AN: I know you all want to kill me. I'm a horrible updater, but do realize this. If you kill me, you won't find out how this story ends. Anyway, read it and weep. This chapter had more than 8000 words in it. I made it especially long for all you lovely readers.

Also, if at some point you think that this one chapter has miraculously turned this story from rated T to a rated M in a few seemingly insignificant words, I'm sorry. If this story gets changed to M, it'll be much later. I know this chapter may make Bella seem a little out of character, but realize that she really, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY wants to die. And then things will dwindle down from there.

Disclaimer: I, Sovoyita, do not own the Twilight saga or its characters. Thank you for rubbing it in.


Chapter 3: First Sight, New Thirst

BPOV

When you are young, you never think about dying. At age five, you think how you are best friends with nearly every kid in your kindergarten class. At age ten, you have a huge crush on that boy in your class and you gush about him to your parents every second you get. When you are fifteen, you try and convince your parents that you an adult and start wearing clip on body jewelry and wash off tattoos. At seventeen, you are learning how to keep yourself grounded, still slacking off on your chores and such, still pretending to be a full-fledged adult, waiting for your parents to realize this as well.

But not me.

At age five, I had already begun learning how to cook and clean, learning how to be a parent to care for my scatter-brained mother. At age ten, I learned that the supernatural existed and that monsters that were supposed to be hiding in young children's closets truly did exist. I saw those monsters prove to me that they existed when they killed my parents. Age fifteen was the start of my many attempts of suicide. At age seventeen, here I sit, waiting in the house of my parent's murderers, waiting to be sentenced to an eternity as one of the blood-lusting eternally damned.

Perhaps this was a sign, a sign telling me that I was supposed to live throughout eternity. If it was a sign, then the gods had a sick sense of humor. I stared at the canopy of my bed, making imaginary patterns in the stone ceiling. The nightmares had been more vivid last night. Memories of my mother's piercing screams made goose bumps appear on my skin; my father's face as he was drained of his life's essence froze my blood.

I remained uninterrupted, lessons with Alec cancelled for the day seeing as he would be with the rest of the guard when the vegetarians visited. I didn't complain. Lessons were tedious, often leading to me getting even more narked with the overly intelligent child-vampire. His calm demeanor meant nothing to me. I knew what he was capable of and exactly how he would use it.

Sighing, I climbed out of my bed and walked over to the large wardrobe I had been provided with. Inside hung ten dresses, all jet black with a ruffled skirt and corset top, and on the floor laid a pair of plain black Mary Janes. Snatching one of the all too familiar dresses from the hanger, I got ready for the day. Really, I couldn't comprehend why they forced me to wear this clothing. If I wasn't going anywhere and I wasn't making my presence known in the castle, there was no point in dressing into a dress I hated. Silently allowing myself to get angry over nothing, I dressed and grabbed an old, leather bound copy of Pride & Prejudice. Another thing I didn't have in common with normal human teenagers. While they hardly read at all (though if they did, I'm sure they read fantasy novels), I read the classic Jane Austen novels.

And so began my day.

EPOV

The plane landed in Florence International Airport, the turbulence causing a few passengers thoughts to spin around frantically. I ignored the 'voices' until they were nothing but a faraway buzzing in the back of my mind. It didn't make sense for us to be here at all. Aro's request for us to visit Volterra wasn't exactly sensible. Having the leading doctor from a small town disappear for a few days was enough to nearly cause havoc amongst the town gossips. We were already subconsciously feared by the humans. There was no need for us to draw attention to ourselves in such a small town where news spread faster than wildfire during a drought.

"Shall we?" My "father", Carlisle, called me out of my thoughts. I stood and exited the plane, being careful to slow my pace in front of the vast number of humans. It was the end of summer and people were returning to their homes, paying for last minute flights in an attempt to get home early enough to prepare for the upcoming work week. My father ran a hand through his golden blond hair, his matching eyes showing a hint of nervousness. The truth was, we weren't exactly sure of why we were called. This large group of vampire "royalty" had no valid reason to invite us, but with Aro, things seemed to be taken to the extreme. I had never had the misfortune to meet any of the Volturi, but it seemed that today was my lucky day.

--

The drive to Volterra didn't take longer than an hour, mostly because traffic among the more populated cities that we passed didn't enable us to drive as fast as we would have liked. It didn't help that I wasn't pleased with the vehicle options when we had requested a Mercedes. The one we were able to snag seemed to be having problems with the engine, and the annoyance I felt was beginning to be overwhelming.

We arrived in the wall-encased town, the few people walking the square staring at us from afar. Of course they would stare. They were our natural prey and our inhuman beauty drew them to us, making them an easy feast. But I wouldn't give into temptation. I was good at this life that Carlisle had created, allowing us live amongst the humans and at least pretend to be normal. Of course, my guess is that the hunting of wildlife with my teeth was anything but normal. Nor was mind-reading.

