Mordecai's POV

She kept her eye on the horizon though the Cullen's had vanished beyond it almost seven minutes ago; she stood unflinchingly, unblinking, watching as the burnt orange of sunset cooled into the soft blue hue of dusk. A warm gust of wind brought with it the scent of human blood and I felt her stiffen at my side. Instinctively, my hand flew out and I caught her arm though she made no attempt to pursue the call of the hunt. She did however attempt to clear her throat and then cares it with her fingertips.

"You're starving." I reminded her. "You will need to hunt immediately. Come." At the mention of blood, she snapped out of her daze and turned to face me as I tugged on her arm towards the rooftops entrance. She looked so fragile, so thin and breakable though I knew she was stronger than I was now. She thought about it for a fraction of second – thought about taking a swing, making a run for it but she turned back to the rooftop and lay her palms flat against the stone railing.

"No. I won't." Biting her pink lower lip, she shook her head. "I won't kill anyone."

I tried not to but I could not help but laugh aloud at what she'd said though there was sadness behind my humour. I won't kill.

We'd all said it at some point in our immortal lives. It was perhaps the greatest lie ever told, and that went for man and monster. She grit her teeth and her fingers hardened on the railings edge, cracking the stone beneath them. "Don't mock me. I mean it." She said in something that resembled a growl. Coming across as threatening was something she would also need to learn.

The sad thing was that I could tell Bella did mean it and that's what made it pitiful as well as amusing.

"Don't kid yourself, Bella. Do not make promises to yourself you have no say in keeping. Otherwise you will hate yourself that much more when the time comes to break them." She ought to have trusted me on this at least. I spoke from experience. "Please, come along. Aro will not be pleased if he has to send someone to forcibly fetch you."

It was her turn to laugh. Short and filled with astonishment rather than humour. "I couldn't care less what pleases Aro!" She exclaimed. "If anything, I'm going to go out of my to piss him off."

I rolled my eyes. "Is that so?"

"It is." She turned back to the rooftop.

"Very well. But may I warn you than in doing so you would be sentencing anyone you have ever loved to a long and excruciating death." Her shoulders loosened and her hands dropped to her side. "Aro may desire Edward and Alice for himself one day but he would have no quarrels in killing the other Cullen's. Not to mention your mother and father. Even any friends you may have had would suffer just so he could prove a point."

I could tell she was seeing the faces of her loved ones in her head, or maybe those loved ones meeting their end by Aro's hand. She mulled over the possibility and the devastation she would cause if she refused me again. I held out my hand to her now. "Bella?" Only a few seconds passed before a deep, grumbling sound burst through her clenched teeth and she brushed past me in a blur. She crashed into the stairwell but found her footing quickly, making her grand exit less grand. She would need to learn to control her speed and her strength too.

And I had the pleasure of being the one to tutor her.

We were back beneath the city a minute before we were found by the guard and 'Escorted' back to the throne room where the Trio were eagerly awaiting our return. We approached the tall ancient doors to find them blocked off by none other than Jane. Bella glared daggers at the girl – it appeared she loathed her as deeply as I.

"Thank you, boys." She said in her child-like voice. Despite her clear dismissal, the other members of the guard – both higher and lower ranking – did not dare leave. The immortals remained surrounding Bella and I as a precaution. Either they had been ordered to stay behind by Aro or they genuinely feared for the safety of their masters. Courtesy of Chelsea, no doubt.

"You took your time." She said to Bella as she passed, not fearing to get too close to the Newborn everyone else feared. "Our masters do not like to be kept waiting."

"I was saying goodbye to my family for the last time." Bella said by way of explanation. "But you wouldn't know about family."

Jane's smile faltered but she did not move. Her hands, however, we balled into small fists. She was attempting – straining – to cast her flaming illusion over the girl. Both Bella and I realized this at the same time and she smiled down at the demon.

