Welcome to the `Forever and Ever` Re-Write
The lights of the city blurred past my window. This was always my favorite part of the trip, coming back home. Barely anyone on the Peter-pan bus. Laying across the row of seats at night, looking at the bright screen of my phone, music coming from my earbuds. I looked around and there was only three of us, we didn't know each other and sometimes that's scary but there was a calm aroma in the bus that would calm anyone to sleep.
This is how its been for the last four years of my life. After they, he left, my life has been exploring the world and capturing the moment with my camera. It was the only thing that soothed the aching hole in my heart. I've got plenty of money, do gigs all over the place for modeling agencies and up and rising fashion designers. I had no worries.
As I laid my head against the cool glass of the window. We were on a bridge and the full moon laid out on the water creating a beautiful reflection made a smile break through my lips. If only I could have this life forever. Forever. My mind went back to the days with the.. the Cullens. I was going to live forever and share it with the ones I loved living all over the world. No. No, I wasn't going to let my mind go back to the dark ages of my life.
I redirected my eyes and thoughts to the screen of my phone. I was looking through pictures of my friends, Angela and Leah. They were the only two that I truly missed.
I was dragged out of my thoughts by a commercial. Stupid Pandora, but I still refused to pay the one dollar to take them off. While waiting through the commercial, I noticed what they were talking about. It was Saint Marcus day in Italy. I scoffed at the irony of the whole thing. They believe he got rid of the vampires but he is one himself. I had only been told of the Volturi in a very long story. They told me they would protect me from being found out. I had a special gift, and they would want it.
I remember asking him what happened to people once they joined I remember the look he gave me when I said that, I guess there was too much interest in my voice. But what if I did go and join them, I could have my forever. They were royalty. No no no no no. No Bella you will not go there, you will not be forced to worship to those Vampires.
I pushed those tempting ideas to the back of my mind and focused on the song that was playing, softly humming the tune.
I got off the bus with only my backpack and computer bag while my camera was strapped like a necklace around my neck. The station was always full but surprisingly it wasn't this day, only a few stray people headed off to do there own thing at 2 am in the morning.
After grabbing a sandwich from the Twenty-four hour Subway I sat at the station not ready to get up and hail a taxi just yet. I thought about going to Volterra again. But then again pushed it even farther back in my head.
Quickly getting up to make my journey to my hotel so I didn't do anything stupid I hailed a taxi and jumped in.
"Where can I take you mammy?" the taxi driver asked me in a thick Jersey accent.
"The Shelton across the city." I say as the man puts on his indicator to make a U-turn.
It was about a half an hour drive so I took out my laptop and uploaded the pictures that I took from my camera. The girl was wearing a red knee length jacket and black ballet shoes. She was walking down the street but her legs looked very graceful in the shot, almost like she was dancing. The red jacket reminded me of the Saint Marcus Day Parade. I groaned, exiting out of the page and looking at the airport flights trying to see where I could get a good deal to go next.
At the top of the list were flights to go to Niagara Falls, I could get some amazing shots out there. I kept on scrolling down deciding against it. The next one that came up was an amazingly low priced flight to Volterra for the parade. Maybe they were signs that I should go. I could get changed, serve in the Volturi Guard and then leave after a couple of years. Be a nomad and see even more beautiful parts of the world. I looked up smiling to myself.
"Excuse me sir, I actually think I'll go to the airport." I say the excitement showing through my every word. I got back down to setting up my flight. A one way ticket to Volterra.
While most people spend all of their time below the clouds, I spend it above. The plane wasn't very full do to the fact that this was a brand new last minute deal that was put out at 2:30 am. I got the window seat!
As I sipped on a glass of Strawberry Champagne and listened to to some slow music, I thought about if they would even turn me. The Volturi kings Marcus, Cauis and Aro, were from what I heard, evil people. If you could even call them that. They only wanted a shiny new toy to add to their collection. They were only interested in gaining power. They might not even want me, they might just think that I am just some lying human and kill me. But then again, how would I know about them?
If they did kill me, that would be alright, I never did anything wrong. I went to church occasionally. I could go to the Heavens and see the one place that I couldn't see here on Earth. But even if I was bound to go to Hell that would be okay as well. I'm sure it will be beautiful in its own diabolical way.
So I go to Volturi get changed and get my forever or I get an early pass and go and see a place I've never seen before. The second one wasn't the most appealing but I was willing to take that chance.
I felt my stomach tighten as we were landing, I loved the feeling. It gives you a weird sense of adrenaline once you get off the plane. That was what I needed at the moment.
I grabbed the little luggage that I had with me to get off the plane. I dropped my foot to the steps getting used to the feel of gravity. As soon as I got out of the airport I hailed a taxi. Jumping in to the car I wasn't to sure where I should tell the taxdriver to take me. He looked at me expectantly, while I just starred back thinking of something to say.
"Dove vuoi andare signora simpatica?" He asked in what I guessed was Italian. I sat there before saying, "Volterra?" More like asked.
As he drove I took out my camera and wined down my window snapping pictures as we went. It was an hour drive until I saw a beautiful castle approaching and all around there were people in red cloaks all about walking in one direction. If I wanted to get to the castle entrance I would have to go through the crowd. As so as that became obvious the taxi stopped I looked at the man who was talking to another man. He wasn't paying attention to me so I just put some money on the seat and exited the car quietly.
