Disclaimer- I do not own Twilight, this is a purely fan made story. However, the plot, and the character Rebecca Medachi (Athena), is mine and I CAN claim that! :) Enjoy!

Chapter 3- Chasing Demons

Three Years Later (Athena is 15)

Rebecca/Athena:

I sighed, rubbing my hands together. It was snowing outside the local middle school. Cold. I hated cold, it made me feel utterly alone. And I really was right now to. All of my classmates had gone home, and I sat on the stone wall outside the school. The wall was ten feet high, I sat Indian style, lightly falling snow was melting slowly on my hair.

I rubbed my hands together, my breath fogging.

My hands were slightly paler than the rest of me. Twisting marks covered them. Burns. I had burn scars all over my left hand, and some around my right wrist. Angrily, I pursed my lips. They were like a symbol that I wasn't… normal.

I wanted to be. I really did, but, I was caught. Caught between Athena, the future member of the Guard, and the young, shy, carefree, Rebecca Medachi. Being in school, I had met more kids, normal human kids. They laughed and bickered amongst themselves, carefree. It's a lot of weight on your shoulders to know exactly when your life is going to end. And the pain of the change…

I winced internally.

"Athena!" I almost growled, but resisted. Humans didn't growl. I am human. I am…

I turned slowly, and saw a friend of mine, Blake, ran over to the wall. He smiled up at me.

"Hi Blake." I said, smiling a fake smile.

"Do you need a ride home or something?" He asked, using the metal gate to climb up the wall, whereas I had simply jumped.

"No. My…" I paused. "My brother is picking me up." I whispered the word 'brother'. Was Felix really my brother? Not by blood. No, we could never be related, even remotely. We weren't the same species. Part of me wished we were related though. So I could claim I had a real family without feeling a tug at my heart.

The silence slowly passed, and he was still seated next to me. I rubbed my hands together, they were going numb again.

"Um… here, let me." He took my hands in his and rubbed them with his own warmer hands. I sighed happily, enjoying the warmth. "You, um… burn your hands?"

I winced. "Yeah… when I was little. I knocked over a candle in my dad's workshop."

"Oh."

We lapsed into an awkward silence again. Our middle school was on a hill, a long winding road came up to it, which meant from the wall I could see any car approaching before it even got close to the school. My eyes caught the small blue car zipping up the road, it would arrive in three minutes, but I could still see it long before it got here. Then again, I could also see it long before Blake could.

"Athena, uh… do you want to maybe… watch a movie or something, sometime? With me?" Blake blurted out suddenly.

I felt my cheeks heat up, did he just ask me out? Blake was an odd kid. Sure, he was… cute, taller than I with messy dark hair and green eyes, he was funny, kind and mischievous, but he was a friend. But at the same time, I did like him. What harm could a movie do?

"Sure, that would be nice."

"Athena!" Felix called loudly. I groaned internally, he had probably heard the entire conversation. I threw Blake a smile and jumped down, landing on both feet easily. I jogged over to the car, where Felix shot me a look of 'you're up to something and I'm on to you'.

"I'm not telling you." I smirked, closing the door and leaning back into the seat.

"Oh yeah?" He smirked right back at me.

My grin widened, Felix and I bickered and fought all the time. Like real brother and sister. "Felix, you're arguing with someone who could set you on fire." I winked, "Not so smart."

"Uh, we're in a car, you'll blow it up."

"So you'd die, burn, get completely incinerated." I added.

"So would you."

"Not necessarily."

"Really? When did you become immune to flying metal?"

"Touché." I grumbled.

"So…" He nudged my elbow, "The hounds are after you?"

"Hounds?"

"That human you were speaking with. When he stares at you it makes me want to remove his teeth one by one with my bare hands." He growled. I punched his shoulder.

"Felix! Blake is my friend!"

"Oh, I wasn't aware friends drool over each other like that. Humans are so odd." He rolled his eyes.

"Well, he just wants to see a movie." I insisted.

"Am I invited?"

"NO!" I yelled immediately.

"Why not?" Felix pouted, then he smiled menacingly, "You two going to be making out in the back of the theatre?"

"Ugh!" I threw my hands up in the air, "You can't go because it's 'human time'. You know, where humans socialize? Go see movies, walk around outside, in the sun, and buy sodas to drink." I stressed.

"Well, I could… wear a coat."

"Oh yeah, and what about going to get lunch, and tea, what then?"

"I could bring along a snack."

I whacked his shoulder, "Felix!"

"Okay, okay, jeez! You're so sensitive." He snickered.

"I am not."

"Are too." He sang back childishly.

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too, are too, are too, are too, are too, are too!" He sang gleefully. I groaned and leaned against the door in defeat. "Yay, I win!" He cackled.

"You are such a child."

"Says the fifteen year old human to an old, immortal vampire." He laughed.

I stuck my tongue out at him.

When we got back, we were surprised to find the Guard rushing us forward into the main hall.

"What's going on?" Felix asked.

"Hot-head Cullen wants to die." Demitri sneered over his shoulder. I paused, a tiny gasp escaping from me.

"Cullen?" I asked, "Carlisle you mean?" I ran behind Felix, barely keeping up with his jog.

"Don't know."

But… but Carlisle was normal! I think. Well, he wouldn't want to die! He was cheerful, valued life, family, and… I don't know, other stuff! He wouldn't come here asking to die unless…

Unless someone slaughtered his family.

