Chapter One; the Beginning of Normalcy
Demetri POV
I allowed the hot water run down my back, scorching the ice cold skin that I had been sentenced to when the venom from either Aro, Marcus, or Caius I can't quite remember which, had turned me into the beast I was now. I didn't need this hot shower, but it felt nice to relax and let my mind be free of the clutter of the past day's events, like our confrontation with the Cullen family and all of their witnesses, then to having to hear Jane screech and bitch all the way back to Volterra about how it wasn't fair because of Belles' marvelous power, if I do say so myself. Sighing silently to myself as I exited the shower, turning the water off before a loud thud shook me from my thoughtless state, Felix, I thought to myself after all I could know where every person in the world could be at that particular time. Wrapping a nearby towel around my waist, tying it so the fabric would stay in its place I opened the door to see the face of my hulking best friend I suppose you could call him, looking like he was trying not to laugh himself silly.
"Man I still cannot get over the haircut Demetri, you've had hair to your shoulders rivaling the flowing locks of Aro, Marcus, and Caius Volturi for all of the four-hundred and fifty years that I've known you and now you have a...well a Carlisle haircut, what is up with that?" The big goof asked in a sing-song voice, the ridiculous smile still etched onto his face. Closing the door with a light flick of my wrist before throwing on my clothing; casual a pair of jeans, a black dress shirt, and Italian leather loafers, before opening the door and walking out into the hallway waving for Felix to follow along with me. "Well, are you or are you not going to tell me what is going on with the new look, wait I know you're trying to get into the pants of the secretary that takes Giannas' place." Felix barked out through a laugh, slapping me on my shoulder before going on with his mindless chatter, probably just trying to get a rise out of me I supposed.
"Actually, I just wanted a change Felix, after all I have had the same hair style for slightly over five-hundred years and that can get a little bit dull in my honest opinion, plus you can't tell me I don't pull off the dad look. Though I do want to know, what made you compare my hair to Carlisle's'?" I questioned him, a curious look in my eyes as I went to question of my own, relishing in the normalcy that our lives had fallen back into, well as normal as the lives of the Volturi guard could ever get. "Also you never know, this whole look change could end up being an overall good thing, maybe it will bring me luck after all lord knows I could use it man." I said more for myself than for Felix, without really giving it any thought I walked off down the hallway muttering a quick goodbye, and took off down the rest of the corridor getting lost in what I had tried so hard to avoid since we knew we were going to visit the Cullen's, the one woman that for just over four-hundred years had done nothing but torment my thoughts and for four-hundred years do nothing to me than make me fall more in love with her each day.
I can never really stop thinking about her all the while I know she doesn't feel the same way as I do; after all she deserves someone more human, well as human as a vampire can be anyway. She is perfect, the image of perfection, a goddess and a muse. I always get this strange feeling when she's near and from all of the little things she dose and the way she looks, like how her wavy mahogany hair falls lightly to the middle of her back, how her burgundy eyes seem to become just a little more bright when she smiles or laughs, or how her laugh reminds me of tinkling crystal bells, and of course how she always seems to smile when our eyes meet. My favorite person in this place, second to none, the beautiful Heidi. The woman that for whatever reason I have never been able to figure out in all of the centuries that I have known her, and loved her. Not paying attention to my senses or my tracking sense, I ran into some one knocking us both to the cold hallway floor, scattering books and what looked like notes around us. Looking up to see who I ran into before losing my temper, but seeing that lovely mahogany hair I was silenced by my own wave of emotion at just being near Heidi, how pathetically weak.
"I have to apologize Heidi; I just wasn't paying attention to where I was going, and well...ugh, let me help you out." I offered with a mumble, running a hand through my hair and sifting through the notes and books, organizing them for her, until a particular book caught my eye. "Well I thought that I was the only member of the Volturi that read F. Scott Fitzgerald, so are you enjoying 'The Great Gatsby'?" I asked her, with a crooked grin that I smiled just for her every day.
"No it's fine Demetri, but thank you for helping me out it is really sweet of you to help, and I love the haircut by the way." Heidi told me with a small smile on her perfectly curved, supple lips.
"Look I've gotten enough teasing about my 'Carlisle' haircut from Felix, and I have a feeling that I'm going to get it from Santiago, Afton, and Alec as well, but anyway let's get onto the subject of 'The Great Gatsby'." I told her, my tone becoming sarcastic and hurried about the subject of my haircut while giving quotation fingers at Carlisles' name.
