Chapter 15:
Night Terrors Pt. 2

The remainder of the day felt numbing.

Hunter sat by the window when everyone disbanded. Bella scattered away before Hunter could gather courage to even speak, and Jacob didn't spare her another glance. It seemed no matter what decision she made, she'd end up by the window again, wishing she was apart of the dark night.

If anyone could actually see her, they'd see a girl on fire, crumbling into ashes.

With the sun disappearing behind the trees, an urge rose in her gut. The emptiness of the forest ahead was inviting and exciting. The feeling was twisting hungrily, a familiar and tasteful sensation.

If she were to give in, there'd be no telling what would happen. But if she didn't decide right away, her body would decide for her and she would dive head first into shallow waters.

Upon a deep breath, her eyes felt lighter as did her bones. All she could think about was curing the pain she was in, emotional, physical, and mental pain. The only thing she could think about.

Whenever she was in severe anguish, blood was the cure. But today, it was blood and boys, specifically Edward. She couldn't find him in the house which led her to believe he was out, avoiding Bella.

Something she's been doing for days.

Hunter continued to stare out the window, contemplating her next move. Everyone was down by the other end of the house. The living room seemed to be the place nowadays.

Her hands lay comfortably on her knees, her lips pressed into a thin line. Truthfully she was hungry. She was starving. Everyone seemed to think she was changing her diet, assuming that she was alright, but she wasn't.

Her veins felt dry and rough, each hour without feeding brought her closer to death. But gaining the trust of the other's were more important. At least it was up until now, when her cravings skyrocketed.

The trees darken as every minute ticked by much like Hunter's eyes. The feeling in her stomach began to intensify, creating a blinding and irritating anger as well. Her breathing turned heavy and her hands slowly tighten shut.

Thinking about ripping some helpless stranger on the street was mouthwatering, acknowledging the silent treatment she felt like she was receiving, the heat. Even the thought of Edward running back to Bella snuck its way into her head.

Without noticing, the floor began to vibrate. It rumbled and groaned the more she let her mind run wild. Her teeth grit together, almost as tight as her fists, her heart beat ran faster than her breaths, and her skin hot to the touch.

In her eyes she can see the forest. The twists and turns, the creeks and the animals. She can smell the different types of meals that were available yet none of them were what she wanted.

Now the house shook, as if it were an earthquake. Hunter's eyes were wild with rage and her body levitated from her spot on the floor. She was growing tired of her life.

"Hunter." A voice called. It was familiar and angering. Hunter could see the fluff of red hair blowing madly in the wind. The vampire was perched in the tree just across, a wicked smirk on her cherry lips.

Fires of fury and hatred were smoldering in her small narrowed eyes as she hovered weightlessly. The house substituted for her anger as it shook relentlessly.

The red headed vampire stood graciously on a sturdy branch, her torment remaining without lifting a finger. Hunter growled lowly at this. She hated being out of control.

She could think of a million ways to kill Victoria, a million better one's she could've used the first time. She wanted to rip her apart, limb from limb, heart and lungs. She wanted Victoria to scream in fear and pain, apologizing desperately and scrambling for breaths.

She wanted to snap her bones. But instead all she could do was snap the entire tree in half. The sound was loud and it echoed off the edges of the Forks forest. Hunter watched Victoria's face fill with fear before plummeting to the ground.

Then the shaking stopped too.

Hunter gasped loudly when her body went falling to the granite floors. Her hands break her fall and she steadied herself. She could hear the residents in the other room, questioning the event that just occurred with frightful tones.

Had she done that? Had she enduced her own earthquake? Answering her own question, she glanced back out the window and saw what used to be a tree, completely split in half as if a lightning bolt hit it.

Either half leaned against the surrounding trees, cracking and creaking, desperately wanting to crash to the ground.

"Hunter?" A voice called out. It was Bella. Her tone was filled with concern as it always was and it brought a smile onto Hunter's face. But she couldn't stay. She couldn't face Bella right now.

So she climbed onto her feet and took off down the stairs and out the front door, in search for something to take the pain away.

