CHAPTER 1-
RPOV
"It's pretty out today, huh, Jake?" I asked my best friend, Jacob Black.
Sunny weather wasn't very typical for the place I lived--Forks, Washington. Most of the time it was dreary and temperatures hardly rose over forty or fifty degrees.
"It sure is, but it'll probably rain the rest of the month. Good thing we got a day of play in," he said, grinning from ear to ear.
Jacob and I had gone out to play, since the weather was so nice. We played hide and seek for hours, me winning more often that Jake did. I knew he let me though; he was five times better than me when it came to hide and seek.
"We should get going, though, Nessie. Your mom and dad are probably starting to worry. We don't want them to send a search party after us now, do we?" he said, still grinning.
I chuckled. "No, I guess not." He phased and I climbed onto his back.
His body, warmer than mine, felt good to me. His temperature ran at about 108.9 degrees, because he was a shape-shifter. As he ran, I rested my cheek against his warm fur, smiling happily. I loved Jake. He was my hero, my best friend, the big brother that I would never have. Nothing could break our bond.
MPOV
"Meighan?" I heard someone call my name and instantly looked up from the book I was reading.
Shutting it and lying it on my desk, I replied, "Yes?"
The door to my room opened and my uncle, Aro, walked in. "Hello, Aro," I greeted him. He took two more steps into my room, then closed the door behind him.
"Hello, dear one," he said.
I looked up into his eyes. "Something wrong?" I asked, unsure of what to expect.
He frowned slightly, then answered, "Yes…I suppose you could say that…" Aro paused.
I waited politely. No one irritated Aro and got away with it. I must always be respectful and as patient as he wanted me to be in his presence.
"A task awaits you, my dear one." His voice seemed mysterious to me, and I soon became curious. Whatever could he want me to do? There were so many more vampires that were part of the Volturi, ones that were so much more talented than I was.
He took my hand in both of his. I didn't pull back. He wanted to know what I thought about this. Of course. Slightly leaning over my hand, he closed his eyes. And after several seconds of looking into every thought I had ever had, he released me, and his eyes rested on my face as he straightened again.
"Curious," he said. It wasn't a question, of course, just merely a statement. He knew I was curious.
I wished I could hear what he was thinking. Unfortunately, I only heard the thoughts of those who weren't related to me. And Aro was my uncle, from a very, very long line of generations.
Yes, I had mind powers. They were strange, but they were mind powers, just the same. If I wasn't the least bit related to the person I was dealing with, I could easily know what was going through their head at that exact moment, though I did have to really focus to make it clear enough to understand, which made me unable to read multiple minds at once.
I could also speak to them through my mind, so it was as if I could have silent conversations with others. I could read what they thought, and then speak back. It was actually neat, and it fascinated me that I even had a talent at all.
"Come with me, please" my uncle beckoned, interrupting my reverie.
I followed Aro without hesitation, and he led me down the long dark hallway outside my room. He paused in front of a large door, turning the knob quickly, and stepping inside.
Caius, as well as the not-so-easily-entertained Marcus, stood in the center of the room, their backs to us. Marcus was slumped, a position revealing the boredom he felt right now. But Caius was stiff, and he seemed to be resentful.
It wasn't curiosity that nearly overwhelmed me this time, but fear, creeping up on me as I stared at the two figures in dark cloaks that were identical to the ones Aro and I wore.
The two's thoughts terrified me as I concentrated on them, making the pictures and words vivid.
I was afraid to speak, afraid that they would find it disrespectful, and punish me if I did. But I quickly decided to ask a question anyway, almost unable to resist clearing up all of the confusion. I would ask Aro about the unfamiliar name that was running through Caius' and Marcus' minds.
Gathering up every last bit of courage I had left, I asked quietly, "Whose Reneemse?"
