The Hunt by surfgirl1
I was crouched on a shingled rooftop, gazing out over the quiet peaceful city. In the house below me, no one moved. The Miller family, who so kindly “lent” me their house while they were away, was visiting relatives in Boston.
Still hunched down, I slowly inched my way over to the edge of the roof. I peered over the edge at the street below me, empty of human presence. Most of the silly mortals on this street were asleep at the moment.
Rocking forward onto the balls of my feet, I pushed off and sprung through the air. I landed on the street about a hundred feet away, completely silent. Ah, the joys of being a vampire.
I began walking down the dark street, my combat boots softly echoing. My long, black trench coat blew out behind me, as I made my way closer to my destination.
The night air whipped around my frame, and I stopped to lift my head. A smell entered my nose, from the east. I smiled, and turned in that direction.
I took a step and leaped. Clearing the house in front of me, I hit the backyard of the house three behind that one. I continued, using the ground as a springboard to continue. The smell grew stronger, and I leaped into a tree to wait.
The young girl who came into my view was typical. She had a short skirt, way too tight top, and 4 inch high heels. She was a little tipsy, and with my extremely powerful senses I could smell the bitter tang of alcohol on the wind.
The night actually seemed to be on my side tonight, for the street light above her began to flicker. Good. I liked my prey scared. The girl paused in her journey, glancing up. I saw a flicker of fear pass across her face.
She slowly backed away from the light, turning to walk faster than before. I kept to the shadows, following her silently. I could feel the ever increasing smell of fear emanating from her, and I grinned in triumph.
When I timed the time was right, I leapt into the darkness before her, stepping out into the light only enough to silhouette my form. I could hear her breath catch in her throat, her heart beat stutter, her hands start to shake. Her eyes widened fractionally, and she took a step backwards, closer to the light. We couldn’t have that.
“Who-who are you?” she whispered, clutching her purse in fear. As if I wanted her money.
“Darling, I am your end.” And with that I leapt forward.
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Just Breath by surfgirl1
When I was born, I didn’t cry. I opened my dark blue eyes, and stared up into the sky. My mother lay dead below me, and we were alone in the middle of nowhere.
I was found by a young widow a few hours later, and she brought me back to her humble cottage on the outskirts of a tiny village bordering the forest. There, she raised me to know the ways of the world and nature. I learned the different herb names, trees, and flowers. I knew what berries were deadly and what berries would remove all traces of infection. I also learned how to hunt with my bow and arrow, shooting quickly and truly. I thanked the spirits of the animals whose lives I took, and I learned how to waste nothing. I became a girl of the forest.
The sickness struck our village when I was twelve summers old, taking many and keeping my adoptive mother and I busy. She was one of the last to fall sick, and without her the village had no reason to want me around. I was a danger to their children, and so they ran me out of the only home I knew with fire and weapons.
I would never trust adults completely again. No matter how much you help them, they can betray you in a second. And they will.
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Crouching down in the underbrush, I stared at the strange sight taking place before me. I had been hunting, venturing further from my cave than usual. I had bagged a plump hare, and now had it slung over my shoulder.
I had been walking back towards my current shelter when the smell of smoke entered my nostrils. Silently, I slid through the trees toward the fire. I was now hunched down beneath a bush on the edge of a clearing, staring in fascination at the young boy in front of me. He was completely oblivious to my presence, instead working in frustration on his meal.
He was hunched over a stone bowl, pounding in frustration at some extremely dry and lumpy dough. Half a fish lay on a stone beside him, barely big enough to feed a fish. I had to stifle a giggle when he let out a yell of frustration and hurled his stone across the clearing. He then put his head in his hands.
I felt a twinge of pity for the boy; he seemed to be in a bad situation. And it would be extremely cruel to let him starve. My hare would be enough for both of us, and if need be I could always hunt some more.
To let him know of my presence, I stood up and took a step forward. His head flew up at the movement, and he stared at me in shock.
I was probably a sight to see, my extremely dark brown hair braided ant hanging down to my waist, with bits of twigs and sticks sticking into it. My face was covered with dirt, after sleeping on the floor of a cave for however many weeks. I was also dressed in a deerskin tunic, barefoot with a quiver and bow slung over my shoulder. I held up my hands in a sign of mercy, and his stance relaxed slightly.