Clouds filled the sky, the white puffs of gaseous water covering the rays of sunlight as they tried to shine. Carlisle and I sped up a bit as we ventured through the square, trying to get to the clock tower. We finally got into the shadows of the clock tower, and that's when I heard the thoughts.

Why must we deal with these outcasts!? They are a disgrace to our race! The young female voice that 'spoke' these words was annoyed and angry. I had almost laughed. The scent of the other vampires near us was wafting out from a dark alley where they lurked in the shadows, much like a majority of our kind. Three shadows walked out of the alley, striding too gracefully, their eyes burgundy rimmed with black and their skin a chalky white color. Their black robes flitted around them as they moved. As soon as they saw us, their thoughts all but disappeared. They blocked by thoughts of guard divisions, tactics, their past killings, anything but personal thoughts of why we were here. Suspicion shot through my mind. Why would they want us here if we had done nothing wrong? We had protected our existence as best we could from the humans. According to the thoughts of those in our tiny little home town, nobody even suspected the well-mannered family made up of five very attractive adoptive children that were still in high school and their two equally attractive adoptive parents, one of which was one of the most well-respected men in town.

"Ah, Felix, Demetri, Jane, it's been too long." Two gleaming sets of white teeth shone in the darkness, the two male vampires, Felix and Demetri both smiling kindly at us…or that's what it seemed like. I could practically see the humor in their eyes as they gazed into our golden eyes, a clear sign that we were different, abnormal amongst the abnormal. The other child-like vampire kept a stoic face, only her thoughts about getting us back into the castle giving away the fact that she didn't want to be there. From what I could see, the two males held much respect for the child, giving her the lead and allowing her to take control over the situation.

"This way, Carlisle, Edward." And we followed her down the alley. We followed them down a hidden path that couldn't be seen at all when it was covered up to look like a man hole. And into the labyrinth we go, I thought to myself. It didn't take us long to reach our destination: a blandly decorated lobby that held one front desk and something I didn't expect to see. A human female smiling kindly at us as we walked into the room.

Hmm, I wonder what these two are here for. Oh well, it's none of my business. Maybe they need more vampires for the guard? What if I'm considered for the position…

That was unexpected. Her thoughts weren't frightened, nor did she care that these creatures weren't keeping her for what she wanted. She was nothing for a useless tool in their sick game; in the end, she would be nothing but a snack to them. I pitied her for believing that they truly wanted her. Sometimes, our species just lied too well.

The youngest vampire nodded to the human and guided us to an elevator. As the door opened, there was a small male that looked much like her. Both had their dark, nearly black hair combed neatly and both had the same facial features. "Ah, Jane!" The young male pulled her into a light hug where they both kissed each other's cheeks. They were siblings. "Alec." She curtsied, a small smile playing on her features as she hugged her brother. They released each other and proceeded to show us the way.

Both led us into the elevator and down deeper into the eerie castle. The dark décor reminded me just how different we were. They preferred to linger in the dark; to hide away from humans unless they were feeding, and even then, the humans had no idea what fate lied ahead when there were taken. My family wanted to be as normal as possible, to live amongst the humans in peace and to spare their short lives. Yes, there was a price to pay for allowing them to live their lives, but it was well worth it. Every human life was significant, whether the significance was good or bad.

And then there was a corridor leading down to one large, antique looking door. I could hear the thoughts of others behind the threshold, like a whisper as they realized that we were close. We walked through the doorway and our eyes met with numerous pairs of burgundy colored eyes, their faces pale white and seemingly perfect. It made me uncomfortable, knowing that we were so close to so many traditional monsters and that they enjoyed their lifestyles, killing humans for both necessity and game.

Almost instantly, I realized who their leaders were. Their minds seemed to stand out, almost as if their thoughts were shouting out above the rest. From the crowd of vampires stepped out three men stepped out. All were graceful, inhumanly beautiful, and burgundy eyes, just like the rest of our species, but there was a difference. Two, one with long, shockingly white hair, Caius, and the other with shoulder length black hair, Aro, of their eyes were a cloudy red, as if a milky veil had covered their irises. The other, a brown haired male, Marcus, seemed indifferent to everything going on around him, his thoughts not giving anything away besides the fact that he truly was bored with what was going on. His monotone 'voice' told me that something wasn't right with this vampire. His stature almost seemed slumped, something that didn't really make much sense amongst our kind.

The portrait of them that resided inside Carlisle home office came to my mind instantly, telling me exactly who they all were. Aro stood in front, Caius and Marcus leading up the rear. The other vampires watched us with curious red eyes, sizing us up. Jane was right; technically, we were like a disgrace to our kind. I would take their shame if it meant that humans wouldn't die because of me. Plenty already had.

