Chapter One

~17 years later ~

A young woman with long, dark golden hair looked around the room she called hers. Every detail in the ceiling boards and the papered walls stood out to her. She could see every fine line in the natural wood planks and even saw moisture collecting on the window to her right from the night's dew. She slowly sat up and gazed around even more, noticing further details she had missed her fist 17 years of life. Movement outside her door caused her head to snap to her left. The doorknob turned and she could hear the mechanism in the knob moan as it was twisted. The door opened and the woman she called mother entered her room. The young woman again noticed details she had never seen before—her mother's skin was flawless porcelain in every area but on the right side of her neck where the young woman could see a silver crescent that looked like teeth marks.

"Catherine, you're awake. How do you feel?" Her mother asked.

The young woman, Catherine, started to nod, noticing that the normal cricks in her neck were gone. "I feel…" she stopped. Surely that voice was someone else's.

Her mother smiled widely. "It's alright, darling girl. This was meant to happen."

Catherine's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean? What happened?" She sat up straighter and moved her legs over the bed. It was when she looked down at her hands on the blanket covering her that she noticed her skin seemed to glow in a pearlescent sheen. She shifted her hand and the light from the window hit it in just a way that her skin shimmered like a thousand diamonds of the finest quality. She gasped and looked at her mother.

The woman grinned still and said, "You're a vampire, darling. Nathan decided it was time. He bit you three days ago and we've been waiting for you to wake."

As soon as she heard those words, Catherine gasped as she remembered feeling as if her body were being torn apart and burned all at once. She remembered fire coursing through her veins and then suddenly feeling like she was floating, then nothing. "No…" she muttered.

The woman nodded. "It had to be done. We will never part with you."

"No! You knew I didn't want this life! How could you? You took that choice from me!" Catherine stood to her feet too quickly, unused to her new speed, and caused the bed behind her to shake and jump slightly.

A figure appeared behind Catherine's mother. "You should remember who brought you to us and saved you from the woman who abandoned you at birth." The man stepped into the light.

"And for that I will always be grateful, to have been raised in love. But this was the choice you told me would always be mine! How can you expect me to thank you for taking that from me?!" Catherine shouted.

"Be still!" The man shouted back. Catherine stepped back, her calves hitting the bed. The man looked to the woman. "Prepare her to hunt, Nicole. I will give you five minutes." He left.

"Come, Catherine. Nathan is right. It is time you hunt." She reached out and offered Catherine a hand.

Catherine looked down. "I will never feed. I will wither and fade. I will go to the Volturi! I won't do this—"

"Silence!" Nicole's voice struck her as hard as the hand that came up. Catherine's head turned with the thunderous sound from Nicole's hand against her cheek. "You will hunt and you will feed!"

"Mother—"

"No more. Nathan and I have given you new life. You would be wise to remember who you owe it to."

"…I will never forget who took my life from me." Catherine's cold, red eyes turned from the floor to her mother. "I will never forget who took my life the moment you saved me from abandonment. I would have rather died an infant than know the cruelty that has been dealt me."

Nicole seemed to shake in rage. Nathan came in a flash behind her.

"Your hunt has started. Come." He took her arm and sped through the small house and out to the yard.

Catherine took her arm from Nathan and a step away. She was going to run at that moment, when she smelled something delicious. It reminded her of walking through the shops and smelling the delicious bakeries and perfume shops. She looked around and had to do a double take. There, in the middle of the yard, was a male figure she knew all too well.

"No… No! I won't!" She staggered back, hitting a hard arm placed by Nathan that prevented her escaping.

"You will. You will feed from him and learn our ways." He growled.

The figure in the yard was tall, muscular, and handsome. He was Catherine's intended. He looked as though in a trance; unable to move. "Ethan…" Catherine muttered in a small voice. As though he heard her, he snapped out of it and looked at Nathan in fear. He didn't hesitate to run away.

Nathan turned Catherine so they would be eye to eye. Catherine fought to not make eye contact, but Nathan made it impossible. "You will hunt him. You will kill him. You will drink every last drop of blood from his body."

