With One Look.

Chapter 2

The flames finally faltered as they left my limbs slowly ascending to my chest. When it reached my heart, it exploded into an even worse pyre, lifting my torso off the ground. It finally escaped and my heart stopped beating.

Was I truly dead now? I wondered. But I still heard the birds chirping from the trees and the leaves as they rustled like wind chimes from the breeze . I could even hear voices not far off and I wondered if they were from a search party as they looked for me and my beautiful new friend.

I also wondered if the demon had killed my beautiful would-be savior. As I crawled away the thought made me sad. I finally opened my eyes to a much clearer vision. I could even see the tiniest bugs that crawled on the ground. I found this strange, especially since it was dark and I shouldn't be able to see much of anything, but I saw clearly as if it was day.

I removed the leaves that covered me and I jumped to my feet at a rate that frightened me, wondering how that was even possible. I looked at my surroundings, not seeing anyone close, and once again I wondered how I heard voices when there was no one around to speak them.

Was I dead? was I some kind of ghostly spectre that returned from the dead; could I be seen? This scared me as well. After all, I couldn't hear my heart beating - which was yet another conundrum I had to figure out.

The one thing I did know was that I had to get home and as I looked down at myself, I noticed what a mess I was. I couldn't walk through town looking like this, so I opted to use the woods to make my trek home.

I started out walking but began to run, and it wasn't long before I realized that the trees were passing by me at a remarkable speed. I stopped and looked around; every nerve in my body came alive at that moment with fear.

Another thing I noticed was I wasn't breathing hard. I had just run probably a mile and didn't feel tired in the least. What is happening to me? I began again to walk towards the house. I needed my mother to hold me in her arms and tell me it would be all right.

As I rounded the last bend, I jogged to the house. There was a candle burning in the window, and I was sure it was put there for me, a light to show my way home. As I got to the front door I smelled the most amazing aroma. I hadn't even noticed how hungry I was until I got home.

There was this burning in the back of my throat, and although it was bothersome, I didn't think anything of it other than needing some water to quench my dry throat. Now I felt the urgency to eat, almost like I'd die if I didn't have the amazing aroma that was on the other side of the door.

"Mother," I called from the door as I opened it and entered the house. My mother cried out for me as she ran into the living room asking me where I've been for the last three days, but stopped in her tracks once she set eyes on me. At the same time something happened to me I couldn't stop.

That amazing aroma hit me and I lunged for my mother, sinking my teeth into her neck and experiencing the most wonderful taste I had ever wrapped my teeth around. The warm liquid slid down my throat and eased the pain I held there, I think I even moaned in a tizzy. The taste was something I'd never had before and enjoyed immensely.

Once I had finished I stepped back and let what I held fall to the floor. It was then that I saw it was my mother. I became frantic, screaming at what I had done, but I couldn't help it. Had I become what that demon was that attacked me and my beautiful savior?

I fell to the floor and pulled my mother into my arms and rocked her as I sobbed tearlessly. I had killed my mother and become the monster that others had told me existed, that I didn't believe in. I didn't even know what I was, demon … Yes. Monster? … Yes, but what kind? What is it that the demon hunters call my kind now?

In thinking this, a thought came to my mind of my beautiful man's father. He was a hunter and with his son's disappearance he would be hunting the woods for his son.

I had to flee once again as we did when we left America, but now I was the hunted. If they found my mother they would guess it was me, so I had no other choice but to leave this place and find another place to hide, but where? Where do monsters like me hide?

I looked down at my dead mother and picked her up and ran from the house back into the woods. I ran a few miles before getting on my hands and knees, digging a grave with my own hands.

With my new-found speed it didn't take long. I laid my mother in the ground in her new burial-place. I covered her with the dirt I pulled from her grave and I laid a few large boulders on top so I would be able to find her again someday and after shedding a few more dry tears I ran off to find a place to hide.

As I ran I thought back trying to decide what kind of demon I was. I remembered reading a book one day, or skimming through it anyway, at the mercantile. Those kinds of books weren't allowed in our house and being me, I was curious so while at the shop I saw a copy of this story some priest wrote about demons and skimmed through it.

I remembered reading similar things that I was going through, well most of them anyway. The speed, strength and the need for blood to survive, but the other things I had read didn't add up. The book was to some extent fictional and what had happened to me was real, I guessed that there would be some differences in the author's analogy. Was I truly a vampire? It was the only thing I could come up with so until proven wrong, I would assume I was a vampire.