"No need to get snippy with me oh all mighty tracker god." She chuckled, lifting up one of her dainty eyebrows at me and smiling her sweet smile at me though I could see a hint mocking in it. "Anyway, you want to talk about the book well, I love it I'm actually reading at human pace on it."
"Well it isn't one of the best Great American Novels for nothing, though in the irony and all of its wonder it maybe F. Scott Fitzgerald's' greatest book yet, and here comes irony, 'The Great Gatsby' is the book that ruined his career after receiving mountains a critical success no one other than his peers and a few hundred educated people bought it, s." I told her, putting my hand into a fist before placing gingerly against her chin in a mock punch.
"That's terrible," She began, stopping softly while putting her hand over her non-beating heart.
"No Heidi, that's art. When you have a passion or object of one's affection, you follow it and you nurture it, but if it isn't meant to come to fruition then you bury it though you love it all the same because in some way it was yours, even if it did not succeed." I told her, moving my hand down to hers patting the back of it lightly, rubbing small circles before I realized what I was doing and quickly let her go.
"That's quite the speech, but I see what you mean I was written during the time when many people weren't in the greatest of situations and people didn't need reminding of they already didn't and couldn't have. Prohibition had been passed; the economy in America was just then on the up rise, though still most people weren't where they wanted to be at the time." Heidi said, a small frown coming to her face at the idea.
"Thank you I did just pull that little piece of wisdom out of my pocket, but I remember the twenty's in America after the Southern Wars that's where I was for those few decades after, just hanging out in the United States. If I recall correctly the twenty's is actually when I bought my copy of 'The Great Gatsby', but like in America it took twenty years to get anyone here to read it and of course Caius held out the longest and I almost had to shove it down his throat." I laughed, leaning against the wall as she took the place next to me, giggling at me. "What's so funny princess?" I asked, ruffling her hair.
"Just the image of you taking the book and, well literally shoving it down Caius' throat is just so possible it's hilarious, after all you could most definitely man handle most of the Guard, except maybe Felix but your faster than that giant." Heidi exclaimed in a thoughtful voice before laughing, the intoxicating sound causing my own laughter to spill out. "Though Demetri, don't call me princess I'm not ten years old, plus that's what Aro calls the little monster." She gasped, feigning shock at my words.
"Oh my, first I hear a joke about my dear brother but now about my dear Jane, however can I forgive such actions?"
Looking over our shoulders we saw the one person that could dampen our laughter, considering the subjects, Aro. The way he smiled was actually making me nervous, worried not for my safety but mostly for Heidi's', I mean she's strong, she's a vampire she has to be but as much as it is hard to admit Aro would still probably be stronger. Seeing him come to a stop in front of us, we both swept into deep bows to show our respect for our master, our leader. Razing up, our posture straight and respectful and to our surprise Aro was no longer smiling a devilish smile, but almost one of a father looking fondly at an oldest son and daughter. Placing a hand on Heidi's' shoulder, asking to borrow me, and lead me down the hallway, his hand on my shoulder like a guiding father.
"I have a question Demetri; now answer me honestly because I actually already know, so Demetri are you in love with Heidi?" Aro asked, his tone knowing, yet at the same time warm and seemingly curious. "I promise Demetri I will not be angry at your answer I am actually quite the opposite after all you've tried to put it away for the good of the Volturi for over five-hundred years, I just want to hear it from you." He finished, making me feel comfortable and like I could really tell him, just like he did to everyone and I was once again quickly unsettled.
"Yes, I do Aro, a lot actually almost to the point of where it's stupid, I mean Heidi and I have known each other for centuries and she's shown no interest."
"Well I don't know my son, you've never really shown her romantic interest, of course though I would know, yet my dear Demetri I will let you figure it yourself." Aro chuckled, giving my back a light clap, still holding the warm smile on his face as he stopped me at the exit of the grand castle in which we lived, well existed, and began to speak again. "Here is a hint, she loves Tiger Lilies." Aro spoke, his voice nothing but seriousness and informative, then pushed me towards the door. I opened the large, vintage, wooden door that led to the outside world into the cold Volterra night with a sigh, well I guess I'm off to get a bouquet of Tiger Lillis, could be worse I could have been a complete sap and wrote her poem or composed a lullaby, I mean what tool would really do that.
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