"Carlisle, my old friend, it's been too long!" Aro exclaimed, his arms rising from his sides as he and Carlisle met for a friendly hug. Aro's skin brushed against Carlisle's, and I saw inside his head. He saw everything Carlisle had ever seen, which meant I could do the same. He saw the family, the places we had lived, how we lived, everything. His own thoughts were those of surprise and wonder as he saw how successfully our life was amongst the humans. Everything that Carlisle had ever thought and seen he saw and now so had I.

All the thoughts spun through his head in a matter of seconds, and as he released Carlisle, he stared at my father in wonder. "Well Carlisle, I see you have been thriving. Who knew that such a way of life could be so beneficial! I must say, I was a bit skeptical, that maybe you were just a bit biased, but now that I have seen, well, I have never been happier to be wrong." They both chuckled lightly before he took a good look at me. He was curious about my gift, knowing how similar it was to his own but also seeing how different. A kind but curious smile spread across his face as he eyed me.

"You must be Edward. I've seen much about you." Apparently, the courtesy to keep that little bit to himself didn't exist. I nodded and planted a smile on my face. He came forward and held out his hand before looking at me expectantly and saying, "May I?" As if I have a choice, I thought sourly before placing my own hand in his. The instant our skin touched, memories, sounds, sights, smells, other people's thoughts, everything was brought forth as he pulled everything he could from my touch. Our minds could analyze things in seconds, but he took his time in this, making sure he didn't miss anything of importance.

Finally, he released my mind from his hold and gave me a rather large smile. "That's amazing! I'm jealous. To be able to read another's thoughts from afar, it would be so much more useful." I shook my head and smiled again –fake, as usual. "Well, your gift is much more thorough. While I can read thoughts from afar, I can only read the person's current thoughts. You can see everything, even things they may have forgotten themselves. I would have to say that your gift is probably far more useful than mine." He nodded, his mind going elsewhere for a moment before he looked at me curiously.

"I've seen your family through your mind, but the person's whose gift astounds me is Alice. Are her visions truly that accurate? Its quite astounding." So that's what he wanted, to have her join the guard for his own use. But when I focused in on his mind, it wasn't only her who he wanted. He wanted Alice, Jasper, and me. And he wasn't even hiding the fact from his thoughts.

"I apologize Aro, but our family is pretty happy the way things are." He smiled knowingly and shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, but I knew how disappointed he was. And then his thoughts were replaced by the guard divisions. My eyes narrowed at him. He was blocking me.

"Now, onto business, though I am sorry that this visit wasn't meant for pleasantries. Carlisle, it seems I'm going to need a favor…" Carlisle nodded and gestured for him to continue. "It appears that you have more experience with humans. You are gifted in the medical field, something that I nor any of the vampires here in Volterra are. Well, I have a human that will need some…supervision." Immediately, I thought back to the human secretary. Maybe she was more important than I thought…

"You see, she is rather…gifted. Her abilities will be beneficial to the guard once she has changed, I'm sure of it. But she is rebellious, and I feel that this has come from not being amongst her own race for the past few years. You have more experience in understanding human nature. I know this is a big thing to ask of you, but please consider this. Would you be willing to take this human under your wing for a year or so?" His voice was almost pleading, and he didn't seem to notice that for a moment, he didn't guard his thoughts. I caught a picture of the girl in his mind, flashing almost too quickly before I got a good look.

A pale, heart-shaped face with brown eyes appeared in my mind. So, this was the rebellious girl? It must have been a joke. There was nothing special about her; it was just a normal, human girl that happened to have a gift. And he wanted her to live with us.

Carlisle was pacing a bit, a habit most humans seemed to have when they were thinking. In his mind, he was considering having this human in our home, how maybe Jasper could learn to have more control if he was surrounded by a human at all times. But the other thoughts were of the human, worried that she could get hurt in a home full of vampires. Of course, she had lived with more dangerous creatures through her life, but he still feared what may happen.

"Aro, I'm not sure if that would be a good idea. Perhaps if I meet her, get a view of her thoughts, then maybe I can understand the situation a bit better." I had to offer; hopefully, she was much tamer than he stated. Maybe he just wasn't used to the behavior of humans. Her thoughts should have given him everything he needed when he first touched her. But he shook his head and looked down for a moment.

"Ah, young one," I nearly scoffed at being called young, though compared to him, I was, "that's her gift. Her mind is impenetrable, even by Jane and Alec." Our confused look made him chuckle as he waved his hand for Jane and Alec to come forth. Their dance-like walk brought them to his side and he asked them to make a demonstration. In Jane's mind, she was watching one of the many female vampires in the room. And before our eyes, the female fell to the floor, screaming in agony as Jane smiled with malicious intent. And then, it all stopped. Alec's mind was calmer as he concentrated on the same female. In her mind, she was scared; she couldn't move or feel anything. Her inability to sense the things around her frightened her, as it did me. Vampires' senses were important to us. They helped us hunt and fight. Without the ability to fight back, she was a sitting duck.