"Jane." I warned, stepping between the two. "Would you delay our masters further with mindless squabble out here?" I cared not for our masters – let them wait. But if I had not intervened then Bella would maybe have attacked. I also cared not for the safety of the child vampire (a fight between the two would be quality entertainment, honestly) but ultimately Bella would be the one to walk away alive. Jane had been foolish enough to rely on her power these past centuries and was next to useless in a physical battle and if Aro were to lose one of his most valued Guard's then he would take it out on Bella and I both. She for delivery the killing blow and I for allowing it to happen.

"Dimitri." Jane said and the gangly, straw-haired vampire who's usually positon was to stand guard to the throne room did his job and opened the doors. Jane turned and lead the way. I snapped my fingers at Bella and she scowled at me.

"Remember to bow when you reach the dais." She did not respond in any way.

Our Trio of Masters were once again seated in their thrones across the room, appearing almost as if they had never left. Renata and the other personal guards stood in allotted points throughout the room; those whom had escorted guarded the exit and the archway leading to the antechambers and further into the heart of the Volturi. When we reached the middle of the room, Jane and I dropped in sync with one another.

Bella didn't.

Jane's knee had barely touched the tiled ground before she shot back up. Her name was on the edge of my tongue but before I could say a word she struck. Bella's shoulders hunched a second before Jane made the blow but she was not yet accustomed to her new senses and that included her ability to sense when danger was near. Jane's small hand slammed into Bella's spine between her shoulder blades and the force of the impact had sent the Newborn tumbling across the tiles until she reached our masters feet. The moment she hit the ground she rolled onto her behind and roared up at Jane with fire and fury burning in her eyes.

"You were told to bow and you didn't." Jane said simply, as if bored but we all knew she was having a delightful time.

"You didn't give her a chance." I argued in favour of Bella as I rose to my feet. I considered offering a hand but that would be going to far, especially in front of Aro. Jane did not bother to look my way.

"When you come back our Masters you will kneel and you will bow. You will show them respect."

I glanced up at our masters to assess their reactions; Caius was beaming with joy at the sad sight before him, just as I knew he would be. Aro, probably the cruellest of us all just clasped his hands together, titled his head an inkling to the side and tutted to himself.

"Jane, Isabella will come to learn our ways in due time. You mean well but have patience with her." Jane nodded but kept her features plain. She was not pleased with his reaction.

"Yes, Master." She would not be stupid enough to show a hint of rebellion in her.

"It's called tough love, brother." Caius almost sang. "She will not learn if we do not teach her from the start."

Aro did not respond to his brother but gave him a hard look. A warning to keep his mouth shut if he wanted to keep it attached to the rest of his jaw. Aro may come across eerily pleasant but on the inside, he was just of much a monster as the rest of us. He leaned back in his throne, his fingertips tapping slowly against the end of his wooden arm rest.

"Do you regret your choice?" Aro asked. suddenly Not me, but Bella. She looked from him to me, as if I had any input. I broke our eye contact and faced our masters. Bella waited only a second further before saying. "If giving up my life means keeping Edward and his family safe, then no I don't regret my decision." Aro smiled, pleased with the answer he got. "But I never really had a choice. If I had refused you there would have been a fight. Then they would've died for me. It was either they go and I stay, or we all die."

"Some would have chosen the latter." Marcus spoke, earning surprised looks from us all. "Some would say it is better to die at the side of your mate than to be separated by death. You chose life over him."

"I chose to keep him alive. To keep them all alive." She was getting defensive.

"It is not really living when the one you live for is dead." Bella dropped her arms and considered Marcus' eyes. He looked back into hers.

"It has been a long day." Aro said suddenly, cutting off whatever was happening between Bella and Marcus that had caused Marcus to not only speak but engage in an actual conversation. And the topic in which they discussed was not one Aro wanted to listen to, especially considering the circumstances. Aro had his sister – and the mate of Marcus, Didyme – killed as to keep Marcus a part of this coven as his gift was far more useful to Aro's cause than his sisters. Her death had left Marcus in this state of disarray, to live a life without passion or love. Just as Bella would soon do. Just as her Edward would soon do. "I think it best we all take our leave and rest, and dearest Isabella. You still need to hunt. You will need to feed. Then you will be taken to your quarters, I'll have a messenger inform Kai on where they are when you have finished feeding."

