CHAPTER FIFTEEN.
( visionary. )

  THE MOMENT SHADOW'S SCREAM broke through the silence, she was gone.

  There was no trace of her anywhere. No scent, no sound, no way of knowing where the Swan girl had disappeared to. After all, banshee's were known for their inherent ability to disguise themselves in times of danger. Once the threat of a predator reveals itself, they're able to mask both their scent and presence entirely.

  They become nearly impossible to track.

  Thinking over this did nothing to give Jasper any peace of mind. In fact, it only seemed to make him feel worse. Shadow's banshee instincts had kicked in because she felt as if she were in danger. Danger that, Jasper assumed, she found in them.

  With those thoughts clouding his mind, the blond couldn't help his restless pacing, even if it left the rest of his family on edge. Two whole hours had passed and midnight was drawing nearer. But, each and every time someone would go out to search for the Swan girl, their efforts were repaid fruitlessly.

  No one could find her— no one would find her. From the moment Jasper heard her scream, he'd done everything he could to get to the one human who had the foolish sense to feel safe around him. However, even his attempts were futile. She wouldn't be found unless she wanted to be.

  With his back against the wall, Jasper slowly sank to the floor in defeat. His fingers curled themselves into shaking fists. A mix of emotions overcame him with sudden force— most of them not even his own. It was times like this that he hated the so-called gift he'd been given. He felt so much and it was suffocating.

  For a while afterwards, there was only silence. If he forgot about her for just a fraction of a second, Jasper could have sworn it felt like they'd hardly ever known Shadow at all. He could remember the days when the house seemed to rest in long periods of quiet like this, unbroken by the sound of a heartbeat or chatter.

  How had they continued on like that? Without her personality to liven up a room or her memory to spark a conversation? At this point, most of his memories of this endless life seemed to pass by in a blur.

But, as he thought about it, Jasper recalled how restless he'd on the days leading up to the first time he saw her. He was tired with his routine, eager for some sort of change. Immortality was a boring thing.

  As Alice sunk to the floor beside him, Jasper couldn't help but wonder. "Did you see her coming?" He asked, voice soft as he swallowed down the frustration it brought to even mention the Swan girl.

But, he had to know; how tied together were their lives— and what would that bring?

  Alice hummed her thoughts in a manner that sounded like a song. Her easy-going nature beside him brought a peace that Jasper hadn't known he needed and he clung to that calm she felt. If Alice believed everything would turn out fine, then he would too. He had to, because it was all he had left.

  Finally, the brunette sighed. "Yes. I've seen her. But, I didn't expect her to be so," Alice paused, at a loss for words in a way that Jasper wasn't used to.

It was strange, to say the least. She always seemed to know the right thing to say and precisely when to say it. For as much as her nature seemed light and airy, Alice was a calculated person. She was smart. Kind.

  "Demanding?" Jasper offered, managing a small smile.

  "Impactful," Alice corrected, giving a small shrug. "She's definitely more powerful than I expected." Jasper turned his head to watch as the girl furrowed her brow in thought. He didn't think that Alice meant she'd known all along about Shadow being a banshee. In personality alone, the Swan girl was something else.

  Jasper looked away. "I know what you mean." He could feel Alice staring at him now, but said nothing as silence enveloped them once more.

  "I just want her to be okay." He admitted, gaze falling to the floor. The split-second of panic he felt whenever he thought about her being out there alone never faded.

  When he could no longer stand it, he rose, needing an outlet for all his restless thoughts. He couldn't sit around waiting anymore. There had to be something they could do for her— something more than lying in wait. If she got hurt or worse (Jasper didn't want to think about what worse might entail), then that was on their hands.

It was on his hands.

  He didn't know if he could handle that responsibility. At least, not without knowing he'd done all he could to help. But, as Jasper came to stand in the hallway, he paused mid-stride as a dull thud sounded. For a moment, he thought he imagined it, but it continued in a steady rhythm.

  Like the motion of footfall─ or the thud of a human heartbeat.

  Jasper didn't want to feel relief. He didn't want to give himself that false sense of hope. But, there was only one person willing enough to stand on the Cullen's doorstep. Jasper's senses were suddenly overwhelmed by her presence and, with no warning to brace himself, he could feel his limbs ache in a barely-restrained desire.

  Before he knew it, he was down the stairs and opening up the door for the girl he knew would be standing there. When her head of ginger hair came into view, that's when the relief came. Jasper smiled softly, stepping towards her only to pause in the next split second.

