This passage is near the middle-end of the story. It comes right before one of my favorite scenes, which I will get to. Tell me what you think (character list at bottom); (this also can be found in "Share Time," but I wasn't sure how many visit the subforums):
The window shattered as Victor hurtled himself and Emily through it. Immediately she felt the stinging cold of winter upon her face, biting through her thin nightgown and sending chills up and down her back. Though Victor held her close to him, it was no help; his body was frigid as snow.
The shards of glass cut the air as Emily screamed, the ground rushing at them faster and faster. She felt a pain in her arm, and behind her came the frantic and angry calls of Gregory and his Hunters, cursing Victor's name.
The two landed in a drift of snow, and they sank. Emily couldn't move; the cold was too much for her. She felt herself going numb all over. A distant voice called to her, and she was pulled to her feet.
It was Victor.
He wrapped his arm around her shoulder for support as he bolted through the winter landscape. The forest was just beyond, a vague fringe of trees in the distance. Emily heard horses scream behind, and a trumpet call. Gregory was giving chase. Shouts and threats were voiced, but Victor did not slow, instead tightening his hold on Emily.
"Chase!" Gregory called after them. "There is no point in running, Chase! Your end will come!" A pistol shot rang out, and Emily felt it slice the air very close to her ear. Gregory shot at her . . . ?
Beside her Victor panted, losing energy rapidly. The edge of the forest was near, and the fierce yells from Gregory were becoming quieter and quieter.
Suddenly, the ground gave out, and Emily found herself once again falling through the air, her hands flinging out to catch herself. There was nothing to grab hold of. Victor lost his grip on her, and she hit the bottom of the pit with a gasp. There was a sharp pang in her shoulder.
A thump beside her signified Victor's landing. She heard him grunt as he got back up, snapping his head around to find a way out. But there was none. Emily knew this was one of Gregory's traps, for ensnaring vampires that may have made it past the border.
No one appeared at the opening above. Gregory had already abandoned his pursuit? But that was so unlike him. . . . Emily pushed herself to her knees, bent over and shivering.
She was trapped with her cousin's worst enemy.
Victor slowly turned to face her. She was once again overwhelmed with his beauty. The strange pale blue eyes, and his fair hair blending with the whiteness of their snowy pit. She couldn't drag her eyes from the long red stain down the sleeve of his white shirt.
"What's . . . what's that from?" she asked, backing away discreetly. Victor advanced a step, glancing down at his arm. He then surveyed her, his gaze pausing on her arm.
"You're hurt," he said, his voice like crystal. Then it was he who was backing up, clenching his jaw. Emily noticed the small cut on her shoulder, warm blood trickling to the ground. It wasn't that serious. . . . But then she remembered what Victor Chase was, and she became very afraid.
She sat down, pressing her back into the side of the pit, feeling the wetness of the snow seeping through her gown, her skin, stealing away all heat. She no longer felt her slippered feet, and her fingers were loosing feeling as well. She watched as Victor crouched in the opposite corner, prying his gaze away from the gash in her arm. His breathing was shallow.
"What's wr-wrong?" Emily stuttered, gathering courage to speak to the creature across from her.
"I haven't fed in days," he replied. The cold didn't seem to bother him.
Emily felt her stomach drop. She looked away, hope draining. Something large and soft plopped over her trembling shoulders. Startled, she glanced up just in time to see Victor making his way back to his corner. Emily pulled the cape tighter around her. It wasn't much, but it helped.
Emily became drowsy, the chilly air lulling her into a strange state of tiredness. Her head tilted, and her eyes drooped, before finally everything went dark.
When she awoke, a new sense of terror enveloped her, clouding all but the sight that lay before her...
The background/characters in the snippet are:
Emily: eighteen years old, orphaned, lives by herself with her best friend
Gregory: Emily's cousin, zealot, obsessed with killing off every last vampire; exterminated Victor's "parents"
Victor Chase: vampire, fell in love with Emily, follows her to her cousin's house; bit Gregory's parents
Emily kept seeing Victor watching her through her window each night, so she and her best friend Missy traveled to her cousin's house. Her cousin, Gregory, is a vampire Hunter, and they believed they would be safe there. Gregory and Victor hold grudges against each other for similar reasons.
