Disclaimer: I am not Stephanie Meyer
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The last beams of sunlight retreated across the ancient stone bricks of the Piazza dei Piori. Twilight was always an interesting time of day in Volterra. The departure of the sun instilled a sort of calm over the ancient hilltop town - the children, for the most part, had returned home to savor in the combined pleasure of a home-cooked meal and a loving mother. Street vendors had begun to apathetically close up shop - packing away their worthless knick knacks for more tourists to peruse tomorrow. Oblivious to everything else, a young couple crossed the cobblestones hand in hand, walking lazily as if to preserve the moment.
Such sights were not abnormal, especially in this small, picturesque European town. Everything about Volterra was romantic - the ancient architecture, the cadantic language, the rich air filled with the fragrance of the Italian countryside. In this aspect then, Volterra was like any other Italian city. Another spot on the traveler's map, another place from which to send a postcard. Engrossed in the charm of the city, Volterra's many visitors, and citizens for that matter, failed to notice the most important aspect of the place - the trait which made it different from any other city in the world.
It always interested Aro to find that the people of Volterra never seemed to notice the complete lack of animal life in their city. It was so peculiarly strange of them to not notice the nuisance which was a staple in every other city - birds squawking noisily in the sky, alley cats slinking about in search of food and affection, even mosquitoes buzzing in and around homes and restaurants. It was inconceivable to him that people could be so unobservant - but then again, he thought, they were just humans.
Humans, though unobservant, had come to be extremely proud creatures. Aro had seen this in his many centuries on this earth. He had watched the eras of men come and go - the sorrow and dreariness of the plagues of the Middle Ages, the splendor and enlightenment of the Renaissance, the knowledge and ambition of these most recent, technologically-driven years. Despite the so called "advancement" of men however, the race had lost, in Aro's opinion, its most important sense. The instinct to survive.
Pride at their accomplishments and achievements had instilled a false sense of security in these humans. Hubris, the Romans had called it. They were of the opinion that there was no obstacle too great, no enemy too fierce, that it could not be vanquished with their precious technology. Fear was a scorned emotion - after all, what had the great race of men to fear? They had conquered all else - disease, warfare, even religion. The human race was the end of the line, the pinnacle of evolution - to fear was to be irrational. Or so they thought.
With this incessant pride, the humans had lost that instinct which the animals still possess. Well, not lost it, exactly, but simply refused to acknowledge it. The animal creatures were right, of course, to avoid the ancient city. They sensed the underlying danger there, as the humans did. Unlike the humans however, the animals did not ignore it. The instinct to survive overruled all other senses for the animals, and so there were none left in Volterra. The humans, however, were not so smart. Aro knew that they too sensed the danger in the city. He could see it in the widening of their eyes as they passed him in the piazza. He could sense it in the heightening of their pulses as they hurried along the hilltop's many dark passageways. Underneath their proud facades, the humans too sensed the danger of this place - though they, of course, would never admit it.
In fact, regarding the matter of the humans remaining in Volterra, Aro hardly knew what to be most impressed by - their bravery or their stupidity.
Rare was the occasion that Aro actually ventured outside of the Volturi lair into the city. Many years had passed since Volterra's charms had held any significant amusement for him. His pursuits had become largely intellectual over time. In fact, he had surrounded himself with one of the largest collections of books in the world - second only to the collection of the Catholic Church contained within the Vatican libraries. Soon, he would surpass even them, he mused. A trivial thought, to be sure, but then again it was these small victories which burned like torches in the eternal monotony of his existence.
Nowadays, the only reason that Aro could possibly have for venturing out of the tower would be to hunt - but he had acquired people to do that for him. Truth be told, it seemed as if there was an almost endless parade of humans being delivered right into his very hands. The hunt could be exhilarating of course, but even this small thrill had eventually failed to amuse him. No, his journey out into the city tonight had been instigated by an entirely different motive - escape.
In the weeks since their return from America, the atmosphere within the Volturi base had changed noticeably. One did not need to be a vampire to perceive this recent alteration. In fact, Aro had never felt more uneasy amongst his fellow Volturi than he had since that increasingly-significant visit with his friend, Carlisle, and the rest of the Cullen clan. It was not that Aro regretted the decision he had made there - no, he could not have brought harm to the child Renesmee. Of that he was certain. He had long since grown impatient with such things as emotions, however even he could not deny that the child had charmed him.
