Chapter 2:
Breaking Points

Tick tock, the grandfather clock went. The tall wooden structure stood across the living room and against the wall, the chime swinging back and forth patiently. It was mesmerizing, annoying even. The way it had to make a ticking sound as each second passed.

It was two o'clock in the afternoon, just a few minutes till three. Hunter sat on the soft couch impassively. Her eyes were lost in space, her mind filled with the thing she craved most, blood. Every second that ticked by placed an image of her past victim, Bethany, in her head. The blood that dripped down her hand and neck, the screams, it made her mouth water.

And throughout the night, she kept replaying the events of the newborn war with her eyes glued to the ceiling. She kept replaying the funeral, the pain she felt, the pain he felt.

Instead of feeling sad, it made her angry. Which in turn, made her hungry. The blood bags she had stored in a mini fridge in the basement wouldn't suffice, she knew that. Right now, she wanted to drink straight from the vein.

Three o'clock

On cue, the doorbell rang and she robotically got onto her feet and walked to the door. She had ordered herself a pizza to help subside her cravings. But she immediately regretted it once she realized she could hear the delivery boy's pulse in her ears.

She grabbed the money off the side table and yanked the door open. The boy looked young, maybe sixteen years old. He wore a small smile on his face and he awkwardly reached into his pocket. Hunter immediately cued out of his pulse and slouched. He was just a kid, probably on his first day of work. She couldn't even think about ending his life for her benefit.

   "Okay, your total is $12.59." He smiled, holding the pizza box up for her to take.

Hunter returned the expression and accepted the pizza. "Here you go." She mumbled, handing him a twenty dollar bill. "Keep the change." She waved him off and shut the door.

Exhaling, she made her way to the kitchen. The wedding was tomorrow and things haven't been going well for her. The dress she was supposed to wear was laid neatly on her recliner chair and she stared at it every chance she got.

There were many times when she tried her hardest to convince herself not to go. She couldn't bare to watch her best friend marry someone who, in some ways, was unfaithful to her. But that wasn't the only prying reason.

It was a tugging emotion. A suppressed one that made her want to throw up at the thought of; that she didn't want Edward to marry Bella at all. A part of her loathed their relationship. She envied it.

She pulled open the box and the strong scent of jalapeños hit her nose. The house was silent apart from the old clock in the living space, and it still filled her with dread.

The time she had to sit and think was always haunting. Without Mason, her emotions were on a constant loop. She couldn't expect her friend with benefits to always be there for her, he had his own life to manage.

Before she could even pick a pizza slice, the blaring sound of her ringtone shook her bones. Leaning over on her chair, she peered at the front of her phone, Bella.

She let out a sigh and quickly answered the phone, "Yes." She spoke, peeling out a slice. There was shuffling on the other end of the phone before Bella let out a soft chuckle, "Hey, is the polite way to greet someone."

Hunter held back a grin. She missed Bella deeply. "Yeah, well you interrupted my lunch so who's really polite?" Hunter joked, biting into the hot pizza.

"God forbid I come between you and your food." She laughed. Hunter swallowed the pizza, a bitter sensation dancing on her tounge. Food wasn't at all what she wanted, it was bland and tasteless. She wanted something stronger.

Bella cleared her throat at the beat of silence and she shuffled around some more, growing anxious. Things haven't been easier in their friendship since she left. It's always been the same, ice breaker conversations over the phone. Bella wanted to know what her friend's been up to. She hasn't said a word about her life in Ocean Shores and it worried her.

It felt like Hunter was washing away from her.

   "So are you coming back to Forks tonight? Or..." Bella drawled. Hunter chugged the rest of the room temperature water and fought back the urge to groan angrily. "Oh, right. I almost forgot." She nervously chuckled.

She didn't forget. There was a slimmer of hope in her that Bella wouldn't ask about her return. But of course, that was unrealistic. She slid the box of pizza away with her appetite crashing down. Regular food was a waste of money at this point. She was slowly starting to rely on blood to fill her up and it was saddening to her.

   "I think I'll be on my way tomorrow morning. Around nine, maybe." She told her truthfully. She wouldn't be able to concentrate if she drove back tonight. With the roads and highways empty, it would give her room to think about where she's headed. She'd need honking and road rage to keep her emotions at bay.

