Disclaimer: All characters and dialogue related to "The Twilight Saga" are owned by their creator, Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. This story is for entertainment purposes only.

THE PATH LESS TAKEN

Chapter 1 – MY WAY

BELLA POV:

As plane descended toward Florence, his words kept repeating through my mind, like a CD that was skipping, and kept playing the same seven seconds of a song over and over.

You're not good for me, Bella. You're not good for me, Bella. You're not good for me, Bella

Then there was Jacob, my own personal "sun." He had saved me after the Cullen's hasty departure, and yet, he left me as well. It was as if once someone got to know me well enough, they found me lacking— was nothing left for me in Forks. Charlie would have to understand. To say I felt guilty, only leaving him a note, would be a sever understatement, but, if I had confronted him, there was no way he would have let me g—not without a fight.

This is the only way.

I was abruptly freed from my mental torture by a sudden jolt as the airplane's landing gear made contact with the ground.

As the plain finally came to a screeching halt, I quickly exited, making my way through the terminal. With the last of my savings, I managed to purchase a rental car. I only told them that I would need it for one day … it wasn't like I'd ever be returning it.

The drive took several hours, but soon enough, I found myself driving into the ancient, stone-walled, stronghold of Volterra. I wasn't exactly sure where I was going. However, the ominous looking castle that appeared to hold court right in the center of town certainly looked promising enough. I would start there.

I parked my car in a tow zone, knowing I would most-likely never lay eyes on it again—provided I found the place I was searching for. I quickly made my way toward the dark tunnel that led to the castle entrance. However, just as I was about continue my trek through the tunnel my progress came to a screeching halt as I was confronted by two cloaked figures.

Their faces may have been obscured by hooded cloaks, but their crimson eyes gave them away. I had found the place I had been searching for.

Looks like I'm in the right place, I mused.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. If you are looking to take a tour of the castle, I'm afraid that you will have to purchase a ticket. Our tour guide, Heidi, should be around here somewhere. I'm sure she won't be very hard to find, if you desire to see the inside of the castle," the smaller of the two vampires said.

"Actually, I don't think Heidi is around today …" The large vampire gave the smaller one a strange look, communicating with something with his eyes. "… but if you really want to see the inside of the castle, perhaps I could provide you with a personal tour?"

"Actually, I wasn't—" I stopped short, completely stunned at the strength and confidence present in my voice "—looking for a tour. I happen to know what the two of you really are, and I wish to request an audience with … with Aro."

While they studied my face for a long minute, most likely deciding how to proceed. I took notice of the larger cloaked figure. Actually, he wasn't just large, he was massive. His size reminded me of Emmett, only perhaps an inch or two taller.

Out of nowhere, I felt a phantom punch to the gut as I thought of Emmett. In truth, I had gotten over Edward within days of his betrayal. I didn't believe him for a second … when he had told me that I was nothing but a distraction to his family. I knew they loved me. Well, maybe not Rosalie, but everyone else had treated me to be nothing less than family—I felt the same way. I loved them all. It took me some time to realize it, but a major aspect of getting over Edward, was the fact that he took away the people that I had begun to love as my own flesh and blood. I had come to hate Edward for his actions. I truly believed that all them—sans Edward and Rosalie—felt the same way about me.

In fact, I wouldn't put it past him to have lied to them all, in order to get them to move away. Why else would they have left without so much as a goodbye?

I couldn't put my finger on it, but whenever my thoughts drifted to Emmett that was when I hurt the most.

Damn Edward. And damn his lies.

The huge vampires spoke again, "Our apologies …" He trailed off, clearly fishing for my name.

"Isabella," I stated confidently. "Isabella Swan. However, I usually just go by Bella."

"Hmm …" The large vampire raked over my body, looking me up and down, finally settling on my face. "… Bella—how appropriate. My name is Felix. The gentleman to my left is Demetri," he said, gesturing to the smaller vampire.

