A/N: I in no way own Twilight or the characters. I own the Oc characters and this plot. :)
Keep On Smiling Sunshine
Chapter 1: Isabella Johnson
"Stay here and don't move." That command would've worked if Sammy hadn't decided he was hungry and started complaining. It probably would've been better if he understood me, instead of looking at me with those big, bright blue eyes.
"Shh, Sammy quiet down!" I whispered urgently from behind the bushes behind our yellow house. "Shh, please Sammy, be quiet!" It was dangerous for us to be here. They were looking for us, always looking for us.
"Over here!" A deep raspy voice cried out.
"Calm him down, now Isabella!" Catherine whispered frantically. I could hear it now, the deep raspy voices of our raiders. It was a miracle, as he finally got the picture, that Sammy finally got the picture and calmed down. Too bad we were still found out.
Somewhere, Unknown....
I fought the bile that arose in my throat, as I tried not to look out the windows of the undersized boat that my three siblings and I were crammed on with sixty other people of mine. I remember seeing my aunts and uncles, and my mom and dad as they were hauled onto the boat, but they vanished never to be seen again.
Anthony, a small age of 4, clutched to my left side while Sammy was pressed tightly to my chest. Catherine lay by Anthony, their blonde and red hair mixing together as they slept. Sammy had buried his face in my own reddish-brown hair, his green eyes visible even from behind my hair.
The boat gave a sudden jerk and my stomach lurched forward, my throat tightened and somewhere my heart had hidden. I forced myself to look out the window, fearing for whatever was out there. All I saw was what looked like sand and some rocks; a small sign was planted on the beach floor, but was unreadable.
Two men appeared on the beach, one tall and pale, almost see through, and jet black hair that brushed past his shoulders and red eyes. The second guy was short and had the same black hair that shaded his brilliant red eyes. Next to the two men stood two children, one a girl who looked to be my age or older (12). She had pale brown hair that was cut short into layers. A boy who was identical, with darker hair, stood next to her.
The man who captured me, a man with short and silky white hair and ruby red eyes, came and stood by the four figures. I could see him talk and point towards the boat. The first man nodded and walked with him somewhere. The shorter one came and disappeared behind the boat. A second later the wooden door was unlatched and the man stood up. He looked around at all of us before pointing to me and my siblings and three other passengers.
"This way," He said as he led us out of the boat. Outside the boat I could see it clearly. Dark gray clouds loomed over head and the sand was a dark brown with the occasional seaweed and crab shells buried deep enough for your foot to scrape it. There was no ocean where the sand ended, only gravel and some rocks. Trees were lined up on the south side of the beach, the place where we heading and the three figures were standing anxiously by the largest tree in the clearing.
"Ah you've brought them Marcus." The short one exclaimed and if I hadn't been paying attention to his facial features, I would've mistaken him for a girl. His voice was high and pitchy and made my eardrums pound violently. He and the other three were hidden behind black cloaks, their hoods pulled back. "Are you sure about those three? The boy will be an excellent asset but the others I'm not sure about, especially the small, scrawny one." I frowned slightly as he waved his hand towards me, commented on my looks.
"I don't intend on using that one for work, Aro. I believe she'll be a great asset somewhere else. Maybe the guard even?" That last part had meant to come out as a statement but was said as a question.
I tilted my head upwards toward the tall black haired man named Marcus. What did he mean by 'Guard?'
"How so, if we were to change her she wouldn't be of any help. I saw we dispose of her now." The white haired one commented. I paled at the word 'dispose.' My fear tripled when I saw that it was my captor who had suggested this.
"Now, now Cauis, maybe she will change. She looks a little young. How old are you darling?" I took a moment to push the vile down as I prepared to answer.
"Worthless piece of trash can't even talk, stupid human." Cauis' words hit me like an 18-wheeler. I could feel this rage building from deep inside.
"Who do you think you are?!" I cried handing Sam to Catherine. "You have no right to call me stupid after kidnapping me and my family from my home! For your information I had to force the bile down my throat because I'd been staring at you for too long!" After my rant I was standing an inch away from him, standing a good two to three feet shorter than him.
"If I was you I would watch your mouth little girl. I can snap you in a second." He snarled, his perfect lips pulling back. I should've been scared but I stepped closer and poked him.
"Oh yeah, try me." I hissed.
"You sure do know how to pick them Marcus. I like that one. What is your name dear?" Aro asked.
"Isabella Maria Johnson. Age: 12." Aro's laughed sounded like a thousand bells had went off at the same time.
"I'll call you Bella." Bella, wasn't that Italian for Beautiful or something? "Come Bella we have much to do before the day is over!" His voice seemed excited and I noticed that he was...floating? No gliding would've been a better word. I saw Marcus whisper something to the younger boy and girl. They nodded slightly and pulled my siblings along with them.