I traveled for days staying in the thicket of the woods trying to stay away from anyone. The burning in my throat returned and that scared me.. I didn't want to hurt anyone again, but as I neared another village I came across a man who was beating on a woman, she screamed for him to stop, but he wouldn't.

I watched as he ripped the clothes from her body and I saw what he planned to do with her. She continued begging for him to stop to no avail. A growl erupted from deep in my chest as I watched this man try to take this woman against her will. I quietly sneaked around to the other side. The woman was now lying on the ground with the man standing over her chuckling.

"You want this as much as I do, bitch," he sneered. She closed her eyes still begging and I saw my chance. I snatched him so fast that once the woman opened her eyes he would be gone and she could get out of there, which she did. I slammed him into the brick wall.

"You like taking women without permission, you son-of-bitch! I'm taking you without yours," I said, meaning a whole different thing. I sunk my teeth into his neck and drained him dry, dropping him at my feet after breaking his neck. I picked him up and carried him off to the woods and buried him in a shallow grave.

I felt better. I had saved a woman from the worst thing that could happen to any woman. It was then I decided that that's how I would survive, off the monsters of this world. I even thought of going back to America and eating Marcy, for starting all the debauchery back in Salem, but dropped it after thinking she wasn't worth it now, especially since I've become one of the monsters.

Months turned into years and years turned into more years, I don't know how many years had passed, but it had been a very long time since I turned. I've taught myself how to survive and stay away from the humans, only being around them to feed.

I've washed myself and my clothing in many different rivers, and I've hidden in places no one would believe, but mostly in the groves of trees. I've broken into houses when they leave and stolen an outfit once mine was in nothing but tatters, never taking more than what I needed.

I tired of living in England and decided to start seeing more of the world. I dove into the ocean and swam for what seemed like an eternity until I came to another shore.

I had no idea where I was, but I knew I'd find out sooner or later and did when I approached a little town not far from the sea. I didn't understand the language they spoke, but I kept my eyes open until I finally figured out that I was in Italy.

This place wasn't much different from living in England, it just wasn't as wet. The one thing I admired about this place was that I could probably travel the entire length of this country and never leave the damn forest. But I pretty much stayed closer to the more populated areas being careful not to be seen.

My food source stayed the same. I still only drank from the rapists and murderers, just the evil ones mostly, you know the ones who didn't deserve to draw a breath, and I always hunted in the evenings just so no one would see my red eyes and my sparkling skin which was another thing I couldn't figure out.

I'd hate to scare the living hell out of some kid or unsuspected mother to be. So yeah, night-time was my feeding time, and even then I put it off for as long as I could, usually every couple of weeks or until I couldn't stand the burning in the back of my throat any longer.

I did roam around a lot just to check out the countryside. It was unbelievably beautiful here, especially near the ocean. There were cottages built into the side of the mountains in some parts of this country, but mostly around the ocean.

I actually found this one town that had a castle built right in the center of the town. It had an old and creepy vibe to it, but it didn't seem to bother the town's folk. The stones that it was made of were old and gray, and the door was thick, and held large black brackets to hold it together.

The windows were long and wide, flat on the bottom, rounded and drew into a point at the top. No one could see in or out because of the heavily stained glass. And although I've never seen one, it made me think of a prison with the windows of a church. The only thing showing was the front of it; the rest was surrounded by a tall stone wall that went on forever and backed up to the forest making the other side of this castle unseen. It made me wonder who owned it.

There were a few towns that I ventured into, but only at twilight, and even then I still kept my head down. I would go into small shops and lift a book or two to give me something to do while I roamed the forests.

I had been here for a while, and I was thinking about continuing on with my travels. I walked in the thickest part of the forest when I walked around this pile of boulders and ran into something I didn't expect.

In front of me stood, what looked like a giant wolf, he stood on his hind legs and his patched fur looked as though he had seen too many fights.

His face almost looked human, but his snout protruded from his face. He growled loudly as his lips rolled back from his teeth that were sharp and menacing. He stood a good four feet taller than me if not more and saliva dripped from the side of his mouth. He began to growl louder causing me to back away slowly trying not to anger him any further than he already was.

As I took another step back I tripped over a tree root that protruded from the ground. It was then he dove for me. Now I know I'm stronger than a human or most animals, but this thing was huge, his muscles bulged out everywhere. I knew he could probably kill me so I began to worry, but as soon as he dove something came out of nowhere and tackled the beast and threw him to the ground.

