Chapter Two

Newest Recruit

Bella Swan

December 2004

The fire began to cool, finally. I could feel the smooth texture of an enamel bathtub beneath me. Where was I? I had no idea. I couldn't linger on the first conscious thought I'd had in a lifetime, though, because as the fire faded in my hands and feet it got worse in the center of my chest.

The fire gaining more heat didn't seem possible, it couldn't be, and yet it was happening. The raging inferno ripped through every cell in my body. I could hear my screams echoing around me. They reverberated painfully in my sensitive ears.

The flames in my chest were the hottest, white hot compared to the rest of my body, and I realized my skin was cooling where the burn was fading from my legs and arms. I wanted to sigh with relief, but I'd screamed and cried so much that my throat was raw and angry and I was still burning.

Icy arms and legs, but boiling hot water was bubbling in my chest. My heart continued to thud painfully in a harsh rhythm that had convinced me I was dying. The thought of death was still on my mind. With every gained inch of salvation, the fire coursing through my heart gained even more heat. The fire had focused fully on my chest and stomach when my heart began to pound faster.

There was too much stimulation; the sharp echoing screams, the fiery pain, the coolness of my body, the hard bathtub beneath me. It was all too overwhelming for me. The heat, the cold, the speed, the noise, my heart was taking it all in and racing towards some unknown outcome. One final surge of pain raced through me as the fire and ice collided with my thundering heartbeat. I shuddered violently. My heart stuttered a few beats and stopped.

Suddenly, it was all over.

And everything was too quiet.

My heart had stopped, I knew that immediately, and yet I was still alive? Or, if I was dead, then it felt a lot like being alive still. The burning was gone and that was all I could care about. The chill to my skin was a welcomed relief.

I sat up carefully, weary that the flames might start attacking me again, and took in my surroundings. I had no idea where I was. I was amazed at how well my eyes could see in the darkness of the room. I sat in a large iron bathtub in a decrepit bathroom and was covered in a dark dried substance that smelled so good it made my stomach twist painfully.

I breathed in and then gasped as flames erupted in my throat. My lungs filled with the tainted air and it brought with it all kinds of taste and sensations. I was suddenly distracted. I could smell the stale mold in the walls, the smell of rain in the air from the open window, and something...

That sweet delicious smell again! The flames burned my raw throat and my hands wrapped around my neck to try to smother the fire. The empty ache in my stomach wanted that smell so badly. I inhaled carefully, and the scent nearly drove me out of my mind. It was so powerful and impossible to ignore. I knew that the smell was a little off, almost as if it was old, somehow, but it still smelled so incredible. Even wrong, it was like heaven. It smelled like it was on me, and I glanced down at the reddish-brown substance that had dried all over me.

Dried blood, I realized.

Being me, I prepared myself for the usual nausea, light-headedness, and all the typical reactions I had whenever I saw blood. Instead all I felt was...need. A burning desire had me smelling of my shirt in order to get closer to the scent. I needed to somehow end this overpowering thirst.

What terrible thing had happened to me?

The door to the bathroom swung open and I was up on my feet instantly. I crouched with my back to the wall of the tub and hunched over in a defensive position I had never before taken in my life. It was an entirely instinctive move. I had never even decided to move. It happened so fast I was nearly dizzy.

The dizziness faded quickly. My eyes focused instead on a man taking a few cautious steps towards me.

He was dressed very plainly in dark clothing. I could see rips, tears, and stains in his shirt and jeans. He looked older than me, maybe mid-thirties or early forties, and he had the same crinkles around his eyes my father had when smiling. Thick black hair fell in waves that passed his collar slightly. His eyes were an unnatural shade of burgundy and his stare unnerved me as his demonic eyes gazed at me critically.

As soon as I saw them, the deep scars that marred his arms, neck, and face, a jolt of fear shot through me. I realized a majority of them were crescent-shaped scars. Teeth marked into his skin over and over again.

Fear ran through me, coming up from my chest and out of my teeth in a snarl so vicious that it startled me. I jumped backwards in the small space, hitting the wall so hard that I fell through the plaster and into the beams of the wall. For a moment, I was captivated by the way the dust floated in the air, but then the man laughed. It sounded both odd and wonderful, a deep sound like old church bells, and I focused on him again. The words escaped before I had even decided to talk to him.

