The soft clinking of water drops hitting the metal drain had to of stemmed from Chinese water torture. I sighed. Being in the dark for fourteen hours was more than enough thinking, plotting, and devising time. It was the breaking out part that wasn't coming to fruition.

I could somewhat see my own hand in front of me, or I imagined so if I had my hands for use. They were bound behind me in chains or cufflinks. There was a sliver of light from the sky protruding from the center of the ceiling. I knew someone had to of been deemed the food bringer because that exact same person came back and forth. I think his name was Edward. He had to of been. He was the only one whose mate I hadn't killed. Although the Volturi warned me that he was the one without a mate...they spoke that he would be no easy target because he was gifted...like me.

I fought the instinct to raise my head and held it down, as I heard the ratting of a key as it unlocked the door. Edward walked in, carrying a tray of food. Instead of raising a fork to my sealed mouth, he paused as if attempting to say something. I gathered Carlisle, the head of this coven, ordered him to not say anything. But, I wouldn't reply back even if he did. And, he didn't.

He swiftly turned on his heels and I watched the back of his dark blue shirt while he walked away, his black shoes foreshadowing the coming silence. I never saw his face. Seconds later, my stomach growled, disturbing the silence and giving way to my annoyance. I sighed again.

Then, I heard soft whispers that I couldn't make out, which meant vampires were talking in their "not for human ears" way. The Volturi trained me to make out when vampires were talking, but they couldn't train my human ears to make out what they were saying. You can train a fish to swim a lap for food, but training it to climb up a tree is a completely different story.

The blonde man walked in, or Carlisle walked inand stared at me. Not with contempt for killing his wife, but with graveness. I raised my eyebrow. I wasn't afraid.

"Why did you kill my wife?" he asked, looking me square in the eye.

I cocked my head to the left and stared at him blankly. "I didn't like her dress," I spat.

His frown became deeper as if contemplating something.

"If you do not tell me, I will be forced to use harsher measures-"

"Like you weren't going to kill me before." I interrupted, staring back with little interest.

He sighed and grabbed a stool. Where had that stool been? Well, not seeing a black short object in the dark wouldn't be too uncommon.

He put his face in his hands and massaged his pale skin.

I stared at the floor during this break of conversation as the thoughts of every killing the Volturi had ordered upon me. Like a puppet with strings attached, I walked. Not being able to see, not being able to feel, not being able to move of my own accord, it drove me to numbness. A numbness no one could pierce through. Their red eyes constantly watching my every move. I could feel them on me even now, but you get used to having red eyes following you. Not having them...lead me to question the normalcy of that situation.

"Where are your parents?" he interjected.

This question, however, threw me off. My parents? Why would he ask that?

"Dead."

"Is that why you killed Esme? Because your parents were killed by what I'm assuming were vampires. So, you decided to become a vampire slayer. Is that correct?"

"No. I killed them."

"Why?"

I didn't have an answer to that question. Why did he care? Why was he asking? What would this change? His wife was already dead. Another question of his that threw me off. Another question I didn't have an answer to...Why did I kill them?

"I was bored," I replied, meeting his golden-topaz eyes.

His look threw me off. He didn't look at me with hatred or disgust. It looked akin to sympathy and yearning. But, yearning for what...? It was probably sexually or perverted lust. That's all vampires ever had, especially for human girls. I wasn't stupid.

"Carlisle, do you wanna know why I did it?" I asked, lowering my voice and looking at him through my hair.

"Yes," he said determinedly while standing.

"I never had a man who could give me what I need. Can you give me what I need, Carlisle?" I asked, drawling out the ending syllable.

He backed away warily. "I would never dishonor Esme by sleeping with another woman so soon, especially the one who killed her."

That stung.

"The Volturi are going to send another one of me pretty soon. So, kill me or don't. But, you and your whole family will die."

"That very well may be, but I will fight to the death for my family. No matter how many Volturi members will be sent-" His voice cracked. So, I looked up. "I will still fight for my family. I will fight for Esme!"Venom tears were flowing down his face shamelessly.

I could see the outline of a body start to stir in the corner of my vision. It put his hand on Carlisle's shoulder while still keeping his eyes on me. Jasper...I thought.

"Carlisle, please allow me to handle this."

"Jasper, I don't think you're in any position to be dealing with this human." Carlisle responded.

"I am very well versed in dealing with their kind. I'll get her to talk."

Involuntary chills scrambled up my back to my neck. This was the one to look out for.

"Jasper, if you kill her we may never know if your mate is forever dead or if she is just saying that."

Jasper's hand tightened on his shoulder.

"I know, Carlisle."

Carlisle passed a look at Jasper that moved towards me before he walked out the room.

"Now, let's get to business." He stepped forward, and I laughed in spite of myself.

What's so funny?"

"You think I'll tell you the truth? You think I have a magic potion in my bag that will save your anorexic looking wife? Here's the truth. She's dead, and we're all better off."

A fist swung into my jaw. I tasted blood. Then, a slap struck me across the opposite side of my face.

"That first one was for me. The second was for my wife. I don't know who you think you are, but I'm going to teach you why your kind is prey."

I narrowed my eyes at him in defiance.

He then punched me in the stomach using a lot of strength. I coughed up a lot of blood as a result.

"Are you ready to tell me what happened to my wife?" he asked, furious.

I leaned in towards his ear and whispered. "She's...six...feet...under."

He turned away from me, his body stiff with pent up anger.

"What? You don't have any more?!" I screamed. My hands and feet jingling all the chains while I slammed them on concrete.

He left.

I suddenly noticed the knife that was placed on a table that was five feet away. I began using my fire to melt the metal from the cufflinks. Why didn't I do this earlier you ask?

I fell down on my side with a thud. My hip began to hurt and spread through that side. I knew I had to keep moving. I stood up and snatched the knife. Moving to the door, I pressed my ear to the door. The barely made audible whispers were nonexistent. This was my chance.

I used the knife to pick through the lock and made it out of that cramped underground jail. Had I used my fire I would've burned the door by attempting to melt the lock. Then, it would be blatantly obvious I was escaping. I was in a hallway and I traveled through them towards the warm light that looked like artificial light. Leading me to believe, I was in a home.

I was in the Cullen's house.

Esme, Rosalie, and Alice were lying in respective coffins in the living room.

How ironic.

I made way past them after no signs of life in the house, and through the front door.

Snow covered the floor.

My blood splattered the ground with every step I took. I always hated when something would ruin its pure color, especially pollution. It would ruin the image by making this brown slush on the sides of the road. And, people just went through their lives. Sometimes even innocently unaware of it until it splashed in their face.

My blood was the same, and I hated how it covered the ground. And, I hated how it would lead to my own destruction by leading a path right to where I was.

I was holding my stomach while panting out white breaths that were getting less full of life and less full of air.

I got all the way to the forest for cover. Then, I fell to my knees in pain, my eyes giving away nothing. Then, my stomach lurched. More blood splattered.

But, this one last breath I had...I saved it. I saved it because I saw an angel somewhere through this catastrophic mess.

He had liquid auric eyes with russet hair that flowed every time he moved as if on command. The line for his slender nose ran down and then curved away slightly. His lips were full and very pink. Not hot pink, but a much softer pink. When he saw me, his eyes widened slightly. The upper lip moved as if trying to say something. Alabaster skin covered his chiseled body. His skin was white and sparkled. Kind of like the snow on a bright, calm day.

Just then, darkness covered it all.