They were out of the house in the blink of an eye. Edward had slung her body over his back, and Bella used whatever strength she had left to clasp her hands together around his neck. The wind threw itself in her face, sobering her a little. Her tears had long since died beneath her eyes, but her cheeks were beginning to chap from the moisture they had left behind. Bella still hadn't spoken a word to him, and he had gone silent as well; never even telling her where they were going. All she had was that word; hunting. A bubble of nervousness was building like a cancer inside of her gut. She knew deep down that the only reason Edward was taking her hunting so early was to take her mind off of Charlie. She wasn't ready for this. She hadn't been ready for any of this. She felt her mind start to spin, and she closed her eyes and focused on blocking out the deafening noise of her thoughts. She conjured Esme's hushed tones.
"You're okay, Bella. I have you. We're going to take care of you. You're okay, you're okay."
Edward's momentum halted suddenly, and Bella opened her eyes. They were standing on the edge of a mountain top, looking out at the most beautiful view she had ever seen. Forks was a hard transition for her. She had been used to the sprawling vastness of Phoenix, and everything here was much too green. She had to concede its beauty up here. The air was crisp and clean, and she could see the top of every tree, swinging softly in the breeze. It brought memories back of the night before, as Edward revealed his glistening skin to her. She had seen a shred of beauty in the creature she was becoming that night. She unlocked her arms from around Edward's neck and deftly slid down until her feet touched the mossy earth. She cleared her throat, unsure if her voice would even come out.
"Wh- where are we?"
Edward turned to face her, one half of his face turning up into a smile that never quite reached his eyes.
"Mount Ranier."
He sat on the damp earth, motioning for her to follow. She did so, swinging her legs over the mountain's ledge and watching her feet as they dangled precariously towards the abyss below. Edward looked at her, face stern.
"Look, we are at our most dangerous when hunting. I know that you've seen a very limited snapshot of vampire life recently. We seem like docile, house-trained pets in comparison to some of the other clans out there. I'm reminded how hilarious 'traditional' vampires find us to be every time one wanders into our territory. That's the side of us that you've gotten to know."
Bella was nodding, not sure what she was even agreeing to. She wasn't sure how to respond, though, so she just kept her eyes on Edward, urging him forward.
"I know that you can feel an animalistic fire burning inside your chest. It's whispering things to you that, in your human life, would never had crossed your mind. That small, urge-driven part of you is what takes the reins when you're after a kill. You're not you anymore. You're still there, but your consciousness have become that tiny voice in your mind, telling yourself to stop."
Edward leapt to his feet and held his hand out. Bella accepted it wordlessly. He laced his fingers with hers and squeezed her hand.
"I'm going to be right behind you. There are bears, deer, elk, and wildcats in these woods. You are fiercer than any one of them. It's not often that our kind is bested by a beast. Don't be afraid, okay?"
Bella was nodding again, but she was afraid. She was terrified. How would she overpower an animal that was more than twice her size? She, who probably weighed 110 pounds soaking wet, was meant to climb a bear like she were bounding up a ladder? She considered the deer, seeing a doe in her mind's eye. She remembered trying to creep up on one as a kid, intent on petting it. It had caught her in its peripheral vision, and disappeared just as fast as any vampire. She felt her chest get tight, anxiety stalking through her nerves. It was then that she caught the smell. It was a floral, fruity smell; reminding her of a white wine that her mother kept well-stocked in their house in Phoenix. Her knees bent, sending her into a crouch. She lifted her head, inhaling deeply. It was coming from the south.
Edward watched as Bella took off running, nimbly disappearing into the trees. He grinned, and took off after her. There were many smells on this mountain that she could be chasing. He had brought her here because it was usually full of predators, and humans were rarely seen unless it was hunting season. It was not for the faint of heart. He was excited to see which smell had appealed to her most. Emmett loved bear, Alice preferred deer, and Edward himself could think of nothing better than mountain lion. He heart thrummed with the thrill of the chase, and he didn't even know what he was following. Bella stopped suddenly, and he halted a few feet behind, observing. She bent down low, taking a handful of leaves and sniffing them. He watched her put her hand on the trail, and he was sure she was feeling around for warmth. Her head snapped up, and she cocked her face to the right. Whatever sound she heard sent her into a sprint.
He followed, and the smell she had to be chasing became clearer and clearer. He felt a sharp pang of adoration as they got closer and he could hear the soft growls of the mountain lion. He was astounded that they were so alike but in a way, he expected it. Bella felt like a kindred spirit from the moment he set eyes on her. These past few days were only confirming it. He released his full speed to catch up with her, and she regarded him with wild eyes. Her mouth turned up into a smile, but she showed more of her teeth than he had ever seen. He wondered if it was more of a warning instead of a welcome. He didn't slow, but he let her lead the way, assuring her she was in control. The beast was in full view now, and Edward let himself go. He grabbed the cougar in his strong, unrelenting hands and threw its head violently to the side, snapping its neck in one swift and painless motion. The animal fell still, and he dug his teeth into its neck, drinking deeply.