"Please, Isabella, follow us."

"Thank you," I said, offering my sweetest smile.

We traveled through a series of dank, medieval tunnels. Everywhere I looked, I was surrounded by ancient stone. The tunnel seemed to go on forever as it wound like a snake through the underground. Several areas were particularly dark. And to my surprise, my two vampire escorts were extremely patient with me. They even physically helped guide me through certain areas of the tunnel where it was too dark for my human vision to follow its path. We passed through a series of ancient wooden doors. However, each door just led to more tunnel. Finally, after the sixth door, we entered a room that reminded me of a plush, hotel lobby. I certainly wasn't expecting that, especially after where we had just come from.

The room was constructed mostly of marble. Several red leather sofas and wooden coffee tables dotted the room, completing the affect. We made our way to a large elevator and entered as the two large golden doors slid apart.

Demetri pressed the last button, indicating that we would be traveling to the top floor. We traveled upward in silence, until the large vampire, named Felix, muttered the word, "Dibs."

I instantly gulped. I knew my trip would be fraught with danger. However, that single spoken word quickly reminded me that instead of my desired outcome, I could just as easily end up as someone's dinner.

The elevator came to a stop, and we exited into a similar room as to the one downstairs. However, this room took on the feel of a large lobby to an elaborate business as opposed to the hotel setting of down below.

My eyes were immediately drawn to what appeared to be a human woman sitting behind a large mahogany desk. She was very pretty … by human standards.

As we approached the woman, Demetri, nodded to the human. She appeared to be a secretary of sorts. "Gianna, would you please let Aro know that we have a human visitor. Please make him aware that she is in on our little secret as well," he added, while giving me a friendly smirk.

For all the horror stories that Edward had told me about The Volturi, they were certainly going out of their way to be pleasant. Well, Felix's comment aside, I suppose. I wasn't ignorant enough to know that their actions could be nothing but a façade to make me feel more comfortable, until I ended up as someone's lunch.

We waited as she picked up her phone, dialed a number, and held a conversation entirely in Italian. Of course, I didn't understand a single word.

As she hung up the phone, she smirked at me before turning her attention back toward Demetri. "Aro and 'The Brothers' will see you now," she thankfully said in English.

Demetri nodded and we turned toward the right. My two vampire escorts flanked me as I was guided toward two large golden doors. As the doors swung up, we entered into a large circular stone room. Once again, I found myself surrounded my ancient stone. The floors, walls, and pillars, all were made from the same material. The room definitely gave off a medieval vibe.

As I looked up to the incredibly high ceiling, I noticed multiple tall, narrow windows that encircled the room. They were the only source of light. It then occurred to me that I was in the very same castle turret, which I had originally viewed from the city streets.

My attention was then drawn to three regal vampires who appeared to be sitting on thrones of gold. They appeared slightly different than the other vampires that were milling about the room. They were even paler than the typical vampire … if that was even possible.

The vampire in the middle had jet-black hair that cascaded past his shoulders. Despite his odd appearance, I found him to be mesmerizing. He was smiling brightly at me as I entered the room. To his right, there was another dark haired vampire. However, he appeared completely disinterested. Finally, on his left sat a vampire with long, snow-white hair. He seemed to have a permanent scowl etched upon his face.

As we approached, the vampire in the middle throne arose from his seat and floated toward us.

"Felix, Demetri, you have brought me visitor … and a knowledgeable one at that! How … wonderful!" he exclaimed with way too much enthusiasm.

"Yes, Master Aro," Felix replied as he removed his hood. I was immediately struck by his beauty. He had short ink-black hair, high cheek bones, which only added to his already flawless face. His crimson eyes were hypnotizing. Although his massive body was covered by the large dark cloak, it was more than evident that he was comprised of nothing but solid, granite muscle. I found it hard to look away from him. However, Aro's voice quickly pulled me back to my current situation.

"What is your name, young one?" he asked in as soft, feathery voice. It seemed as though he was attempting to be comforting.

