Heart of the Pride by Anaya Phoenix (freda ebook reader txt) 📖

hell gave you nightshade? Dying?” His voice squeaked, but he didn’t care. She had all of his attention.

“Yeah, someone managed to poison my food supply for too long. It went on and I didn’t show any signs. As we speak my body is dying. I’ve four months, if that. The pain will unbearable, soon I won’t be able to speak anymore. You’re the only person I’m telling, please don’t tell anybody else.” He stayed silent and kept his hold on her. Together they breathed, their heartbeats synchronized.

“Maybe we can fix you, maybe it’s not-“

“There’s nothing out there that can help, other than pain medication. I’m not leaving this bed anytime soon.” He was quiet after that, not saying any thing.

“You’ve been on my mind.

I grow fonder every day,

Lose myself in time.

Just thinking of your face.

God only knows,

Why it’s taking me so long

To let my doubts go.

You’re the only one that I want.

I don’t know why I’m scared

I’ve been here before.

Every feeling, every word

I’ve imagined it all.

You never know

If you never try.

To forgive your past

And simply be mine.” She sang softly, rubbing his arm and letting herself relish in the moment.

“I dare you to let me be,

Your one and only.

I promise I’m worth it,

To hold in your arms.

So come on and give me a chance,

To prove I am the one who can,

Walk that mile.

Until the end starts.” She couldn’t do it, the pain shut her up, tears streamed down her face.

“If I’ve been on your mind,

You hang on every word I say.

Lose yourself in time,

At the mention of my name.

Will I ever know ,

How it feels to hold you close?

And have you tell me

Whichever road I choose you’ll go.” He sang to her, rocking her back and forth.

“I wish I would’ve had more time, I wish I wasn’t so stupid.” She whispered, squeezing out more tears. He let her go then, sat down and made her look at him. Tear streaked down his face, emanating from his sorrow filled eyes.

“We have four months to get this shit together. I’m not gonna stop, I’m not gonna fuck it up. You’re it for me, and I think God is fucked up for doing this to you. We’re gonna make it work, though, Ok? So dry your pretty eyes, friends are coming in.”

Chapter 9

She was sick through New Years, although her family and friends came to her. The doctors respected her wish to not tell her parents, they looked on in pity as her condition got worse and worse. She was sick through valentines day. Not that she missed the holiday, with Timmy there she didn’t feel alone. He brought her chocolate, a huge snow white teddy bear, and a single blue rose. She hugged her teddy bear near her, ignoring the pain it caused her body. She sniffed the rose and closed her eyes, letting the scent of it bring her peace. With the smallest smile she gave him the box of chocolates, when he asked her why she sighed.

“I’m on a strict diet, can’t have any sweets. That, and, I didn’t get you anything. So here, thanks but no thanks.” He frowned and opened the box, looked around and placed one in her lap.

“I don’t see anyone around to stop you.” She smirked and picked up the piece of chocolate and popped it in her mouth. She threw up viciously for three hours. Everyone was around to stop her then.

                She was sick through her birthday, Bella came with a piece of cake and two birthday hats.

“Happy birthday me!”

“Happy birthday me!”  Bella put the hat on her head and smiled brightly. She kept that smile for most of her visit as they joked and laughed with each other. Then she grew sober.

“I know what you’re doing, I know why you don’t want to tell mom and dad but at least tell them. They deserve to know.” Izzy rolled her eyes, the eyes that seemed to be almost too large for her face, and scoffed.

“You sound like Bridget. You guys can’t-“

“Don’t you dare say we can’t handle it. We handled it when mom and dad fought, we can handle it if you just tell us.” Izzy looked at her twin and saw it. The glimpse of Bella that no one but her and her siblings were able to see.

“You’ll take care of mom and dad, after? You’ll see that they don’t fall apart?” Bella nodded, knowing her sister needed her to be strong. The visit was over soon, she kissed her sister on the forehead goodbye and walked out the room. Then let the tears out.

                It was the third month of her four month time span, she’d blacked out during one of her family visits, and woke up in a whole new atmosphere. She opened her eyes and saw, instead of white, a dark grey ceiling. She knew that ceiling, but she couldn’t be sure.

“Finally you’re up.” A relieved voice said, making Izzy’s sore head pop up.

“Mrs. Demarco?” Timmy’s mother walked to her with a nervous smile on her face.

“Hi dear.”

“W-what are you doing Mrs. Demarco?” Izzy asked, feeling hurt neck shake with the amount of work she was exerting just to hold her head up.

“I’m helping you, I honestly hadn’t meant for it to go this far. I’m gonna have to speed it up.” She said, reaching under the bed Izzy laid on and pulled out a syringe.

“Speed what up? Did you… did you do this to me?” Her voice had grown shrill and loud.

“Dear no need to yell, I can hear you just fine.” Timothy’s mother said, putting a hand over her ear.