Now that he was looking at me, I could see how handsome he actually was. He was probably only a year older than I, with light brown hair and piercing green eyes. He had a scar on the side of his face, running from just below his right eye to the edge of his cheekbone. He seemed uncomfortable, and I realized how embarrassing it would be if a girl saw you when you were failing at making a meal.
“Here, let me help.” I walked forward, and he cautiously backed away. I pretended to ignore him, setting to work on the fish and the hare. I had already skinned and gutted the hare, so I quickly put that on the spit over the fire. Taking the fish, I took some herbs out of my seasoning pouch on my belt, and proceeded to doctor it up somewhat. I added that to the fire, and added some more kindling to the fire. The dough was beyond saving, so I gave up on that. Soon, we had a somewhat presentable meal set before us, and we sat down somewhat less awkwardly then before across from each other.
Once he had hesitantly taken a bite, his eyes lit up. Conversation would have been impossible, for he was concentrating too hard on eating. When the food was gone, he leaned back with a contented sigh.
“My name’s Curran, by the way. You didn’t happen to mention yours, did you?” He looked at me, quizzically raising an eyebrow at me. I blushed slightly, looking down. He was the first human contact I had had in over five moons, and I was still unsure of how to act.
“Arden,” I whispered, wary of this human, however young. He nodded his head, looking thoughtful.
“It’s a pretty name,” he continued, “For a pretty girl. Does this pretty girl want to tell me why she is out in the middle of the woods alone?” His green eyes were boring into mine, making it impossible to look away. I blushed again, stammering out something unintelligible. His eyes softened, and he gave me a half smile.
Leaning forward to capture my hand with his own, he spoke in a quiet, comforting tone. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but I wish you would.” The last part came out so quiet I was sure I wasn’t meant to hear that.
Slowly, I took a deep breath and let my story out. I didn’t know why, but somehow he seemed kinder and more understanding than the people who had ran me out of the village. His reaction didn’t sway this theory either way, for he sat silently throughout the tale, his expression growing angry every second.
When I finished, I stared down at my hands, crossed in my lap. The silence was deafening, and I wondered if it was a mistake to tell him. How could I trust him this much? I just met him, and yet I felt like I had known him my whole life.
The sudden feeling of warm arms wrapping around me, pulling me onto his lap, made me relax into his embrace. I was startled to feel tears on my face, and I reached up to wipe them away. He grabbed my wrist. Leaning forward, he brushed my tears away. I felt a sensation I had never felt before. It filled my body, leaving a warm melting feeling in the base of my stomach.
When my tears finally subsided, felt a great embarrassment. I had just cried in front of some stranger! I stood up quickly, trying to avoid eye contact. It was hard, however, when he stood up to face me.
“So, um, thanks. I should probably go; I don’t want to bother you too much.” And with that, I hastily turned away to flee. He once again grabbed my arm, trying to make me face him. I would not oblige, I stared at his sandal clad feet and my bare ones instead. He was to close to look at one without the other.
“Being alone forever isn’t a good thing, trust me. You shouldn’t do it if you don’t have to.” I looked up into his eyes, startled. The tone of his voice suggested that Curran, this city boy, had led an interesting life. In his eyes I saw a great pain, made only worse by the fact that I had probably reminded him of his problems when I stupidly blurted out mine.
“What do you mean?” I whispered, barely able to hear myself. He seemed to understand, though, because he pulled me back down beside him.
We spoke for a while, before I fell asleep in his arms. It felt right there, and I didn’t want to leave. What else did I have?
Even though I had vowed not to trust people again, everyone needed companionship. And even…love.
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This story takes place forty years after Eclipse. Only instead of Alice and Jasper being together when they came to the Cullen family, they were just friends. Alice has now moved to a different part of the world for a few years to live with her new husband. Kind of like an extended honey moon. Jasper had always loved Alice, only he never had the guts to tell her, and he could tell she didn’t feel the same way (Empath, duh). Anyway, like in my other story, Words We Must Seek, Renesmee never happened but Bella was changed and Edward and Bella did get married. Enjoy!
