Bella POV Age 17
Place: Volturi Castle, Volterra, Italy
The gray, stone walls seemed to close in around me again, like they had nearly everyday for the past seven years. The air was clean and cold, not that it made me feel any better. My mind longed to leave this castle, to run away and never look back. The sun seemed to call to me, but I knew I would never get to see it again. At least, not when I was human.
Maybe I should begin from the beginning. My name is Isabella Marie Swan Volturi and I have been held captive against my will for the past seven years of my short, insignificant life. This so-called "home" I live in has been nothing short of a prison cell for me ever since I got here. Here, as in Volterra, Italy. My story isn't pleasant, nor is it something that is even remotely believable.
I have been raised by creatures that I have learned to loathe and yet they plan on making me one of them very soon. My suicide attempts have been futile. Every time I try to end my life, to try and save myself from a life as one of the living dead, I am "saved" by those who I hate. Not that they care enough to let me die. Perhaps I should tell you my story.
It all started seven years ago…
Flashback
My parents, Charlie Swan and Renee Swan, and I were walking down one of the cobblestone streets of Florence, Italy. It was a beautiful day; the clouds were blocking out the sun, keeping the air cool and refreshing as we strolled the streets, browsing the shops and looking for a suitable restaurant for lunch.
We stopped for a quick bite to eat, ready to enjoy the delicious produce that Italy had to offer. Today was my tenth birthday, which normally wouldn't have excited me had we not been going to Italy. Charlie and Renee, having been divorced for the past eight or so years, banded together to pay for this trip.
Why a ten year-old's birthday is so important is beyond me, but I accepted it. I hated people spending money on me, but at this moment, I couldn't find it in my heart to care. Traveling outside of the United States or Phoenix in general, was something I had always wanted to do. I had never gone further than Albuquerque, so leaving the country was a big deal.
After lunch, we walked back to the car, a strange woman walked towards our car. I would have to say that she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. She was quite statuesque, but her height wasn't what caught my attention. Her long mahogany hair drifted beautifully down her back, shaping her deathly pale white face perfectly.
Her long legs were exposed by a short black mini skirt and darkened by tights. Her stomach was partially exposed by a short, red vinyl halter top. And her eyes. They were the strangest shade of violet I had ever seen. But there was something wrong; I could feel it.
When she spoke, I almost gasped. "Hello, my name is Heidi. I give tours all around Italy. It would be my honor to give you a tour of Volterra. It has many sights, but by far the best is Volterra Castle." Her voice was silky smooth and musical. But it made me uneasy, like I shouldn't even be there. Goosebumps were appearing on my arm, but I couldn't find the strength to move. My parents seemed to be having the same trouble as me. Charlie's eyes were glazed over in what I could only guess was lust while my mother seemed to be openly gaping at the beautiful creature before us. They nodded simultaneously and Heidi gave us instructions to follow her.
As soon as we got in the car, I voiced my opinion.
"Dad, I don't think we should go. I don't know, it just doesn't feel right." But, of course, like the horribly naïve parents they were, they ignored me. It wasn't until we got to Volterra that they finally started to feel the anxiety themselves.
The walls of this city loomed over us, sending a haunting shadow over us. It seemed as if the skies had gotten darker, only making everything seem so much more eerie. I saw the large clock tower from afar. It looked like something out of an old horror story; large and intimidating with its gothic feel.
We followed Heidi, who had somehow gathered a large group of people with her. Perhaps she was giving a tour to more than just us.
We followed her until we got to what had to be Volterra Castle. It was large and beautiful, very much reminding me of the beauty of the old gothic churches. As the group walked in, I noticed that nearly everyone seemed to be looking around nervously, as if expecting someone to jump out at them.
She explained briefly some of the castle's history. Not that I was able to listen to her. Nerves were settling in my stomach, causing me to want to just run away from here. Suddenly, we came to a heavy wooden door. Heidi ushered us all in and we stood awkwardly in the round, circular room in which she led us to.
Many people, all wearing long black and blood red cloaks were conversing in whispers. Suddenly, they all silenced and slowly began walking towards us. One of them stepped forward. His skin was just as white as Heidi's but there was a difference. His skin looked paper thin and powdery. It scared me beyond belief. When I finally saw his eyes, I almost flinched back. They were a deep, burgundy red. There was a light smile on his face, but his eyes held a strange emotion in them. Hunger?
When he spoke, I knew that things were not good.