  There was something about Shadow that stopped him from drawing her close. From holding her in a relieved embrace. It sent the echo of a chill across his skin. Her eyes were empty.

No trace of the girl with fire in her soul. She was simply what looked like a walking corpse. Shadow Swan was vacant and something else was driving her body, bringing her here.

  Before Jasper could react, Shadow's mouth fell open and one of the most terrifying sounds he'd ever heard was unleashed. A scream so powerful and overwhelming that it brought every Cullen in the house to their knees. Pain exploded behind Jasper's eyes, as if a thousand knives were piercing his skull.

  His fingers reached up to clutch at his ears in an attempt to lessen the effect of her scream, but it was useless. The sound was too strong and he couldn't move. Jasper's skin felt as if it were being torn apart. He cried out in agony. He knew that fractures were etching their way all across his body.

  Then, when he felt as if he could no longer hold himself together, the scream came to an abrupt end. It left Jasper swaying in disorientation as he watched the girl before him collapse in a heap on the ground. Shadow's half-lidded eyes revealed that she was close to falling unconscious.

Despite the pain that was still ringing throughout Jasper's head, he forced himself to hold her. He carried her body, gentle as he brought her inside. Then, in spite of his own body feeling as though it were going to shatter, Jasper made his way around the house.

He made sure to find every last member of their family. He had to make sure they were alright— and though most seemed to be recovering, it seemed that no one had been hit as strongly as him. It was a wonder how the Hale boy was even still standing.

  It confused Jasper. A banshee was only supposed to scream in the midst of someone's death. Yet, no one had died. Or, at least, no one to Jasper's knowledge. He winced as he stiffly sat on the couch. He could wonder about it all later. For now, all they could do was rest and recover while they waited for the Swan girl to wake up.

  Because waiting was all they could do for her now.

[ SHADOW'S DREAM. ]

  Her breaths came heavy and fast.

  She ran, never breaking stride even as the unforgiving ground tore at her bare feet and branches swooped down to snag on her clothes. Through the thick foliage, moonlight flickered, the only light illuminating her path. She could feel their eyes on her, raking over her body with hunger. A body they didn't really see. She was only a human; meaningless, food to be eaten.

They kept up with her easily enough and she knew they were toying with her. Her muscles and lungs felt as if they were on fire, but Shadow forced herself to keep moving forwards. She couldn't stop.

  If she did, it would only mean swift death.

  Suddenly, the path came to an end and Shadow was left facing the edge of a cliff. Her blood ran cold as she stared down the raging waters below. But, the crashing of wave against rock couldn't drown out the howling of wolves in the distance. Nor could it wash away the sound of the predators following just behind her.

  Snapping of twigs, the symphony of laughter, howling winds. It filled her with dread. When a low chuckle sounded from behind, her attention was brought back to the threat at present. The waves below were only a secondary danger.

As she turned, her eyes widened. Sight alone could distinguish them for what they were. Delicately carved features and eyes so beautiful, so red. They could only be one thing; vampires.

  Three, as far as Shadow could tell. They had her backed into a corner with no chance of escape. Through ravenous eyes they watched her and Shadow released a shaky breath. The blond, tall and lean, began to grin, a sadistic sight that was more animalistic than human.

  He closed his eyes and his nostrils flared; inhaling the scent of her blood. The sight made her stomach twist with nausea. She felt sick. If it were even possible, Shadow swore the man's eyes turned an even deeper crimson. Almost black with hunger.

  Upon instinct, Shadow took a step back. But, within the space of a single breath, the blond had disappeared. Shadow felt her body collide with something hard, something almost similar to stone.

Before she could react, two pale arms were wrapping around her, stopping her escape before she could even make an effort to try. Their grip was hard as steel and nearly impossible to break free of. Shadow thrashed uncontrollably, but it was no use.

There was nowhere to run.

Her attacker grabbed onto the arm that Shadow had managed to free. His grip was firm enough to leave bruises. He buried his head into the crevice of her neck, inhaling deeply against her skin.

  Shadow let out a small screech of horror and was about to start thrashing once more, when a flash of brilliant scarlet caught her attention. The Swan girl ceased all movement as she stared down the vampire with flaming auburn hair. Shadow was captivated with her sharp features.

