***NEED WORK

I opened my mouth, trying to find the right words. But they all died out in my throat, leaving me speechless.
"Bryce, I---"

"Wait." he said abruptly.
He looked up and stared, hard at me. Then his eyes shifted over to his right, looking over my left shoulder. I went to go turn to see what he was looking at when his hand came and reached out to my hair and pulled something out. He looked down at it in his hand and back at me, his expression becoming more confused. I looked down to see what it was.

It was another jagged piece of a beer bottle.

"What's going on, Celeste?" he said in a hushed tone.
The hollow emptiness in my chest pulsed and writhed, threatening to spill out and swallowing me whole. I felt my throat tighten and I felt myself started to shake.
"Celeste? Hey, look at me," Bryce commanded.

He reached out and gently pressed a warm hand to the side of my neck. I was forced to look at him.
"You can tell me; I'll list---" he froze.
His expression was unreadable, but something about it made me colder.

His hand slipped away from my neck and out of my wet hair. The tips of his fingers were stained crimson with blood.
"What the--- Celeste?" Bryce gaped at his hand and back at me.
His looked both scared and bewildered. He let go of my wrist.
"You're bleeding...what happened? What's going on?" he demanded, panic tightened his voice.

I couldn't speak. Everything was unraveling out of my control, and it strangled me. I was gasping to breathe.
Bryce step towards me with his arms open, as if he was trying to pull me into a hug. My body moved before my mind and I flinched, stepping back away from him. A second later, I realized what I've done.
Horrified, I looked up from the ground to Bryce's face.
What I saw almost tore me completely inside out.

His eyes were hard with frustration and hurt, his lips pressed together in a hard line. Hurt feelings were written all over his face as he looked begging at me.
"I...I only want to help. Why won't you let me help?" he said desperately. "What's wrong?"

I could hear the pain in his voice, strained. I realized I was crying. The tears fell freely, and I couldn't stop them.

"Celeste?"

I shook my head. I had to tell him.
"You want to know what's wrong?" I whispered, my voice small. "I really, really don't know what's wrong anymore."
Bryce stared at me, not moving.
"Anymore?" he echoed.

I couldn't take the atmosphere anymore.
I turned on my heel and ran away from him. I heard him call my name after me, but I didn't stop.
You're a monster, my mind taunted. All you do is take and hurt. Take and hurt. Take and hurt.

My mind echoed like a broken record.

You're never satisfied with all the pain you cause...

I cried out as the hollow dark seared deeper into me. It felt as though I had a ton of bricks weighing down on my lungs as I continued to run. The rain stung my face as it pelted down on me.
Leave me alone!! Go away!! I screamed in my mind as the memories flooded over me all over again.

I stopped and hunched over, gasping for my breath.
I looked around and saw that I was in a playground park I used to visit when I was a child. I remembered coming here with my father, sitting on the swing, swinging as high as I could, trying to reach the sky. I remember how carefree I was, and how happy I felt. I remembered my father's cheery laugh as he picked me up and spun me around in the air. The few of my happy memories I kept dear to me.
My head filled with ringing as tried to regain my composure. I crashed back to reality, the memories dimming.

Oh yeah, that's right. My father left us years ago.

After he decided he couldn't stand my mother's temper. Bad memories; they were always the one to bring me down back to earth.
Why won't you just leave me alone? I thought.
You could never run away from me... my mind said.

Wait a minute...that voice...

My sobs died down, and I sobered up from my despair.
The voice that has been taunting me all night. The voice that pushed all the memories up to the surface. The voice that hissed menacingly into my ear that night...

"Why fight me when it is inevitable? You're wasting both of our time. What are you fighting for? Your life would soon be mine..." someone whispered in my ear, echoing the exact words he said last night.
I wheeled around and jumped back in fright.

There stood a dark, handsome man, standing just a few feet away from where I was. His hair was dark and hung over his eyes, giving him an edgy look. He was tall and lean, and there was a look to him that made him look like an athlete. He looked only a few years older than I was, but at the same time, many centuries older.
It dawned on me that it wasn't my mind torturing me---my mind was fighting another force. Him. A feeling of cold dread, the same lost and doomed feeling that came over me the other night filled my chest now.
I swallowed. He's not human, I could feel it.
And he was a predator, and I was the prey.

I had never given much of a thought about how I'll die, when or where before. But I never would have thought I'd die alone. I'd have never imagined or fathomed what that must feel like. But at this moment, I could help thinking that my numbers were up, and I wouldn't even have a chance to make up for all the pain I have caused.
And that I was alone, no one to hold my hand on my deathbed.
You're not even on a bed, never mind a deathbed. My real mind reminded me humorlessly.
Then fate was extremely cruel, if I even believed in fate.