___

          Finding a wounded person was supposed to fill someone with concern, dread, anxiety even. But for Hunter it only brought hunger and relief. Seeing the blood leak from the wound was salivating.

She had been standing around for what felt like hours watching a drunken man sob to himself in the middle of the woods. He had tripped and broke his ankle. The bone stuck out slightly amongst the blood meshed jeans.

He had yet to find her. He had yet to find anything. His eyes were blurred with tears and sweat and she was standing just feet away from him. The forest fog was thickening while the crickets sang louder. It was like nature was begging her to succumb to her predatory behavior.

Everyone would be disappointed in her but she couldn't think of that right now. She could only think of the way her tastebuds wiggled in anticipation.

The man finally glanced at his surroundings, his whimpers growing louder at the realization that he was alone and lost. He didn't seem like a bad man, just a poor decision maker, but she didn't care about that either.

His eyes find her figure and he jumped back in surprise, "Who's there?" He called out. Hunter knew he wouldn't be able to make out her face so she stayed silent and still. "Help me please." He begged.

Hunter bit her lip gently. The smell was intensifying, a compelling reason why she couldn't help but move towards him. Her sharp teeth grew instantly and her hands clenched happily. The leather jacket she wore rubbed against itself the faster she walked.

Everything around her seemed to be electrifying, egging her on to complete this task. "Help me." He cried again, watching her blurry figure emerge from the fog.

His eyebrows lift and his tears ceased. He could easily make out the feminine figure. Quickly, he dismissed his tears and leaned back onto his hands.
"What's a pretty lady like you doing out here all alone?" He asked, a soliciting smirk spreading on his lips.

Hunter didn't change the determination in her eyes as she lowered to his level. This man was easily in his forty's. She could see the wound perfectly now. The moon shimmered between the trees generously and the red liquid glimmered brightly.

The man's smile faulted a bit at the way she stared at his broken ankle, an unsettling feeling spreading to his gut. But he relaxed when her eyes met his. He could see her better but his intoxicated eyes still blurred his surroundings plenty.

Hunter grinned at him before pressing her finger to the broken skin lightly. He winced at the contact and frowned, "Can you call someone please?" She glided her finger to the blood and wiped some off. It was warm and euphoric, everything she desired.

Her finger shakily raised to her mouth and she pressed it to her lips. Her eyes shut involuntarily and her tounge licked the metallic sweetness off the pad of her finger.

The man shuffled away from her desperately, his face falling back to fear. "What the hell is wrong with you?" He asked her. Hunter's eyes opened once more, her body aching for more. She could indulge if she wanted to, finish this man under the radar. No one would know.

She crouched onto her knees and hungrily crawled over to him, "Don't be afraid. I thought I was pretty." She fake pouted, finding excitement in tormenting this man.

   "Get the hell away from me!" He yelled, scrambling away from her. "Help!"

Hunter's eyes darkened and she grabbed a hold of his leg before squeezing with as much strength she could muster. Now he screamed louder. Her fingers dug beneath his already bloody skin and crushed the bone.

The blood covered her hand quickly and it only urged her to continue. At least before she was carelessly tossed away from the man.

Her body soared through the air but she found herself on her feet instantly. She brushed her hair from her eyes and glanced up. No one was around, even the man she was just about to feast on was missing.

Taking a step forward, she scanned the forest with wide eyes. She prayed it wasn't Bella who managed to follow her out here. The night creatures continued to prance around, singing their songs and preying on their meals.

She could've sworn she wasn't like them at all, but she was.

In a flash, she was shoved backwards and met with a hard surface. Her first instinct was to attack back, but her eyes peeled open and she found Edward standing before her.

The excitement she felt before diminished in seconds and the water she sat in boiled once more. She had been caught.

    "Why." Was all he managed to say. His eyes held no disappointment but Hunter knew better. His body was glued to her's, wandering eyes with a tight grip on her wrists.

Hunter wanted to shrivel back and rush away from him, but the close proximity and the blood on her hands made it hard to do anything but crave him.