"What shall I do about her first hunt?" I asked seemingly uninterested in anything.

"Just send a handful of our less desirable human friends to the dungeons and let her loose. It's not what I imagined for Isabella's first kill but she has yet to prove herself trustworthy of leaving the city, and time is short as it is. You do not have long to train her Mordecai so I should think you would want her as strong as she possibly can be when you begin tomorrow at dawn."

"Of course, Master. It will be done."

"Then I believe it is time for us to take our leave." He said. In sync, he and his brothers rose. I tugged on Bella's arm and she dropped to her knees without question as our masters prepared to leave. Aro lead his two brothers towards the antechamber without another word. Bella took a single step and built up the courage to speak.

"Wait, Aro- Uh – Master…" We could all tell she hated the word. She would learn to speak it without the disdain in her voice. We all did. Caius and Marcus stopped to look back at Bella. Aro – who was probably reeling on the fact she'd called him Master – took his time to slowly turn to face us both.

"Yes, my child?"

"I want to ask. Can…can I please just feed from the girl? The one he-" She spat my way "-tortured earlier. Valentina. Please, let me feed from her. She's already dead inside."

Aro mulled it over for a minute. Or pretended to.

"I'm afraid not, my dear. You said it yourself, she's already dead inside. She won't feel a thing and neither would you. Your first kill must mean something. I want you to experience every euphoric moment of it."

"Please!" She cried out again when he went to turn. "As…as a sign of good faith?"

Caius laughed and even Aro cracked a smile. "I granted a sign of good faith in not burning your loved ones to ash." Then he and his brothers walked away.

"Bastard." She swore at him straight to his face. I took a step in her direction and grabbed the back of her neck, hauling her to her feet. I applied a little pressure and she cried out. I had seen the way her fingers curled into claws, how every muscle in her almost bare back had tensed and flexed in preparation to pounce.

"Don't." I growled. She glared up at me with fire in her eyes, hesitation and temptation showing through her features. "Do it and you'll regret it." I added. I tried to convey with my eyes what I meant and who exactly would suffer the consequences. She must have thought back to our conversation on the rooftop as she doused the fire in her veins and relaxed.

"Oh, and Bella?" Aro called through the chamber. She looked back at him. "I do believe you'll come to find peace in this place. One day you will thank me for giving you this opportunity." Aro hadn't even bothered to stop. He'd left the room with his brothers at his side. Bella looked back to the tunnel they'd left through for only a second further before she let go of the rage and turned to face me.

"He's a monster."

"We are all monsters here. Including you."

When we left the throne room and the confrontation with our masters behind, we were met in the corridor by a female guard with long silver hair whom had come to escort Bella the long way around to the dungeons whilst I took a shortcut to ensure that her dinner would be there waiting for her. I sent off for half a dozen human servants to meet me in the marble corridor beneath ground, the one leading to the their deaths. It wasn't long before I heard their heartbeats and footsteps, and I felt the warmth of their lives on the back of my neck as they approached.

"You sent for me, Sir?" Asked the human leading the group approaching. If memory served – which it always did – the human boys name was Daniel. Or ought 'Man' be a better word? He was after all, in his late forties now. Much time had passed since he had first joined us, a boy no older than seventeen. He had high hopes of being one of the lucky few Aro would allow to be turned but unbeknownst to him then, turning the help was something Aro was beginning to lose interest in. Unfortunately for Daniel, by the time this came to light he was already bound to our coven. He knew too much. He had a choice. Die or work on for us a human…until you die. Which was going to be soon. He was on the verge of dying, the disease now commonly known as Cancer ate away at his immune system. He did not have very long left at all. Which was partly why I had chosen him to be Bella Swan's first real kill.

