Disclaimer: The Twilight Saga is owned by Stephanie Meyer. I don't happen to be her; therefore, I cannot possibly own it.
Rating: Rated 'T' for 'Teen'. May change later.
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Family, Fluff, Friendship, First Time, General, High School, Horror, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Supernatural, Vampires
Warnings: Adult Content, Blood, Discriminatory Language, Violence
Pairings: Jasper/Bella, Emmett/Rosalie, Carlisle/Esme, Peter/Charlotte
Summary: Your typical story. Boy meets girl. They fall in love. A baby is quickly made. What happens when the boy's a vampire? What happens when said vampire is killed before the baby's born? Renée doesn't know what's going to happen to her baby, but Nahuel promises to keep it safe from his father. Jasper/ Bella
13. Kitty
1992
Bella's P. O. V.
Due to different vampires being in the area, I took to performing patrols, something I did weekly on our Mississippi and Chicago properties. It consisted of running around the border of my territoryreally it was Nahuel's and Huilen's territoryand marking the occasional tree with my venom. This consisted of using my nails to give the tree a sharp scratch like a set of claw marks to get past the bark, lathering my fingers in my venom until they were saturated and dripping with it, and swiping it into the newly revealed wood. The scentespecially if was the concentrated venom used for bond biteswould last for a great deal of time, and with enough applications, it would engrain into the wood itself for a partially permanent marker of claimed land. It was something that was usually done in the Southern Vampire Wars throughout the Northern portion of South America and Southeast portion of America.
It took barely two months for our family of five to become a family of eight. Thankfully, the Amazon Sisters weren't enthusiastic about pretending to be human by living in houses, so they stuck to swinging around in the wilderness and keeping their possessions in the tree house. I enjoyed Zafrina's company the most; she was much more carefree than Senna and Kachiri. She also enjoyed a battle more as well, so I had to split her available time with my father.
Always, I would ensure I surrounded everyone's minds by my radar when they were in the area. Seeing as they only left to feed, this was more often than not. As I did this, I became more comfortable with the action, and it became more natural. Eventually, it became second nature and I no longer had to think about it for it to happen. Even without Zafrina around, I was protecting their minds when I was awake and asleep.
The radar could also reach out further. Back in 1954, it could only stretch out six miles, similar to my physical shield. Now, those lengths were almost doubled. Most of the physical aspect had been done because of how much I worked with it off and on during the past forty-six years, but the mental aspect had been recent. Never had I needed to protect someone mentally, I only sought others out to know where people were.
My parents realized I couldn't stand to be around so many people, with everyone so close, my instincts to claim my territory skyrocketed. So, they built me my own fancy tree house about ten miles to the East of Huilen's and Nahuel's. These things had a special name, but every time my aunt and brother tried to tell me what they were called, I waved them away, enjoying being able to call them 'fancy tree houses'. I still performed my patrols, every year expanding my territory by a couple of miles, but I put an extra amount around the area I needed to sleep.
A conundrum that had been solved was the pain that came along with attacking my physical shield. Senna hadagainst all warnings we gavedecided to put herself against me, not believing that something that was physically half as strong and half as fast as a vampire could beat her illusionist sister. My family quickly found out that the reason Senna rarely fought was because she lost her temper within a few blows. Unfortunate for the Amazon warrior, her hostility was too much for me to remove from her psyche while I struck back and it lashed out instead. She dropped to her knees, convulsing in pain. Still, it was nothing compared to the last time Daddy tried to fight it. The pain accumulated with the time spent around the person, not because my shield was strengthening.
That was also the day we informed the trio everything about what my gifts could do, including the mimicry.
"You are all idiots," Zafrina had stated. "It is not a 'radar'. It is a mental shield. You have a rare talent, Little One."
So, the illusionist began teaching me the ways of her gift. It was difficult to do, more difficult than Jasper's empathy. His had been somewhat effortless since I already knew what most emotions looked like from Mama's aura reading talent. It was making the emotions remove themselves without causing my mind pain that had been problematic.
