A/N: I wasn't really sure how I wanted this to play out… I originally wrote three chapters that started at the very beginning, but that started to get boring. So then I decided I'm going to cut those chapters up and reveal little by little how the OC came to be where she is presently. That seems a lot more fun :D

Guarding Them

Chapter 1: Abnormal

When you can't breathe, everything else just… disappears. The fire in your lungs becomes the only thing your brain can comprehend. What's happening? Why? Why won't it stop? Tears build up in your eyes, and before too long your head starts to pound in its own desperate plea for the breath of life. Everything goes foggy, and finally, it fades to black, pulling you along for the ride into the void.

At least, that's what happened to me.

I should have seen it coming. Me, walking out on the beams. In the seaside construction site. After a storm. I was just asking for it. But, I was stubborn, and I'd wanted to prove them wrong. I'm not afraid. Stupid, yeah, that much is obvious. No person of intelligence, or at least one with common sense, would have taken the bait and gone into the closed construction. And for what? To retrieve a rusty nail? What on Earth is that supposed to prove?

Apparently, at the time, it meant everything. A way in during my time of isolation. A little 'pledge', or show of my worthiness. They laughed at the new girl, as she climbed over the metal fence marking the private property. The only way it could have been funnier is if she fell from the top, maybe snagging her clothes on a piece of barbed wire. Then again, were there barbed wire she may have had enough sense to call it off right then and there. But no. She got to the other side, and lost her footing five feet from the ground.

I am that stupid girl.

It should have been easy enough though, I mean, how hard could it be to go into a construction site and find a nail? I figured I'd find a bunch on the ground, no more than twenty feet in. And yet, half an hour into my search, I gave up for the toolbox I'd seen sitting on the construction beams built over the water. Surely that would have some nails in it? All that separated us was a long, narrow, slick metal beam, still glistening from the prior downpour. Simple enough.

One foot… right… left… right… Half way there. I could see the contents of the box, and I was reassured that the trip would not be for nothing. Alas, my focus in that moment of relief was fragile. My shoe lost friction with the smooth surface beneath me. I slid, fell backwards. My head came into contact with something hard, as did my spine, and before I could understand what was happening, I was rolling over the side. I was falling.

Falling.

If you'd told me where I'd be today a year ago, I would have called you crazy and ran away. If you had told me that vampires, werewolves, and shape shifters existed, that immortals existed, I'd have been first in line to sign you up for the insane asylum. But alas, here I am, surrounded by them. Well, a part of them. Vampires. Pale skinned, red eyed, rock hard skin, and cold to the touch. The red eyes were new to me, actually. I was used to seeing the gold. I had yet to learn what the difference was; I just needed to get away from where I'd been. As soon as I overheard them discussing a family of vampires who killed those who stepped out of line, I knew I had to go check it out. True, I had little to go on, and Italy was literally on the other side of the world, but I needed to leave that place. I never wanted to go back, and my reasons are my own.

But at that moment, it didn't matter. After weeks of being under the radar, slipping cash from the unsuspecting passersby, I was ready to leave. I'd already gone to the East Coast, to cut the cost of the flight, and then I convinced some random person on the street that I'd pay them if they'd act as my guardian, at the very least until I had to pass through security. It wouldn't do well for the patrols to see an unattended sixteen year old traveling completely by herself. I was just lucky my disappearance hadn't yet reached Virginia, or else my face would have drawn them to me like moths to a flashlight.

So there I was a day later, in Italy. I'd picked a random starting point for my search, as the nomads that had passed through Forks didn't specify a city. And let me tell you, no teenager knows fear until they step out of an airport by their selves, in Rome, with no idea where to go or what to do. I knew what to do, but how to do it? I couldn't very well go around and try to find vampires, and wait around them on the off chance that they'd bring up this so called 'Volturi'. It'd be easy enough, of that I'm sure. Their race stinks enough to pick up a trail for miles, but that's not the point. Unless one 'coven' smells like garbage, and the other overpowering perfume, I was pretty much shit outta luck.

I ran around Italy for the better half of a month, if my inner clock was anything to go by, before I caught a trace of them.

"We need to be careful around these parts. We aren't too far from their territory, wouldn't want to be caught just on the outskirts of their city."

"Yes, yes, I know, I know. We can hold out until we move on, it isn't that much longer until we can return to France, if we hurry. Hopefully whatever we do goes unnoticed, I'd rather this little errand of ours not turn into a bloodbath."

I was outside what I thought was some sort of café when I heard that little dialogue, using the last of my newly acquired money. I would have soon needed to go out on another thieving spree, but it was much more difficult in such crowded areas. My speed was nothing if every point of escape and hiding was blocked.

So it was near. What was near, exactly? France was actually a ways away, so by what definition was near to these red eyed beings? Last map I had looked at, I was somewhere near a place named Florence. Could they possibly be talking of a neighboring area? I hoped so. I was dog tired, and my poor shoes needed to be retired permanently.

My first idea after eavesdropping on that conversation was to check a map, and hopefully there was another city near where I was that was big enough to house vampire royalty. I'd check there next, if there was.