She was not the monster that he had originally expected - one of the immortal children. No, she was quite unique, one of a kind in fact, and he would not have believed it he had not seen her mind himself. Aro had experienced the thoughts of the child, and after seeing the emotion there, the familial love for her mother and father, it was more than obvious that the child was part human. And though he could smell the blood coursing through her veins, he knew that he could not destroy the child, as he had destroyed countless other humans. The same uniqueness that had made him believe that she was different was the same uniqueness that made him sure that he could not harm her. And that, ultimately, was his biggest problem.
He had never been known as the most compassionate of leaders. It was not that he was ruthless, however he had always done what was necessary to retain power. It was this power which had attracted most of his followers - contrary to popular belief, he did not "collect" those who served in his army. Most of the time, they came to him willingly. After all, why not join the Volturi? There was no greater draw than to be a part of the most dangerous, and most powerful organization in the world. Or at least, what was the most powerful organization in the world.
Aro could see the doubt in the eyes of his followers - Jane, Alec, Felix, even Caius and Marcus. Permitting the existence of the child Renesmee was not simply a matter of saving her life. He knew in his own mind that his decision was the right one, but to everyone else, it was only a sign of debilitating weakness. To stay in power, you had to be respected, of course, but most of all you had to be feared. He had allowed the Cullen clan to grow in both size and power, and for this he was perceived weak. But Aro knew Carlisle, he knew him as a friend, and he could not believe that Carlisle and his family would actually threaten the authority of the Volturi. With this same certainty, however he knew that the others were not so convinced.
The meeting between the Volturi and the Cullens had raised tension on both sides. Though no fight had actually erupted, this, in a way, had only made the tension worse. Aro could feel the pressure mounting around him, the pressure to act, the hunger for battle that had only increased in the days since their return to Italy. The others did not see what he saw in the child's mind - they could not see it. They did not have the same conviction that his decision to leave the Cullens intact was right. To them, the very existence of another clan that size, a clan that had demonstrated its ability to gain even more allies, was a threat in and of itself. And just as he knew that his decision was the right one, he knew that if he did not act against the Cullens himself, it was only a matter of time before someone else did.
What was he willing to do to remain in power? He knew what retaining his power would require, and it was not something which could be done halfway - he would have to destroy all of the Cullens. For even one or two of them to remain was dangerous - Marcus had seen how strong the bonds which ran between them were. It would take no time at all for any survivors to raise up an army of allies to avenge the fallen, and after seeing the extent of their powers, Aro was certain that they would put up a good fight. No, all of the Cullens would have to be destroyed, and their fiercest allies along with them. The thought sickened Aro. Though he gave no consequence to emotions, vampires were known for being very steady creatures, and his friendship with Carlisle had remained constant for some 500 years. Seeing harm brought to Carlisle was one of the last things that Aro wanted.
But what was the alternative? The conflict between the Volturi and the Cullens was by no means immediate, but Aro knew that every day that he did not act was another day that his allies considered acting themselves. The Cullens and the Volturi could not peacefully coexist much longer. The Volturi would act against the Cullens eventually, he was sure, but the question was whether or not he himself would be a part of it. He knew that the others, Marcus and Caius, would not go so far as to kill him if he refused to make a move. Loyalty was stronger than some things, after all. But he would either have to step aside himself, and relinquish his power within the Volturi, or be forced out. Far from sickening, this thought was completely foreign to Aro. He, Marcus, and Caius had created the first, real authoritative body in their world, and they had ruled it ever since. What would it be like to give up this power? Could he even imagine it? In truth, he could not. He could not imagine what it would be like to cede his power, and he did not want to. No, he had worked too long, and done too much over his centuries-long reign - he was power. He would not give it up.
As he walked, deep in thought, he realized that the sky had not just been getting darker, but the air more electric. In the piazza, the bell in the clock tower began to toll, ushering in the approaching night. Here too, outside in the city, he sensed a different pressure mounting, a tension in the atmosphere that was also careening towards a breaking point. He snapped his crimson eyes up just as the first bolt of lightning struck, splitting into the clock tower with unearthly force, cutting off the sound of the bell mid-toll. He knew what he had to do.
