Spend Forever

216,000

Rosalie sat on the ground where Alice and Carlisle had left her. Her head was resting against the tree behind her, the rough bark scratching her back. She could barely feel the bark against the burning fire raging through her body. She tried taking deep breaths to calm herself, or distract her from the pain. It didn't help; the flames continued to engulf her, leaving her in burning pain. Tears began to fall down her cheeks; she didn't bother to wipe her away. It didn't matter what she looked like anymore.

"Rosalie?" Alice called as she walked back into the clearing. Rosalie didn't respond. She stayed leaving against the tree. "Rosalie? Are you okay?" Rosalie laughed bitterly, but otherwise didn't respond. Alice walked to her side, but she turned her head away and closed her eyes. Alice took a deep breath, trying to determine what to say to help the woman forgive her, or at least talk to her. "Stupid question, right. Is there anything I can do?" she tried again. Rosalie just shook her head.

"Okay. I'll just sit here then," Alice said, taking a seat next to Rosalie on the ground, making sure they weren't touching. "Or do you want me to go?" Alice asked, hesitating before moving to stand. Rosalie didn't move for a moment, leaving Alice to wonder if Rosalie had heard her. But then she shook her head again, and Alice sat back down. She didn't try to ask another question. Rosalie stayed silent, not having anything to say.

They sat like that for the next two days. Alice didn't say anything else to Rosalie, waiting for her to be the first to speak. She barely moved either, only moving her head and eyes so she wasn't staring at one thing, or person, for two long. She tried to keep a close eye on her future, and Rosalie's but there wasn't much to look at. It kept changing. Sometimes it remained what Alice had seen thirteen years ago. Other times, it was simply black, or showed Alice joining the Cullens alone, among many other possibilities. Everything flashed through her mind so fast that she couldn't make sense of any of it. It certainly left her with many thoughts she was trying to understand.

Rosalie remained leaning against the tree, trying her best to ignore the pain of the transformation. She hadn't realized it would be like this. She thought it would help her feel better, but this was the worst she had ever felt. Death would have been preferable to this. She knew it would be over eventually. The doctor had told her it would be under three days. But she had no sense of time. It could have already been one day, or two, or a week or a month. She didn't know. It was so dark in this area of the forest, she could barely tell night from day. Or maybe that was just how she felt, with her eyes squeezed shut so tight, unable to feel or comprehend anything other than the burning.

She found herself constantly twitching, trying to get away from or at least lessen it. Her fingers danced along the ground, digging through the dirt, picking at the moss and the roots it grew around. She crossed and uncrossed her legs, curling and uncurling her toes, trying to find the most comfortable position. There wasn't one. She kept her head turned away from Alice and her eyes closed, refusing to look at the woman who had done this to her. She tried to stay as silent as possible, refusing to show how much pain she was in. she wasn't always successful; she couldn't hold back every scream or gasp of pain. She ignored the winces and murmured apologies from Alice every time this happened. Rosalie concentrated only on herself, only on praying this would be over soon.

She was so attuned to the flames, she could notice any slight difference in how it felt. At times it would flare up in certain areas of her body: her fingers, her leg, the part of her neck where she assumed she had been bitten. That spot always burned a little hotter than any other area of her. Sometimes, the flames increased. But they never lessened. Until it had been almost exactly two days since she had been bitten. She had no idea of the time.

Alice had been carefully counting the seconds, needing to know when Rosalie's pain would end. She had noticed the small changes that occured in Rosalie while they sat. The biggest changes were that her other wounds had healed, leaving her skin flawless. Gone were any bruises or cuts caused by her attack. Even her childhood scars had been erased. Her hair had gotten a little shinier, a little more golden. Alice was sure it would eventually match her eyes. She couldn't see them now, but Alice was sure the original blue color was gone, replaced by the fiery red. There hadn't been many changes to her face or body; she was already far too beautiful.