Here is the next chapter. (another one!) (well, I was on a ~roll~ and I had to take advantage of that, right?)

I apologize for any errors, once again, I looked over it thrice this time and didn't find any but hey, I wouldn't know.

Please review/favorite/follow (if you could do all three, you are a saint in my eyes)!

Disclaimer: I own nothing except a really cute calendar with cats on it. All rights go to Stephenie Meyer. She has provided me a very intriguing world to explore and play around with.


Volterra, Italy, June 2006.

'Masters,' we greeted in unison as we entered the throne room, moving swiftly through the gilded wooden doors. It was just Renata, Felix, Demetri, Alec, Jane, Chelsea and I, the respective heads of the Guard.

'Children!' Aro smiled enthusiastically. It was not so much that he was pleased to see us, but rather pleased knowing that we were still completely his and completely available in his quest for power. 'How are you all?' He didn't wait for an answer, instead started moving down the line we had formed in front of him, grabbing our hands, starting with Felix. Eventually he came to Alec, who was standing next to me. Though he remained silent after releasing everybody's hands, he murmured, 'Interesting,' as he released Alec's. I shot Alec a quizzical glance, but Aro had already grasped mine. As always, I lifted my shield, as per Aro's request.

'Intriguing,' Aro declared, and Alec shot me a glance more questioning than the one I had given him. Our hands found each other's as Aro turned to Marcus and Caius. 'Our Isabella,' he said, my name rolling off his tongue in almost a purr, 'is contemplating her departure from the Guard.'

Marcus gave me a small smile. Like me, he too hated it here, ever since Aro had killed off his mate, but yet, he could not leave. Caius, though, was indifferent. He did not particularly like it here, but he did not hate it either. I don't think either of them would've stopped me from leaving. Caius and Marcus merely wished to keep the laws upheld in our world, and while Aro wished the same, he had an inborn quest for power, a fire that refused to be quenched. I bet that even if he had the entire Earth in his grasp, he would look to outer space.

'I see,' Caius murmured, though I knew he didn't really care.

Marcus stayed silent.

'Is that all you are going to say, my brothers?' Aro sighed. 'Bella, Bella, Bella,' he muttered, though in his smooth tone it sounded like a murmur. 'Not only are you truly beautiful as your name suggests, but you are...' He paused, his hand caressing my cheek as he searched for the right word. Alec's grip tightened. 'Of much value,' he said finally. 'You know none of us could bear to lose you.'

Alec nearly crushed my hand. I glared at him mentally, sending a thought to him: go ahead, Alec, my hand is not about to shatter. Apologetically he smiled at me and loosened his grip.

'I know,' I murmured in reply, sliding my shield back into place. None of them could bear to lose me? True, because they knew me for who I was, as a person – though 'person' is a long stretch in reference to my existence. Aro, on the other hand, merely wanted me in his quest for power. Over the years, my shield had expanded and been developed into such a powerful tool that I understood why he wouldn't let me go. Now I could shield anyone within a five-kilometer radius and lift my shield for an hour at most. I could also send thoughts and images into other people's head, but I could not read their thoughts – something that Aro so desperately wanted me to be able to do, but alas, I failed time and time again. Not that I cared.

'We will discuss this further later,' Aro decided, stepping in front to face the whole group. 'More important matters are at hand.'

Felix and Demetri leaned forward eagerly as Renata, Alec, Jane and I rolled our eyes. They were always eager for a fight, ready to show off their brute strength and combat skill.

'We have been notified of a newborn army forming in Seattle, Washington, heading towards the small town of Forks where the Olympic coven resides.' This, of course, caused a stir. A newborn army and the Cullens? A newborn army was one of the few illegal things disallowed under vampire laws. After the ridiculous wars in southern America in the eighteen hundreds, Marcus, Aro and Caius had effectively banned the formation of newborn armies. Since then, there had not been anybody who dared to break the law – till now, at least. As for the Olympic coven - the Cullens were led by Carlisle Cullen, the very first 'vegetarian' vampire of our kind, so to speak. He and his coven did not drink human blood, only from animals, out of their sheer compassion for humanity. The others and I had discussed this plenty times and even experimented but it could never compare to the liquid that flowed through a human's arteries and veins, pulsing and warm.

Aro gave us a look that immediately made us shut up. 'Their numbers stand at roughly one hundred as of now. They have been the cause behind the killings that have made the news in Seattle and the government is guessing it is the work of gangs, or maybe a group of serial killers. Of course, this is far too inconspicuous to be tolerated and if we do not act soon, we may be viewed as fools even more than we already are, and we cannot allow that, can we?'

'No, Master,' we all chimed. 'I say we go now,' added Felix and Demetri shot him a wide grin.

'Patience, child,' Aro said reproachfully. 'You will be going – soon. As there are one hundred or so of them, I suppose that all of you will be enough and no extra guard will be necessary, unless you deem it so. We have received notification from the Cullens; they will be participating in the fight. They have a seer, who predicts that the fight will happen in two days' time. Do take this time to strategize; your tickets are booked for tomorrow morning. That is all,' Aro finished, turning around and gliding back to his ornate throne, staring straight ahead.

Bowing, we exited the room and headed for an empty room on the third floor of the castle that we always used for battle strategy.

Lazily, we all took our places around the long wooden oak table. Felix threw his feet up and we all groaned simultaneously – it was so Felix. As soon as Alec and I, who were the last ones in, took our seats, Jane immediately began talking, as Head of the Guard.