"Welcome to Volterra Castle. My name is Aro and I do hope that you found the tour pleasant." Everyone in the tour group was staring directly at Aro, as if afraid to look away. But I noticed how everyone in the room seemed to be circling our little group. It was like watching a group of lions circling a herd of gazelle, readying themselves for the hunt. And that's when it hit me.
All their eyes were the same blood red. They all had the same hungry look in their eyes as they watched us cower in their presence. And they weren't allowing us to leave our circle.
Suddenly, Aro raised and dropped his hand. And that's when the screaming began. The creatures that had surrounded us were now jumping on the group, attacking. I felt frozen in place as I saw one of them jump onto my mother, his teeth on her neck. She was screaming in pain as the creature locked his jaw, and allowed his eyes to flutter shut. Slowly, she stopped screaming and slumped to the floor as he released her body. These cannibalistic people were drinking their blood!
I didn't hear Charlie scream as he too was drained of his life. Everyone else around me was dropping like flies as the creatures sucked them dry. Suddenly, I found myself stuck in the gaze of a girl around my age. She too was beautiful and had a horrifyingly evil smile on her face. As she continued to stare at me, her smile turned into a frown, then to a grimace. She shrieked loudly and appeared in front of me before I could blink. She continued to glare at me until she shrieked again. Suddenly, the one called Aro appeared beside her, smiling lightly at her.
"Jane, what have we said about playing with your food?" He chastised playfully, but behind that, his tone was curious.
"Master," she spoke in a sickly sweet tone, "it's not working! She isn't even flinching!" I had absolutely no idea what she was talking about, but I knew it couldn't be good. And as curious as I was, I knew I needed to get away. The people from the tour were now all dead, lying in crumpled forms on the floor. The smell of blood was starting to make me nauseous, but I was too scared to even care. The strange, cannibalistic creatures were now all staring curiously at us. A hot, crimson blush crossed my face, but the cause wasn't only embarrassment. Anger also clouded my eyes.
"Strange. I wonder..." He made a move to grab my hand. I instantly flinched away from his touch, but he wasn't having that. He made a lightning-fast grab at my hand just as I was pulling away. His hand was as cold as ice and felt smooth and chalky. But I didn't concentrate on that for long. There was a sickening snap, and I felt pain quickly register in my mind. I bit my lip, hard, to stop from crying out loud. I wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of knowing how badly I was hurting.
Aro smiled sympathetically at me and closed his eyes. His face went from an amused expression to one of curiosity. As he opened his eyes, he released my hand, giving me a chance to cradle it to my chest. Tears started bubbling over as the pain and realization came over. My parents were dead. I was most likely going to die soon as well. I kept myself silent. I wouldn't try to run. I had no one else to go to, anyway.
"Young one, what is your name?" Aro spoke kindly. I glared at him and spoke through gritted teeth. "Isabella Marie Swan." He didn't think twice about my rude tone and just smiled kindly.
"Isabella, I can only assume how confused you are. We are the Volturi. Do you know what we are?"
My jaw clenched again and I muttered, "Cannibals." He merely chuckled and shook his head. "No, my dear. We are what you would call vampires." I almost burst into laughter then, but I knew how hysteric I would sound. It all made sense. Their blood red eyes, their diet, the way they moved so gracefully that it seemed like they glided across the floor.
"So, are you going to kill me yet?" He looked at me curiously. "Whatever do you mean, Isabella?"
"Well, assuming that you were just feeding, I would infer that you would kill me next. I am the last of the group and you did kill my parents, no?" I spoke with a hint of sarcasm. What was taking him so long to understand this? Was allowing me to watch not enough for them? Did they plan on driving me insane with their slow thinking too?
"Dear, we aren't going to kill you. You will be staying with us." I openly gaped at him. Was he insane? Was this how he got his sick kicks!?
"You see, we vampires occasionally have special...gifts. These gifts empower us to do things that others can't. For example, I can see into another's mind by touching them. But strangely, I cannot read yours." Okay, this was seriously just wrong. What now? Were witches and wizards real too?
"I understand that this is a lot to take in. Alec can show you to your room. I will be there soon to discuss the rules of the castle later."
I immediately froze. I wasn't going anywhere with these people. They'd have to kill me before I willingly stayed with them. There was no reason for me to stay here when I had no one left.