Great, just great. Once again, Valerie had cornered me after class, and poured her water on my head. I hadn’t done anything about it, but it wouldn’t go unpunished by me. Even though it never really did anything, I never let them control my life. That was a different horror’s job.
Everyone called me the emo-goth girl. I was neither. I was depressed. Big difference. Not like they cared. It’s not like I told anyone or anything, it’s just that I wear long black shirts and long black pants. I wore them because they covered the many bruises covering my body. When you get hurt and pranked a lot, and you don’t have any more clothes, it’s good to have something that won’t look dirty when you have to wear it again and again.
Walking home in the rain, with my bag slung over my shoulder, I thought about the new kids. They had been told by Valerie and Natalie, (loud enough for the whole cafeteria to hear) that Amber was dangerous and a creep, so they should stay away from her. Guess they took her advice, because when one had to sit down next to me in class, the one with the blond hair and who looked like a supermodel, she scooted as far as possible from me.
Not that I could really blame them. I was the odd one out at our school. I was a tomboy, sort of, and it was looked down upon at Juneau-Douglas High School. The fact that I had dark brown hair and icy blue eyes didn’t help either. I wore all black, never invited anyone over to my house, and never talked about my schedule outside of school.
The reason for me being a tomboy was because I raised myself by watching my father and learning what not to do through experience, not lessons. I was never told what to do, but if I didn’t do it I was punished. Severely. Another reason I wore all black was because it didn’t let bruises and things show through, and blood and stains didn’t show up on it. I never invited anyone over to my house because my father was a druggy and an alcoholic, and I wasn’t allowed to have friends. I never talked about my schedule life outside of school because I didn’t have one. I was under permanent house arrest.
I didn’t have a car, so walking home in the rain was a regular activity. A speeding silver Volvo passed by, soaking me even more. I sighed, then continued trudging home. When I arrived, I opened the door as slowly and quietly as possible. My father was passed out on the couch, his hand curled around an empty beer bottle like a teddy bear. I crept up the stairs, carefully avoiding the third step from the top. It creaks.
I put my stuff away, then hopped into the shower. Washing away the day’s worries and cruelties, I quickly put my clothes in the washing machine. I pulled on my pajamas, and headed down the stairs again.
Turning on the oven, I quickly prepared salmon with potatoes. Father woke up just as I was finishing, and he lumbered into the kitchen to plop himself into the chair grotesquely. I placed the plate in front of him, and a beer bottle. I then stepped back to lean against the wall, waiting until I was allowed to eat.
Once he had cleared his plate, he got up and returned to the living room. I could hear the TV being turned on. I quietly cleaned the dishes and wiped off the table, before grabbing my plate and heading to my room.
I finished my homework at eleven o’clock, and crawled into bed exhausted. I was out right when my head hit the pillow.
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I woke in the morning, glanced at my clock, then cursed. Five o’clock. I didn’t have enough time to make my father breakfast, and that didn’t bode well for me. I scrambled out of bed and quickly put on some bacon and eggs, just as he came in. When he saw that they wouldn’t be ready for a while, he grabbed me and threw me against the wall. My breath left me in a huff, and I stared up at him in horror. He came towards me, a grin on his face.
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Once he had left for work, I pulled myself up the stairs. I would have to go visit that clinic again. They were not allowed to ask questions, and it was several miles from Juneau. I put on my clothes that I had pulled out of the dryer the night before, and headed to school.
The taunts and snickers followed me down the hall, and I tried to push them out of my head. After I had gotten shoved into the lockers several times, I finally made it to my first class. I sat in the back by myself, and I relaxed into my chair with a resigned sigh. I rubbed my temples, trying to ease the ever present throbbing.
The scrape of the chair next to me startled me out of my reverie, and I turned confused to look into the eyes of one of the new kids. This one was named…Jasper. That was it. He was gorgeous. He had messy blond hair, and he seemed quieter than the others. He seemed to be the only one alone, since the blonde one named Rosalie, his twin I think, was with Emmett while Edward was with Isabella.
He offered his hand to shake, and I took it, surprised. I thought that they had been told to stay away from me?
“I’m Jasper Hale. It’s nice to meet you…” He let his sentence trail off, and I swallowed to find the voice to speak.
