Vices and Venom (Twilight Fan Fiction)

Chapter Three: Unfinished Endings

I stood there, waiting for him to react then he lunged at me. I didn't try to fight him off, or to protect myself. He knew nothing of the nights I tried to find something strong enough to kill me. It was impossible for me to do it myself, so eventually I accepted that I would walk this earth for eternity, a shell of the person I once was. 

The first years were the hardest, and I spent that time trying to wither away in the abandoned asylum where I was reborn. I hated myself, but not because of what I had become, rather because of the events that took place prior to my creation. Despite the distance I tried to put between me and that night, it clung to me. Forever woven into the darkest parts of my soul. 

His wolf slammed into me, knocking my body to the ground. A snarl ripped from his body just as his canines went for my throat. I took a deep breath, letting the air feel my lungs for the final time, and waited for the darkness to claim me. I found it fitting that I would die looking up at the gloomy Forks sky in front of the house where death had lured me in so many times. 

One. Two. Three. Seconds ticked by but the darkness never came. When I refocused on my surroundings, Jacob was back in his human form, his body pressed against mine and his rage gone. I looked at him with disappointment, wanting the pain to finally be gone but realizing that Jacob would not be killing me today. 

"Halston." His voice was raw and full of emotion that made me want to pull away. 

"What happened to you?" He looked at me as if seeing me for the first time since I landed in the passenger seat of my old truck. 

This question was enough to break me out of my current position, and with one fluid motion, the distance of a softball field was now between us. I wanted to run from him once again. I wanted... What do you want, Halston?

I turned in the opposite direction, planning where I would go next when his voice called out. 

"Can we just talk? You can be Hals and I can be Jake, just for one conversation." My violet-blue eyes locked on the infinite depth of his polished amber eyes, making me consider if we could put what we were aside for a moment in time. 

"How do you propose we do that?" I asked, taking a step closer to him just as he began to walk towards me. 

"Dinner?" He asked, offering me a half-smile that allowed me to release some of the tension in my shoulders. 

I tilted my head to the side, "I don't exactly have a normal diet anymore."

"I eat, you talk?"

"Fine. I'll be at Charlie's, at six o clock. Don't keep me waiting." I turned on my heels, then paused for a moment before turning back towards him.

 "Oh, and Jake," my eyes scanned his frame for a fleeting second, "please ensure that you are wearing clothing the next time we're together."

I didn't wait to see what his expression revealed, nor did I pry into his mind to discover the answer. I simply walked away, not daring to look back a second time.

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It was a good move to keep the utilities on after Charlie passed away. It helped with the smell of the house, and after minutes of cleaning, the house looked liveable. My fingers drummed on the old square oak table with the mismatched dining chairs. I had never thought to ask Charlie why the chairs didn't match the rest of the table, but I assumed he had probably gotten the table from an old friend then used whatever chairs he had available to place around it. 

The yellow cabinets were now dulled, but they were hand-painted by my mother when she and Charlie first moved into the little home. Forks was like poison to her with all the rain and cold weather. She needed sunshine and warmth to thrive, something Forks did not offer often.