The walls of Volterra looked intimidating in the dark of the night; after all they did house the heart of the vampire world but to the frail human girl standing, tense, by the southern gate, their grandeur barely registered. Glancing over her shoulder, she hesitated before entering the city gate, nodding once to the gatekeeper.
She strode with urgent steps between the buildings, jogging whenever a noise sounded. Her face was hidden by a hooded cloak. It trailed in the slight breeze of the summer night. Above the moon was partially covered by clouds, but there was still enough light to illuminate the girl's slim body and curling locks of hair. Dark mahogany. She suddenly darted inside another gate. The gate to the Castle. No one, no one went near the castle. Not if you wanted your life. People disappeared and never came back. But the girl continued, quicker than ever.
Soon she had entered the building and the soft tapping of her feet on stone paving was the only sound to be heard. A turn later and she collided head on with a shadowed figure. It grabbed hold of her arm dragging her into the soft moonlight.
"What do you want?" a gruff voice asked. The girl wriggled to get free.
"I want to see Aro."
Her voice carried clearly across the hallway. The figure was silent.
"Who shall I say it is?"
Silence. Then a sigh.
"Tell him...Isabella Swan wants to see him..."