Chapter 4: The Unforeseen

Alice walked aside Carlisle down the old gothic corridors that made up the underground of the Palazze dei Priori. It has been so many years since she had been here and it was a bit relieving to finally leave Forks and come to contact with other vampires. Sure, the Denali Coven was always fun to visit but there was something about being in Volterra—something that stirred deep within her, a feeling of serenity, as if she were returning home. Forks didn't feel like home anymore ever since Jasper came. But he was to be part of the family now and Alice supposed she would just have to get used to him.
The thought made her groan but she didn't have time to think about it any longer for the both of them entered the large chamber that constituted the reception desk and a young female human sitting behind it.

"How can I help you?" She asked. It seemed oddly bizarre to Alice that the Volturi would insist on having a human receptionist. But then again, to the Volturi, it would seem too trivial a task for a Vampire.

"Your arrival could not have been at a better time," Aro bellowed as he walked through the large archway doors that led to the Volturi Chamber. His bright red eyes signified to Alice that the Volturi had just finished feeding—it would help explain the jolly look upon Aro's face.

"Thank you, my friend, I understand we have a matter of urgency to discuss." Carlisle said as he approached Aro and gave him a large embrace.

"Yes, yes, all in due time, my brother," Aro began and turned to face Alice, "And you have brought dear Alice. Thank you, Carlisle, for blessing us with such a delightful presence. You were always my favorite." Aro said as he winked to her.

Alice smiled back and nodded curtly, "I am honored to be here."

Aro smiled and his red eyes shined. It was clear to Alice that her presence excited him.

"Come, let us gather with the rest of the Coven. We have much to discuss."

Aro led them through the large archways and Alice could see the rest of the Volturi inside. She could feel Caius' eyes fall upon her—he wasn't one to welcome guests. Alice didn't look at him, instead she looked around the room and absorbed the faces she saw. She saw Marcus sitting in a throne and saw the famous twins standing aside him. The boy, Alec, was exceptionally tall with brown hair and his sister, Jane, was drastically shorter and bore dark blonde hair that complimented her deep crimson eyes, which stood out due to her exotic choice in make up. Alice saw that she was wearing a dark long cloak with the Volturi emblem falling down her developed chest. Despite looking like she was a young teenager, Jane seemed to have developed exceptionally large breasts—Alice glanced up and saw that Jane was staring directly at her, her face stone cold but her eyes stared fiercely in to Alice, penetrating her deep within.
Alice averted her eyes quickly—she was absolutely blown away by the power Jane's glare had over her. She realized she had forgotten to breathe and took a large gulp of air. The lack of oxygen had made her feel very dizzy.

As she stumbled forward, she saw that Carlisle was looking right at her. "Are you all right?" Carlisle asked with concern and reached out to her—Alice looked as if she was about to collapse.

"The long journey must have worn her down," Aro pitched in, "it would be best if she fed, the nourishment would do her well."

Alice was beginning to feel extremely dizzy, the chamber was spinning and she couldn't make out where was up and where was down.

"You know that we don't feed in the same manner as you." Carlisle added. He knew Aro would easily find a human for her but Carlisle insisted that the Cullens stick with their morals—never take a human life for nourishment purposes.

"Then I will have Jane assist Alice in whatever she so pleases to feed upon," Aro said as he motioned towards Jane and she stepped forward. "See to it that our guest is both comfortable and well nourished."

Jane nodded and bowed in respects to both Aro and Carlisle before she confronted Alice and wrapped her arms around Alice's slender waist and she guided her out of the archway doors.

Despite feeling a bit dizzy and despite Jane's cold and hard reputation, Alice couldn't help but feel comforted at feeling Jane take care of her. Though she seems like a stone hard person, her touch was rather soft and delicate. Alice guessed it was from her small body size but there was something a bit more to it. Alice realized that her head was beginning to clear up—perhaps it was the excitement of the Volturi that caught her off guard, but that's never happened before.

Jane led Alice into a bedroom that held a large king's bed with fancy curtains and draperies on the side. There was a large window next to the bed and Alice could see that it overlooked some sort of garden but she couldn't make out too many details. However, she could see the moon shining brightly through—it was gloriously full. Jane guided her to the bed and to Alice's dismay, let go of her grasp around her waist.

"Lie down," Jane commanded. It was the first time Alice had heard her voice that night and though it was harsh, it was so pleasing to hear.

As Alice lied down, she felt her head begin to clear and her mind focused on the contents of the room, trying to distract herself from glaring in to Jane's beautiful face.

"Is there anything you prefer?"
At first, Alice imagination soared at the various meanings behind that question. It took her several moments before she accepted that Jane was referring to the animal that Jane was to hunt for her behalf.