The window shattered as Victor hurtled himself and Emily through it. Immediately she felt the stinging cold of winter upon her face, biting through her thin nightgown and sending chills up and down her back. Though Victor held her close to him, it was no help; his body was frigid as snow.
The shards of glass cut the air as Emily screamed, the ground rushing at them faster and faster. She felt a pain in her arm, and behind her came the frantic and angry calls of Gregory and his Hunters, cursing Victor's name.
The two landed in a drift of snow, and they sank. Emily couldn't move; the cold was too much for her. She felt herself going numb all over. A distant voice called to her, and she was pulled to her feet.
It was Victor.
He wrapped his arm around her shoulder for support as he bolted through the winter landscape. The forest was just beyond, a vague fringe of trees in the distance. Emily heard horses scream behind, and a trumpet call. Gregory was giving chase. Shouts and threats were voiced, but Victor did not slow, instead tightening his hold on Emily.
"Chase!" Gregory called after them. "There is no point in running, Chase! Your end will come!" A pistol shot rang out, and Emily felt it slice the air very close to her ear. Gregory shot at her . . . ?
Beside her Victor panted, losing energy rapidly. The edge of the forest was near, and the fierce yells from Gregory were becoming quieter and quieter.
Suddenly, the ground gave out, and Emily found herself once again falling through the air, her hands flinging out to catch herself. There was nothing to grab hold of. Victor lost his grip on her, and she hit the bottom of the pit with a gasp. There was a sharp pang in her shoulder.
A thump beside her signified Victor's landing. She heard him grunt as he got back up, snapping his head around to find a way out. But there was none. Emily knew this was one of Gregory's traps, for ensnaring vampires that may have made it past the border.
No one appeared at the opening above. Gregory had already abandoned his pursuit? But that was so unlike him. . . . Emily pushed herself to her knees, bent over and shivering.
She was trapped with her cousin's worst enemy.
Victor slowly turned to face her. She was once again overwhelmed with his beauty. The strange pale blue eyes, and his fair hair blending with the whiteness of their snowy pit. She couldn't drag her eyes from the long red stain down the sleeve of his white shirt.
"What's . . . what's that from?" she asked, backing away discreetly. Victor advanced a step, glancing down at his arm. He then surveyed her, his gaze pausing on her arm.
"You're hurt," he said, his voice like crystal. Then it was he who was backing up, clenching his jaw. Emily noticed the small cut on her shoulder, warm blood trickling to the ground. It wasn't that serious. . . . But then she remembered what Victor Chase was, and she became very afraid.
She sat down, pressing her back into the side of the pit, feeling the wetness of the snow seeping through her gown, her skin, stealing away all heat. She no longer felt her slippered feet, and her fingers were loosing feeling as well. She watched as Victor crouched in the opposite corner, prying his gaze away from the gash in her arm. His breathing was shallow.
"What's wr-wrong?" Emily stuttered, gathering courage to speak to the creature across from her.
"I haven't fed in days," he replied. The cold didn't seem to bother him.
Emily felt her stomach drop. She looked away, hope draining. Something large and soft plopped over her trembling shoulders. Startled, she glanced up just in time to see Victor making his way back to his corner. Emily pulled the cape tighter around her. It wasn't much, but it helped.
Emily became drowsy, the chilly air lulling her into a strange state of tiredness. Her head tilted, and her eyes drooped, before finally everything went dark.
When she awoke, a new sense of terror enveloped her, clouding all but the sight that lay before her...
The background/characters in the snippet are:
Emily: eighteen years old, orphaned, lives by herself with her best friend
Gregory: Emily's cousin, zealot, obsessed with killing off every last vampire; exterminated Victor's "parents"
Victor Chase: vampire, fell in love with Emily, follows her to her cousin's house; bit Gregory's parents
Emily kept seeing Victor watching her through her window each night, so she and her best friend Missy traveled to her cousin's house. Her cousin, Gregory, is a vampire Hunter, and they believed they would be safe there. Gregory and Victor hold grudges against each other for similar reasons.