“Fuck that, I’ll yell as much as I want! You’re trying to kill me! Timmy!! Timmy!! You’re mother is trying to fucking kill me!! Help me!!”

“Shh! He’ll hear you!!” As his mother spoke they heard a crash upstairs.

“Crap!” Her mother hissed and plunged the needle into Isabel’s arm.

“Mother!” Timmy growled, pain skyrocketed in Izzy’s body as she shrieked and arched off the bed. He was next to her too quickly.

“No! Leave it, she’ll be fine!”

“What the hell did you do!?” He growled, struggling to hold down her pulsing body.

“It had to be done! She’ll be fine in a few days!”

“How long will she be in pain!?” He asked, when there was no answer his pupils dilated and darkened to a bright amber.

“How fucking long!?” He roared to his mother, not at all sounding like Izzy’s calm sweet boyfriend.

“For at least five days! But after she’ll be fine, she’ll be one of us!”

“She was perfect just the way she was!!” Sweet, Izzy thought, not long after that a shooting pain sliced through her limbs making her shriek out in agony.

“I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry baby. I can’t stop what she’s done.” Timmy said, sounding torn and in pain. The pain stopped for the shortest amount of time, giving her enough time to smile weakly at him.

“’S Ok, it’ll be f-fine.” She was choking on something, something bitter. Mucus? He wiped her lip and pulled his hand back, revealing crimson red.

“Ok… maybe not.” Something snapped in her body and the lights went out.

 

                It was dark, so dark. Too dark, even. Her body seemed like it was falling, and burning. Her skin was burning to a char, melding her to the darkness that surrounded her. She was in too much pain to remember her name, couldn’t think to move anything. She just was. There was no other way to describe it. This truly was purgatory. God wouldn’t give her, her sweet kiss of death. Neither would he give her the delicious nectar of life. He’d doomed her to be where she was, and she could do nothing but weep silently in agony. But even that caused her pain, the tears that ran down weren’t water. They were the fire and scorn that had built up in her life, they created long burns down her face that she couldn’t even feel anymore. She’d run out of tears soon, hopefully.

                It was so bright now, the darkness had faded. Slowly it turned to gray, then to the palest sun she’d ever seen. The sun brought no warmth, though. It brought cold, extreme cold that wouldn’t go away. It still hurt her, her joints groaned and creaked as the chill grew larger. She shivered, though she was pretty sure that was her imagination. Her eyes seemed to strain, but she could tell they were wide open. They looked up at the pale bright light ahead of her, not afraid of being blinded. Something was on her, but she couldn’t find it in her to look away. The cold grew more bitter, creating gashes in her skin as the windless breeze flew across her skin. Now that she thought about it, she remembered these symptoms. They all seemed extremely familiar. Aw shit, her first thought in days popped in her mind, she turned me into a dammed vampire!

 

                Her body slowly warmed, and stayed at an almost hot temperature. It was a comfortably warm temperature though. Her breathing settled and no longer hitched and that damn bright light went away.

“C’mon I know you’re turning around, I know you’re there. Open those pretty blue eyes for me, the eyes that shine like the ocean on a hot summer day. Just open ‘em for me, and we can start this. We can actually try this. Come back, come back to me. Please Isabel.” His voice cracked as her name floated back to her on a memory cloud. With it her eyes shot open, she knew what to expect. She’d sat there fuming in anger and confusion. Why would she turn her into a vampire? There was nothing to gain from it. Her vision shifted and colors became brighter, more profound and sharp. Her eyes zeroed in as a gnat flew around, her ears picked up the sound of its tiny little wings fluttering around in the air. Her lips parted as she took her first big breath of air in eternity and she tasted the air, smelled the stagnant odor of her body and scrunched up her face.

“So,” her voice was surprisingly fresh “you guys couldn’t find anybody to wash me?” His head popped up and his green eyes, with little flecks of amber she just found, were wide and surprised.

“Y-you’re up.”

“Is that really the best you’ve got? I’ve been out four, what five, days and a stammered two words is all you’ve got?” She asked, nodding her head slowly. He shot up and grabbed her tightly, squeezing her body in such a way that made her sigh happily.

“I’ve missed you so, so much!” He growled and kissed her forehead over and over. She lavished in his kisses, she was pretty sure she purred in delight. She’d deny that, in an instant.

“Soo… that’s a no to showering?” She asked, coming close to repeating his exact words. He leaned back with tears alight in his bright eyes.

“I’ll get you anything you want.”

“Anything?”

“Anything.” She looked up and pursed her lips, then stuck up her finger.

“I’ll take a triple bacon cheeseburger with onions, extra pickles, mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard with curly fries.” She said in a mouthful then smiled up at his puzzled expression.

“You’re not a normal girl, are you?” He asked, sparking a