"I'm not hungry," Alice said and she couldn't help but glance up in to Jane's eyes. They were, to Alice's surprise, soft—or much softer than what they appeared to be in the Volturi chamber. Alice felt so drawn in to the deep crimson that sparkled from the moonlight pouring in through the window. Her skin looked so soft and her hair shined healthily—Alice couldn't help but pause in hesitation. Jane's presence aroused Alice's deep desires that she kept locked away at all times. It was a mistake for Aro to have sent Jane but it also made Alice feel alive—for the first time in years, she felt feelings deep within her—it was reviving.

Jane took a step forward and arched her brow, "You are not hungry now but you will be soon enough." Jane glared at her and began to turn away until Alice reached out and grabbed her wrist. Her skin felt as soft as it looked and Alice was beginning to lose control.

"Look…I just," Alice stumbled out the words and she couldn't really grasp what she was trying to say. She was overwhelmed with so many emotions—she wasn't used to feeling what she was feeling, it had been too long. Far too long. "I just…."

"You are weary from your travels, rest here as I go retrieve your…selections." Jane said with firmness, though her voice was not nearly as harsh as Alice had expected.

Alice nodded in defeat. She desperately wanted Jane to stay but didn't want to seem pushy. Besides, the isolation would allow her time to meditate and contemplate. Alice watched in disappointment as Jane walked gracefully out of the room.

Alice heaved a great sigh, sat up straight within her bed, closed her eyes and drifted in to the thoughts of the beyond….

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One hour later, Alice opened her eyes. She had been in a very deep meditation and felt extremely revived from it. Jane hadn't come back and Alice was curious as to why—after all, it shouldn't take that long to retrieve an animal. She decided to try the Volturi chamber and as she opened the bedroom doors, she felt pressure from the door and a yelp of some sorts…

She peered around the corner of the door and saw a lamb upon a leash, which was tied upon the door. Around the lamb's neck was a collar and attached through it held a single Red Rose. Alice smiled and blushed as she looked around for any traces of the deliverer, but she was no where in sight. The halls were empty, no doubt because the inhabitants were all within the Chamber. Alice sighed and felt a feeling deep within her chest, a sense of longing and gratitude all wrapped up in a single moment.

Alice retrieved the rose from the collar and held it carefully within her hands. It was absolutely beautiful. She looked at the lamb as it sat motionlessly still, as if it knew its fate. Alice gently picked the creature up and brought it in to the bedroom. Apparently, Jane was right: Alice would be hungry upon her return. And so she fed.

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Alice walked in to the great chambers and found Carlisle sitting aside Aro, deep in conversation. Alice could hear glimpses of what they were saying—something about a bizarre type of Vampires. On normal circumstances, she would have been very interested on what was being discussed but she found her mind was focused on one thing: finding Jane.

She looked around the room and found every single member of the Volturi except for Jane. This realization was bitterly disappointing to her and she didn't have much time to dwell as both Aro and Carlisle noticed her presence.

"Are you feeling better, my child?" Aro bellowed out, gesturing her to come towards them.

"Yes, thank you. You were right, I was in need of nourishment." Alice hoped her careful choice of words would prompt for him to explain Jane's absence.

Aro just smiled. Damn, thought Alice. She walked slowly towards Carlisle while looking around once more to see if Jane were in sight. She wasn't.

"While you were away, Aro has informed me of the situation. There seems to have been a strange Vampire with unusual anomalies. His attack last week was most unusual and the reasoning behind it are still unclear. His strength was unusually strong, even for a Vampire and his eyes are unlike anything we've heard of before. It appears they were bright blue, which is bizarre since there are only 2 shades known to us depending on the diet….Honey brown for non-human blood and crimson shade for human drinkers…I am not sure what the sky blue entails since our eyes reflect our personal choice in diet."

Alice was very interested in this and it was now clear to her why Aro summoned Carlisle, not merely because the Cullens are the greatest allies to the Volturi, but because of Carlisle's extensive medical knowledge on both Vampires and humans.

"What could the blue entail? Does it reflect dietary choices in any way?" Alice was becoming very curious about the stranger, it was nice to have something to occupy her mind other than thoughts of Jane and the Rose.

"We are not sure," Carlisle said and Aro nodded in agreement.

"We did not see him feed; he was not here for long." Aro added.

"It could be another genetic anomaly," Carlisle began, "but I would have to run tests on him to clarify."

"Which brings us to the point," Aro began. "We need to find him."

Alice grinned at the prospect of hunting aside Jane and nodded to Aro.

"You are all to hunt for him and whence you find him, return him here," Aro bellowed to all of the vampires within the chamber. "It is of great importance to understand what he is and what Coven he comes from…."

The Vampires of Volturi all cried out in excitement of the thrill of the hunt and departed out of the chamber doors.