POV: BELLA VINCENT
Monday, November 6 2017
Aaron's scream woke me from my deep and much-needed slumber. "What the hell?! Bella! I've been looking for you for almost thirty hours! Where the f—"
"Please... stop... yelling," I begged.
"Where did you go?"
I took a deep breath before sitting up. It was dark out. When I got back from the Cullens' place, I saw that Aaron wasn't home.
I meant to just rest my eyes for a few minutes before going to find him. I guess I must've fallen asleep.
"I got hurt, so someone gave me a ride."
"Hurt?" His tone raised an octave. "Were you near that fire?"
"I was in the fire."
"What? Why?"
"I was checking to see if anyone was in there, but the ceiling collapsed on me. I'm sorry for worrying you. I wanted to find you, but one of the doctor's sons took me to their house to get checked out before I could."
It took him a few seconds to realize who I meant.
I was honestly starting to care about Aaron. It may have just been my foggy, half-dead brain, but it didn't feel like a lie when I called him my brother earlier.
"Dr. Cullen? You were at Dr. Cullen's house? Which one of his sons?"
"Edward. You know him?"
"Yeah. They never go to public events like the carnival. I wonder why they went."
I chuckled. "Maybe they're stalking me," I joked.
"They're what?!" He clearly wasn't in the joking mood.
"Listen, I'm sorry. But in my defense, I get a little forgetful when I come back from the dead. You didn't go to the cops or anything, did you?"
"I was about to. I've been searching for you all night and day. I wanted to see if you had come home before I went to Charlie."
"Charlie, who?"
"My friend, the Chief of Police."
"Oh, right."
"Wait a minute. Come back from the dead?"
I hesitated. "Yeah, that's what I said."
"Want to explain that one?"
I fumbled with the loose string on my sweater. "I don't think so. You might freak out, and I was just starting to like you."
"Gee, thanks." He started to turn back toward the hallway but stopped to glance back at me with a soft expression. "I wouldn't make you leave. I was telling the truth when I met you. I don't have a family. It's oddly nice to have someone to care about again... I'm glad you're okay."
I didn't know what to say to that, so I was grateful he didn't wait for a response.
I made my way to the bathroom and stripped down to nothing. My hair felt really heavy and greasy, and pulling it through the stream of water felt so much better.
The hot shower was invigorating. I could breathe easier, and my heart rate went up. I sat on the floor for a long time while it rained down on me.
Three knocks on the door woke me up. "Bella? You're alive in there, right?"
I smiled unconsciously. "Mostly."
I heard him chuckle as he went back downstairs. I reluctantly got out, drying myself off.
"Do you wanna go get some dinner? I haven't been grocery shopping in a while. You need to eat something, get your strength back up."
"Yeah, I do. I'd even settle for the old Stefan diet right about now."
"Huh?"
Not realizing I said that aloud, I gave him a smile. "I'd love to. I'm starving."
He drove us to a small diner called The Lodge. Not many cars were in the lot, but Aaron said the food was great. Apparently, he went here with Chief Charlie a lot.
"Hey, Cora," he greeted a woman.
"Hey, honey. Usual seat?" She led us to the corner window without noticing me. "No Charlie today?"
"Nope. Just my little sister. Cora, this is Bella. Bell, this is a very good friend of mine."
"Nice to meet you, Bella. I'll give you a minute to decide while I put in Aaron's usual order."
I smiled politely. "How do you two know each other?"
"Just from here. She's been a waitress since before I moved to Forks."
That reminded me. I knew nothing about him.
Best to start now. In such a small town, I wouldn't be surprised if everybody knew everything about everybody, or close enough. It was like that in Mystic Falls.
It would be a tad embarrassing if someone asked me something about him that I didn't know the answer to.
"Where'd you move from?"
"New York City. Big family. They own a lot of real estates."
"Can I ask what happened between you and them?" I inquired warily.