"Where am I? Who are you?" I panicked.

I fell against the tub and tried to convince myself that the voice hadn't come from me. That wasn't my voice and it unsettled me deeply. I could recognize it as mine, it was like my voice, but different and alien.

"I'm Archer, but my friends call me Archie." He smiled, his eyes crinkled in the same way my father's did, and it put me a little more at ease. "What's your name, kid?"

I was hesitant, "Bella."

"You can trust me, Bella. I'm here to take care of you."

"What happened to me?" I asked, and I wanted to believe this man whose smile reminded me of my father's.

He smiled again, an easy charm to him. "Your questions will be answered later. Right now, you need to feed. Come with me, Bella." He offered me his hand.

"I-I don't know." I hesitated, so scared I didn't think I could move. I wanted so badly to believe his words, but something in my brain prevented me from doing so. He reminded me a little of my father, I should've felt safe, but there were things he wasn't telling me.

Surprise crossed Archer's face but he quickly masked the expression to try to hide it from me. He took another step towards me. I bared my teeth at him in warning, my chest rumbled in a threatening noise, and I had no idea why the hell I was making it.

"How strange," he murmured. His eyes focused on me, the burgundy irises intense. "You will follow me now." He commanded me.

"Like hell I will!"

"Shit." He swore before storming out of the room, slamming the door behind him forcibly, and I could hear the footsteps of someone meeting him in the adjoining room. "She won't listen!"

"Qué? What do you mean she won't listen?" The same woman's voice from the fire growled with anger.

"She must be different. She's not doing anything I tell her to do." Archer worried to her.

"Hmm, interesting." The woman remarked. "She may be of use to us then. Take her out by force. We'll do damage control later." She ordered him.

Archer came stomping back into the room. He didn't hesitate to grab me and throw me over his shoulder despite my growls and screaming.

"Bella! Stop! I'm helping you." He growled at me as he descended a flight of stairs and left the large decrepit house we had been in.

I beat against his back with my fist and he yelled out in either pain or frustration, I wasn't sure. I was trying my best to hurt him enough to have him let me go.

He ran impossibly fast, so fast that it disoriented me and stopped my screaming. I was fascinated that I could see everything around me as we moved at a blurring speed.

I was distracted again when a heavy rhythmic sound caught my attention. The thudding was accompanied by a smell in the air that had me lifting my head in order to get my nose closer to the source.

Then I was off. I don't know how fast I moved or how I managed to get out of Archer's iron-tight grip. I wasn't aware of anything but the heavenly scent I had wanted so badly before. I raced towards a rotting barn, that scent was practically pouring out of it, and it smelled so much better than when I'd first smelt it. It was right and good and seemed like the answer to all of my questions. Other sweet and familiar smells were in the air, but I ignored them all. I found the source of the mouthwatering smell and pinned it down with my body. My teeth sliced into it and I nearly moaned from the relief it gave me.

It was complete and utter ecstasy.

Warmth that was right and sweet eased the intense burning in my throat. It was soothing my burning throat as if it were the best cup of hot tea in existence. My body filled with joy. I relished in the extreme pleasure, and then I felt the darkest despair hit me as my source of relief ran out. I stood up and put my back to a wall, my eyes shut tightly in effort to savor the remains of the sweet relief on my tongue.

My joy turned into horror when I opened my eyes.

A woman laid dead near my feet. Her neck, twisted at the most ungodly angle, was torn and ripped open. Ribbons of flesh and muscle were exposed. Her glassy blue eyes stared at nothing. I screamed in shock and my hands flew to my face. But, they were drenched in the dead woman's blood. I hated that a sick desire to lick my hands of the remaining blood ran through me. The fire in my throat was already burning again.

"More?" The woman I'd heard talking to Archer purred and I spun to face the barn door.

She was a small woman, several inches shorter than me, and a whole foot shorter than Archie. Her olive-tinted skin held an odd pale pallor to it. Glossy dark hair flowed in pretty waves around her equally pretty face. Unlike Archer, her face and skin seemed to be free of any scarring. She eyed me with a knowing gleam in her eyes. There was a smirk on her full lips.