"As you can see, Jane's power allows her to create pain in the mind of another. Its all an allusion, but it is just as painful. Alec's power is quite the opposite. The victim is rendered motionless and they cannot move or feel anything. Quite a dangerous combination, don't you think? When I found them, I was amazed. The potential was there, so we changed them. Unfortunately, we could not do the same when we caught Isabella." I caught a clear picture of a young, mahogany-haired girl with two adults beside her. And then the scene changed. The two adults were lying on the ground, covered in blood as Jane glared as the girl, who then had a clear look of determination on her face as she awaited her death.

A strange feeling overwhelmed me. Perhaps it was an ancient emotion, a feeling of protectiveness, the strong protecting the weak. Jane's threatening stare on the small child was almost frightening. To see a small child as the victim of pain that almost matched the change from human to vampire was unthinkable. And these people that were lying crumpled on the floor, they meant something to her, something important. And these monsters had taken them from her, leaving her alone in a place inhabited with life-drinking creatures. She was all alone; she was the prey to their predator.

"Her parents were killed and I'm afraid she still holds a grudge against us. We would have thought that she would have forgiven us, or at least understood the situation, but she is much more stubborn than most humans." He chuckled lightly before continuing. "But I must say, she is unique and intelligent. You can't imagine how so. You will just have to meet her. Jane, go prepare her. Tell her who she shall be meeting and when." He paused for a moment. "Oh, and tell her she shan't complain unless she wants to be punished." The gasp caught in my throat. It seemed Carlisle was having the same problem controlling his emotions.

What is Aro thinking?! She is human. I'm surprised she hasn't been killed yet. Punishment…it's insane! My thoughts were very nearly the same. The fragile human girl I saw wouldn't have been able to handle this.

From afar, I listened intently to Jane's thoughts. They were of sheer annoyance with the human girl who was refusing to meet us. I could hear her low voice, quiet and calm as she politely refused. The pages of a book were being turned, the light thump of the girl's fingers against the book the only other sound. She didn't sound rebellious at all, just a bit stubborn. Aro chuckled and smiled knowingly. "Ah, she must be upset…we told her she could be alone today. Oh well, come then gentlemen. It's time for you to meet Isabella."

He led us away down several corridors until we finally reached a thick cherry wood door. Jane stood outside, a clear look of anger on her face as she clenched her fists. I bit back a laugh. Really, how frustrating could this woman-child be?

"That thing you call a human is waiting, whether she likes it or not." Her voice was full of malice as her mind raced, thinking of how much she wished the girl's mind wasn't blocked. I could hear the even breathing of the girl, her heartbeat unwavering. Was she not scared of our kind? It must have come with time. She had been here for awhile. I took in a deep breath, trying to catch the scent of the human. It was there. Sweet, much like other human blood, but covered with the scent of vampires. I couldn't be definite of exactly how she smelled, so I internally shrugged. I had hunted recently. My thirst was under control.

Aro chuckled at Jane's behavior before his face became thoughtful for a moment. "Hmm, Edward, perhaps you should go first. Maybe if she meets someone her own age first, someone who knows humans and their natures, she will be more…willing." I nodded. It made sense, but my knowledge of humans wasn't all pleasant. Yes, I could see into their minds, but that didn't mean that their thoughts were all good-natured. Teenagers were often cruel, vitriol spilling out from their thoughts when they were jealous or angry. Their minds were petty and small, their thoughts stuck on superficial possessions and vanity. My hand grasped the knob and I turned, preparing myself for this human. If she was so used to the presence of our kind, maybe I could have a normal conversation with her. Though I didn't want her in our home, I would have rather had her there than here.

I listened into the thoughts of those around me once more before entering the room. The others had gone off back to the other room, something about a vampire named Heidi coming soon. Carlisle left with one more parting thought, saying that he would be back soon. He wanted to get more out of Aro on the human girl. And with no more distractions, I opened the door and walked in slowly, not wanting to frighten the girl.

The room wasn't anything like what I expected. The stone walls seemed to close in, bringing along with it a claustrophobic feel. There were no windows, so different compared to my own room back home. Here, darkness was something that seemed to emanate from everything. The girl's room was filled with black and blood red, nothing brighter than that. The only lighting came from a single lamp in the corner of the room emitting the yellow colored light. And then I heard the same steady breathing of the girl. She was lying on a black, iron-wrought bed, the black and red satin sheets plush beneath her form.