"Yes, Daniel. Aro would like for you to prepare one of the cells in the dungeon for our newest addition." A lie. One he fell for without question. I wondered if it was due to his believing that Aro would thank him for his services by saving him from his terminal illness by turning him. I knew Aro would not. He would continue to allow the human to think that until his dying breath. Cruel Bastard.

"Of course. Anything for our Master." Daniel said. He instructed the others to follow him and they did without question. Most of them had spent years cleaning up after my kind and fully believed that one day their efforts would be repaid with immortality. I knew they believed this wholeheartedly as in the past there had been those who'd changed their mind too late and I'd been called in to bind them to this coven. To make them follow our rules and our laws without even a hint of rebellion in their souls. Such had been the case with every new addition since.

I held open the door and the humans made their way down the stairwell and continued along to her cell, speaking quietly to one another. It wasn't long before they started filling the cell with blankets and relighting the lanterns on the walls. As if on que, Bella appeared around the corner with woman who'd taken her from me.

"Are you ready for this?" I asked.

"Is anyone ever ready?" She countered.

"Good point."

"There are people down there?" She asked, not taking a step forward or back.

"Yes." I answered, "Sent down there on a fool's errand. Usually any Newborn we add to our coven is willing – on the most part – and travel with a select handful of our guard to leave the city in order to complete their first hunt. Though Aro does not yet trust you to leave the walls of this city without attempting to make a spectacle of yourself or make a run for it. So, Lucky you, you get home delivery."

"I can't." She shook her head and stepped away until her back hit the marble wall. I felt the guard prepare to move but I lifted my hand to stop her.

"Give me a minute alone with her." I said.

"I don't think that's a good idea." The woman – her name was Marcella, I believed – argued.

I rolled my eyes. I wasn't stupid or weak. I knew more than most of them did. If anyone could keep Bella confined within these walls then it was I. And I didn't like being looked down on by lower members of the guard who were only living because someone had to watch over the wives. I lifted my hand and tapped the tips of my fingers against the side of her face. Her eyes widened but she could not move.

"Go. Collect some of the others to return with you to protect this door, and send others to ensure the other exits are all sealed off and watched."

She nodded and walked away without a second thought.

"You're terrifying." Bella whispered to me.

"Thank you. Now, if you please?" I heaved open the door and beckoned down the stone, spiralling stairwell. The lantern on the wall was now lit, the flickering flame casting shadows across her face yet her brilliantly red eyes still shone through. Almost as if they were a light source of their own. I beckoned through the door again. She didn't move.

"I can't." She argued, spinning to me. That confident woman had vanished and in her place stood a terrified girl.

"You must. Aro was right. You need to be strong if we're going to start your training as early as tomorrow." It was true. We had barely any time at all to complete a task that could possibly take her months if not a year to achieve. The only hope I had in her being able to accomplish such a task was in the fact she had been a shield before her transformation – despite knowing it or not – and that she was a newborn. Newborn's were not only stronger than the mature vampire physically, but mentally also.

"No. I said I can't. I won't hurt them. Can you do something to them? Can you take away their pain?" She asked, choking on her words.

"What?"

"Like you did with Valentina. Can you take away their thoughts and feelings? Make it so they don't feel it when they die. Make is so they don't get scared when they see me coming." I considered it for a moment. It would have made it easier on everyone involved. The humans had worked hard for this coven and did not deserve to die in such a brutal, unforgiving way. Bella's conscience would also be clean knowing those she had killed had not seen her coming nor felt it when she tore them to shreds with her bear hands. Speaking of tearing someone to shreds, the image of Aro doing that very thing to I came to mind.

"I can and I can't." I said.

"That doesn't make sense."

