Chapter 4
"Cullens. It's wonderful to finally meet you."
Pulling on her lower lip with her teeth and speaking low she took a few swayed steps forward, her whole body alluring. "Carlisle I assume? I've heard so much about you over the past few days, Aro has been tremendously excited for your arrival." She spoke with a fake gleaming smile that had Carlisle shifting under her stare.
"Well it's nice to finally meet you too, Isabella. I'm sure it's great to no longer be hiding in the shadows as Aro's latest guard member." He tried to break the silencing tension in the room.
"Oh, Aro is just doing what is best for the guard." Taking step back she addressed the others clapping her hands together gleefully, "And the rest of you, I feel like I've been waiting years to finally meet you." The glee in her voice did not equally match the unnerving look in her eyes unnoticed to Aro. Her eyes quickly found Edward.
"Isabella, why don't you show our guests your power," Aro insisted with pleasure.
"Of course." She nodded willingly moving across the room. "I can do this," Raising both hands red flame danced along her palms before she launched the bolt across the floor colliding perfectly with a wooden chair that burnt to ashes. Before moving on to her second trick she turned to face the others gleefully who looked back with expressions of shock and fear. "Our kind usually fears fire as it is one of few that can truly destroy us, but as long as it is my own, I find it quite fascinating."
Turning back towards the ash she thought hard about the flame that had just propelled just moments ago and thought about extracting it, the chair came back as though it had never gone. Aro applauded in glee. "Isn't she amazing!" He clapped once more.
"Wonderful" Edward choked through his teeth, "How did you come across her?"
She took to answering it before Aro could, "I was lost late in the forests one night, the last thing I can recall is stumbling around alone calling for help. I remember I was freezing, why ever I was there I can only assume I had been left. The next thing I remember was this burning pain all through my body, I wanted to die but I was far to far away for anyone to hear me. The minute I woke up and realised what I had become I came straight here." Bella explained, "Just my luck. Any more time and I may have just died in the woods."
Edward bite down a growl. If it was possible his entire body crumbled even more, his entire skin itching at listening to Bella talk.
He had left her on the path not far from her fathers house but of course she had gone looking for him. This was all his fault. And she suffered because of it.
I wanted to die…he knew hearing those words fall from her lips was going to haunt him for the rest of his life. This was the last thing he had ever wanted for her. His heart clenched at the desire to reach out for her, he was desperate to have a conversation with her, one not crowded by his family or Aro. If he had to corner her or not be dammed.
"Isabella is also one of the very few or our kind whom inherit more than one ability." Aro continued to praise as the Cullen's heads all in unison snapped up.
"I am a mental shield. Any powers that work by penetrating the mind do not work on me; fashioned pain that exists only on a mentality level, tracking…mind reading."
Alice smiled yet it did not reach her eyes, "Wow, I guess you really are just as spectacular as Aro hyped you up to be."
Bella bowed smiling for show at the comment, "Why thank you, Alice."
Aro clapped his palms together happily and laughed, a high pitched sound that bounced off the tiles of the room. "Dear Isabella. Why don't you show our guests to their rooms for the duration of their trip and then join the rest of the guard in the training room."
Bella bowed her head obediently nodding addressing the others to follow her before turning gracefully; the family following close behind entering into a new empty hallway.
Now that they were alone she was fully expecting them to clamber her with questions. She wasn't wrong.
"Bella. Bella! I know you can hear us. Talk to us." Alice hissed chirping over the cloaked vampires shoulder.
"I was ordered to show to your rooms not to have a meaningless conversation with you." The bitterness seeped into her voice finally as her façade began to slip now alone.
"Ordered? Bella he doesn't own you!" Edward growled, frustration lacing his tone to which, Bella stopped, turning to face the man she once thought as of the love of her life. That now felt like a life time ago.
"You see the thing is, Mr Cullen, I am part of the guard and Aro is in charge of the guard. So in retrospect, he kind of does." The bitterness was replaced by restraint; Edward shrunk under her emotionless glare, his chest clenching at how she seemed to feel nothing looking at him whereas his entire body felt seconds from splitting into two. She was so beautiful.
Not breaking eye contact she turned back on her heel and continued guiding them through the castle, the remains of their conversation sitting heavy in the air.
"Alice and Jasper." She gestured to the door on her left.
"Bella sweetie, we know you're angry but we have to talk sometime," Esme spoke for the first time, her voice soothing and void of judgement. Out of everyone, it was hardest to stay mad at her, after all, she had been nothing but kind. As the years had passed the more she had come to resent, a mother was suppose to protect her children not abandon one in favour for another. Gritting her teeth she pushed down any lingering feelings from passing. She was stronger than this.
"I can't and even if I could, I wouldn't; I have orders to fulfil. Now, Rosalie and Emmett your room is over here on you right. Edward's yours is next door and Carlisle, Esme, right here besides Marcus's and Caius's study. Now, you are free to roam the castle when ever you like however never go into anybody's room unless invited and stay out of mine." She sneered, her tone of voice once again to the shock of the others, "I must leave. And do enjoy your stay with us." She smiled enticingly, then throwing her cape over her shoulder, she left.