I shifted into another crouch against my own will. My nerves were so shot and overstimulated that I felt like I had whiplash. A warning growl rumbled deep in my chest when she took a step towards me.

"Oh! You're feisty, hmm? I like that." She laughed and smiled gleefully at me before spinning around to smile at Archer too.

"What happened to me?" I was begging her for a real answer.

"You've been changed. Freed from your previous human nature and given a new life. Yes, you're very welcome." She smiled as if I should praise and thank her for such a thing.

"Changed?" I questioned. My eyes focused again on my bloodied hands, the smell still appallingly exquisite, but my brain wouldn't let me accept the information.

"A vampira!" She laughed beautifully and clapped her hands in pure delight. "You're going to be a great addition to my army."

"Vampire? An army?" I struggled to comprehend how the words impacted me.

"What's this one called? I want to know her name." The woman turned to Archer, who was standing at attention just behind her shoulder.

"Bella, Maria." He answered her.

"Bella." Maria repeated as if she were committing it to her memory. "Don't let any one at her, if you can help it. Try to keep her face pretty. Keep her feisty. She'll be of good use, I'm sure."

"Yes, Maria." Archer nodded and he suddenly seemed to look at me as if I were a threat to him.

"So? Would you like more, Bella?" Maria asked, sounding perfectly friendly while my world was quickly crumbling around me.

"No!" I gasped in total horror. "I never want to do that to someone ever again! Why would I want that?"

She laughed delightfully again, "You're so funny! Or stupid, I can't be sure yet. Of course you want more, come along. You'll need your strength and-"

"No, no more." I shook my head and planted my feet firmly in the soil.

"Archer, order her." Maria turned to him quickly with curious eyes.

"Bella, come along, now." Archer turned his dark eyes on me and I again felt the slight pull to give in.

"No!" I resisted it and felt determined even more to resist. "No more. I won't hurt anyone again!"

Marias eyes turned contemplative, "Your choice then, I suppose. You'll weaken quite quickly, a true shame. Archer, watch her, keep her with the others."

"Yes, Maria." He nodded again and his eyes were entirely hateful as he glared at me.

"I suppose it's time to introduce you to the others then. Come with me." She ordered and her friendly tone was gone.

Archers hard eyes told me that this wasn't an option, he'd just drag me off somewhere with them again, and so I regretfully followed after him and Maria.

We left the old barn and headed back the way we had come. I realized with a start that I could smell the scent of the dried blood on my shirt in the air, like I had left a trail. Under the smell of blood were other scents, sweet and spicy at the same time.

We approached the old dilapidated house from earlier and Maria ran ahead inside while Archer pulled me to a stop. It was only a minute before Maria came out with dark clothing in her hands.

"Here, this should fit you fine. Change, now." She pushed a dark blue tank top and a black jacket into my hands.

I hesitated as they both stared at me and finally took a deep breath before shedding my tattered bloodied tank top. I threw on the clothes quickly, faster than I ever thought possible, and tried not to blush.

"There, no one should attack you now." Maria took my bloodied clothes from me and tossed them into a sparse bush nearby. "Well, as long as you don't cause trouble for yourself, that is." She turned towards Archer. "Put her with the others."

Archer's hand landed on my arm, and I instinctively spun to throw him off. He must've been expecting me to because suddenly both of my arms were locked in his tight grip, my back to his front. He pinned my arms up my back painfully and pushed me forwards into the house.

"Move, now, before I rip your arms off." Archer hissed in my ear.

Gone was the friendlier Archer then, I supposed.

I started to snap at him, but then felt his fingers dig deeper into my skin.

"Move," he commanded, his voice forceful.

He pushed me forwards towards the house and kicked the door open for us before pulling me sharply to the right. There was a heavy-looking door that Maria opened for us. As it opened, I realized it opened to a flight of stairs descending into a basement. I struggled in fear as I heard loud sounds of talking and fighting coming from the room.

"Try not to die, Bella. I so look forward to seeing how you turn out." Maria laughed before shutting the door behind us.

We descended the steps and entered a large basement with concrete floors and reinforced walls lighted very dimly, though I could see fine. The room was filled with people, I counted twelve heads quickly, and Archer pushed me further into the room before throwing me to my feet.

