Weightlessness. Freedom. Timeless. I remembered nothing between the time I stepped off the cliff until my body hit the freezing water some hundred feet below. There was one fleeting thought, however as I was suspended between Heaven and Earth. I thought of how soon I would be with my son among the stars. The sweet baby boy I had lost so early on in his short life.
I would be with my son and Him soon, greeting family and friends who have moved on to the next life. I just hope I'm not punished for my actions tonight. If so, then I wish to see my son, one last time before the fate of my soul is decided.
I don't know how long I was adrift in the tormenting waters and the merciless rocks before I washed ashore. I knew I had drifted in and out of consciousness a few times but I had yet to move on. But now I was joined by another person. He looked incredibly pale, but at the same time almost flawless. He stood over me, examining me most likely deciding if I was worth saving. Then he spoke.
"You shall make an interesting addition to my coven." And the last thing I remembered before the searing pain and the haunting memories of my life, were his red eyes.
It seemed like the burning lasted ten lifetimes. It spread until it seemed like it engulfed my entire body, not allowing me any relief from this personal hell I'm in and eventually, the pain became too intense for me to even scream and cry so I suffered in silence.
I thought about my parents and the last time I spoke with them. They scolded me for not being a good enough wife to Charles. I remember the abuse I suffered at his hands. Escaping from the abuse when I learned I was pregnant and hiding at a cousin's house in Milwaukee. Then when she let it slip that I was there, I ran again at almost eight months along and then giving birth to my son who died in my arms hours later.
Maybe I deserved this burning. Maybe I deserved it for disobeying my parents and for being a bad wife to Charles. Maybe I deserved it for the death of my son. But surly I didn't deserve it for trying to protect him, did I?
So when after is seemed like a millennia and the fire coursing through my veins begin to fade, I prayed to Him for stopping the burning, but it was soon replaced with an even greater intensity that caused me scream louder than before. I wasn't sure how long it lasted for sure, but it certainly lasted far shorter than the first fire.
So by the time I finally had control over my body, I half expected the fire to come back.
"It's nice to finally see that you're awake, my dear." I remembered that voice. It was the same one that spoke to me on the shore of the lake. Quicker than I could comprehend, I sat up and searched for the voice that spoke. It was a man with shoulder length hair so dark it qualified as black. A little behind him, I noticed, were two other men. One looked younger with blond hair and a scrutinizing look. The other man had long brown hair and seemed more compassionate than the other two.
"Who are you? Where am I?" I asked as I back up along the bed I was sitting in. Bed? I must have been moved here at some point.
"I am Aro. And this is Caius," Aro motioned to the blond haired man. "and this is Marcus." He motioned to the brown haired man.
"You are in Volterra, Italy, my dear, and we are the Volturi. We uphold the laws of our kind, but it seems like you are a special creature." Aro said. He looked at me like he was almost transfixed. He held out his hand.
"May I?" He asked and unsure, I tentatively gave him my hand. At the moment of contact, I felt an uncomfortable pressure on my mind and wanted to snatch my hand back but this man was incredibly strong and firmly kept my hand in his. After a few moments, he let go and let out a delighted chuckle. He turned to the other men.
"Brothers, it seems like we have come across an ethereal creature. She remembers everything of her past and much, much more." He turned to me and held out his hand again. I didn't offer my hand to him this time.
"Don't worry. I won't read you again." Aro reassured. Hesitantly, I accepted his hand and unlike last time, there was no pressure in my mind. And as I stood, I realized that I shouldn't have been able to. My body had been battered and broken as the waves violently smashed my body against the rocks. But before I could ask how I had been healed, Aro spoke.
"While you were…recovering…my wife, Athenodora cleaned you and dressed you in new clothes. We also had the liberty of sending someone for your personal artifacts." Aro said and motioned to a few boxes that lay in the corner of the room. I guess this was to be my room for however long I stayed or would I be allowed to leave? I hoped they would let me have my choice. Aro began talking again.
"You certainly are something special, my dear. We haven't seen anyone of your kind in quite some time." He said and again, I became confused.
"My kind?" I asked. He have a joyous chuckle and his brothers followed us from the room. We walked down the long stone hallway until we came to a set of massive, heavy double wooden doors. Caius pushed the doors open to reveal a library that seemed to go on forever and ever.
"My brothers and I did some…research, while you were in transformation." Aro began.
"Transformation?" I asked. I'm not sure if I want to know what I am now.
"Yes, my dear. Your transformation lasted almost an entire year. Normal transformations only last a few days. We did quite a lot of research in that time and have come up with a few possibilities as to what you are exactly." He said and began to pull out a few books from one of the nearby shelves. He opened the books to one page each. I read the contents of the first book.
"'Rod Fae. In Slavic mythology, the rod are the spirits of deceased female ancestors and are considered to be the goddesses of fate and fairies. As three women, they appear at the cradle of a new born and decide the child's fate'," I looked to the next book.
"'Garden Fae. You will find these fairies among the flowers dancing and playing, wearing flowering gowns with their transparent wings. At dawn, they pour out blessings upon the world.'" I read the passages and thought of the absurdity of the situation.
"This is absolutely absurd. I am not some mythical creature that goes fluttering by." I said as I slammed the book that was in my hands closed.
"But we are vampires, my dear. As surly we are vampires; you could be something entirely mythical." Aro said
"What is your name?" Marcus asked suddenly.
"Esme." He nodded his head and took a seat in their closest to him.
"We would prefer you to stay here with us where we can figure out what you are exactly. There are others of our kind who would take you for granted and own personal power. We could offer you protection and security." Caius said, though the words sounded forced and the least bit genuine. I had nowhere to go. I had attempted to kill myself and surly my family believed me dead and if I did return, I would only be subjected to Charles abuse. Then again, I didn't want to leave and become someone else's tool in a quest for power. I had no choice but to stay. I gave a slight nod of my head and Aro gave a joyous laugh.
"Wonderful" He turned to Caius and Marcus. "Let us send word of a new Volturi Queen."