"Yes, it does. I can do that. I could make them pass away peacefully but I can't do that because if I did then Aro would punish us both." One brow arched higher than the other. As if to say So what? "I said no. Listen carefully, Bella. No Newborn with a sense of the person they once were wants to kill. There are few throughout history whom have gone without ever tasting a single drop of human blood but I'm afraid you aren't fortunate to be one of them. You don't get that chance. Or a choice. Those humans are going to die one way or another. Either by illness or old age but most probably by another vampire but instead it would be someone who finds joy in watching the life bleed from their eyes. They all asked to be a part of this world. They knew the risks. Now they have to pay the price for not being what Aro desired."

"Please!" She begged tearlessly, gripping onto my shirt. Her nails now sharp enough to tear through the cotton. She spared a moment to look down at her hands in surprise. I would have bet that as a human she would have struggled to tear something other than paper, and now she found herself with the strength to tear through a mountain if she wished. I let out a sigh and poked a finger through one of the holes she had made and wiggled it.

"Thank You, Bella."

"Please, don't make me do this." She said, ignoring me. "I don't want to hurt anyone." She had her back to the doorway now. I took a step forward as she took a reluctant one back.

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice in the matter. And neither do I."

"You do! You could let me go! Say I fought free, I'm strong enough now! You could let me get away. You could give me a chance!"

"If I let you free I would be risking exposing our kind to the citizens of Volterra and that I cannot allow." Another point to add to the list of many reasons to not allow her to be set free.

"I won't hurt them! I'll just go!"

"You may have a strong sense of self control but no Newborn is able to walk through an entire city of humans and not lose control."

"I am!" Another step forward and another step back.

"You needn't worry, Isabella. You needn't worry about hurting anyone, or killing, or your Edward and his siblings. You needn't worry about anything at all because by months' end, you won't remember anything at all." What I did next was perhaps a bit harsh but I knew she wouldn't be expecting it. So, I took a step back then slammed my foot into the centre of her chest. Her face barely had time to register the attack before the force behind the blow lifted her clean off her feet and she flew backwards down the stairwell with a screech.

Before she hit the bottom, I'd locked the door and bolted it with chains made from the strongest metal known to man. In half a second she slammed against the other side of the door and admittingly I almost lost my footing. Even for a Newborn she was strong and I found myself straining to keep the door together, let alone closed. "Let me out!" She roared. Marcella soon returned with a handful of men whom took my spot and stood guard outside the door.

"Please, Mordecai, please." It was the first time she'd used my name and it sounded pleasant despite the horror in which she spoke. "Please, help me. Let me go."

"If I helped you in any way then Caius would have both of our heads burning on a pike before nightfall."

There was a long pause before her sobbing stopped. Her voice hardened. "Then let me burn."

I could hear the humans talking below, asking one another what that noise was. They were wondering if the immortal members of the guard were bringing Bella down before they had finished preparing her cell. After a few moments, when I heard a distraught Bella slowly making her way throughout the tunnels, convinced no one was going to help her, the humans begun to realise they had been played. It wasn't much longer before Bella let out a scream of uncontrollable rage and desperation and she set off hunting the humans. The massacre could be heard throughout the entire building, the gut-wrenching sounds of the humans being gutted. The splash of warm blood on the ground, the shattering of bones, the tearing of skin and muscle; their short screams on top of that.

It lasted barely five minutes at the most. Quick but efficient. I only knew when it had ended because there were no longer any heartbeats coming from the tunnel.

After another full minute, I heard her start crying, that's when I knew she'd banished the blood-thirsty demon within and her morality and humanity had surfaced. I strained as I snapped the chains and pulled open the door. She did not rush to meet me or attack or try to escape. She remained wherever she was, sobbing into her hands by the sound of it. Marcella and the other guards gave me a look, one to say, 'Be cautious' but I frowned at them and shook my head. An indication for them to stay.

