Mordecai's POV

I wish I could say I cared of what Isabella Swan thought of me but in truth, I could not have possibly cared less. Hers was just another name to add to a long list of Aro's victims. Just another innocent soul corrupted by his immorality. Did I pity the Newborn? Yes. Of course. Just as I pitied every member of this coven – or even more so, every person in this city. They – no, we – were all pawns in Aro's endless game of chess. And there was nothing to be done about it. Sure enough, some of the guards adored to be living this life but others – myself included – did not. We played our part and tried to make the best of what we had, because we were in no position to reach for anything further.

Bella would come to realize that in time. Then as more time passes she will come to either accept it or face the alternative: death. If she were so lucky. Those of us whom simply refused to accept that this is was our new life usually received a visit from myself of Chelsea and the problem went away. Sick, manipulative and monstrous. Not that anyone cared.

As I turned the corner into the courtyard, I heard doors open from above and turned to find Bella stood on the balcony she luckily owned, glaring down at me with boiling hatred in her eyes. We both detected movement from beneath the balcony and there, lurking in the shadows, was a stationed guard. His flaming eyes glowing in the darkness was the only indication of his presence. He looked up and met my eyes and nodded.

I gave a nod back with the jerk of my chin to commend a lower-ranking guard stationed at his position, prepared to spring into action if Bella dared to try anything stupid. This didn't seem to please Bella. I could hear her gritting her teeth before storming back inside and slamming the balcony doors shut. With a shake of my head, I continued back to the clocktower and my chambers which lay beneath.

My chambers were nowhere near as grand as some others in Volterra, but I had come to adore them. They were the one place in this God-forsaken city I could escape too. The one place I could drop the mask I had worn every day for centuries passed just to blend in, to allude to be the monster they believed me to be.

My chambers were my sanctuary, my holy place, and no one dared approach them…which was why I was furious when I found Heidi leaning almost seductively – as if she'd repositioned herself upon hearing my approach – against my front door.

"Heidi." I said, "What can I do for you?" I was not in the mood for this. Heidi. She was stunning, of course, with a slender frame but with curves in all the best places. But it bored me. She dropped her head back and her open-collared dress shifted over her shoulder, her hair spilling over her collarbone like ink.

"Oh, I could sit here and answer that question for all eternity."

I tried not to roll my eyes. "I'll rephrase the question: why are you blocking my door and wasting my time."

"We're immortal, Kai, we don't follow the rules of time-"

"Heidi."

With a roll of her ruby eyes and a defeated sigh, she crossed her arms across her chest – pushing up her breasts as she did. "I'm beginning to bore with the familiar walls of my chamber and thought I could spend this evening admiring yours."

I couldn't help but snort. "Thank you for the offer of your company but, once again, I am not interested."

"Are you sure?" She leaned in closer and cupped my cheek in her hand. Her carefully pointed nails caressing my earlobe.

I could sense the allure surrounding me, enveloping me almost as if it radiated from her physically but my ability allowed for me to be, in a unique way, shielded from her own. The invasive way her power worked was that it affected the mind; it bends one's perception of beauty and alters what they are attracted to physically. Suddenly a homosexual would find themselves craving to touch her as deeply as any unaffected straight man. Although my sway over mind and memory allowed me to keep my wits about myself. I could feel my attraction for her growing, could feel the pull to wrap my arm around her waist and stick my tongue down her throat but it was exactly this kind of…forced abuse – this essential rape – that gave me the sheer willpower to refuse her time and time again.

I reached up and removed her hand from my face. "I am positive. Goodnight."

The moment I entered my chambers I locked the door behind me, bolting it shut. I knew they were useless against my own, but it still induced a sense of security and of privacy. A lie. A false sense, mind you, but a sense all the same. I heard Heidi grinding her teeth as she tried – and failed – to convince me she was not disappointed by my answer as she walked away to find someone else to fuck – probably Dimitri, he was always in the mood.

The entrance to my chambers was made up of one long, narrow corridor with several doors on either side leading off to separate rooms. The bathroom, the closet, and my study; the corridor opened into my large and circular bedroom. My chambers were deep beneath the surface of Volterra, meaning I had no windows or natural light which I did not care for all those years ago when I first chose my chambers, but the decision had been made solely on the fact they were the farthest from anyone else. Down the hall from the great library Aro had built over the years and only one floor above the lowest and darkest place in all Volterra, the dungeons.