From where I stood ten feet away, I could see what she looked like and every single thing that Aro's thoughts hadn't given away. Her skin looked too pale, almost the color of my own skin, the black dress she wore making it all the more pale in comparison, translucent. She wore a dark blue cape over the dress, the color making her skin look more like ivory, creamy and soft. It truly was her shade. Her heart shaped face looked down, away from me and not even turning slightly at my appearance. She was beautiful in the sense that her facial features were unique. Her eyes were wide, her upper lip more plump than the lower, her nose straight and small. Aro's thoughts didn't do her justice. And everything was quiet. No thoughts were attacking my mind besides those of the others in the castle. I hadn't noticed that I had been holding my breath. I took in a breath of air.

And all froze.

I was the predator and she was my prey. Nothing in the world would change that. I was a vampire and she had the sweetest blood I had ever had the fortune to smell. My vision was red as I watched her every breath, her lungs filling with air, powering her heart that pumped her disgustingly appetizing blood. There were no thoughts. She was just like the animals I hunted. And I stopped my breath. I wouldn't take her, not now, not ever. I had worked hard for the control that I now took pride in. This girl couldn't make me ruin everything I had worked so hard for.

Without looking up, she spoke. "If you are going to kill me, I hope you can do it soon. Death would be a nice reprieve from everyday life in the castle." She wanted this!? It was taking everything in me to stop from taking her in that moment and here she was, asking me for death. I was practically shaking when she finally looked up at me.

Her wide, brown eyes weren't flat as they had been in Aro's thoughts. No, they were chocolate brown, the deepest pool of color I had ever seen. From where I stood, I could see everything. Her past, her troubles, her hatred, her anger, her anguish, everything that had ever happened to her. She seemed to be taking in my appearance, sizing me up from the bottom up. When she finally caught sight of my eyes, probably black now that the monster inside me was ready to take her and claim her as his own. She didn't flinch when she stared into my hatred filled eyes. Instead, she stood from the bed and looked up through her lashes at me.

"What is it, vampire? Are you thirsty?" Her voice was low and inviting. I couldn't stop myself from nodding at her question. I wanted her so badly. A small smirk played across her features; she knew she was winning. "Why don't you come here and have a taste? No one will know. Does it smell good?" Again, I nodded. My jaw was tensing painfully as the two different sides of my mind fought for dominance.

Take her. You know you want to, and so does she. She wants you to have her. Why not give her what she wants? The monster reasoned. I wanted to give in badly, but then I heard the other voice; the more reasonable voice of my father.

She's innocent. She doesn't mean what she's saying. She's toying with you; don't let her win. And then the siren called again. "Oh vampire," she said in her low, sultry voice, "you know you want it. Just come take it. It's yours." I watched as she picked up her book, my eyes following her every move. The leather-bound spine was held delicately in her hand, her skin shaping the designs on the cover. She ran her finger along the edge of the pages and I heard the paper slice her skin. She was breathing in through her mouth when she placed the book down on the bed. The edge of the page was stained red with her essence and I desperately wanted to take a deep breath, to drown myself in her scent and her blood.

The temptress stepped closer to me slowly, torturing me as she got close enough for me to feel her warmth rolling off her body in waves. My body tensed as she got within one foot of me. Her heat was inviting, her lips a soft red color, like rose petals. Her cheeks were tinting, taking on the fresh rush of blood that her heart pumped as she leaned forward and inhaled my scent. This succubus was killing me, making my throat burn like fire; had she known that I had been born in the early 1900s? Did she know that a blush in my days was something that was alluring to men? Of course she would try to seduce me with not only her blood, but in other ways as well. To my surprise, she held her finger up to my mouth and wiped the blood onto my lip. If possible, I hated her even more in that moment. My self-control wasn't all too great at the moment and I couldn't stop myself from tasting her on my lips. My tongue peaked out of my mouth and tasted her, too fast for her to even see. But I knew she knew what I did. She had won.

Her blood was the sweetest I had ever tasted. No sweet delicacy could compare to it. And the monster wanted more. He controlled my mind, taking me to a place where all I could see was red and the girl in front of me. I hadn't realized I had moved until it was too late. I grabbed her waist, pulling her to me and then dipped her backwards. My lips were at her throat, my lungs inhaling her sweet scent deeply. And then she surprised me.

"Thank you," she whispered softly, closing her eyes as she waited for her death. And then I was flying through the air. The blur of white that had shot at me had me pinned down to the ground, growling and snarling, trying to rip away. She was mine. No one would have her; I had already staked my claim.

Golden eyes looked into my black ones and I realized who they belonged to. "Carlisle," I gasped out, reality finally setting in. I had been weak. I had given into temptation; I had been giving into the demon, allowing myself to taste the forbidden fruit. "I'm sorry, Carlisle." He didn't release me from the floor. He looked down at me and spoke. "It's alright, Edward. Just hold your breath. Don't move." I did as he said, but that didn't stop the desire. I could taste her scent and blood on my tongue, lingering and burning my throat.

