"Tanya, don't do this," Kate begged as she stood beside her sister, helplessly watching her pack her suitcase.
"I have to," Tanya said without looking up. "It's the only way to keep you all safe. Who knows how much time we have before they come."
"It could be months. There's no need for you to go rushing into anything," Kate replied. She'd been trying to persuade her to stay for the last four hours. She'd pleading with her relentlessly, but Tanya's mind was made up.
Then the phone rang. Kate sighed and answered it. Tanya could hear it was Alice this time, because Kate was standing close to her.
"Kate," Alice said.
"What is it? Did you see something else?"
"Yes," Alice answered, sounding worried. "They've decided on when they're going to come to get Eleazar."
Kate and Tanya both held their breath.
"They're coming next week. They must be in a hurry."
Tanya eyed her sister meaningfully.
"Thank you," Kate said, standing still like a statue.
"You're welcome. Maybe one of you can go there first, so they don't come to get anyone. It would me more dangerous to have the whole guard near your family."
Thank you, Alice, Tanya thought. She shot her sister another persuasive look.
Kate sighed, thanked Alice again and hung up the phone.
"See? I should go."
"Well... Maybe." Kate was obviously thinking of the idea of letting Garrett near any Volturi guard members. Garrett, who was always keen to pick a fight.
After a night spent on convincing the other coven members, Tanya went to the nearest Alaskan airport and got a ticket. Her flight was delayed, and she waited anxiously until she could board. Vampires didn't usually feel impatient, but she wanted to get there as soon as possible. What if they were already preparing their trip?
It was a 10-hour flight. While many other passengers slept, Tanya looked out the window and tried to formulate her speech to the Volturi. She needed her words to be powerful and convincing, but she'd never been one for speeching. That was Kate's cup of tea. But she had Garret now, and of course they wouldn't risk losing each other. Tanya was the only one who could do it.
In Rome, she took a connection to an airport close to Volterra. She'd have to run the last part of the way, but if she ran through the forest, no one would see her.
She wasn't used to seeing so many humans at once. Alaska was very sparsely populated. Sometimes, she had to focus to restrain herself. But her many experiences of loving human men had trained her well.
As soon as the plane landed, she rushed to get outside, which caused the annoyance of some fellow passengers. She got her suitcase and walked towards the forest. She knew where it was; Eleazar had explained it. As soon as she got to the trees, she was running.
-
"You can stay here until they are ready to receive you," Heidi said in a blunt tone.
Tanya took a step forward and saw a small room with stone walls, fluorescent lighting and a wooden desk and chair in the corner. There were no windows. The room stood in sharp contrast to the rest of the building, where marble and beautiful ornaments were prominent.
"Thank you," Tanya answered in the same tone, and Heidi left her alone.
She entered the room and stood there for a while. Then, she sat down. After a millennium, you got used to waiting. And it wasn't as bad as it had been in the airport; at least now, she was here. She didn't know how long it usually took for Aro to decide they were ready to see a guest. She had no idea whether she would be in here for days, months or even years. As she sat on the wooden chair and stared at the wall, she heard footsteps in the hallway. She could tell they were human; a vampire's footsteps were usually much more subtle.
Her door was opened and behind her, a soft and light voice said: "Can I offer you anything to drink?"