The fight in Catherine's body stopped and she got a hazy look in her eyes. She nodded and repeated what was told to her. Nathan let go of her and she looked to where Ethan ran. She sniffed the air and took off after him. Nathan stayed in his place for several minutes. After waiting, a piercing scream hit his ears. It cut off suddenly and he could smell freshly spilled blood. He smirked to himself, knowing no one could refuse his orders. However, the smirk was the last expression he bore on his face. In the blink of an eye, Catherine, with blood dripping from her mouth, stood in front of him and snarled. With speed even he couldn't fathom a newborn having, Catherine snapped his head from his body. A sickening crack like glass shattering on stone echoed. Nicole, having heard the noise, came rushing to the front door. Seeing her mate on the ground and her adopted daughter throwing his head into the fire they kept outside the home to deter other vampires from smelling Catherine's (former) human scent, Nicole screamed at turned to Catherine. Knowing her doom was set if she stayed, Catherine ran from the place she called home for so long. She ran and ran and ran until she was sure Nicole was no longer behind her.

This was her life now. She would be running until Nicole was no more.

~3 Years later~

Catherine wiped her mouth and threw the limp, lifeless body into the river. Good riddance. Over the last three years, Catherine discovered a way to hunt and not kill innocent people. She went after the vilest of men and women. She devoured them quickly and threw their bodies to the wild. She was still alone. Alone for three years. It had been a life on the run for the first two, but she could only assume Nicole either died or tired of her chase, as this third year was peaceful. Still, she kept to the road and never stayed in one place too long.

A distant crunch was heard. Catherine spun to face the east and tried to see who was approaching. They were running. Two of them. Right to her! She knew there was no time to run. She could tell they were supernatural. Catherine hunched in a defensive stance, ready to at least fight enough to escape.

Two male figures stepped through the trees. Catherine was still a female. She could still tell when a man was attractive. And they were definitely attractive. Nevertheless, she remained defensive with her teeth bared. The men also took on slightly predatory stances and one bared his teeth at her.

"What do you want?" She hissed, her red eyes flashing between the two.

"We mean no harm, ma'am. That is, if you mean us no harm in return." One spoke. His voice held what an old friend used to call a southern drawl. Catherine eyed him and slightly rose from her crouch. The other figure didn't. She glared.

"I will hold if he does." She gritted.

The one who spoke nodded at his comrade. The other man seemed to hesitate, but also rose. Catherine waited till they were both standing, ready to run if need be. A sudden wave of reassurance hit her and she furrowed her brows at the ease in which she stood. Catherine looked at both and the one who spoke gave her a small smile.

"Apologies ma'am, but you looked ready to run before we had a moment to introduce ourselves." He said.

"That was you?" She gasped.

"I can sense and compel emotions. I'm sorry if that startled you. My name's Jasper Whitlock and this is Alexander Rodriguez." Jasper's blonde hair swayed as he gestured to his companion.

Alexander nodded, but didn't say anything. He was darker than Jasper in every way. From his dark hair to his deeply tanned skin, he was the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome.

"I'm Catherine. I… I'm sorry, I didn't know there were others in the area. I can leave within the week, if you need me to."

"That won't be necessary, stay as long as you need. We tend to hunt outside this area, so it doesn't draw any notice."

Catherine nodded. "Still, I don't want to impose."

"You won't be. We're nomads." Alexander finally spoke. He had a faint accent, but Catherine could tell it was muted by years of speaking only English.

Catherine nodded again and looked around. It had been so long since she had companionship. And if it got bad, she could just run… but she could also be endangering these two kind vampires. Taking a leap of faith, Catherine finally looked at the two men. "I'd really like to not be alone anymore."

Jasper gave her a shining smirk that would make Catherine blush if she could. "It'll be our pleasure to have a lady in our company." And so it went for two years.

