POV: BELLA VINCENT
Wednesday, November 8 2017
Just after midnight, I tried to be quiet on my way back inside Aaron's house. I could sense that he wasn't home, which didn't surprise me with the way we left things.
Mike, however, was still here. When I got upstairs, he was sitting on the bay window, staring up at the moon.
I could imagine the million things running through his head. The countless different lives he could lead, and the countless lives he would change forever if he decided not to lead any of them.
"I'm sorry," I finally said.
"Are you?" he asked. His tone wasn't harsh, but I couldn't quite place his intent. "You knew what you were doing. All the years you've had to grow and learn self-control, and this is what you have to show for it."
I closed my eyes. Not because I was angry or hurt. How could I be? He was right. "I know." I sat down next to him. "But I really am sorry. I only snapped at you because it's me I'm mad at. I promised myself I wouldn't do this to someone unless they asked for it, like I did... But time's almost up." I placed a light hand on his knee. "Whatever you choose, know I'm here for you."
He slowly nodded. I got up to give him as much time to himself as I could, but he reached out to stop me. I looked at him expectantly. "I'm ready," he whispered.
I sank back down, surprised, waiting patiently for the rest. I wasn't sure which one I anticipated more.
"I think... I want to try. At least for awhile."
I smiled. "Yeah?"
"Yeah. Like you said, I wouldn't want to miss out on something great just because I'm scared." I could hear his weak heart. "You'll help me, right?"
"I promise." I stood again and held out my hand for his. "First things first. Your first feed." I grinned to make him feel more comfortable, but his heart started to race. "Don't worry. I'll be there to guide you through it. You won't really hurt anyone."
I got him in the truck, and I started driving toward the diner I went to the night before the carnival. I wanted to stay clear of the one Aaron took me to, The Lodge.
"There's a lot I probably should've been teaching you before feeding, but you're too weak to wait. The most important thing you need to know right now is this: the first time you taste human blood is both the worst part of your new life, and the best part. But it does not define who you are."
"How is that?"
"As bad as you feel right now, you'll feel a million times better once you complete your transition. That comes with a lot of power." I tried to remember how Klaus described it to me. "You'll feel indescribable. Indestructible. Invincible... But the next minute, the fear will set in. You won't feel like yourself anymore. You'll feel the pain of your fangs coming in. You'll feel the new hunger that you won't think you'll ever satiate."
"What?" His voice rose an octave.
"I'm not saying this to scare you into backing out, Mike. I'm saying this to prepare you." I looked into his eyes for a moment, keeping the forefront of my focus on the road. "I swear to you, you'll be okay. I just need to make sure you know that you're not in control of what happens the first time. Our nature is deadly. That doesn't mean you are."
I pulled into the back of the parking lot at Creekside Diner and shut off the engine.
"Stay inside until I get back."
"Where are you going?"
"To get you what you're craving." I locked the truck on my way out and walked around the back of the small building in search of employee doors.
I listened for a moment before I stepped inside. The restaurant was desolate and the only workers left were cleaning up in preparation for the next day, including the hot hostess I recognized from the other night.
"Hey, Grace, did you finish replenishing the silverware up front?" someone called out. It sounded like the same voice of the man I compelled to serve me drinks on Saturday.
The hostess turned toward the sound to respond. "Yeah, I'm about done here!"
"Sweet. I'll see you tomorrow, then." I heard the quiet noise of keys rattling. He turned off a light switch in the kitchen.
"Have a good night, Kael."
Once I was sure the bartender was gone, I took in the rest of my surroundings. Grace put up the final couple of chairs and wiped the last table clean before throwing her cloth in a bucket.
I vamp-sped behind her, putting a whole table's worth of chairs back on the floor. She turned around just in time, staring in confusion. She couldn't seem to make sense of it, shook her head, then put them back on top of the table where they were before.
A couple seconds passed, and I did the same thing.
She turned once more when she heard the floor creak. "What the—" It took her a minute longer to get her bearings together. She wiped the table again and put the chairs atop it, staring to make sure they were there this time.
"That table's brighter than my future," I quipped. Grace jumped, searching for source of my voice. I stepped out of the shadowy hallway. "Yours, too, I bet."
Her eyes found me. "Who are you?"
I was behind her in a flash. She whirled to find me again. "That's not what you should be asking me."
Grace started to hyperventilate. "What are you?"
I chuckled darkly. "That's the one." I used my speed again to get in her face, locking eyes. Her heart still raced, but her mind went blank. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself." I pushed back a piece of her hair. "You're just so pretty."
"Th-thank you."
"Relax. You're in no danger," I compelled her. "Come with me."
