Fun In The Snow [Open]

[Ryssa Adamson]

Ryssa finally got to her feet. She had been sitting in the snowy grass for who knew how long. She had stormed off from the vampire Bella Cullen who was probably wondering what in the hell Ryssa’s problem had been. Ryssa shook herself to get rid of all of the snow that had collected over her body. Thinking about her family and her home never seemed to put her in an angry state. If this is where Ryssa was going to settle for the next few years then the last thing she needed was to piss off a family as large as Bella claimed she had belonged to. Ryssa took a moment to think about everything that Bella had told her in their short conversation.

Ryssa shook the last remnants of snow from her hair as she debated on what her next move would be. Ryssa sighed as she looked around the woods that surrounded her. It had been a long time that she had been in a place that had this much snow. With a small grin she thought of the only thing that she could see as a benefit to the white powder that blanketed the ground. Ryssa kneeled down and rolled a patch of the snow together. She began to throw them at random trees and other objects around her. She laughed lowly to herself as she missed a couple of the trees and the snowballs disappeared into the forest.

[Bella Cullen]

It had been quite a few days since her encounter with the new vampire named Ryssa and Bella had yet to quite figure out what exactly had happened that made her run away. Since that day, a new wave of snow had blanketed Forks and the surrounding forest, making it beautiful in time for the new year, which was just a few days away. In her human life, Bella had always hated the cold and really had no desire to just walk around in the snow, but as a vampire, temperature made no difference to her. So, to clear her head about the current family issues, she decided to go for a walk.

The forest was beautiful when covered in a white sheet of fresh snow. Only after her transformation did Bella really notice the splendor of such a thing. As she walked, she thought of how much had changed in the last few months. Her family had certainly grown with the addition of her cousins, Emmett's son, Raine and Arkan, and now the child that was on the way from Lexie and Jasper's union. Alice had left and then come home, with her own friend Evan, from London. Bella wasn't sure how that entire situation was going to work out and that worried her. While worrying, she was not paying attention to where she was really walking when...BAM...something hit her in the head.

Looking around, she grumbled, "What the hell?" It was then that her senses kicked in and she realized that someone was nearby. The scent was vaguely familiar, so she had met this person before. Quickly, she followed the trail until she saw Ryssa standing in the forest, throwing snowballs at random trees. Smirking, she picked up one herself and chunked it at Ryssa to get her attention. "Hey Ryssa!" she shouted right as the snowball made contact.

[Ryssa Adamson]

Ryssa had become concentrated on juggling the new snowballs she had created. Thus her consintration was broken by something being thrown at the side of her head just as her name was called by a familiar voice. Her head jerked as the sudden movement and it caught her off guard which was not something that was usual. Ryssa let the four snowballs fall to the ground to see where her latest attack came from. Just as she caught the familiar scent she turned to see Bella.

Ryssa grinned as she saw the look on Bella’s face knowing that the fellow vampire was probably quite pleased with herself. Ryssa brushed off her hands of the remaining snow and closed the distance between herself and Bella. “Fancy meeting you here,” Ryssa laughed at herself and then she thought back to her previous encounter with Bella. Ryssa held out her left hand, “I would like to apologize for my actions the last time we met.” Ryssa hoped that she had not left a bad impression on the vampire, because for the most part Bella seemed to be a tolerable creature. In Ryssa’s recent decades those creatures had been few and far between.

[Bella Cullen]

Bella laughed a little when the snowball hit Ryssa and broke her concentration on juggling several snowballs. That laughter subsided as Ryssa came over and held out her hand, which Bella took in greeting. "I was just thinking the same thing," she laughed at Ryssa's comment on randomly meeting. "And don't even worry about the other day. I understand that meeting new people can be a tad stressful from time to time." Bella knew that stress all too well as she was not usually one for introducing herself first. Over the years, however, she had become a little more accustomed to doing so...the benefits of an immortal life.

"I'm actually just out and about today since my daughter is on her honeymoon. She just got married a few days ago and I miss her terribly," Bella paused for a moment and looked at Ryssa. "Nessie is my only child, so I'm close to her." Missing her daughter had been the understatement of everything she was going through at the moment with the family and her personal thoughts. The last few months had been literally from hell in Bella's mind, but she pushed them aside.

