To Run With The Rising Sun

Chapter 1

The Beginning

Her eyes stared outwards, looking at everything, but nothing at the same time. Her pupils were dilated, rising out, expanding as they seemed to block out most of grey that was her eyes. Things shifted in front of her, things that she didn't understand. Her vision turned yellow and green, alternating with other colors as though seeing through filtered lenses. Something was changing inside of her and it scared her as she lay there, leg bleeding, hands shaking. She'd been attacked. Not once, but twice had it caught her skin, slicing it open. Her body shook as she breathed out, pain overriding her conscious mind. She was going to die out there and no one would be the wiser.

~Earlier that day~

Rays of light shown in through clear glass windows, a mop of dark hair pressed against the glass in sleep. A large bump in the tracks sent them jolting awake after knocking their head against the window pane. Staring forward, the woman blinked, rubbing her eyes for a moment trying to rid them of sleep. She blinked again before running a hand through her hair, eyes turning to look out the window and into the tree line. She was almost back, a faint smile on her face as she knew her parents would be waiting for her right where they always did.

Above her head, the loud speaker crackled for a moment, before a voice broke through.

"Arriving in Bear Valley in ten minutes," the man's voice came through. "Please continue to stay seated until we make a full stop."

With that, the speakers went quiet, the other passengers conversing happily. It was obvious that they were happy to be arriving close to on time. With that, she pulled up her sleeve, glancing at the old vintage watch on her wrist. The copper of the Indian head penny shown back at her, the thin silver hands reading eleven thirty three. She could feel the smile pulling at her lips as she as she stomach rumbled. She'd be going to the diner for lunch once she got off the train, making her way into town and staying at one of the local inns.

~xXx~

"Yes, that's correct, room three on the ground floor," the woman spoke on the phone as she got out of the cab, placing her hand over the phone for a moment as she gave her thanks to the man. "Yes, I'll pay the fee for transport. Just place it on my card. Yes, you too."

With that, she ended the call, looking out at the diner in front of her. Walking inside, she looked around, noticing the girl behind the counter, her red hair peeking out here and there.

"Kelly, is that you?" she asked, a smile on her face as she stepped forward.

Sure enough, it was her old friend from high school.

"Celine Hamilton!" the girl practically screamed, quickly making her way out from behind the counter to hug her old friend.

Celine laughed as she wrapped her arms around the girl, drawing in a breath.

"How long has it been?" she asked. "Two, three years?"

Celine grimaced, rubbing the back of her neck. She hadn't been back in almost two years, having buried herself in her work. She meant to visit a few times a year, but as time passed, her visits became far and few between.

"Almost two," Celine admitted.

"I mean, what happened to holidays and the girls night outs?" Kelly asked, pouting as she looked down at her friend.

Celine stood at a mere five foot five, while Kelly stood at five foot eight, and that wasn't including the high heels that she normally wore. Not that Celine really cared, she had a few pairs of heels of her own, but none of them were nearly as high as Kelly's. Tossing that aside though, Celine shook her head, offering her friend a proper smile for once.

"How about some food?" Celine asked. "After all, I just came from the train station."

Kelly's eyes widened in realization at Celine's words, quickly ushering her into a seat, and taking her jacket.

"I am so sorry," she said, laughing nervously as she quickly grabbed a menu and handed it over. "You know, you just have to tell me to shut up one of these times," she laughed, going back behind the counter for a moment to get her note pad.

"I'd never do that," Celine laughed, smiling as she watched her friend run around the diner. "Besides, you haven't seen me in almost two years, it's to be expected," she assured her.

"Still. Now, what do you want?" Kelly asked firmly, trying to act professional.

Celine sat there for a moment as she looked over the menu, silently weighing her options. She honestly didn't feel like a burger at the moment and the prospect of dumplings was just too much for her to pass up.

"I think I'll go with the dumplings," she announced. "And some hot tea to go with it."

"Alrighty, dumplings and tea coming up."

With a firm nod of her head, Kelly disappeared, taking her menu with her as she went to fill her order. From what Celine could tell, Kelly seemed fairly serious about her job, and that made Celine very proud of her. In the past, Kelly had never really taken such opportunities seriously, and Celine had warned her that if she kept it up then it would catch up to her. Luckily, it seemed like the girl had finally settled down enough to actually concentrate on one.

