SKIN DEEP
seventeen | two for the price of one

"Jasper, what's going on?" Imogen mumbled out in the darkness of her own room, as arms unwrapped themselves from her once she was settled on the bed. He hadn't been expecting to hear her groggy voice and spun around to face her, his eyes scanning every inch of her to see if she was okay.

She was barely conscious. Her eyes were half-open, watching him with droopy hazel eyes. Jasper crouched besides her and reached forward cautiously, his hand coming to rest slightly on top of hers. His hands were freezing cold, but so was hers. "This is the safest place for you."

She blinked her eyes slowly, squinting, trying to keep them open but starting to fail to do so. "What's going on?" she repeated, her voice barely a whisper.

The hand that had laid to rest on top of hers squeezed her very small, dainty hand. "We're leaving. Only for a short while, until we can get that vampire, James off of our tracks."

Sadness clouded her. How long was a short while? How were they ever going to get the vampire off their tracks? But, she didn't voice them as she was sure that he knew she was thinking those anyway, and that she was also extremely exhausted and was close to falling to sleep. "How are you going to do it?"

Jasper sighed and stared down at her with his golden eyes. He looked like an angel in Imogen's eyes. It could be the delirious state she was in, or it could just be the golden hair and eyes shining in the darkness, but he was an angel in those seconds. "We'll find a way." He squeezed her hand one more time and stood, walking away as her eyes fluttered shut one last time. Standing at the doorway, he whispered, "You'll be safe. I promise."

***

"Wakey, wakey. Time to rise and shine," stated a calm voice that broke through the dream-state Imogen was in. She groaned and went to open her eyes, but struggled to do so because they were basically glued shut after the length of time they had been closed. 

As she struggled to un-clamp both of her eye's eyelids from one another, she confusingly ran her hand across hard floor and sucked in a sharp breath. It certainly wasn't her comfortable bed that she remembers Jasper delivering her to. 

Her heart-beat accelerated slightly and she gave her eyes a quick squeeze before forcing them open to find herself staring at the ceiling further up than what her bedroom's ceiling was. Turning her head to the right slightly, she found herself staring at herself splattered out on the hardwood floor of what appeared to be a ballet studio. Moonlight was shining throughout the whole room.

Her heartbeat was racing wildly now, not knowing where she was as well as coming to the realization that she didn't have her oxygen tank, nor the nasal prongs. Letting out a groan, Imogen attempted to lift herself up, but failed miserably, only managing to get herself into a sitting position. 

Around the room echoed a chuckle, causing Imogen to look at her reflection in the mirror again as the mirrors offered her a view of the rest of the ballet studio behind her. Her breathing was coming out in small pants, struggling to breathe as her heartbeat continued to beat rapidly.

"Scared, mutt?" That's when he appeared behind her, staring into her eyes in the reflection of the mirror. Her eyes widened and her breathing halted while she stared back into the almost black eyes of the vampire behind her. She didn't dare move a muscle.

He chuckled at her terrified expression and bent down, Imogen watching his reflection closely, before she felt her hair moving and saw him seeming to sniff her neck. "You're boring. Boring, almost dead human." He sighed disappointingly and moved backwards a few steps, causing Imogen to let out a breath.

He once again let words fall from his mouth, "If you were a mutt, you would've tried to kill me and failed already." He then appeared in front of her, his face way too close for comfort, causing Imogen to tilt her head back and let out a small shiver. "It was very easy to get you, even though you live right besides a pack of mutt's territory."

 Imogen let out a breath and whispered, staring at him, "Why?"

His eyes narrowed, "Why?" Then he smirked, "That other human of course. The vampire's human. She smells delectable and you were a sure way of luring her here." His head fell to the side, but not in the innocent way that a puppy's does, but in a toying way. "I guess I get two for the price of one. How lucky am I?"

She didn't even blink, wouldn't risk it. She didn't know what he was going to do to her...well, before killing her that is. "Tw-two for the pr-price of one?"

He let out a low chuckle, his eyes seeming to widen with glee, "You're also one of the vampire's pets, so it'll be very fun for me."

Imogen seemed to find her voice, even though she was still cowering on the floor. If she had tried to run, either she would have exhausted herself or he would have caught her within a second. There's no way she'd be able to out-run the average human, let alone a vampire. "What are you going to do?"

