Haunted Scars | Edward Cullen ²

1 | birthday blues

He left her because he loved her. She forgot him because she didn't belong in his world. However, as hard as she tried to move on, she couldn't escape his world forever.

Our meadow, it's a place that I hold dear to my heart. Edward takes me here sometimes, but today is different. Today, he asked me to meet him here. Of course, I'm thrilled about it because it's my eighteenth birthday, and I'm sure Edward has something wonderful planned for me. The sky is the limit for Edward, after all, since he is a vampire. 

I'm standing at the edge of the meadow, gazing out at all the varieties of flowers. I try to count how many kinds of flowers there are, but there are just too many to keep track of. I give up after my third try.

A rustle of grass pulls my attention to the left, causing me to turn my head. I watch Edward as he appears out of the woods. My lips pull up into a smile. Like always, Edward is the embodiment of perfection. His facial features are perfect and angular—high cheekbones, a strong jawline, perfect eyebrows, a straight nose and full lips. His untidy hair retains its unusual bronze shade. His thin and lanky yet muscular body is taller than me by a good amount. Some days, I could probably just spend admiring his features, and I would never grow tired of their perfection.

When Edward spots me, he walks in my direction. I notice a small smile grace his lips as he makes his way over. Once he reaches me, he takes both my hands in his. Sunlight is now shining down on him, making his skin sparkle like perfectly carved diamonds. Nothing can top their magnificence.

He squeezes my hands before letting go of my left hand. With my right hand, he raises it to his lips and places a kiss on the top of my hand. An instant pain flashes in my wrist. I tear my hand away from Edward and flip it over. The scar remaining from James's bite is still there, but it's burning like hell.

"Ugh!" I gasp in agony.

Edward places a comforting hand on my left shoulder. "Let it burn, Rebecca," he orders, his voice firm.

I look up at him in confusion as tears threaten to fall in the corner of my eyes. "But I thought you said you didn't want me change. I-I thought we agreed on that."

He shakes his head in a manner that reminds me of how a master would to a slave. It disturbs me to my very core.

"Do you really think I would want to stay with you forever if you looked like a grandmother?" he humors. "I want you as you are now, young and beautiful."

His words pierce through my heart. I gasp for more air as the pain in my wrist increases. "But I don't wanna be a vampire. I wanna be with you, but not like this! Not when I'm not ready!"

"Do you think I care?!" he growls in the roughest voice I have ever heard him use with me. It didn't even seem real. I flinch back when he continues in a firm voice, "I know what's best for you. I've always known what's best for you. You have to accept that your days as a human are over."

The pain suddenly increases ten-fold. My knees grow weak beneath me as I stagger to continue standing on my feet.

Edward reaches forward and grabs my throbbing right hand. He tugs on it, forcing me to look him in the eyes. "Happy birthday, Rebecca."

Lap. Lap. Lap. Lick. Lick. Lick.

A wet, slimy, warm sensation slides over my nose and sloshes against my cheek. I cringe, blindly pushing back something soft and . . . fluffy. My eyes shoot open. At first I think it's a wolf, but upon further registration, a realization settles in.