Spend Forever

Burning

 Alice tore herself away, fighting against her instinct that demanded she keep going to satisfy her thirst. Rosalie lay on the pavement unmoving. She hadn't moved since Alice had bitten her. Alice couldn't help but worry that she had gone too far, and had taken too much. Or that she had maybe been too late. She searched the future again, looking for some sign that everything would be okay. Or that it wouldn't. But everything was black. There was nothing she could see. Alice remained kneeling beside Rosalie, waiting for something, anything, to change.

Rosalie gasped, her eyes flying open. She writhed on the pavement, not understanding what was happening to her. Alice winced as Rosalie screamed, not sure if this was a normal part of the process.

"Is this supposed to happen?" Rosalie gasped, fighting back another scream.

"I... I don't remember my own transformation," Alice said, trying to be honest.

"So you don't know if it's supposed to feel like I'm on fire?" Rosalie asked, fighting back tears. She reached out a hand, which Alice hesitantly took.

"I don't," Alice said simply. "But it makes sense. My throat always feels like it's on fire," she tried to reason, hoping this was normal.

"So that's something to look forward to," Rosalie said with a bitter chuckle. She screamed again, unable to hold it back. Alice squeezed her hand in sympathy before looking around her. The streetlights were on, helping to illuminate the sidewalk they were sitting on. No one else was around, but the were in front of houses and other buildings. Alice could hear laughter spilling out of bars down the street. People could look out onto the street at any moment, and wonder why there were two women lying on the sidewalk.

"Rosalie?" Alice asked nervously.

"Yes?" she gasped in response.

"We can't stay here. We should move somewhere. I don't know how long this will take but we can't risk being seen," Alice tried to explain, not sure how Rosalie would feel about it.

"I don't think I can walk anywhere," Rosalie said, gasping as another wave of the burn hit her.

"If you're comfortable with it, I can carry you," Alice said, hoping not to offend the woman.

"Can you?" Rosalie asked doubtfully.

"Don't worry about that," Alice said. "I have you."

"Okay then. Let's leave. I don't want to be here anymore," Rosalie said.

"Understood. Let me know if I need to be more gentle" Alice said, speaking softly as she slowly stood. She then carefully bent down. Rosalie lifted her head so Alice could slide her arm underneath her body, and she slid her other arm under Rosalie's legs before lifting her off of the pavement as gently as she could. She was surprised to find how cold the woman's body was; Rosalie hadn't realized she only had the small dress on. She also couldn't believe how much safer she felt in Alice's arms that she had in a long, long time. Her arms wrapped around Alice's neck, pulling their bodies closer for comfort as Alice stood, testing her strength in more ways than one.

"Close your eyes. I'm going to go fast," Alice said, looking in Rosalie's eyes for the first time. She was surprised to see how dark they looked. Rosalie obeyed quickly, closing her eyes before Alice could look too closely at them. Alice waited another moment before holding her breath. She couldn't risk breathing right now, not when Rosalie was so close to her. She would not hurt her further.

And then she took off. She darted through the streets, running back through the forest to where she had been waiting. She set Rosalie down on the ground, as softly and quickly as she could so she wasn't touching her longer than necessary. Rosalie stayed in the position Alice had set her down in, and her eyes remained closed. Alice listened for her breath and heartbeat to ensure she was still alive. Her breath was ragged and her heartbeat seemed much too quick, but she was alive.