I never thought to mention to Bella Swan that my chambers were on this floor when we had passed by earlier in the evening. I had noticed her head had tilted in the direction of my door, probably as she caught onto my lingering scent - but she hadn't spoken or addressed it.

I wasted no time and showered immediately, washing away the smell of blood and shame. For some reason, my mind kept drifting back to the newborn – or more specifically, the task Aro had given me. I had a month to train her in not only our ways as vampires but to master her psychic shield until she could lower it completely…only for me to erase Bella Swan as an identity and create someone new entirely.

I decided to try and not let it ruin what little time I had to myself. One would think an immortal would have no need to worry about time. All we had was time. And once I had believed that too but no longer did. When in the walls of my own chambers I could drop the mask I wore day in and out and be myself. I did not need to smile when I heard the horrifying screams coming from the dungeons, I did not have to laugh at my master's sick jokes and pretend as if my only joy in life came from taking life from others. I played the part of the monster and I played it well but only because my only other option was death.

But not here, not in these walls. It was in this small room – I thought as I walked naked into my main chamber – that I could find momentary release from the nightmare I lived in.

I did not bother drying myself after washing. The lit fireplace and the warmth emitting from it would dry me soon enough. I lay down on the black, leather couch and flicked on the television hanging above it. The television and my cell phone were perhaps the only modern pieces of technology in my home. Believe or not, the vampires in the Volturi – our masters and the Wives included – liked to keep up to date on all things new. They splashed out and bought anything they were even slightly curious about no matter how expensive. Televisions and computers and cell phones and fancy cars and a whole bunch of other shit I didn't care about. I didn't know why, but I just couldn't give a shit when it came to that stuff. I was content- well, what passes for content in this shithole of a life – with my privacy and my music.

I adored music.

I adored music and had spent my long-life learning to play one instrument after the other. Despite keeping up to date with the advancements of the modern world, one luxury my masters tended to avoid these days was music. It was rare to hear music in Volterra – or more specifically the clocktower and any other part of the land the members of the Volturi guard owned. They played music in the streets during festivals and at restaurants on a night, but it was almost as if the vampires in this coven acted as if music was beneath them. Once upon a time, they had adored the expressive arts: music, theatre and art but today it seemed to be beneath them, almost as if it made them appear weak.

But not me. The arts were one of few ways to escape this hell hole.

I flew across the room and switched on my music player and immediately felt my shoulders loosen as it played. It was a modern-day cover of a symphony written centuries ago. One the youth of today would scoff at just as I would at their tastes in music. Other than the speaker, television and my cell phone, I did not have too many luxuries in my chamber. It was true I had money and lots of it, but my closet was not filled with diamonds and gems and other priceless jewels and treasures. When you have everything you need and want, money becomes somewhat worthless.

Usually, immortals lived one of two lives. A life of austerity or a life of luxury. Nomads – immortals who roamed everywhere and anywhere on a whim, with no true purpose other than to feed and have a good time – often lived the former. But as for the Volturi and everyone in it, we lived a life of glamour and opulence. Each of us – even the human subjugates we ruled over and ordered around, those we used as cattle – had enough riches to last them centuries.

And the humans wouldn't even live long enough to enjoy them.

Such macabre thoughts, I realized. I wasn't sure why at the time, but it was almost as if what had happened with Bella had stirred up old feelings I had spent decades burying. I hadn't spent more than a minute mellowing in my eternal loneliness in a long time. I had long since accepted it and moved on to attempting to enjoy the positive parts of my cursed existence, as few and far between as they were.

Deciding I needed to distract myself, I reached beneath my couch and withdrew a sketchpad. Music was not the only art I favored. I had drawn since I had been old enough to hold a pencil, and still to this day, I drew. I liked the way the pencil seemed to fit so perfectly between my fingers and my thumb. I liked how all it took was a pencil and a canvas and that I, a monster, could be responsible for the creation of something beautiful.

I didn't know what I would draw, but I drew anyway. I let the pencil take control and allowed the charcoal lines to swirl across the page at will. It was the only thing I could think to do to distract myself, to relax and I was determined to do just that as I had only a few short hours before dawn when my first training session with Bella would begin.

