L I S A

Fate. I was destined an ill-fated destiny from the day I was born. Somehow there was something flowing in my veins along with my blood since the day I first had my sight to see the world, it was a curse. A curse was being pumped from my heart to every part of my body-and there was no denying it now, after all of this.

I stared as Edward and others tucked Julie again on her bed. That gave me creeps because half of her body was drenched in her own blood and some more had me covered in scarlet shade. It was borderline petrifying and panicky-yet here I was, sitting on the couch trying to be oblivious to everything and pretend as if nothing had happened, as if she wasn't just going to die because of my stupidity.

I still hadn't gotten over the fact that he could read my mind. Edward and Malcolm were two powerful vampires and they couldn't snoop inside my brain so how come he was able to do it? This made me worried even more about my safety and theirs.

At first I had honestly thought this was just some stupid vampire's idea of a prank and he'd get over it soon but now, as I saw her almost dying on the floor, on her knees, it made me believe just how persistent that guy was. He wasn't going to give up until he'd had what he wanted.

I shook at the thought as anxiousness rushed in my veins.

What baffled me even more was that even after witnessing such an eyesore, my tummy was still fine and balanced. I hadn't had the urge to vomit even after a long, tiring day-probably because I didn't have anything to eat in the last twelve hours.

"How is she?" Edward whispered silently hoping to not wake her up.

"I can't say. She's . . . hurt." Malcolm mumbled stealthily walking away from her.

I was suddenly the centre of attention when his eyes found mine lurking around Julie's bed. He was no longer the considerate Malcolm he was while investigating me, he held no longer that cooperating look, he held no emotion in his eyes just raw anger as he started to pace towards me.

I swallowed the knot forming in my throat and didn't dare budge from where I sat.

Before he could complete his journey towards my direction, a hand perched on his torso and compelled his pace to slow down. I was relieved at once when I saw Edward blocking half his way with himself but the thought of what might occur the next possible moment frightened me. I wasn't having anyone else hurt today because of myself.

I jumped in the air making myself more presentable and prepared myself for what was coming next. Malcolm eyes took their normal shade but Edward still wouldn't leave his place before him-why was he still trying to protect me? It wasn't his job.

I placed a light touch on Edward's shoulders asking him to relax a little. His body quickly let go of a firm grip on itself and returned back to its normal posture. He vigilantly slid out of Malcolm's way and now it was just me and him and no barrier to be broken.

I could see the persistence of anger in his eyes but I didn't back away from his questions, he deserved every answer and now, I had no other option than to tell them the truth since they're the only ones who could do something about my situation. However, what they'd do to me after realizing what I'd been hiding was entirely a different case I didn't want to look into.

"Talk." He asked with clenched teeth.

"You ask, I'll respond with everything I know." I said taking my place on the couch but he remained fixed at one place, neither his eyes nor a muscle in his body might've budged at the moment.

His jaws were clenched and his hands balled into fists, it was taking his entire self-restraint to not just torture me into saying anything. He held such a care for the people in this place, his place. I would've loved this side of him even more if I wasn't his enemy here.

"What did you miss out from your story earlier?" He inquired his voice void of any emotion.

I thought about stringing him along for some more for asking Julie to betray me but based on his mood right now, it wouldn't be such a good revenge. I'd have my time later.

"When Julie caught me in the woods, the man who possessed her decided to have a little chat with me-"

"Mason talked to you?" Edward interrupted.

I looked at him from the corner of my eye and realized my theory was right. They did think Mason was the one behind the possession. He leaned in to listen more eagerly as I tried to resume my story, completely ignoring him.

"As I was saying the person decided to chat with me and he asked me to hand myself over to Mason before the Blood Moon." I finished drawing a deep relief into my lungs knowing well enough there must be hundreds of doubts now burning in the pit of their minds and I was the only so much hope for their answers.

"You mean it wasn't Mason who did the possession?" Malcolm paced towards me more eager than Edward and apparently more stunned as well.

"I think so. He was someone more powerful." This was enough to get them all hot and bothered and share desperate glances among each other. They'd feared Mason for all this time and now, they're going to have to fear someone else as well.

"How come you know he was more powerful? It's not like you can sense it." Rory rebuked taking Malcolm's place. She held no compassion as well, same as her fiancée and sincerely she scared me more than Malcolm could've ever done.

I thought why I felt the way I did. Malcolm was right I couldn't sense his power but I had this strong gut feeling yelling at me that he was the cause of every danger in my life-but that wasn't an enough clarification for him. "When he spoke of Mason, he didn't seem obliged to him like most people would. He said it as though Mason was his servant and not his master."