"Here you go," Kelly smiled, sliding a cup of steaming tea in front of her friend. "I'll have your dumplings out in a few minutes."

"Thanks Kelly."

After that, Celine turned back to her tea, sliding it a bit closer. Turning to her right, she plucked a few packets of sugar from their place, tearing the tops open with her teeth and dumping them into the cup. She then took the spoon from the rolled up cutlery set and started stirring it up. She let out a sigh though as she watched the steam roll off the top, quietly curling around her finger as she let it hover above the cup, silently becoming lost in her own thoughts.

As Kelly had pointed out, Celine had come home less and less over the years. In a way, it wasn't necessarily deliberate, but at the same time it was. After everything with her parents she just seemed out of place whenever she came home, resulting in fewer and fewer visits. Normally, she'd just shut herself up in her apartment with her roommate Helen, working on different projects here and there. In order to make a living she would clean houses and similar things, ending up with a fairly open schedule. This left her able to work on her art, normally selling off low cost commissions for portrait paintings as she was still trying to make her way into a gallery. Every now and then, she'd make time for more personal projects, working on her landscapes among others. In a hour, most of her luggage would be at the inn, resting inside the room for her to work with once she felt she was ready.

After she ate, Celine had bid her friend farewell. Once she had checked in at the inn, she had set everything up, pulling out her paints and other supplies. After a few hours of barely painting though, she decided to make her way out for her visit. She had nothing else to do save for nostalgia. In fact, at times, that's really about the only reason why she even bothered to come home. After all, her parents were the only reason, and even that wasn't saying much.

~xXx~

So many thoughts ran through her head as she walked up the path, grass having already grown over in different spots. Still, her boots managed to kick up dirt every time she came. It never changed. The bushes were the same, no one having bothered to trim and clean them up, random shoots popping out unevenly as a result. Her heartbeat picked up a bit. Kids had left trash laying around, littering the ground. She even found a few beer bottles as she got closer, quietly flexing her hands.

What irritated Celine the most was the dirt she found covered what should have been polished stone, subconsciously biting down on her lip.

"Hi…" she breathed out, kneeling down as she brushed her fingers over the edge of the headstone.

She could feel her lip quiver as she sat there, eyes welling up with tears. The names Charles and Erica Hamilton stared back at her, taunting her almost. She racked her nails over the dry dirt, scratching it off in an attempt to free the stone from the unwanted hindrance. A speck of grey peeked through as she continued, rubbing the palm of her hand against it as well. The dirt had likely decorated the stone for months, covering and shielding it from the light. The grass around it was filled with weeds for which she soon found herself pulling up.

"Come on, you can do better than that," her father teased.

Celine cried, pulling at weeds as the fibers tore away at her hands, slicing the sensitive top layer of flesh. It didn't seem to bother her as she kept at it though, pulling them up by the roots and tossing them to the side one by one. She had promised herself that she would oversee the sight during each visit, but had failed. That thought alone seemed to fuel her emotions as she continued to tear into the ground, shredding the grass along with the weeds. She should have been there before now, should have been there months ago, should have been there period. As that realization hit her she slammed her hands down into the dirt, her nails digging in as she sobbed.

"What's the matter baby?" her mother asked.

As she cried, the sky continued to darken. In a way, it almost seemed to mimic her mood, the clouds above turning dull and foreboding. She could practically smell the rain in the air, yet she didn't care. When it finally began to pour, her eyes closed, a shiver running down her spine. The ran itself seemed to still her for a moment, allowing her to take in the world around her. She had no clue how long she had sat there, the rain soaking her clothes and body to the core. It washed her clean, draining her tears from her eyes along with her emotions, dulling them.

"Come on baby, you'll be alright," her mother spoke sweetly. "It's just a storm."

Celine stared up at the sky, the rain falling on her face. She used to hate storms as a child, her mother comforting her whenever one would roll into town. As she got older though, they didn't really bother her that much. Instead, they managed to give her a bit of peace of mind, reminding her that when it was all over that things would be washed clean.

"See, even Simon wants to play," her mother laughed, pointing to their dog as he ran around outside, jaw snapping as he tried to catch and eat the rain drops that fell.