“Amber, Amber Lewis Parker. It’s nice to meet you too, Jasper.” I smiled tentatively, and he smiled back.
Jasper’s POV (Starting the previous day, their first day of school.)
A new school year. More lies, cliques, and girls plotting to make me love them, and propose on the spot. Ick. Only this time, we saw something sort of out of the ordinary.
We had seen a girl sitting by herself in the cafeteria, and with my power I could tell she was extremely upset. She had given me a huge headache.
Her life couldn’t be that bad, could it? I mean, she was human! And yet I had the feeling that if I knew what her problems were, I might not be saying such things.
We had been told by two cheerleader type girls that she was a creep and that we should stay away from her. Rosalie seemed to take it to heart, while Bella had to subtly hold Edward back from growling in outrage. He had read the girl’s mind, I could tell, and he had been shocked at whatever he had seen.
We had moved to Juneau, Alaska, a few months after Alice had left. I still loved her, of course, but I could never have told her. After all, she left because she got married. He was who she wanted, so I was happy.
So here I was, trying not to start screaming or dry sobbing from the emotions emanating from the mere mortal beside me. How could someone feel so much self loathing? It was inconceivable.
I turned to look at her, trying to distract her from her self induced misery. After our short introduction before, I hoped this would end better.
“So, Amber. I don’t know much about this place, could you give me the low down?” I did not just say low down. Wow, she must think I am a creep.
Instead she shrugged, her nose barely wrinkled in distaste. “Not much, you’d have to ask Valerie.” Her voice sounded disgusted. I couldn’t blame her.
“What is she, QB of the school?” (A/N If you don’t know what that means…sorry can’t help you.) She laughed, nodding.
“The biggest. Cheerleader Captain, all around Biotch, and also the greatest slut you will ever meet. No doubt she has already tried to get into your pants, whether you know it or not.”
I laughed, and we fell into a comfortable conversation. After Bella had come into our family, I had finally gotten over the affects human blood had on me. I was able to get out more, and since Bella wouldn’t allow us to stay in our own secluded corner with her there, and Edward couldn’t stand to sit by himself, we mingled more with the mortals than we used to.
The ring of the bell called us out of our conversation, and we waved goodbye to each other as we went our separate ways.
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Bella’s POV
After Alice left, I could see a definite change in Jasper. I had always known how Jasper felt about Alice, and I had told no one, not even Edward. I had been pleasantly surprised when I saw how the girl Amber had affected him, and I immediately began plotting.
Since I had my last class before lunch without Edward (on my request, which had taken some debating and begging,) and I knew I had it with Amber; I sped out of my previous class to get there first. I stood outside the door, pretending to be looking for something in my bag, until Amber passed by into the classroom. I followed a few seconds later, dazzling the teacher into letting me sit by her.
“Hey, I’m Bella. You’re Amber, right?” she looked up, seeming completely shocked, before brushing some hair out of her eyes.
“Yeah. Its Bella, isn’t it? Jasper talked about you. It’s nice to meet you.”
We exchanged some pleasant conversation before the teacher came in, and when we were packing up our books, I made my move.
“Hey, can I sit with you? I don’t really feel like getting stared at by Valerie and Natalie in jealousy because of my boyfriend.” I rolled my eyes, and she giggled, nodding, with gratitude shining in her eyes.
Walking to the cafeteria together, I noticed the halls were empty. Great. I stood outside the cafeteria doors, waiting until she took a deep breath, rolled back her shoulders, and held her head high, before nodding at me.
We blew through the doors, past all the obvious stares and into the lunch line. I paid for a tray for her, as I knew that she probably wouldn’t eat without me. We walked right past my family’s table, and headed to her normal table by the window. Sitting down, I gave her a reassuring smile and a wink before we began a conversation to make it look like we didn’t care about the stares.
Jasper was the first to join us, followed by Edward. It was a few minutes later when Emmett joined us, followed by a nervous Rosalie. She loosened up after a while, realizing Amber wasn’t as creepy as some people had said. We were enjoying ourselves, laughing and talking like old friends when a disgusting scent entered my nostrils. It was a mix of cheap perfume, sweat, make-up, and a disgusting cherry lip gloss.