Edward was so consumed by his thirst that he didn't even realize that Bella had not stopped with him. She had kept running, to another smell that he hadn't even registered amongst the mixed bouquet of animal aromas. She ran out of the treeline and stopped short. Her footfalls had not alerted her prey to her presence. It was staring at prey of its own; a small grey bobcat. She strode silently closer, aware of every muscle movement under her victim's skin. She was afraid it would run, or else the bobcat would sense her first and the object of her desire would flee with it. A piercing bang echoed through the quiet forest air, and Bella clutched her ears. She watched as the bobcat went down, and the smell of its smoky blood filled her nostrils. The shot sent her reeling back into her own body, and she saw the scene for the first time.
She was planted in front of a man. He was wearing a camouflage coat and green pants stained with the blood of animals. He trudged up to the bobcat and grabbed it by its leg. It reached out with its last breath and bit the man, and he dropped the animal almost instantly. He dropped the shotgun he was holding and squeezed his hand, trying to staunch the bleeding. As his blood ran, Bella's consciousness slipped slowly away from her again. Her panic that she may hurt this human became a distant whisper. A snarl escaped her lips, and she dropped back into a crouch. The man turned, finally noticing her. His frightened face slackened, and the edges of his lips curled.
"Hey there, darlin'. What's a girl like you doing here dressed like this?"
She never had the opportunity to shed Alice's sweater dress for something that might be more appropriate for hunting. He scanned her for a moment, waiting for her to reply. When she didn't, he inched closer.
"You lost?"
Bella shook her head slowly.
"You hurt?"
Bella shook her head again, and before he could utter another word, she was upon him. She was sitting on his chest, and she grabbed his still bleeding hand. He tried to struggle, but her stony weight kept him locked to the ground. He yelled and kicked and cried as she brought his hand to her mouth, licking stray droplets of blood that dripped from the bite.
"Are you some kind of freak or something? Are you on drugs? Let me go!"
She brought her lips to the wound then, not bothering to bite down. She sucked his life force from it, tightening her grip on his wrist. There was a faint crack as his bones broke, and the man screamed in agony. The sound barely registered. The taste was unlike anything she could have ever imagined. It filled her mouth and her spine tingled with delight. She wanted more. The small wildcat's fangs had only made a few small holes in the skin, so it was like she was trying to suckle from a sippy cup. She brought her teeth down, tearing into flesh. The man screamed louder, and Bella grabbed a fistful of his hair. She yanked his head down, striking the rocky ground. He was knocked out almost immediately, and she continued her feast.
Edward didn't hear the screams at first. He had just finished draining the mountain lion, and he wiped his lips with a flourish. He looked up to gauge Bella's reaction, and found only empty space beside him and the corpse of the giant cat. His brows furrowed and he called out.
"Bella?"
He quieted his mind, desperate for a response. He did not hear her voice cry out a reply, but a different sound filled his head. They were hurried, frantic thoughts.
"Please don't kill me, please. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been hunting out of season. Please God if you'll save me-"
Then the thoughts were gone, replaced with bird song. His gut felt leadened, and he stood up on wobbly legs. Don't let it be Bella, he thought to himself. Please let it be that this man came across game he couldn't shoot down. He ran, at first in no particular direction, and then he caught that smell. The sickly, thick, nauseating smell of human blood. He felt the urge to vomit, but kept it down. He saw the end of the trees, and with it came a sight that made him fall to his knees. There was Bella, straddling a man who couldn't be over forty. He was deathly still, and she had his hand shoved in her mouth with his wrist pointing the wrong way. Edward could hear the man's heartbeat, so he knew he wasn't dead, but his sharp eyes made out another trail of blood slowly leaking out of the back of the man's head. She had to have hit him. He didn't trust himself to stand, so he crawled towards her; apprehension coloring each step.
"Bella?"
Hearing her name, she raised her head and dropped the hand she was holding. Edward nearly gasped at the sight of her. Her face was wild, feral. Her pupils were larger than he had ever seen them, and any trace of golden flakes in her eyes had been replaced by a violent, screaming red. Blood dribbled down her chin as she smiled at him. Her teeth were covered in a thick crimson film. She looked like a monster. He gulped.
"Bella, let him go."
She tilted her head, and he watched as her pupils shrank, and her posture went slack. She blinked up at him in shock.
"Edward? Help me."
He didn't dare move. He needed to assess the situation before bringing Bella completely back to reality.
"What happened, Bella?"
She started spitting the blood out of her mouth furiously, retching noises coming from the back of her throat. Edward tried to speak as calmly as possible.
"Bella, please listen to me. What happened?"
She faced him again, eyes filled with tears.
"I don't know. I was following my instincts like you said, and I thought you said there wouldn't be any people here, and I was just following the scent I was drawn to the most, and I found him. Edward, did I kill him? What do we do?"
The man stirred, groaning in pain. Edward looked from him to Bella.
"Did you bite him?"
As if on cue, the man sat up, screaming.