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Bella had been hoping to make this rare trip into town relatively uneventful. Really she shouldn't have even been doing this at all; she was not technically "allowed" out and about in Forks quite yet. Ever since her transformation early last fall, she and the rest of the Cullens had decided that it would be best for everyone if she did not go about parading the "new" her in front of the entire town. She looked the same, of course, in the obvious things like height and hair color, but even she had to admit that she had acquired a certain "something" since becoming a vampire - the type of something that made most of the men in town, or most men anywhere, forget to breathe as she walked by.
Bella was sure that if she had had any blood left in her body, she would have blushed just thinking that. She'd been a vampire for less than a year after all - not quite long enough to realize that she was no longer the awkward girl who tripped over every obstacle within a 10 mile radius. The thought of her tripping over anything now was laughable really, but she was still that Bella in her mind. She wondered if any of the other Cullens ever felt that way, like their old human selves. Somehow she doubted that Rosalie had ever considered herself anything less than the most beautiful creature alive.
Pulling into the one gas station in town, she was relieved to see that there were no other cars there. She already knew that there wouldn't be of course - her heightened sense of smell combined with the fact that it was 5'o'clock in the morning had assured her that she could get away with a quick stop. She was a bit anxious nonetheless, and moved a little faster than she ought to have upon hopping out of the car. She quickly swiped her credit card, one of what was a seemingly endless supply, and began fueling.
It may seem a bit strange that she should even need to refuel her car at 5 in the morning at all, but she had surprisingly acquired the passion that the rest of the Cullens had for driving. As a human, she had never really thought of driving as anything more than a way to get from point A to point B. But ever since her transformation, driving had become an entirely new experience. Suddenly aware that she was never in danger of crashing into anything, Bella had found that speeding through the Washington mountains at more than 100mph could be a very exhilarating experience. Plus, you had a lot of free time on your hands when you didn't need to sleep.
Deep in thought, it took her longer than it should have to pick up on the sound of tires coming closer. She whipped her head around to look at the approaching vehicle - a beat up old Toyota - and sure enough the scent of human blood filled her nostrils. She wasn't worried about losing control to her more natural instincts - in fact, she had thankfully never really had to worry about keeping in check. At 8 months old in vampire terms, she was technically still a "newborn"; yet she had just as much, if not more, self-control than the rest of her family. Not the most ostentatious of talents, but extremely useful nonetheless.
She considered leaving prematurely and having someone else fill her tank later, but she had just started fueling and, assessing the sky, she noted that there was adequate cloud coverage. She was also wearing a rather large pair of black sunglasses - unnecessary, of course, but they made for a quick disguise and Alice had insisted she start accessorizing. As the car pulled up on the other side of the single pump, she decided to just take her chances and hope that she didn't know whoever the driver was. Bad call.
Mike Newton slammed the door of the car that was apparently his and walked around toward the pump. Bella inwardly cursed at herself for taking this unnecessary risk, and immediately removed the nozzle to begin screwing the cap back on her gas tank. Luckily, with the pump between them, he wouldn't see her unless he suddenly decided to walk around the barrier. She might just be able to make a quick escape. With her hand on the door handle, though, she heard a low whistle behind her.
"Wow. That is some car. I've never seen anyone around here driving something like that. Mind if I check it out?"
She grimaced. Damn Mike Newton and his earnestness.
"Actually I'm in a bit of a rush". For the first time, she cursed the melodic sound of her new and improved voice.
But he was already at the front of the car, leaning down near the headlights to inspect the Ferrari logo on the bumper. Well, she could just run him over, she mused. Though she thought she knew someone who might be a little upset - apparently he and Jessica were still dating.
He straightened up suddenly and looked at her for the first time. She could tell that it was meant to just be a quick glance, but as soon as he caught sight of her in her skinny jeans, form fitting leather jacket, and dark sunglasses, his jaw dropped. At least, she hoped, he would probably figure it was some stranger from out of town. But today was just not her day.
"Bella?!" He nearly shouted, his mouth still agape in disbelief.
"What…uh…How did you know it was me?" She thought that it was also the first time she had stuttered since her transformation.
Apparently just as nervous as she was, he turned beet red and looked down at her wrist. "Um…well…it's just that you always wore that bracelet".
She glanced down at the silver bracelet she had worn every day for the past 2 years. It was rather noticeable she supposed, with its two unique charms - the tiny, wood figurine that Jacob had given her, and the dazzling heart-shaped gemstone that Edward had added later. She still hadn't gotten him to admit that it was in fact a very expensive diamond.