"Where are they taking my brothers and sister?" I asked as I walked with Aro.
"To be sold off of course." That took a minute to register.
"WHAT!"
"Either that or they'll be disposed of." I turned to face Cauis and Aro.
"What is that supposed to mean?" I cried.
"What do you think?"
"You're going to kill harmless little children!" I cried.
"Wow you're not as stupid as you look." I growled at his remark. I took a deep breath, waiting for everything to build up inside. When I felt the time was right, I released it.
"GIVE ME BACK MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS!" Cauis winced slightly, but Aro kept his posture. He waved his hand, as if he had not heard me, and beckoned Marcus forward. He whispered something and Marcus disappeared and reappeared with Sam.
"Come now Isabella we must hurry." And with that he and Marcus started forward. Cauis paused to glare at me and stalked off. I looked back to where my brother and sister were trying to fight off the two look a likes. Before I hurried off I could've sworn I heard a scream.
~*~*~*~*~*
"NO WAY, SO NOT HAPPENING!" I and Cauis shouted at the same time.
"Inside voice now Isabella." Aro scolded playfully. I had only been here a few hours and already Aro consider me part of the "family." At least that's what I though till he suggested that I and Cauis share a bedroom.
"His room is the room that doesn't have a roommate." Aro said gliding off somewhere else in this large castle. I groaned and followed him, trying hard not to trip what with Sammy in my arms and everything.
"I refuse to share my room with that bile creature." I glowered at Cauis.
"Don't talk about yourself Cauis it causes low self-esteem." I retorted. He glared and I mustered enough hate to win the glare down. He broke away first causing a triumph grin to spread across my face.
"So exactly where is this place?" I asked as we walked down endless hallways.
"This, my dear, is the wonderful and beautiful Volterra!" Aro said gleefully. He launched into a tale about how Volterra was created and who had founded Volterra. He spoke of how everybody and anything was beautiful and how they corresponded with each other. Cauis and I rolled our eyes at Aro's giddiness. He explained how the castle had been built a long time ago to shield a family of high prestigious vampires.
"Vampires don't exist." I pointed out. Aro laughed, Marcus chuckled and Cauis snickered.
"Of course they don't Bella." I stared at the three mysterious men and gaped at them.
'They're hiding something and I'm going to find out.' I thought. We toured the castle, which took a total of five hours....FIVE HOURS!
In the end, I was bunked up with a woman named Heidi and a girl named Jane, the girl who had been beside Aro. Alec, Jane's twin brother, took in Sam along with a man named Demetri.
Heidi was happy to take me in with open arms. She cooed over me like a baby and crushed me close to her cold hard chest.
"You're sooo cute!" She squealed when she saw me. "I could just eat you!" She smiled and chuckled when she said that.
'Its official,' I thought when she continued to crush me to her chest. 'I'm living with an insane family.' I sighed and turned, as much as I could, and face Jane. Her ruby red eyes seemed to have darkened to a maroon color. Her wide eyes had narrowed into thin slits, so thin I thought they would disappear. Her small perfect hands were balled up into fists. Her long light brown hair had been put into a nice ponytail.
I stared at her for a long time, before realizing that she was glaring at me. I hid deeper within Heidi's cold hard chest as I felt Jane's very glare pierce my skin.
"Is something wrong dear?" Heidi asked, pulling me away from my haven. I turned my head slightly towards Jane, fear crystal clear in my brown eyes. Heidi looked at me and got the message. "Jane stop glaring at Isabelle this instant, or so help me I won't bring you food for a whole week!"
Jane snapped her head up at that and glared at her. "And don't use your powers on me either!" I was slightly confused. Was Jane some evil witch? I turn to Heidi and questioned her with my eyes, but she didn't notice.
"Fine I'll just eat her anyways." Jane muttered in a low voice, so low I barely heard it. Barely, being the operative word here. Heidi looked at me and growled.
"Stop it Jane! You're scaring her!" Jane snarled and stalked away. "Don't worry about her Isabelle; she's just jealous that she's not the youngest. She's always been a sourpuss anyways." She turned to smile and that's when I notice how gorgeous she was.
She was tall and statuesque. She had long mahogany hair, and amazing long legs. Her eyes were a gorgeous violet color. I felt average, standing next to this beautiful creature. Inhumanely beautiful was how everyone in this castle looked. "Come on now Isabelle we must prepare you for bed."
"Isabella." I said quietly. I wasn't sure if she heard or not.
"Excuse me?"
"Isabella. That's my name." She stared for a moment before groaning.
"I'm so sorry Isabella. It's just that Cauis said your name was Isabelle."
"I don't think he likes me very much." Heidi smiled, a small sad smile, and hugged me.
"That isn't true sweetie." She said. "He's just lonely." She smiled and returned to her bustling. I could see why, I wouldn't want to be around a man who was so full of hatred and held himself above everyone else.
