Maddalena POV

Three thousand years, seven months, six days, nine hours and eleven seconds. That's how long I had been what I am. I had been loyal to a coven called the Lessers for almost two thousand years. That's how old the coven was. And ever sense then, no other vampires have known about our existence. Except one coven, called the Volturi and even they don't speak of us.

You see we are a very special group of vampires . Yes we were beautiful, all vampires were so that wasn't the case. But we have gifts that no other blood drinkers could match. We pick our members carefully, with great thought of their strengths and weaknesses. I can assure you, we test both. A reason why we have never been discovered is because we live in a way that no other vampires have probably thought about living. We live in Tirrenia, Italy, below the streets.

We only come up to feed, if necessary. Fortunately we have donors for blood who want to join us. Some get the privilege. Some don't, and are destroyed for us to be sustained. Like the Volturi, we feed on the same humans. The leader of the Lessers created the leader of the Volturi, Aro. I had seen some of them come out to feed a few times. Or make the pray come to them. I will admit, they did have some powerful gifts. But they did not match ours. Pretty much.

We were more gifted, and had more members. Even though some members might look...young. "Maddalena," I turned to the voice that called me. Joanna walked up to me her soft blond curls bouncing and her black eyes sparkling. "May Ash and I go up to feed? We're awful thirsty." I smiled at her. "Yes darling," I replied as I kissed her cheek. "But remember-"

"Yes I know be careful." She finished smiling. I grinned back at her. "That's my girl." I touched the tip of her nose and she giggled. "Thank you, bye!" She waved as she ran out of the room. I sighed. Joanna was old, but she still had a child like mind. She had been changed when she was ten. We had found her sleeping in a cell, about to be burned as a witch in a few hours. I begged Draco, the leader of the coven and my brother, to let me change her. She was so sweet and innocent of witch craft. Humans were so predictable.

Her 'brother' Ash was also found going to be burned as a witch. Draco treats him like a son, while I treat Joanna like my daughter. Technically in vampire terms, she was. I changed her and Draco changed Ash. Ash look about twelve, (He forgot his age when he was changed) and has reddish brownish hair that covers his eyes. It reminded Draco of fire and ashes, so we named him Ash. Joanna remembered her name for some reason. I told Draco she was brilliant, thats all.

I looked around my room. You would think living in the sewers would be filthy, but these drains haven't been used in centuries. Just forgotten, really. My room was in a circular shape. Gray bricks make the floors and walls. Well they make all of the rooms. I exited my room and walked down the tunnel of a hallway. I passed a few guards who bowed their heads as they pasted me. I smiled shortly at them. When I got to the end of the hallway, there was a drop of about twenty feet. Draco insists that is security for me, but I highly doubt jumping twenty feet would stop any vampire (Draco's room was behind mine). I jumped down landing softly on my feet as I continued down another hallway, then I took a very difficult and long route to a huge russet door that was as tall as two of me. I glanced at both of my sides to see if anyone would see me. It wasn't that I couldn't be here, I just didn't like to raise suspension.

I grabbed a giant key from my belt and put it in the lock. It clicked and I opened and shut the heavy door in three seconds. There was a small lantern lit and it didn't do a lot in the one celled room. I took the lantern down, and knelt down to the dark cell. The lantern's light shined into the cell, and I saw what was in it.

There was a girl, she looked about fourteen or fifteen, and she had been bound in almost every way possible. Chains wrapped around her torso, her legs, arms and one brass collar around her neck. She was panting as she looked up at me her eyes squinting. I looked at her face. Blood was around her lips and bruises covered her face. I smiled at her. "Hello," She crooked her head at me, as if I wasn't really there. "My name is Maddalena." She didn't say anything. She just began to glare at me. "Are you thirsty?" I asked softly. Her glare changed, and she nodded slowly. I nodded back and stood up. I walked over to the locked fridge in the corner, and opened it. It was full of blood bags from donors.

I grabbed a medium sized bag, and shut the fridge. When I turned around to the girl, her eyes were blacker, with more lust. "I'm going to open the cage now, okay?" She nodded. "I will kill you if you try anything. Understood?" She nodded. I took the key from my belt again, and opened the door. I slowly walked over to the girl, who's head was up and I almost thought I saw venom on her teeth. I took off the cap on the bag and the scent of blood filled the air. The girl almost lunged for it, and I pulled the bag away. She sighed, and slouched down as she held her head up. I slowly put the screw to the bag in her mouth, and she drank it silently.

It didn't take her long, about ten seconds. She was panting even more as the human blood trickled from the corners of her mouth. "Thanks," She breathed. I nodded as I shut the cell door and disposed of the empty bag. The girls eyes were still black. "You can't still be thirsty." I muttered to her. She shook her head. "They change when my mood changes." This intrigued me. I knelt down to the cage again. "And what are you feeling now?" She sighed. "I wanna go home." She whispered. "Are there more like you?" I asked. She stared at me for a long moment. "No." She lied, though I nodded. "Might I know your name?" I asked even though I knew it. She thought for a moment. "Just call me Nikkie."