"My name is Isabella Swan, sir," I responded, giving him the proper respect. He seemed pleased by my respectful disposition. "However," I added. "I prefer Bella, for short."

"Well, Isabella," he said, completely ignoring my stated preference for the name "Bella." "I am curious to find out how you learned about us. May I?" he asked, holding out his hand.

He obviously wanted to touch my hand, though I had no idea why. He must have quickly deduced that I was confused, as it was most-certainly written all over my face.

"Where are my manners?" he asked himself. "You see, Isabella, I am gifted beyond the average vampire. Simply by touching your skin, I can read every thought, every memory that you have ever had. Would you do me the honor?" he asked as he floated closer, his hand still stretched out.

I didn't like the idea of someone siphoning all of my private thoughts. I also worried that Aro would learn about the Cullens. As Edward told me, if vampires expose themselves it is their responsibility to either change that human or end their life. I was terrified that I would expose the Cullens inadvertently. I could give two shits about Edward and Rosalie, but I never wanted to see any harm come to the rest of the Cullen Family.

It was clear, however, that I didn't have a choice in the matter. Yet, for some reason, I looked up toward Felix. I don't know why, especially since he was the one who called "dibs" on me, but I felt as if I could trust him.

He seemed surprised that I would look to him. However, he just gave me a soft smile and nodded.

I sucked in a deep breath and extended my arm for Aro. He greedily surged forward and surrounded my hand with both of his cold ones. His skin felt different from other vampires, as well. Unlike the granite feel of Edward's skin, Aro's felt more brittle—like shale.

He closed his eyes in concentration as he read my thoughts.

Or so I assumed.

"Amazing!" he exclaimed as a let go of my hand, taking a step backward. "Truly, a first," he muttered mostly to himself.

"What is it, Brother?" the blond-haired royal growled out in frustration. I had a feeling he didn't like being kept out of the loop.

"I can't read her thoughts. I got nothing from her. It was like hitting a solid wall. Something was … blocking me."

Without thinking, I blurted out, "Edward couldn't read my thoughts either. We dated for a little while … until he realized that I wasn't good enough for him—that is." Again, I was surprised at how easily I could talk about Edward not wanting me. It just served to confirm what I already knew to be true. I was over him.

"Fascinating," Aro purred. "Jane, would you be a dear, and try your gift on Isabella? I would like to see if she is immune to all of our powers."

I had no idea what to expect, so I just braced myself. I stood there for what seemed like an eternity waiting for something to happen.

"Nothing," the child-like voice muttered, seemingly void of emotion.

"Marvelous!" Aro exclaimed while clapping his hands. "She confounds us all! So, tell me, Isabella. Why are you here? If you had a prior relationship with one of our kind, then surely you know that it is against our laws for humans to know of our existence."

I nodded my head. "Yes, I am aware of that law, Aro, sir. That's why I'm here. It was theorized to me that a human's traits are magnified when they are changed. As I mentioned earlier, my former boyfriend was a mind-reader, and he couldn't read my thoughts. It was my hope that if I was to be changed, my ability to block him would translate into some type of special gift."

"Are you saying that you came here because you wanted to be turned into a vampire, Isabella?" he asked almost in disbelief.

"Yes, sir. It was my hope that by presenting myself to the Volturi, you might want to keep me … rather than eat me." I immediately heard a deep, baritone chuckle come from behind. I turned to look, and was surprised to see it was Felix that was shaking with mirth. It didn't last long, however. As soon as he garnered Aro's attention, he instantly clammed up and stood stock-still.

I was surprised when the when white-haired vampire spoke. "Isabella, my name is Caius. Do you mean to inform us that you are willingly offering your life and loyalty to the Volturi?" The disbelief in his voice led me to believe that what I was doing wasn't exactly an everyday occurrence around here.

