Here's chapter two, lovelies. You all have been so supportive of my little project, and I thank you all and hope for continued support. Thank you so much! Now, we get to meet her.

The houses were wood now, with glass windows, and slate roofs. In my time, they had been tiny little shacks made out of anything you could find, and often just an empty cave in the mountain east of the village. And if you couldn't find anything…then you just didn't have a house. Some of the houses were closer together than others, and I could sense that those houses held families, from old withering elders to squalling infants. The houses on the edge of the village were either empty, or inhabited by teenagers it seemed.

I sat down on one of the empty porches; it was farthest away from the center of the town and still smelled like fresh wood. It was a strong guess that it had just been built, and had yet to gain an inhabitant. I sat there, and watched the sun completely disappear into the tree line. The temperature dropped, but it didn't bother me. I watched a few people dart from one house to another, children going to their own homes from dinner at their parents.

I didn't belong in this world any more. No one would remember me from thousands of years ago. I doubted that any of them were even descended from my sister, and if they were, I was certain they wouldn't know me. I'd come to this world looking to find something that was missing.

I couldn't exactly pinpoint what I thought was missing, but all I'd managed to find was a reminder that my brothers were all that I had left. I could imagine the smug look on Aro's face if, no when, I came sulking back, more depressed and withdrawn than ever. He would be thrilled to know that I was entirely dependent on him. I hated that man, to the deepest part of my soul.

I smiled a little. Edward Cullen thought we were soulless. I knew better, as vampires, we are heartless. We go about our vampire lives trying to prove something to the others, that we're stronger, more powerful, or just plain scarier than any other vampire. It's all a farce. I know the truth. We're afraid that if we stop trying to one up one another that there will be nothing left for us.

I envied the Cullens. They had lives, when they went to school, did they not feel thankful for it? I wanted to get to know these humans. I wanted to find something in their tradition that struck as familiar. After centuries of being alone in a crowded room, I wanted someone to remember me. No one would though. I couldn't make myself stand, and take the steps to the center of the town. I was a coward.

I chuckled at myself. Previously, for fun I would have slaughtered this village of people, but I wouldn't…at least not now.

"Are you mad?" A soft voice said from behind my shoulder.

I froze, I hadn't heard her. A shallow, unnecessary breath caught in my throat when I turned to look at her. I'd never really given most of the woman in the Volturi a second glance, but I knew a beautiful woman when I saw one. The woman behind the voice was such a woman.

Her long dark hair was plaited to one side, a long stemmed flower weaved into it. Strands of hair had fallen into her face, accentuating her large almond shaped eyes that were an impossible shade of emerald green, her eyebrows were gracefully arched, and her nose ended in a tiny slope. Her full pink lips parted slightly to reveal straight, white teeth.

All I could do was blink at her. "You're on my porch." She huffed.

I stood quickly, not wanting to cause a scene with the young female, since I'd decided to let them all live. "Sorry." I murmured, wondering why I had decided to let them live.

She smiled, "It's alright." She reached out to me, "Come here, you must be freezing." I flinched away, but she draped the tan blanket from her shoulders around mine, "Come inside." It was warm, and smelled like her, a combination of chamomile and lavender.

She tugged on my shirt when I didn't move, a stern look on her face, "Now. I won't have a dead man frozen onto my porch." She snapped, and I followed her, too stunned at the irony of her statement to protest. At the very least, I could kill her before she made a sound.

She sat me down on a sofa, and sat herself to lighting a fire. Her house was new, very few people had been in it. "You must be a traveler." She said, glancing over at me.

"What?"

She nodded towards my worn shoes. "We don't get many travelers in these parts." She flashed me a smile, "Be glad it was my porch you sat on, most of the others aren't as willing to accept outsiders as I am." She sat on the space next to me.

"I'm Lucian." I found myself saying, my slave name coming from my lips against my will.

She smiled again, "What a lovely name." She held out a hand to me, "I'm Avalien."

I shook the offered hand, "Avalien?"

She nodded, "Just call me Ava. It's nice to meet you." When I took my hand back, she rubbed her own, "Your hands are freezing. Let me get the fire going a bit better."

She started to stand, but I grabbed her hand, "I'm fine! I have really bad circulation in my hands. I'll be okay."

She sat back down, a bit alarmed by my outburst. She seemed to recover quickly, nodded in acceptance of my story, "Okay, so why are you here?"

"I used to live near here." I lied effortlessly.

Her gaze narrowed, "Where, maybe I've heard of it?"

She was observant, either that or just very thorough, "Reboneck." I answered, hoping that the town had existed within the last decade.

She gasped a little, putting a hand on my knee. I didn't know why, but her expression was one of sympathy, but like every other human, she filled in the blanks for me, "I'm so sorry, what a shock it must have been to find everyone gone."

I widened my eyes in faked shock, "What?"

She shook her head in confusion, "I don't understand, aren't you from there?"

"Yes, but as you pointed out, I'm a traveler, I haven't been home in years."

"I'm so sorry, I would have kept my mouth shut if I'd known. Recently," She began, "people have been disappearing in my village, and when my father and several other men went to Reboneck to ask for help, they found them all dead. Vampires, they've invaded these parts, I've lost an uncle and three cousins. Your family must also have been killed or taken. I'm so sorry." She placed a thin hand on my knee, staring me down with her emerald green eyes.

She looked truly sorry for my supposed loss. I could read her like a lovely little map. I put on an appropriately mournful expression, "I…I hadn't heard."

Next chapter is more conversations between Caius and Ava. A bit about Caius' past and a few sweet little things that have poor Caius a bit frustrated with himself... tehee. I have pictures on my Freewebs of Miss Ava and her family, so, enjoy!

Reviews are welcome!

-Jenn