Chapter 4
CAIUS
The throne room was silent, unmoving. Chelsea was on her knees before Aro, her shimmering ebony hair falling over her shoulders in a fear and guilty manner. Aro examined her with blank, glassy eyes, both his hands folded together at his lips. Still shaking with fury- I scowled at the monster- knowing she felt my rage for her, even if she was not facing me. I would support Aro's punishment for her in everyway possible. Oh how I prayed that her punishment would be something in the lines of eternal torture, or banishment, or even death.
Aro broke the silence with an exasperated sigh, turning slightly away from the monster and began to circle her kneeling form. "This… this is a sadness."
Chelsea shuddered fearfully. "I-I'm sorry master- I-"
She was silenced when Aro gave her a look of disproval for speaking. He continued. "Dear, dear, Chelsea…I am shocked to find one of my most trustworthy soldiers…has disappointed me."
Chelsea winced at those last words, and quickly said. "Master- I beg of you- accept my apology. I believe what I did is wrong, and Afton and I should have informed you first. But- please understand-I- I was frightened of-"
"Frightened?" I cruelly blurted out, unable to control the crimson rage I was feeling. "You're telling me- us- that you were frightened? What you did to these people- to her- is bloody sickening! If it were up to me- you'd have your limbs torn from-"
"Caius, please," Aro interrupted softly, forcing me to sit back down. "I have the situation under control."
Obediently, I sat down, but my anger did not decrease. Chelsea quickly looked away from me, fear still glistening in her red eyes. I loathed her…oh God I hated her so much…
Aro spoke. "Chelsea, were you in fact aware of the bond between Caius and Bella Swan?"
The second he said her name I knew I'd flinch. Still, I forced my rage to level to hear Chelsea's answer. She seemed to hesitate at first, but she admitted, "Well…yes. I was. I knew they were planning for her to return to the Volturi at some time. But it was just business for me at the time. I was paid to erase her memories of Master Caius, and I should not have agreed to it, but I did. And I could not break my word. The girl, Bella, I visited her about two nights after she left here. The bond was so strong- it did not look breakable."
"But it was," Aro finished simply.
"Y-Yes," Chelsea weakly glanced up at me. I gave her a mean scowl. "Bella… she said she wanted to come back. She wanted me to take her back to the Volturi, but…but I couldn't…"
Sharp pains ripped through me. All this time… I believed I hated her because she did not return to me like she promised. But I never hated her, I knew I did not hate her. I still…I still loved her. I could remember the anxiety running through my mind the first couple years she did not return- the excuses I made up. Perhaps her father was seriously ill, and she had to stick with him for a while longer. No problem. Then, the first years turned into more years. And those 'more years' drove me into serious madness.
All day and night long, would I stand upon the deck, waiting until I would pick up her scent in the city, or for Demetri to inform me she had returned. I would not eat. I would not write. I would not even join Aro and Marcus into the throne room. Repeating to myself over and over she would be back in the morning- ready for our new lifestyle together.
And after those few maddening years, when I was finally convinced by Aro that she was never going to return, I fell completely depressed. Marcus accompanied me several times to try and at least make me feel the least bit of happiness, yet that never occurred since it was clear in his eyes that the bond between me and Bella Swan and been broken forever. For the rest of the years- I began to grow so angry. Angry at absolutely anything that stopped in my path- anything that wasn't in order to the Volturi. And I had only one weakness during that anger state. Her.
"Because of her mental shield and the great bond, it took my best strength to finally erase her memories," Chelsea finished, her head hung miserably. "I then was paid and I returned to the Volturi. The deed was completed."
I leapt up again, growling furiously. "You DO NOT deserve to live for doing such a thing! Because of YOU she forgets all her good memories- taking me- taking EVERYONE- down with her! It's OVER now since-"
"It's not over."
Disbelief was planted on my expression. "What?"
"I could only do so much to the bond," Chelsea responded, looking me dead in the eye, showing me she was not lying about what she was saying. "I couldn't make her completely forget her memories of you."
My eyes widened at this fact. "You…you mean…she remembers some of her memories?"
"Well, technically, no," Chelsea erased the hope in my mind. "She will remember you as a Volturi Master, as she does to Master Aro and Marcus. She still has her memories of when she rescued Edward Cullen. She remembers staying with the Volturi but nothing specific. It is all blurry to her, if I read her memories correctly after they were erased."
I pulled back. "Then…she only has bad memories of me. How I wanted her executed than leave Volterra alive."
Chelsea reluctantly nodded. I sat back down, trying my best to mask my disappointment and inner distress. She then spoke again, her voice higher spirited. "Unless…"
"Unless what?" I demanded suspiciously.
"Unless…" she paused. "Yes. That's right. Unless you have some sort of possession…something that would spark her memory of her time here. Then…yes, then her memory would return. But it would have to be a strong reminder…a very strong reminder."
While I was still pondering this, Aro spoke up. "I do not understand… why can you not merely take the spell off of the girl, Chelsea?"
"My power does not work that way, master," Chelsea sighed. "I wish it did, and I would absolutely-"
"The locket!" I suddenly shrieked, causing everyone to snap their heads around to look at me. I did not care. "If this spell to breaking off the gift is correct, I have the locket to spark her memories."
"A locket you say, master?"