Making my way through the crowd was hard, people flipping you the finger and saying things in a different language that sounded like gibberish to my ears. Finally I made it to the other side of the big crowd. Sweat falling down my face and my black skinny jeans feeling tight than ever. I found myself standing in front of a water fountain, I appreciated the little droplets of water that splashed and bounced their way all over my body.
I stood there for about twenty minutes admiring the scene before me. I took one photo, it was a record. The whole while I felt someones eyes on me but I was so caught up in beautiful setting that I didn't feel the need to turn around and look.
I was pulled away from my trance by a cool hand roughly grabbing my arm. I turn around to see blood red eyes behind a hooded cloak. I knew they were expecting me.
Now is not the time to be having second guesses Bella. I say to myself as I walk down the hall to where I knew my life was going to begin or end. Walking calmly but quickly, taking in my surroundings wondering how on earth the people here knew anything about how to get around this labyrinth of a place. Although I must admit that the paintings and carvings were beautiful. The halls were lit up by only torches, that were positioned directly under carvings of things that I couldn't make out to being anything but a war in a fire city. If that made any sense at all. Each corner we turned I expected a blood thirsty vampire to come out and attack me. I had a feeling that it was the type of vibe they were trying to portray.
In front of me walking is the vampire who had pulled me from to my admiring. Though that seemed like hours ago..
He had told me at the beginning of our mini journey that I was expected, I had asked how they knew I would come. In return I got nothing but silence. But that only lead me to wanting to ask more questions. Obviously I didn't ask.
We walked deeper and deeper into the heart of the castle, there were very few doors but tons of hall ways. To calm my nerves I focused my attention on the statue that was ahead and almost cried out at the complete vivid image it was. A group of people being attacked my a trio of newborns. The look of horror on their faces adding more to the scene to make you cringe, yet be so captivated by how pure, absolute, enticing and beautiful it truly was. I had learned along the way in my profession to find the beauty in everything. It was one of the ways I was able to love Ed-him. Able to love him
I hadn't noticed that we came to a stop and as the doors to the elevator opened and the man gestured for me to go in, I started to hear the soft and upbeat classical elevator music. He stepped in behind me and the heavy metal doors shut behind us. I marveled at all the buttons in that one room that is ever moving, it was like the elevator in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. That was when I realized that we were indeed way underground.
We stepped out and there was a small desk with a lady sitting behind it. She had olive skin and short wavy hair. She stood at our arrival and greeted us in a manor that was way to, human? Yes, she was human. I stared at here as we walked away. Only looking away when I remembered that it was rude.
''Hello Giana,'' said my escort, ''how do you do?''
''I'm doing quite well, Felix. Thanks for asking.'' she politely replied, taking a seat once again and refocusing back on her laptop, it was about the most modern thing I had seen in the place besides the elevator. We walked until a door was in sight and I knew we had arrived.
On the sides of the doors there stood two of the guard who couldn't have been any older then fifteen. The blonde girl was beautiful with small features that wanted you to believe that she was innocent and a angel from above, I would have been fooled if it weren't for the look that she was giving me. It made me want to shrivel up and die, the utter disgust was completely frightening. It didn't take a genius to know it was because I am human.
My eyes quickly shifted from her and on to the boy on the other side of the door. He had dark brown hair and soft features like the other girl, but his eyes weren't like hers they were calm, polite and didn't linger. They went to the vampire in front of me where he gave a slight nod and the doors were thrown open. I flinched waiting for the noise that I was sure to hear but as the seconds ticked by they never came and I relaxed.
The person who had escorted me to the throne room ushered me forward noting my hesitation. My calm was quickly turning into nervousness as I walked in and it was completely empty except for me and the three men I knew to be sitting up the small staircase.
The one on the far left didn't bother to look up when I had entered. He had red eyes that looked depressed and in big need of a friend to talk to. He had long hair that went just below the second button on his black shirt that was dark brown and wavy. He had a handsome face, broad shoulders and what looked like a tall frame. My eyes went to the man on the far right. He had shoulder length snow white hair that was pushed behind his ears. He had a small jaw and small thin lips that were held tight in a grim line and as my eyes roomed his face his eyes matched his mouth with the look of annoyance. The last man in the middle was the one who made me relax his face held a big and welcoming smile he looked almost child like with long, sleek and raven black hair. He was a work of art. A perfect jaw and beautiful eyes that didn't make me flinch at the colors as the others had. I was tempted to gasp at the complete flawlessness of this man. He stood and seemed to bounce on his feet as he buttoned his jacket and walked down the steps clapping his hands together once and keeping them together.
''Why, if it isn't little Isabella Swan, we have been expecting you my dear.'' he said pausing as if expecting me to be completely cool and collected. I wasn't, I was still in the state of being dazzled by this Greek god that stood before me. He gave me an expecting look cocking his head, clasping his hands in encouragement.
''H-how?'' I questioned wincing at how stupid I sounded. For someone who was so confident hours ago, I sure was acting slow.
''All in good time.'' He says turning on his heals to walk back to his royal chair. ''Now tell me darling what brings you to Volterra?'' I stood there in the middle of the room before the three most powerful vampires. Dumbstruck and confused. I had no idea what spell was being played on me, seeing that I didn't- couldn't remember why I was there or even my own name. My eyes fell to the floor where they searched for something to say while my hands sneaked up my arms, as I purposely letting my hair fell in my face. But my actions did nothing to block the curious and waiting stares that the kings of the vampire world were giving me.
Third person
The kings had heard all about the girl, from a little bird who had come to visit. Though they don't know what brought the girl there, do to the defiance of the bird. They were growing impatient.