"No. I'm not staying." He frowned slightly and snapped his fingers. A young boy who looked very much like the girl named Jane flashed in front of me and lifted me easily. Suddenly, the walls were flashing by. From what I could see, he was running. As the gray walls flashed by, my stomach flipped. I felt sick.
We approached another door, this one holding intricate carvings on it. He swung it open easily and placed me on my feet inside. "This is your room, Isabella. Do not leave. I will know." As quickly as he had brought me hear, he left with a curt nod.
I was alone in this stone walled room. There was a large, king-sized bed with velvet red comforter. Along it was a beautiful mahogany shelf and dresser set. The wooden floor held a plush burgundy carpet. Not that I could find it in me to care. I instantly fell to the floor and started to sob. My parents were dead and I was being held captive by vampires. Nice. I have now filled my near death experience quota for the day. My luck truly was that bad.
I slowly composed myself, drying my tears. I didn't want them to see me as the weak human I was. After my sobs had quieted to a few hiccups, Aro allowed himself into my new room.
"Isabella, I am proud to welcome you to our family. I must say, you will be an interesting addition." Great, I've just been welcomed.
"Wait, what do you mean by "addition"?" I spoke surprisingly with a bold tone. He chuckled and then spoke.
"I mean that when we change you, you will be a nice addition to the family." He spoke lightly, a bit of happiness seeping through in his tone.
"I'm not joining your family. And what do you mean by "changed"? As in changed into a..." He nodded when realization hit me again. They were going to change me into one of them. The blood thirsty creatures that killed my parents were going to make me exactly like them. That couldn't, no, wouldn't happen.
"No, no, no, no, NO!! You won't change me. I refuse to be like you. You killed my parents!" He smiled again and placed his hand on my shoulder. I tried to shake it off, but his grip was firm. I still hadn't forgotten about my hand, which was now throbbing painfully.
"Dear, it seems you have no choice. It is either we change you, or we kill you." He said with finality in his tone. But I wasn't exactly known for my self preservation.
"Fine. Kill me. Right now. I refuse to be one of you!" He merely shook his head and frowned. "Isabella, we will not kill you. From now on, you are not allowed to leave the castle. My brother, Marcus, Caius and I will be educating you on our history and basic human studies. Your caretakers will be Jane and Alec. If you try to escape, you will be punished. It's as simple as that." I was shocked. I was given an ultimatum and in the end, I don't get anything.
He left without another word and I was alone to wallow in my self-pity.
After that day, I was never the same. My hate for the Volturi has never wavered and nor do I plan for it to. My attempts at escape have never worked. Their punishment never really mattered to me. It was my fault that my parents were dead and it was all my fault. I was the one who wanted to go to Italy. I could have stopped them from following Heidi, but no. I allowed them to take me. I allowed to follow her into her trap. And now here I was. An orphan alone in a world fool of mythical creatures who planned on turning her into the creatures she loathed. Perhaps I deserved this as punishment for my sins. An eternity of self-hatred and pain should be enough to pay for my sins.
I stood from my bed and picked up the blue velvet cloak they forced me to wear. It was my seventeenth birthday. The seventh anniversary of my parents' death. I wondered if they forgive me. I stumbled to the door just as I heard the light knock. I opened it slowly and looked out to see Jane staring at me.
"Isabella, we will be having visitors tomorrow." I grimaced. More vampires? Whenever the Volturi had visitors, I was forced to either stay in my room or stand alongside them. Normally, the more dangerous, nomadic vampires visited, meaning that I would have to stay hidden.
"You will be standing alongside Aro tomorrow. These are special vampires. Vegetarians." She wrinkled her nose slightly at the thought. I had heard of a the vegetarians. They fed on animal blood. But they were still just an monstrous as all the others. I refused to be anywhere near them.
"Jane, I am not feeling well. I don't know if I should." She knew I was lying, but she didn't care. She hated me for being the only exception to her so-called gift while I hated her for being the monstrous creature she was.
"Very well then, Isabella. I will inform the master. Have you finished your studies? Alec would be disappointed if you haven't?" I nodded curtly and shut the door. As I heard her light footsteps fade away, I sank to the floor. And so yet another day begins.
Okay my marshmallow peeps!! This is my second real fan fiction. Obviously, its an overused plot, but I plan on making it different. I hope you like it. Oh yeah, and if you haven't already, I would appreciate it if you read my other story Blinding Lights.
Toodles,
-Torrid a.k.a sovoyita