"Yes, sir, that is exactly what I am offering. That is if you will have me, of course," I answered Caius, but made sure to glance at all three ancients. I wanted to convey the message I was offering my loyalty to all of them.

"Well, I must say"—Aro continued to speak as he floated back toward his throne and his brothers, where he sat and held out his hands—"this new development certainly changes things—dramatically. Isabella, if you don't mind, I would like to converse with Marcus and Caius on the matter. Your ability to block our gifts as a mere human is nothing short of astounding. It leads me to believe that you would indeed make for a very powerful immortal. However, before a decision is made, I must confer with my brethren." I felt little uncomfortable as Aro gazed at me greedily. It was clear what he wanted, and I was under the impression that his need to speak with Marcus and Caius was a mere formality.

I watched the three brothers as they sat in their thrones of gold, linked only by their hands. It was clear what was happening. Aro was listening to his brother's thoughts. Every few seconds, Aro's lips would twitch. If I hadn't spent so much time around the Cullens, picking up on the finer nuances of vampire behavior, I would have missed it. Aro was communicating back to his brothers at a level that was inaudible to my weak, human ears. He must have noticed I had picked up on his subtle communication. Aro clearly seemed impressed as he raised his eyebrows and gave me a tight-lipped smirk.

In an attempt to afford the ancients some privacy, I turned my attention elsewhere. As I craned my neck, taking in my surroundings, I found myself caught in Felix's gaze. His eyes were pitch-black with thirst. It wasn't surprising, considering he did call "dibs" on me in the elevator earlier. However, his sultry smirk seemed at odds with his thirst.

Does he want to drain me?

Even though his stare seemed seductive, I knew I was reading him wrong. Perhaps, the fact he wanted to drain me so bad was the reason he looked at me in such a manner. He certainly couldn't be lusting after me. There was no way he thought of me like that. However, just before I turned away, his smirk morphed into a soft, reassuring smile, which only helped to further my confusion. Here was a vampire who literally called "dibs" on me moments earlier, yet when he stared at me—even with hungry black eyes—it made my stomach do somersaults.

Maybe I really do have no sense of self-preservation.

I wanted to look away—I really did. But I was a deer in the headlights. I just … couldn't. The longer we stayed locked in each other's gaze, the larger his smile grew. My trance was broken, however, when I heard someone clearing their throat. I turned toward the noise, only to find Aro looking back and forth between Felix and me with a playful smile donning his face.

What is up with that? I wondered

Aro stood once again. "Isabella, my dear, we have come to a decision. The vote was unanimous. The Volturi would be delighted to have you join. All three of us are positively sure you will make a most wonderful addition. Not only do we believe that your transformation will make you a powerful immortal, but Marcus has sensed the foundation for multiple, strong relationships between you and our current members—including the three of us, Isabella," Aro enthusiastically stated, while gesturing to himself as well as the other two ancients.

I smiled brightly, realizing I wouldn't be dinner after all. Instead, I would become a vampire—strong, beautiful, unbreakable … immortal. Finally, after being rejected by Edward and Jacob, someone wanted me. Tears of happiness streamed down my face.

"Isabella," Aro cooed. "What are you crying, my dear? Is this not what you wanted?"

I shook my head. "No. No. Of course this is what I wanted. These are tears of joy … and relief. You see, I have always wanted become a vampire since the moment I discovered your existence. However, Edward refused to change me. Even his family was in favor of my transformation. Yet, he remained steadfast in his decision. He refused to take away my soul … his words, not mine."

Shit! In my moment of joy, I had slipped. I said Edward's name, thus possibly endangering the rest of the Cullens. And just as I expected, Aro zeroed in on my gaffe.

"Isabella, this Edward you speak of. Tell me more about him. How did you meet? Did he tell you our secret? I must say, I am most curious as to how a vampire managed what I assumed was an intimate relationship with a human—that is without killing you."

I knew it. Just by mentioning his name I had opened the floodgates. I would need to choose my words carefully.

