New story that I just came up with. It's like one in the morning where I live, and I started to write it at around midnight. Had to get it down before I forget it in the morning (which I probably would). Excuse any mistakes. Please read and review. Thanks.
Disclaimer: I don't own Stephenie Meyer's work, blah blah blah etc etc . . . BUT! I do own Adam (and maybe another person in the future).
A girl of seventeen lay down on her bed, listening to an iPod. Her eyes were shut tightly, as if it took an enormous amount of energy to try to relax. A figure appeared at the door soundlessly. Her lips twitched but otherwise remained unmoving.
"Yes?"
"The Elders would like to have a word with you," the shadow said.
"What do they want this time, Adam?"
"A mission. What else do you expect?"
She groaned dramatically, eyes snapping open in frustration. "Ugh . . . not another one! I just finished my previous assignment last week. Can't I have some time to myself?" She swung her legs over the side of the bed and hopped up all in a matter of nanoseconds. One of the perks to being a vampire that she loved was possessing inhuman speed.
Adam held his hands up defensively. "Hey, it's not my fault that you're the best operative we've got." He smiled in a goofy manner.
She cracked a small grin. "I'm flattered, but I can't take all the credit, can I? If I may recall, you and Demetri helped with my training when I first got here. Between you and me, I always thought that you were the better Trainer."
"That's technically not considered a compliment."
"And why is that?"
"Well, back then it was just you, me, Demetri, and the Elders. It's not that hard to choose from the only two Trainers."
"Either way you're still the best in my book," she remarked flippantly.
He let out a booming laugh. "Thanks, sweetie, but save your flattery for Aro. Maybe he'll give you an easy one this time."
She scoffed and examined her perfect fingernails nonchalantly. "Every mission I go on is easy. I just hope that this one won't involve simultaneously tracking twenty people for two decades before I have to kill them. Either something quick or, better yet, a challenge."
"I don't know," Adam shrugged. "All I know is that you better get your ass down there or else Caius is going to throw a hissy fit."
She snorted at the last part. Caius was always the one to overreact to the smallest of things. He had a bitter disposition and was never hesitant in unleashing his narcissistic insanity upon others. Marcus on the other hand was his exact opposite, apathetic towards everything since the death of his mate. In a way, they both balanced each other out; blinding emotion and complete indifference. Aro, though, was a peculiar creature. His saccharine sweet disposition and sugary personality masked what he truly was. Faster than it takes to blink an eye, he could go from pleasant to malicious. The last vampire who opposed him didn't even get a chance to blink before being personally annihilated by Aro himself. And together, those three made up the head of Volturi.
She crossed the room and gave the male vampire a hug. Her petite figure was encased in his lean yet muscled arms, the top of her head barely coming up to his shoulders. She sighed in contentment. Adam was the only vampire that she felt remotely comfortable with. He had found her while traveling in Russia, weak with thirst after trying to starve herself. He brought her back to Volturi and looked after her ever since. In a way, Adam adopted her as his little sister. "I guess I'll see you later then," she sighed. "Whether that is in several weeks or several decades I'm not certain."
"Good luck, Tallie," he murmured, kissing her atop the head. He squeezed her protectively, afraid to let go
She rolled her eyes. "Natalie isn't my name anymore. I like to change it after every mission, remember? To avoid–"
"Yeah, yeah, I know. And have you decided on a new one yet?"
"Yes, I have. I'm now officially Isabella. Well, I actually prefer Bella. Isabella just sounds so . . ." she scrunched up her nose and tried to find the right word. "outdated."
The male pulled back and appraised her for a moment. "Bella . . . it suits you very well." He embraced her once again. "Be safe," he ordered before releasing his hold.
She scoffed.
Adam ruffled her hair playfully. "Fine, Bella. I know that you don't need reassurance, but who knows what Aro will put you up to this time." His forehead was wrinkled with worry. He leaned in closer and whispered, "Don't tell anyone else, but you've always been my favorite sister."
Bella grinned and elbowed him playfully. "Right back at ya, bro."
Adam sighed. "You'd better get going."
"Bye, Felix," she said, giving him a peck on the cheek before running at top speed to receive her newest mission.
