Chapter 3 Transformation

Bruce felt like he was burning alive from the inside. The true process occurring inside his body was far worse than that. His heart was already pumping vampire venom through his veins, burning away his blood vessels. The venom was transforming and saturating his every cell, immortalizing him in the river of time. Bruce's body slowly started to change, perfecting his features. But the changes were more than what could be seen by the eye. He was changing both genetically and anatomically.

Even in excruciating pain, Bruce could feel a substance so foreign yet so familiar moving through his body. After hours of suffering, Bruce felt the pain slowly leaving his body except for the burning sensation in his throat. Slowly opening his eyes, he muttered,

 "Ah...water." Even though he said that, his instinct told him he needed something else, something more.

Then Bruce sat on the bed, observing his surroundings. As his disoriented state diminished, he was overwhelmed by his new perception. Everything was more vibrant and detailed; Bruce felt like he was looking through a magnifying glass. Before he could make sense of his newfound vision, he was surprised by the sounds he was hearing. He could hear hundreds of animals around him, perhaps miles away, yet instead of getting a headache, he felt like he was supposed to hear like that, like it was the level of sense he always had.

"Easy there," a voice appeared.

Turning to the voice, Bruce saw a man who could only be described as supernatural. The man had pale skin and blonde hair. But what was most striking about him were his unnatural golden eyes.

"Hello, my name is Carlisle Cullen," the man said with a friendly smile.

Then it struck! Bruce understood why he felt like he had seen the man before. It was because he did not simply time travel or this world was as mundane as he thought; he was in the world of Twilight where vampires and werewolves walked on the earth. The man, Carlisle, somewhat resembled the actor he had seen in the movie he watched in his previous life but obviously possessed a supernatural beauty that no human actor could emit. This was the reason Bruce did not recognize Carlisle at first glance. Now understanding the truth of his new reality, Bruce could easily guess the reason for his own changes considering his previous night's experience.

"Are you okay?" Carlisle asked in concern, watching Bruce space out. Breaking from his inner thoughts, Bruce answered.

"Uh...yes, I am Bruce Grey."

"Mr. Grey, you must have felt the changes in yourself. This may not be easy to accept, but you are no longer human. You are now a vampire," Carlisle said, expecting an outburst or a denial.

"I can still walk in daylight, right?" Bruce asked, smiling inwardly. While he was not a hardcore fan of Twilight, he watched the movies and had a general understanding of this world. But he wasn't going to act like he knew it all too well, nor was he going to act too ignorant. Bruce wondered if Edward could catch on to his secret.

"Yes, of course. You are not questioning it, Mr. Grey?" Carlisle was taken aback by how easily this young man accepted the fact he was no longer human.

"After seeing a bulletproof bride and getting bitten by her, I think I can accept that I became a vampire too. Unless this is some kind of dream after death."

Seeing the young man in front of him had an easygoing attitude compared to what he expected, Carlisle relaxed a bit.

"Indeed, it was quite the experience. But I can assure you, Mr. Grey, right now you are far from death."

"By the way, call me Bruce, Mr. Cullen."

"Then please, call me Carlisle as well."

At that moment, Bruce clutched his own throat with a pained expression. Initially, he forgot his thirst due to the excitement of discovering a whole new aspect of the world, but right now he felt like the thirst had returned with a vengeance. But now it was quite clear why he had such a thirst and what he needed to quench it.

"Let's talk more after we take you to hunt," Carlisle said, observing Bruce's pained expression. "Follow me, please."

Following Carlisle's lead, Bruce got up from the bed. Leaving the room, he saw another young man with vampiric charm who he recognized as Edward due to the strong resemblance to the movie counterpart. Edward, looking at Bruce, frowned, muttering, "How weird."

"What's weird?" Bruce asked, thinking Edward might have read his thoughts.

"Nothing. Edward, by the way," Edward said, extending his hand.

"Bruce," Bruce said, taking his hand and giving a shake.

"Now that we are done with introductions, let's go to hunt," Carlisle said, disappearing with inhuman speed. Edward looked at Bruce, giving a challenging look before disappearing into a blur.

"Where is my manual to be a vampire," Bruce whispered in amusement.

Then he, too, exerted the force in his legs, starting to run. The floorboards under his feet shattered as he took off, accelerating to superhuman speed. It was a wonderful experience for Bruce as his instinct guided him to use his vampiric capabilities. He was running faster than the max speed of a sports car, yet he could perceive his surroundings with absolute clarity. Also, Bruce did not feel like this was the limit of his speed; this was merely a fraction of what he could do.

Soon, navigating through the forest, he caught up to the Cullens.

"You are quite a fast learner," Carlisle said as they came to a stop.

"Now, as you may have guessed, vampires feed on blood. It's the only food source a vampire can digest. If we don't feed, the thirst will become so overwhelming to the point we become mindless," Carlisle continued. "Most vampires feed on humans. To them, humans are nothing more than food. But just because we became monsters, should we shed our humanity? When I first became a vampire, I couldn't bear to feed on humans. I may not be a human anymore, but I was a human once. So I decided to feed on animals. I encouraged my family to do so too. To have a conscience. I can't force you to follow our way, but I hope you too know the worth of lives."

Watching the pensive look of Carlisle, Bruce said, "I agree. I don't want to take lives unnecessarily."

He really meant it too. He wasn't a man who took pleasure from taking lives. If he could avoid it, he would. Even though it was a different story if his own life or goals were at stake.

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Author's note:

How you guys like the beginning of the story? This chapter felt bit rushed but it is what it is. Leave reviews if possible. It will greatly lift my spirit to bring more chapters of newborn blood sucker.