This something was a man or rather another vampire. He was the first I'd seen since I had been turned, however long that had been. Other beasts began to come into sight, but more vampires appeared as well. I moved out of their way and huddled next to a tree while these warrior type vampires killed what was left of the beasts.

One of the men looked over at me. He was very handsome. He wore a black suit with a red ascot around his neck and a chained necklet that hung over that with a V that hung at the end. He also had a black cloak lined in red that he opened and threw over his shoulder on one side.

He was tall and muscular, not as muscular as the wolf like creature that they had just killed, but where it mattered most, in his arms, legs and chest. His slender nose pointed at the end and he seemed young. Although masculine, he was still beautiful. Was very masculine but beautiful.

His hair was platinum blond almost the color of his skin, but not quite. It hung to his shoulder, but was pulled back with strands that fell from the tie that held most of it back.

After talking to one of his men in their language he began to walk toward me. He stopped just in front of me and held out his gloved hand for me to take. I put my hand in his as he to pull me to my feet. He greeted me in his language that I didn't speak and I told him so.

"I'm sorry, I don't speak your language," I explained hoping he understood English. He gave me a sexy smirk and began again.

"What is your name, and what is your business here?" he asked.

"My name is Isabella, and I…am just traveling, spending time here admiring your countryside," I told him.

"Are you a newborn, and if so where is your sire?" he continued. I frowned at him not knowing what he meant.

"What is a newborn or a sire?" I asked, completely confused.

"A sire is who made you," he said with a furrowed brow and then he spoke again. "When were you turned?" he asked. So many questions - who did this guy think he was? He must think of himself as some kind of of king , I thought to myself.

"Well, I'm not completely sure; I mean I was attacked in the spring of 1697. I wasn't even sure what I was until I read some book that kind of gave me an idea of what I was and you're the first I've seen that has even come close to what I look like," I told him. He looked at me in shock and shook his head. And with a sigh he finished.

"My name is Caius Volturi, I am one of three brothers that rule over this land and the world of vampires, and you are … a vampire. We have laws that govern our race of which I'm sure you have no knowledge, but I will make it clear to you how it works. Where did you live when you were turned?" he asked.

"England, I've been there most of the time, I've only come here recently," I told him. I was shocked myself with the knowledge of there being kings who rule over vampires.

"Well, seeing we have not received any news of any disruptiveness in that area, I'd say you didn't make your presence known to any humans, so I guess you're safe in that respect. We have a law that no human is to know of our kind. If this happens, you are to either kill said human or turn them to be one of us, and if that be the case it is your responsibility to make sure the one you've turned doesn't make him or herself known either," he explained.

"Oh…no…I kept myself hidden at all times. I only fed at night and stayed in the dark shadows. I also buried my kill in the woods afterwards," I told him.

"Do you think you would recognize the vampire who turned you?" he asked.

"Yes, he was trying to drain me, but there was this man who tried to save me. He caught the vampire's attention leaving me to scurry away," I told him.

"So there was another? Do you know if the other human lived?" he asked. I shook my head.

"I don't know, but I doubt it," I told him.

"Okay, why don't you come with me, you can get cleaned up and we can see what we can do about bringing you up to speed about what you are and what you need to know about our kind," he replied.

"Thank you," I said, as he gave me a beautiful smile. He grabbed my arm and turned me to walk in the direction he was going. After letting go of my arm he placed his hand on the small of my back and led me to his home, which just happened to be the castle I saw earlier. I was kind of afraid to enter this place, but he urged me on and led me into this monstrosity.

As we entered the castle the huge room looked mostly like a reception area, all modern, and a human sat behind the desk. Caius looked down at me and grabbed my arm. It took me a minute to figure out that he thought of me as one of his newborns he spoke of earlier, but I had taught myself long ago to control my urges when around humans.

He also called something over his shoulder to his men in his own language. I don't know what he said, but they dispersed and went their own way. Once we passed the human sitting at the desk and walked down a long hall, he released his hold on my arm and once again placed his hand on my lower back as we walked.

We came to a huge door. It had to be at least ten feet tall and six feet wide, and it held more of the same black brackets as the front door. He walked in front of me and leaned against the door with both hands as both doors swung open. Once they were completely open he held out his hand towards the room, and beckoned me to enter.

A/N: I have decided to post one chapter every day...enjoy...huggs.