"It has a tune inside. She will remember it. I vow she will!"
"Ah yes, I remember those charming love materials you two possessed," Aro stepped in. "I never understood why you never bought me one. But anyway, it would be pleasing to know that she would remember the tune, no matter if the locket is yours and not hers."
Suddenly, I felt my insides tighten. "My locket…it plays a different tune then hers. Listening to my tune might not be strong enough to break off the gift."
"Then let us hope she still possesses her own locket."
BELLA
"Dude!" I felt my teeth grind together at the weight of Emmett on my back. "Do the words 'low fat diet' mean anything to you?"
Emmett laughed and jumped off, smirking so arrogantly. "That'll teach you to bet against me. Told' ja you couldn't carry me across the lawn."
"In case you forgot, I did not agree to that bet," I arched my back, luckily feeling no pain. "Damn…you know, if I was still human and you did that, I'll guarantee I'd be dead right now."
Emmett continued to smirk. "Not my problem. You need to work out more."
I glared. "Oh- great idea, Emmett! Why don't I start by chucking you to the nearest jerk-stop?"
"Wanna bet?"
"Emmett, Bella, please," Carlisle suddenly appeared at the front doorway, Edward at his side. He held out an arm towards me, which I immediately leaned in. Carlisle must have just finished hearing about the attacks, and wanted everyone to gather to hear what he had to say about it. Edward steered me inside, flashing me a slight smile from the corner of his eye. I smiled back. I loved this guy.
After everyone was in the living room, Carlisle stood up, drawing everyone's attention. "Edward informed me about the identical attacks a few moments ago. I feel that everyone should talk about this together, seeing that the attacks are more than a hundred people killed each time."
"What are they, Carlisle?" Alice asked, her pixie-like features dead serious.
"They must be vampires," Carlisle answered, facing the rest of us. "No amount of humans could escape the number of police searching for them. What I am not sure about, is if these vampires are newborns or not."
Esme said. "Newborns would not be smart enough to murder the same amount of people at each stop they take."
"Newborns or not, they need to be stopped," Jasper finished, a few others nodding in agreement.
"Perhaps we should backtrack this," Carlisle spoke. "These creatures may not be ours to stop. I'm sure the Volturi has already heard about this, and have send guards to end them."
"And what if they haven't?" Rosalie asked.
"Then we do not know," Carlisle replied. "I for one think we should write to them, see if they are going to take care of this situation before we are."
"I say we leave the Volturi out of this matter, as I have said before," Edward stood up, shaking me off his arm. "The vampires obviously are after us, therefore ours to take care of. Carlisle?"
Carlisle's agreement did not come. Instead, he sighed. "Alice, would you fetch me some paper? I need to write a letter."
Scowling, Edward abruptly left the room. He did that when he was angry now a days. And I hated it when he was angry.
Deciding to follow and comfort him, I stood up, but Emmett grabbed my wrist and forced my to sit back down. His eyes were serious. "Leave him be. He'll be okay."
I nodded once, disappointed that even I could not help Edward in his time of need.
CAIUS
I found myself grinning like an imbecile in my throne. I was going to bring her back to me. She would be mine once again, and my life would be restored. All I had to do was find her locket as Chelsea instructed.
"Hmph," Aro mumbled in one of his thrones as he scanned through a newspaper. Usually, I would scowl at him, wondering how he found a vile mortal paper so interesting, but I was too overjoyed to care at the moment. He went on. "And another comes and goes."
"What are you talking about, Aro?" I said.
He replied. "Well it seems this article from the grand North America has been having some attacks, like so." He showed me a picture in this newspaper with some sort of sick 'S' sign. "I wonder if Carlisle knows about this."
"Wait…where did you find a North America newspaper?" I frowned.
"Demetri fetches them for me when he's in the neighborhood," Aro said merely. "As I was saying… by the assaults on the humans, it must be vampires behind it, therefore-"
"Vampires?" my eyebrows raised. "Then you must send guards to destroy them at once. They have been violating the Volturi rules."
"Oh, I know," Aro waved me away. "I've already sent Corin and Santiago to do the job. It will be no problem for them. They left about four days ago."
"Very well," was all I said.
Aro continued reading the newspaper along with Marcus, while I began planning how I was going to return Bella's memories. I dear hoped to God she was not already married to that…sick Cullen boy. That would be disastrous. I would not allow it. The Cullen boy would have to fight me himself if he wanted to win my love.
Suddenly, the Volturi doors burst open, so suddenly, we all nearly jumped in our thrones. A pale figure with a tangle of fiery red hair came limping in, breathing wildly, red eyes wild with horror and shock. Demetri and Felix quickly aided the figure by her arms- until I realized Felix was holding her waist because she had no right arm. I recognized the figure immediately.
"Corin!" Aro addressed rather surprisingly. "My dear Corin- what on earth has become of you? And where's Santiago?"
The red haired guard wearily looked up, eyes torn in distress and agony.
"H-He's dead!"
Wow…when was the last time I updated? Two weeks ago? Sorry 'bout that. High school sucks. And I'm like the only freshman in my Algerbra 2 class, what's the deal with that? Seriously.
Anyway, hope you guys like the chapter. Seems these attackers aren't as easy to kill off as the Cullens and Volturi are expecting…
Review ^^