With Bella on the mind, she became the first subject of my drawing.

The following morning, as I ascended the tower to Bella's chambers, I heard light feet bounding across the stone. The guard stationed outside her door looked mostly amused. She was up to something.

"Bella?" I rapped my knuckles against the door as I leaned in. There was no answer. "I am coming in whether you answer the door or not."

I allowed her five seconds before inviting myself inside. Her chamber appeared just as it had the night before only now several wooden boxes and trunks filled one corner of the room, the only items removed were thick, leather-bound books scattered across the floor. Isabella was nowhere in sight.

"Bella?" I asked aloud.

No response.

I closed my eyes and listened carefully, attempting to drown out the sounds of the world around me. I listened past the squeals of children playing in the street, merchants calling out the prices of their goods at the market, the rumble of car engines as they disrupted the quiet calm of the city. I shut it all out until I could hear this room alone.

The groaning of ancient plumbing coming to life, the many steps of a spider hurrying beneath the couch, the whistle of the wind through the hinges in the balcony doors and finally, a ruffle of fabric and hair caught in the breeze coming from the rafters above.

As if sensing that I had caught on, she leaped at me. I side-stepped as she landed in the spot I had been standing and grabbed her wrists, flipping her over my hip and tumbling across the ground until she hit the wall harshly.

"Nice try," I chuckled with honest amusement in my voice. She cried out with a humiliated screech and then surprised me by flipping up onto the balls of her feet. "I meant it. Nice try." I strolled forward and began packing away the books she'd left out. "I see you are already utilizing your new skills. That's good."

She looked as if she were considering an attack, but her features softened, and she let out a huff of laughter, running her fingers through her hair to clear her vision. She was clean and dressed. She wore a T-shirt and jeans, black of course. It wasn't often you saw the guard in anything but black.

"You look better," I told her. She looked uncomfortable, unsure on how to take the compliment. "More human," I added. This addition seemed to settle her, and she looked down at her clothes and began to pat off the dust that had collected during her fall.

"Yeah," Was all she mumbled.

As I lifted the last book, I turned to Bella.

"You like to read?" I asked only out of courtesy. I knew she liked to read. I had seen snippets of her personality in Edward's memories. Her love for books was a defining trait. Bella nodded but did not speak. An image came to mind and I knew where our lesson would take place.

"Collect your cloak and we'll be on our way for our first lesson,"

"There's no cloaks in there," She beckoned to the wardrobe, "None that let me go outside anyway,"

"I see," I said, "Guard," I called, and the guard stationed outside the door entered. "Your cloak, if you please." The guard looked confused for a moment but did not argue before removing their outer cloak and handing it to me. I held it out to Bella. "Put it on."

Bella frowned. I threw the cloak at her and she snatched it out of the air – mildly surprised by her speed, I assumed from the look on her face – and she began pulling the cloak over her head. I knew there was an underground sewer great in the basement of this building, one that connected directly to the dungeons of our home. He could use that to return there.

"Where are we going?" Bella asked as I lead the way to the exit.

"You will see,"

We left the building through a side exit which leads straight into a narrow alleyway between the building and its neighbour. Despite the cover of shade, I lifted my hood and Bella followed my lead. You could never be too careful, risking exposure meant the death sentence, no exceptions.

"Come," I instructed, and we began walking but as we approached the end of the alley, she gasped and stumbled back a step.

I glanced down at her when I noticed her scrunching up her features.

Then her features dropped.

"The people," She said, I looked ahead noting a bicyclist who flew by, followed by a family and laughing children. I sighed. I realized she had caught a whiff of their blood. "I can taste it…" She sounded disgusted and overwhelmed at the same time. Her eyes could not focus, darting from my own and back to the humans aimlessly drifting by. "I can taste it in the air."

I moved between her and the exit to the street, looming over her, blocking off all view of the locals. Our cloaks helping us blend into the nothing, our large hoods shadowing our inhuman eyes. "You can resist it," I assured her. You have already fed; your mind is powerful, and your body is strong. You do not need their blood."

"But I can feel it," She wrapped her fingers around her own throat. "It still burns,"

"An echo. A memory is all that is. A reminder."

She paused, a thought in her eyes. "You'd have to stop me if I tried, right? If I lost control. You can't let humans find out about us."