Zafrina had been patient in her lessons, giving me different pointers in how to allow people to see the illusions I wanted them to. Then, one day, it was obvious. It was my shield. Not only had I been protecting them from her gift, but mine as well. I had to relearn how to wrap their minds to leave me able to access them as well. Honestly, I figured it would take longer than wrapping them had become second nature, but it was easier than I thought it to be.
The first thing they asked to see? How my gift differed from my mother's. I showed them the fabrics, how they broke, how I could make more, how they tasted, how they felt. Which led us to know that Zafrina's talent and mine were different as well. Whereas she could only affect three sensessight, sound, and smellI could manipulate all five. They could taste the chocolate of romantic love; they could feel the silk of a supernatural creature. They could feel how when an emotion lashed back at me, it caused a scratchy pain. Of course, this wasn't a mental pain for them, but it was across their skin. Not nearly as painful.
As soon as I began performing illusions successfully, they began asking to see visions. If they decided to do this, what would happen? If they decided to do that, how would it affect their future? I had to sleep and eat more, because I was using up my resources with all the extra energy I had to use showing them their requests. And since nothing they asked to see was unreasonable, I showed them. Unfortunately, if anyone was within a six mile radius of me, I woke up from whatever sleep I managed to get because of my worry over what they wanted to see.
Never did I speak of how these things affected meI liked to keep my downfalls to myselfbut Kachiri noticed. She took to standing guard seven or eight miles away from my house to ward away anyone who came close when I needed to sleep. The woman had been a blessing to me, because before she had done that, I could feel myself growing short tempered with everyone I came across. Honestly, how no one picked up on it, I wasn't sure.
Sure, Daddy was a bit too laid back and never thought about anyone's actions and how they might relate to their emotions and their well being, but that didn't mean he was entirely oblivious! And Mama was entirely too self obsessed and rarely noticed anything outside of what had to do with her wants and needs, but she wasn't completely self-centered. Then, there's Nahuel, he might've realized that I was the better candidate where the family's safety and happiness was concerned and he was looking for a reason, any reason, so show the family that I wasn't as amazing as they thought me to be, but that didn't mean he was horrible enough to not ask if I was alright if he noticed that I wasn't at my best. Plus, Huilen was too submissive, she would rather me go to her and inform her to feed than tell me she needed to go and ask if there was anything that might cause her to delay her plans, but she wasn't so meek as to not inquire about my well being.
"You are stressed, Little One," I heard Zafrina say. "Do not give me attitude. I know you and I know how you are when you are stressed. You are stressed." This woman had easily become my best friend in our time spent with them. I'd miss her when we'd go to leave. At least cell phones were becoming popular; I could get her one of those before we moved on and we could still talk once in a while if she remembered to charge it.
I shrugged. "I'm fine."
Her throaty laughs sounded through the air. "You are not 'fine'. You are upset. What troubles you?" She sat beside me, her legs over the porch's edge like mine. Unlike her, I tended to swing them childishly. More than one pair of flip-flops had been lost that way.
"Why did no one but Kachiri notice when I wasn't getting any sleep?"
"My sisters and I recognize the signs of the illusions of someone who is merely beginning. My own had not been too good. Your family is not, and you are not particularly skilled at it quite yet. It takes time and effort to have them appear flawless. You had been manipulating their view of you to be happy and healthy."
As much sense as it made, it troubled me. "I've been casting an illusion over myself? I hadn't been trying to! Gosh, this is like my physical shield all over again." Why couldn't I just turn these things off?
"When I had been starting out on using my illusions, it worked by my desire for my sisters to see the daydreams I had. I had such an imagination, and they would see my imaginings. You desire for your coven to see you as happy and healthy, not sick and miserable, so they do not understand that you are suffering by your lack of eating and sleeping." She quickly glared at me. "I knew you were skimping on your feeding. You might not enjoy the hunt, but you have not been looking after yourself properly."
She was right, of course. Typically, my father would hunt down my meals for me. He enjoyed the extra food he had to catch for me to feed. While I was an omnivore, I usually stuck to meat. I could kill two birds with one stone in eating the bloody, raw meat from whatever animal he caught me. Predators were the best tasting; alligators being my favorite. However, since I was using more energy in the illusions, my one medium sized animal a day wasn't enough anymore. I had been hoping that my family would lose eventually interest in asking me to show them which decision would bring them the best outcome, but it didn't look like that would be anytime soon. So, I'd have to either tell Daddy to catch me another beastwhich wasn't happeningor I'd have to hunt myself. Seeing as alligators weren't populous in this area, and they were the only animal I enjoyed wrestling down for a meal, I'd have to find another solution.