Slowly, I made my way down towards her. Step by step. The smell of blood hung in the air, a tangy coppery taste on my tongue. It made the hunter within writhe and stir, wondering if it was time to surface already but I had enough strength and self-control to convince it otherwise. Still, I held my breath and continued carefully. My boots splashed in puddles of blood, the walls were stained with streaks of it. Body parts were thrown absent-mindedly about the place. To say she had been opposed to killing she really had done a number on them. She was crouched in the same corner of the same cell she had been in yesterday when she'd first awoke from her transformation. Though she looked much worse off now than she had done then. The potato sack dress she wore was drenched in blood. It was soaking in it so much it dripped from the bottom of her

Her hands were resting on her knees; also, red with blood. She didn't look up when I entered the cell.

"Get away from me." A warning my instincts yelled at me to listen to yet I stepped further into the room. She leapt at me again but she was young and untrained. Her brute strength might've been enough to kill me but I had centuries of war under my belt. It was almost too easy to dismiss her blow and pin her to the wall with her wrists bound behind her back. Within the second the other guards were in the room and came to aid me in keeping the raging newborn at bay – not that I'd needed their help.

"I told you to wait."

"And our master told us to keep a watchful eye on her every move." One of them argued. Together they heaved her up and practically dragged her back through the door to her cell and down the hall. I tore my eyes away from her bare, filthy feet as her toes were dragged through the bloody sludge.

We made our way quickly back through the upper floors of our home but we were met on the way by a human subjugate. One I couldn't remember the name of but recognized his face. Pretty, for a human. He would have made for an even more alluring immortal. One I would have happily invited to warm my bed. But from the look on his petrified face he was in no mood to be flirted with; he forgot his purpose and remained silent as he took in the girl I held. Bloodshed and gore had been something I had become accustomed too. I'd seen plenty of war and plenty of death in my time. It was not something you ever made peace with or forgot but something that became easier to stomach after centuries. Of course, there was the alternative, to be the one creating the bloodshed and gore rather than the one watching it.

"I'm assuming you want something?" Asked Marcella.

Her voice was high and grating. Like claws on a chalkboard. Nonetheless, it snapped the human boy from his trance and he mumbled to find the words.

"M-Master sent me to-to give this to you-" He addressed me with a nod of his head. His throat bobbed once, risking a glance at Bella whom hadn't bothered to lift her gaze from the marble flood and the small puddle the blood dripping from her fingertips was making. The human held out a folded sheet of parchment but dared not to take a step further. I reached out and took it from him, flipping open the paper with my thumb.

"It's the address of your chambers." At this she looked up to me and the paper I swiftly folded into my pocket. "It's just across the courtyard. I know the place. Thank you, boy." I said, dismissing him with the jerk of my chin. He nodded, grateful for the dismissal and opportunity to leave and get as far away from Bella.

"I'll take it from here. Those of you who are free go about your business. Those of you who aren't report to your stations. Those of you selected to stand guard outside Isabella's quarters are to scout ahead and familiarize yourself with the building and its escape routes. There is a tunnel beneath a grate in the entrance leading to the underground garage on the west, if I remember correctly. Ensure it is closed off." They did not appreciate being ordered about by someone who very barely outranked them. And I only did so because of my ability. It was far too powerful to be lost.

It was only Bella and I left. I wondered if she'd perhaps try and make a run for it but she made no objections when I ushered her towards the elevator at the end of the corridor. In the bright white light of the elevator, she shone out more. The blood staining her was a more vibrant shade of red, contrasting against the alabaster white of her skin. She caught me staring and crossed her arms over her chest. I only now remember how naked she was. Her rags were just that, rags, her feet and legs were bare. Her modesty covered by a dirty sheet of cloth. "You will be able to bathe in your chambers."

"I didn't realize I'd get my own chambers?" She said once we were alone though I'd no doubt she knew the others could still hear. I nodded. This seemed to really surprise her. I wondered if she had really thought Aro would have sent her back to the dungeons. He did seem the type. The answer to that question became apparent to me in the way she held herself.

"Of course. You are a member of this coven now Bella and will be treated as such. Seen as though you are not Aro's biggest fan at this moment in time, the smarter move would have been for you to spend your free time in the seclusion of a guarded cell beneath ground but Aro wants for you to feel welcomed in this place and hopes one day you will start to see it as a home."