"I would, correct,"

This seemed to offer some reassurance because she began nodding. "Okay." And after a moment, "Let's go."

She seemed to develop more confidence in her resistance as we moved closer to the clocktower building, her worry melting into a smile. "What?" I asked after a moment, curiosity taking over.

"I can smell…everything." She whispered as we walked past an opening to the market, taking in the overly harsh heat of the spices lined along the wooden shelves or the life of recently picked flowers or taste of freshly made bread. "Things I didn't even know had a smell." She tried to hide it by turning her head, but I caught the way the corner of her lip turned upwards in a smile.

We avoided walking through the courtyard until we reached the clocktower and entered through the visitor entrance. The clock tower had been closed off to the public recently which meant that once inside we could lower our hoods. As I began walking down the hall, the small heels of my polished shoes echoing around us, I sensed hesitation behind me and listened to her footsteps slow. I peered over my shoulder, scowling, but the look quickly vanished when I saw the one on her face. She was taking in the foyer,

She stared ahead of me…seemingly at nothing.

"What is it?" I demanded.

"I didn't realize last night but this is where I rescued Edward, where I pushed him…" She pointed to the door, then her eyes slowly drifted the tiled floor beyond it. Sadness welled in her eyes. There was nothing I could say to console her.

"Come," I said, softer.

We passed through a door on which a small metal plate read the word Privato, and then I lead the way down a flight of stone flag steps, pressed a button and waited for the arrival of the elevator. When they opened we moved swiftly through the small reception…until I realized Bianca was present.

Upon seeing Bella, Bianca glared at us alarmingly from behind that ancient curving desk.

"Good morning," Bianca forced out in a shaky breath. Bella looked at Bianca, her eyes taking in the human woman, she angled her head slightly and for a moment and nodded. Bianca's fear was not unjustified. Everyone knew of the Newborn in their home. Everyone knew of the lives she had already taken.

Bella continued down the adjoining marble corridor. I followed, leaving Bianca to gawk after us in horror as we descended into the shadows. To say Bianca spent her days just waiting to be turned, she looked terrified at that moment. Bianca was one of the Volturi's many humans subjugates, our essential slaves and servants and the occasional meal. Most subjugates offer themselves to us in hopes of one day being turned and sometimes they were – If Aro saw something special in them. Bianca had served this coven loyally for most of her human existence and had still yet to be turned. It showed in the wrinkles in the corner of her eyes, the changing of color in her hair and the sagging of her skin. Long past the desired age, one would want to remain for the rest of eternity, yet she remained hopeful and always with a smile on her face, even if it was forced and full of fear.

Another soul I pitied.

I lead Bella down a set of spiral staircases and then deeper beneath the city, as far away from the throne room as possible. I found myself walking past my chambers and wanting nothing more than to enter and remain in there for the foreseeable future but alas, Bella was my responsibility.

"Your smell is the strongest one down here," She said as we walked.

"Those were my chambers we just passed, they are the only chambers this deep below ground. Everyone else prefers to be closer to the Masters."

"And you don't?"

I thought about my answer carefully, "I am invaluable to Aro. He likes to keep me safe," Not necessarily a lie.

"That's not what I asked," A smile teasing on the edge of her plump lips, a looming curiosity took hold.

Careful, careful territory. "I live only to serve Aro."

Bella glanced sideways at me, and through my peripheral vision, I could see the way in which she stared. I tried my best to ignore it, to remain expressionless and uninterested in the conversation but there was no denying that in that moment, Isabella Swan had uncovered a hidden truth about me. She had seen straight through the mask I wore, ignored the lies I told. I could almost see the fire in her eyes settling as she realized I was different.

"We're here," I said, stopping just beyond a pair of arched, wooden doors built into the white marble of the hall. She flared her nostrils.

"What is this place, it smells…old."

"Old?" I questioned, fighting a smile. "Everything in Volterra is old."

"You know what I mean," She jerked her chin to the door, "This place smells different,"

I understood what she meant, the scent barely breezing through the hinges and cracks in the door was particular to this place alone and the reason for that she soon discovered. I opened the doors and beckoned her inside. Immediately, she gasped involuntarily and for the first time since stepping through the doors of her chambers, seemed eager to explore. Beyond the doors on either side of us were tall, floor to ceiling bookcases that created the illusion of a corridor.

