Most of these characters and the Twilight universe belong to Stephenie Meyer. Have fun reading and please tell me what you think!
"I think Kate and Garrett are back," Tanya said without looking up, turning the page of the book she was reading. Eleazar looked up from his newspaper, his eyes yellow with an orange undertone.
"I think so, too."
They could hear the footsteps clearly now. It wouldn't be long before they would come in.
"Where's Carmen, by the way?" Tanya asked.
"She went to the grocery store," Eleazar said with a smile in his eyes.
"Again? You'd think we have enough food to start an orphanage by now," Tanya chuckled.
"I guess she wants the façade to be as good as possible, she's trying to accommodate to this lifestyle as well as she can."
They heard Kate and Garrett come in through the back door. Tanya put her book down and greeted them in a low voice. There was no need to speak loudly; they would hear.
Kate came into the living room first, looking very sullen.
"What's wrong?" Eleazar asked.
"You'll see what's wrong," Kate sighed. She turned around to glower at Garrett, who was still behind her. He sighed too and walked pas Kate, into the living room. The look on his face was a mix of guilt and rebellion. His eyes were bright red.
"Garrett!" Tanya exclaimed accusingly. She and Eleazar were both on their feet in the blink of an eye.
"I'm sorry!" Garrett snapped. "I'm not used to this diet yet. It's hard after centuries of eating normally. I lost control for a few seconds."
Tanya accusingly looked at Kate.
"There was no stopping him," Kate said apologetically. "Believe me, I tried. I shocked him a few times. Nothing worked, and I couldn't keep up with him anyway."
"Why were there even humans around?" Eleazar asked.
"I don't know," Kate sighed. "There weren't any hiking trails anywhere, and I didn't notice anything until Garrett noticed them too."
"Them?" Tanya shrieked. She walked up to Garrett. "How many?" she demanded.
"Two," he moaned. He looked up at the ceiling.
"Is the hearing over? Can I go now?"
"No," Tanya replied furiously.
Eleazar walked quickly towards her and put his hand on her shoulder. "Cut him some slack, Tanya. It's hard and he's been trying for months. This is the first time he slipped up."
Tanya glared at Garrett. The rebellion had vanished from his face.
"I am sorry. I really tried, but I was about to attack a bear. I wasn't thinking... with my mind." He let his hand run through his hair. Kate gave him a comforting smile and touched his cheek.
"You'll be alright. It gets easier after a few decades."
"I know," Garrett sighed. Everyone could see the sacrifice in his eyes. This lifestyle was hard for him. But he tried, for Kate. Tanya's glare softened a bit.
"Alright then," she said. "But if it happens again, you'll have a problem with me. We don't want to be too suspicious – we'd be forced to move away."
"I'll try," Garrett promised.
The phone rang. Kate answered it while everyone relaxed slightly and Tanya and Eleazar went back to what they were doing. Garrett sat down on the couch and stared at the wall.
The short moment of piece was interrupted when they noticed Kate's expression becoming more and more alarmed. She was staring out the window while clutching the phone. She was speaking very softly, so softly they couldn't hear most of what she was saying. After a few minutes, she hung up. She was still like a statue, still holding the phone in her hand.
"What's wrong, Kate?" Tanya asked in a worried tone.
Kate shivered. That alarmed them; there wasn't much that could make her shiver.
"The Volturi," she whispered. Everyone in the room froze.
"What do they want?" Kate whispered back.
"Eleazar," Kate breathed almost inaudibly. "Alice Cullen was on the phone. She... saw them."
"They want him back?" Garret said with disbelief.
"Yes." Kate still resembled a statue, as did the rest of them. "They'll send a few members of the Guard to get him."
The silence was broken by Carmen, who opened the door and stopped in the doorway when she saw the faces of her family. She didn't need to ask.
"They want Eleazar back," Garrett mumbled.
Carmen's expression turned to shock. "The Volturi?" she whispered. "Why?"
"We don't know," Kate answered. "Alice Cullen told us. She only sees the outcomes of decisions, not the reasons."
"But... They haven't needed someone in the Guard in years to identify the abilities of others," Carmen said. She quickly walked towards her mate and took his hand. "What do they want Eleazar for now?"
"Who knows," Eleazar said flatly. "Maybe they're recruiting again. Maybe some member of the Guard committed betrayal. It wouldn't be the first time a member of the Guard leaked secret information..." his voice died away. He seemed less shocked than the rest of them.
"Eleazar..." Carmen whispered. She would have had tears in her eyes if that were possible.
"I've served them before. Maybe in a few decades, they'll let me go again," he said bravely.
"No!" Tanya exclaimed. "We're not going to just give you to them!"
"Tanya, you have to," Eleazar said calmly. "If they want something, they're not afraid of hurting anyone to get it. I have to go, to keep you all safe."
Carmen let a moan escape from her lips.
"I'll go," Tanya blurted out before thinking it through. "I'll talk to them."
"What? No!" Kate said. "You're our sister. We're not going to lose you like that, Tanya." She added softly in Slovak.
"We can't lose Eleazar without losing Carmen." Tanya retorted in English.
"She can be alone for a few decades," Eleazar said with pain in his voice.
"Who says they'll let you go that quickly? And if any of you go, we're risking losing them and their mate. I'm the only one who doesn't have one: I can go without risking anyone else's life." Tanya was becoming more confident with her decision every second.
"Do you really believe that?" Kate said, sounding hurt. "We're not going to lose another sister like we lost..."
She didn't finish her sentence, but everyone's thoughts flickered to Irina.
Tanya tensed. She was sure they didn't want to lose another member of the coven to the Volturi's love for revenge. Pain shot through her with the thought of Irina. It only made her more determined to keep the rest of her coven safe.
"Please," she said. "I can talk to them. I could persuade them."
"Nothing you say is going to help," Eleazar said. "They're very stubborn, as I said."
Tanya pursed her lips. She was going to go, and they couldn't stop her.