Under the skin

   I'm gonna raise the stakes

Anger was useful. Or, so she told herself. It gave her a purpose, kept the woman from boring herself to death. Her anger had driven her to do so much, had made her way stronger than anything else had. Sadly, anger rarely stayed that way. The woman had once felt angry, but as time progressed, her anger had been turned into wrath. She had started to do things she would have normally never done, hurt people simply because she couldn’t hurt the one she wanted to hurt. And eventually, the wrath had turned into rage. A rage that had stayed with her for years, completely locking out any other emotion. She had become the monster she once feared. And she didn’t feel any remorse.

For years, she had lived without a clue. Without any idea of where the cause of her rage could be. Until this stupid party. At first she had enjoyed herself, taken some time off from the rage and finding another way to soothe her boredom. And boy, her boredom had vanished the second she noticed a certain vampire. Like her, he carried a small cross under his eye. She knew what this meant. And from that moment, she had eyed him. Carefully, making sure no one would catch her staring at the man. After all - this was a celebration. She didn’t want to cause any suspicions. Not with all the people there.

Eventually, however, she had lost patience. The woman had grabbed the arm of one of the visitors, bringing her mouth to her ear. “I want you to tell that man over there that he needs to follow me outside,” she whispered. She could feel the girl tremble as she tried to escape her grip, but wasn’t strong enough to even move it an inch. “And make sure he knows it’s urgent.” With that, she pulled back and gave the woman a small pat on the head, watching how she nodded and moved towards the vampire. With that, she calmly walked away from the party, out the door. Hopefully, the woman would deliver the message properly.

I'm gonna smoke you out

   I'm gonna raise the stakes

His voice sent a shiver down her spine. She could already feel her goal coming closer. Soon, she would know the location of the man who had ruined her life. Soon, her rage would be calmed. No longer would she be led by it. Her rage would turn into anger, until she finally accepted that she had her wrath. It would be done. Finally, she would be able to take a deep breath in and decide what the rest of her life would have to offer her. Would it still be worth living, or would it be time to rest? Rosalie had told her how it was possible for a vampire to slumber. Maybe it would be time for her to rest. To wait for the day where she could awaken in a world, where the people who lived now were long gone. A new world, in a way. Or maybe she would find something else to keep her interest.

For now, she had a goal. And there was a slight chance that there was going to be some collateral damage, but it was a necessary evil. “You can,” she spoke calmly, not turning towards him. “For how long have you been in Rhoynar?” she asked. She knew that the second he would see her face, he would know what she was asking for. And where was the fun in revealing that information immediately?

I'm gonna smoke you out

I'm gonna raise the stakes

Two months. So she had found him rather quickly. How boring. It had been too easy. It would have been so much fun to chase him, to hear the whispers of his name in the wind until she had found the place he stayed. She could have watched him, until she finally decided to approach him. A part of her regretted that she lacked the patience to do so. After all, she could have let him go today. She could have done everything with the sheer knowledge that he was here, starting the hunt tomorrow. Turning this into even more of a game than it was going to be. But, patience wasn’t her strong point. Not when she could see it. Not when he was within reach. And that would, possibly, one day be the end of her. But today, it brought her closer to her goals.

“And when did Edmund turn you into a vampire?” she asked. As always, her voice sounded calm, yet had this tone of amusement hidden within. She was enjoying this situation and she wanted it to last. Wanted to take part in the game she had created. Wanted to watch him as he played the game. Every step he’d take. A part of the game was showing him what information she had, yet not immediately telling him how she had gotten it. A fun she would lose as soon as he were to see her face, as it would be clear that, in a way, they shared their past.

I'm gonna smoke you out

   I'm gonna raise the stakes

This boy was the definition of a naive idiot. A part of her wondered why Edmund hadn’t just killed him. After all, it was his very own stupidity that would one day be the end of him. Perhaps by her hands, perhaps by someone else’s. She’d almost feel bad to hurt him and she sure knew it wasn’t going to be any fun. Instead, it triggered a curiosity in her. Was this man capable of getting angry? A spark ignited in her chest Oh, that could be so much fun! At what point would the naivety turn into anger? She chuckled softly.