----------------------------------------------
Bella stopped in front of the entryway to the Elder's chamber. There, she was greeted by a hunter who had just finished an assignment, its eyes bright crimson, and three Guards. The Hunter was a gorgeous woman with a statuesque body and lustrous mahogany hair. She was so beautiful that it hurt to look at her too long. One Guard was a tall dark-haired man with a face of rugged beauty. He had a large build and cropped inky hair. The other two, one boy and one girl, were small with similar child-like features, so alike that they were hard to distinguish. Both had wide innocent doe-eyes, feathery black lashes, and charcoal-colored locks. The female, though, had hair that fell down past her shoulders and fuller lips.
"Heidi, Demetri," she acknowledged politely to the older of the four, and to the twins, "Jane, Alec." She noticed that one Guard was absent. "Where's Felix?"
"Taking care of some business with Santiago," Demetri grunted, not needing to explain any further.
The woman stared at Bella. "The Elders have been waiting, you know. Where have you been?" the woman chided.
"I went down to Saline to feed first. Not much, just two humans."
"It's a good thing you did," Demetri noted. "Aro has a mission for you."
"Great," she mumbled unenthusiastically.
"Now, now," the little girl cautioned in her tinkling soprano trill. "You know the Elders don't appreciate sarcasm."
Bella brushed off the comment. "Whatever, Janie. You know, I don't really care what they think. And you shouldn't, too. They don't need any more of an ego boost." The child growled, displeased with Bella's lack of respect.
Her brother, the other twin, gazed austerely at her. "Now is not the time for that. It's not a normal mission – this is a special case." This sobered Bella up immediately. She understood that this was the real deal, not just some inconsequential task that needed to be completed. With a nod of her head, she headed into the waiting area. Gianna, the human secretary for Volturi, was seated behind a large mahogany desk typing furiously on the computer.
"Good evening, Gianna. Felix told me that the Elders would like to speak with me." Bella addressed the fragile woman.
Gianna looked up from the screen and gave her the go-ahead. "You know the drill. They'll already be inside."
Bella sauntered gracefully towards the door and typed a code (changed daily) into the keypad located to the right and scanned her eyes. She sighed. Volturi really didn't need all of this security. They had guards stationed everywhere – it would be impossible to penetrate. She doubted anyone would want to try infiltrating the base. The doors slid open silently, granting her access. She crossed the long metal-plated hallway in several milliseconds and opened the next set of doors. These were older and creaked anciently, groaning with discomfort.
Inside was a grand space that rivaled the beauty and complexity of the Parthenon. The walls were lined with rare painting – Monet, Dali, Picasso, da Vinci – and the ceiling was carved with a delicate hand, the patterns intricate and detailed. Moonlight streamed in through the large window onto the glossy marble floor. Aro, Marcus, and Caius were seated in jewel encrusted gold thrones at the end of the large room, a lush red carpet leading up to them. Their faces were lightly illuminated making them look ghostly and sallow.
The young vampire briskly crossed the room and stopped at the foot of the incline of the Elders. She knelt down before them on one knee, placed the tips of her fingers on the ground, and lowered her head. Same as for every appearance before the Elders, she recited the ancient Italian words, "Maestro Aro, Caius e Marcus. Vi do la mia fealty, il mio rispetto e la mia vita. Il mio cuore è sempre in silenzio appartengono a Volturi."*
"Rise," Caius commanded. She did so.
Aro pulled his chalky lips up so that the pearl white of his teeth showed. "Aglaea, dear, how lovely of you to join us."
Bella bit back a snarl. She hated it when Aro called her that. Lately, they've been getting on her last nerves. "It's Bella," she managed through her teeth.
"Short for Isabella, I presume?"
She gave one sharp nod.
"Alas, I wish that you would keep your birth name. Aglaea, the youngest of the Charites, a goddess of beauty. It suits you quite well."
"Thank you, Master Aro, but I like Bella just fine," she retorted more bitterly than intended.
The ancient one sighed. "Are you certain? If Thalia were alive –"
"If Thalia were alive, then, yes, I probably would have kept my name. Then again, I would be traveling with her at this moment and I would not be with Volturi. But she isn't, and I'd prefer not to dwell upon my past. If you're here to talk about my old life then I will leave. Feel free to discuss this while I'm not around."
Caius snarled balefully. "You will not speak to us that way. Your arrogance will not be tolerated."
