Bella opened the front door and with a cry of surprise welcomed in two of the fiercest women I had ever seen. Their amber eyes glistened out of the caramel contours of their faces. They loomed above Bella. Their clothing was animal skins woven together by vines like some rustic version of Project Runway. The first woman had black curtains of hair that hung to her waist. The second woman had hair that was wild and tangled.
"Senna and Zafrina, what are you doing here?" asked Bella questioningly.
The woman with the long, dark curtains of hair who was Zafrina said, "We have heard of Ella's dilemma of her not being able to feed and have brought at offering from home".
They walked over to me and presented me with a glass vial of blood red liquid.
"Thank you for your gift but I refuse to drink blood. I am very compassionate so I have decided that I won't drink animal blood," I said.
"This is not blood," said Senna. "This is red sap from the Sangue de Grado tree. It is harvested for its medicinal properties. It can be drank instead of blood."
As I drank the red, luscious sap I began to feel the nagging thirst in my throat begin to recede slowly down. Suddenly, I felt as powerful as a lion as it roared its defiance at its enemies. I felt as elated as a ring-tailed lemur as it bounced in the trees. I felt as curious as a bear cub as it smelled honey wafting from a nearby tree.
"It's working!" crowed Renesmee excitedly.
Edward warmly thanked Senna and Zafrina. "Thankyou so much for your contribution."
Carlisle sighed wearily and frowned with an air of absolute despair.
"It's only a temporary solution, though. The supply will dwindle and we don't know how long it will last."
Senna and Zafrina smiled secretly to themselves. With a voice that sounded like it was grating over stones, Zafrina said "Come outside. We have another gift for you."
I headed down the ramp and into the iridescent garden out the back of the cottage. Flowers in a variety of colours including lavender, amber and magenta dotted the manicured landscape.
In a sheltered clearing covered with emerald grass, a large tree had been planted. Its branches reached up like gnarled hands. Senna and Zafrina stood in front of me.
"We have planted a Sangue de Grado tree for you," they said. "Every time you feel thirsty all you have to do is go outside, cut into the trunk of the tree and the sap will flow."
I felt very thankful for this gift. "Thank you for finding a different way for me to live. Now I don't have to end the lives of innocent animals."
"Now we must leave," said Senna. "We must go back to our home."
We walked around to the front of the cottage. We all hugged Senna and Zafrina gratefully and said goodbye. Soon, they became a blur as they ran back to their forest home.
As we trooped back inside the cottage, I noticed a letter sitting on the doorstep.
Written in old fashioned hand was my name. I opened the letter. Inside was a piece of paper. Written on this paper were the words "Welcome Ella. I look forward to meeting you - at your charming little home tomorrow". The letter was signed 'Aro'.
I looked around and saw the shocked expressions of my new family.
"Who is Aro?" I asked nervously.
"Aro is the leader of the Volturi, the most powerful and formidable family of vampires in our world," said Jasper.
"Aro is extremely vicious and is looking for any excuse to punish our family," said Alice.
"What is he going to think of me?" I asked uneasily.
Suddenly Edward said "I can hear his thoughts. He's close. He's almost here."
"I just couldn't wait to meet you Ella," said a menacing voice from behind a tree.
Oh no, he's here, I realised with terror...
Soundtrack:
While I was thinking about and writing this chapter I was listening to:
Can’t wait for the next chapter Ella! Your descriptive writing makes me feel engrossed in each chapter I read. Thank you.
So refreshing to read the English language used so well by a young person. You're doing very well Ella. Keep it coming.