I turned to look at Valerie and her entourage, who stood right behind me. She had her hands on her hips, and she was glaring at Amber with one eyebrow raised as if she was the most disgusting thing in the world. She then turned to smile at me sweetly, as if I was some ignorant child.
“You know, you don’t have to do that. Its sweet that you would pretend to be her friend just to be nice, but don’t worry; we understand. Why don’t you guys come and sit with me? I’m sure you want to get as far away from her as possible.” She sent Amber another glare, before turning to me in expectance.
I knew Jasper was about to explode at her, but I beat him to it. I stood up, turning to face her with my hands on my hips.
“You know, I’d rather not. She’s my friend. She’s worth about a thousand of you, plus she isn’t half plastic. And besides, the only reason you have any friends is because you pay them with your Daddy’s money. Oh, and when you’re leaving, be careful as not to trip, if you fall, with those things, you could cause an earthquake.” I smiled the same sweet smile she had given me, then turned and sat down again.
I heard an irritated huff from behind me, and she turned and stomped towards the door of the cafeteria. Someone started cheering, and soon the entire cafeteria was filled with the sound of jeers and insults.
Amber had tears in her eyes, but she had a huge smile on her face. Jasper, beside her, shot me a grateful look before putting a hand on her shoulder to calm her down. In my head, I started cheering. Stage 1 was complete.
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Amber’s POV
When I got home after my awesome day, I forgot to be quiet. My hand slipped, and the door banged back against the wall. Jonah, my father, shot up bolt right and turned to glare at me through his drunken stupor. I began to quake with fear.
Once he had finished, I took inventory of my injuries. I had a broken arm, a cut up and bruised stomach, and a shattered toe. I also had a burn on my back, where he had poured the left over hot oil on me from his popcorn. It was a second degree burn, and it was making my vision go blurry from the pain.
After finishing with me, Jonah had then proceeded to drink himself unconscious, only passing out after heading to his room. I hoped he got alcohol poisoning.
Pulling myself up, biting down on my lip until it bled to keep from screaming, I grabbed the phone with my good arm and pulled out the tiny slip of paper from my back pocket. Slowly and painfully, I began dialing.
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Bella’s POV (sorry, Jasper’s is later.)
Edward and I were sitting on the couch cuddling when my cell phone rang. I groaned, and stood up and walked over to my bag to retrieve it. The Caller ID was Unknown, and I answered it, puzzled.
“Hello?” I asked, and all I heard on the other side for a second was someone letting out a ragged breath.
Then I heard, “Bella?” I froze. It was Amber, and she sounded like she was in pain. I immediately became worried, and Jasper ran down the stairs to figure out what was wrong.
“Bella? What is it?” I didn’t answer, instead ignoring him.
“What’s wrong?! Are you hurt?!” I asked quickly running upstairs as fast as I could to grab my jacket.
Her breathing was growing more labored, and I began to panic even more.
“Bella…I’m at….my house…my dad…drunk…mad” she then began to cough, and a flash of anger rippled down my back. Her father?!
“Hold on, I’m on my way. Hold on.” I said, but she didn’t answer. I quickly snapped my phone shut, before speeding out of the house. I had never run so fast in my entire life. I arrived at her house in under a minute, opening the door quickly before following the scent of blood into the kitchen.
Amber lay passed out on the tile floor, bleeding from multiple cuts, the phone with the echoing dial tone hanging limp in her hand.
Scooping her up quickly, I ran back to the house. I sped past Jasper and Edward, who had tried to follow me, but I didn’t stop. I heard them turn around quickly to follow me up the drive and into the house. Calling out to Carlisle, I rushed upstairs and into the room where he had his own personal hospital supplies.
He came quickly, followed by Esme and Rosalie. I ran downstairs, meeting the boys at the bottom of the steps. I ushered them and Emmett outside, just in case. We all went hunting, then returned quickly for news.
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When we arrived, Jasper was up the stairs in a flash, and we followed behind at a slower pace. When we entered the room, Amber was asleep. She looked so tiny and fragile, drowning in the white sheets. How could her own father have done this to her?
Jasper, who was sitting by her bed, holding her hand, turned to look at me with pain and anger evident in his eyes. “Tell me what happened. Now.”