"Whoa," She exclaimed, rushing forward. Her eager steps quickly becoming a blurring run and she flew at a blinding speed to the end of the hall which opened into a large, circular space occupied by dozens of lounges and armchairs and tables, all facing a grand hearth with roaring flames. The center of the Volturi's Grand Library. Even I had to admit this place almost made being trapped here somewhat worthwhile. The walls were lined with lit iron lanterns, every tabletop decorated with bundles of flickering candles, chandeliers hung so far above they looked like shimmering diamond patterns against the cold stone ceiling, three floors high.

"It's beautiful," She smiled, brightly and true.

"Yes, it is." I agreed.

Each floor decorated with the most expensive furnishings; ancient bookcases of intricate design, antiques considered old even by our standards and a million books to behold. The rooms and aisles were made up entirely of floor-to-ceiling bookcases, their shelves filled with old, leather-bound books filled with knowledge known only to our kind.

"These books have to be hundreds of years old," I noticed the hint of curiosity in her voice and watched intensely as she crossed the room to the furthest shelf and began withdrawing books in clouds of dust.

"Older," I said. "And there is more,"

We moved left to the large balcony overlooking the floor below us. From here, we could see that we were not alone. Both Volturi guards and human subjugates were dotted around the place, relaxing, studying or following the command of their masters. Upon our arrival, all eyes lifted to us. Bella's excitement seemed to diminish.

It would take time to adjust to this change, for us all.

"I imagine you will be spending much time in here," I said casually as I took to the steps.

"I imagine you're right," She huffed, following.

"I'll show you around."

She did not object.

We moved from floor to floor, starting at the bottom and working our way back up. During this time, I recalled to Bella the history of the library and almost laughed at the look on her face when she discovered how far back the library dated. I explained how there were books on anything and everything you could possibly imagine, books written millennia ago in languages, so few spoke, some written in languages so few had ever heard of.

All the while, her eyes remained wide in wonder.

"Am I allowed to look around?" She asked when we returned to the center of the library, "Alone?"

I thought about it for a moment but decided there was nothing against it. "You are a member of the guard now. Technically, this all belongs to you too. Help yourself. I need to collect a few books before our lesson begins anyway," She nodded and went to take a step, "Bella?" She paused and looked back at me. "Please…do not try anything stupid. There are guards stationed at the exits in here. They will report both of us to Aro should you try to escape."

"I won't."

And after our conversation about her family the night before, I believed her.

Then she was gone.

As I collected the books I knew of that related to shields and searched for others that could possibly help, I listened to Bella's eager footsteps as she tried – and failed – to hide her excitement. The tap tap tap of her bare feet against the smooth stone flags echoed throughout the library. Once I had everything I needed, I called her name gently, knowing she would hear. She returned with several books piled in her arms, "I'm going to borrow these,"

"Very well, I have what I need. Have the books sent to your room and we'll be on our way,"

"On our way?" She asked, "We're not having the lesson here?" She sounded disappointed.

"Not exactly," I turned and spotted the nearest human, "You, boy," I addressed the closest human across the sitting area, stacking books back into a shelf. He spun, his eyes glistening with excitement and concern at being spoken to directly by a vampire. "Come,"

He hurried over. I spun to face Bella, "When he arrives you will give him orders to take your things back to your chambers."

She shook her head, "I don't need to do that. I can carry them myself,"

I should have guessed this reaction. Usually, I wouldn't have cared but I could hear – sense – other guards in the room watching, listening in.

"Just because you can doesn't mean you must. One thing Aro values greatly is servitude and respect and the humans live to serve us. It's what they are here for." Did I believe this wholeheartedly? No, of course not. "Aro will want to see you are embracing your new role as a member of our guard, as a vampire."

"Aro's not watching," She argued.

"Aro is always watching,"

It took a few seconds, but she caught on, understanding what I meant. Her eyes flickering to the shadows, to the alcoves built into the walls, to the hidden tunnels branching off to other areas of our home. Aro may not have been in the room but those who reported him were. We were all Aro.

"Right," She whispered back, nodding. The boy neared. He was a pretty young man, of Asian origins which hair as black as pitch, a short nose, and petite frame. Grey eyes hidden behind glasses. I did not recognize him.

