The Harder Life of Bella Swan
After Edward left in NM Bella escaped Victoria and travelled the world. She visited Italy and became a vampire. 15 years on and Bella's past visits Volterra but will she even remember who they are?
Chapter 1 - Bella POV
I left the room and its screams behind me. Today just wasn't the right day and I would go hungry for now.
I had left my lunch, a fragile human tourist, in the room with the other victims.
Ever since enrolling in the Volturi I had shown objections to feeding on humans. It had literally taken weeks for Aro to convert me, and even now I had to just let my instincts take over to even get close to tasting blood.
It just felt right to drink animal blood too, so I always tried to avoid the humans without shedding too much light on myself.
Today I had tasted blood from my prey, a middle-aged guy, but I had also stopped abruptly. It seemed that the frenzy which began when feeding, didn't apply to me as I had much better self control than anyone. Even as a new-born I had been able to stop drinking half way through a feed.
But it was a dark flashback that had interrupted me and I had honestly been put off my food in that very instant. A mixture of sounds had trigged my long-term memory and I had been pulled into the past for only a few short seconds. I shuddered trying to brush off the bad memories.
I walked through another set of huge doors into a large reception room and stopped in front of Gina. She looked up and smiled without particularly meaning it.
"Gina," I began, "Could you inform Aro that I'm just out for a walk and I won't be gone long. And tell him that if he sends Felix and Demetri out to find and escort me around again, there will be serious consequences."
The last time I had left on my own would have been fine until the escorts arrived, and a repeat of that would not be fun.
"If you get in there quickly you can have my meal too, I'm not up for it today." I added.
Gina was originally a human when I had arrived here, but by choice, she had been turned and was now a vampire.
"Thanks." She said sincerely.
Because she was a new vampire it also meant she didn't get first choice at meal time. I was also relatively new to the Volturi but Aro considered me one of his most precious pieces in the coven. This meant I got priority to most things. Which of course I did sometimes use to my own advantage but mostly it was just annoying.
Italy seemed like the most unlikely place to find vampires, there were plenty of sunny days and I had to stick to the shadows to stay inconspicuous as I strolled through town. Luckily there weren't that many people around anyway.
The smell every person radiated didn't even tempt me slightly after the earlier incident and I reached the outskirts of Volterra quickly. With no-one around I was able to run at vampire speed and immediately headed into a nearby forest.
Hunting animals was a skill I had acquired on my own so even after years I found ways of improving my strategy. Today I had located a heard of deer grazing in a very small clearing. I could smell their scent easily as it hung in the air and I was eager to get the stalking part over with.
The medium-sized doe I attacked came down in seconds and the rest of the heard scattered. I tired not to think about what I was doing and I had soon drained the animal.
I heard a gentle breath being released behind me and I immediately snapped my head towards the sound and lowered my body defensively.
"Don't worry, just me."
Felix stood at the edge of the clearing leaning against a tree, looking in disgust at the drained animal next to me. His face went blank again but I had already picked up on his resentment of "vegetarianism". It wasn't new news to me.
I groaned under my breath at being watched.
"You can tell Aro I punched you until you left, I already warned him that I didn't want this."
"I would do, but I came on my own." Felix interrupted.
That silenced me for a second.
"Oh."
There was something of an awkward pause then.
"Look, I know you don't like being followed but recently you've seemed distracted and for the past month you've been put off your food."
So my passing on meals hadn't been unnoticed like I'd hoped.
"Want to talk about it?"
"No, I'm good thanks." I said indifferently and started to walk away towards the trail of the deer.
"It wasn't really a question Bella." I sighed and Felix appeared next to me walking silently as I was.
"I've been having flashbacks… to my human part of life."
I glanced at him sideways trying to figure out his reaction. He looked angry and slightly scared but only for a second. Felix was worst at hiding his emotions but he still didn't show them for long.
"Nothing I really remember well. The faces are always blurred and I wouldn't be able to tell you anything about the people I see."
Felix looked slightly relieved at that.
"Felix," I said slowly, "What happened? I always feel so… hurt, when I have a flashback."