"Put out the fire, please someone!"
Edward ran forward and jerked Bella up.
"You have to help me."
Bella wasn't paying him any attention. Her gaze was focused on the man before them, who was writhing in agony. Edward grabbed her face and forced her to look back at him.
"Do you hear me, Bella? You have to help me."
She winced.
"Help you with what?"
Edward didn't respond. He merely walked to one side of the man and pointed to the opposite side. Bella complied, standing uselessly.
"Remember what I told you? About the only way vampires can die?"
Bella started shivering, teeth chattering despite the warmth of the afternoon.
"But- he's not a vampire."
Edward nodded sadly.
"No, he's not. Yet."
Bella sucked in air, holding it in her throat like cigarette smoke. Her head started swinging from side to side.
"We can't. He might have a family. I didn't mean for this to happen, I didn't want to hurt anyone. You said-"
A cold hand clamped over her mouth firmly. Bella found herself wishing Jasper had come. She needed his calming energy. The words she wanted to scream built up behind Edward's hand until they burst like a soap bubble, shattering to pieces on her tongue. How could this have happened? She blamed Edward for not watching her, for taking her out hunting at all. She blamed this man and his stupid need to take down wild creatures for sport. More than anything, she blamed herself for losing control. She turned pleading eyes to Edward's stony glare, and he released her. She thought he would walk away, but he pulled her into his arms.
"I'm sorry, Bella. This isn't your fault, okay? But we have to deal with it now. We can't let this man turn, do you understand? We took a calculated risk with you, but we don't know who this person is. He could turn into an unstoppable force; one that would bring the eye of the Volturi upon us. You will remember this moment for the rest of your life. I still see the faces of every human whose life I took. I told you there are other lifestyles besides the one my family and I practice. Now you have tasted another option. Think of it as a learning experience."
She sank into his embrace, wishing he would just take her and they could run away from this mountaintop and forget that any of this ever happened. She knew he was right, though. So she pulled away and hesitantly moved back to the human's side. He was looking up at her with wide eyes, but she couldn't be sure if he could even see her. His eyes were glazed over with pain, and his limbs were drawn up to himself. She laid a cool hand on his forehead, and he relaxed slightly. She sighed.
"How do we do this?"
Edward was making a small fire, striking rocks together to see if the wood would catch. Eventually it did, and he sprang up, suddenly in a hurry.
"We have to do this quick, before the fire gets too big and park rangers are alerted."
Bella nodded once, and kept her eyes on Edward. He grabbed the man's body and stood him up, bracing his arms behind him. Groans and cries flooded out of his slack jaw, and Edward beckoned Bella forward.
"Hold him like this."
She obeyed, taking Edward's place and making sure not to breathe in. She was afraid if she smelled his blood again she would lose it. She watched Edward with careful eyes as he pounced on the stranger's shoulders, grabbing the meat of his neck and twisting. It was as effortless as if someone had asked him to open a pickle jar. The man's head came off, his neck now a tangled mess of torn flesh, exposed muscle, and spouting blood. It sprayed Bella's face and clothes, and she shut her eyes tight. She felt herself begin to waver.
"Edward!"
He wrenched the body away from her and pushed her towards the trees. She watched as he tossed piece after piece into the fire, and the flames swallowed him whole. She noticed a small, leather wallet on the ground and picked it up. It must have fallen out during their struggle. She hugged it to her.
"I'm so sorry."
She opened it against her better judgement, curiosity winning over. She wanted to put a name to a face; hoping it would give her some kind of peace. A picture fell out almost instantly, cascading to the ground with the gentle grace of a feather. She ignored it for the moment and focused on the driver's license.
"Keith Newton."
When she read the name, it awakened some memory within her, but it was far to distant to reach. She looked into the man's pale blue eyes. Her gaze flickered back to Edward, who was now working on extinguishing the fire. All traces of the person on the license were gone except for piles and piles of black ash. His goldenrod hair had vanished, as had the hunting garb he had been outfitted with. It was as if he had never been on the mountaintop at all. She could inhale easier now that the smell of his blood had been replaced by the overpowering scent of burnt flesh and cinders. She bent down to retrieve the fallen photograph, turning it around. Streaks of blood marred the surface, and she glanced at her fingers. Spotting red, she wiped them on her already ruined dress. Once she was satisfied, she brought the photo closer. It was Keith and a boy. His face was covered by a red streak, and she rubbed it lightly. As it cleared, she gasped. She finally knew where she knew his name.
Hearing Bella exclaim, Edward bounded to her side and saw her staring at a picture. He noticed the wallet in her other hand and knew instantly where the items had come from. He came around and peered over her shoulder. He too recognized the smiling boy in the photograph. Mike Newton stared up at them, pulled close by his father's strong arms. Bella crumpled the photo up and stuffed it into the dying embers of the fire. She sank to her knees, watching Mike's face be eaten slowly by a trickle of orange flame. Edward kneeled in front of her, watching her cautiously. She glanced up at him.
"What have I done?"