Bella narrowed her eyes used all her willpower to keep from lunging at them. She swallowed her pride unwillingly and lowered her head in submission. "Yes, Master Caius. My apologies. I will behave." Soon after the words fell from her lips, she immediately tasted regret, an acrid flavor on her tongue. Bella did not have to acquiesce to the Elders. If she wanted to, she could cause them to collapse with one hand tied behind her back. If she willed it to, Volturi could cease to exist.
Bella knew that compliance was not obligatory. The Elders knew that obedience could not be forced. She was the key to their successes, and that could all change if she left. They knew it and so did she. Bella constantly used that against them and threatened to sever allegiances with Volturi. She wanted to leave. She was not very happy residing here. So many times had she thought about it, fantasized a life of freedom.
But she had a reason for not destroying them all, and that reason was because she had no where else to go. She did not cope well with loneliness. After all, she had tried resorting to suicide after the death of her sister. She had gone mad with grief and solitude. At Volturi she had Adam, and that was enough. A creature like her had no other place in the world besides living with its own kind. Volturi – the organization for keeping the vampire world in line. The only other option would be to go to Cullen – the organization going against everything Volturi believed in. Bella shuddered internally at the thought of the enemy. What kind of sick, twisted being would want to wreak havoc upon society and take pleasure in causing destruction and mayhem in the world?
It was constantly drilled into her mind that Volturi was good and that Cullen was evil. That there was and always will be peace among vampires as long as Volturi was around. That the only way peace could be maintained was if those who stood against them were wiped out. That her job as a Predator was to annihilate the opposing insurgents. That the deaths of those enemies would be for the greater good.
Aro interjected which brought Bella back to reality. "I'm sure you will, but we should get back to your mission." Finally, she thought. Then Aro did something peculiar – he hesitated and began to pace. Usually, the Elders would administer the objective immediately then proceed to excusing the Predator. "Now then, I'm sure you are not aware that Cullen is continuing to recruit more members, quite rapidly in fact. Sources indicate that they have at least two hundred right now."
She stiffened, surprised by the number. That was almost as much as Volturi! It meant that they gained over fifty since the last time she was in Volterra. If they gained a hundred more, then both sides would be even. "But how?" she breathed.
Aro breathed out. "That, I am not sure of. But we have also learned that they acquired a new member. He poses as a threat."
"What level?"
"A . . . ten," Aro admitted unwillingly.
"Ten?!" Bella cried. "But there has never been a ten, besides Carlisle Cullen himself. How is this Apprentice dangerous enough to be registered as a level ten? How much of a priority is he?"
"Quite," Marcus answered lethargically. "He is currently number one on the List. But our affiliates tell us that he isn't an Apprentice."
Bella was confused. "Didn't Master Aro just say–"
"Yes, I did say that. But that was when we had first heard of him several years ago. I had several of our Infiltrators watch him closely. He excels in combat, possesses a very useful gift that is, at the moment, unknown, and has never failed a mission. They also discovered that he was not a new recruit, but rather was kept secret from everyone besides their own inner circle. He was registered as an n Apprentice because this was the first anyone of Volturi has ever heard of him."
"If you had known about him for years then why didn't you just send another Predator to do the job?"
"I waited for you to return from your previous assignment. You and you alone can do this mission. He is, in a way, the equivalent of you for the other side. Cullen's own Achilles heel. Take him out and they will start to deteriorate."
She didn't know what to make of this. A ten has been in the midst of Cullen for God knows how long and Volturi had just found out. And he is dangerous enough that she herself has to eliminate him. "My equal," she rephrased flatly, darkly.
Aro nodded. "You have more in common with him than you realize."
She refused to accept this. "What's his human age? And how many years does he have?"
"Seventeen and at least a half millennium." Same human age and only a century younger than I.
She hesitated before asking, wary of the answer. ". . . And since when was he a member of Cullen?"
"Early seventeen hundreds."
Damn, Bella thought. Three hundred years training with Cullen. Only several decades less than her time with Volturi. Even though she hated to admit it, this opponent would definitely be her hardest Target by far. And yet, she was pleased with the challenge presented. "He'll be annihilated by the end of the week. I shall leave immediately." Her eyes gleamed with passion and determination.
Aro smiled at her enthusiasm. "Patience, love. First, you need to extract information from him. Learn whatever you can about Cullen; strengths, weaknesses, and such. I'm sure you have your ways of doing so."
She smiled widely, devilishly. Hell yeah.
"And . . . we need you to live with them. Join Cullen and keep us updated with any new information that could potentially lead them to their demise."
