Before the Storm

Althea's eyes opened, but she immediately regretted opening them, because the sunlight was blinding. She moaned and rolled onto her side. That's when she realized - she was in bed. She didn't remember going to bed or even being put into bed. Althea scratched her forehead and decided to get up and see what everyone was up to. She decided she must have been sick and sleeping due to cough medicine: there was a horrible burning sensation in her throat. 

Before she was even out of the room, the door opened and in walked Edward and Alice. They had serious looks of concern etched into their beautiful faces.

"What's wrong, guys? No need to look so worried," she laughed a bit, noticing her voice sounded a little different - higher and a bit more lilting, "I'm the one that's sick, after all."

"Althea, do you remember anything that's happened?" Edward's face didn't lose its intense look.

"Not really. I must have taken a lot of cough syrup or something,"

"What makes you think you're sick?"

"I don't remember much, and I reckon it's because I've been sleeping from taking cough syrup. My throat is all dry and burny...so I must have gotten sick when it was raining the other night," she shrugged and went to look at herself in the mirror. She must have looked horrible if she'd been sleeping as long as she thought she had been.

Althea slinked over to large mirror and took a look at herself and letting out a small scream - she looked so different! Her normally unruly brunt orange hair was now an intense red, with sleek curls. Her pale skin looked even paler now, and she knew something was different about it; it felt rock hard. Her lips her a bright pink, with her cheekbones more exposed then ever. But her eyes, her eyes are what got her - matched the red intensity of her hair.

"What happened to me?!" Her voice, which she now paid attention to, was more musical than ever before.

"You-you're one of us now," Alice volunteered quietly, while avoiding eye contact.

Althea turned to face them full on, and could barely control her temper. How could they let this happen?! This was not what she had bargained for!

"Why? How could you guys do this to me!?"

"We didn't - that other vampire did. She got to you right before I came back. I was following her scent, and I thought I could catch her before she got to you, but I didn't. I'm so sorry. I promised to keep you safe, but I couldn't even do that,"

"Did you get her?"

"I got her and destroyed right after she got to you," Edward sighed and hung his head.

"And the others?"

"The wolves?"

"Yeah,"

"They're okay. They're back on their reservation. They wanted us to tell them as soon as you woke up,"

"Well, I'll go and see them to tell them that I'm okay," she smiled a bit and started for the door. Edward put up his hands to stop her, but for once, she was stronger, "what?!"

"You can't leave! Not yet, anyway?"

"Why not?"

"You're a newborn now. As soon as you see them, you'll want their blood. You've got to wait a while, Thea," Alice frowned apologetically.

"How long?"

"At least six months,"

"No way! I cannot stay in here, cooped up that long!"

"Thea!"

"This isn't fair! I didn't choose this," she frowned and crossed her arms. 

"And neither did we, but we have to live with it too. It's not as it seems, Althea, but we don't complain about it because we don't really have another choice, do we?" Alice's eyes narrowed as she tried to get across the point that Althea wasn't the only one that had gone through losing their humanity.

"Look, I'm sorry, I just forgot. You've all been...vampires for so long, I just don't think about you guys that way. I just...I want to see Paul...and the others," she sighed and sat down on the bed.

"It'll get easier from here, trust us. The worst part is the transformation,"

"Promise?" Althea stuck out her pinky and aimed it in Alice's direction. She smiled and danced over to Althea and linked her pinky with the newborns'.

"Now, first things first - are you really to hunt?"

"Hunt?!"

"How do you think you're going to get blood? You need it to survive now,"

"I don't know if I can do that!"

"It's not a choice, Thea. You'll get used to it soon enough. Alice and Jasper will take you. Might as well learn from the best," Edward smiled his signature crooked smile. She frowned at him a bit as Jasper came into the room and he and Alice led her to the window.

Edward started walking out of room, leaving in time to just hear Althea have a slight panic attack about jumping out the window.

_____

Edward walked into the kitchen and pulled out his small cell phone. He dialed Sam's number and waited for the phone to be answered. He drummed his fingers along the counter and waited.

"Hello?"

"Sam, it's Edward Cullen. Can I talk to Paul?"

"Hey Edward, sure, just let me get him,"

"Thanks Sam," he waited again and after a few moments the receiver was picked up again.

"Edward? What's wrong?"

"It's Althea. She - she's one of us now,"

Edward heard Paul curse before responding properly, "why?"

"The vampire's venom got to her,"

"What am I going to do?!"

"It'll be okay, Paul. We'll make things work-"

"That's easy for you to say! You're already dead! You don't love anyone! Things are never going to be the same," he was almost crying now, and Edward couldn't get a word in.

"Paul-"

"No, I don't want to hear it. I just...need some time, okay?"

"I'll let her know,"

"Thanks," Paul hung and sighed.

He was right - everything was going to change.