Celine closed her eyes, taking in a shaky breath as she began to stand. As she stood, she heard a twig snap, brows furrowing as she turned her head. The breeze, blew her hair up in front of her making her push it back down.

"Some one there?" she called out, another shiver running through her spine.

Another snapped, turning her head to the right.

"Hello?"

Her eyes widened though as a bolt of lightning struck, lips parting in disbelief. There was a growl and she backed away, her breath catching in her throat as she stared at the beast in front of her, unable to distinguish whether it was a coyote or something else. As it drew closer, snapping at her she took in its size. The thing could have easily been twice her size.

"Easy now," she stammered.

A scream tore through her at the next bolt, the creatures fangs tearing into her shoulder like a piece of meat. Blood flew as she fell to the ground, knocking her head on one of the stones, momentarily knocking her senseless. She felt it again as teeth sank into her lower left leg, crushing and pulling her through the grass towards the trees. The storm muted her cry as she tried to pull away, only to have the beast bite down harder, pulling her further from the cemetery and through the undergrowth.

~xXx~

Her eyes stared outwards, looking at everything, but nothing at the same time. Her pupils were dilated, rising out, expanding as they seemed to block out most of grey that was her eyes. Things shifted in front of her, things that she didn't understand. Her vision turned yellow and green, alternating with other colors as though seeing through filtered lenses. Something was changing inside of her and it scared her as she lay there, leg bleeding, hands shaking. She'd been attacked. Not once, not twice, but three times had it caught her skin, slicing it open. Her body shook as she breathed out, pain overriding her conscious mind. She was going to die out there and no one would be the wiser.

That's what she thought as she lay there until she heard a howl. Her mind raced for a moment, thinking that whatever it had been had decided to come back for her and finish the job. She was met with an unexpected surprise though when something slightly different came trotting towards her, its eyes never wandering.

In front of her stood something different, its fur long and full, instead of the matted mane that had belonged to the previous animal. The creature seemed to blend in with the darkness, panting lightly. Standing in front of her were the most beautiful blue eyes she had ever seen. They seemed to pierce right through her as it slowly crept forward, its nostrils flaring slightly as it sniffed her wounds, before growling low in its throat.

"It… It's okay," she whispered quietly, swallowing the lump in her throat.

Again, pain shot through her, her teeth pressing tightly together as she felt something move. A crack soon followed as she cried out. It had felt like her hand had been broken, reset, and then broken again. She watched as one of her fingers seemed to extend, the knuckled being pressed back and down out of the way. A whine followed a moment later as the beast lowered its head toward her as if trying to comfort her. Was it showing sympathy for her?

Carefully, Celine lifted her other hand, slowly reaching toward the creature. It didn't move as she placed her hand on its head, burying her fingers in its luscious fur. Again, it whined, lowering itself further until it was laying beside her. Its tongue reached out cautiously and licked at her face, resulting in pain as it cleaned the blood from the marks on her face. Again, it howled, the sound nearly splitting her eardrums in the process.

Before long, she could hear footsteps. They sounded so close and at the same time, so far away. Dark clad feet were in front of her next as she closed her eyes, blinking slowly as her vision blurred again, merging into a sorts of strange shapes. Whoever it was seemed to be checking her over for a moment, hands gliding over her arms and side. They checked her shoulder and then her leg, lightly testing the skin as it burned with its own white hot pain. Celine couldn't complain though as the bits seemed tolerable compared to everything else.

For a moment, Celine's mind went back to the night five years ago, images fading in and out of her line of sight. She could hear the crack of the gun as the lightning struck and she could feel the blood on her face. She didn't want to die tonight, but she wasn't sure if it mattered.

"Please…" she tried, voice cracking. "I don't…want to die."

With that, Celine's world went black.

Alright everyone, this is my first attempt at a Bitten story. I recently found the series and fell in love with it. I can't wait for season 2. I hope that it was okay for the first chapter. I would like to hear what everyone thinks though as I was SERIOUSLY need help with some ideas on where to go with it. In turn, this story is also set a few months before Elena returns to Stone Haven, but will eventually follow with the serious. This story will likely be a little slow in posted though, but that is because I'm still deciding how to work it which is why I need everyones thoughts and input. Thanks again everyone and I really hope that you like it!