Flashes of the past, unbearable pain, and endless suffering. It was all Daniella could feel. Every memory of her past and each different way she had died was all she was able to see.
But she had never felt anything before.
Every vision she had in the past, she could see and hear, but she couldn't actually feel anything. Not like this anyway.
*Daniella's Flashback as Ella Grace Richards (Past Life)*
It was around the middle of summer, when Ella decided to go to town. The sun was starting to set in the sky, horses being rode up and down the dirt path leading into town. Her hat blocked out the rays of the tortuous sun and it shone across her small hometown.
She wasn't really sure why she was going towards the little place, but Daniella couldn't control much in this vision. Her feet had taken her to a couple different stores as she shopped around for food and Dani realised Ella must have had to go grocery shopping that day.
As she walked out of the little store, she could hear the sounds of panic and terror. Watching as the darkening streets began to fill with running towns folk. Dani didn't understand what was happening and, apparently, the body she was in didn't either, but she found herself asking for help. Trying to find out what was happening but, to no avail, she was left unanswered. Until the glowing orange color began to spread closer to the side of town she was in.
Fire. Untamed, burning flames traveled quickly through the small town and destroyed anything standing in its way. It was a definite force to be reckoned with.
She was abruptly knocked out of her thoughts as a hand grabbed her by her hair, her hat long forgotten next to the fallen groceries on the ground. Daniella screamed as she was dragged away from the people of her town by her hair. She could feel all of it this time. The sting of her hair being pulled at, the scrapping of the dirt on her legs and body, even the kicks of the mans feet into her back as he hauled her god knows where.
"Let me go! What are you doing?! What do you want from me?!!" She yelled.
"What's wrong, Ella?" He teased, "Not so tough now are ya! Where's the attitude you had a week ago? Huh?" He yelled throwing her into the bed of a carriage, "When you disrespected me by wearing jeans and riding that horse like only a man should do." He kicked her in the stomach causing the breath to leave her on impact.
"S-stop! Please...please. Stop!!" 'Ella' (Daniella) had begged. She knew how this would end. He was the towns drunk, but he was also the blacksmith and good with fire as well.
"Ya beg now? You should have been begging for my forgiveness the minute you came into town on that damn horse of yours." His voice was dark as he wrapped his hands around her neck. Her eyes widened and she struggled underneath him. Her gasps for a breath was all she could do and she scratched at the mans hands. "You won't be disrespecting me anymore."
"St...stop." She tried to get him off of her, but her fighting was nothing compared to his strength.
Her eyes became splotchy with dark spots as her struggling became weaker. All she could see was the smirk on his face as the life drained from her eyes...
~•~
*Daniella's Flashback As Mia (Past Life)*
The scene changed quickly as she was suddenly in a completely different place. The forest. Tears were escaping her eyes quickly as she ran trying to get away from an unknown evil.
A woman then appeared in front of her. Beauty completely undeniable as her blonde hair fell down her back, pale skin contrasting perfectly with the deep red dress she wore. But the one thing that stood out the most was the terrifying, yet, some how familiar crimson red eyes that watch her teasingly.
"Please..what do you want?" She cried as she tried backing away from the red eyed girl in front of her.
"Oh sweetie," The sinister laugh that escaped her made Daniella cringe, "We want you, Mia!" The blonde glared at her as she turned to run away again, only to be grabbed in a bone breaking hold.
"Where do you think you're going, huh? He won't be saving you this time!" The man yelled, and then an instant searing pain erupted in her neck. Her screams were bound to be heard for miles as the woman grabbed her arm and bit into the pure flesh of the young girl, Mia. Daniella could, once again, feel everything as the excruciating pain began to spread. Her eyes felt droopy and slowly she fell into darkness, her screams falling quiet as the life inside of her deteriorated to nothing.
"M-Maj..."
~•~
Flash after flash. Vision after vision. Death after death.
Until...
*Daniella's Flashback as Elizabeth (Past Life)*
"Major?" Her voice called as she walked across the rocks that surrounded a lake in the forest.
Daniella, once again, couldn't control the movement of her feet as the new body she was trapped in walked around a tree. Only to come face to face with the soldier she had only ever seen in pictures. He was...different.
His eyes seemed to illuminate by the brightness of the moon beginning to appear in the sky, but they were not the emerald green she had become so fond of. They were a striking, crimson red that appeared to gaze deeper into her soul than she had thought possible.
The color seemed somewhat familiar to her, but the fear coursing through her body was a sign that it must have not been pleasant. She watched as a woman gracefully strutted her way to the stoney faced man.
