Sam's POV
Finally the first day of school was over. I rode back home and as soon as I arrived I went in the kitchen and started cooking. Nessie and Jake came in the kitchen and noticed me.
"Um... what are you doing?" Nessie asked me.
"I cook when I'm annoyed, sad or frustrated." I responded, chopping the onions. One perk of being a vamp, no onion tears.
"Really, that's odd. Well, I guess more grub for us! And if it's good we always have Emmett to annoy you." Jake said while checking out what I was doing.
"Somebody said my name?" Emmett said as he entered the room.
"No we just used your name in a sentence. Hey, did you know that Sam cooks?" Jake informed him. Emmett just started at me as if I had just turned in a frog.
"You're one odd little vampire, aren't you? I blame the Volturi, they must have messed you up."
"Oh yeah, sure. Blame the Volturi for my unusual habits. As if Alec would ever touch this stuff, let alone cook!" I said with a laugh to myself. Then I realised what grave mistake I had done.
"What does that midget have to do in this conversation?" he said. I knew that I was supposed to act cool but I couldn't help it. He insulted my mate! I threw the vegetable knife at him. He caught it just before it hit him in the face.
"Whoa! Someone's angry." he said as he threw the knife gently at me so that I could continue. I caught it and continued, my first chop denting the chopping board significantly. My mind was racing, thinking about how I could get out of the situation that my big fat mouth had put me in.
"That's hurtful to us midgets. Just because you don't like him doesn't mean that you should trash talk our size!" I said to him. Thank you, shortness!
"Yeah, but that still doesn't answer the earlier question." he said. Darn! Thanks god Edward wasn't here.
"Okay, you caught me. Alec was my tutor. He thought me all I know and helped me with my power. You should know that I used to faint whenever I had a vision. He also thought me many languages and how to fight." I said to them. They were all surprised.
"Really? Alec played maker? That's odd. I pity you." Emmett said.
"Well you shouldn't. He was actually an okay guy." I told them.
"Do I smell a hint of forbidden romance in this?" Nessie asked me. I looked up making sure that I had my signature poker face on and not the bewildered one I was showing only on the inside. What had given me away? My voice? Had I sounded all loved up? I recapped the last few seconds. I didn't really think that I sounded romantic in any way. I had to do something. They were all looking at me, Jake and Nessie mostly surprised and Emmett grinned. Just then Rose, Alice and Jasper walked in. I realised that I still had to answer. I decided to snort and resort to my ultimate weapon. Sarcasm.
"Sure, the day pigs start flying." I said confidently with a hint of hysterics. They all seemed to believe me. Ah, sarcasm! You never fail me.
"Damn, this is heavenly!" Jake said as he tore through his medium rare stake. He attacked the baked potatoes next and the veggies. Man, I've never seen anyone eat with such passion. Nessie had just finished her rare stake. I smiled at them.
"Yeah well, now that you guys are fixed up I should get my squeeze." I heard Rose and most of them laugh.
"What?" I asked her, dumbfounded.
"You know, Jacob. Wolf. Dog. Fixed." she said. The others burst out laughing. My eyes widened as I understood my mistake. I wanted to laugh but I couldn't.
"I'm so sorry." I said to Jake who was glaring at Rose.
"No worries, Sam. It wasn't your fault. Oh, and Rose, why don't you go patronise your reflection in another room so that I can enjoy my dessert" he said as he took a bite out of a freshly baked blueberry muffin. I decided that I should go before I embarrass myself any further or cause World War 3. "So, I'd better get going." I said and slipped away.
"Wait Sam, can I come with you?" Nessie asked me. I nodded.
"Ness, do you want me to come with you?" Jake asked her. "Jake, there's a football game going on. Don't worry, I'll be perfectly safe." she said and kissed him on the cheek and dragged me behind her.
After we were out of earshot of the house, Nessie cornered me. "Okay I want the truth. No bullshit. You know you can trust me."
"What truth?" I asked her in confusion.
"That speech you gave to Daren at the vending machine. The others think it was just an excuse but I can see right through it. You're hurting Sam. What's hurting you?" she asked me.
"I...I honestly don't know what you're talking about." I said, though in the inside I just wanted to pour out my feelings. She sighed.