The man smirked and spoke; his voice smooth and entrancing.
"Good evening Celeste." he purred.
I was afraid to answer as I felt myself drawn to his velvet voice. He chuckled amusedly.
"Do I scare you?"
"Who the hell are you?" I asked, almost accusingly.
I was surprised that I sounded more confident than I felt. The man frowned, and tilted his head to the side.
"Now, now. Isn't that a bit rude to say to someone who just bid you good evening?" he said.
"But if you must know, they call me Viper."
"Viper..." I repeated.
Viper smiled wickedly.
"How do you know my name?" I asked.
Viper sighed tiredly and gave me a dark gaze.
"Question after question, is that all that'll come out from you? Maybe I should just get this over with." he said.
Panic rang in me cold.
Get this over with?
What was that suppose to mean?!

Instinctively, I took a step back. That brought the dark smirk back on Viper's pale handsome face.
"Ah...I see that you haven't forgotten about our little encounter from the other night before we were rudely interrupted."
Another shot of cold ran through me.
Our encounter...
"You were the one that was in my bedroom last night." I whispered, horrorstruck.
"Before the light saved me."

The smirk turned to an angry sneer on Viper's face.
"Yes, the light. Your little beacon of hope and life. Your great savior." he snarled, as if it was all my doing.
I was surprised at the hatred of his words.
"You know what it was?" I asked.
Viper laughed humorlessly.
"More questions. Once again, yes, I know what he is."
I gaped.
"He?"
Viper smirked, a dark resentful fire burning in his eyes.
"Looks like you have a guardian angel, love." he said smugly.
I was speechless, out of words.
"A guardian angel?" I echoed.
He chuckled.
"A nasty one at that. He did leave quite a mark." he said, and pulled at the high color of his black turtleneck sweater.

There, on his neck was a long red irritated scar burned onto the surface, a breach on his otherwise flawless ivory skin.
I gulped. I thought he was joking about an angel.
An actual, existing guardian angel...for me. I couldn't have one. It had to be a mistake.
If I did have an angel to look after me, I wouldn't have to deal with my mother's many episodes. I wouldn't have to suffer from causing others to hurt, like I was. If I had a real guardian angel, I wouldn't be facing death now.
I knew somehow, that I wasn't going to leave this park alive tonight.

Viper took a step towards me, inching forward. I couldn't move.
"But he wouldn't come tonight to save you. I left him a little 'mess' to deal with." he crooned.
"No..." I whispered.
I didn't want to die yet; not until I fix what I did wrong. Not until I tell Liana the truth...

Viper smirked hungrily and darkly.
"It wouldn't be so bad. I would make it as fast as I can. I'm a bit hungry; it shouldn't be too hard."

He was a foot away from me now, his breath cold against my skin. I swallowed nervously. He reached out and took a hold of my shoulder, and the other hand pressed against my cheek. I flinched; his touch was cold as death. Panic flooded in me but I couldn't bring myself to move.
"Don't move, love, and you wouldn't feel a thing." he said quietly.

He tilted my head back and started to bend his head down towards my face. I felt Viper's cold lips press against mine. My body went cold and my skin started to prickle. I felt the cold start to creep into my limbs. I felt loose and disconnected from my body. Everything was being given up, surrendered to Viper. It was as if he was devouring my soul.

NO!!I screamed in my head. I didn't ask for this! I want to live!

I shut my eyes tight.
Let me go, let me go...
I shut myself into my shell, retreating deeper into my mind. Images floated to the surface, of all the happy times.
Happy times? Unusual, at a time like this?
And yet they came, one after another, then disappeared. It was a flashback, I realized. Before I died...

Happy memories danced on the surface of my mind.
My 6th birthday at the carousel, my first dance recital. My first day of school, my first school play.
Then, Liana's face floated to the surface. She looked happy, smiling her ear to ear grin.

"Cella!! Watch me dance!!"

"NOOO!!!" I screamed, and tore away from Viper's grip.
He cried out, surprised. I scrambled back, my blood boiling with a new strength.
"You will not take Liana away from me, ever!!" I roared.

I wheeled around and sprinted away from that monster. I had to get away from there---

I felt a sharp pain cut in into my back. It shot through me, stabbing through the bottom of my ribs. I saw blood spill out before me. I gasped out, a scream caught in my throat.
What was that?
I hit the dirt ground, not bothering to catch myself. It hurt, everything burned. I bit my lip against the pain and looked over my shoulder. Viper was hovering above my body, his right hand drenched in blood.
"I told you not to move," he said lowly.

How did he do that? What was he?
Bewildered questions filled my head as I gasped for air. But why did it matter; I was going to die. Here and now; drenched in the heavy rain.

How pathetic... My mother's voice echoed deep and hit me hard.
So she wins, even in the very end. I felt a single hot tear spill down my face.

"Liana, Lia...I'm sorry." I rasped.
I coughed and I gasped. My vision started to blur, losing its focus. Shadows danced in front of me, swallowing me into the dark.

It was cold; cold as death.

I dragged in what seemed to be my last breath.

And the next thing I know, I was dead.