Her heart-beat was still erratic, and she knew that she wouldn't last too much longer before passing out again and eventually fading away if she couldn't get to an oxygen tank, which didn't seem likely. 

He starting walking around her in circles, the hunter stalking it's prey. She cast her eyes downwards towards her fingers, where black nail-polish was once again chipping away. All she was thinking in that moment was that her mother and father would lose their only child, and for once she didn't want that to happen to them, not today. 

"Well, that human, Isabella, is going to receive a phone call from you and you're going to lure her here," he stated, only telling her the next step in his plan because she had to do it. She had to be the one to bring Isabella here. That's why he took her.

She shook her head, her eyes still downcast and a tear slipping down her cheek. "I won't do it," she whispered, her hair covering her face from his view. She continued to shake her head, her breaths becoming shallow and her vision blurring. 

James smirked when he came to a standstill, his feet in her eyesight and bent down once again. This time, however, he had a phone in his hand, Imogen's phone. "I love technology," he stated as Imogen lifted her head to stare at the item in his hands. "Now," he stood up abruptly, "I'm going to ring dear, little Isabella and you're going to speak, because if you don't you'll be screaming instead."

Imogen knew it was true. She knew she'd be tortured and killed anyway. Her body sagged and she suddenly felt the phone besides her ear and Isabella's voice on the other side, worried, "Imogen?"

Imogen let out a small whimper, another tear falling. Even though she wasn't that close with Isabella, hearing a familiar voice did make her feel safe, despite the situation she was in. "Bella?" she whispered, her voice croaking as she spoke. 

"Are you okay?" Bella asked from the other side, from a safe place Imogen hoped, wherever that may be.

Another tear slipped down her face. James now bent down besides Imogen to stare at her, to make her say anything that may get her here. Imogen stared into the black eyes of the monster in front of her, and suddenly felt a sense of power. She could save Isabella from this monster, even if she couldn't save herself. While staring into his eyes, she whispered, "Isabella, stay where you are. Stay safe." 

The phone was ripped away from it's position at her ear and all Imogen heard as she fell backwards onto the hard-wood floor, falling into unconsciousness for the third time that day, "She'll die if you don't come, alone."

***

Imogen groaned at the familiar waking. Hard-wood floor, light-headed and struggling to breathe. She wasn't dead yet, which gave her hope that the monster might let her go. But, then she realized he needed something to play with, to torture, if Isabella wasn't going to come. 

She then felt coldness by her ear, which made her shudder and her heart-beat accelerate. "She'll be here soon," stated the cool, steely voice. Imogen knew that his voice came from centimeters away, but didn't even attempt to move. She was dead. And Isabella was dead. And the Cullen's wouldn't know until it was too late.

She heard shuffling and felt a steel grip take a hold of her limp arm, which caused her to flinch and open her eyes to witness what was happening. James smirked at the limp girl who didn't seem to have any fight in her. 

But as he brought his head down slightly, she suddenly sprung to life and attempted to shuffle away. But, his grip was like steel and he only tightened his grip to send crippling pain up and down her arm. He hadn't broken it, but he was one squeeze away from it. Imogen knew that he didn't break her arm on purpose as he smirked at her while her eyes were wide like a does, and terrified. 

Shivering from the terror, James suddenly titled his head to the side and glanced towards the entrance to the ballet studio. He turned to smirk at the dainty human and stated in a cool tone, "She's here."

Then, before Imogen could even react, her arm was ragged out of her socket, a small pop echoing around the ballet studio. Then next second, teeth sunk into her arm and tore away viciously a second later before the monster disappeared into the shadows. 

Imogen took deep breaths and looked frantically around, before she felt it. It started as a sensation like pins and needles, before turning into the most excruciating pain she had ever felt in her almost seventeen years on this earth. As the torturous sharp burning and stinging sensation continued it's way up her arm, her body seemed to lock and freeze in it's place. She couldn't move and sweat drenched every inch of her body.

All she could do was lie there, paralyzed and in writhing agony, sharp cries escaping her mouth, tears rolling down her face, as the doors to the ballet studio crashed open.