   "Oh, okay. That's good. It's better to drive during the day anyways." Bella mumbled back. Hunter could tell she was a bit disappointed. She wanted nothing more than to spend time with her before the big day, but she couldn't. She wasn't strong enough.

Hunter leaned onto the table, her teeth lightly gnawing at her cheek. This was more difficult than she thought. "How are you?" Bella asked. The question hit her like a ton of bricks, nearly knocking the wind from her lungs.

   "I'm okay." She lied. She was anything but okay. It was silent again and she knew Bella didn't believe her. It didn't matter, however, cause it isn't about her. "How are you? Any wedding nerves?"

"Yeah." She chuckled, "I mean, I never thought I'd marry so young, you know? It feels like a dream."

Hunter brought her leg up to her chest and rested her chin on her knee. A small smile made it's way onto her face but it didn't reach her eyes. "I get that." She mumbled, only to her, it felt like a nightmare.

A sharp pain erupted in her gums and she hissed, lifting her hand up to her face in shock. "Is everything alright?" Bella asked worriedly.

Hunter massaged her now aching gums and got onto her feet. This was her body's way of telling her to feed, again. It was like she had a black hole as a stomach.

   "What? Oh yeah, everything's okay." She rushed, moving to the back of the house. "Listen, I gotta go, okay?"

"What? Hunter!" Bella exclaimed. She still had things she wanted to talk about with her. "What's wrong?"

Hunter yanked the basement door open and flew down the creaky wooden steps. "Bella, nothing is wrong. Trust me. I'll call you back as soon as I can. And if I don't, I'll see you tomorrow. I promise, bye."

"Wait-" Hunter hung up the phone and made a bee-line to her hidden fridge. She flicked on the basement light and pulled the refrigerator open. Dozens of blood bags stocked up inside the cool box, all types, from a variety of hospitals and clinics.

Just at the sight of them, she could feel her body throbbing, aching for the cool metallic taste. Involuntary, her hand snapped up and snatched a bag right off a shelf. She ripped the nozzle off and threw her head back, squeezing the thick liquid into her mouth.

The taste forced a moan of contentment out from her throat. It was relieving, a moment of bliss, and a detachment from reality.

But it was just a moment.

As soon as she started, it ended. The last of the blood slipped past her lips, gone in seconds. She tossed the bag aside and grunted angrily before grabbing another, repeating the process.

Though every bag gave her some happiness, it wasn't enough. She was insatiable and she needed more. She couldn't explain where this newfound aggression was coming from, it was like her body was changing.

First, she handled animal blood only, it was manageable and enough. Then, blood bags were the new thing. She's been living off them for a few months, ingesting at least two a day. But now, since earlier in the week, even that sounded unappealing.

Hunter grunted one more time, tossing what had to have been the seventh blood bag onto the floor. She stared at them in horror. She hadn't even realized that she had so many and she was still hungry for more. Blood stained her chin, hands, shirt, and the concrete floor. She was relentless.

"Shit." She hissed before flashing back upstairs. She needed to clean off before Mason came by again.

The bathroom door nearly fell off it's hinges as she barged in. She turned on the shower, peeled her clothes off, and stepped inside. Her foot flinched at the touch of the chilled tub, but it was quickly relieved by the steamy warm water, a perfect setting. It hit her back soothingly and her eyes shut on their own.

Her mind was in shreds; the thing she craved most and the person who disappeared from her life. One affected the other daily, a dangerous killer. She turned the metallic dial, releasing dozens of now hot drops, darkening her hair and trickling down her back. Her eyes closed, showing her the images like photographs.

Turning around, she watched the blood swirl around in the pool beneath her before swimming down the drain. It made her think about Bethany, the helpless jogger she killed. How her body was sitting at the bottom of the ocean, her skin slowly dissolving and swimming endlessly in the salty water.

It made her think about the lives she ruined by stealing the blood bags. How many people needed that blood to help them survive. All because she couldn't fight the urges.

But the one thing that constantly ripped her apart was Winston. Without another thought, a frown stretched onto her face and a sob raked her body. She missed him terribly. Turning back the clock and fixing it all was something she wanted to do badly, but reality was often disheartening.

She was all alone with her aching gums and painful memories.

___

   "You sure you're not hungry?" Mason asked her as soon as the waitress left with their menus. Hunter rubbed her hands against her legs and nodded assuringly.

