I hadn't always been this way. I knew that much. My life before running to Aro and the Volturi was hazy, but I could still remember fractions of it. I could see Alice's pixie hair, although I couldn't remember the name of handsome stranger by her side. I could hear sounds of Rosalie and Emmett, but not the words or their meanings. I could feel Esme's arms, but couldn't see her face. I remembered waking up to Carlisle for the first time. Yet with the fragments of all these thoughts, I knew I was missing something.

I shook the memories away as I stalked briskly down the hall. Aro knew better than to disturb me during the afternoon hours, my personal time away from the coven. I needed that time to maintain my head and control my feelings. It was difficult to live around so many vampires. I spent most of my day consciously forcing voices out of my head, if only to avoid the migraine that ensued such a mental onslaught. By the afternoon, I needed to be alone.

But in typical Aro style, when the old man felt the pull of a whim, my person space did not matter. After a century of this pettiness, I should have adjusted. I remember being called from my room once simply to marvel at a butterfly that had made its way into the turret. Another time, it was to speak of the history of dust. I shook my head briefly as I strolled through the antechamber and into the main hall, praying that this day would not be another one of pettiness.

The hall fell to a hush as I entered, both a literal hush and a mental one as well. Aro and Marcus were already seated on their thrones at the center of the hall when I entered, Aro looking anxiously for me. I stared harshly at Aro as I took my place seated at his left hand. Since the untimely demise of Caius some years back, I had been the third member of the Volturi's ruling coven. I had my suspicions about Aro's involvement in the death of his "friend," but one didn't speak of such matters in the light. One didn't speak of such matters and live, at least.

Aro's face turned with a slight smile as I hit the chair brusquely. "Was there some need for speaking to poor Jane so harshly? She came back rather in a fright, and I assured her that you meant no harm. Really, Edward, you must cultivate that tongue of yours. Become more like Marcus here…silent and commanding."

I looked over at Marcus, whose mind was centuries away from this court and decades away from the words of his brother. Marcus commanded nothing, not even his own mind. In fact, I could remember only a few brief moments when Marcus did, in fact, exist in the same realm as us. Since the loss of his love, his mate, Marcus had been little more than a shell. His body lived on in vampiric fashion, but his mind had died decades ago. His mental voice rarely groaned above a babble, and it was never comprehendible. Aro kept Marcus alive now only for the benefit of his powers - Aro was nothing if not practical.

I turned my eyes back to Aro. "Get on with it, then. Why did you call?" My voice was rough, as my mind sought to pick out of Aro's head the purpose of his summons. I immediately saw a young vampire, a trainee, leading a small group toward the chamber. "Oh, Jane was merely summoning me for lunch," I hissed quietly. I could have done without the food, but I settled into my chair for the entertainment. Something beautiful existed within the horror of these victim's deaths. Something burned through my heart when I heard the terror of their screams ringing through these halls. It was the only time I felt alive, felt that I existed. It was the closest I felt to her.

This group was a small one, primarily young adults. Their thoughts were on booze and dancing, not on the architecture of the city around them. College students on spring break, no doubt. I had heard these thoughts before. Yet one girl in particular caught my eye. She was young, perhaps younger than the rest, with brown hair that fell about her shoulders in waves. Light, translucent skins that looked too frail to cover bones. The body proportions were wrong, but the eyes were not. Flat brown eyes. Close enough.

Aro immediately noticed my attention, as I stiffened in my seat. He smiled curtly and extended his hand. "My boy…would you not like a treat? Take her. There are plenty more for us all." I needed no further invitation. I floated from my throne to her side, taking to my knee as I approached. Her eyes caught mine with a look of apprehension and delight. I smiled at her, spilling out the most beautiful Italian in the world.

"I…um…don't speak that?" She stuttered, clearly embarrassed. Her mind screamed of the impossibilities of this situation. She wasn't good enough, wasn't beautiful enough. Why me? She though over and over. I couldn't explain to her that she was replacing a ghost, that I heard someone else's voice repeating those words. That's never a good method to use when attempting to woo a young girl. I had tried it once.

"You're beautiful. Perfect. And I know of a private room nearby, decorated with priceless beauties that would pale next to your light. May I, my bella angela?" I rose from the floor and extended my arm. Of course, she took it. They always did. I turned back to glance at Aro only for a second as I led this young wonder from the room. As we left the inner hall, the doors closed behind us. I knew it would be only moments before the feast began.