My world consisted of pain, as if all other feelings had been banished from my body. Every thought revolved incessantly around the torment coursing through me. In the rare, clear moments that broke through the darkness like rays of light, I thought of Paul and his agonizing howl that had burned itself deep into my soul. The world around me froze and only occasionally did it seem like someone was talking in the distance, but I couldn't understand anything.
I wasn't sure if I had been moved or if I was moving myself. Day or night, time had become an unfathomable mystery for me. All I knew was pain. It had started after the vampire's attack on my throat and was mercilessly eating its way through my body. Now it felt as if I were burning.
I didn't know whether minutes, hours, or seconds had passed; the pain concentrated, wandering further toward my heart. But my heart fought. It beat fiercely, as if it wanted to rise against the darkness, and I almost wished it would give up. Perhaps that would alleviate the pain and finally bring me peace.
But it was as if the pain responded to these thoughts. My fingertips and feet seemed to become less painful for a brief moment, while at the same time, the agony in my heart increased. It continued to fight, and with a sudden jolt, the pain vanished. My heart seemed to have won, and for a brief moment, I felt light, as if I had been lifted from a heavy darkness.
I dared not move, the fear that the pain would return was too great. It was quiet around me; no one seemed to be there. At least, that was what I thought.
With a surge of courage, I took a deep breath and opened my eyes. A white blanket lay over me, definitely not belonging to my home. I didn't move, just stared at the blanket, which appeared so sharp and pure. I didn't know where that thought came from; after all, it was just a simple white blanket. But somehow, it felt different than usual. As if the room were too small and the blanket closer to me than it should have been. I took another deep breath. The room smelled clean, a little like the forest and laundry detergent. It doesn't smell like home, I thought, and that thought made me look around the room.
A large window front facing the forest was the first thing that caught my eye. It was beautiful. The gentle rays of light filtering through the trees created a dreamy picture that momentarily chased my worries away. But as I continued to look around, I noticed that the rest of the room didn't seem familiar. There were no pictures on the walls to give me a hint about where I was. Had the red-eyed vampire kidnapped me? Had the wolves managed to rescue me? Was this perhaps a hospital room?
I sat up. Expectantly, I held my breath, fearing the pain might return, but nothing happened. No pain, no soreness, not even the pull of a muscle. Relief flooded through me; I wouldn't have to bear that pain again. But as I rejoiced in my recovery, more worries rushed into my mind: Was Paul okay? Had something happened to him in the fight? Was he aware that I was fine, that I was okay?
Slowly, I pushed the blanket off my legs and sat at the edge of the bed. I felt strange; my movements seemed faster than I was used to. Maybe I was still confused, I thought. Who knew how much time had passed?
Suddenly, I heard footsteps in the hallway. Someone seemed to be hurrying toward the room I was in. My body tensed. Was it the vampire? Faster than I could register, I had jumped to the other side of the bed, ready to defend myself.
The door opened slowly. I held my breath. But contrary to my expectations, it wasn't the red-eyed vampire standing there, but a young man with golden curls. What reassured me the most were his golden eyes, which seemed to match his hair. I felt myself relax and began to breathe again. Slowly, I straightened up behind the nightstand I had backed into.
The blonde man looked confused. I noticed that his movements seemed too fluid, and he shimmered in the sunlight. I waited. He seemed to be waiting as well, looking tense. Moments passed as we simply stared at each other. At least he didn't seem to want to hurt me at that moment.
The silence made me even more nervous than I already was. I began to twist my hands together. "Hello," I started hesitantly, unsure of what to say in this strange environment to this unfamiliar man.
That one word seemed to break him from his stupor. I felt another wave of relaxation wash over me, but this time it felt different than before. This time, the relaxation seemed to emanate from the man in front of me.
"Do you know where I am?" I asked, still uncertain. So far, he hadn't responded to my greeting. "Or do you know what happened? Where are Paul and the others? Are my parents okay? And who are you, anyway?" It was as if a dam had broken within me, overflowing. No sooner had I asked the first question than so many more flooded my mind, all seeming equally important.
"I'm Jasper," he replied in a calm voice, as if he didn't want to startle me. "You're in my family's house. We live in Forks, and my father is a doctor, so the Quileutes brought you to us." Slowly, I let myself sink back onto the bed. Apparently, I hadn't been kidnapped; a weight lifted from my heart. More questions shot through my mind, alongside the ones Jasper hadn't yet answered. How much time had passed since the attack? Had I been severely injured? Did my parents know? Why wasn't I in a hospital? I answered the last question for myself the moment it came to mind: Of course, I wasn't in a hospital. How could the guys explain a vampire attack? But if they couldn't explain it in the hospital, that meant the people in this house knew about this supernatural world, right? Or were they a part of it?