"Looks like our meal found us this time, huh Jasper?" The women's voice was alluring, as she wrapped her arms around the young man's shoulders. The action causing anger and jealousy to be lit up inside of her like a fire.
"No." His voice was smooth as silk as his piercing gaze remained on the human girl across from them.
"Now, now, Jasper. You know little Elizabeth here would be the perfect snack to... tide us over until the next town." She smirked and stepped beside the soldier.
Elizabeth. That's the third name she had discovered her face to be linked to, other than the one she had started with. She somehow knew that there had to have been more.
"I said, No." Jasper's definite tone was one that would never be persuaded. The woman began to whisper into the blonde's ear glaring over at Elizabeth frequently. She watched as the young man's eyes began to glaze over and his shoulders fall into a relaxed, hypnotic like state.
Siren...
"M-Major..." She began, taking steps backwards and away from the danger that she had stumbled upon. The woman smirked and stepped back as Jasper began to walk towards Elizabeth.
"He's a little lost at the moment, sweetheart, but I do hope you two have fun." She laughed as she watched the scene play out in front of her.
Daniella gasped as she could suddenly control her body. She shook her head as tear blurred her vision.
"J-Jasper! Please!" She cried, stepping back each time he took one forward.
Until she was stopped, her back connecting harshly with a tree. She took a quick glance to see if she could slip away easily, but then he was blocking her in and growling lowly as he took a deep breath in.
"Jasper, you don't want to do this! Please, come back. It's me, Jazz. It's me." She tried desperately to get her Major back, but he doesn't seem to waver. It was as if he didn't even hear her.
His attacks were ruthless, animalistic. Daniella cried out, the pain was worse than all of the others. The pain of the one she loved most treating her like his prey, killing her like it was nothing. The searing pain in her neck and shoulder was radiating throughout her body. Her screams filled the forest with such an eerie feel, that the birds fled quickly from each of the surrounding trees.
Slowly, but surely her body began to shut down. Her screams fading out to an ineligible squeak, body slack against the rocky ground beneath her, and her vision hazy as she suddenly saw the familiar crimson red eyes that held immense regret, guilt, and horror as he saw what he had done.
"No...No, please!" He cried out, the tears in his eyes close to falling and expressing his grief. "I know it's you..." He whispered, "You look just as beautiful as I remember.." His voice was thick with emotion. Daniella has never seen him like this before. Even with the James event. "I didn't want to do this! You have to believe that I would never do this to you!"
Daniella heard herself speak, voice rough and faint, but there was no doubt in her mind that he had heard what Elizabeth said.
"L-l-love...you-u..fo-forever." Using her last breath to force out the words to him, her Major. The man from the pictures. The man whose words she had fell in love with. Daniella felt the pain leave her immediately as she drifted away.
~•~
When Daniella opened her eyes she was in a place that seemed to familiar to her to be, yet, another vision. She sat up quickly sucking in a deep breath, struggling to catch it. Her coughing was tremendous and tears came to her eyes. Her throat was raw and her eyes puffy from shead tears. Sobs wracked her body as the memories hit her like a ton of bricks. Daniella gripped onto her arms remembering herself being dragged to her death in the carriage. Then, to her neck from the countless bites and the suffocation she endured.
Her fingers tangled into her hair as the panic attack set in. She couldn't breath.
Why couldn't she breathe?
Was this another vision?
Is this how she dies this time?
...Jazz?
Daniella was suddenly looking into the eyes of Jasper Whitlock. The brown eyes of Jasper Whitlock. They held nothing, but concern and terror as he was crouched down to face her. He kept his distance, though. She wasn't sure how to feel about that. All she did know was that the shock sent her panic attack away instantly.
She noticed them all now. Staying a safe distance away, even her sister was. Daniella's eyes fell shut as she covered her mouth with her hand in an attempt to silence the cries that were coming from her.
"Dani?" Jasper was hesitant, acting as if she could break at any given time. Her eyes stayed shut, but her mind raced with questions. Landing on one she knew was likely true.
You told them?
Dani wasn't sure if he was listening, but after a moment the answer filled the room with confusion, aside from two of them.
"Yes." Edward's voice was strained, as if it pained him to speak the words. As if they were filled with a deadly poison as they passed his lips.
Daniella deflated at the answer, dropping her head to her knees in dispare. They knew everything..and now she does too.
She opened her eyes once again to see Jasper looking over at his sibling with a question look. Tears formed in her eyes as she remembered the last death scene she had witnessed. She knew they were not in order. The settings and time was drastically different from vision to vision. The last one, however...was the most painful. The most intense.