Her eyes still held a dark animosity to them, unknown voids swimming in her night skies. Edward found them beautiful. He found everything about her beautiful.

He couldn't even find it in him to lecture her on her relapse. He found her outside her room, flawless as ever. She didn't seem so broken right now, only anxious.

A smirk falls onto her lips and she let her eyes scan him. It was crazy how easy blood altered her way of thinking. She pulled her hands from his hold and they quickly reach for his chest.

   "What are you doing?" He asked her. His voice was low but he didn't protest. Carlisle told him about Hunter's condition, claiming that her days of solitude were due to her flux of emotions. He didn't want to believe it but now he did.

Hunter's wet hands gripped his black shirt before she ripped it open, her canines sharp as ever. He lightly grabbed her face and pressed their lips together, hunger and want fueling the passion.

Hunter held onto him tightly, feeling the hot pain slowly simmer away. This was nothing like their first kiss. This one was urgent and long over due. She could feel her knees weaken every few seconds.

Edward groaned and pulled away from her, "Stop." Hunter sighed and released him. She was under the impression that he wanted this, but now she felt foolish. "Are you sure you wanna do this?"

Hunter scoffed, "Are you serious?"

Edward held back a laugh as he shyly looked away from her, "It's just cause earlier you were afraid of hurting me."

Her eyes take course around his body. She was sure she would hurt him in some way. The heat was at it's peak and she craved release from it too much to go easy on him.

   "Now I want you to kiss me." She whispered, leaning closer to him so their noses barely touched. Edward released a breath before he reattached their lips.

One of his hands gripped her hip and the other on the tree behind her. Hunter's hands wandered in his hair relentlessly, forgetting all about their surroundings.

A chunk of the tree trunk broke off and Edward grunted. Hunter gripped his arms and they zoomed further into the forest hungrily.

___

Hunter was never a drawer. She couldn't make anything better than stick figures and three dimensional squares. But it was still fun to doodle. She held onto her pencil and her mind controlled what appeared onto the paper.

At first she would write her name over and over again, each time different than the last. Then she would etch a small house in a small town, or even a tree.

Anything would've been better than listening to the suffocating sounds of the math teacher ranting on and on about letters and numbers.

It smelled of cinnamon and sweat, a combination that always irritated Hunter. Math class was directly after gym, the boys failed to freshen up and the girls went overboard everytime.

Suddenly the bell rang and class was over. She hadn't realized that she had been out of it for an hour and a half.

"Great work today Winston." The teacher called out as the students got up from their seats and filed out the classroom. Hunter blinked before turning back and finding the boy sitting seats away from her.

She snapped her head back forward with tearful eyes. It was impossible that he was here with her, near her, alive and well. Her chest felt like it could cave in any second.

Her hand shakily slammed her notebook shut and she clumsily gathered her things before following him out the room. He smelled as sweet as he always did, his hair wafting the shampoo scent into her face. He seemed happy, casual, and content. The way he walked told her that he was doing just fine.

"Winston." She called out before she could think. The boy came to a halt and turned at the sound of his name. Upon seeing her, a smile lit up his face. She couldn't tell if he recognized her or not but she smiled back anyway.

His hand shot up into a small wave and he watched her catch up to him, "Hey stranger." He greeted. Hunter brushed her hair back shyly. The moment felt surreal and safe.

"How are you here?" She asked him, ignoring how the sun poured into the school hallways brightly. The sun was never this generous in Forks, but it was a sign Hunter dismissed.

Winston chuckled, "It's a school smarty. I'm always here." Hunter grew even more perplexed but she kept it at bay. He was the same as he's always been. His hand grabbed onto her's and he guided her in his direction, "I'll drive you home."

Hunter didn't protest, she only watched how easily her hand fit in his. They walked along the hallways, each locker door louder than the last. The chatter was buzzing and distracting, but Hunter only cared for Winston.

Reaching outside was blinding. The sun was blaring down on them and Hunter found herself letting go of Winston. "Jesus." She hissed, covering her eyes with her hand.