She laughed at this. "Home? He's delusional." The elevator doors opened with a ring and she followed me through the entrance of the clocktower. We still smelled the Cullen's mixed scents, clinging to the thin tapestries and oil paintings hanging on the walls.

It was past dark now so the courtyard beyond was empty. The citizens of Volterra may have believed they'd rid their city of our kind centuries ago – they may have even allowed themselves to forget we were real in the first place – but they were not stupid enough to wonder the cobblestone streets alone at night.

She walked with her hand on the wall; her bloody fingerprints drawing lines on the peach coloured walls. I pulled her hand away and she snatched it back. As we passed the fountain she dropped back to caress the water's surface. Her nose twitched and I caught a hint of a smile on the edge of her lips. There one second, gone the next. "So that's what water smells like?" I didn't answer but didn't rush her either. It was going to take time for her to settle into this new world. She let her head drop back and then looked up to the stars in awe. This time she made no effort in hiding her amazement and this time I couldn't blame her. The night sky was beautiful in our eyes. The stars shone so brightly and with a whole multitude of colours – I wondered when she'd noticed the 8th colour we now could see.

She started to cry again, probably begging for tears for the first time her life but not receiving.

"Come along, Bella." I said after almost a full minute. She just nodded and continued along with me. Unbelievably the quarters Aro had assigned to Bella were a great deal nicer than my own. They were in the top two floors of the building across the courtyard from the clocktower. Once inside we found a spiralling stone stairwell curving throughout the building to a set of closed wooden doors.

"Welcome to your new home." I said, pushing them open and leading the way through.

"Whoa." She muttered, probably not realizing she'd made the sound aloud. I agreed with her sentiment. The room beyond was two stories high; the walls made of stone the colour of ash and clay. It was much like my own in the sense that it circular and very spacious. To the left, against the back wall, was a grand marble fireplace. The same colour and texture as our master's ancient skin, though the coals were not lit and had not been in some time from the thick layer of dust coating them.

I flicked a switch built into the wall, walked into the centre of the room and stood directly beneath an iron chandelier that flickered but eventually came to life. "When electricity became popular in the late eighteen hundreds, Aro had the candles replaced with bulbs and a wiring circuit added to most of the buildings in Volterra." I heard a scrap and spun to find Bella's fingers caressing a standing candelabra by balcony which overlooked the courtyard. "Of course, there will still be candles and lanterns about the place, especially beneath the city." She shrugged. "And all of the plumbing works." I pointed to the single wooden door in the right-hand corner of the room. "Apart from the toilet but you will no longer be needing one anyway."

"What's in there?" She asked, pointing to another single door by the entrance. She pulled it open and peered in. From my spot behind her I could see shelves and empty hangers. A few old, dusty boxes.

"Your closet. It's empty but I have no doubt will be full soon enough."

"I'm not that kind of girl."

"Not yet."

A muscle flexed in her jaw.

She didn't like that and I tried to hide my smile. I sauntered over to a stone archway built into the wall on the left-hand side of the room, just past the fireplace. It was sectioned off by a black veil curtain. I parted it and she stepped forward to see.

"A bed?" She asked. I nodded. A smaller room furnished with a four-poster iron bed. The bed was made and probably had been by a servant decades ago. The air in here was stale – and heavy. No one had been in here in a long time, other than the humans sent up to bring Bella a few things. I nodded to the few carboard boxes atop the white duvet. (Or it had once been white. Years of gathering dust had turned it ashen grey)

"There's fresh clothing in those boxes, enough to last you the week." I pulled open the box and smiled. "Dalia's packed you a few books also."

"Dalia?"

"A human. She ensures the other humans we rule over don't try anything stupid. She's a mother figure to them, I suppose. She was the one to bring you food whilst you were kept in the dungeon this past week."