I held her hand as I dragged her outside to my truck. Mike was sitting in the passenger seat with his eyes closed. I unlocked the door and shook him awake. "Mike. Mike?"
He gasped back to life—or what's left of it. "I'm not doing so good, Bella."
I took the sight of him in. His eyes were red and puffy, his skin was pale and cold. I sighed sadly. "Come on, it's now or never."
He nearly fell out of the truck. I stood behind Grace and brushed the blonde hair off her neck. "Watch what I do."
I looked him in the eye as my face changed. He was startled at first, but I could feel the veil of his power start to give into his nature. My scleras turned blood red, my fangs came in, and the black veins under my eyes grew. He stepped forward when I bit into her neck. I knew he needed more than I did, so I only took a little before pulling away.
I reached out to cup Mike's shoulder and he came closer, towering over the girl. "Go ahead. Your body knows what to do. Give in to it," I enticed him.
He only kissed the wound at first, and that's all it took. I immediately knew when all his fear melted away.
"Listen to my voice, Mike. Stay in control. As soon as you feel her heart slowing, you need to stop." I kept my voice calm, but I wasn't sure if he was paying attention. The last thing I wanted to do was fight him off if he tried to kill her. But I also knew if I didn't, he would hate me even more. I couldn't let that happen. "Mike," I warned. I could hear her heart starting to give out. "Mike, you can do this. Listen to me. You have to stop... Mike!"
He let her go just a second before it was too late, lifting his head and closing his eyes in euphoria.
I turned back to the girl. "Everything's okay. Don't move."
Mike fell back to lean against the truck. The color retuned to his face and his blue eyes refocused.
"How do you feel?" I asked him.
"Alive," he breathed. "And kind of freaked out."
Chuckling, I gestured for him to get back in the seat. "Yeah, that comes with the territory. You'll get used to it. Get in, I'm gonna make sure she's okay to get home."
"Wait." He looked behind me at Grace. "Can I stay with you? You know, to see how it's done? Now that I'm okay."
I smiled. "Of course." He walked beside me as I carried the girl back inside. "Remember how I mentioned compulsion?"
"Some kind of mind trick vampires have, right?"
"More or less. If we're strong enough, we have the power to make humans do anything or believe anything we tell them to. But the most important part is that we also have to believe what we're telling them. Or else it won't work."
I set Grace down on the kitchen counter and got her an orange juice from the walk-in refrigerator.
"There's a lot that goes into vampire magic and vampire lore," I continued. "The older a vampire is, the stronger they are."
"I guess that makes sense... What else?"
"A healthy intake of human blood, as odd as it sounds, helps us blend in. Our body still functions as a human's does. We can eat anything, drink anything, we can sleep. Coffee's good for us, too. It circulates through our veins so we're not so cold to the touch."
"What's the worst part?"
I shrugged. "It depends on the kind of person you are. For most, it's trying to accept that we're a predatory species. We enjoy the hunt, the feed, the kill. It's just who we are. We just have to try our hardest not to let it define us."
He eyed me with skepticism as I pulled out a pan and ingredients for an omelet. "You couldn't do that at home?"
"It's not for me. I gotta make sure she's not too weak to drive home. I wouldn't want another you to happen." I winked at him.
He sat down next to Grace. "What do you mean?"
"Last night. You crashed into a tree because I let you go before making sure you were alright. It's not a mistake I've made before and it's certainly not one I'll make again."
He narrowed his eyes at me. "Who told you what happened?"
"Whoever Dr. Cullen spoke to assumed you fell asleep at the wheel."
He laughed without humor. "Not exactly."
I slid the omelet onto a glass plate and placed it in front of the girl. She ate silently as Mike and I talked. "Then what did happen?"
"I know you haven't lived here long, but have you heard anybody mention huge bears killing hikers recently?"
"I have. Only they're not bears. They're—"
"Wolves," he finished for me. I nodded. "One jumped in front of my truck last night. I swerved, but not in time. I crashed into a tree. That's the last thing I remember. It had nothing to do with what you did or didn't do for me. It just was a freak accident." He jutted his chin to Grace with a smile. "If anything... you saved my life, Bella. She'll be just fine."
I let out a breath. For the first time since I left my family, I felt okay. Just the smallest amount of grief taken from my shoulders was enough to feel lighter.
Mike cleared his throat. "So where did vampires even come from?"
And just like that, the peace was gone. "That's a long story, and one for another day. We should get her home and get some rest ourselves." I held out my hand. "Shall we? I'll let you do the honors," I offered, referring to Grace.
He took my hand and we headed out into the night.