After her shower, she went back down to the basement to clean up the rest of the mess. She had another breakdown while doing so. The smell of it all pained her and she found herself wanting more of it. Once she had it all under control, she knocked on Mason's door and insisted that they went to a nearby diner for lunch. It wasn't a date but it still surprised him.

She needed a distraction but this was proving to be the opposite. All around her were heart beats, the human scent alone was salivating. She couldn't even look at the menu, the food on there didn't grab her attention.

   "I'm fine. I just needed to come out." She told him, neatly arranging the silverware beside her. Mason nodded and leaned back into the booth. She was still the same as he left her earlier this week, lost and emotional.

The diner was cool, much better than the hot and hazy air outside. Not many people were inside, though it was nearing six o'clock. The diner was almost always packed with people coming off from work, out of school, or just stopping by for a meal or two. Hunter considered herself lucky. Too many people in one confined space with her appetite was not a good idea.

Lifting her eyes off the table, she finds Mason staring at her. She could tell he was trying to figure out what was wrong with her. "Stop doing that. Nothing's wrong." She sighed, letting a playful smile onto her lips.

   "I want to believe you." Mason replied, leaning forward again, "I know it isn't any of my business and I'm not asking you to tell me anything. I just want you to know that I'm here if you need to talk." Hunter nodded sheepishly. He was very respectful of her privacy and she appreciated that.

   "Thank you." She mumbled, watching his own smile show up. It was easy to talk to Mason. He always knew what to say and how to keep her from being uncomfortable. It was a nice change.

The door swung open and the hot breeze reached their table. A family of four waltzed in, two kids and their parents. They seemed like they had a long day, happy to stop by and enjoy the air conditioned diner. It was good to see until Hunter's nostrils flared and her eyes shut. She could smell them, taste them. She could tell how healthy they were and how strong they were, all by scent.

It was hypnotizing, a burn that didn't go away but instead grew stronger as each second passed. She could feel that sharp ache in her gums return when her eyes opened. Luckily, Mason's attention was drawn onto a pack of sugar and he hadn't noticed her change in demeanor.

   "What's the difference between these sugars?" He quizzed, flipping through the multicolored packets with furrowed eyebrows. She tried to respond but opening her mouth only caused more pain to erupt. Without a word, she pulled out all the packets and laid them out neatly between them, pointing at the different brands. She wasn't sure if she was right but that technically was a difference between them.

Mason nodded, now understanding why there was so many. He glanced back up at her and she lowered her head a bit, leaning onto her arm. She was incredibly hungry and she didn't know how long she'd be able to fight it.

By now, her true eyes would be as red as her mother's. Crimson and sinister, a result of the human blood she consumed daily. Bella would be disappointed, so would Edward. She didn't know why, but that made her queasy.

   "One spicy chicken soup and a fruit smoothie." The waitress beamed, placing the order in front of Mason. She peered over to Hunter, "Are you sure I can't get you anything? A drink?"

Hunter wanted badly to say yes. To tell the old waitress that she wanted to bite into her neck and drain her to death. Her throat felt like sandpaper and she could feel a headache coming on. This was such an inconvenience for her. She was constantly feeling this way nowadays and it ruined times like this. She sheepishly shook her head and the waitress sauntered off, leaving her mouth watering scent behind.

Mason, who had already started to dig into his food, glanced up at her. Her face was molded into a scowl, her eyes staring off into the distance almost angrily.
"Everything okay?" He asked, glancing around the diner in search for who was on the receiving end of her dark eyes.

Hunter didn't respond. She was too busy scoping out the diner in search for a lone person. Someone who seemed to be at their dead end, someone who wouldn't be missed. It was an awful thing to even think about but she couldn't fight this anymore.

The sunlight changed from a bright and hot yellow, to a soothing and pleasing orange tint. One that reflected off glass and metal brightly. Hunter watched a very drunk man stumble out of the diner, his scent heavy with beer. He was the one. She could see it in his face, how miserable he was. She wanted to go after him, to follow him into a quiet place and help herself. But when she dragged her eyes back to Mason, he was staring at her as if she was insane.

Her back straightened and she folded her hands together, "What." She managed to mutter out. Mason held back a chuckle and placed his spoon down. He didn't understand why she was being so unusual. He knew she wasn't acting like this because of the wedding, but then again, Hunter bared a lot of secrets. "I asked if you were okay?"

