I was born Victoria Eisley of New Orleans, Louisiana in 1973. The first time I met James was when I was sixteen years old.

He was handsome and mysterious, as he moved through the streets of New Orleans like a feral cat. I remember it was a rainy day, and my sister Catrina and I were meandering through the French Quarter when he came into my view.

I watched as he moved quickly through the crowd, such a contrast to the other people around us in his tattered clothes and unnaturally pale, flawless skin. He hurried into a shop, whose sign had only one word written in a beautiful, menacing calligraphy: Vampyre.

Immediately intrigued, I wanted to follow him. "Trina," I called to my sister who was busy taking pictures, and she looked over at me. "I just saw a friend from school head into a shop a few stores down. I'd really like to go say hi, I'll be back in a minute, okay?" I lied. She simply nodded and turned back to her photography. I knew Catrina could care less about what I did with my time, as long as I didn't waste hers. Catrina and I had never been close. She was two years my senior, but I had always been our father's favorite. Our father prized beauty and cleverness and fearlessness above all things. I was all three, whereas Catrina was plain and excelled in school smarts. She never measured up to me in our father's eyes, not that I minded. But it had caused lots of unnecessary tension between us over the years. The only reason for us being out together today was that our mother didn't like for us to be alone when we came to the Quarter, and no one else was available to accompany us.

I hurried down the street, thinking all the while about what I must look like to bystanders. Long, curly hair of the most vibrant orange flowing behind me, bright blue eyes shrewd and alert staring at the door of the Vampyre shop, I hoped I looked audacious and intimidating. Catching my reflection in a shop window, I knew that my hopes were fulfilled. My appearance was daunting and cunning, like a lioness or a fox.

I got to the shop entrance and took a deep breath before pushing the door open. I wasn't sure why I was following the man I'd seen in the streets. He was good-looking, sure, but I didn't just follow every attractive man I happened to glimpse in the street. I may have been daring, but I wasn't careless. There was just something about this man in particular that made me follow him. I felt like he was a challenge and weirdly, the key to the rest of my life. Crazy, perhaps, but it was what drove me forward.

The shop was quiet and dark, with several glass cases exhibiting different very heavy-looking pieces of ornate jewelry. On my right was the counter, a black-haired boy sitting behind it, eyes closed with bulky headphones over his ears. My eyes scanned the room, and I found the man I was looking for standing in front of a very large glass case.

I walked closer until stood beside him. In the glass case was a kit. Vampire Hunting Set- Everything you need to take one down. My mysterious man chuckled appreciatively before turning towards me. "Believe me, it takes a lot more than a couple of crosses and some garlic to take a vampire down."

When he looked at me, I should've felt overwhelming fear. He looked at me with a deep longing, but also with fierce determination. His eyes were the exact color of fresh blood, a deep and invigorating burgundy. I didn't feel even a smidge afraid; in fact, I smiled at the challenge I could see he represented. Fear was for the weak, and I- I was not weak. Fearless should've been my middle name.

"And how would you know?" I countered, noticing as I did that he was only a few inches taller than me and really handsome.

"Personal experience," he smiled seductively.

"Really," I whispered, cocking my right eyebrow. He narrowed his eyes, "You better believe it."

"What's your name?" he asked me then, turning around and walking deeper into the store. He sounded nonchalant, but even then, I knew better than to play games with him when he asked a question. I followed him into the darkest corner of the store where I told him my name.

"Victoria Eisley. And yours?"

He paused for a moment. "James. And how old are you, Victoria?"

"I'm sixteen," I answered, squaring my shoulders. "Sixteen," he whispered as he looked me over, obviously thinking carefully about something.

"Victoria, what would you say if I told you I could offer you immortality… and invincibility?" He had only known me for a few minutes, but already knew my weaknesses better than anyone else I'd ever known.

"What's the catch?" I took a step closer to him, so that our chests were almost touching, and I angled my face up towards his.

He bridged the distance between us, his face so close to mine. "An eternity with me."

"Deal," I told him, signing my life away with that one word.

"To eternity," he smirked, leaning into my neck and sliding his teeth under the skin, which sent me spiraling down into days of pain and a lifetime of ruthless passion at his side.

Author's note: As I was rereading Twilight, I realized how undeveloped Victoria was in the series. All she's ever portrayed as is being evil, basically. Her character has endless possibilities. So here is one idea :) I might turn it into a full story, depending on if I get inspired to write more or if I get good reviews on it. Let me know what you think! Oh, and the shop Vampyre where most of the story takes place is fictional- however, there is a place called Boutique du Vampyre in New Orleans that I didn't get a chance to go into, but fascinated me, so it's sort of based off of that.

EDIT (November 19, 2009): I updated it just a bit. If you think I should turn it into a multi-chaptered story, please review and let me know!