Thing was, like all maps had always been to me, the landscape and layout of the one I'd bought in a tourist center was crowded and indecipherable. I was able to pinpoint Florence with the help of a bilingual woman, who worked there. There were just… so many cities surrounding it, I got a headache trying to decide where to start.

I guess my head got tired of screaming at me 'Volturi, Volturi, where are they!' because a little later a word on the map caught my eye. Volterra. It sounded a little like the word 'Volturi', but was it really logical to go there? I was already headed to another place that sounded like it had the word 'castle' in the name. Luckily, my previous destination was somewhat on the way. I hoped my search was nearing a close, two months of constant travel on your own can really do some damage to one's psyche. I think I'd started talking to myself, whenever I got the chance to cut threw forests and not be heard.

I saw the city in the distance. It looked taller than I had expected. Obviously not tall like Now York or some of the structures I'd seen on my recent travels, but tall nonetheless, with sandy stone walls that couldn't help but remind me of pyramids, even though they looked nothing alike. It gave off a medieval feel, at least to me, with the castle-like architecture. As soon as I saw it after I climbed over the hill, I knew I'd found them. I couldn't imagine a better place; small enough to remain a secret, yet large enough to be a symbol of power.

Upon entering the city, even slightly before then, the smell hit me like a tidal wave. Oh yes, this was it. There had to be a large number of their kind to make a stench like that. The sickly sweet, over powering incense like smell left no mistake. Somewhere within those walls, I would find what I was looking for.

But how to find them?

I could wait it out. No doubt, they would catch a strange odor on the wind, one that shouldn't be in their city. But that could take days, or longer, and I didn't exactly know what they would do if they found out what I was before I had a chance to explain myself. I wouldn't be able to stalk any vampires this time, not like in Florence. The fact that they didn't notice me there was just luck, but there wouldn't be any stray blood drinkers in Volterra. Not the way those two spoke about it.

For the longest time, I sat on a bench outside some kind of market, just watching the people go about. My shoes were replaced by a pair I'd found on one of the market stalls. Snatching them was a little easier than Florence, all I had to do was pick my angle, dash in, grab them, and run straight through. The merchant didn't know what happened; one second, a nice pair of tennis shoes are sitting on his stand, and the next they're gone. Oh well. They'd be put to good use for about a week, give or take a few days.

There was a large fountain a little ways down the street, and a few kids were splashing each other with its water. Further still, the market stalls thinned out greatly and made way for indoor restaurants and places of the like, and all the way down the line stood one of the largest buildings in the city. It was certainly the tallest. A bell tower, if I saw it right. My view was obstructed by the tops of prior buildings, but I thought I could make out the face of a large clock. The bell sounded every hour or so, and by the fourth time around, I was restless.

The sun was setting and the gradients of color could be seen expanding over the high walls of the city. The market became less and less active, and by the time the first sliver of a silver moon showed itself over a tall building, the streets were all but empty. The clock struck again, and the bell rang a total of eight times. I'd been sitting there for a total of six hours then. I wonder how that looked to the locals; a young teen walks into the city on her own, finds a seat, and doesn't move from the bench for six hours straight. It sounds creepy, when you don't have the proper context. In truth, I was going over plans in my head, weighing consequences. Occasionally, while the sun was still shining, I looked up in search of an inhumanly beautiful, pale face among the crowd, though I never found one.

My travels got the better of me. The mask of the night was already a natural curtain over my weary eyes, and pretty soon I couldn't think straight. My focus would be lost if I stared in the same space for two long; my vision would become blurred and my eyes would unknowingly start to close.

I hadn't a place to stay, and to be truthful, I didn't want one. The stone bench I'd occupied the whole day was actually a ledge that branched off a wall, and a little ways down the wall I saw a man had taken to making himself comfortable for the night. By the fifth time I dozed off sitting up, I figured it was high time I followed his example. I stretched out on the bench with my face hidden where the seat of the bench and the back met, with my arm acting as a pillow for my head. The wind was rather loud in my ears… The last thing I remember thinking was that I was glad I didn't need a blanket.

"Ugh, it only gets worse! What is that stench?"

"Silence, Felix. It's coming from up ahead."

My eyes snapped open, only to be met with total darkness. Had I heard something? I was pretty sure I had. My exhaustion wouldn't have allowed me to wake up without cause.

A feather light patter could be heard on cobblestone pavement. At first I thought maybe it was a leaf, but no, leaves were too loud for this. This sound was almost silent. The rhythm came to a stop when it was just behind me, and I heard a ruffle a fabric. My mind was still a little disoriented, and I couldn't draw meaning to behind these sounds.

And then I remembered, little by little. I was in Italy. I fell asleep on a bench, outside in a city called Volterra. I was searching for vampires.

With this realization, my senses came flooding back to me. Cold felt like it was sapping the heat right out of me from behind, nowhere else, and the smell was so close it was unbearable. I didn't move. I knew who they were, I could take a guess at why they were there, but they couldn't say the same for me. Let them lead the dance, that would be the only safe path.

"It's coming from a homeless girl? She smells like she's been bathing dogs, without the soap," a deep masculine voice said from behind. The blizzard at my back seemed to increase with his words.