"Quiet! Up against the wall!" He ordered and the room immediately fell silent as everyone quickly moved to stand against a long wall. "This is Bella, our newest recruit, and a favorite already. Who's gonna take her?"

"I will." A beautiful girl with a long silky black braid running down her back stepped forwards. "I'll look after her."

"Lucky you, Bella. You got picked by a good one." Archer nudged me to stand up with his foot.

I stood to my feet quickly, still moving faster than I ever thought possible with my clumsy nature, and the girl quickly walked forward and took my hand in hers. She pulled me with her to stand against the wall, and a pretty looking boy stepped to the side slightly to allow me entrance.

"I'll be back for training at dawn, behave." Archer ordered the room. "I'll reward those that preform the best. Hope that gives you all some incentive. Your last training session was terrible." He sneered. "As you were." He dismissed everyone as he headed towards the staircase.

I stood there for a minute with my back against the wall, finally allowing my brain to catch up with the crazy succession of events I had been through in the last few hours. My head was spinning when the beautiful girl turned to face me.

"Hi Bella, I'm Sequoia, I'm going to be watching out for you, okay?" She introduced herself, placing a delicate-looking hand on my shoulder.

I instantly felt the sensation of cool water running through my veins, calming me and allowing me to get a grip on my emotions.

"Yeah, thank you." I nodded and tried to offer her a smile. "What's going on here?" I asked.

"Vampire army." The pretty boy put his hand next to my head against the wall and leaned towards Sequoia and I. "Maria calls the shots, Archer leads the trainings, and we all do what they say."

"But why?" I asked. "Why do these terrible things just because they say so?"

"Like we have any choice with Archer around." Sequoia sighed. "You know how when he tells you to do something, you feel as if you have no choice but to do it. Like your body forces you to go through with the order? That's his talent, control."

"No." I shook my head. "He and Maria both seemed interested in me when I didn't follow what he told me to do. Like I was breaking the rules."

"You're immune?" The boy gasped and several other people, vampires, I corrected myself, turned to look at me.

"What do you mean she's immune?" A tall man with a dark buzz cut took a few steps towards our grouping. "From Archer? As if!"

"Shut it, Roland." Sequoia warned him. "Stay away from Bella, she's with me and Dakota."

"Fine, as if I care." Roland shook his head and motioned for his grouping to follow him to the other side of the room.

"Don't let him bother you. I won't let anyone hurt you, okay?" Sequoia promised me.

"But why?" I asked her. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

"Because I know how scary it is at first. The feeling that you're about to come out of your skin. You just looked like you needed a friend. Dakota and I mostly stick together, but you seemed like you needed us." She explained.

"Quoia and I come from the same reservation." Dakota revealed. "We didn't really know each other that well, but when I got recruited a little while after her, we had to bond out of necessity. Don't worry, Bella, we'll look out for each other."

"Okay, thanks." I nodded. "So, do you think I'm talented then? Like how Archer controls people?"

"You definitely have to have something going on to be able to say no to Archer, that's for sure." Dakota nodded. "Quoia's talented too, she's in tune with the spirit, so she's a favorite of Maria's."

"The coolness, you did that earlier?" I asked her in amazement.

She offered me a breathtaking smile, "yeah, pretty cool, huh? I can manipulate peoples spirits, make them feel what I want them to. I'm still learning it though. But you needed some peace."

"Thanks." I smiled as much as I could muster. "I feel so lost. I'm struggling to keep up."

"It's a lot to handle at first, but you seem like you've got a good grip on things. Just a word of advice though, start thinking of any memory you want to keep from your human life now. Memories start to get fuzzy pretty quick. Parents, siblings, friends, anyone you want to remember you better start thinking of them right now." Dakota explained to me.

"Oh okay, thanks." I nodded.

"Here, lets go sit in the corner for awhile, let's let you think things through and readjust until Archer comes back for training." Sequoia took my hand and led me over to the corner next to the staircase. "No one ever bothers us over here." She pulled me to sit on the floor and put a strong arm around my shoulders. "I've got you, Bella. You're safe now."

Funny, I felt anything but safe.