Dusk

#35

Bella

My question caught her off guard. Her eyes widened, her expression conflicted.

"Rosalie wanted to tell you that herself," she muttered. "But I'm sure she wouldn't mind me saying anything."

I kept my eyes on her as I sat up to give her my full attention. She sighed, shaking her head.

"I'll tell you the mechanics of it," she said finally, "but I don't remember it myself, and I've never done it or seen it done, so keep in mind that I can only tell you the theory. I'm sure Rosalie will give you the full answer."

I waited.

"As predators, we have a glut of weapons in out physical arenal— much, much more than really necessary. The speed, strength, the acute senses, not to mention those of us like Edward, Jasper, and I, who have extra sense as well. And then, like a carnivorous flower, we are physically attractive to our pray," she paused. "Rosalie even more so."

I was still, remembering how Rosalie had demonstrated the same concepts for me countless times. Although, it was hard to not notice her beauty whenever I was around her.

She smiled widely, now showing sharp, pointed teeth. "We have another fairly superfluous weapon. We're also venomous," she said, teeth glistening. "The venom doesn't kill— it's merely incapacitating. It works slowly, spreading through the bloodstream, so that, once, bitten, our prey is in too much physical pain to escape us. Of course, there are always exceptions. Carlisle, for example."

"So...if the venom is left to spread...," I trailed off.

"It takes a few days for the transformation to be complete, depending on how much venom is in the blood, and how close it was to the heart. As long as it keeps beating, the poison spreads, healing, changing the body as it moves through it. Eventually, the heart stops, and the conversion is finished. But, during the change, the victim would be wishing for death."

Alice softly rubbed my shoulder when she saw the look on my face. "Yeah...it's not pleasant."

I cleared my throat. "Rosalie said it was very hard to do."

"We're also like sharks in a way. Once we taste the blood, or even smell it, it becomes very hard to keep from feeding. Sometimes impossible. So to actually bite someone, to take the blood, it would begin the frenzy. It's difficult on both sides— the bloodlust on one hand, the awful pain on the other."

"Why do you think you don't remember?" I asked after a moment of silence.

"I don't know. For everyone, the transformation is the sharpest memory they have of being human. I remember nothing of my past life." Her voice was wistful.

We lay silently, wrapped in our individual meditations.

The seconds ticked by, and I had almost forgotten her presence, I was so enveloped in my thoughts.

Then, without any warning, Alice leaped from the bed, landing lightly on her feet. My head jerked up as I stared at her, startled.

"Something's changed." Her voice was urgent, and she wasn't talking to me anymore.

She reached the door at the same time Jasper did. He had obviously heard our conversation and her sudden exclamation. He put his hands on her shoulders and guided her back to the bed sitting her on the edge.