A chill swept through me, Carlisle had saved my life. I had made a promise to him. The Volturi would never unfairly harm any of the Cullens. My run sped up, with determination, my muscles ached, but I ran faster. Felix smirked,

"Why so excited?" He asked with a laugh.

"Remember when Carlisle saved me, Felix?" I asked, he nodded, "That makes him a friend. Not only to me, but to you, and Jane, and Heidi as well. Because you guys are my family, and he helped us."

Felix frowned, but then nodded.

"Athena." Santiago greeted me, handing me a deep grey cloak, "No one goes in without one. We might have a serious issue on our hands. Those with nothing to lose are the most dangerous."

"No one addresses Master as Aro while Cullen is present. This is a formal and dangerous situation. The Three Masters will be regarded with respect, and you will call them 'master' at all times. You are to bow before them when they call for you to approach, and only speak when spoken to. Should there be any attack on any of the masters, the attacker is to be destroyed without hesitation." Alec said quickly and nervously. He paused and put his hands on my shoulders, "Athena, do exactly as I say. Before, the Cullens… well, a human knows their secret. She's dead now, this one loved the human. But having you know our secret is in a way breaking the rules. In his eyes at least. Not to us, for you are one of us. But Cullen may be particularly hostile towards you, especially since his human died." He watched me carefully, then, with pleading eyes, "Be careful."

"Of course, brother." I hugged him quickly.

"Felix! Alec! Santiago! Athena!" An angry voice yelled, "Main hall, now!" It was Caius. I gulped nervously and sprinted forward with the rest of my brothers.

Amazingly, over the last years I have spent with my brothers and sisters, I have become even more similar to them. I was an incredible athlete, excelling at sports. I could run much faster than humanly possible. My strength hadn't increased much, I could fight with Felix, but not newborns. I was still slightly breakable, but now broken fingers didn't hurt anymore, they were so common.

There was a down side to our sprint when Caius angrily called our tardiness. While my brothers could stop on a dime, my shoes squeaked in protest when I slammed them into the ground, with on fraction of the force of my brothers, whose shoes remained silent. I slid forward about a foot, and quickly stepped back, to stand in perfect line with my brothers. We all kneeled on one knee on the stone floor, one elbow resting on the leg that was up, the other palm placed on the floor.

This was customary for formal meetings with Aro, Marcus and Caius.

"Master, we came as quickly as we could… but there was a delay." Felix said smoothly.

"What was this delay?" Caius demanded. I sensed another vampire in the room, whom I had never sensed before. By sensed, I mean, he smelled different, and his footsteps sounded different. I could almost sigh in relief, it wasn't Carlisle.

"A human boy was delaying Athena at school." Felix smirked slightly.

Caius glared at me. "Be on time, young lady." He sneered.

"Yes sir." I muttered lamely.

I looked up at the scene before me, my head had been bowed. The Cullen who was here was younger by far. Perhaps late teens, I though passively. His hair was a light copper and he looked pained, depressed. His eyes were a dark black. He doesn't look like Carlisle, I thought, remembering our visitor a few years back.

The Cullen boy looked up suddenly, eyes locking on mine.

"A human." He muttered, a look of pain crossing his eyes. I wondered what had happened to the human that he loved. He looked away, and bowed his head, as if he remembered her at that moment.

"He can read minds." Felix whispered as Aro cleared his throat.

"Athena isn't totally mortal." He said, "And we have every intention of making her one of us."

That stung a bit. Seeing as I didn't want to be a murdering, vile, monster. I didn't think of my family (the select few of the guard who took care of me) that way, but the species in general, yes. Again, the boy's eyes flicked up to mine. Stop reading my mind. I growled quietly, the growl being out loud. Aro's eyes fell on me and I was silent.

"Unless… she has a problem with being one of us, of course." Aro said slowly.

"Then we would be happy to kill her." Caius said coolly.

My face flushed with a mix of anger and embarrassment, "No master. His ability to read my mind is annoying me. I was not protesting to your statement." Out loud, I wasn't. But in my mind, I was cussing you out. I sneered in my thoughts, but kept my face blank.

Aro nodded, with that knowing look in his eyes, he then turned back to the boy.

"You see, Edward, it would be an awful waste." Aro said slowly. Ah, the boy's name was Edward. "Your talent is extraordinary… and well, we cannot simply throw away something so useful." He then paused, and smiled, "We would be happy to offer you a place in the Guard, if you do not wish to return to your family.

NO! I mentally shrieked, don't do it! Don't do it kid! Go back to Carlisle and get over whatever happened, I was raised by them and even I don't want to be part of the Guard. Only Jane, Felix, Heidi and Alec seemed to be capable of emotion, but they had to turn it all to anger and spite when they were working for Aro. Jane could be incredibly, well… frickin' evil when the situation demanded it.

The boy made a face, "I cannot-"

"Give it a day my boy." Aro interrupted, "As humans say, 'sleep on it'."

He nearly growled at Aro, but bit his tongue and stalked out. As he passed me, he shot me a look. The look said, If I didn't care, if my life hadn't been torn apart, I would be beyond curious.

I hissed under my breath. When people looked at me like that, it made me feel like a freak… well, more like a freak.

I had fun with this one, expanding on the characters and stories of some of the lesser Voltrui guard members and making Jane a little more human. It was a tad short, spring break ended a little while ago and we're jumping into school mode again… so I apologize for shortness. I liked writing about the Volturi though, giving them a bit more character, humanness if you will. I hope you like it to! Review?