I Can See An Angel | Rosalie Hale | Book Three

Bree's Interlude

Bree was fucking tired. Of course, this was nothing new. She seemed to be constantly on the edge of exhaustion these days. It was hard living on the streets, but it was better than the alternative. She couldn't go home. Her father would end up killing her. At least on the streets, she had a shot at reaching adulthood.

Bree had always been a smart kid. Her teachers kept insisting that she would achieve great things if she would just apply herself. It was hard to apply yourself when most of your brainpower was forced to figure out new ways to avoid punishment. She missed the time when her mom was still alive, but nothing could bring back the dead. Even if she missed her, she had no plans on joining her.

Bree had to be smart to survive on the streets in Seattle. She quickly found the best places to lay low during the day. People would take notice of a young teenage girl alone in the middle of the week. She knew her face would eventually thin out, but she still had some fullness in her cheeks and wide doe-like eyes that betrayed her real age. There were certain shelters it was okay to go to. There were others that should be avoided at all costs. Never get into a car with a stranger. Too many girls disappeared that way. Avoid men at all costs, especially those that are older and larger. Bree stayed clear of any drugs, knowing that she needed a clean record when she reached adulthood.

There was one thing that Bree couldn't avoid. Hunger. Some days there seemed to be no food. The act of going from trash can to trash can hunting for food was humiliating. She tried to rely on donations and discarded food from grocery stores, but some days it wasn't enough. Those days piled on each other until all she could feel was hunger.

So when a nice-looking stranger offered her a warm meal at the local diner, she forgot everything she learned and agreed.

A decision that was her ultimate downfall.

____________________________________________

Everything was on fire. Her entire body hurt. She could feel the pain moving through her veins until it swallowed her whole. She wanted it to stop. She would do anything to make it end.

It stopped in an instant. Her prayers had been answered in the worst possible way.

____________________________________________

At least Bree wasn't dead. She never wanted to die. She may hate her life, but death scared her. The idea that someone would just cease to exist would keep her up at night if she could sleep. She cursed the day that she ever met Riley. Well, she cursed him inside her head. She learned quickly it was better to not draw any attention to herself. She was strong now, stronger than she had ever been in her life, but she was still one of the youngest vampires around. She would be an easy target for anyone who saw fit to take advantage of that.

It was hard in the first few days. The need for blood overwhelmed any other part of her brain. She had to feed what was provided. She felt like an animal. She now knew what she must have looked like. She had to watch as every new vampire that joined them went through that phase. Some never bothered to leave it. Those were the true savages. Those were the ones she had to avoid. She figured they had to be evil in their human lives as well. At the core, becoming a vampire didn't change someone's personality. Some just enjoyed having power. Some enjoyed killing.

A few of the most controlled vampires had taken pity on Bree. None of them asked for this life. As more vampires joined, tension grew within the group. There was competition for food. Vampires were turning on each other. Bree had always been good at denying things for herself. Growing up poor taught her that, but this was different. There was only so much time that one could deny themselves food. Bree had to act. She was incredibly grateful when the woman approached her first.