I had never believed in fairy tales; never been superstitious, never believed in anything that I could not touch, feel, or experience. My sister, on the other hand, had always delighted in her blissful imagination. As if she had a third eye and could see into a world that we, our family, could not, Alice always fascinated us with tales of the extraordinary. It was one of the many barriers of differences that we experienced growing up, but these were memories that were so distant and cloudy to me now, I sometimes wondered if they truly existed at all.

In the eleven years that had passed since Alice and I had been reborn, my memories of being human were nearly nonexistent, as were hers. In the beginning, we had begged Aro to piece together the fragments of past, as our memories were jagged, broken. He told us what he knew, and now years later, his story was nearly all I had left of my past existence.

As he told us, our family had been vacationing in Italy. It was summertime, as Aro recalled, and Alice, our parents, and I had been touring the country awaiting the fall when I would start college and Alice would return. As life and unforeseen circumstances would have it, a car crash took the lives of our parents and nearly that of Alice and I. Fortune was on our side, though, as Aro and Marcus had saved our lives, changing us in the process. I remember less of what it felt like to be human, but I could never forget the pain of my awakening; the shredding of my organs as liquid fire poured through my veins like lava, the blistering pain in my gums as my fangs grew, and especially the way my brain pounded until I was sure my skull would split open.

Thirty-six hours of agonizing torture I endured until finally the pain began to subside and reality pulled me back to consciousness. After that, a new ache replaced the power of the venom: thirst. Fortunately for Alice and I, Aro and his ever growing generosity had prepared an exceptional feast for us, once we came to, and it was in the first twenty-four hours of being a vampire that we realized how truly powerful we were.

And we never looked back.

From the moment of our rebirth, Aro had taken special interest in Alice and I. He held our gifts in the highest regard, and made special placement for us in his coven; the Volturi. Alice and I, though knitted together as if sewn from the same fabric, played different roles in his army; with my shield, I played on the defensive side, and her visions put her on the offense. It took years for us to perfect our talents, but once we acquired the control we sought, we were irreplaceable. Alice could search and pinpoint almost anything Aro asked of her, though we all knew her visions were subject to change.

But, I always felt, he favored me a bit more. I was always there, by his side guarding his every movement. Nothing supernatural could slip past my shield, and the protectiveness I felt over Aro, my desire to obey his every command, was powerful. In the beginning, Aro had told me that my urge to protect him was merely a result of him having been the vampire who turned me. He supposed it would wear off as I grew older and stronger, but it seemed to hold fast.

Alice was a bit of the same when it came to Marcus, who had changed her. Though where my desire to protect Aro was fierce, Alice's desire was merely to please. Aro was vivacious and headstrong where Marcus was quiet and retreated into himself more often than not. Alice had spent years yearning to find something or someone that would bring happiness to him, but eleven years later she had still not succeeded; her determination had not wavered, though.

We proved to be most valuable to the Volturi, and this had come at an expense that had not lessened over the years. There were some among the coven that still resented us all these years. Jane, specifically, had an ever growing hatred for me that took little to not time for me to return. Her jealousy and resentment stemmed partially from Aro's interest in me, and especially Alice. But the true underlying hatred, especially for me, was her many failed attempts at using her gift against me. It was law, of course, that she couldn't legally inflict pain on me without reason, but it hadn't stopped her from attempting it once everyone had realized my gift. From that moment on, when her power to provide pain had failed exceptionally, we had become enemies. Her brother, naturally, sided with her and became our opposing enemy.

Aside from the twins, Alice and I lived peacefully with the Volturi for years. We had our duties, of course, but still, somehow, had our freedom. Our jobs were simple: I protected Aro, specifically, and Alice searched the future for threats or anyone with a talent that could prove useful for the coven. There had been three times that Alice had a visions of vampires with immeasurable talent, but when brought forth before the Volturi, they refused. Aro, though understanding, did not do well with being rejected, especially when he felt his offer to be extremely generous. All three times the vampires rejected, and all three times they were executed. We had given them days in the castle, attempted to reason with them until we realized our words fell on deaf ears, and it was then, and only then, that we stepped aside and let Aro make his decision. He was proud, some would say too proud, and rejection ended in death.

But despite all of this, though I couldn't remember my life as a human, I felt my life with the Volturi was so much more fulfilling than anything I could've ever imagined.

"How is he today?"

"Brooding, as usual."

I watched carefully as Alice strode across the room and came to a stop before me, gracefully placing herself on the arm of the chair in which I sat.

"You just have to keep trying," I said softly, patting her leg reassuringly. "You just haven't found the right person to make him happy yet."

"It's been eleven years, Bella. I don't think Marcus will ever be happy," Alice sighed in slight annoyance. "He still holds on to her after all this time."

There was a slight pause as I considered the pain Alice must be in. Her natural instinct was to give Marcus happiness, much like mine was to protect Aro, except she considered herself a failure all these years because Marcus' emotion had yet to change. I searched her face, trying to read her thoughts.

"Do you think," She started carefully. "That maybe... maybe we're only half of a person?"

I raised an eyebrow expectantly and answered in a flat voice, "What?"

She raised her hands up in defense, "Maybe there's a piece of us out there in someone else, and we don't even understand it until we find that person. I think Marcus found her, but now that she's gone he'll just never be the same."

I thought carefully for a few moments, but Alice's wild imagination was at play again and it was something, no matter how I tried, I just couldn't believe. I decided to humor her instead of discarding her theory.

"If that's true," I said with a smile, leaning my head against her arm. "Then you're my person. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Though she agreed with me, I felt the detachment in her voice, "You too, Bells."

And then, as suddenly as it always happens, Alice's eyes dimmed out of focus and I knew she was having a vision. Her pupils darted around the room, though I know she saw nothing of what I did. I waited patiently until she blinked rapidly and everything around us came back into focus.

"They're here," She whispered.

"Who?" I asked curiously, closing my book and sitting straight up quickly.

"Two of them," She replied, closing her eyes as she replayed her vision in her mind. "Best friends, almost brothers. One can control emotions, the other can read minds. They're in Italy, not far from here."

My eyebrows raised automatically. It had been a few years since Alice had seen anyone with interest for Aro, but I was wary. I knew how the rest had fared when pulled forward and given Aro's choice. He would be pleased, none the less, with this bit of information.

"Go," I whispered, urging her forward. "Tell him!"

Her eyes searched mine with an almost strained expression, and for the briefest of seconds I wondered if she was telling me everything from her vision. But the glance was fleeting, and before the thoughts could even register in my mind, she was gone.