I had waited on the couch for an hour before they let me back in. but as soon as I reached the room I could hear Aro's mental voice, and I knew that I would net be granted my wish. It was unusual to ask for someone to kill you, expescially as a Vampire. I was the first suicidal vampire any of them had ever encountered, even in Aro, Marcus, and Caius' 3000 years. But that was not the reason for their decline. That was why they were intruiged. Aro had seen Bella in my thoughts, and he knew the extent to which her blood called to me, and the fact that I resisted, and we fell in love. It was almost unheard of for one of us to fall in love with a human.

"Welcome back, Edward. I apologize for taking so much time."

"There is no problem at all, Aro. But I can see that you are going to refuse my request."

"Ah, yes. It is a waste, my friend. it would be a sad waste if you were to perish. And of course, I do not want to upset my dear friend Carlisle. I wish to keep out friendship strong, and our alliance. I'm sorry, but I cannot kill you." Of course, I already knew that. I guess I would have to resort to more drastic methods, now.

"I see. Thank you for your time."

"Anytime, Edward. Felix will escort you out. "

Felix walked to the door. I followed quickly, and as soon as I was through the doors they swung shut. We walked out to the lobby, and sometime while I was back in the room with Aro, the receptionist had come and was sitting at the desk.

"Good morning, Felix," said the receptionist, Gianna

"Gianna, take Edward Cullen here to the door?" And with that, he left, running back down the hallway back towards the tower room.

Gianna stood. "Follow me, Mr Cullen." She walked towards the short hallway on the other side of the room. At the end of it was a plan white door, unremarkable and ordinary. I walked out onto the stone streets of Volterra. Today was a special day for the townspeople. It marked the anniversary that celebrated the banishment of the vampires from the city. Of course, I knew that it was all a ploy. They had never left, but back a couple thousand years ago, Aro, Marcus, and Caius had pretended to banish the vampires forever using the stereotypical methods. The garlic, holy water, crosses. There were a lot of people in the streets already, though it was only 6:30. Children with red capes and plastic fangs ran around, their parents trying to control them.

It was going to be a very sunny day, I could tell. There were no clouds, and even this early, it was already pretty bright. It would be best to stay out of the shadows. I began walking, thinking of ways to provoke the Volturi into ending my existence. Many thoughts ran through my head. Things that would provoke them into attacking.

I should wait until there are more people out, maybe at 9 am. I think I am going to hunt the townspeople. Vicious, I know, simple, and incredibly effective. Once I sink my teeth into someone's neck, drink their blood- although it holds no attraction after I have tasted Bella's blood, I will be dead before I can blink. Although my end is a "waste," they will do whatever it takes to uphold the utter unawareness of their people. They will do what they have to, I am counting on that.

Soon, the streets will be teeming with people. I, standing in the shadows, tensing to run into the crowd and start killing and sating my thirst.

The time passes as an immaterial object. The 2 hours I have allotted to wait zoom by, and it is 9 o'clock. But I have thought about hunting humans more. Although it will induce the reaction I am hoping for quickly, I don't want to disappoint Carlisle. I will have to think of something else. Maybe I will throw a car through a wall? Jump off a tower gracefully? Walk into the sunlight… of course. The million diamond facets of my skin in sun are impossible to miss, to forget, and I am positive that it will elicit an attack on their part. And I will be with Bella again.

I am going to wait until noon, though. The sun will be right in the center of the sky, and there will be the largest crowd. The palazzo de priori, especially today will teem with tourists and natives to see my sparkling skin. With no shirt, of course. Now all I have to do is wait, and then walk into the sunlight. So simple, so right.

With the remaining hours of my life, all I will be doing is remembering Bella. Not really that different from what I usually do, but this time it does not throb. I can remember every single minute I was with her now, without being afraid of the agony. The night that she asked me to stay with her, and when she woke up and saw me sitting in her rocking chair, she was so happy. Port Angeles, in the restaurant, where she admitted that I dazzled her.

And when she told me she knew what I was. I told her to say it, out loud. "Vampire." I hear it like it was happening right now. I was so surprised. She knew, why did she not run? Why did she not fear me, even subconsciously, like everyone else? And yet I was so relieved. I didn't want her to run, I loved her, even then, in the beginning.

And then there was when she first met my family, and Esme was so happy, and Alice and Bella became instant friends. Weeks later, there was the prom, which Bella was extremely reluctant to do, even though she didn't even know we were going to prom until I told her in the car on the way there. Her leg in the cast, we danced- or I danced with her feet standing on mine, my arms holding her waist. The sweet taste of her pink lips, molding perfectly with my cold ones.

I will taste her lips soon; I will breathe in the sweet floral I have not smelled in months, for which I crave desperately. I will meet her wherever it is the afterlife takes me. If there is one for our kind. Carlisle thinks there is for us, and I will put that theory to the test today.

It is only mere minutes from noon now. I am standing next to the giant clock tower in the palazzo. The sun is just as bright as I expected, and there are hordes of people out.

I tune everyone out, now. Instead of people talking, I hear a quiet, peaceful humming. My eyes are closed, and I stand still like a statue, carved from white marble. Faintly, I hear the bell toll 12.

I breathe in one last time, and take a step forward into the sun.