"I don't think she's just any homeless girl, Felix. One of the lackeys said they saw someone sitting here when they went out for an assignment on the outskirts. They said she was sitting in the same exact spot when he got back five hours later, and that the square had filled with the stench by then. And listen," the second voice, more subtle but with the same sense of danger, paused.

"… That's one fast heartbeat. And it feels like she's a living radiator."

"Exactly. I think it's safe to say this isn't a human."

"Then what is it?"

I gulped. Their voices were becoming more and more malicious, whether that was just in my head or if they were truly getting bloodthirsty for violence, I don't know. But as soon as my throat made the scared, weak sound, I sorely wished it hadn't.

"Why don't we ask her?" the softer voice said with that increasingly evil tone.

No! You will not chicken out now, not after you've come this far. Stand your ground!

I took his question as their way of telling me they knew I was awake, and slowly, every so cautiously, I turned my head so that it would appear I was looking at them, though I really couldn't.

"Ah, see! It is awake. How convenient."

"Easy Demetri, you are starting to sound like Aro. Speaking of the Masters, should we take her in? I don't think they'd like whatever she is being out in their city."

"Not yet. They also wouldn't like it much if we brought a threat into the castle…" there was a brief pause before he continued as an afterthought, "though I doubt a child would be much of a threat, would you?"

Am I meant to answer that? Or is he just goading me?

I went with an in between scenario and settled for just shaking my head no.

"There you have it. Self proclaimed to be harmless. Now, what are you?"

I was torn between staying the way I was, acting like I was looking at them though not being able to see, or actually turning around. But that would mean having to face them head on. I'd never had to do that before.

You would have had to sooner or later.

Slowly I sat up from the cold stone and turned to face the vampires, my sight casted downwards the whole time. And then, when I could procrastinate myself no more, I brought myself to trail my gaze up at the vampire duo.

They were cloaked in long jacket-like robes that almost seemed black, but you could tell they were grey by the way they reflected the moonlight. The dim light of the night played on their pale faces, casting shadows that made them look more demonic than they did in the daytime, but I knew it not to be true. Those were just my instincts telling me that I shouldn't be there.

The tall one, whose voice I assumed to be the deeper of the two, had his arms crossed, which made him look all the more intimidating. The smirk he wore on his face made it obvious that he enjoyed toying with lesser beings. The other one simply looked at me, expecting an answer to his companion's question. Both of their noses were slightly wrinkled, as if they smelled something revolting (which they probably did, they didn't exactly smell like roses to me). And both of them had red eyes, a deep crimson that if you didn't know any better, you could swear they were looking into your very soul.

"We are waiting, girl," the smaller one spoke.

I swallowed again before looking at one, then the other and back again. Could I tell them? No. No I couldn't. They needed orders from their leaders, it sounded like. I needed an audience with those leaders. I needed to explain to the higher-ups what I came here for. If I told those two underlings, I didn't know what they would make of me. They didn't know what I was. It needed to stay that way, for the time being.

"I… I can't say," I managed to get out to them between my rapid thought processes. The small one, Demetri, narrowed his eyes at me suspiciously.

"And why is that, child?"

I don't know how this works. Do I just say 'Take me to your leader' or something? No, that's stupid… But I need to speak to the leaders!

"You are… members of the Volturi, aren't you?"

Both of their eyes widened slightly, revealing more of their blood red irises. They exchanged glances with each other, and the one who seemed to be in charge of the two once again turned to me. He looked angry, and his nostrils had flared slightly.

"Who has told you of us?" he hissed accusingly. I was afraid this would happen. You don't go in their world for more than a few minutes without knowing the priority rule: secrecy. In their minds, that rule was broken. Best not stray from the task at hand…

"I overheard it from a few nomads back in America," their faces remained stone. I suppose they only become surprised when someone is stupid enough to break their rules. "They said something about you being like… the enforcers, or something along those lines."

That's right, don't let on too much to the underlings. Only say what needs to be said.

"And for whatever reason, after hearing that, you came here, whatever you are. Why?"

I thought for a moment. These people were only concerned with keeping their secret… my problems weren't even visible from their standings. I knew the perfect way to kill two birds with one stone.

"I know a coven who has revealed your world to a mortal, and it just so happens that I have a score to settle with one of the members," I said, doing my best to hide a victorious smirk. Just like I had predicted, their eyes once again went wide, seemingly forgetting that I also knew their secret, and that I was an abnormality.

They looked at each other, jaws set, and came to a silent agreement. The tall one flashed over to my side and pulled me up by my arm.

"You come with us. Aro will want to confirm that you are not telling a lie. Be warned, girl, you might as well have sentenced yourself to death upon stepping into this city, if you are made out to be a liar," Demetri snarled. The big one, Felix, dragged me by my arm past the fountain and to the bell tower, while the other one stayed on my other side. It felt so slow, even if I was being dragged, but…

In time, you will show them. But not yet. Reveal your cause, your proposal. When it is safe, you will show them. But for now, you are fragile. You will break. They must be careful for the information they need.

Everything is going perfectly.