Why Me?
Marcus wonders how he ever could be related to Aro and why he is related to Aro
Marcus also wonders how he ended up being related to Caius due to Caius's extreme fears.
Marcus' POV
My journal for everything that has ever happened in my life—both as a human, at least what I remember, and as a vampire
March, 19, 2009
Saint Marcus Day
I groaned in exasperation and frustration. Aro was and is overly enthusiastic, excitable, and emotional about everything. It drove me crazy when we were humans and it still does. Seriously, we are exact opposites—he's enthusiastic, excitable and very emotional and I'm more of a look at the facts kinda guy and never show any emotion, which once made Aro wonder if I even had any emotions. We were sixteen when we first became vampires. Our best friend, and now brother, Cauis was also sixteen, but, for some freaky reason, he already had white hair. I remembered when we would fight over Aro's enthusiasm.
"Oh, shut up, Aro," I snapped at my twin brother. Aro whined and said, "Caius, Marcus is being mean to me." I muttered, "Cry baby," under my breath and then Caius said, "Marcus, Aro, can you two not get along for one day when I'm over? If you don't get along, I won't come back, ever again." Of course, Aro and I would get along to keep Caius coming over, but we were all changed into vampires that same day and now we're all over 3,000 years old—exactly 3,699 years old.
Technically, though, we're 3,715 years old.Then when Bella turned out to be alive, Aro sent for me and Caius. Then he faced us and called to us with delight, "Marcus, Caius, look. Bella is alive after all and Alice is here with her. Isn't that wonderful?" I had a thoroughly disgusted expression when Felix came to get me and when I entered the throne room I had my famous "I'm totally bored out of my wits and I've seen far too many millennia of Aro's enthusiasm and if I ever see his enthusiastic face ever again I'll rip off his head and tear the rest of him into tiny pieces and burn the pieces"expression on my face—Aro's seen it thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands of times. I even used the same expression, well mostly the same expression, when Aro, Caius, and I were all still human. Which, unfortunately, is true. Thankfully, Bella only noticed the "I'm totally bored out of my wits and I've seen far too many millennia of Aro's enthusiasm" half of the expression which was good, because I didn't want to send her running away and screaming in terror. Spend the last 3,699 years of your life with Aro, you'll eventually get sick of his enthusiasm. I speak from thousands and thousands and thousands and hundreds and hundreds and hundreds and hundreds and hundreds and hundreds and hundreds and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years of experience. Yeah, that's it. Of course, this all had to happen on my special holiday—Saint Marcus Day, which is today. It's a pretty special day—at least to me, anyway, not so much to Caius. He could care less. Aro is pretty nice to me on Saint Marcus Day, even though I can be a jerk to him, a lot of the time. And here's the sad thing—Aro's heard of all these thoughts at least once, when I was telling him something about a relationship, because I can see relationships and I wanted to tell him about the relationship I saw. Anyway, it started a long time ago, because of something I actually did—drive all the vampires away from Volterra. And the legend behind the holiday is almost completely true—I just never became a priest or a Christian and my brothers, Aro and Caius, were there with me, fighting as hard as I was, to drive the vampire scourge away from Volterra. I'm a vampire for crying out loud—a soulless, bloodsucking, vampire.
Even if I still don't along with Aro, he's always going to be my brother and I have to accept that, eventually. And I know, just know, that he's going to be there for me, like he was when my wife first joined us, and that I'm going to be there for me, but some things will never change. He'll always be enthusiastic, excitable, and emotional. And I'll always be a look at the facts and show no emotion kind of guy.
And then there's Caius. He's just creepy, sometimes. Like, when we first all became vampires, he scared me half to death. Ah, those days, back when Aro, Caius, and I were all young and wild. He looked a ghost come back to haunt me and Aro and that was the only time I've ever shown any emotion. Caius went and ordered that the full moon werewolves be hunted into near extinction after a fight that he got himself into and nearly got himself killed. If I hadn't found Demetri, the month before and then sent him after Caius, Aro and I went with Demetri, my brother, Caius, would be dead by now. So there's the proof, that we, the Volturi, as brothers, watch each other's backs.
"Hey, uh, Aro, where are you?" I called, absolutely terrified. I had to make sure my little, well technically baby, brother was safe. "Over here," Aro called, sounding absolutely terrified, towards the sound of my voice. I ran, quickly and worriedly, to his side and helped him to his feet. "You look different, Aro." "I heard your thoughts, all of 'em." "Wait, wha'? Did you just say you heard all of my thoughts?" "Yeah. I can read minds." I sighed and said, "C'mon. We have to go find Caius." Then we heard a voice and it said, "Marcus, Aro, were you two looking for me?" We spun around and saw ... "Ah, a ghost!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. "We got Caius murdered and now he's come back for revenge and he's going to haunt for the restof our lives." Aro and Caius both doubled over, laughing hysterically, and then I glared at them. "What's so funny, guys?" Caius grinned and said, "We'd set this all up. You just walked into our little trap." Aro grinned and said, "I'd pretend to be lost. You come find me and Caius sneaks up behind you." I sighed and then said, "Guys, we have to get out of here and then we can find a home that we can call our own."
We actually built Volterra ourselves, Aro, Caius and I did. It was hard work, but totally worth when we had a city that we could our own and home. Of course, Aro had been the leader of our gang when we were humans, so Caius and I made him stay the leader of our gang, and then coven and now the entire world of myths and legends—well basically, vampires and werewolves. I also learned how much I really needed my brothers, when I went off on my own for a little while—nearly got massacred or got myself killed—all depends on how you want to look at it. A young, wild, newborn, attacked me. I escaped, but Aro and Caius decided to hunt me down and bring me back home, to Volterra. By the time that they had caught up to the last spot I'd been, I was already sneaking back home into Volterra. The looks on their faces when they returned from a 'failed' "we have to get Marcus back" trip and saw me just sitting, lounging actually, in my regular chair at the dining room table, was totally worth it. It was hilarious. I was trying so hard not to laugh, but then I gave up and just couldn't stop laughing, until Aro ran over and started hugging and saying, "Marcus, I missed you so much. Why did you go away? I didn't want you to leave. Don't ever leave Volterra again." Of course then, Aro wouldn't stop hugging me. I shot Caius my "Aro and I need a moment" look, and Caius immediately understood and left the room. "Shh, shh, calm down, Aro," I murmured. "I'm home and I'm never leaving Volterra again. At least, not without my brothers there to watch my back and protect me and keep me out of trouble." He looked up at me and in that one glance, I saw the frightened expression that Aro had on his face, and that I remembered so well, the expression that I knew all too well, whenever something bad happened to me. It took Caius and me three days to unpry Aro's arms from around my waist.
The truth is, I've been taking care and looking after Aro for as long as I can remember—at least of my human life. Our mother died when we were born and our father abandoned us. Supposedly, Caius's family took Aro and me in, but apparently, I punched Caius in the face, broke my hand and his nose, when we were three and I thought he was being mean to Aro. Aro knows that no matter what happens, that even though he's the leader, I'm still going to be the overprotective older brother, and there's nothing he can ever do about it or make me change my mind and he knows that, all too well. He's part of the reason—no, he is the reason—why I drove all of the other vampires away from Volterra and suggested that we forbid hunting in our city.
Someday, I'll finally be able to get Aro to stay safe and Caius to not get on my nerves and hopefully get Carlisle to bring his whole family to visit us, too. Sheesh, the last time Carlisle was here, Aro pretty much became Carlisle's best friend.
Marcus
The End