"Bella, I can't tell you. You don't want to know. Trust me."
I grimaced.
I had half expected that. No-one ever mentioned my past. The most I had ever learnt about my human life was that it was emotional enough for my mind to completely block it out. I suppose everyone was just trying to protect me when they refused to talk about it, but I was curious. I was really curious, despite everyone's warnings, because it felt like I was missing something.
I really did believe that all of my coven had a good reason to keep things from me but I couldn't help trying to find things out, even if it did cause me pain. I just hoped it wouldn't be a literal 'curiosity killed the cat'.
"But Felix-" I persisted.
"No Bella. You'll have to ask Aro, but please Bella, just… don't."
He turned to look at me and try gave me a pleading face. He was serious for once as well. Normally he could only stand to be slightly civil and serious when it came down to actual Volturi business.
I didn't make any move to agreed or disagree with what had been asked of me though. I mean, the flash backs weren't exactly easy to just put aside.
"Come on then, I'm not going to let you starve. Even if you have to feed on animals, you still have to feed," Felix encouraged.
I smiled slyly.
"I will, but only if you try it as well."
Felix gave me a horrified look which was probably half sarcastic half real. I shrugged.
"Fine, let's head back then." I said hoping that this time he would challenge me and he would actually try animal blood.
"Hmph." Felix pulled a face of a three your old not looking too happy.
"Oh sorry Felix I forgot you can't rise to a challenge."
For that he gave me a raised eyebrow and then in a flash he was gone. I stood stunned to the spot shocked that he had actually gone off down the deer's trail.
With a snap back to reality I chased after him and found him, mouth to the neck of the largest deer, the leader of the heard. Now it was my turn to raise an eyebrow. Felix looked like he had somehow enjoyed bringing the animal down, his clothes said so at least, with large tares through them.
"What a messy eater." I muttered with a smile.
Felix finished off and stood up to smile at me. He had risen to the challenge just like I had predicted.
"And you said I wouldn't do it." A victory face appeared and I pretended to sulk for his benefit only.
"I have to admit though," he said reluctantly, "That was way more fun then humans. They don't have the same animal instincts these days."
I suppressed a shudder at what he was saying, realising I might actually be able to turn him.
"Much more fun then humans I think you'll find. Animals do have better instincts and it's more of a… challenge." He smiled again at the word. "I bet you'd love the carnivores more. They taste more like humans."
Felix gave a laugh and a glint of red flickered in his eyes.
"I guess I'll have to test that one for myself." He commented.
I laughed and sprinted off on another animal trail.
We arrived back after dark laughing and joking about the hunting trip. Felix had enjoyed it and although I had been there for 15 years already, I hadn't felt so relaxed before with the Volturi. I was hoping that although this had been the first time, it would not be the last. It may take a couple of years but time is no matter of consequence when you're immortal.
Unfortunately Felix had managed to destroy his t-shirt completely and was having to walk back to the Volturi topless. If it had been the daytime people might have expected it, especially in the heat. But at night we had to be careful not to attract attention to ourselves.
We slipped from shadow to shadow and Felix grumbled about the time wasted but I simply stuck to the rules I'd been taught. We soon arrived at one of the many passages that lead underground and from then we made good progress.
"Hey Gina." I said automatically as I drifted past her in the corridor.
"Hey- Gina?" I turned back around as I heard Felix's tone.
Gina wore a stricken expression that seemed to stir something in Felix.
Her back was to me so I couldn't be sure but it seemed that she had given Felix some kind of silent message, possibly including a glance in my direction.
"Here? Now?" He said sternly.
Gina nodded immediately obviously feeling awkward about the whole situation.
Felix swore and turned suddenly to face away from me, his mood completely changed from the light-hearted jokey person he had been just seconds earlier.
"What? What's wrong?" He didn't answer my question but instead turned to face me and I found that both his and Gina's gaze had fallen upon me.
"Felix, what?" The intensity of his stare lessened and Felix began to move along the corridor at an unusually slow pace, leaving Gina behind.