We headed to the living room, all of us, and I slowly and painfully recounted the tale. The silence after I was finished was deafening, interrupted only by the heart monitor in the room above us and her quiet, labored breathing.
Jasper stood up quickly, startling us. He began pacing the length of the room, hands behind his back. He stopped occasionally to run his hands through his hair, or stare towards the room so far above him. He stopped finally, running outside.
A loud bang broke through the renewed silence, and we turned to stare outside. Jasper, in his anguish, had punched a tree. It had been uprooted, and fallen on the ground. He now sat leaned against it, arms clutching his knees as if he was holding himself together.
I joined him outside, and hesitantly sat beside him. When I placed an arm around his shoulders, at first he flinched back. I made him look in my eyes, and then he let me hold him. Silent tears racked his body, and I felt myself began to sob.
“I love her, too,” I whispered, and we sat in silence together.
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Amber woke up six hours later, and she began to panic. Jasper quickly calmed her down, and though no one else seemed to notice, I saw that she had calmed down even before he had used his power. Just his presence made her calm.
Once we had explained where she was, she turned to me. “Thank you,” she whispered, and I came forward to hug her.
Soon, once she had stopped crying, she spoke. “I have to go. If I’m not there when he wakes up, it could be really bad. It will be really bad.” Her voice broke as she spoke of him, and the fury boiled back into my veins.
“No,” I said firmly. “You will not go back to him. We can help you. You don’t deserve this, and we will do everything we can to protect you.” When she tried to protest, Jasper cut her off again.
“You will not go back there.” His tone made it final, and she swallowed before nodding. He gave me a look, and I left the room.
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Jasper’s POV (yay!)
Once Bella had left the room, I turned to Amber. She had her eyes on her hands, twiddling her hands nervously. I could feel how nervous she was, and I wanted to make sure she was okay. However, I didn’t always want to use my power. Sometimes I wanted to calm people down another way.
“Amber,” I said, then swallowed. I wasn’t used to doing something like this. Crossing over to her bed, I took her hand in my own. She looked up at me, startled. Her clear blue eyes bored into my own, and I was almost lost inside them.
“Amber, you can go back if you want. I’m just not sure that, if you don’t survive, I could stand it.” I looked down, ashamed, and turned to leave.
An arm gripping my own startled me, and I turned to gaze at her. She was feeling nervous, touched, and …something else. I couldn’t say what though; I didn’t want to believe it.
“I won’t go back. I promise.
But you have to promise me too, that you won’t go doing something stupid. Okay?” She fake glared at me, and I nodded.
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Amber’s POV
It was obvious, to me if not to everyone else, that the Cullen family was not average. I mean, they didn’t eat, they were extremely beautiful, and I saw one of their eyes change color right before me. I didn’t care though. It couldn’t be that bad, could it?
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Edward’s POV
Once Jasper had left the room, I listened to the girl’s thoughts. They were strangely observant, and once again she reminded me of the Bella I saw in Jacob’s mind. (A/N you know, at the beginning of Eclipse, where Jacob showed Edward what Bella looked like after he left.) I decided to go talk to Jasper, and see if he would do what I couldn’t at first.
I found him outside, resting on top of the tree he had knocked down earlier. Sitting next to him, we didn’t talk for a while. Finally, he spoke first.
“I’m sorry that I never truly understood about the Bella situation. It just seemed…hard to comprehend. And now…” I turned to look at him, but he was staring off into the distance.
“You know, I always loved Alice. But now, I don’t feel quite as strongly about her as I did. I could never tell her, and now I’m almost glad I didn’t. Now, with Amber, I feel…” He swallowed, but he didn’t have to finish. I heard it in his head. Now, with Amber, I feel…complete.
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The next day, Carlisle called the police. Bella, knowing from her dad what would make them move faster, spoke directly to them about her injuries. They had arrested Jonah Parker a few hours after sunrise, and Amber wept with joy at the news. Only I could hear that she wasn’t sure it was the greatest thing, because he was her last remaining family member.
After Carlisle’s shift at the hospital was over, we all sat around downstairs to hear the full story. Amber, sitting next to Jasper, took several minutes before speaking.