"First of all, sir, we never became what you would call intimate. The furthest we ever took things was a simple kiss." I could feel the tell-tale signs of a blush as I talked about what Edward and I did or didn't do. "As far as how I found out his secret, well, I guessed," I said with a shrug.

"You guessed?" Aro looked at me incredulously.

"Yes, sir. It would seem that sometimes I can be too perceptive for my own good," I added.

Aro chuckled. It was a soft feathery laugh. "I don't doubt that for a minute, young Isabella. Don't think I didn't notice you picking up on my attempt at subtle communication earlier."

I nodded my head as I tried to decide how I would word my next sentence. "Anyway, Edward and I met in high school last year. As far as how he was able to not kill me, I'm sure that would be a question better suited for him. But, if I had to guess I would say it was because he does not drink from humans. He lives of the blood of animals instead."

"An animal drinker?" Aro questioned. "I only know of one animal drinker. Isabella, what is Edward's last name?

Damn it. I really screwed the pooch now. How could I have forgotten that Carlisle was once a part of the Volturi? Of course Aro would have put two and two together. I'm such a fool. Can I lie? No. I don't think it lying to the king of all vampires is a very good idea

I exhaled a deep breath I didn't even realized I had been holding in. "His last name is … Cullen, sir."

Aro eyes instantly widened. "As in, Carlisle Cullen?" he asked. I was confused as his question was clearly laced with … hope?

I wasn't sure where Aro was trying to lead me, but I needed to tread carefully. Even though they left, I still considered all of them—well maybe not Edward—to be my family.

"Yes, sir," I admitted with a slight nod. "Carlisle was doctor in the hospital of my home town. He's actually saved my life on several occasions. Please, sir, don't punish them because of my knowledge. As I already told you, I guessed. They didn't tell me anything. In fact, they were in favor of my change, but Edward wouldn't allow it. I can't be sure, but my gut tells me that Edward lied to the rest of the family, forcing them to move away. It's not their fault. Plus, I don't think I could carryon if my coming here resulted in them being harmed in any way."

"Dear, Isabella, do not fret. I have no inten—when you say the rest of them, how many exactly?" Damn it, I slipped again. And to make matters worse, Aro didn't miss a thing.

"Um … there are a total of seven. There's Carlisle and his wife and mate, Esme. Also, he has five "adopted" children—three he created and two joined them later on," I added.

"Isabella," again I was surprised when Caius addressed me. "Can you tell us for certain that Carlisle is not building an army in attempt to overthrow us?"

My eyes widened and I almost laughed at the thought. "Oh, God, no. Carlisle is a complete pacifist. If there is one thing I do know about the Cullens it that they just want to live in peace as a family unit."

"Relax, brother," Aro chimed in. "You know as well as I that our dear friend Carlisle is no threat. He is not one to lust after power." I instantly relaxed at Aro's words.

Aro turned his attention back toward me. "Now, back to the business at hand as there is no need to worry about the safety of your precious Cullens. I consider Carlisle a dear friend, and it would seem their loss is now our gain. So, I shall look past their indiscretion ... this time. I was—"

Aro was interrupted mid-sentence as a beautiful, female vampire appeared out of nowhere. She was stunning in her blood-red sundress, flowing blond hair, and startling crimson eyes. The way she silently communicated with Aro by cupping his cheek with her palm indicated they had an intimate relationship—mates perhaps?

"Please?" she spoke out loud. Her voice held a quiet desperation in it.

Aro looked at her for a long minute, and then turned his attention to me before looking back at her. "Very well, my love, I can deny you nothing. I too feel a connection with the girl. She is quite … remarkable."

What just happened?

A/N - Thanks for readding. I would love to hear your feedback. Is this a story I should continue with?

For those of you who have faithful read my other stories, please know that I have abandoned them. I plan on finishing each and everyone of them. However, I am in the process of "Fate or Flight" now known as "The Chronciles of Bella & Emmett"