"What's up?" I asked concerned by the sudden change.
"Nothing." His tone was blank and lacked all notes of honesty.
"Felix, you look horrified! Please, just, explain! What's going on?" I became more and more impatient as he failed to answer my questions.
I sighed and realised that this wasn't a personal vendetta between just Felix and Gina. If I had to speak to Aro just to find out what had happened then that is what I would do. I began walking towards the large meeting chamber, the throne room, but in a second Felix was swiftly in front of me.
"Bella? Where you going?"
"You are keeping something from me, so I'm going to see Aro to find out what."
"No, you're not." Felix said stopping me as he stood in my way.
"Felix move. I'm asking Aro, or you're telling me." I tried to get around him again but he was too quick.
"Gina just explained that Aro doesn't want to be disturbed. He's quite busy in fact." I almost laughed at the pathetic excuse.
"Aro is never too busy for me. Unless you want to tell me what's going on then?" I looked at Felix expectantly.
"No it's nothing, but Aro is currently occupied. I really think you should just wait and he will call you when he's ready."
"Felix. This isn't funny. I'm seeing Aro, regardless of your opinion."
I had already tried to get around Felix again but was still failing. Felix let out a defeated sigh.
"Fine then! But I'm just trying to help. You can go and see Aro but promise me you will let me speak to him before you come in."
My patience was wearing thin and with more force I could eventually go to Aro without so many limitations but I wanted to know now, not later.
"You can run ahead and I will walk. I won't wait at all though."
In a second he had disappeared ahead and I let out a sigh of annoyance that I had to walk at a measly human pace.
The only benefit I gained was that I had time to think over what had happened. I had hated the stares that both Gina and Felix had given me and I had never felt so in the dark before. My concerns grew as my mind managed to conger images of all horrors and I spent my last few minutes in terror and growing determination as I made my way to the throne room.
Before entering I drew my cloak up around me and the hood fell across my face to cover me in darkness. Somehow the feeling of being unknown was a comfort and I felt like I could hide behind a mask in darkness without fear of discovery.
I pushed open the doors and walked in. All eyes in the room were fixed on me, as I had imagined they would be, but the expressions varied including, concern, anger (mainly from Felix), horror and curiosity.
I walked over to Aro who was the only person in the room who wasn't showing any expression from my sudden appearance. If anything, he was just relaxed, as though he had been expecting this to happen.
He hugged me and he grasped my hand in the process and I let him read all my thoughts. He was the only person I didn't put my block up to because I trusted him more and this was my way of showing that I cared for him.
The moment that we connected he would know what had happened. That I had wanted to know what Gina and Felix were concerned about and also about the flashbacks.
As I turned to face the assembly I found possibly one of the answers I had searched for, there were an extra 4 sets of eyes in the room. Were they the reason for Felix and Gina's concern? Of all the people in the room they held the curiosity in their eyes. Presumably they couldn't see who I was with my hood up but from a glance I couldn't tell who they were either.
To one side I saw Felix move ever so slightly and instinctively I looked at him for a second. He stood with his perfectly formed muscles exposed and he looked like he had just been shouting at the visitors and if I was right, then they had just been about to leave.
Realising something wasn't right I studied the guests more. There were three girls and one guy, all of whom looked about my human age - teenagers. Maybe one of them a little older. There was a very short, petite girl whose expression was confused and startled at the same time. Another of the girls was a beautiful blonde. She seemed on edge and obviously defensive of her companions, but especially of the third girl.
The guy had ginger – no, bronze hair and a frustrated look on his face. His body was completely orientated around the third black haired girl, so that I could barely see her. As I looked at him I was drawn to his topaz eyes and I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my chest. I made no movement to show my pain, though Aro, hand still in mine, turned to look at me.
In less than a second the pain had gone and it had barely registered in my mind. I continued my analysis of the final girl and was shocked that I hadn't immediately realised why there was so much tension in the air. I had felt something different when entering the room but it was finally obvious why there was such a commotion.
Every second that passed with her hand in his, let ring the beats of her heart; she was human.