[Ryssa Adamson]

Ryssa let go of Bella’s hand and let her own drop to her side. She brushed the side of her face in case of any left over snow. She felt a small grin on her face at Bella’s reasoning behind the hasty departure. Normally Ryssa was in more control of her actions but she supposed Bella’s idea made sense. Ryssa thought about that to herself more and realized how anti-social she usually was and thought about how long it had actually been since she interacted with another vampire. “I still feel badly for my actions; I usually have more control on myself. I usually avoid others of our kind, so I suppose you may be partially right on that account.” She could feel a smirk pass through her mind as she remembered the last time she had talked to another vampire let alone held a conversation with one. “I also needed to pick up a meal before I got too nasty.” She was about to laugh and then she could feel herself flinch as she realized what she defined as a meal was far more different then what Bella considered on the menu.

Ryssa allowed a frown to be clear in her face when Bella began speaking of a daughter. In all the years that Ryssa had been a vampire she had not known a female vampire could ever bear a child. Ryssa’s next reaction was to think of the immortal children but they had long since been banned from the vampire world. Her rational took over her seconds of worry when she realized that Bella’s daughter could not go on a honeymoon if she was a child. Ryssa knew nothing of motherhood and she knew that she never would but that was not something that had ever bothered her. Focusing back on what Bella had said Ryssa made a stab at trying to understand, “I suppose that would be something difficult to deal with.” going under the idea that Bella had adopted this girl in some form Ryssa asked, “How long has she been your daughter?”

[Bella Cullen]

Bella listened as Ryssa continued to explain herself. She completely understood where she was coming from though and empathized. "Well, there aren't any hard feelings from this end, so there is no more need for apologizing." Bella hated making newcomers feel unwelcomed, so she always did her best to accomodate to their needs and feelings. Thirty years of living among humans helped her learn more deeply about certain emotions.

Then Bella heard Ryssa's question about Renesmee. Not many people knew that Renesmee was only half-vampire. Their family didn't like to broadcast that fact. The Volturi had only known because they thought she was an immortal child, which were banned. "Well, Nessie is my biological child with my husband," she explained slowly. "Edward and I were married while I was human and Nessie was conceived unintentionally on our honeymoon. She is half-vampire and half-human, but still immortal." Bella didn't know what made her trust Ryssa to know the truth of her daughter, but something was there that indicated that things were okay.

[Ryssa Adamson]

Ryssa nodded her head as Bella had told her not to apologize. She was mentally kicking herself because of the way that she was acting compared to her usual self. Ryssa really was out of practice of dealing with other vampires. Bella then went on to explain how Nessie was her actual daughter and though Ryssa knew it was not possible, the stories of immortal children came into her mind. Ryssa was not distracted enough to hear Bella explain about her husband Edward, and her life as a human.

Ryssa took a moment to process all of the information that Bella had just explained. Ryssa began to put the bits of information together, “Ah then I assume that the day she was born was also the day you joined the dark and sparkly side?” Ryssa tilted her head to the side as she realized that also probably meant that Bella was not very old in vampire years. Ryssa realized that she was receiving far more information then Bella was intending on giving her. Before Bella could answer her latest intrusive question Ryssa shook her head, “You have no need to answer that question if you do not want to.”

[Bella Cullen]

Bringing up the thought of Renesmee's birth reminded Bella of the day she joined the world of the Cullens forever. Though it was a little sketchy in her mind, she still remembered the intense burning from the venom and wondering where her baby was the entire time. Those had been the longest three days of Bella's entire life and she still considered them to be, even as an immortal now. Looking back at Ryssa, she replied, "No, I don't mind talking about it at all. My daughter was conceived and born within a month's time and on the day she was born, I was transformed to save my life. My fragile human body had been too weak to survive the birth."

Then Bella thought of how beautiful her daughter was the moment she first held her. Those memories lingered still, even thirty years after the fact. "But all of that happened thirty years ago," she continued. "Renesmee matured to where she is now seven years after her birth and won't age any further. Eternally seventeen, just like her father."