Her eyes widened a fraction of an inch at the memory. "I remember, I think. Remembering my human memories – it's blurry."

"It'll seem that way for a while. You'll be able to remember more in time." I said, closing the boxes and heading back into the main room. I made my way to the fireplace, picked up an old box of matches, struck one, then begun making a fire to make the place feel a little warmer. "But your human memories will always remain darker than your immortal ones." I spun to find her not facing me – a stupid move. She would need to learn to never turn your back on someone you don't trust. Especially in this place. Though perhaps she'd already realized that if Aro wanted her and her ability so desperately then she was in no real danger from anyone in his guard.

"By now you should have noticed there's no furniture at all besides the bed. No one bothered furnishing the place as no one knew whether or not you'd survive the day."

"That's morbid."

"Indeed. As the days go on I'll send up some of the servants with your things. Have them build them for you."

"Humans?"

"Yes. But don't worry. You've fed enough tonight to last you a few weeks."

"Right."

"Soon enough this place will be full of random things. When Aro has me – has me change you, he'll want me to make you believe these quarters have been yours for a long time, I presume. When that time comes, I'll be sure to go through your new belongings and attach memories to them. So, you have things in here that mean something to you. That have sentimental value."

"But they won't, really."

"Physically, No. They'll all be brand new. But in your mind, they'll be heirlooms you've gathered over your time. Precious trinkets and things you've come to care for. He'll send up some older things too. Jewels and treasures. Clothing from all eras', dating as far back as – well – whenever he decides the new you was turned into a vampire. I'll be sure to make it convincing when April comes."

She didn't seem to be listening now. Not anything I said and I wondered why I was still bothering. Then she moved towards the bathroom. I waited a second and was about to make my leave but I heard her gasp and my curiosity got the better of me. Though the door to the bathroom was open I knocked on the frame anyway.

"What?" She sighed. I peered inside to find Bella leaning against the duty sink basin, the bronze taps were running though she paid no attention to the water but instead the mirror above it. I realized this was the first time she was seeing herself since long before her transformation.

"It'll take some getting used too. Seeing her, expecting to see yourself. Soon they will become one in the same."

"I didn't think I could get any pallor. I look like I'm made of bone." Her eyes were on…well her eyes. She was staring at her reflection intensely. Some part disgusted and some part fascinated by the exquisite beauty before her. After a short while I stood a little straighter.

"I'll leave you to clean. We'll meet again at dawn. Don't come looking for me, I'll come to collect you. If you need anything then ask the guard stationed at your door." We'd both heard him arrive but hadn't bothered to acknowledge him. I turned and headed for the door but she followed.

"So, what do I do now?" She asked, dropping her arms to her sides with a slap. "Just stay in here? I don't sleep."

"These are your chambers now, Bella. Everything in here belongs to you. There are still a few boxes in your closet for you to rummage through and if nothing in here peaks your interest then request something and it will be brought to you. I suggest you try and relax because tomorrow we start your training and I promise you it will not be easy. If you think you hate me now, just you wait."

Asher's Note:

Hello Everyone! Chapter three of my Prequel Story is here! This chapter was not as long, nor was it as thrilling, as I had hoped when planning it but I hope it suffices for what it needs to be. In this chapter, Bella watches the Cullen's leave and she returns with Kai to the clocktower where she is then sent to the dungeons to engage in her first hunt – and first kill. She then is shown her chambers – the same chambers she lives in at the beginning of Remember A Love Long Lost – and is left to contemplate the horrors of her new life. I hope to hear what you think and if there is anything you would like to see in the upcoming chapters of this story. Thanks a lot for reading!

Responding to your reviews:

Goldielover: Thanks for reviewing! Yeah - I tried to play up the actual love between Bella and Edward in this world. I tried to make it seem as if they truly were mates and weren't just lovebirds who rushed into things. I do hope I don't make any mistakes when it comes to the timeline and events but hopefully it should work. Thanks for reviewing!

~Asher~