"Hunter," Winston spoke, his voice filled with confusion. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't adjust to the brightness of the light. But she replied anyway, "Yeah?"

"Your skin is shining. It looks like diamonds."

Hunter paled. She looked down at her arms and indeed she was shimmering underneath the sun's rays. In fact, it wasn't the sun that was blinding her, it was herself. Her eyes lift up to find the entire school outside, watching her like a zoo animal.

"No." She whispered. She was exposed in front of hundreds of teenagers, all of them whispering rumors and questions. She had broken the number one rule of being a vampire.

Hunter let out heavy breaths before turning around and approaching the school doors. She pulled on the handles but they wouldn't budge. "Winston, you have to help me get back inside." She whimpered.

This crime is punishable by death and she didn't want to die yet. She just got Winston back. She could hear camera's snapping pictures of her and more people crowd around the school.

"Open this door!" She yelled out, jiggling the handle anxiously. But to no avail, the door remained glued shut. Her breaths come in gasps and she felt faint.

The glimmer of her skin was too intense for her to keep her eyes open but when she opened them again, she was no longer at the school. The air was colder and the sun was long gone.

Her hands fall to her sides and she sighed, watching her breath release in a cloud of smoke. Beneath her feet was a fresh coat of snow, crunchy and soft underneath her boots.

"Hunter."

Realization dawns upon her and she twists at the sound of her name falling from the soft lips she loved dearly. It happened just as it did before, quick and deafening.

His head twisted unnaturally and his eyes lose the light behind them. His skin was so bright against the snow, full of life and flawless. He deserved more than what he got, he deserved better than her.

She couldn't find it in her to crumble down, cry, or scream. All she could do is stare while the red haired vampire circled her once, then disappeared.

"Such a shame you couldn't save him."

There it was, the voice she was expecting. Sultry jet black hair and cunning red eyes. She didn't look any different than she did a year ago. She seemed taller, but maybe that was fake too.

Willow rounded the field and stopped beside Winston's lifeless body, a new hole creating itself in Hunter's heart. "That Victoria sure is clever."

"Why are you doing this?" Hunter asked as she stared blankly at the ground. She didn't feel fear this time around, she only felt guilty. She had to relive the one thing she spent months trying to get over.

"You're weak and your mind is open to me again." Willow answered truthfully. Her hands were crossed in front of her and she met the eyes of her daughter. She could sense the distress and the pain Hunter was in, a part of her felt terrible for it, but the rest of her couldn't care less.

Hunter sighed. Whatever torment her mother had planned for her, she was ready for it. Nothing would hurt her more than seeing Winston die over and over again.

Willow's face twisted in confusion before she snickered, "Do I bore you, child?" Hunter shifted her weight onto one foot and she nodded slowly, wanting nothing more than to escape this alternate reality.

Her mother hummed loudly, a smirk whisking onto her lips. Her eyes wandered to the ground before lifting back up mischievously, "How about now?"

Hunter rolled her eyes and followed Willow's line of vision. The sigh she would've released was stuck in her throat. Her eyes widened and she jumped back. Down by her feet was a beating heart, one that was covered in blood and coated with snow.

"What the-" Hunter breathed before she noticed her shirt was torn and ruined. She reached for her chest and sure enough, a hole resided there. Her own heart had been ripped from her chest and thrown to the ground.

She could feel the pain begin to spread and the blood travel up her throat. "What did you do?" She asked, her brain quickly forgetting that this wasn't real at all.

Her legs give out and she fell to the ground in a coughing fit. She scrambled for breath or anything to hold onto as blood poured from her lips. In the distance, above her dying sounds, she could hear yells and screams. She could hear everything.

When black spots covered her vision and she was falling over the edge into death, her shoulders convulsed.

"Hunter, wake up!"

Her eyes snapped open and she immediately sat up, her hand clutching her chest anxiously. There was no hole and no missing heart. Only Bella and her white bed sheets.

Hunter gathered her breaths, "What's going on?" Bella inhaled sharply and adjusted herself on the bed. There was hesitation in her movements and Hunter felt worrisome.

"We need to talk."