"You'll tell me when you're ready." she said and smiled at me. I tried to conjure a smile, but the shock I felt was keeping me from stretching the corners of my mouth. Was I this easy to read?
We hunted for a while, jumped over rivers, you know, same old same old. We changed the subject completely and lost ourselves in girlfriend bonding. The time had flown by and it was already dark outside. The wind picked up and blew out our hair as we moved.
I smelt it then.
Like a bolt of the most delicious scent I had ever smelled overwhelmed me. Only one thing in the world smelled like that. Blood. Pure, undiluted human blood. I growled inwardly, ready to sprint in a desperate run but as I was about to let the beast win me over I slapped myself. I'm human on the inside , I kept saying to myself. I was in control, but apparently Nessie had cracked. Se growled at me as I pulled her towards me as she tried to make a break for it. I slapped her too, hard enough to snap her out of it.
"Ness, listen to me. We have to get out of here." I insisted as I tried to pull her away. The scent had completely filled the air by now.
"No Sam, there's a lot of blood. Someone's dying. We have to help." she said. Se was right and from the smell of the stuff it was not some little wound. I let her hand go, indecisive about what to do next. She ran towards the source and I reluctantly followed her. I ran up to her and surpassed her. I stopped abruptly as I saw a body outstretched face down. Even though the night was barely moonlit I could see as clear as day, so I noticed the pool of blood next to the body.
"Holy Shit! Stay back, Ness. It's a bloodbath out here." I said to her. I listened to the person's heart beat, which told me he was just on the verge of dying. Ness ignored me and instead came standing next to me, holding on my shoulder for support.
"Let's take him to Carlisle. He'll know what to do." I said fruitlessly. I knew it would be too late by then.
"You know that he won't live long enough! Sam it's up to you, only you can save him." she said to me. I didn't understand her. What the hell could I possibly do to save this poor human?
"What?"
"You have to turn him Sam. Otherwise he'll die." she said to me like it was the most obvious thing in the world. And to us vampires it should have been. Denial crept up on me.
"NO! I won't do it. He's better off dead than living like this." I shouted at her. Just then my phone ran. "Fucking bad timing." I muttered under my breath. I got my phone from my back pocket and picked up.
"You have to turn him Sam. He's going to die in a minute if you don't." I heard Alice's panicked voice said. "Alice, he's better off dead. I don't know what I'd give to be dead right now. Living on is just the beginning of a new world of pain."
"I know. But it's better this than seeing him die. He wants to live, Sam. Don't deny it to him." she said to me. I would have to do it, I knew it.
"I don't know if I'm up to it." I whispered weakly into the phone.
"You are. We believe in you." she said to me. I cut the line and shoved the phone carelessly in my pocket. He was just a few breaths away from death. I turned him around and as irony would have it, it was Daren. His cheek had been burned earlier which left the skin red and blistery. I pitied him. I looked at Nessie who was sharing the same look of surprise and pity with me.
"Universe, there's no word insulting enough to describe you." I said and ran my hand over his shirt which was dripping with blood. I brought my finger to my mouth. The taste was maddening. I savoured it for a fraction of a second and bit his neck straight in the artery just as his heartbeat was on its way to disappear for ever. I sucked, feeling it refreshing me and bringing happiness to my life. It was the purest nectar or life. I felt myself rejoice on the inside, feast on the blood of this innocent being. I sucked heartily until I realised that I was killing him. I heard Nessie scream my name but I hadn't noticed till now. Reluctantly I pulled away. I licked the wound my teeth had made and felt him take a deep breath. His eyes opened for a split second. "Sam...?" he half asked, half stated and pushed my hair out of my face. His hand fell back and he fell unconscious once more. His heartbeat was working in full blast and I felt him getting hotter in my arms. I guessed this was the last bit of life in him, overdoing itself until it faded completely. "I'm so sorry for doing this to you." I said with uncomfortable wetness in my eyes. I remembered the pain he was passing through, and I felt worst. I put him on the ground, resting his head on my lap. I took off my shirt and wrapped it around his exposed neck since I had left my trench coat at home. I knew that I must have looked odd in my black spaghetti straps vest but he needed all the comfort he could get. And anyways it wasn't like the cold affected me. He looked so vulnerable and hurt like this. At least I knew he was going to be okay. The venom was already curing his body. His stomach wound stopped bleeding and the burn on his face was already healing.
