Chapter 2

Agony

I watched in sheer terror as the family I had just gotten back were dragged physically away from me, kicking and screaming and it was impossible to prevent the tears from spilling over as those huge, heavy doors banged shut, Edward and Alice's hisses and growls still very much heard, even by my human ears. A tiny sob broke loose and I heard Caius scoff. Aro scolded him in a soft voice.

"Now brother, she has lost much in a matter of minutes, her heart is not made of stone ,unlike yours." Now I face a new problem. I'm in a huge castle-like building inhabited by human blood drinking vampires. I jumped as large cold hands gripped a little too hard on my shoulders. My head flicked around to see Aro, a sympathetic expression on his face as he pulled me towards him in a too tight hug. Not quite as tight as Emmett's but tighter than Edward's gentle embrace. Another sob.

"It's alright my dear. Jane will escort you to your room and explain what we need of you. Yes?" I nodded as he gave one more squeeze and let go, holding just one hand which Jane took. Her hold was incredible gentle, her fingers light as feathers as she gently pulled me along. Once the huge doors had closed behind us she let go of my hand and looped an arm around my waist and looked at me as we walked.

"You will see them again. Don't worry. Master Aro never goes back on his word, and he makes sure Caius and Marcus don't either. You'll be fine." I managed to think of a reply to her oddly sympathetic statement.

"Today was the first time I've seen him in months. And it's because he tried to commit suicide. What if he doesn't want me back? He left me. In the woods with no way to defend myself and so clumsy it should be illegal. And then look at him! Mr perfect! Me, plain, disgusting and human!" We stopped suddenly.

"Now if he didn't want you back, why did he do that?" She pointed to huge gouges out of the wall, five all in a row, apparently from fingers. I shrugged. "He loves you Bella, ridiculous as it seems." She gave a smile and I had a go at one but judging by Jane's giggle, it wasn't a good attempt. However her little giggle soon had me giggling too. We stopped outside an ancient door, wood beginning to chip away at the corners, metal over the front and a little black sphere as a handle with slight impressions of fingers over it.

"Your room. And that one just down there? She pointed to the next room down, a few meters away. I nodded. "That's mine. Whenever you need me, I'll be there."

"Why are you so nice all of a sudden?" She giggled once again.

"My temperament depends on the scenario. I'm not perpetually angry or mean." She opened the door and carefully guided me in.

I tried to take everything in at once but it was impossible. The room itself was huge, black thick carpet covered the entirety of the room, including the platform at one end with the four poster bed on it, all done up in blue satin and black lace, the curtains on the bed were black satin. There were two plush black sofas next to a huge bookshelf on the other side of the room. It was absolutely perfect aside from one thing. Something was missing. I must have looked puzzled.

"What's the matter?" Jane asked "Don't you like it?"

"Oh, no! I absolutely love it, but there's something strange about it I just can't place…"

"A lack of windows perhaps?" I looked around and sure enough, she was right. Not a ray of warm Italian sunlight to be seen, the room was lit by a huge chandelier with hundreds of tiny white candles. Jane, still holding me by the waist, pulled me to the bed and sat me down, letting go of me.

"Now, I assume you'll want to know the reason we've decided to offer you this. Well, why Aro has offered you this." I nodded as she paced the length of the bed. "Well, It's all down to this." She pointed to a little bedside table next to me. On the table, there was a little vial of black fluid and something else I'd rather not see. An injection needle.

"There is a race of half bird people. Ridiculous, I know, but They proved to be…uncontrollable and unpredictable. Aro believes that were their blood with all it's strange properties, injected and combined with human blood, a magnificent creature could be made. Something beautiful and amazing and honestly, a new source of entertainment for him. We'd like you to be that human. Will you accept?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Of course you do, but I will tell you this. If I have to leave this room without having used this on you, the kings will not be happy. I'm not trying to frighten you, only stating a fact." She knelt down infront of me and took my hands in her petite, cold ones and looked up at me with unintentional puppy eyes. "Well?" It seemed damn stupid to refuse, go against the Volturi's wishes and still remain there for a year.