"Nikkie," I repeated. She nodded. "Alright Nikkie." I stood up. "Hey," She called. I turned to her. Her mouth moved but no words followed. Then she talked. "Who are you people?" Was she blaming me for this? "We are the Lessers. And I am not the one who keeps you here. You keep yourself here." She raised an eyebrow as I shut the door. I loved playing tricks on the mind.

Nikkie POV

Okay, that chick was crazy.

Lemme fill you in on how the hell I got in this nut house...

((Flashback))

I was walking to the airport from seeing Alec and a few of the other members of the Volturi. It was nighttime. No one was around. I liked it like that, but this time it seemed more weird this time. Like I was being watched. I kept feeling eyes on my head, so I turned around, still walking. I didn't see anyone. Not a creature could be heard. When I turned back around, there must have been ten vampires that stood in front of me. I had never seen them before. "Hello Nickoletta," The man in the front said. He had black hair that stopped when his ears did. His eyes were ruby red, along with the other men. I backed away slowly. "Mind taking a trip with us?" He laughed darkly. "Get her." He growled. All the men, except him, lunged at me, and I ran back towards Volterra.

I didn't dare look back, I just kept running straight. About twenty minuets later, I stopped in an alley way and looked out onto the street. Lost them. I sighed in relief and fell on the ground from exhaustion. Suddenly I heard feet hit the ground. My eyes shot open and a meaty vampire lunged at me. Here comes the blackness...

((End of flashback))

And now I'm here. I didn't know why, but I was in some pretty deep crap with these guys. I needed help. I didn't want to ask the Volturi. That would make me seem to needy. I would have to try Ysabelle and Elena. They had commanded me to come home, and that's where I was headed. But I couldn't try them, the line would be busy. I kept thinking of anyone who might could help me...Hello.

Maximum. Ride.

I hadn't thought about any of them in a long time, just been to busy. Her mom probably had that baby, Alice predicted a girl but didn't tell them. Max had given me and the others her number, I just prayed I could remember it. I looked at the door through the dim light. I in held deeply, and ex held as mist. The chains fell to the ground. God did that feel good. I went under the door and crept up to the ceiling of the tunnel. I 'looked' down and saw guards walking up and down the hallways. I saw the one that made me pass out to. He was on my kill list, for sure. I 'saw' a crack in the ceiling of the tunnel about a foot wide. Oh come on! I wanted to grunt, then I squeezed into the crack. Heavenly...God. I thought wanting to gasp as I got out of the crack. That was not the smallest thing I had been through, I had been though a key hole once and could not move for a flippin' week. I was gonna feel this in the morning.

After many more cracks and wedges, I came to a manhole opening. Finally! I changed back into a human and grabbed onto the ladder up to the sewer opening. With one punch it opened, and I was on the street. I pulled myself up and ran and ran and ran. I stopped about an hour later, in some weird park looking place. There was a fountain, and the full moon's reflection met my eyes. God I wanted to phase...I was a real werewolf after all. Not a shape shifter. But I couldn't. I had to keep going...

I heard panting in the distance. I jerked my head around to see vampires chasing me. "Oh. My. Freaking. Shit!" I cursed. I ran some more and I came upon a festival. Good, humans. I got in the middle of the festival, then I saw a man who looked about in his twenties, a tourist. He had a cell phone on his belt. I grinned mischievously. I walked by him and grabbed the phone so quick him or anyone else didn't see me. I ran from the middle of the crowd, but lingered in the outskirts. I dialed Max's number. "Please Max, please, please, please!" I chanted. Suddenly I saw the vampires coming through the crowd. I sighed heavily and began running again as the phone rang.

"Hello?" Thank you Lord! "Max?" I panted. One of the vampires yelled at me, a shrilling sound. "Nikkie?" She sounded shocked. "Yeah, uh listen I-" I was cut off by a vampire grabbing me by my hair. "Get away from me!" I yelled as I turned to him. "Hold on." I told Max. I kicked the vampire in it's face and it yelled in pain. I grinned as I began running again. "Yeah, Max? I need your help."

"What's wrong?" She asked frantically. "Look don't interrupt, just listen. I'm in Italy. Vampire named Maddalena. She's part of a group of vampires called the Lessers. Underground. I'm in a city called Tirrenia. It's a city near Volterra." That was all the basic info. "Max I need help! These vamps are different their stronger I've never seen them." So was that.

"I'll come Nikkie, I promise," She vowed. "I'll go to Elena and Ysabelle, I'll get the Cullen's, I'll do whatever I need to. I won't let you down, I swear." I smiled. "Thanks Max. Remember what I told you, do not underestimate them." Suddenly a vampire grabbed me by the neck, and I hit the end button. Don't let me down Max. The inhuman man smashed the phone, and blackness came over me again.

Benvenuto my nightmare folks. Benvenuto my nightmare.