Full Summary: Bella is a member of the elite Volturi guard sent on a mission to portray the role of a high school student in Forks, Washington. Meanwhile she must keep an eye on the Cullen clan and their unexpected new member. Aro grows furious with Carlisle's growing coven and orders his guard to end them. But once Bella realizes she is attached to one of the Cullens, she will stop at nothing to keep them safe. AU, M, Vampires
Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery. ―Winston Churchill
Chapter 1
Volterra, Italy
Something animalistic erupted in my blood.
The monster rattled against its chains and let lose a deafening roar. Its restrains came undone and the beast lunged forward towards its prey. All traces of my virtue dissipated right before my eyes as I snagged the girls quivering form and tore her head clean from her shoulders. My job here was done. Now all I had to do was clean up after myself and burn her corpse to ash. However, going home seemed more problematic than I had originally intended it to be. Apparently my darling kill had a mate.
His eyes flashed with a great agony I've had to bare whiteness more times than I could remember. The crimson shades of his eyes dulled down to a lifeless pitch, then almost immediately welled up and widened in a dark ferociousness. He snapped his head towards me and snarled, charging straight for my head. I had his throat in an instant, knocking it from his body in a matter of seconds. They were always easiest to kill the second time around; far too vulnerable to consciously make decisions.
I dragged his body towards his fallen mate and placed her on top of him. Seeing them headless and managing to find a passion about the scene made for a peculiar poetic justice. My hand reached out and my fingers uncurled around the lighter. The fire licked at their bodies and soon all that was left of them were the embers from the flames.
"Stop that, Isabella."
I frowned and turned towards her voice. She sneered at me, clearly disdainful. "Stop mourning the loss of them. They broke our most precious law; never expose yourself. The girl was carless enough to let one of her victims slide through her grasp. Now she had to pay for it." Jane's cruel words warred with my conscious but eventually took reign over my mind. She was right; the Volturi don't give second chance. Eventually the male would have provoked us just to end his life and join his mate. And with that thought in mind I sought after its mere comfort, denying myself the truth once more. I was a monster.
Jane sighed and turned away from me, the tail of her cloak brushing against the snow. I remained still for a moment, watching the last kindles of warmth die down before I bowed my head and obediently followed after her. We rushed back to Volterra in a heavy silence. The male's eyes haunted me through the entire journey back to the castle. Jane seemed uninterested with my pitiful behavior and once we arrived she took off to find her brother, leaving me to tell Aro of our success.
My thick ebony cloak swooshed against the marble floor as I numbly approached the massive oak doors to the master's chamber. The dark shade of my uniform dignified me as a higher ranking Volturi member―a guard. It was my job to handle all those who betrayed Aro, Marcus, and Caius. It was my job to kill. Whenever I wasn't on missions, I was training in both combat and how to expand my shield. Aro once said that he had never seen such a promising power since he acquired Alec and Jane. The witch twins grew to detest my every fiber.
The heavy wooden doors opened soundly and the room quieted. The guards remained statue like in their designated positions meanwhile Aro's face brightened and he leaned forward. "Isabella my dear! I see you have successfully ridded us of the problem?" The threat was evident in his question, but I've learned to abide it. "Yes, master. He and his mate have both been dealt with." The monotonous voice I've acquired since my change was frightening. Aro seemed highly pleased with my answer. "Wonderful! You may go practice now unless you intend to join dinner?"
My posture went rigid.
"No thank you, master. I've already dined in a secluded town near New York before traveling back." He could read Jane's thoughts after to see that I was speaking the truth. Once alone in the dreary corridor, I sulked and aimlessly walked towards my chamber. I tried my best to resist feedings whenever I could, but being so young to this world made resistance seem unattainable. I hated the person I have become.
Just then Aro's personal messenger rushed through the doors looking frantic. Everyone became alert as the vampire rushed to the masters side and knelt before him with his hand stuck out. Aro grabbed it and closed his eyes, his face showing no emotion as he witnessed the messenger's fears. His eyes flew open and I flinched. They were blacker than coal, slightly scarier than his usual milky crimson color. "What is it, brother?" Caius leaned in and focused on Aro. The vampire in question turned to Caius with a frightening expression. "It appears our young friend Carlisle has obtained yet another member. One with a power as well."
His face quickly turned from one of anger to elation. The look he not so subtly gave me was less than comforting. "What is the meaning of this? The Cullen's have tested our authority for far too many decades, we must take action!" Caius sneered, standing from his throne. Marcus looked off disinterested. "Peace brother," Aro smiled darkly at him, "I have a plan that will secure our authority in them. But first," he turned to address me and my eyes widened. "Isabella dear, I have much faith in your remarkable control; therefore I am sending you, and a few other members, to keep an eye on Carlisle's clan."
My head reeled with his statement. I've heard of Carlisle Cullen from Aro multiple times, and each time he seemed to become more impatient with the clan. Carlisle's clan traveled throughout America, my home country, and lived among humans while playing the role as high school students. A normal family.
Suddenly, I felt excited for this mission.
But then my excitement dissolved and I was left stricken. Aro only intended us to spy on them, and if they do in fact have another member Aro will take no other course but to rid the world of the Cullen clan.
And that was where I came in.
"Go to your chambers and pack, child. I intend for you to reside in Washington for a few months. There will be a house for you and the others by the time you arrive, and you all must pass as students. I expect calls every day for updates, and don't let them know you're a Volturi member unless you plan on killing them immediately."
"Yes...master."
He smiled at me and signaled the guards to escort the messenger out. I numbly walked towards my room and began to pack my luggage. My hands lingered on the journal I kept as a human and sighed in defeat after placing it in my bag. It was the last string I had to my long lost humanity. There was a knock on my door and I went to open it, looking at the intruder in shock. "Ready to go, cousin?"
Five hours later we were all racing through the Italian border towards American shores. My luggage felt like a feather but to a human it would've been like carrying a boulder up a mountain. Aro chose the witch twins and Demetri to pass as my distant cousins; meanwhile Felix and Heidi will be our legal guardians. To my dismay, Jane, Alec, and Demetri would all be attending Forks High with me. It was bad enough I had to endure all the humans, but now I had the two vampires who hated me more than life and Demetri who loved to provoke me.
Our masters would have never sent this many of the guards on a single missions, but due to Aro's obsessive interpose with the Cullen clan not to mention their growing numbers, it only seemed right to send six of us. However, we'd still be outnumbered by two...that is if they had inherited another member. Which meant we'd then have to demolish the entire clan.
For peculiar reasoning, my heart ached at the thought.