Then again, mother and father always taught me not to judge people without getting to know the 'real' them first. But I seriously doubted that this 'Cauis' dude had a 'sweet' side to him. It was nearly impossible to believe, his eyes held something that I had seen before, but I couldn't put my finger on it.
"Isabella, that's a beautiful name you know." I blushed. Heidi looked at me, her eyes becoming darker and darker by the minute.
"Thank you," I said quietly, hiding behind my russet brown hair and glancing up at Heidi secretly. Her eyes were darker now and not the vibrant violet I had seen a couple of hours ago when I first arrived here.
Heidi opened her mouth to say something, or maybe she opened it for no reason. Either way I didn't get to find out because Cauis came in, his face twisted in anger.
"You," He growled.
"Me!" I chirped, hearing Heidi giggle and saw Jane (who had appeared out of no where) clench her jaw down (though I heard some kind of sound escape from her lips).
"Your stupid little-"
"I'm sorry, but Isabella Swan is currently not available. If you wish, please leave a message with her secretary or via mail and she'll get back to you as soon as possible." I clicked my tongue and gave a wink to Jane, who was giggling now. "What didn't like my voice commentary?"
"That little thing you brought in here,"
"You mean my brother. He is not a thing." I said crossing my arms.
"Whatever," He growled. "Just get in there and make it stop crying!" I rolled my eyes. Honestly it was like he'd never heard a baby cry before.
Pushing passed the ignorant white haired male in front of me, I ran to the sound of my brother's frantic wails. Sammy was laying in a delicate crib, his face red and his arms and legs flaying about.
I picked him up, checking to make sure he wasn't wet or had pooped. I tried feeding him formula, before remembering he had eaten an hour ago. With everything in check, I tried to think of the various things that could be wrong with my baby.
Ugh, no 8 month old should cry this loud. I thought to myself. Then it hit me. Sammy was eight months old and toothless. Sammy was teething. Oh, didn't he pick a grand time to want to teethe.
When Catherine and Anthony had been teething, they were monsters. Crying their lungs out throughout the night and sleeping in the day when people were working. It was my duty, as the oldest sister, to watch over them and make sure they were comfortable.
"Well, what's wrong?"
"He's just teething, that's all." I explained to Mr. Dimwit as I rummaged through the diaper bag. Thankfully, they allowed us to gather some infant things for Sammy. I pulled out a plastic teething ring and stuck it in his mouth. Instantly, the baby quieted down and grasped the ring. "All better huh Sammy?" I asked the baby who gave a slight giggle as I lay him back in the crib.
Cauis was looking at me, a glazed look on his face.
"Anything else oh great and might leader?" I asked mockingly. Cauis glared at me, his ruby eyes piercing me. "Whatever." I mumbled and stalked out. Heidi wasn't in the room, for which I was glad, and Jane was still with Cauis. I could hear the coos she was making to Sammy down the hall.
I didn't understand. The look I had received, the look of pure hatred that Cauis had shot me as I stormed out, had made my chest ache. For some odd reason, I didn't like the way he glared at me. I hadn't known him long, but even still I was a bit upset when he seemingly cast me aside. Was there something wrong with me? Did I do something to make him hate me?
I shook my head, clearing them of all thoughts as I flopped in my bed. Why should I even care about what that self-centered, ego manic thought about me? I shouldn't, I didn't care about the thoughts of me running through his head. Or did I?
Sighing in frustration I rolled over and pulled the necklace around my neck out. It was a simple necklace; one made of gold and shaped like a moon. It was a necklace to keep me in check. My mom had given it to me to make sure I didn't harm anyone. Just until I got control of my powers and wasn't a danger to those around me.
My eyes watered at the thoughts of my mother. My sweet, sweet naïve mother was alone. Or maybe she was with my father, or aunts and uncles. Who knew? But she was probably afraid for us.
"Isabella?" I quickly fumbled to place my necklace back in my shirt and sat up. Jane entered and peeked shyly from behind the door. "Are you okay?"
"Y-yeah," I swallowed the lump that was forming in my throat. "I'm fine I promise."
"Okay, are you hungry?" I shook my head. Nothing would stay down for awhile. "Okay, well if you need anything, let us know. We're here to make you comfortable Isabella."
"Thank you Jane." Jane smiled and disappeared. I was glad she was over her hatred for me, but I still didn't like being here. I missed my brother and sister, my mom and dad, my aunts and uncles, and especially my cousins. I used to be a carefree twelve year old girl (who was about be engaged but hey at least I was free), but here I was like a caged bird that wasn't allow to roam.
My eyes misted up against and I flung myself, face first, into the pillows and bawled my eyes out. Because, no matter what they did, I would forever be a caged bird with no freedom, I would never be able to roam like I once had.