It was time to reveal her secret. In a slow movement, the woman turned around, stroking some hair out of her face as she looked at him. “My name is Isabella,” she told him. “But I doubt Edmund has told you anything about me.” Somewhere, deep inside of her, her human heart wanted to hear that he had. That the man regretted what he had done. Leaving her behind. But, instantly, she could hear how Rosalie told her that men were idiots. Only cared about their ego, about themselves. Especially Edmund. He had stabbed her in the back and she would stab him in the chest.

I'm gonna smoke you out

I'm gonna raise the stakes

He was happy. If stupidity had a face, it would be his. Her brow was raised as she seemed to try and comprehend how this creature had survived a full four years without getting killed at least eight times. She tilted her head to the side, observing him without trying to hide it. He spoke about Edmund not talking about the other fledglings too much, after which he introduced himself as Mort. It was people like this that she would, in general, leave alone. For they posed no threat and were not going to give her any fun. They would cry, run, possibly try to fight but only if there were no other options. They were no fun and mindgames didn’t work on them, as their brain just didn’t seem to connect the dots. At all.

Yet, she needed him. And how it annoyed her. “Let’s cut to the point,” she spoke calmly. Her mood shifted so quickly when she got bored, it was dangerous. “I’m not here to be your friend,” she calmly told him. “Where is Edmund?” she then asked. Perhaps this idiot would tell her the location she needed and then she could pay her sire a visit. Stab him where he had been too scared to stab her. Right in the chest. With a silver dagger. After which she would burn him together with her rage.

I'm gonna smoke you out

   I'm gonna raise the stakes

She was about to stab him in the brain, just to see if there was anything inside his skull. Perhaps there wasn’t. Perhaps there was a possibility that when someone died and came back a vampire, his brain didn’t come back. He’d be stuck as an eternal idiot. Or maybe it was for this reason that Edmund had turned this boy into a vampire. Because he would be too dumb to figure out what kind of monster Edmund truly was. He was the kind of person to stab you in the back after ruining your life. He had given her eternity and doomed her to spend it alone. It was a curse and she would make sure he’d feel the consequences. She’d stab him once for every year that she had lived after he had left, before finally driving that stake through his heart.

But first, she needed to deal with this fledgling. “If I knew where his villa was, I wouldn’t be asking you,” she told him. She wasn’t even trying to hide her annoyance anymore at this point. After all, why would she. Her mindgames had no effect on the boy and it had left her bored. Which was probably the worst mood to ever find her in. “So. Tell me where I can find Edmund,” she commanded. “Please?” Idiot.

I'm gonna smoke you out

I'm gonna raise the stakes

He was uncomfortable and he had every right to be. Even more so, she wanted him to be. Isabella did not lie, after all. She wasn’t planning to. Not in this case, at least. She wanted Mort to know what she was planning to do once she found Edmund. “He doesn’t want you to,” she agreed calmly. Finally, she took a step in Mort’s direction, looking at him with this serious expression on her face. She meant business and she wasn’t going to accept a no, that much was clear. For a moment, she fell quiet. How much more was she supposed to give him?

And then she knew. “I’m going to tear him limb from limb until he’s bathing in his own blood,” she told him, taking another step in his direction. “I will watch him crawl away from me as he has done before. And only then, only when he’s about to give up, will I stab him in the chest with a stake.” Another step was taken into his direction. “So. Location?”

I'm gonna smoke you out

I'm gonna raise the stakes

“That’s the fucking point, you idiot,” she spoke, her voice filled with disbelief. How could someone be this fucking stupid? Of course tearing him limb from limb and stabbing him, would end up in the true death. She didn’t go there to do this and hope he’d stand up and party with her afterwards. She wanted to end his eternal life, because she believed the world would be better off without the backstabbing piece of shit that they called a sire.

“So, has he left you here all on your own, or did you flee yourself?” she asked, her voice strict. She wasn’t fond of Edmund and she wasn’t trying to hide it in the slightest. And somewhere, she hoped to show Mort his true nature. For then, perhaps, he would tell her where to find the bastard. Her hopes were low, but she had other ways of reaching her goals.

I'm gonna smoke you out