Reborn

Chapter Five

People tell you that you should live your life with no regrets and I always wondered why they said that, like it was some words of widsom that just had to be passed on to anybody that would listen.

Maybe they tell you that because they have so many regrets they they are piled sky high. Maybe they live without any and are much better off for it. Or maybe it it was a load of bullshit and nobody could ever truly live their lives without regretting something.

I was leaning more towards the latter.

It seemed impossible to me that anybody, no matter who they are, could live without wishing they could go back and change something. Whether to take back something they said to a loved one in a fit of anger, take an opportunity they had once rejected or even if they wished they had told someone how they felt when they had the chance... everybody had one thing they wished they could change, something they wished they could have done differently.

I definitely regretted a lot of things. I regretted staying with my dad when all it would have taken was the courage to call the police. I regretted that I let the fear control me, abiding by my dad's every wish because I had been too scared to defy him. I regretted the way that Rose had been brought into the vampire thing because now she couldn't get away from it.

It was safe to say that there were a lot of things that I wished I could change in my life but there was one that would haunt me for the rest of my life.

In hindsight, I probably should have seen it coming. She had been acting strange for weeks, even admitted that she was angry with everybody and we all knew what anger could do to a person, especially one where that emotion was heightened.

Despite all that though, I still hadn't seen it coming because who could? She had been my friend, after all.

The day leading up to the one event that altered my life forever was a normal one. Well, as normal as a life filled with vampires could actually be, anyway.

Rose had gone shopping as she wasn't on house arrest like I had been while Shadow, Alec and Leah had gone to feed. That was something that had made me shudder because I knew that some poor bastard would soon have the blood drained from their bodies but I tried not to dwell on it too much.

Ric, however, decided to stay with me, to keep me company.

 ~*~ FLASHBACK ~*~
"So what's going on with Leah, lately?" Ric asked, sitting on the sofa opposite me as I scrolled through my social media on my phone. "What does Shadow think?"

"He doesn't believe her." I sighed, putting my phone away and glancing up at him. "He thinks Raven is still out there."

Ric frowned, biting his lip before he spoke, "I believe Leah."

Eyebrows raised, I stared at him. "Really?"

"Yeah," He nodded. "I mean, I know she didn't want to do it but she had no other choice and anyone can see how much it is affecting her. She's cut up about it. There's no way she's faking all that grief."

"I get what you're saying, I even agree with it but... I don't know. I'm just confused."

"You and me both." He grinned. "So how's life treating you, Vi?"

I shot him a look, causing him to raise his hands in mock surrender.
"Really?"

"Yes, really. You've been cooped up here for months because Shadow thinks you're in danger. You sure you're not going crazy yet?"

"It wouldn't be the first time Shadow has kept me under house arrest." I shrugged. "The only difference is that this time I'm not afraid of you all."
"You're either really brave or really stupid." He commented, watching me in amusement.