'Seeing as they're only a hundred or so of them, this will be easy,' Jane declared and we all nodded our heads in assent. 'Chelsea, make sure the newborns feel committed to their creator, whoever they are. They need to have the constant thought of them risking their lives to protect them. It would be easy, from there. Renata, you'll be on the offensive with Felix and Demetri. The three of you are to rip arms, legs, fingers, hair; anything you can grab. Especially their heads, though, take note.' Jane eyed them carefully, making sure they were paying attention to her. 'Isabella, we do not know if there'll be anybody with abilities like us, especially physiological ones. Your job is to shield us from them. Alec, you stay with her and guard her.' Alec only nodded too eagerly at this – while we did flirt and fool around a bit, we were truly nothing more than best friends. He was more than happy to protect me. 'Nobody is to touch Isabella; her shield is going to protect us all. If things get too rough and Alec alone cannot handle it, Isabella will notify Renata through a thought and she will take Alec's place. Alec will switch to an offensive position and keep Isabella safe. I will, of course, be walking around and inflicting pain on whoever is getting out of hand.' She smiled, almost sadistically. It must be all the time with Caius over the last few centuries that made her border on sadism, I theorized. But she was willing to protect me, even with Renata, our most powerful defense. Thank you, I sent to Jane. I appreciate it. She gave me a small smile in return.

'Sister,' Alec called. 'How about I remove them completely and we burn them all alive?' he proposed. 'And when they're in the fire, I'll bring them back.'

I slapped his arm. 'Be nice.'

'Where's the fun in that?' Felix groaned. 'We might as well not go.' Demetri nodded fervently in agreement.

'Brother,' Jane replied, her tone castigating. 'The newborns have done nothing wrong. They are ignorant. Though I would not let them live, I will not subject them to such torture. You may save that for the creator, brother; I would be more than happy to let you do it.'

'Fine,' Alec acquiesced, just as Felix and Demetri let out a huge whoop.

This would be fun.


The weather in Seattle was cool, with a northeasterly breeze. But it didn't really matter – I didn't feel cold anymore. Though what was left of my human memories were ridiculously hazy, I remembered one thing very clearly – the weather. The way I'd shiver when the wind blew or the way I'd feel my cheeks heat in the summer sun.

We had brought nothing but our cloaks with us and hence the moment we moved through customs, we started planning which way was best to go. Felix and Demetri were set on stealing cars – Grand Theft Auto a la Seattle – which Jane strongly opposed, seeing as we were supposed to remain inconspicuous. Renata and Chelsea were staring at the flight arrival and departure board, debating enthusiastically about countries and cities all over the globe.

Alec sat next to me on the uncomfortable plastic chairs, the two of us watching Felix, Demetri and Jane in clear amusement.

'I do not understand why they're so set on stealing the car,' Alec murmured, constantly surveying the area around us for any sign of threat.

I rolled my eyes. 'Stop being so paranoid, Alec. I do have an idea why though.'

'Pray tell.' He leaned forward, looking directly into my eyes, crimson to crimson. He grinned and I couldn't help but grin back.

'Hello?' I rolled my eyes again. 'Video games, Alec, video games. Or are you becoming senile?'

'I am not senile, Isabella. And yes, I see where you are coming from. The idea of driving down a sidewalk and killing pedestrians is so appealing.'

I shrugged and was about to reply when Jane started to smile – it was the one she made whenever she was about to inflict pain. Immediately, I cast my shield over Felix and Demetri. Obviously, she noticed this and turned to glare at me.

'Not here,' I mouthed. 'Wait till we're out of public.'

She frowned but stopped anyway; knowing Aro would almost kill her if she did something in public.

'Anyway,' I continued, turning back to Alec. 'Think of the bloodshed left behind.'

I wasn't sure if I had imagined his eyes darkening. 'We could help clean up,' he suggested.

'Alec!' I hit his arm. 'We fed just before we left.'

He shrugged. 'Blood should never go to waste.'

I didn't have time to reply – Jane had already made a decision. We would make the journey to Forks on foot, heading east once we crossed city limits. Felix and Demetri looked vaguely unsatisfied but made no complaint. It was not wise to go against Jane, and I wouldn't be there every time to shield them.

Quietly, we made our way towards city limits. We couldn't run, unfortunately – a brisk walk was the most we could manage. And since we never got tired, we didn't need to stop. We hit city limits in an hour, tops, and were greeted by a stretch of dense forest.

'Great,' Felix muttered. 'Trees.'

Jane shot him a look, a ghost of a smile on her face and he shut up instantly. She started running, then, and we took formation behind her. Felix and Demetri ran behind her, followed by Chelsea and Renata, while Alec and I were at the back. The forest was thick and incredibly green. I had never seen so many shades of green in one place and trust me: I had seen a lot of green in my existence as an immortal. With my sight I could see every shade crystal clear, every leaf and every branch stood out. I think I might've spotted a deer or two. The best thing about all of this was, however, the fact that no matter where I looked, I never tripped. I was always on track, always next to Alec. The browning leaves under my feet barely made a sound as I passed. It was more flying than running, and if any human were here, they would've mistaken it for a passing breeze.

About an hour in, we emerged at the empty clearing, a small empty patch in the forest.

Stepping forward, Jane stood in front of all of us, while we stood in a straight line behind her, with Felix and Demetri at the flanks. As she lifted her hood, so did we. And staring right at us was the Olympic coven.


Next chapter we get some interaction between the guard and the Cullens, between Bella and Edward.

EXCITING STUFF. : )

And guess what? It's already written. All I'm asking is for one review for the next one ( :

Clara.