Carlisle stood, pulling me up with him. The AC was now blowing cool air into the room, clearing her scent and letting it escape through the open door. The thought of it being gone calmed me a bit to the point where I was able to take a breath through my mouth. The sweetness of it was still there, but it had lessened in concentration. Aro and Jane were in the room, Aro watching curiously between the girl and I while Jane glared at the temptress. Her thoughts were screaming, saying how desperately she wanted to kill this girl. I almost wanted to kill her as well.

This demon woman in front of me was glaring at Carlisle. And finally, she looked away. Carlisle's thoughts told me that the scent of her saline tears was in the air, lingering around. She turned to Aro, almost losing her footing before righting herself and glaring, a tempting blush crossing her cheeks and neck in anger.

"Why? Why couldn't you give me this? I want nothing else and yet you keep me alive! Just this once, why couldn't you have mercy on me and just allow me death? I was supposed to die with my parents. Why didn't you let me die…" She fell to the floor, her broken sobs racking her chest as she gasped for air. But Jane wouldn't have that. She grabbed the girl's wrist tightly and pulled her up, a resonating crack sounding through the room. Carlisle's eyes fell onto the girl's wrist and his thoughts automatically told me that it was broken. She hadn't even winced. Another tear escaped her eye, but she made no sound telling us that she was in pain. Her heart beat was still calm if not a bit stuttered.

"You will show respect for your master, Isabella. Now, time for your punishment." Jane pulled the girl out of the room, the girl following without a struggle even when she knew what was going to happen. I winced at the thoughts going through Jane's head. She was going to break the bones in her already injured hand, slowly. Carlisle quickly took action. "No, Jane, please wait. Let me treat her for her wrist; it's already broken in several places. Aro, please don't let this happen." Aro looked thoughtful for a moment before he nodded at Carlisle. Jane walked back to the room, sulking that she wouldn't have her "fun".

Carlisle was immediately by the girl, trying to grab her wrist. She pulled away, a small hiss escaping her throat as she pulled it to her chest. Carlisle sighed before trying to reason with her.

"Isabella? I just want to take a look at your arm. I promise I won't try to hurt you." The sound of his voice was calm and warm, the same voice he used with his patients at the hospital. She seemed to calm slightly when he spoke and reluctantly gave him her hand. He sat her down on the bed before gently prodding her wrist, careful not to put much pressure. He requested ice and a bandage before placing his hand around her wrist, gently trying to ease her pain with his cool touch. The bruising had already begun and he didn't want it getting worse. She sighed as the pain from her break lessened. I listened in on Aro's thoughts as he concentrated on Isabella's –this was the first time I had ever thought of her name being that –behavior. She had never allowed the vampires to touch her in any way besides one that would hurt her. If they tried to touch her in a way that wouldn't cause her pain, she would cause trouble which would lead to her getting injured.

In his thoughts, he raced over every accident that she had since the day she had arrived. At age ten, so young, she had refused to eat, forcing them to force feed her. In between the age of ten and fifteen were many scattered incidents in which she was often caused many injuries, some small, some large. When she reached fifteen, she had tried to kill herself by drowning herself in her bathtub. From there, the images only got worse. Her purposely bleeding to try and get the other vampires to kill her. Throwing herself in front of visitors that held the traditional diet, throwing herself in front of newborn vampires, everything just got worse.

"Isabella, I'm sorry but I'm going to have to break one of the bones. It was only fractured and it'll heal faster if there's a clean break. Is that alright?" She shook her head and spoke in a quiet whisper. "Please stop calling me Isabella. I prefer Bella; of course, no one cares what I prefer, do they?" Why was her concern on her name? He just told her that he was going to break her bone and she wasn't even responding. But when I caught the expectant look on her face as she stared at Carlisle, I was even more confused.

She sighed and spoke again. "I'm trying to distract myself. If you're going to break the bone, I'd rather not think about it. Just do it quickly, but seriously, don't call me Isabella. I hate that name." Carlisle nodded, still a bit surprised, before talking again.

"Okay, Bella. My name is Carlisle Cullen and I'll bandage your arm so you won't feel a thing after this, okay?" And then he broke her bone, quickly. She bit her lip to keep from crying out. A few more tears escaped her eyes before she wiped them away with her good hand and clearing her throat. He wrapped up her arm in the bandage tightly, hoping that things would begin to set in soon so he could put her in a proper brace. She looked at him, her stare unwavering and opened her mouth. "Thank you, Mr. Cullen." He smiled slightly at her gratitude; her own expression was blank, a perfectly executed look of indifference. Carlisle kneeled beside her and sent me a few thoughts.