[Ryssa Adamson]

Ryssa listened to Bella‘s explanation of her daughters birth. Ryssa could feel her jaw tightening at the thought of her human life but she was ready this time and mentally took a breath. Ryssa did her best to laugh off her transformation, “That seems far more peaceful then my introduction to this life. I was a human born in the nineteen-forties, and I tend to ask for the curiosity’s sake the age of other vampires.” Ryssa smirked to herself as she thought about Bella’s statement of being fragile human.

A cynical laugh escaped through Ryssa’s lips as she thought of her newest human kill. Ryssa’s alarm had gone off and she had followed the man. She could not read minds but Ryssa had watched this man with a smile as he tried to stalk a young woman that had come out of a bar. The woman was too busy doing something on cell phone to see the man had followed her as she stopped under a flickering light. Ryssa could feel her grin grow as she thought how Hollywood the whole thing had been. Just as the man was going to attack the woman Ryssa had swooped in and drug the man into a darkened ally to finish him off while the woman remained oblivious.

Ryssa was able to pull herself from the happy memory in time to hear Bella’s explanation of her daughter’s aging process. Ryssa’s grin became more mundane as she thought of Bella’s birth into the vampire life and the sort of person her daughter was. “You are very young in vampire years then. I must say it is impressive to see that you can live a vegetarian lifestyle.” Ryssa grin finally evolved into a smile as the thought back to that day when Bella had first introduced that particular term to her.

[Bella Cullen]

Bella laughed softly at Ryssa's comments on her being young. In her human life, she had mocked the idea of ever growing old because it would mean that she had to leave Edward behind due to the fact that he would never age. But, now she was forever eighteen and she would never have to leave him. "Actually, I was technically born into this lifestyle," she amended. "See, when I was first transformed I never tasted human blood because of how my family lives. We only hunt animals, so that has been the only thing I've ever eaten."

Slowly, she shuffled her feet in the snow as she continued her conversation with her new friend. "So, are you new to the area or just Forks in general?" she asked out of curiousity.

[Ryssa Adamson]

As Bella explained her dietary history Ryssa nodded her head in understanding. Ryssa paused for a moment as the thought of her own history. She did not regret her history or the fact that she took human lives. “Never the less it is interesting.” Ryssa allowed the smirk bubbling under her face to appear, “Although I have to say that you are missing out on a real treat. It is a shame that you haven’t had that honor yet.” Ryssa frowned as she watched Bella shuffling the snow around her feet. Ryssa then heard Bella’s questions about if Ryssa had ever been to the area.

“I try to stay in the desert mostly. I have spent the last five or six years in Arizona, before that was Texas, and before that was California. After a few years it all begins to blend together. I figured I should come and see the other parts of the states.” Ryssa shrugged, “I’ve thought about staying in one place but I have noticed that I tend to get restless after awhile.” Ryssa thought about her own history and she realized that her pattern of moving had always brought her back to some location in California. Ryssa thought to herself about the times she could feel free to walk through the deserts because they were far too dry for any humans to attempt in going. She snorted to herself as she realized that California’s deserts reminded her of the life she had; had decades ago in an older life.

[Bella Cullen]

Bella chuckled lightly on Ryssa's commentary on trying human blood. "Although," she qualified, "When I was pregnant with my daughter, I drank donated human blood to keep her from hurting me, but I don't think that counts technically since I was human." A small smile crossed her lips as she remembered asking if that messed up her "count" before she drank it for the first time. Thankfully, it didn't so she never had to worry about that. Plus, technically the blood she had drank was not taken unwillingly from another human, nor did it kill the person.

Listening to Ryssa explain where all she had lived, Bella felt a small twinge in her heart for the desert of Arizona, where she had lived with her mother before coming to Forks; before she ever knew of the world of vampires and wolves, before she met Edward and her life was forever changed. "Wow," she exclaimed, "what did you do during the day since our kind can't exactly come out in the sun without exposing what we are?"

[Ryssa Adamson]

Ryssa laughed as Bella described how she had to drink human blood during her pregnancy. “I can’t really say that counts as much as hunting down a human and taking their life.” Ryssa sighed at the thought of another hunt and how she loved to rid the world of one more evil human. She realized that she was taking justice into her own hands but she had no problem with believing that she only drank the evil human’s blood. “Besides blood has a certain taste and unless you decide to change your dietary styles you won’t taste that anytime soon.” Ryssa remembered the decade that she had taken human lives, innocent or not and she could not blame Bella’s family for protecting her from that. It was something that should be avoided if possible. She could only imagine what Bella’s husband had gone through being able to read the minds of his human kills.

