Living Hearts, Dead Hearts and Love Hearts

APRIL

I ran as fast as I could. I had just cheated death. My legs would not carry me any faster yet I begged them to. I was no longer on a path and I was solely running where my legs took me. My petticoat got ripped and slashed along with my skin as I ran through the menacing forest. I tripped on rocks and logs.

As I ran my mind only focused on Edward. I had just left him there. I could hear he was crying before, yet the act of crying frightened him it seemed like. He was vulnerable in spite of that I could not get the picture of his face out of my mind. Not the beautiful perfect face, but the atrocious face of a vampire. Piecing red eyes, not his usual blue. Mouth wide with teeth as sharp as knives.

My eyes were throbbing with pain. I found a large tree and slide down. The bark tore at my corset and back. I sat there crying. The tears soothed my eyes. I was freezing cold, I had left my shawl at the clearing, and the forest was no longer silent. At last owls hooted and small deer jumped over bushes and the wind blew. It was like the world new the vampire was with me before and did not make a sound in fear of dying. I didn’t blame them. The image of the vampire’s face came back into my mind. I started to cry again. Slowly I began to drift into a sleep.

I dreamt of peaceful meadows with Edward and me in the middle laughing with no cares in the world. Then all of a sudden Edward disappeared and the vampire appeared.

EDWARD

I breathed deeply, attempting to control myself. After many hours I finally stopped my eyes watering and the noises stopped. I sat up and pulled my knees under my chin. What had just happened shocked me. I could feel the eyes of the forest watching me. Laughing at me. I am a vampire yet I am scared and so vulnerable. Something glistened in the mud over by the tree where April had been attacked. I crawled over hoping nothing would start my eyes to water again. Lying on the ground was a ring. A single diamond was engraved into the golden ring. This was not April’s ring, surely not. If it was hers she would have had it on her finger. It was covered in blood, April’s sweet blood which made me believe even more that it was hers. I wanted so badly to lick the blood it was like torture, but I made a promise to myself I would not drink the blood of a human ever again, so the blood on the ring was not to be consumed. It was to be my punishment for hurting the girl I loved. I would give her my heart if I had one. So many answers rushed into my mind.

The two men laid on the ground dead, their blood smelt fouler than April’s father.

I could not stop thinking of April. I would find her I decided. No I can’t I nearly killed her I can’t expect her forgiveness. Also all the promises in the world could not guarantee her safety. I stood up and walked unwilling in the opposite direction to April, my love.

APRIL

“There, there my dear,” a voice said. I opened my eyes they still stung but not as bad as they had last night. I saw a unicorn bent over me. It blew into my eyes and the pain became initially worse but once the unicorn stopped blowing I could see clearly. I wondered if this was the same unicorn as I met yesterday. It was not. This unicorn was a foot taller and had green eyes instead of brown.

“Princess April answer my question and I shall take you back to your home, name three kinds of hearts.” The unicorn told me. I did not find the need to answer this question and started to walk, it couldn’t be that far.

“I’m going home, I can find home myself, now please leave me alone,” I stated, trying to be polite but I was so exhausted. I wished Edward would find me and comfort me. He always made me feel happy, before the incident in the clearing. I had been a fool. He was in pain still I had left him there alone.

“Princess, you are going in the wrong direction to your home, and why are you so concerned about a cruel creature such as a vampire.” Could everyone in this goddamned forest read my mind! Ok maybe I did need some help; I was never good at geography. I then remembered my father reading a book to me about three hearts. If only I could recall the three types.

“Fine, the hearts are um… Aliv…no living,” the unicorn nodded, “uh dead and oh... umm. Huh yeah, love?” hopefully they were correct.

“They are exactly the words I needed, now Princess please get on my back,” the unicorn told me. Great, back to Princess.

“April, I am not treating you like a Princess, however it is your name so be proud of it. Also you are tried and had nothing to eat in days; you are bound to faint if you walk.” She replied, to my thoughts, in a very patronising voice.

“Days?” I asked.