As he turned back to face her she expected to see the blood red of his eyes, and her blood covering his face once again. Instead, he saw the warm, brown eyes she fell in love with over and over again each time she looked into them. Her heart swelled at the realization that he had to live through that. Every vision she had seen he was a part of her life..and death. He felt the pain of her death time and time again. He lived it each time it happened. Like her dying was on a continuous loop. Daniella wiped her eyes with her sleeve before more fell rendering her attempt useless.
Daniella looked at Jasper with a new look he hadn't seen on her before. Utter gratitude. Jasper was confused as for why she had this look, but his mind was to worried about her to care about it because of how much he had been wanting to hold her since she had woken up. Suddenly, he was pulled onto the couch and into a much needed hug.
Her arms were locked around his neck as her face was buried in it, small sniffs could be heard from the completely vulnerable girl.
Edward watched in confusion as Daniella held onto Jasper, wondering how she could possibly want him anywhere near her after seeing the things she did. He didn't tell them about the last vision she had. Edward thought it was her place to tell the family she had become so important to.
After a while Daniella calmed down to pull away, but stay comfortably in Jasper's arms on the couch. She looked at the Cullen's as they stood near the wall across from the couch, afraid to cause any harm to the young human. Daniella's eyes drifted to Bella and she felt the familiar pull to her sister caused by the visions. Isabella then quickly broke away from the Cullen clan and to her twin's side. Daniella and Isabella hugged momentarily before Daniella began to speak.
"How...how long was I out?" She asked softly.
"Two days, six hours and twelve minutes." Jasper replied with ease. Dani looked over to him with saddened eyes as she took his hand in her's to comfort him and to remind him that she was okay.
Two and a half days? That's the longest a vision has ever lasted before...
Daniella sighed, running a hand through her hair.
"I..uh..I remember." She said, gaining the attention of everyone else in the room, "I used to only remember parts, like meeting Jazz, the Major introduction, and even the mob coming for me for how I acted...But this time?" She was hesitant, "I relived every time I died." She confessed. Dani was looking down, trying to avoid eye contact with anyone in the room. She felt her hand get squeezed slightly for reassurance. "There was to many to count, but I'll never forget them.. I couldn't even if I tried." Dani spoke.
"Daniella.." Edward began, taking a step forward and calling attention to himself, "I didn't tell them about the last one." He admitted. Dani lost her breath for a second and squeezed Jasper's hand harder than she had intended, but it didn't phase him one bit with her weak human strength.
"What about the last one?" Carlisle asked. Daniella moved closer to Jasper, hoping he wouldn't leave after she tells them about it.
"Elizabeth.." Daniella spoke. Jasper's eyes widened, as if a lost memory suddenly resurfaced. In a flash, Jasper was out of her grasp and across the room. He was shaking his head in denial.
"No. No, you...I-" Jasper couldn't find the words to express what he was thinking. Dani stood up and nodded.
"I remember Elizabeth, Jazz. I-I lived through what happened to her." His eyes held pain and tears that wanted to fall, as he shook his head.
"I-I didn't mean... I n-never wanted to..." He tried again, desperate to explain himself and what happened, but he couldn't.
"Jazz, I know it wasn't your fault, it's okay." She spoke stepping closer to the broken man in front of her.
"No!" His voice rose in volum, "No it's not 'okay'!" Jasper was emotional. A moment like this was rare for a vampire, much less one that rarely ever showed emotion, like Jasper. "I ki..I killed you, Daniella."
They heard gasps from some of the Cullen's, but ignored it otherwise as they continued their conversation.
"No. You know exactly who killed me, Jasper Whitlock. And it wasn't you." Daniella's voice was filled with determination. "Maria. Maria had a gift of her own. A Siren. She could make any man fall to his knees at her feet, bend at her will, murder at her command." Daniella said truthfully. "Maria made you do it and when you thought you had, you were back. You saw what you did and you hated yourself for it. I was there. I was still there as you begged for my life to be spared. I was there as you held me as I spoke my last words." Daniella ranted trying to get through to the man.
" 'Love you', " He started softly, voice cracking ever so slightly with his emotions on display. Daniella was now in front of him with a sad smile as she reached for his hand with no hesitation.
" 'forever'. " She finished the quote, a small smile forming on her lips as she interlocked their fingers together.
A/N: I feel horrible for making you guys wait so long for an update!! I'm so sorry!! I just started school again and my schedule is sooooo messed up. However, this story is capturing my attention again so I do plan on trying to write more.
This chapter was a little short, but I liked how I ended it so I want to go ahead and post it. I hope you all like it as much as I do!
Comments?
-xoxo Jaye