Ryssa grinned as Bella asked how she had managed to live in the desert. She knew that it sound completely contradictory to how vampires were supposed to live. “Long story short I stayed in the areas were it was too hard for the humans to live because of the heat. If I had a hankering for human blood then I would just run into town and wait for my meter to go off. I am just used to the desert life, because I have never lived anywhere else. This sort of life is new to me.” Ryssa grinned and bent down to run her hands along the top layer of snow. Ryssa stood with a handful of the white powder in her hand. She shook her hand from side to side letting the snow slip through her fingers. “It will be interesting to see how many years I can last in this terrain. I don’t really sense any evil humans here. I suppose I will have to go to Seattle when I get the urge.”

[Bella Cullen]

Bella listened politely as Ryssa continued her explanation on how different human blood was. Never in her existence as a vampire had she questioned what it would be like, nor did she regret her total vegetarianism. The thought had never occurred to her of what she might be like otherwise and she didn't intend to start thinking that way now. Her family had made sure she never experienced the guilt of taking another human life and she wanted to keep her record clean.

Hearing Ryssa speak of only ever living in the desert made her chuckle. Bella had lived exactly three places in her entire life, mortal and immortal; Phoenix, London, and Forks. Out of those three places, Forks felt the most like home to her. "When I was human, before I moved to Forks, I lived in Phoenix from the time I was a baby until I was seventeen," she said. "That's when my mom got remarried and I decided to move to Forks to live with my dad. I'm glad I did though because that's how I met Edward..." she trailed off into her thoughts about the first time she ever saw Edward. It had been on her first day at Forks High. She was sitting at the lunch table with Jessica Stanley and the rest of the group when the Cullens first walked in. Back then, they had seemed so...illusive and mysterious to Bella. She smirked because now they were her family; she was a Cullen herself.

[Ryssa Adamson]

Out of pure habit Ryssa put her hands into the front pockets of her jacket as Bella explained the time she had lived in Phoenix. For her own time in Arizona Ryssa had probably had the easiest time out of the places she had lived. There was enough desert spanning the place that she could enjoy the desert and the sand in peace and not reveal herself to any humans. Ryssa also liked Arizona for the exact town that Bella had mentioned; Phoenix was a town teeming with activity in the night, which made dinner time far easier to pick up a meal. Ryssa mentally tensed up as Bella mentioned her parents and Ryssa’s thoughts naturally turned to her own. Ryssa’s entire family had moved to the States when she was a child. Though there was a haze over her human memories; that was something that was not forgettable, how upset Ryssa had been with her parents for making her leave home. Ryssa flinched at the thoughts that were stirred up and she ignored the memories to pay attention to Bella explaining how she would never had met her husband if she had not moved to Forks.

Ryssa could not help but find it interesting that the connections in the Cullen family had been so close. Though the basis of their bonds seemed to be more genuine then convenience as it had been with Travis and herself. At least that is what it had been on her end. Travis had tried to make more of the situation and Ryssa bowed out as gracefully as she could. Ryssa seemed to be flooded with memories from the first ten years of experience as a vampire. She ground her teeth as she remembered Travis telling her how lucky she had been. Ryssa however felt differently at the time because she had just escaped a world of pain that Travis had put her through. Travis had told Ryssa she was lucky because he had never created a fellow vampire before and she had been the first successful change. She had been changed without a choice and by Bella’s description, she had more choice in the matter and Ryssa wondered to herself if Bella realized the luck in that. Although the more she thought about it Bella knew going in what sort of pain and trouble she would be facing, but she chose the way of a vampire anyway. Bella had also told Ryssa about the protection her family had offered her and how she had never tasted human blood.

Ryssa felt a wave of bitter disappointment that Travis had not lived like the Cullen family. Ryssa had to admit however that if Travis had lived the life of a vegetarian then she probably would have never left. Which also meant that she probably would have never come up to the relatively unknown town of Forks. Ryssa allowed a grin to rest on her face at that thought and she decided to voice it, “I must say that it is a good thing my creator did not live like the rest of your family Bella. We probably would have never come through these parts. Travis hated living in the North more then I do.”