I'd see if Kachiri wouldn't mind hunting me something down prior to my sleeping at night. Heck, she and her sisters were the epitome of a huntress; she'd most likely enjoy it. 'Hunt for yourself. Don't let anyone know.' Or I could do as Peter's gift advised and keep people out of this.
"Is it that you have not hunted yourself? Perhaps the body needs that, the feel of hunting down prey."
"I haven't hunted for quite some time, and I've gotten sick since coming here. You might be right. I'll go before I head for bed tonight." I bid her a farewell and watched her leave.
Since Daddy had already hunted for me this morninga herbivore per usual, we didn't want to use up all tasty foodI'd have to tell him before he set out tomorrow that he would no longer be necessary to catch my fare for me. Tonight though, I'd be doing something I hadn't done since Mississippi. I'd be hunting.
I watched her crawl through the forest, crouched down upon the sturdy tree branch. Oh, she was a lovely one, larger than most I'd eaten since living in the Amazon. Had my father been saving the good game for himself? Did he think I needed to eat so little? Just last week, he caught me numerous little rabbits instead of a big beast. He never had to skin those creatures, so he didn't know how aggravating it was to ensure that there wouldn't be any disgusting pelt going down my throat or stuck between my teeth. Besides, I enjoyed using their hide for clothing. A couple of years ago, the sisters began teaching me how to do this.
When we got back to America, my father was certain hunt me down a massive bear so that I could have a rug underneath my bed. I had been planning on making a cute purse with those rabbits, or at least fill the inside of a jacket with the soft bunny fur. If we vacationed in Africa next summer like we planned, I could have a crocodile wallet or crocodile boots! I already had a wonderful jaguar mini-skirt Jasper would love. And there I went thinking about that man again. Never could I truly shake him from my thoughts. But, that was the purpose of the mating bond.
Thankfully, before I set out to find my food, I had asked the clairvoyant knowing for the best place to find my meal and it directed me to the outskirts of a small village in the opposite direction of the city we drove to for any human things we needed to take care of. The moment I set my eyes on the panther, I knew she was mine. As of right now, she was trailing after two little kids that were playing far too close to the wilderness. Maybe she could scare them before I hauled her off; they needed to learn that the woods was a dangerous place. Hopefully they wouldn't get nicked; human blood smelt disgusting.
Just as I planned, she announced her attack, leaping to the children. Immediately, they dropped the wooden spears they were playing with as they screamed and ran for their parents for safety. I grabbed the creature by the tail, yanking to get her attention. She turned, wanting me as her meal instead. Well, sorry miss, but you're my food. I teased her into following me into the woods; she happily complied with my taunts.
"Here kitty, kitty, kitty…" She roared, upset. Honestly, it was like she could understand me. Perhaps it was the mocking tone of voice. Then, she sniffed the air and stiffened, hissing at me. She knew I was a bigger dog than her from the scent of my venom alone. "Come're kitty…" Dodging the swipe of her paw, I nearly lost my new shirt. Mama just bought this for me; imported fancy something or other from Italy. It was expensive… and hot. I hated it. At least it wasn't the nun-like fashion Daddy picked out for me; did he want me to have a heat stroke?
"Come on kitty. I don't bite while you're still alive." She charged and that was all I needed. Quickly, I snapped her neck and tossed her onto my shoulder. I'd run the forty-five minutes back home with her on my back, but that didn't matter much. It wasn't like she was heavy for little ol' me.
Perhaps I could get Kachiri to skin her for me while I took a shower. This thing was huge and she always did a better job than me with her millenniums of experience. My work was much better than any human fur I'd seen, but they were never as pretty as her quick, skilled strokes.
Ending Author's Notes: No pet kitties here. Vampire venom is lethal to animals, so says Stephanie Meyer.
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