Disclaimer - All belongs to Meyer.
Edward's POV
I sat with my mouth fallen half open in shock.
Carlisle had called for a family meeting. We all sat in the living room - Esme, Alice and Jasper sharing the couch to my right, Emmett and Rosalie in the love-seat to my left, and Carlisle in the chair across from me, a pitiful look crossing his features.
He must be joking.
He wouldn't joke about this.
"There's no way." Rosalie stood up at an inhuman speed, almost shaking with rage as soon as Carlisle had read the letter out loud. "This isn't right. You know this isn't right! We have to fight this!"
"Fight the Voltori?" Jasper added with a smirk that held no true humor. "Are you trying to get us killed?"
Rosalie snapped her head over to glare at him. She was about to open her mouth to retort when Alice interrupted. "He's right, Rose." She spoke softly. "We don't have the numbers to fight the Voltori. When they implement a rule, that's the end of it." My favorite sister turned to me. She reached out her hand from where she was sitting on the edge of the couch and laid hers lightly over mine. "Edward, I'm sorry. The only way to go about this is to just deal with it - at least until we can think things through and develop a plan."
I looked down at the note in my right hand, reading the elegant writing once more:
Edward Cullen,
The establishment of a new law has just been implemented - each vampire who withholds a permanent residency among humans, and who also does not have a mate, must, from this point forward, have a human companion. The guard has found that those without company and partnership of another individual become frustrated, and tend to act out carelessly. This is a problem, you see, if one lives among humans - and this is the solution; there will be no exceptions. As a reminder, you must comply by the rules of the guard - or measures will be taken to reassure ourselves that the safety of our own is not in jeopardy.
Within the next week, members of the guard will come to you with your companion. They will teach you how to train him or her, and ensure their cooperation and devotion to the cause.
We thank you for your compliance,
The Voltori Guard
I crumpled the note in my hand and stomp to my room without another word.
I already feel stupid…eh. Let me know if anyone would be interested if I continued!