He had been a jerk to me earlier but seeing him like this brought out my maternal instincts. He was my responsibility now. I swore over my walking dead body that I would teach him all I know. Be the perfect maker that mine never was. I smiled a sad smile. I had just killed/ saved a human today. It felt good but I couldn't help the guilt. I picked him up bridal style and carried him over to where Nessie waited for me. I found that I was unable to talk. I was way too shocked emotionally. We ran back to the house. As Nessie opened the door I ran as fast as I could to my room. I put Daren as gently as possible on my couch, putting a red floral cushion behind him to support his back. I put on the first shirt I found which was a simple fitted black shirt. I tied up my hair in a messy bun and sat in a yoga position, in a way that I was still holding his hand. I willed fog around me, engulfing me in Daren's past. If I wanted to get a peek at his future I had to understand his past and possibly who attacked him and why.
I opened my eyes and found myself in a playground. It was deserted except for one little kid, Daren. He had messy brown hair and a pair of huge glasses. This kind of reminded me of one of the Harry Potter movies, which started this way to. To make the scene more Harry-Potter-ish than it already was a group of kids strolled up to him.
"If it isn't America's number one soon-to-be criminal." A thin girl with a horrible lisp said. It made her seem as if she was hissing when she said her 's'.
"So how do your parents like doing the time?" A chubby boy asked.
"Answer us, Robinson." A redheaded boy said and kicked him in the shin. I growled at what I was seeing. I've always hated bullies. Then the thin girl took his glasses and threw them at the chubby boy. He didn't catch them and they smashed on the floor. Daren got off the swing and picked up his glasses. He walked away from the other kids and but they started shouting rudely at him, calling him a wimp. The chubby kid punched him.
"That is it!" Daren said in a pained voice. He turned around and punched the chubby kid back in the jaw. The chubby kid staggered back but Daren didn't even seem to notice the throbbing pain of his fist. I knew from first hand experience that throwing a decent punch took skill and it hurt at first. "You'll regret it Robinson." The girl said as Daren backed away, leaving the three kids fussing over the chubby kid's jaw.
The image distorted and I found myself sitting on an ancient velvety red couch. I heard a woman shout at the top of her lungs. I followed the shouts which lead me to the front door. There was a kind looking sixty-year old woman listening calmly to a bitchy looking housewife who was shouting in her face. Beside the shouting woman stood a policewoman and the chubby kid from earlier in Daren's past.
"… and out of the blues he punched Mick in the jaw. He's a delinquent, I tell you. Just like his parents, he should be locked up. Prevent more deaths." I caught her saying. I felt like growling at her. What a dumb-ass. People who think that just because your parents were trash you'll follow your footsteps make me want to kick something. The chubby kid was crying crocodile tears and the policewoman was patting him on the back for support.
"I beg to differ, Mrs. Simon. Your kid punched Daren first. I've already scolded Daren about getting revenge on Mick for punching him, put if we want to look at all the facts, Mick and his friends did break Daren's glasses. I suggest we put this all behind us. After all it was only a little fight among kids. I suggest we grown ups shouldn't get involved. I appreciate your diligent work, Mrs. Forbes, and I think you have much more important things to do than deal with a silly childish squabbled between kids." The grey haired woman who I presumed was Daren's grandma said.
"I'm sorry but Mrs. Simon is determined to press charges. If you would follow me, we have some paperwork that needs to be filled out." Mrs. Forbes said.
"I can't help the feeling that the real reason why you would want to press charges against a child, is because you hold a grudge against his parents and your prejudgment is getting the best of you. If you must know Daren barely knows his parents. And I can assure you that I assure you that I have given him the best upbringing I thought was appropriate."
"Seeing how your son turned out I'm afraid that's not reassuring at all." Mrs. Simon said in a bitchy voice. I tried to punch her but my fist went right through her as if was made of fog, which in my visions she probably was. Daren's grandma remained unmoved by her insults.