Bella was caught off guard but remained composed. Live with them? She didn't know if she wanted to do that; getting too close could be dangerous. Then again, if it meant Volturi was closer to eradicating Cullen completely, then she would do it. "No problem."
But when she said that, the three Elders looked strange. "Don't get cocky. Your Target should not be underestimated. You know better than that," Caius scolded.
Her eyebrows turned down in displeasure. "Yes, I am fully aware of assailment lesson number two hundred and thirty seven. Still, you never have said that to me before. Why now?" Suddenly, she realized something. A flash of anger burned fiercely through her cold, granite body. "You doubt that I am capable of performing this mission," she accused indignantly.
"Now, dear one, we know very well that you shouldn't have any problems with this assignment. We just wanted you to be more careful."
Aro's words aroused suspicion deep within Bella's subconscious, yet she didn't call him out on it. Instead, she thought about how important this mission was. If she succeeded, Volturi would be on their way to eliminating Cullen for good. But if things proved disastrous . . . she didn't even wasn't to think about the consequences. "Yes, Master Aro. You have no need to worry about me," she assured. "I will complete this mission and exercise great caution while doing so. I understand that failure is not an option."
The Elder beamed with satisfaction. "I'm glad to hear that, Ag– Isabella."
She nodded and smiled half-heartedly, grateful that Aro was attempting to use her preferred title. "If it makes you feel any better, I decided to keep my surname."
Aro raised an eyebrow. "Isabella Cygnus?"
"Well, not exactly. I translated it to English."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. I've also acquired a middle name."
"Which would be . . . ?"
"My mother's."
He nodded sagely. "Isabella Marie Swan." He smiled appreciatively at the new title. "Graceful, delicate, elegant. I like it."
"Thank you, master Aro." Bella glanced out the window – the still-midnight blue sky was a shade lighter than before. "I should leave. The sun will begin to rise soon."
Aro withdrew a manila envelope from the inside of his cloak and tossed it to her. "Is there anything else you would like to discuss?" She shook her head.
"Then you are dismissed," Marcus announced.
Bella wasted no time. She turned around and sped towards the exit. She effortlessly darted out of Volturi headquarters and streaked through the cryptic tunnels of underground Volterra until she reached the outer walls of the city, then began heading north. By dawn, when the sun's golden rays began to peek out from behind the horizon, she reached Aeroporto Malpensa thirty miles from Milan. Careful to put in colored contacts, she purchased a ticket and boarded the plane, blending in with the other humans.
The attendant's voice came on the speaker. "211 Volo da Milano a Washington. Si terra a New York in circa otto ore, il collegamento del volo 495. Grazie per aver scelto Alitalia."* Bella sank into the seat and anxiously opened the envelope. Since this was a special case, Bella expected it to be so much more than what it was, but it was the same as with every mission; objective, procedure, details, and background information on the Target.
She sifted through the content until she got to the background information. Paper clipped to the form was a picture; her Target was seated in a chair, hunched over, forearms resting on his thighs. His face was turned so that he was facing the camera. No smile, no emotion. Overall, a perfect photograph. And she had to admit it – he was quite handsome, even for a vampire. Sharp chiseled features, perfect lips, tousled hair, and a lean yet muscled body. His eyes, though, caught her attention and held it. All those who committed to Carlisle Cullen had the same colored eyes; a lustrous butterscotch gold. But her target's were exceptionally luminous. They were wide, alert, and shined with an unmistakably familiar look of determination. Strangely familiar. . . .
The document didn't have that much information; most spots were left blank. Only the name, gender, age, location, and position slots were filled in. Her gaze lingered on the name.
Edward Masen.
After a few seconds, she slipped it back into the envelope and closed her eyes.
Only one thing was on her mind, and that was killing Edward Masen.
So . . . was it any good? The idea just came to me, and, like I said, I had to get it down before I could forget.
If you'd like me to continue this story, then I will. But is I do then I'm going to have to alternate posting chapters with Meeting Edward Cullen.
Remember to click on the big button below! Review = continue, no reviews = stop.
Thanks again so much (and goodnight!)
-Kat
*[Translation: Master Aro, Caius, and Marcus. I give you my fealty, my loyalty, and my respect. My silent heart shall forever belong to Volturi.]
*[Translation: Flight 211 from Milan to Washington. We will land in New York in approximately eight hours, connection flight 495. Thank you for choosing Alitalia.]