“On the day I turned nine, my mom came home early from work. She told me that she was leaving, and that I had to be a good girl for my dad for a little while. She also said that she would come to get me in a few days. She left a letter on the counter, and I watched her drive away through the dining room window.” She took a deep breath, swallowing tears. Jasper rubbed her back encouragingly, and she smiled at him before continuing.
“When dad came home, he read the letter. He then flew into a rage. He picked up the vase they got on their wedding day and threw it against the wall. He proceeded to do destroy all my mother’s favorite things. Then he went to his room and cried. The next day, we got a phone call. My mother’s train had derailed. No one survived. And that was when the drinking started.”
The tears began pouring down her face, and from what I could hear, the worst was yet to come. “At first he would only yell at me, cussing and that such, but soon he began to slap me around. Never on the face, though. My father was too smart, even when drunk, to get caught. This went on until I was fourteen, and then it got worse. He would go out at night and come back with a group of men. They used to have fun beating me up together, and I withstood it. My dad didn’t like that I didn’t scream though, so he found new ways to torture me. He would light my hair on fire, pour oil down my back, and push me onto glass shards. I began to wear black, and I kept to myself more. I was afraid that if I made friends with anyone, he would find put and he would hurt them.”
Jasper’s other hand, the one not on her shoulder, was gripped in a fist. Emmett was growling, and Carlisle looked shocked and furious. I’m sure my expression looked just as murderous. Rosalie was sobbing. I realized that she was thinki9ng about her own experience, and how this was much worse. She wasn’t bad all the time; you just had to get to know her.
“On my sixteenth birthday, he-he raped me. And I stopped talking much at all. That was when I started cutting myself, and I couldn’t stop.” After this statement, she pulled up her long sleeves to expose numerous scars. Carlisle looked sad, while Jasper almost started sobbing again. He pulled her close, and she couldn’t speak anymore. We understood, though.
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Bella’s POV
The police came, took her statement, and left. Her father confessed, then committed suicide in his cell. Good riddens, I say. Amber Lewis Parker moved permanently into our house. Jasper finally told her what we were, and she thought it was the coolest thing ever. They finally admitted their feelings to each other (with no help whatsoever from me, of course) and now they are happily boyfriend and girlfriend. Amber came out of her shell more, and started wearing different colors. Carlisle helped remove the scars from her arms, and now she wears short sleeve shirt too.
Of course, whenever someone needs new clothes, Alice will be just around the corner. She and her husband, Matthew, came to visit a few weeks after the end of the ordeal, and Alice dragged Rose, Amber, Esme, and I on a giant shopping spree.
Last I heard, Jasper and Amber were talking about changing her. Maybe the story didn’t start out to great, but maybe it will have a good ending.
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I completely rewrote the ending to this story. It's way better and stranger than before. It may be confusing, though.
Staring into the mirror, I let a tear escape. What have I become? My hope has been killed with a single blow, and there is nothing left inside of me. We used to be happy, or so I thought. Every girl was jealous of me, for what I had.
Life couldn't have been more perfect. And then I went off to Florida for a week, and returned to find my life in ruins. My father had died from a heart attack. Torn from despair, I relied more heavily on my boyfriend and best friend. My second family. Apparently I wasn't worth the trouble though, no matter what they said.
He was cheating on me. With my married best friend. Or, former best friend. Her husband was informed, and he ran away, not to be seen since. I did similar. I packed up my bags and flew to New York.
For the remainder of my life there, I didn't have a care in the world. I drowned out my sorrows with drugs, alcohol, and partying. I no longer gave a shit. My life was fucked up. I became depressed, and resorted to cutting. The thrill of being able to see clearly and the pain I felt made me rely on it heavily.
And then, he had to find me. I had come home one day to find him sitting in my apartment, begging on his hands and knees to forgive him and take him back. He said it was a mistake, and that it never should have happened. He told me Alice meant nothing to him but like a sister, and that he hadn't meant for it to get that far.
And yet when I had first found out he had seemed smug, almost proud of how much pain he had caused me. So was she. She didn't even flinch when she found out how her husband had gone missing.
I had flown into a rage then, picking up the closet thing at hand, which happened to be an empty beer bottle and thrown it at his head. He might not have left, since it only glanced off, but my neighbor had knocked to investigate. Apparently she had heard my screams of rage. Anyway, he fled, without a backward glance. This last incident had pushed me over the edge, and I had made my decision. There was no going back now.