The woman's gaze narrowed in on Shadow and she let out a low, throaty sound. The Swan girl knew what the red-head craved as she held her eyes. She wanted the blood that ran through Shadow's veins.

They all did.

However, the man standing just beside the woman remained expressionless. His skin glistened, deeply tanned skin reflecting glitters of the moon's light. He merely studied Shadow, watching her every movement with calculating eyes. Like he was bored of this game.

  The man holding Shadow chuckled, brushing the hair from her shoulder. He leaned down to press his lips to the strongest veins in her neck. Not quite a kiss.

Shadow's breaths came more rapidly and her heartbeat skyrocketed inside her chest. She knew what was coming. So, she closed her eyes tightly and forced back the tears that she knew would do no good.

  That's when the excruciating pain hit her.

  The scream tore through her with vengeance. Her neck felt as if it were on fire. A flame she could feel beginning to spread quickly throughout her body. That guttural, human scream of pain was so weak. So quiet.

Nothing like the roar waking in her lungs, in her chest. Shadow could feel the transition. Her voice giving life to something more powerful. A far more deadlier frequency.

The hands holding onto Shadow's wrists quickly released their tight grip. The pain lessened, but the banshee's scream continued on, overpowering the other screams of agony surrounding her. But, Shadow couldn't find it within herself to care.

  She was changing and she was seeing.

[ WAKE. ]

Shadow's eyes flew open and, with a loud gasp, she sat up from where she laid. The memory of fire in her lungs, in her blood, and in her heart made her shudder as she curled into her body. Her breathing was laboured as the images of those three vampires flashed through her mind. Her heart skipped a beat.

  "Shadow, what is it?" Jasper was at her side in seconds, prompting her to speak. With his presence came a calm that he eased in carefully. Shadow was grateful for it as she was slowly brought back to her senses, but the sudden absence of her emotions left her nauseous.

It wasn't real, she reminded herself, none of it was.

  She was okay. She was safe. That was enough reassurance for Shadow to bring herself to meet his gaze. But, the echo of fear was still there, reflected in his eyes as he watched her. His honey-gold irises roved over her carefully, making sure that there were no visible wounds or otherwise.

  "I'm okay," she breathed out. Though, between the both of them, she wasn't entirely sure who she was reassuring. The calm she felt left her unnerved and her stomach gave another turn. She could deal with the fear and the panic.

It gave her frayed train of thought something to focus on.

  "Can you just," Shadow hesitated, unsure how to word her request, "Press pause on your whole calm button." Jasper nodded, but he was clearly confused.

The calm left her with suddenness and the Swan girl inhaled sharply as she forced herself to breathe. For a while, Shadow could say nothing, unable to find her voice as she pushed herself into a sitting position on the couch. She looked down at her hands, watching the subtle tremors coursing through her. The fear was faint, but continued to radiate through her body.

  The Swan girl tightened her fingers into fists, trying to stop the blatant show of her feelings. But, even then, it was no use. Shadow diverted her gaze from her hands and looked to the bruise that was forming upon her pale wrist.

  A bruise that hadn't been there before.

  Shadow's breath hitched and, out of the corner of her eye, she could see Jasper staring. The print was quickly growing purple, revealing where and which fingers had pressed hardest into her skin. Before he could say anything, she spoke. The words came rushing out of her with no way for the Swan girl to stop them.

  "I dreamt... I was in the forest. I was being chased by these three..." Shadow struggled, frusterated by her inability to describe them. "Vampires. But, they weren't like you and their eyes were so red. They were hunting me and they enjoyed every second of it. My fear. My pain."

Shadow pressed a gentle hand to her throat, a grimace on her face. "There were two men and a woman. I tried to get away, but... one of them caught me. He fed off me." Shadow's voice was a hushed whisper as she told Jasper this, but she knew that everyone in the house could hear her.

  "When he did, I felt so much pain. Jas, I couldn't stop screaming. I screamed until their screams were nothing. Until they became nothing. It kept going on and on until whatever was left of me..." Shadow couldn't finish.

They knew well enough what she meant— she screamed until what was left of her faded into something made for more.

  A hollow feeling seemed to take place inside her chest as she recalled every moment of her dream. Every minute of excruciating fire. She would never forget what that felt like; to have every inch of her body set alight by pain.

  "We need to talk to Carlisle."

Edited 02/15/2016 @12:32 AM
Edited 10/20/2016 @4:34 AM
Edited 09/29/2017 @12:20 PM