"Mrs. Simons, I know that it's not my upbringing which could make Daren a criminal but your prejudice towards him. Tell me, how would you feel if everybody around you is waiting eagerly to see you fall and make a mountain out of a mole hill sized mistake? This is why after this matter is settled I will see to it that we move. I will not subdue Daren to more prejudice from people who clearly don't realise that should take a good look at themselves before opening their mouths to judge others." Gran said coolly. That's right! Take that bitch! After that Mrs. Simons remained silent and when Mrs. Forbes asked if she wanted to press charges she declined which had a serious of wails from Mick. After the two women and the blimp sized kid left, Gran walked to the kitchen where Daren was eating. He had his head bent over a plate so I couldn't see his face.
"So, how's the meal Daren, do you like it?" Gran said and sat across him. He nodded. "Daren you know I insist that we talk during meals. That's why we eat together." She said. Daren sat up straight and whipped his bloodshot eyes. He had definitely been crying. "Daren, what's wrong honey?" She asked him as she walked next to him and hugged him.
"I hate them so much Grans, this is entirely their fault." Daren whimpered. "Don't say that. You know I don't tolerate hate in my house. It is a useless emotion, caused my pain, fear, jealousy, anger, sadness and all the other bad emotions you can think of. Hate does not only ruin one's soul but also disables a person from loving. Don't let people like the Simons get you down, Daren. They are haters so they will never know the true joy of love like we do. Remember this, even after I won't be able to look after you anymore. You are your own person. Never let your parent's or anybody else's shadows drag you down." She said and kissed him softly on his forehead. I smiled at what a sweet moment that was. The image distorted and I was at the hospital. I looked around until I heard Daren's voice. I followed it and found myself in a ward. Lying in a bed looking like a lifeless corpse was Gran. The pain was so real in Daren's eyes that I felt the need to break the vision. I had enough pain of my own to deal with.
Opening my eyes to reality I found Carlisle and Esme in my room. Esme had her arm around my shoulders. I got up and saw them looking at me, directly in the eyes. I looked to my left where my bedroom mirror stood. My eyes were a deep shade of crimson. I reached for my desk where my Ray ban wayfarer sunglasses where and put them on.
"Sam, I must say you did a very good job, a clean bite straight in the artery. He should wake up as a vampire in about three to four days." Carlisle complimented me as he checked Daren's neck. I went to look at him. He had a pained expression but other than that he looked completely dead. His heartbeat had died away during my vision. I looked at him with pity behind my shades.
"Are you alright?" Esme asked me. "I honestly don't know. I was checking out his past and well… his human past sucked big time. And I've just brought him in this world of pain. I don't know if I did the right thing." I said to her. "Of course you did. Maybe his vampire life will be better. You did a great job. You shouldn't feel guilty. You saved his life." She said to me. I nodded. I pulled up his shirt to uncover his stomach. The wound there was only about a centimetre deep and it was heeling at a rapid pace. The burn on his face was only a patch of pinkish skin. We went in the living room.
Then, a light bulb lit in my mind. "Wait! How are we going to explain to the kids and faculty in school that two kids mysteriously disappeared after the first day of school?" I asked them.
"Hey, we can always say that after four hours you and Robinson fell deeply and passionately in love so you decided to secretly leave together in the middle of the night so that you could escape the gossip about two kids madly in love with different social statuses imposed on you by society." Emmett suggested. I had to blink twice to think of a decent answer.
"You, my friend, watch way too many teen chick flicks movies." I stated simply and everybody laughed at me. "No seriously, what can we say?"
"What if you suddenly come down with a deadly illness that has to be taken care of immediately so you have to stay at home?" Jasper suggested. I nodded in agreement. That was a great plan. "So it's settled. Tomorrow you'll go to school as normal and act sick." Alice said to me. I nodded.
"And what about Daren? How are we going to explain his disappearance?" I wondered out loud. "He can always play dead and after they bury him we can dig him out." Rose suggested. "I don't know. Won't they be interested in how he died?" Edward pointed out.
"How 'bout we go with Emmett's idea for him, of course excluding me and the whole madly in love part. There are many runaway teens here in America, right?" I pointed out. They all nodded. So we had three days till people start asking questions. I would track his scent to his house and bring all the stuff he would need here. I wanted to know what happened to him and who almost killed him but I guess I could wait till he wakes up. I had more important issues to handle. I looked at the clock which informed me it was three o'clock in the morning. That gave me ample time to conduct my plan and be ready for school by six a.m.
God, what have I gotten myself into?