Turning away from the mirror, I let a sigh escape. Now that I had a plan, there was no reason to tarry. Without a looking back on my now horrid life, I walked away.
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Turning to meet his piercing gaze, I smiled slightly. His horrified protests and hopeless pleading couldn’t stop me; it was too late for that. He looked so vulnerable. I laughed a mirthless laugh.
He swallowed. “Bella,” he whispered, “You don’t have to do this.”
I rolled my eyes. Like I hadn’t heard that one before. Taking another step back, I spread my arms wide. “This is what happens when you mess with my heart. You get the fire. Don’t like what you see babe? Don’t worry; it won’t be around much longer. And besides, you made me this way.”
He gasped, and tried to reach for me. But something unnoticed to me held him back. Maybe a higher power actually cared what happened to me? The idea made my will falter, before it was replaced with a stronger determination. There was no going back now.
Turning around, I leaned my head back to gaze at the stars. I wonder what it’s like, to be eternal and free. Not held down by gravity, pain, loss, love. Maybe the next step will be better. And if there is no next step, then I know I tried. It just wasn’t meant to be.
Ignoring his yells, I closed my eyes and rocked back on my heels. Balancing on the balls of my feet, I tensed while lifting the back half of my foot of the ground. Beneath me, the feel of grass between my bare feet comforted me, and I was happy that my last earthly sensation would be a pleasant one.
Bending my knees, I pitched myself forward into oblivion. I laughed in exhilaration as air rushed past me. Hitting the water, I curled into a ball and smiled. Laughing, I let the last of the air in my lungs escape.
Memories flooded my mind. The death of my father, the betrayal of my best friend and lover, the depression, cutting, addiction, and the numbness slowly seeping in. The final release was easier than I expected, and I smiled and relaxed as the final blackness overcame me.
The last thing I heard was a voice I thought I would never hear again. “Relax,” it whispered, before I was gone.
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“What did you do? Why did you come here? She was going to be fine! I was going to help her!” I yelled, struggling against the grip that held me.
“Let her go. You don’t deserve to even try. She made her choice.” He wouldn’t let me go, and slowly I collapsed on the ground. He released me, and then I sat up to try and see him, the brother that I had missed so much.
But he was gone.
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Edward was above us, wilting on the ground due to his self-induced misery. I didn’t care, though.
“Relax, Bella. Everything will be fine. Relax.” With one last breath, she was gone.
I swam through the water, curling her lifeless body into me as I moved. I made it all the way to the island, and I smiled in victory. It was impossible to stop this. It was meant to be.
I rose out of the water, cuddling the beautiful broken girl against my chest. I wasted no time, walking forward until I found what I was looking for.
The heat coming off of the molten lava would be staggering to a human, and was almost unbearable to me. I ignored it, however.
I took one last deep breath before we both left this earth for good.
Q: Who had taken Bella to the lava?
A: Jasper. “And then I sat up to try and see him, the brother that I had missed so much.” That was in Edward’s POV. It said it.
Q: Who held Edward back when he had tried to save her?
A: Again, Jasper. He was grabbing Edward from behind. Bella didn’t notice who, she was already turning around at that point.
Q: What did Bella do to make her want to say 'This is what happens when you mess
with my heart. You get fire.'? What fire?
A: The fire is the guilt. By her doing this, he will have to live with her death on his conscience for the rest of his endless existence.
Q: Where did the mystery person take Bella? Where did she jump from the cliff?
A: This one is my fault. I will have to fix it. In my original version, it told how Bella visited her mom in California (Phil got traded) and then went to the beach cliffs there. That meant that when Jasper swam out to the lava, it was the Hawaiian Islands.
Q: Why did he hold Edward back? Why couldn't he save her?
A: Jasper knew how much pain Bella was in from his power, and didn’t want her to suffer. Also, he was in just as much pain as she was. So he decided that he would save himself and her at the same time.
Q: How did Edward become such a jackass?
A: That is a question that I have no answer to. He is who he is in this story.
If you have anymore questions, ask them. I always want to know what I need to clarify in my stories.