Where the Hellebores Bloom

Face the sun - Final

My body is burning with the pain. I pushed Mirania out of my mind, and now, my body floats in the darkness, alone. I don't move or make an effort because I understand what it's happening. I did this to myself when I surrendered my body to the rage inside me. I did the one thing my parents begged me not to; I'm using my vampire strength before absorbing their healing powers.

I was only a few weeks old in human age but already looked like a four-year-old the first time I did it. I played in our front yard when a lost boy passed by the house. We lived in the woods, and he must've lost his way and ended up here after wandering around.

He grabbed my toys, and I threw a toy bucket about two-hundred feet above my head in a fit of rage. Both my arms broke right away, and I screamed in pain.

My dad came to help and dropped right to the floor when he touched my skin. My mom freaked out, watching my arms heal and my eyes go red. My dad woke up a few moments after, confused but unharmed.

We moved out right away, and all humans thought the boy saw a mirage in the forest created by fear. I told my parents what happened, about how I saw my dad's memories, but I was too young to understand them, so they were only images in my mind. My dad said it hurt when he touched me. He said it was like his skin was burning and making him weak. We thought I was developing powers for a moment, but we soon realized the truth when I tried to use them one more time.

We went to an open field this time, and I tried to run as fast as possible. It worked for a moment, but I broke my leg. I was so young and scared that even a slight injury was enough to trigger it again. I absorbed my Dad's memories, became a vampire for a minute, and came back to normal, healed.

My mom drew her theories for us that day. She said my body seemed to protect itself from death by stealing the healing powers of a vampire to heal, and I had no idea what she meant, but she made me swear never to use my abilities again.

When I became older, I tried experimenting with it, only to get hurt yet again. It wasn't too bad, just a broken finger.

When I touched my Dad, I didn't absorb anything. The finger was still broken, and I was still the same. That's when I knew the condition to trigger my powers was the level of pain and stress in my body. I had to be badly hurt for it to work. I was never able to control it, however.

I promised my parents to live away from trouble and avoid getting hurt, but here I am, consumed by my anger again like I'm four years old, back in our front yard, angry at the boy that stole my things.

Mirania stole my whole life away and lied to my face, saying she would help me. Every fiber in my body shakes, demanding her death.

The sound of my bones breaking is as clear as day in my ears, and I wonder how bad things got. This was the problem of drowning myself in violence; I get blinded by it to keep moving forward.

Anne... I can hear someone calling my name. I open my eyes, but I'm still inside the darkness. Anne... I recognize Seth's voice. Probably another illusion. He couldn't be there, not after what I did to Renesmee.

An intense redlight shines on my eyes. Mirania. My body recognizes her presence right at my reach. My hand burns in pain again, and I want to scream.

The heat around my body is familiar. It's like he is hugging me, squeezing me too tight for me to breathe. I want to open my eyes, see him, touch him. A different warmth runs through my finger. Blood. The metallic smell is unmistakable. My blood? I wonder how much further I can push my body before I die. Ah... I don't want to die. The darkness lightens up a bit, bringing back my conscience.