𝑺𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒏 𝑩𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒆

𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒐𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒏 𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒅𝒊𝒆𝒓

"None of us really change over time..."

You never remembered much of your human life. Those memories were better left forgotten and you buried them deep the moment you turned. But you do know it would not have been an easy one. Born into a world that was not designed for you, you learned very quickly from a young age to keep your head low. You saw the treatment that your parents faced, how easily cruelty came from the human kind. It should have been no surprise to anyone that your heart grew harder, that you wished you could make them fear you as you did them. What you didn't realise was that time would come.

The memories of that fateful night could have never remained buried, even if you tried. But you never wanted to, for that was when things changed to your favour. Or at least that was what you thought. You remembered the first time you ever laid eyes on her. Stunning, beautiful, like some sort of avenging goddess come to take you away from this world. You can remember being mesmerised by her, unable to drag yourself away, though your mind was screaming at the danger she no doubt presented. But you were tired, tired of living this way and you welcomed her with open arms.

Maria wasn't supposed to turn you that night. But she changed her mind, seeing something in you and for that, you were eternally grateful, no matter what may have followed. It was worth it, the pain of burning alive as your body changed, granting you a power you never even knew could exist. For the first time in your life, you were what needed to be feared. You delighted in it, the bloodshed and the torture, enacting your revenge on those who had wronged you in the past. And with the newfound power came another gift; the ability to instil fear into the minds of others.

You would have followed Maria anywhere after what she had done for you, worshipping the very ground she walked upon. She was the one who pleaded with her mate to let you join her coven. She was the first person you had ever loved. You would have killed for her, without hesitation, would have become her soldier if that was what she wanted. Perhaps in her own way, she had loved you as well. But those were memories you didn't want to think of.

When the first of the Southern wars broke out, you fought alongside her and her coven. You were ruthless, efficient, a perfect killing machine. Paired with your gift, you were nearly unstoppable. But even that was not enough to stop what would happen next. Your coven was wiped out, killed by another. You fled with Maria, but you swore vengeance in your heart against those who had taken everything from you again.

When Maria joined forces with Nettie and Lucy, you stayed by her side. You never trusted them but you refused to leave Maria. So you built an army instead, learning from the previous covens. With the other three, you built a newborn army, one strong enough and powerful enough to enact your revenge and take back your territory.

But it wasn't until you met Jasper Whitlock that things began to change. You were there that night Maria decided to change him, and you were there throughout his training. You watched him, what he could do and what he was capable of.

At first, you wanted nothing to do with him, he was disposable after all. But when Maria realised his talent, he quickly become something else. No longer disposable. So you let him in slowly. You allowed yourself to converse with him, let him seek you out. You found yourself enjoying his company, though you had sworn you wouldn't let another person close to you. But Jasper a way, wriggled through your cold hard exterior and made a place for himself in your heart.

But you couldn't let yourself love him. Not completely. He was Maria's, after all. Or at least that was what you told yourself. But perhaps you were wrong. For he had already crumbled your defences, even if he didn't know it. So you kept it to yourself, and you never let him know. It was better that way, not knowing the truth.

After the decades, you noticed that the bloodshed had become too much for him. He pleaded with you to go with him, to run away from it all, and for a moment, you nearly refused. But you had grown tired of the senseless killing, no longer feeling the need for power, the way you had in the beginning. That was all you needed to leave that life behind. You fled north, with Jasper, and two others who had previously escaped, to try and start a new life.

You wandered alone for a while, disconnected and lost after spending so many years as Maria's right hand. You couldn't even bear the company of Jasper, though he had wanted you to stay. You made him a promise that one day, you would return to him. It was a promise he made you keep, even if you had no intention to when he sought you out himself years later.

He spoke of a place where you no longer had to be a senseless killer, a place where past sins could be forgotten. A fresh start, a chance to bury the past. He called them the Cullens, vampires who had learned to live together in harmony. And this time you didn't hesitate as you let him led you to the family that he had found, a place you finally felt at home.