"They're small-minded people. I dated this girl in high school that turned out to be gay. I went to the pride parade with her for support, and my family disowned me for choosing the devil over them."
I looked up in shock.
His heartbeat sped up, and I figured he was probably waiting for my reaction.
"They didn't deserve you anyway." I shrugged.
He grinned. "Thanks. I think it's safe to say I'm better off with you."
Cora came back to take my order. I went for something simple, then excused myself to go to the bathroom.
It was a lie. I needed blood.
I passed the restrooms and continued down the hall. I heard a few people outside, maybe employees having a smoke break? I was pretty sure I also heard a couple making out on the side of the building. They were my target.
I pretended to be talking on the phone while I passed the smokers who were deep in conversation with each other, heading for the other side toward my next victims.
The couple paused when they saw me round the corner. I recognized them immediately.
"My god, she's everywhere," Jessica seethed, entangling herself from Mike. So, they are together? Eh, doesn't matter anymore.
I didn't want Mike to suffer. He seemed nice enough. I'd make it quick.
My main goal was getting Jessica to see what was coming for her. I'd been itching to snuff her out.
I pushed her off of him, and she landed on the ground. "What the hell are you doing?"
She probably thought I was kissing him. Little did she know... I was killing him.
I sunk my fangs into his carotid, feeling the euphoria wash over me as I drained him of his warmth.
"Get off of him! Mike!"
I dropped his limp body onto the damp concrete, and Jessica gasped, the realization hitting her. "What did you do to him?!"
"That's not what you should be worried about," I hissed, making my intention clear.
She finally saw my red scleras and dark veins under my eyes, signaling my impending attack. Being the wife of a Mikaelson, it was inevitable that I would become this person. Seeking the hunt, wanting the kill, enjoying the fear, and feeling nothing but victory.
She stumbled back on all fours before forcing her petite body to obey her mind and stand tall. "What are you?"
"I'm a monster," I answered truthfully and clamped down on her neck. She couldn't scream. I tore through her jugular too fast. She felt all of it, and I wouldn't be discovered by the diner's nearby employees.
Her heart ceased when I inhaled the last of her blood. As I carelessly let go of her lifeless bulk and reveled in the fresh smell of sickening sweetness, I couldn't help but think of how proud my husband would be of me in this moment.
A hand clasped my ankle. I whirled around to discover that the boy wasn't dead.
A part of me was annoyed, and another part was relieved. I was full, so I didn't have to kill him. Plus, burying one body was exhausting enough.
"Mike? Can you hear me?" I kneeled down, ignoring the small rain puddle that seeped through my jeans. I listened for his heartbeat, which was barely there. I bit my wrist and shoved my running blood into his mouth. "Mike? Mike, wake up. You have to drink."
He stirred awake at the salty smell and tried to squirm away.
"It'll heal you," I promised him.
One drop and he was hooked. That always happened. Vampire blood was delicious to humans. I remember the first time I tasted Klaus's blood.
It wasn't long after I met him, maybe two or three months. I had fallen and smashed my head into some glass, an old vase from the fifteen hundreds, and he healed me. The moment I woke up was when I found out what he was.
"You're gonna be okay," I told Mike. "Come on, on your feet." I helped him stand, then pulled his chin to face me. Looking deep into his eyes, I compelled him, "Go straight home, drink lots of fluids, get some rest. You'll forget what happened here tonight. You'll forget what you saw me become, and you'll forget you met up with Jessica. If anybody asks where you were, say you went on a drive. Understand?"
"I understand." He shook his head clear and walked to his truck. I waited until he was out of the lot before turning back to Jessica's corpse.
I made Aaron wait long enough.
I tossed her under a pile of leaves nearby, under a tree. I might come back tomorrow to bury her properly.
I washed my hands and face in the bathroom and finally sat next to Aaron.
"There you are. I thought you fell in."
"Ha, ha," I mumbled acerbically. It was only, like, ten minutes.
We ate in comfortable silence and went back to the house. I crashed as soon as my head hit the pillow.