Like a Skyscraper

The burning in her veins made Kaelyn feel like screaming bloody murder. She didn’t know how long had already passed, but it felt like the pain would never end. The last thing she remembered was Emmett kissing her and then biting into her neck. The thought of Emmett was the only thing helping her get through the change. She just wanted to live through this and begin her life with the man she loved.

Kaelyn’s train of thought left to focus on her mother. She needed to make it through this for her too. Kaelyn was all she had left, and she didn’t want to leave her mother alone. Having her husband and daughter die in the same year would kill her. Kaelyn found her resolve again and tried to think of anything but the pain.

It felt like ages later, but the pain was noticeably decreasing. Kaelyn wanted to sign in relief, but her body still felt paralyzed. There was a light at the end of the tunnel. She waited a while longer, and tried to open her eyes. The pain was only a dull ache. Her eyelids felt heavy and didn’t want to listen to her command to open them. When they finally did, Kaelyn's entire view was different.

~*~

Emmett sat by Kaelyn’s side the entire time she was unconscious. When he bit her, he was a little afraid he wouldn’t be able to pull himself away, but her scream tore at his heart strings. That was all it took to get him to pull away. Lila was a mess, and he was thankful for Carlisle. He was able to distract her and calm her down. She stayed in a spare room in the cabin while Emmett took up residence in the chair next to Kaelyn’s bed.

It was the third day of the change, but Emmett didn’t know when Kaelyn would be waking up. He’d never turned anyone before and didn’t know all the rules. He didn’t know if it was three days on the dot or just an estimate.

Emmett rubbed his face and began to plan everything for after she woke up. He would need to take her on her first hunt before she saw her mother again. He didn’t want to risk anything with her being a new born. They were notorious for having less control…

Emmett looked up again when he noticed movement. Kaelyn was trying to open her eyes. He braced himself for any reaction she might have to waking up with her increased senses. Things could be a bit overwhelming. He remembered seeing through the eyes of a vampire for the first time. He didn’t know how he wasn’t considered blind as a human…

Kaelyn finally opened her eyes; Emmett watched them dart back and forth around the room until they finally settled on him. She cracked a small smile at him, and it was then that he knew things would be okay.

“Hey,” She whispered; Emmett took note that she seemed surprised by her own voice.

“Hey, how do you feel?” He asked and moved to sit on the bed beside her. He moved slowly so Kaelyn could take in all his movements and not get surprised. She pushed herself up into a sitting position and stretched.

“I feel… fine. I haven’t felt like this in a long time. There’re no aches or pains… nothing!” Emmett watched her grin turn into a full blown smile. She made eye contact with him, and he could see the pure happiness in her now dark eyes. He would miss her blue eyes, but it was a small sacrifice to keep her with him. Emmett returned her smile, and Kaelyn threw her arms around him. Her new strength threw them both off balance, and they landed in a tumble on the floor.

Emmett wrapped his arms around Kaelyn and laughed at her nervous expression.

“I forgot how strong you would be,” He told her. Kaelyn relaxed and rested her head on his chest. There was a sudden burning in her throat that made her groan. It was nowhere near the pain she felt during her change, but it was still painful.

“Emmett, something's wrong,” She croaked; fear washing over her. What if it didn’t work and she still have the cancer cells? Kaelyn wanted to cry, but Emmett quickly comforted her.

“You’re just hungry. We need to go find you something to eat. Then we can come back, and you can see your mom,” Emmett explained and helped Kaelyn stand up. It was still early in the morning so Lila was probably asleep. They were able to leave the cabin without any issues. Carlisle was standing outside watching the sunrise.

Turning to face them, Carlisle smiled, “I thought I heard you two. Is everything okay?”

“I feel good, but my throat is burning. Emmett said I needed to eat so we are going hunting,” Kaelyn said the last part a little unsurely. Carlisle nodded; he remembered how hard his first hunt alone was. Carlisle rested a steady hand on her should to reassure her.

“It’s not as scary as you think, and you have Emmett with you. It’s just something we have to live with. But now you’re well; you smell exactly how you used to before the cancer began to spread. You’re just a little bit sweeter smelling,” Carlisle told her. Kaelyn smiled and felt better knowing that a doctor told her everything was okay with her body.

“Carlisle, we’ll be back once we finish. I don’t know how long it will take, but if Kaelyn’s mom wakes up and we aren’t back, can you tell her what’s going on?” Emmett asked taking Kaelyn’s hand in his.

Carlisle nodded, “Of course.”