“Yes, you were under the carriage for two days, spent yesterday walking and most of today asleep.” The unicorn replied. I gave up arguing with the unicorn. I slowly got my self up onto the back of the unicorn and very unexpectedly we where at the edge of the forest where the castle, my home, was. I climbed off the unicorn. How did we get here I thought.

“Magic!” the unicorn answered. Thanks I thought, it took to much energy to talk. I turned around the unicorn was gone.

Reluctantly I walked to the castle doors. Trumpets blasted from the turrets as they realised their princess was home. A man rushed out and bowed before me. How I longed to be back in the forest. I looked back at the forest hoping to see Edward.

“Get up,” I ordered the priest. Maids rushed out with blankets and shawls, tutting about my state of nakedness. I looked at the priest. As if he to could read my thoughts, sent the maids away.

“Have you got the heart?” he asked.

“No!” I disappointingly whispered, so the people could not hear me and be ashamed.

“NO, NO HEART!” the priest screamed. The music cut out and on looker’s tutted and the odd person booed. Gradually the booing turned into screaming and hysteria as people pointed to the forest. There Edward stood; still in vampire form. Eyes red, fangs sharp, emotionless expressions.

EDWARD

I had kept myself like a vampire for protection, stupid is it not, a vampire, a strong, mean, cruel vampire scared. But in form of a vampire I felt no emotion. After the thing that happened in the clearing I was scared. I thought I had been seen when a man started to shout. Then I realised he was shout about a heart. April was here. Booing started as I moved nearer the edge of the woods. As people moved I saw April. Her under garments torn to shreds. Her eyes filled with tears. She made heavy breathing noises, like what had happened in the clearing. This was crying I now realised.

Slowly one by one people pointed at the woods where I stood also screaming which alerting the others. They all new I was here. So what was stopping me run over to April? The sun, as if luck was on my side the sun was abruptly hidden by clouds at that very split second.

I ran out of the forest, but soldiers were surrounding my love. Since when did men with metal worry me? Memories of the clearing started to haunt me again. Bullets were shot in my direction, but they bounced of my body with the same force as they hit me. The bullets then tore wounds in onlookers. The small army of soldiers protecting April looked scared I pitied them. I felt myself morph back in to my human form. These emotions I had never known existed all filled my mind, love, sorrow and joy. I then I became aware many people were bleeding. Sweet blood and foul blood filled the air, but I remembered my promise. I pushed the guards away. I stood in front of her. Dress ripped, dirt covered her face, she was not covered up like a proper princess but she was my princes.

“You have the heart.” I said waiting for her first thought, no I don’t. “Yes, you do, I don’t have a living heart, because I’m a…” vampire. I’m to find a creature without a heart, heartless, but that creature can “love you, by give you his heart. I’m confused. She was studying my face which was annoying.

“I’m sorry I’m annoying you,” she said how…?

“Since when could you read minds?” I asked her, she was confusing me so much.

“…and since when did vampires have emotions, I’m not reading you mind, your wear them on your face.

“Anyway April, you have given me your love, a love heart, so I am returning it so you can be come Queen!”

As I was not paying attention to the world around me, the guards had gathered around me. One of them had a put a bag over my head. As I was so over whelmed with so many emotions I screamed loudly, some emotions scared me so morphed back into a vampire. I heard worried gasps of the gathering crowd as I acted rationally after I shook the bag off. I had bitten the guard. As soon as I realised what I had done I could not keep my promise. I fell to me knees and drank. I slowly sat up as I whispered, “Sorry. If I didn’t he would have turned into a vampire.” I looked down. On his breast pocket the name Warner was embroidered. Oh well, if you did not do that I would have to marry him. “Actually on the subject of marriage,” I was on already on the floor, on one knee. I pulled then ring out of my pocket. Before I said anything April was thinking my ring, I lost it. Then she realised I was about to propose no, I can’t marry a man if I want to become queen. “I’m not a man.” The crowd where whispering comments about that remark, not the best way to say it, “I’m a vampire.” A smug smile pulled across my teeth, and fangs, most likely not the most attractive look.