I remained still, silent, appearing bored. Bella seemed to realize I had handed the reigns to her.

"Uh…Your name?"

"Ar-Archie. Archibald, ma'am," The boy gulped. I could not blame him. Word had surely spread among the human subjugates of Isabella's first feed, which had resulted in a dozen of their friends and co-worker's dead.

"I need these books taken to my room," She nodded to the pile she held easily in her hands. The boy – Archibald – nodded.

"Of course, ma'am," He muttered, reaching for the books. He struggled to take them from her and I could see the desire to help him balance them in Bella's eyes, but she withheld herself, keeping her features plain.

"My chambers are in the building across the courtyard, the top floor." She instructed,

"Yes Ma'am," He already knew this, every human we enslaved was required to know every inch of Volterra to save the vampires giving orders the responsibility of guiding the humans they instructed on where they needed to go.

"Is there anything else, ma'am?"

Bella thought about her answer, "No."

Again, you could see how not adding two simple words, "Thank you," Onto the end of her sentence was killing her. Still, she remained upright, seemingly uninterested. "Make it quick, I'll want them soon," Was all she said before storming past him towards the library doors. I watched impressively as she threw them open and sauntered away. I needn't worry. I knew it was part of the act, she was beginning to understand the part she was required to play.

We returned to the surface, left through the clocktower and drifted into the nearest alley; all the while Bella remained silent. Together we moved through the city, sticking the alleyways and shadows as much as we could. It was easy to forget you were in the presence of a Newborn. Isabella's sense of self-control was impressive. Any ordinary Newborn would be on edge so close to fresh, hot blood – even after feeding – but it seemed to be the last thing on Bella's mind now. I needn't ask what was on her mind. Bella no longer needed me to remind her that she must be careful in what she said and what she did as to not give Aro an excuse to punish her.

"You understand why it was important you treated him as your inferior?" I asked as we moved.

"Because If I didn't it would have looked like I respected him." We turned a corner and then another, passing beneath the shadow of a bridge between two buildings.

"And?"

"And that would have made him a target for Aro."

I nodded. "Correct. You're beginning to understand."

"I understand completely, it doesn't mean I like it."

We walked in silence until we reached the edge of the city and our destination. "We're here," I told her, but she looked around, squinting, her eyes focussing on the building we stood before.

"This?" She sighed in disbelief, beckoning up at the building with a single judging finger.

"This," I confirmed.

"This…" She said, "Is a church?" True enough, the building looming over us, in whose shadow we lurked, was a church – or was. The church was small, two floors only, and made up cracked white stone and splintering wood. The only indication of its purpose being an ancient, rusted statue of Jesus Christ hanging above the door.

"It had been a church once upon but now it is the property of the Volturi. We use it as storage space."

"Storage space, you don't have enough of that below ground?"

I shrugged, "Apparently not." I unlatched the door, its hinges screaming as it slowly swung inwards and Bella followed me inside. The entrance opened into one singular room. What once had been filled with hopeful hearts, thoughts and prayers were now empty and soulless. The amount of dust we had disturbed just by opening the door hinted at this building being abandoned for quite some time.

Bella looked around. I knew she was seeing what I could see.

The paint on the bricks had cracked and peeled away with age, flaked speckles covered the floor, reminding me unnervingly of broken vampire skin. Most windows were boarded up, meaning we could lower our hoods; the ones that weren't were either smashed or covered by white, lace curtains. I noticed Bella gawking at the long-dead moths and flies that had been entangled in their intricate patterns.

With each step clouds of dust erupted from beneath us, filling the air with dust motes that shone like spots of silver in the random rays of sunlight.

"No lock," She asked, stepping forward.

"No need." I replied, "It's no secret to the locals this place is private property. That and they also believed it to be Maledetto…" My mouth curling into an evil grin, one I had mastered.

"Haunted?" She guessed.

"Close, Cursed."

As we walked between the broken, white church pews towards the staircase at the back of the room, I spoke. "There have been rumors of this place for centuries, men and women with glowing red eyes and pale faces coming and going from this building, shrouded in shadows, all hours of the day and night."

I winked at her and Bella scoffed a laugh, wiping her finger through the dust. The disused wooden furniture had started rotting; stained with lichen.

"I have to say I prefer the library, even with other people there."