Edward, we have to take her with us. I refuse to leave her here where she can be hurt again. Aro told me everything that has happened since she has been here. It isn't safe for her. He sighed internally. She is being changed on her eighteenth birthday. They want her to be able to leave the castle and appear to be normal. At eighteen, she can pass as older; the least we can do is give her some freedom before she is forced into this life. Please understand. He pleaded and I looked away. This girl, as much as I wished to hate her, I knew I couldn't. She had been a victim of more pain and injustice than most people her age had or should. Watching her parents murdered brutally before her eyes, held against her will in the crypt-like home of creatures of the night, and now this. I nodded curtly and he internally sighed in relief.

"Jane, pack Isabella's bag please. She will need a change of clothes for the next couple days." Jane nodded and walked over to Bella's closet while Bella stared at Aro, her expression blank, but her eyes giving away much more. Her pupils were dilated in surprise. "Aro," she drawled out, "what do you mean I need a change of clothes? Where exactly am I going?" Aro chuckled and smiled at her; she winced slightly at the joyous look on his face. I wondered if it was his face she saw whenever she imagined her parents lying crumpled on the ground, dead and bloody.

"Why, Isabella, you'll be living with Carlisle and his family for the next year. You have often complained about not being released; you will be able to live amongst humans for the next year. But heed my warning: if you try to escape, you will be brought back here." Bella's eyes widened and she nodded quickly. Her adrenaline pulsed as fear set in. Why did she show fear now when earlier she was about to be killed? This girl wasn't a normal human.

Finally, she turned to me. Her chocolate eyes were wide with guilt and she looked down, ashamed. Had my superior hearing not been so great, I wouldn't have heard her speak. "Mr. Cullen –Edward, I'm sorry. No apology will ever be enough to make up for my actions, but I plead that you understand why I did what I did. You have every right now to not forgive me. I look not for forgiveness, only understanding." I nodded slowly. The way she spoke, it wasn't like the teenagers of this age. It was older, wiser than her age gave away. Her face relaxed after my nod and she turned away and looked to Carlisle.

"Mr. Cullen, when do you plan on leaving? I would like to prepare for this." Carlisle was relieved that she wasn't complaining. He knew that it would be easier to travel through airport security without having a girl screaming that she was being kidnapped by vampires. He didn't want to have to forge a doctor's note saying that she needed to be sedated for the flight. "Please, call me Carlisle. We'll be leaving in one hour; the flight will be about twelve hours. Would you like some assistance packing your things?" She shook her head and spoke again in her near-monotone voice. "No thank you, sir. Aro, I'm going to need another bag." Aro nodded and gestured at Jane to get another bag. She cursed internally but kept quiet. Within seconds after leaving the room, she brought another large, black duffel bag and roughly passed it to Bella. Bella nodded and started placing her books inside her bag. All were leather-bound with gold lettering on the spines. She looked at the copy of that she had cut herself on and opened it. Hastily, she tore out the page that had blood on it and tossed it into a wastebasket.

"Will I need anything else besides clothing and something to keep myself distracted for the flight?"

BPOV

I had to keep on a poker face for this. I had learned long ago that showing emotions in front of these creatures could be lethal. But the truth was, I wanted to leave this castle. I hadn't been outside in seven years and I was being given the chance to leave, even if it was with the vegetarians. The thing that worried me most was the tension I had created with this family. I truly felt bad about how I had tempted Edward. He, unlike many of the other vampires I had tricked, actually tried to resist. He tried to stop himself. I had to push him to the limit in order to get what I wanted, and even then, he was hesitating. But in my defense, I hadn't put in much effort. The only trouble I truly had was cutting myself. I hadn't foreseen myself having to push him that much; therefore I hadn't expected that I would have to try to keep myself from puking all over the floor when my blood was spilt. The scent of it was still too much for me to handle and nausea, at the time, wasn't going to help in my mission for death.

"Unless you feel you will need something else, then you probably won't. I already reserved tickets at the airport. But I might have to call –"He was cut off by a phone ringing. Out of his jean pocket, Carlisle pulled out a sleek, black cellular phone, something that I had never seen the other vampires carry around. He looked at the caller ID and laughed loudly before answering the phone. "Hello Alice, I see you have seen our guest." A small buzzing could be heard from the speaker and Carlisle smiled lovingly. Who this Alice was, I didn't know, but I didn't feel comfortable. There were more of them?

"Yes Alice, I would appreciate that. Yes, we'll be there by tomorrow. Oh, okay then, thank you. Goodbye, Alice." He flipped the phone shut and looked around. "For those of you who didn't hear," he stared at me for a second longer, "it seems my daughter, Alice, has foreseen you coming tomorrow. She is preparing a room for you. Also, she says it will be best to bring an umbrella with us. When we get there, it'll be raining and if we don't bring one, there is a large chance that Bella will be in dire need for bed rest for an entire week." I stared at him incredulously. What did he mean that this Alice had foreseen?!