"What's going to happen to me after you use this stuff on me?" I had to know.

"This has never been done before, you will be the first and only, considering all their blood was spilt a long time ago."

So I'm a lab rat?

"Fine. But, just don't let me see that needle for goodness sake." I heard her giggle as I turned away.

"Stay in a room with a human blood drinking vampire? Sure. Stay in a castle full of 'em? No problem! But an injection? Well, that's a whole other story! You can turn around Bella, I'm not going to be the one injection you." I looked at her, her needle-less hands then at her face.

"Really? Then who…?"

"My brother Alec. See, Aro also wants you bitten."

"Oh, no…."

"And Alec is by far, the most controlled. Sometimes I swear he's human. Some poor human could be right infront of him, bleeding, and he could turn around and go 'no thanks, I'm not hungry!'" I had to laugh at that. Her impression and the image. Until he walked through the door. Jane went to greet him with a kiss on the cheek, took his hand and led him to me.

"So you'll be the Bella Edward wouldn't be quiet over?" I shrugged. "Well, after this you're going to have to see the number he did on the hallways." I smiled slightly, a little intimidated by this man. Well, boy really, he could be no older than me, same as Jane.

"So what way are we doing this?" I asked, trying to sound brave.

"Well, I was thinking that due to your new little friendship with my sister, that she could cradle your torso, hold your hands, while I inject the blood and my own venom in your leg." I gulped and nodded. It was when I was held by Jane, Alec sitting cross legged with my legs laying over his, stripped of my jeans, that I began to panic. Jane lay her hand over my eyes and answered Alec's apparently confused expression.

"She's afraid of needles." He laughed a little before the needle entered my leg, I squirmed a little until he lay his hand on my thigh in a comforting manner.

"Almost done. Didn't Carlisle ever use a needle on you?" I nodded. "Poor guy." I gave a feeble kick at his stomach with a smile, he laughed too. I felt the black fluid enter my bloodstream. It wasn't painfull or uncomfortable, actually to be honest, it felt somewhat like I was on drugs. They took a moment to watch my reaction as Jane uncovered my eyes.

"How do you feel?" She asked.

"Relaxed, sort of. Maybe a little high…you should sell that stuff to drug addicts, they won't know the freaking difference!" A bemused smile from both twins.

"Bella, I'd like to get to the second part of you'r transformation if you'll allow me."

"In simple terms, your gunna bite me now." He nodded. "Over two years I waited for Edward to do this for me. I want it down on record that this whole kerfuffle about me breaking rules and stuff wasn't my fault. I begged him to bite me. Then he refused and I begged Carlisle. He agreed and so did most of the family but Edward was always trying to 'protect my soul'." They paid close attention to my ramblings.

"So Bella, this is a strange question but where would you like to be bitten?"

"Does it matter?"

"You will be left with a scar so it's better if you choose somewhere out of sight."

"I'm sure I won't really care where it is while I'm screaming, just go ahead and do it." I took a deep breath, the blood that had been injected in me seemed to bubble, pulsing with my quick heartbeat, still, I felt beyond relaxed. I was still calm as Alec grabbed me by the hip and turned me on my side, on hand remained on my hip, the other on the back of my knee, keeping it in place. I reained relaxed as he lowered his head to the very top of my thigh and bit me. I waited for agony. The tremendous burning that had been described in nail biting detail but it never came. A dull ache from the wound and in my veins as the venom spread.

"Bella, are you alright?" Jane asked, stroking a stray hair away from my face.

"Yeah, actually, it doesn't hurt all that much really…"

"Probably a side effect because of the blood." Jane told Alec as I yawned.

"Amazing. Master Aro will be amazed."

"Should we take her to him?" Jane asked her brother. Apparently he nodded as I felt myself being lifted, a blanket being draped over me to conceal my bare legs as I fell asleep in Alec's arms.