"Oh, this isn't where we're training,"

"It isn't?"

I beckoned her to follow with my finger and together we moved up the stone stairwell, ascending into what would become our private classroom.

A spacious room made up of white brick with tall wooden beams arching into the rafters above, holding up the roof, dividing the space around us and giving the illusion of separate rooms. This place had once been a study, a classroom, a place of learning and education. I moved through the shadows to the opposite end of the room facing the back of the building and drew the black curtains back, filling the space with blinding white light. Just enough light to see, not enough to set us ablaze in diamonds. The new light filling the room highlighted the dust motes spinning in the air. The finest layer of dust coating almost everything.

"What do you think?"

A rug I knew to be the hide of some poor wolf cushioned her bare toes as she stepped ever so slowly into the quiet. "Not quite as miserable as downstairs," She said, stepping to the far side of the room where the back wall was made up entirely of bookcases; Though unlike the ones in the library, were shorter and poorly made, books shoved carelessly into any space, unorganized and torn. She ran her finger along the spine of a thick red book, its pages yellowed with age.

I moved across and gathered several wooden logs from the corner and lay them accordingly into the fireplace made up of thick, clunky grey bricks by the stairwell. It wasn't long before flames were crackling. Black, pot floor vases stood on either side me, displaying the grey remains of dead flowers, their petals crisp and curled like the spider's dead beside them.

"Could do with a clean, I'll send someone in later, but I think it'll do nicely,"

Two old tables made from the same, grey wood as the bookshelves and stools had been pushed together in the center of the space to make desks. I set down my books atop of them and placed by bottom on one of the stools as I loosened my cloak and folded it neatly over the back of an old, wooden bench.

"This is where we'll learn, practice to control my shield thing."

"Indeed."

She loosened her own cloak and let it drop to the ground, her bare arms chalk white in the daylight through the windows. "Then let's get to it."

"So eager to die?" I teased.

She looked right at me and said with all seriousness. "Yes. The quicker I forget this world, the better."

"Well," I said, flipping open the first book. "Let's get to it."

Asher's Note:

Hello Everyone! Chapter Four of my Prequel Story is here! For what happens in this chapter, I don't have an excuse for how long it's been since I updated! I know it has been ridiculously long, but I need to write when I am inspired and have the time, forcing words out isn't the best way to go. Sorry! In this chapter, Kai shows Isabella around a little bit and they begin their lessons to lower her shield. I hope to hear what people think. Thanks a lot for reading!

Responding to your reviews:

Guest #1: Thank you for your review! And I agree! I've had people be angry at me regarding the characters and plot of this story, claiming that I am trying to make heroes out of individuals that have done horrible things and that is not what I am trying to do. I'm just trying to explain why they did what they did. I hope to hear your thoughts on this chapter.

Guest #2: What's taking me so long is I am an adult with adult responsibilities and I don't always have the time to write twilight fanfiction on the internet, as much as I love it and wish I did.

Guest #3: The chapter is here! Sorry for the wait, and sorry we didn't get to see the actual beginning of the training here. I wanted to get the chapter up as soon as possible and while I had it in me to write ha-ha. Hope you enjoyed.

Alice: That is true. The overall plot of this story is explained very quickly in Remember A Love Long Lost, I started this story mostly to be able to show the smaller, quieter scenes between Bella and Kai as they work together and fall in love. There may not be many training scenes for this exact reason, but I hopefully shall finish this story one day. When Remember a Love Long Lost is finished, this will probably be my main project.

Guest #4: Thank you for reviewing! I based Kai on the model Sean O'Pry, loosely. A more rugged version of him, obviously. He is very much like Dick Grayson! If Dick Grayson had stubble! I see why you would fan-cast Danielle Campbell as Bella, she is very Bella-esque. (Love her in the Originals.) Although she is not who I imagine as my Bella. In fact, I don't know who I imagine as Bella. I like Kristen Stewart despite her being a terrible Bella. She portrays a vampire Bella much better than the human one, and I think Kristen would play a very good EVIL version of Bella such as the Isabella from this story. Although I'm not sure. My Isabella was originally based on Katherine from the Vampire Diaries and because the characters are so similar in looks and personality, I could see Nina Dobrev as my Isabella. Who would you cast as my Isabella? I'm curious.

~Asher~