He chuckled and explained. "Alice is a psychic. She can see things." I nodded and didn't question anymore. So, there was a mind reader, a psychic, and an empathic in their family. I had heard Aro speaking highly of this family but I hadn't expected that I would soon be living with them. And what about their gifts? Had Aro not attempted to take them into his collection yet? But then I decided it didn't matter. I was leaving.

--

My goodbyes to those in the castle hadn't at all been heart-filled. Many of them smiled when they saw me leaving, probably all thanking the demons of their mind for ridding them of their burden. At the time, Heidi had been bringing in another 'tour group'. We exited as quickly as possible, but before we did, I stopped at the start of the dark tunnel and closed my eyes for a moment. I let them adjust to the darkness that my eyelids provided before opening them to see that the tunnel seemed much clearer. Edward had already left ahead, saying he would meet us at the airport. I could tell that it was still hard for him to be around me. The taste of blood had probably not left his system yet. Carlisle stared at me strangely after I opened my eyes and I explained.

"Military medics are often faced with tough conditions where they cannot see. In training, they learn that if they close their eyes before entering a dark, smoke filled warzone, their eyes will adjust to the darkness." He nodded in understanding before trying to pull me along. I asked for a moment and looked back at the entering tour. They had no idea that they weren't really on a tour; they were rabbits waiting for the tigers to come and feed. I placed my hand on the stone wall and whispered, "I'm sorry." And we left. But not before I heard the first scream.

--

The trip to the airport had been filled with me struggling not to jump from my seat and look out the windows. It had been too long since I had been outside. Even on the cloudy day, the lighting of the outdoors had been too bright for my eyes. I saw bright green and yellow spots before my eyes for awhile before my eyesight was normal again. When we reached the airport, I took a good look at all the people in the terminal. They were all so loud and vibrant, so alive. I could see the difference between my own sickly-pale skin compared to their own tanned skin. Even tourists had darker skin than my own.

I was just about to keep walking when Carlisle stopped me. "Bella, I know you probably wouldn't do this, but I would appreciate if you would refrain from attempting to call airport security. It wouldn't be pleasant to have to say that you are my mentally unstable patient that I need to sedate." He was a doctor? That would explain his kind nature when he fixed my wrist. So this is what Aro meant when he said Carlisle had control. My respect for him had gone up about five percent. I nodded and didn't speak any further. I knew I didn't want to go back and if that meant not trying to escape, I wouldn't.

After going through security, we boarded our flight. A few moments passed before I started getting curious.

"Carlisle…I hope you don't mind me asking, but where's Edward? Wasn't he supposed to board the plane as well?" Carlisle sighed before answering my question. "It seems he has a bit more…difficulty with your scent than we had anticipated. He took an earlier flight and took your bags. He'll be waiting at home for us." I had heard of the difficulty. Aro had spoken of these things before when he tried to educate me on vampires. La tua cantante; I was Edward's singer. To be honest, I was a bit angry. I didn't like anything that associated me with these creatures; the only difference with Carlisle was that I somehow, I felt I could trust him. According to Aro, Carlisle had never tasted human blood –unless he was changing someone, as had been the case with Edward. I was still a bit skeptical, but I would have to deal with it. I was going to be living with vampires. Everything about me was now to be guarded from them.

"Carlisle, where do you live?" He chuckled slightly and answered. "My family and I live in a small town. You have probably never heard of it before; Forks, Washington." The name sounded familiar in my mind; I said it out loud just to get the feel. Then the memories started coming back.

My summer visits to Charlie when I was young, how much I hated the rain, the small, two-story house that I had lived in for the first three or so years of my life….

"Forks…you live in Forks?" And then all went black.

Yes, I really did cut off at that. In my defense, I made this chapter super long. More than 8000 words, my longest chapter ever. I know I took forever to update but for the past few weeks, I've been stuffing violin music down my throat. And now that I'm done with that, I'll be focusing on other crap, like school work and my writing. But my updating will be more frequent. For those of you who hate me, I'm sorry. I can't control my schedule.

Oh, and about that little snippet with the military medic crap; yeah, that's all true. I learned that in AFJROTC last year. I just didn't want Bella tripping around in the dark. Also, realize that the Volturi have been teaching Bella all these things because she will one day be joining the guard. They want her to be knowledgeable.

Please review, even if you don't think I deserve it. And for those of you who didn't know, I wrote a…love scene called 'Where'd You Go'. It's a…love scene (I hope you all know what I mean). Just check it out.

Anyway, I would like to recommend a story. It's Theory by Ness Lupin. She's amazing. And she has…love scenes in her story. (Don't call them lemons; she hates that).

Oh, and I posted the link for Bella's dress. Plus, soon, I'll be posting the link for a playlist for this story. Thanks so much for reading!!! Please REVIEW!!!!!

Sincerely Yours,

-Laura a.k.a Sovoyita