~Two years later~

Catherine walked through town in 1943, noting how much the people had suffered from the war. She wished there were something she could do to help besides shredding fabric for the hospital. But with her and Jasper's trouble with blood, that was as close to hospital work as she could get. Alexander had a better handle on it and was able to assist the doctors when needed. She sighed. They had been here for one year—the longest any of the three had stayed in one place. Their relationships had grown exponentially since that first encounter. Catherine could easily say she fancied Jasper more than she should. He was a gentleman and they shared similar pasts, making their bond strong. Even Alexander had warmed up to her and became an older brother. He was several years older than Jasper and Catherine when he was turned, so he appeared in his early to mid-twenties. He was their unspoken leader. But even he needed help and would lean on Catherine to provide logical views on issues. It was often her call for when they moved. She felt the need to always be on guard. But after several months in this town of Montana, Catherine could tell the two men didn't want to move for a while. For immortal creatures, they were tired of running.

That changed that day Catherine was casually strolling through town. It was near dusk and the street lamps were yet to be lit by the local apprentice boys. She had just stepped past an alley, when a strong arm reached out and threw her into a wall.

"It's taken me a long time to find you, girl." A cold, familiar, female voice hissed into Catherine's ear. A slow grin formed on her face as she turned to see a tall brunette vampire standing behind her.

"Ana!" the two embraced.

"How have you been, Catherine?" Ana's voice softened as she smiled at her young friend. Ana was a vampire Catherine met shortly after starting her travels with Jasper and Alexander. She was much older than the three and was able to give them some advice. However, her natural nomadic persona prevented her from ever staying with a group of more than just herself. Through Ana's help and gifting, Alexander was able to fully remember his past. Ana's gift was to return memories lost to people and vampires alike. Alexander would always view Ana as a mother the way she showed him his past and the help she was when they all needed it most.

"I've been well. Ana, what are you doing here?" Catherine knew that a visit from Ana wasn't without reason.

"Nicole has help. She found a tracker and they are on your tail. You need to run and keep running." Ana's deep alto voice confirmed her thoughts.

Catherine became quiet. Leave? After so long in peace? What would she tell Jasper and Alexander?

"I will help you get to Canada and throw them off. But I can't go any further—I must return to my home finally." Ana rested her hand on Catherine's shoulder.

"Ana, what am I to tell them? We just made a home here. It's been a year of peace and rest!"

"By staying here with them, you are endangering them. You all need to leave and you must stay away from them if you want them to be safe."

Catherine was quiet again for several minutes, thinking about what Ana was telling her. She knew she was right. She did. But that didn't make the choice any easier. Finally, after what seemed like hours, Catherine nodded. She had to do this for Jasper and Alexander.

"I will wait for you on the border of town tonight at midnight. Say your goodbyes or stay silent. But know you are making the right decision for them." Ana instructed.

"Very well. I will see you later."

~At the house with the boys~

Catherine had to hold in her feelings very carefully, or Jasper would know something was wrong. As she casually "cleaned up" her room, she replayed the plan. Ana would take her to Canada's border and from there she would run for who knows how long. Jasper called out that he and Alexander were going out to hunt. Catherine breathed a sigh of relief. She waited until she could no longer hear their steps before she opened a drawer and pulled out her pad of paper and a fountain pen.

I'm sorry. You're safer this way.

Run. Run far and fast.

Don't stop and don't look for me.

I will always love you both.

Catherine

She folded the page once and placed it in a spot she knew they would see. Looking around the house one more time, she picked up her bag and stepped through her door. She ran to the edge of town—a place none of them would dare hunt, so she knew the boys wouldn't see her there. Ana was waiting for her and ready. Without waiting for her to get close, Ana started to run and Catherine knew she would have to run after her to keep up.

They ran until the morning was fading into day. When they finally made it into Canada, Ana slowed and waited for Catherine to reach her. The two didn't speak at all and only nodded at each other before Ana sped to the south. Catherine appreciated that because she didn't think she could hold herself together for drawn out farewells. She took a moment to collect herself before continuing her journey up north.

This was her life now. She would run for over 60 years, broken up by a few years with a nomad coven. But even that had to come to an end eventually. She stayed in the dark of large cities, feeding on the worst of humanity. But she grew tired. She was tired of running. So she made a decision.

In June of 2006, 85 years after her birth, she moved to a small town in the pacific northwest of America where she would stay until the end took her. One way or another.

That's when everything changed. Nothing would ever be the same again.