Her shoulders slumped forward and her eyes fell to his soup. She didn't mean to be so disconnected to him, she hadn't even realized that she was acting odd. He probably thought she was a psychopath. "Hunter, why did you ask me to come here? I mean, I like hanging out with you but you seem out of it."

She pouted. This was a bad idea. Coming outside did nothing but strengthen her need for fresh blood. It was wrong of her to abandon Mason during their hangout time without a valid reason, but the pain wouldn't go away. "I'm okay. I just have to use the bathroom." She lied.

He accepted that answer and let her slip out of the booth, returning to his spicy soup. Hunter followed the signs to the bathroom but walked right past them and out the back door.

Inhaling the air, she instantly knew where the drunken man went. She exited the alley and caught sight of him stumbling across the street by the boat docks. No one was really around. The diner was the only place around this area, the rest was just one lone road and the lake ahead.

When the cool sunset breeze picked up, she zoomed across the street. The man stumbled further and further down the dock and Hunter grunted in annoyance. She wished he stayed still but she couldn't complain while she still had time.

She could feel her fangs stretching out at just the sight. She was about to quench her aching thirst. Or so she thought.

The man was now accompanied by two more men, who cheered on his arrival. They hugged and welcomed him onto their boat. Her fangs slid back and a glare welcomed her face. Not only did she miss her chance, she was wrong about him. He had friends who were awaiting him.

Kicking at the gravel she zoomed back to the diner, the ache in her gums subsiding.

___

The walk back home wasn't silent. It was filled with laughter from the both of them. After Hunter's failed hunting attempt, she joined Mason back at their table and forced her hunger aside. Their interaction was a bit loud, but no one complained.

Now, in Hunter's house, clothes littered the floor all the way from the front door to the living room where they both laid on the floor with a bunch of blankets. The television was on for the first time since she's been in the house, but it seemed to be watching them instead.

An action movie loudly served as background noise while the two enacted in their usual activities. But that was about twenty minutes ago.

"Will you be back?" Mason asked her. Her head laid on his chest and he lightly rubbed her arm, his eyes watching the movie but not paying attention.

Tomorrow, Hunter was leaving. She was going back to Forks and he wasn't sure if he'd see her again. It was clear there was something in that town that was affecting her, and he knew if she went back, things would change.

Hunter peeled open her tired eyes. She wanted to come back. She didn't want to stay in Forks any longer than she had to. But deep down, she knew it'd be hard to run away again. This time she spent here was supposed to be her healing time and she's done everything but heal. "I don't know." She answered truthfully.

Mason's eyes dimmed. She was his first friend, the first person who made him feel like he'd make it in this town. Having been re-located many times, it was hard for him to make friends much less form a connection with someone as unique as Hunter. Of course he'd miss her. "I hope you do. It'd be weird to not have you around."

Hunter pulled the covers closer to her chest and she got up to lean on her elbow. "I think you'll be alright." She smiled, brushing his brown curls. His hair was a lot curlier than Winston's, looser too. It felt different, it made her stomach drop.

"With my kind of job, it's hard to keep people around." Mason told her, suddenly itching for a drink. The smile never slipped off her face. She had no intentions of forgetting about Mason. He's a good friend and he helped her forget about things that would've destroyed her. "You don't have to worry about losing me."

Finally, a toothy grin appeared on his face and he got up from the floor. Hunter pursed her lips, watching his naked figure enter the kitchen. Some glass moved around and a cabinet slammed shut. She didn't even have to question what he was doing. She just giggled and sat up happily.

"Tonight, we drink." Mason announced. He waltzed back into the living room with two short glasses and a bottle of liquor. He handed one to her before he slipped back under the covers.

It was an old bottle of wine and she remembered the time her dad told her about it. She had just turned sixteen and they sat in the kitchen after dinner. He told her all about the time he bought that wine for a date with her mother, but they never used it.

The memory made her smile and she held up her glass, letting Mason fill it up halfway along with his. "This toast is dedicated to our friendship and how I'll never forget my beautiful Hunter."

She rolled her eyes playfully and clinked their glasses together, taking a sip of the sweet red wine. If there was one thing she got done in Ocean Shores, it was making someone else's life better. Even if it wasn't her own, it was good to know that she made Mason happy.

They relished in one another, drunk and happy with the movie still playing in the background.