"Why did he want you to go to Mason?" Rory asked in a calmer tone than the previous one.

"Shouldn't you be telling me that?" That put an invisible restraint on their tongues and they didn't speak further.

I lied back with my head meeting the couch's soft cushions. I wanted to lie there in all day and I would without any difficulty since they'd deprived me of my one night. I wanted to sleep and forget about this world for once more even if I had to wake up into it the next day. These few moments' relief would be just fine for me.

"I'm not done yet." Malcolm growled from where he stood.

I whined ignoring the fury that his tongue had contained and continued sinking further into my stupor. This beautiful trance that I'd woven for myself and only my thoughts where no impurity or pain resided, it was a place of a natural euphoria, my utopia. The thought made me smile in my dreams but I could feel my lips lifting up to curve a grin on my face.

It was going all well, all rainbows and unicorns until I felt a harsh tug at my arm and nape and abruptly I was standing on my two feet but being barely balanced I fell upon towards something very rigid. My eyes indolently blinked and opened to meet a pair of dark threatening eyes. It didn't scare me, I was still in a dream and it bothered me knowing that he was destroying my very best mood.

I started throwing punches at him even if they'd barely affected his physical state, it provoked his feelings to a great extent, an extent I wouldn't have dared pushed him into. Suddenly my arms were blocked and I was compelled to look into his eyes as he held a good deal of my hair between his fists and tugged at my nape.

I screamed for the first time as he brought me back to reality and wrapped a hand around my throat, strangling me. I was bound to cry at his actions, it was my second time since last night to be choked like that. I could barely breathe with his stone-cold grip around me and it wasn't until just a few minutes ago that I saw his cravings so vivid on his face. His eyes had gone crimson and there were black snakes running down beneath his eyes but he wasn't possessed, it was a usual hunger.

"You want to sleep. I can put you into a good sleep for a week!" He barked at my face and elongated his fangs. They came out of his gums and remained inches away from my fragile throat.

I had never seen them so closely. They looked more piercing and wide-I could only imagine what the pain would be like. I geared up myself for the worst part and stood waiting for the stinging sensation but nothing came my way for a long time until at last a brush of wind passed by me and I felt myself free of every restraint.

My hands were no longer sore from his touch and I could breathe wholly without any pain. My hair fell behind my shoulders as he let go of them and as I opened my eyes I saw him across from me in one of the corners with Edward trying to restrain his arms with all he had. Edward had already started the round one and now it was Malcolm's turn to take over his dominance. He switched places with Edward in the blink of an eye and held him by his throat against the wall.

It made me sorry seeing those two fighting over something as useless as myself. They treated each other like brothers with the same blood and now it was because of me that they're trying to tear apart each other's throats. I shouldn't have fallen asleep. I was stupid but that wouldn't change a thing. I had to change it.

I had to do something.

I made my way towards the both of them as they tried to study my next actions and to be honest, I couldn't fantasize it myself. I was stunned that no one else was bothering to stop these two-was it that much of a madness to climb in between two angry vampires?

"Malcolm stop!" I growled standing beside Malcolm tugging at his arm.

At first it was like he hadn't felt me but then my tug became harsh and he finally took notice of me and his doing. He was still hungry and tired just like everyone else, even though he was centuries old he was worn out and needed rest. Now I could see why he was so grumpy since the dawn. He needed to sleep or perhaps feed.

He looked at me as if some sort of realization was hitting him and his cravings soothed down, his eyes took its ordinary form.

"I will tell you everything from the beginning to the end once we've all rested enough. Look at yourself, just one night and you're already craving." I retorted as everyone stared at me in awe, clearly not expecting to hear what they heard. "And even if you don't need food and rest remember that I'm a human and I need those things in order to live." I said shaking his hands off of Edward and standing in front of him as a shield. "You should know that-you're a human once." I ended.

I regretted saying the last part afterwards when they'd all left. Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned his human life. I wouldn't be much surprised if he'd forgotten what it was like to live-God knew for how long he'd been a vampire. He seemed to have regretted over his actions too and apologized in the lightest tone before leaving.

I had left the room without saying a single word to Edward. I didn't want to face him even though he was my only source of comfort. I wanted to seek solitude for now. I returned back to the room that was given to me and laid flat on my stomach on the bed. I didn't care for the dirt, the blood or any of my thoughts and just wrapped myself tightly in a quilt.

Meanwhile I kept thinking about that man, the man who was putting us all through Hell. I thought about what he must be wanting of me and what he could be gaining from all of this but my dreary mind didn't allow me that much as it handed over itself to an intoxicating darkness.