Roots Before Branches ▷ Bella Swan

ONE

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ONE; THIS SHOULD BE EASY, RIGHT?

IN THE LATE 1570'S, Alexander Kim woke up to a dry throat and a world filled with fresh blood. A woman peered over him, eyes as red as her hair and her mouth twisted into a devious smirk.

"Good morning, Alexander." He blinked, noticing that she was holding a man by his neck. The man's eyes were pleading for Alex to help, but once he saw that his orbs were the same shade as the redhead's, he lost all hope. "Here's your first breakfast. Enjoy diligently."

Alex was about to ask what the woman meant, but he took a breath, smelling the sweet scent of the man's blood. If anyone were to ever ask him, Alex would say that his first meal was his best — he had never felt more power than when the man underneath him squirmed and cried out for help.

Victoria smiled as she watched him, immediately sensing that he would be a great asset to her. When he looked up, blood spilling from his mouth, she grinned and wiped the remains off with her finger.

"Welcome to the new world, Alexander."

The two lived harmoniously for years. Alex was always under Victoria's thumb, obeying every command and worshipping the ground she walked upon. Alex learned to love himself as a vampire, and hated to think about what he was like as a measly human. Usually, Victoria would've grown bored of him until she discovered that Alex had the power to wipe a person's memory. He could easily make a person forget everything about themselves and he could add extra thoughts into their mind. Victoria loved him even more for his power.

He thought his life would remain at peace until Victoria began being hunted by James, a powerful tracker. Victoria and Alex were both able to dodge every single attempt that James tried to make, and the idea that Victoria was such a challenge to him intrigued the vampire. Victoria and James soon discovered that their love for killing could mend into love for one another.

Alex was brutally tossed aside after James warned him to stay away.

"She's my mate now, Alex," James growled, holding Alex up by the collar of his shirt. "You stay away. Find another woman to latch onto."

Alex was forced to be alone for the first time as a vampire, and he felt completely alone. The sudden tidal wave of emotions brought him to a killing spree, something that harmed a small city but not damaging enough that the Volturi would step in and kill him. However, Aro warned the man that if he was wise, he would bring himself to find a new anchor and control his feelings.

It was in the state of Rhode Island that he found Jia. She was a beautiful woman — gorgeous beyond any standards. She was extremely soft-spoken with Alex, and he realized that he could trust her after staring at her crimson colored eyes.

Jia took Alex under her wing but unlike Victoria, she guided Alex on how to kill humans without causing future damage. Alex lost himself once in a while, but Jia usually brought him back.

In 1934, Alex first met the Cullen family and took an immediate interest into Rosalie. She became the light of his life for a year, and he fully dedicated his whole self to her. In that year, he stopped feeding on humans and began to feed on animals. He followed the ways of the Cullen family in order to make Rosalie happy.