The Girl Who Was Taken (Renesme Cullens Twin Sister)

Eight

There were so many people. They shined lights into my eyes. And I could see the ceiling moving above me, but it didn't feel like I was moving. They talked over me, and everything was happening so very fast. And I didn't know where I was or who these people were and I missed Daddy, and I hurt everywhere, and I just wanted to not exist.

They were lifting me up, but then I was set back down again on a different bed. And it was so bright. And I wanted to leave. I wanted to leave, but I couldn't. They wouldn't let me every time I tried. And I couldn't move, and they held me down. And I couldn't breath. And I could smell my blood and it smelled horrible. I wanted to puke. But they held me down, and I had to spit it out all over my chin because I couldn't turn my head.

They stuck something into my arm and I couldn't move. And everything kept going. But I couldn't go anywhere. And eventually I couldn't even be there. And it all went away and I was gone again.

When I woke up again, things were slower. But I still couldn't move. I was trapped. And there was a nurse there, and she was talking but I couldn't hear her, and I couldn't talk myself. The light was still too bright. My stomach was so empty it felt like it was caving in on itself.

There were tubes stuck in my arms, and something restraining my neck. I couldn't remove it though and I was scared. I was so scared. For a minute I thought that Daddy would save me, but then I remembered that he'd ran away. And I was slipping out of my body again. But this time it wasn't to oblivion.

I could think properly now. I could feel my whole body from my toes to my fingers and hips and lips and neck. And nothing was broken. And I was surrouned by people. Everyone that I didn't know was smiling. And there was the vampire lady who was angry when I burned the christmas tree. She was next to another vampire I  saw before. And I was sitting next to a man who smelled just awful. Almost as bad as my blood does.

And there were humans. The vampires didn't seem the slightest bit interested in eating them. And the smelly man handed me a pretty box. And the vampire woman said something about the accident last night and that I didn't have a present for him right then, but I'd get him something else. And they were all looking at me expectantly.

"Aren't you going to open it?" the smelly man asked. I decided his name would be Mister Smelly.

I held the box in my hand, making note of the use of all my fingers, and I tore the pretty paper away and lifted the lid off the box. Inside there was a bracelet. It was kinda weird looking to be honest. But Mister Smelly took it out of the box and held my wrist and started fastening it on. And his touch was so gentle and warm. So I touched his arm with my free hand and it was burning.

I realized that I wasn't cold and I liked being here. But I could feel myself slipping away. I didn't want to go back. To a cold place in a white room with lights that were too bright. I wanted to stay. Here. Right now. In this moment. I wanted so badly to stay. So I held on.

My eyes were squeezed tight, I was holding onto his arm with a death grip, but I was still slipping. And I started to scream, and tears ran from my eyes, and they were all surrounding me. Worrying about me. And I didn't want to leave them.

I felt something pulling me away though, tearing me from this life. They were gripping the edge of my soul, ripping me from my body. And I screamed and kicked and held on. And for a minute it let go.

I felt great. And safe. And home. And everyone I didn't know was there. And they were worrying over me. And I felt loved.

But then the moment was over, and the demon was back, taking hold of my body and ripping me out. It tossed me back to the dark and dreary place I came from. And I lost sight of the faces of the people I didn't know but who loved me anyways. And I couldn't see at all.

The lights were off. I could hear people breathing a couple feet away, but there were curtains preventing me from seeing who they were. Machines beeped and buzzed. Nothing about here was silent, but at the same time there was nothing to listen to except the deafening white noise and mechanic symphony of life support.

I ignored the pain and pulled the pins and tubes from my arms. I felt the thing restraining my neck and then began to tear it off. When I was free to move my head around, I cracked my neck into place and noticed that I also had gauze rapped around my arm, and so I tore that away too.

I hurt all over, but it wasn't as bad as it was at first. I felt more like I had bruises everywhere instead of cuts full of glass and broken bones.

I could feel my cheeks wet with tears, but most of the blood from earlier was gone or crusted over. I could breath properly and I could see everything despite the dark. I was raised in the dark after all.

I hopped off my bed and walked around the curtain. There was another bed and a sleeping occupant in it. My stomach was screaming at me, flipping over itself with hunger. The man was practically dead already. I took his wrist and bit down on it. The blood flooded my mouth, flowing down my throat, warming my body.

The man started to spasm, and I just wanted to enjoy a meal in peace, but he was ruining it. His arm kept jerking out of my mouth. And the noise he made by shaking could have woken someone else, so I pulled myself up onto the bed and took his head into my hands. I tried to shush him, tell him to calm down, but he just kept shaking and I was crying tears right onto his face, and I didn't know what else to do. I twisted his head until it was backwards on his body and smothered into the pillow. He had a few more shudders and then went limp. The blood from his wrist was dripping onto the floor, I didn't want it to go to waste, so I lifted it to my mouth once more to suck in the blood. It tasted golden.

Wheals squeaked behind me, and I turned to see a thin man, holding onto a walker, stumbling at the sight of me. I narrowed my eyes at him, and he held his heart like he was going to have an attack. I didn't care though. I was angry that I was torn away from that other life. That I was condemned to live this one in the cold. To be alone. And I just wanted to drink the pain away. To immerse myself in the warmth of blood and happiness.

I stood up on the bed, and walked to the end towards the old man. If it wasn't for his walker he would have fallen already. I jumped at him, sending his fragile body crashing to the floor. I grabbed his neck and started pulling it up until I heard it crack. The Man didn't even fight.

I let go and his head flopped on the floor with a whack. I bit into his neck and started to drink, but then I heard someone gasp, and something metal clattered to the floor. I snapped my attention to them. A couple of nurses standing in the doorway. My patience with everything growing thin.

***

Hours later, I laid on the ground in a puddle of blood. But this time it was not my own. My stomach was full to bursting. I didn't feel anything anymore. I wasn't sure If I was supposed to cry or laugh. So I was doing both. I was smiling and sobbing and laughing and crying and feeling nothing at all.

I rolled off of my back and skipped through the halls. Stepping around the dead bodies as I went. The hospital wasn't so bad when there was no one left to die in it. And in that moment I knew I'd be okay. Because I'd always have me. Myself. Always.