She looked up at Mike again, and all of a sudden the image of him sheepishly standing there was almost heart-breakingly endearing. She had known, of course, that Mike had had a bit of a crush on her at one point, but it took a little more than that for a boy to start noticing a girl's accessories. She sighed and realized that she couldn't just jump in her car and speed away at this point.
"Yeah, it is me. It's been forever, huh?" She laughed lightly and smiled, hoping to ease the tension and make him a little more comfortable. Bad idea, she realized again, as her smile seemed to just overwhelm him more. He took a deep breath and started coughing, as if he had tried to swallow but nearly choked on his own saliva. She couldn't help but feel for him again - this was pretty much exactly how she felt the first time she had spoken to Edward.
"Yeah, I, um, thought that you had like…moved to Alaska or something…with Edward." He managed to choke out, his face growing even more red in the aftermath of his embarrassing coughing fit.
This was the story that everyone in town, except for Charlie of course, had been told by the rest of the Cullens. Since she couldn't come into town, and obviously her daughter Renesmee couldn't either, Edward had also been avoiding Forks to give off the impression that the newly-married couple had moved away.
"Oh yeah, you're right. We ended up deciding to start school together up there. We're just back to visit…for Easter." She remembered, conveniently, that the holiday was just three days away. This seemed like an adequate enough explanation.
"Oh, Easter, yeah. I bet you're glad to see your Dad and….everyone again." He shifted back and forth, nervously putting his weight on one foot then the other.
She shouldn't make this go on much longer, she decided. He had clearly already suffered enough, and she didn't want to push her luck. She smiled again, but very gently this time, and responded.
"It can be hard to be so far from both of our families, but we decided we wanted a fresh start…you know, change of scenery." She laughed lightly again. "I actually wasn't kidding about being in a rush though. You probably know that the Cullens are really into camping - I was just picking something up since we're supposed to head out this morning." They actually were supposed to go out this morning - hunting, though, not camping. She smiled inwardly.
"Oh right…yea, well, in-laws. You gotta do what you gotta do I guess." He chuckled nervously, and she tried to keep her smile from getting wider. She hadn't ever once thought of the Cullens as her "in-laws".
"Totally." She said warmly, as she opened the black door of her sleek Ferrari. "It was really good seeing you though. Maybe we'll run into each other again soon." She hoped beyond all else that this didn't end up happening.
"Yea…yea definitely. I guess I should get out of your way then." He anxiously took a couple of steps to the side, so that he was no longer standing directly in front of the bumper. He ended up tripping over the divider between the two cars, but recovered quickly and tried to pretend as if it hadn't happened. "Nice car again, by the way."
She only continued to smile in response, and quickly turned the keys with her foot already on the accelerator. The car whipped out of the parking lot, and she banged a left and peeled away toward the woods. Not the most subtle exit she could have made, she realized, but she just wanted to get away as quickly as possible.
She had just created a very unnecessary, and potentially problematic, situation. She was so furious with herself for ever stopping. Apparently good judgment was not one of the new skills that came with being a vampire. In her anger, she pushed the gas pedal under her foot all the way down to the floor of the vehicle.
Less than a minute later, she had made the turn which led up to the magnificent house in the woods. Speeding into the driveway, she saw that Edward was waiting there for her, his lips curved upward in a slight smile. She glowered at him through the windshield, threw her door open, and was standing in front of him in what seemed like the same moment.
"Alice?" She asked, in a deadpan voice.
"Yea, she saw what happened after you made your very impromptu decision." Annoyingly, his smile only seemed to grow upon seeing how angry she was. Well, at least he wasn't angry, she reasoned.
"Really Bella, if you were that desperate to see Mike Newton again, I'm sure we could have found a better way."
Her arm whipped into him with such force that the garage wall literally shook around them as he collided with it. As she knew he would though, he landed on his feet, in an almost cat-like stance. He roared with laughter as she turned her back on him and stalked off toward the house. She realized that any further attempts at violence on her part would only amuse him more.
"Honestly I'm sure it could still work out between you two! I happen to personally know how much he liked you in that leather jacket!"
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I really hope that everyone enjoyed this first installment! Whether or not I continue really depends on the response I get from this, so please review and let me know what you think!