true motivations, but from the moment I saw him standing across from me in the valley, I knew that there was no need to flee.

His face, strong, stoic, and ruggedly gorgeous became the forefront of each thought. His poise and confidence were intoxicating and contagious. He was the only thing I'd cared for since my sister, the only man that I had ever loved. His power, an uncanny ability to track prey, even through vast distances and long measures of human time, mirrored my own in evasiveness. He'd needed me. I provided him coverage and assistance when one of his games grew too reckless.

I crouched motionless in the rain, watching my prey through the rain splattered cafe windows, while I remembered. I could still feel his touch, could taste the sweetness of his lips, of his body. My heart, which had ceased beating centuries ago, ached in my hollowed chest. I'd been too late. His recent game—his last game had been too dangerous, too ambitious. I'd fought with him over the phone, insisting that he'd need me with him, but he'd assured me that he was fine, that he needed me to continuing digging, to watch the two females that remained and the boy's mother.

He'd promised me he'd be back to me soon, that the boy would come to him, and he'd run back to me the moment the boy's blood was drained. He'd told me that we'd go away, somewhere new, together—just us, not hunting, no games. After I saw the mind-reader board the plane to Phoenix with two of the other males, I warned James of his arrival. James had ignored the concern in my voice, excited for the new hunt that would come from the mind-reader's arrival. Still, he assured me that we'd evade them, that we'd still find a place where it were only us, where we'd stay until we were content, ready to pick up the game where it had left off.

My concern grew when I did not hear from James as the sun set below the horizon. I ignored James' instructions to stay in the small, desolate town, choosing to run to where he was. I was in Phoenix while the moon was still high above in the night sky. I followed James' weakened scent, growing more and more fearful with every passing moment, until finally I came upon it, the place where his scent led, and ended.

It was no only a pile of burnt rubble, tapped off by local authorities, but left unguarded. Slowly, walking at a human pace, I followed his sweet scent, marred by the cruel smell of fire and smoke. I knew what I would find before I saw it, but still, the anguish rushed through me only when I spotted a pile of ash laying among the destruction. I fell to my knees, crying out in sorrow, unconcerned whether or not any mortal heard me. With my arms wrapped around my chest, I rocked on my knees, back and forth, staring at all that was left of my love. They'd killed him, they'd taken him from me, the unremarkable, weak human boy and his strange coven of golden-eyed vampires. They'd ensured that I was now truly alone.

My motivations now, had been forged by my fear, my grief, and my vengefulness. This new human boy, older, just as unexceptional and plain as the one James had hunted was readying himself to leave the cafe. He was alone. He'd come here to Seattle, from the same pathetic, little town that the boy still lived. I'd watched this boy for weeks while I planned. He'd come for college, beginning early in taking summer courses, having only just graduated this past June. He had yet to make and alliances, his room at the college was empty, save him. He was alone, like me, and so he would be of great use to me. He would be a strong newborn, able to protect me should the strange coven come looking for me. But more than that, he knew Forks. In time, once the first months of being a newborn began to dwindle from his new body, he'd be able to tell me all he knew of that town. And from there, I could create a new plan, one I would need to keep only to myself, never reveling my true intentions. My plan to destroy the human boy who had destroyed my love, to take from the mind-reader what had been taken from me.

The boy exited the cafe, pushing the collar of his coat tighter around his neck, peering into the dense wall of rainfall. He looked both ways along the street, finding no traffic coming down either way, and began walking. I could hear the sloshing of the water that had gathered in deep puddles under his every footstep, could hear his breathing, his blood coursing through each vein. He was in the middle of the street now. There was a loud crack of lightening, followed by a deafening scream of thunder. The boy jumped, startled by the uncomfortable sounds. The rain poured down more heavily, no one but myself would be able to see anything less than a foot in front of him, no one would hear him scream.

I stood from my crouched stance, tightening the muscles that ran down my body, poising myself to strike. I rushed towards him, my body invisible but my presence known.

Thump. Thump. Thump. His heart beats grew quickly in his chest, he turned around, watching, looking, adrenaline and fear swan throughout his entire being.

"Who's there?" he asked, his voice shaking.

I ran past him again, a shadow come alive in the night.

"Who's there?" he asked again, his voice rising higher.

Another pass, and this time he ran. I caught up to him before he had taken more than several hurried steps, throwing him against a window, boarded up in a chain-like fence.

His heart rate intensified. He coughed, trying to catch his breath. I smelled the blood that began to trail down the side of his head. I focused my mind, shutting down the predator within, intent on my resolve to turn him, not drain him. I laughed, enjoying his fear, this had been James' favorite part of the game.

Shakily, the boy removed himself from the soaking wet sidewalk, pushing himself upright. He began to run back to the cafe, calling for help, a cry that had gone unheard, unnoticed. I rushed towards him once more, knocking him off his feet. He slide on the slick street, and wasted no time getting up, forcing his body into a run, his head constantly turning to look behind him. I followed, staying just outside his gaze.

He ran until he found himself at the edge of a steep dock. He barely avoided tumbling downward into the sea. He turned his body back into the direction where we had been. His head turning side to side, trying desperately to locate where I was hiding. His body was trembling, the fear and adrenaline creating a dangerous cocktail that trailed throughout his bloodstream.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?" he cried out, his voice breaking as though he were crying. In his distraction, I rushed for him. It was too quick, I had barely even tasted the sweet nectar that was his blood. But my purpose had been realized. The venom already beginning to spread throughout him. The boy looked down at his hand, momentarily stunned. The fire began to set in. His piercing scream filled the night. He first fell to his knees, crying out, before falling onto his back. His body contorted violently as the flameless fire ate away at him. He screamed, his bellowing echoed throughout the docks.

In his delirium, he did not notice when I picked him up. I crushed his body to mine, keeping him from thrashing as his ripping screams ate away at this throat. I carried him to a desolate location, where even once the storm had passed, his screams would go unheard. I threw his body onto the hard forest floor, where he continued to writhe. Disgusted, I left him there, knowing within three day's time the screaming would cease, and his transformation complete. Then, I could begin the difficult task of manipulating him into my bidding.