The couple began to talk towards the trees after saying goodbye to Carlisle.

“Do you want to try running? It can be a little overwhelming, but we can take it slow—“ Emmett didn’t get to finish because Kaelyn took off without him. His laughter echoed behind Kaelyn as she ran from him. She smiled when she could hear his footsteps catching up to her. Running was like nothing she had ever felt before; it was exhilarating.

Kaelyn came to a stop in a clearing and took in her surroundings. She noticed how her body wasn't tired at all from the run, and for the first time she realized that she wasn’t breathing. She took a few breaths just to see what would happen. Her lungs could inflate, and she could smell, but her body didn’t need to breathe.

Emmett caught up with her in the clearing and stopped beside her. He saw how deep in thought she was and asked her what she was thinking.

“Everything is just so different. I can smell a campsite, but I don’t think it’s close by…” Emmett took a deep breath in to check and shook his head.

“No, it’s a few miles away. Your senses have changed, Kaelyn. Everything is much more enhanced. Can you smell the campers?” He asked, curious to see what she thought of the smell of human blood. Kaelyn breathed in again.

“I can smell them, but I don’t know how to describe what they smell like,” She scrunched her nose up in confusion.

“Food. Humans smell like food, and that’s okay. They are meant to be our food source, but I don’t live that way, and I don’t want you to either. There is an elk about 200 yards in that direction. Focus that way and tell me what you think.” Kaelyn did what he said and smiled.

“The elk smells much more appetizing. I don’t think I could stomach trying to drink blood from a human. That’s basically cannibalism…” Emmett chuckled.

“Do you think you could take down the elk on your own?” He asked. Kaelyn looked at him with wide eyes. She had never been hunting in her life, and now Emmett was asking if she wanted to kill it with her bare hands? Emmett saw the conflicting emotions on her face.

“You don’t have to; I can help you. Bu this is something that you’ll need to learn to do on your own. I won’t always be there with you to hunt, and you might have to go on your own sometimes.” Kaelyn nodded and looked into the trees. The elk had moved a little closer, and she could see its movement now.

“I-I want to try, but if I can’t do, will you?” Emmett agreed to do it if she couldn’t.

“To take the elk down, you can either bite right into it or snap its neck to kill it instantly with no pain and then feed. It’s your choice.” With that advice, Kaelyn turned fully to face where the elk was. She took another deep breath and took off running. Emmett was hot on her heels to see what she would do.

Kaelyn’s vampire instincts began to kick in when her body recognized her chasing her prey. She lunged at the elk, effectively snapped its neck and bit into one of its arteries. Emmett stood silently behind her and let her feed for the first time. Kaelyn drank the blood, barely registering how the hot liquid felt when it slid down her throat. All she thought about was how good it seemed to taste to her.

Kaelyn finally released the animal and stood up. She seemed a little shocked by her actions and looked to Emmett for help. He walked up to her and wiped some of the blood from the corner of her mouth.

“You did great,” Emmett reassured her.

“I didn’t expect it to taste so good. It was so warm; almost like soup…” Kaelyn trailed off.

“Yeah, blood is the only thing that will taste good to you now. Human food tastes ashy to us. You can try some, but I don’t think you’ll like the outcome. There’s a small fox behind those trees. I’m going to feed quickly and then we can head back,” Emmett said. He didn’t want to be hungry later when he needed to be there for Kaelyn.

The blonde watched Emmett quickly grab the fox and bit into it. He made it look so effortless, but he’s probably had years to perfect his technique.

“How old are you?” Kaelyn asked. Emmett wiped his mouth and grinned.

“Almost 100, I was born in 1915 and changed in 1935,” He explained. Kaelyn walked up to him and rested her hands on his chest.

“Who changed you?”

“Carlisle. Rosalie found me being mauled by a bear, and she brought me to Carlisle so he could save me.” Kaelyn looked down at the ground. Even though Emmett told her they would be together, she was still worried that he may change his mind like before. Emmett cupped her face in his large hands and made her look into his eyes.

“I love you, Kaelyn. Rosalie saved my life, and technically we are married, but I don’t want to be with her anymore. I think I was indebted to her for saving my life and mistook it for love. I feel something completely different when I’m with you. I don’t want this feeling to end.” Kaelyn smiled and leaned up to kiss him. Emmett kissed her deeply, trying to express just how strong his feelings were.

“We should get back soon. Your mom is probably awake and wanting to see you,” Emmett said when he finally pulled away. Kaelyn nodded and let him lead her back towards the cabin. She smiled; everything was finally falling into place.