"I hate this." I grumbled for the 10th time since we had gotten into the car and I could tell Bella was getting annoyed.
I had taken the time to travel from Florida where I lived with mom and Phil, all the way to Forks with her, and she still complains more than anyone I've ever met. I sighed, knowing that wasn't about to change. Dad had called mom when Bella wouldn't come out of her funk and I defended her, even going so far as to promise to come see her myself and try and help her, not that she cared.
Bella and I were twins, though we didn't look even close to alike. She had brown hair and brown eyes, I had silver hair and Heterochromia which is a discoloration of the eyes. One of my eyes is a bright vibrant green and the other is a soft purple. As children Bella and I were inseparable, though once we turned 14 and went into high school she began ignoring me. I couldn't blame her, she had made new friends and I wasn't good with people, most thought I was weird. I discovered at a young age what I wanted in life, and I knew I was a little. Basically I am a girl that regresses into a childlike mindset, sometimes it slips out at inappropriate times. Bella hated that I did this and was always trying to get me to be normal, but I am normal, this is just who I am. When Bella left to live with dad we were both relieved we wouldn't have to see each other anymore. I love my sister dearly but sometimes she makes it very hard.
"I got it the first time Shadow! Shut Up!" She was stressed, I know, but I'm straddling a gear shift!
"Almost there. You'll have to run from here, he's at the clock tower!" Alice insisted as she stopped for the people dressed in red.
"Good luck saving the boyfriend who dumped you in the woods, he's a real keeper." I snorted and she threw her arm out, nailing me right in the face with her fist and making me cry out in agony before she took off to the clock tower.
"Here" Alice handed me a tissue before getting out and I followed. We got a few odd stairs as we weren't dressed like everyone else and Alice was covering all of her skin, but we ignored them, Alice breaking the knob on the door to let us in. "Now boys, wouldn't want to cause a scene, would we?"
My nose had stopped bleeding so I tossed the tissue into a trashcan as the vampires exchanged a few words and began walking down the hallway. "Let's go Shadow! Now!" Bella hissed, grabbing ahold of me and I could see the new vampires didn't think highly of it.
"You are sisters?" The girl Edward had called Jane asked.
"Twins, though I'm older by 10 minutes." Bella always boasted about that, she liked being the big sister.
"And yet you man handle your little sister? Your twin? I have a twin brother and we would not think of hurting one another." Bella shrugged.
"We've always been like this." She said as we stepped into an elevator.
"Both of you? Because your sister looks scared in your arms. She's not afraid of the vampires, she's afraid of you. I find it disgusting that you instil that kind of fear into your sister." Her face stayed neutral the whole time, but I could tell she was actually quite bothered by how my sister was treating me. The next thing I knew Felix had reached out and grabbed Bella's wrist, using his other hand to pull me to his side away from my sister and in between himself and Jane. Bella held her wrist in pain, but no more than I was from her grabbing me for so long. "Thank you Felix." He nodded, allowing me to walk with him when the elevator doors opened. I was terrified at the moment, Bella and Edward were giving me death glares while Alice seemed to be searching the future and I knew when we got out of here, one of them was going to seriously hurt me for having gotten favor of a Volturi member. It's not like I was trying to!
"Edward, so nice to see you again! And Bella is alive after all! Wonderful. Alec, be a dear and go fetch my brothers please?" A boy who vaguely looked like Jane walked from the room and disappeared as Aro turned back to us. "And who might you be?" He asked looking to me, Alice holding out her hand. Aro took it and his eyes seemed to glaze over for a moment before looking to me. "Oh my." He took a few steps in my direction until I was in front of him and Felix no longer allowed me to use him as a shield. "May I?" He gestured for my hand and I remembered what Alice had said about Aro's power.
"You might not want to…you'll learn unnecessary things about me." I laughed unconvincingly.
"I promise, nothing I haven't seen before." I held my hand up hesitantly and he took it in his icy one. His face lit up after a few seconds and he held my face in his hands. "You are perfect my dear." To say I was confused would be an understatement however I was having quite an internal debate at the moment. I tend to regress when I'm afraid and fear was coursing through my body like never before as this man touched me. "It is alright little one, you may do what you must." I shook my head, hiding behind Felix again as the doors opened and I didn't even turn around. I peeked as they sat down and saw 2 men on the other thrones after Aro went back to his. One was older, looking almost ancient and depressed, he also looked like he couldn't care less about what was going on here. The other however was a god, a god sculpted by angels no doubt. He had a sneer on his face that minutely marred his appearance but I knew that if this man were to smile my heart would most likely give out. I looked away as he surveyed everyone and didn't look him in the eyes, finding interest in the floor suddenly. "I would like to see if she is immune to all our gifts…Jane?" Aro asked. Edward snarled and suddenly went for her, being slammed into by Felix and leaving me to feel very alone in the middle of a fight. I backed up and tried to get away before they could hit me but Edward took his chance to backhand me and send me flying towards the thrones and having me land on the floor in front of the blonde vampire though the fight went on, no one even noticed me really, well no one but the vampire now staring at me from his throne. I turned my head and glanced up at him seeing that his eyes were the most beautiful shade of red. His body went rigid as he looked down at me and quickly jumped from his chair, lifting me to my feet. When his hand touched my arm it felt like bombs exploding in my stomach, suddenly nothing was wrong and nothing was scary because he was with me.
"Are you alright my love?" I nodded, feeling slightly sore but nothing too bad. "What is this?" He questioned, touching my nose slightly, making me hiss in pain.
"Bella punched me getting out of the car because I said something about Edward abandoning her. I don't understand what's so important about a guy that will leave her in the middle of the woods with no way home, knowing that she is the clumsiest human in the world, you don't do that to someone you love, I mean…am I ranting? I'm sorry." I stood on my own now, holding my ribs tightly and stepping back.
"It's alright. I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want to know. You are safe now, I won't let anything harm you…mate." He nuzzled my neck slightly after pulling me closer to him.
"Wait…what?"
"Mine. My beautiful mate." He purred and I had to admit I was loving it, much more than I should be loving a strange man rubbing his face into my neck. "Do you need medical attention? I can get you to a doctor, I-" I shook my head.
"I'm fine…um…"
"Caius Volturi, at your service my love." He kissed my hand and I nearly swooned.
"I'm Shadow Swan. Nice to meet you Caius. I've had far worse than this, trust me, I'm fine. Just some cuts and bruises, I'll be alright, though you're making me wish I was ill." I joked as he pulled me closer and continued inspecting me. If he kept doing this I would regress, no doubt about it, I was loving the attention, but just like usual, the attention always had to be on Bella.
"No! No, Please!? Kill me, Kill Me! Not him…?" She pleaded with Aro as Felix was about to tear off Edward's head.
"Strange, you would give your life for one of us? A soulless monster?"
"You don't know anything about his soul…"
"And what of your sister?" Aro wondered.
"She would die with me, to save Edward, anything." She looked at me and I was stunned that she could so easily offer up my life. Aro shook his head slowly, motioning to Felix to let Edward go.
"Fortunately for you, I saw you become a vampire in Alice's vision. She will turn you, after your high school graduation, no arguments Mr. Cullen. She will become a vampire, or you will all be killed, all of you, your entire family, and hers. Is that agreeable?" Edward looked like he wanted to argue but Bella spoke up.
"Thank you, so much."
"Thank your sister." Bella looked very confused, looking over to me and finally noticing how close Caius was to me. My feet were off the floor as he held me to his chest and buried his nose into my neck, I guess finding my scent soothing. "Your sister is Caius' mate, which is the only reason you are getting to live, we will not start our relationship with Shadow by killing her sister and her boyfriend's family." Bella looked shocked…stunned…pissed! I wrapped my arms around the vampire's neck tighter, wanting all the comfort I could get from him in this situation.
"She will not harm you my love, you are my mate, a Volturi queen. I would not let any harm you, but even if someone were to get passed me they would never surpass the guard." He explained and I looked at all the vampires around us realizing he was right, I doubted anyone could take down their guard. "Stay with me piccolo. You are my mate, I wish to be with you from now on." To say I was shocked would be an understatement.
"You want me to move in with you?"
He nodded, half smiling and I was right, it was attractive as hell, and breaking my reserve. "I would be nothing without you, suffering in agony until your return. You must be turned now that you know about our kind, but I wish for you to say with me. I will give you the world piccolo." I stared at him as Aro and the Cullen's continued to talk but I couldn't focus on that.
"What would I have to…um…you know, do for you?" I was a total virgin. I had had boyfriends of course, and daddies, but it never became sexual. The reason I broke up with most of them, I wasn't ready for the things they wanted and didn't feel they deserved anything from me.
"Nothing you don't offer me willingly la mia principessa. When you're ready, always."
I couldn't help my chuckle as I leaned my forehead against his chest. "Sounds a little too good to be true." How he heard me I don't understand but he did and he tilted my head up, leaning down and connecting our lips gently and quickly, stopping much sooner than I would have liked. "I would love to live with you, but I can't."
