Don't you mourn the sun

I literally couldn't feel the ground under my feet. Everything felt surreal, dreamlike, as if I was walking on clouds, or inside a bubble. I went to the rooms Alec and I shared, knowing he would be waiting for me there.

He greeted me and handed me a cup of freshly extracted blood. It tasted delicious, warm and sweet. I sat down on a chair, next to the window, and sighed contently. Alec walked toward me and kissed my cheek.

"My darling little sister," he said, caressing my hair. "He is going to break your heart."

"On the contrary," I replied. "He put its pieces together when it was shattered."

"Only to separate them again."

He took the chair I was sitting on in his arms and deposited me in front of the mirror.

"Let's fix that hair of yours."

While he brushed and combed my hair he kept trying to discourage me.

"You are playing with fire, little sister, and you are not the one who controls the flames. Do not play his game, I beg you, or you will get burnt."

"For him, I wouldn't mind a thousand stakes."

He was the one to sigh now –he knew too well how stubborn I was. He put the brush on the table and placed his hands on my shoulders.

"Jane, look," he said, pointing at the mirror. "What do you see?"

I admired my reflection: the small face still framed by a cascade of golden hair, my red eyes, now burgundy after I'd spent so much energy with my Master, and the rich black velvet cloak that covered everything else.

"I see myself," I said, "and you."

"Forget about identities and forget about me. What do you see?"

"A girl."

He nodded. "Blond hair. Pale face. Red eyes," I continued.

"Beautiful?"

"Yes."

"Young?"

"Uh… I suppose."

"Strong, interesting, attractive?"

"Er… yes?"

"Absolutely. Now, if you'd just met this girl, would you like her to go wasted on a man who sees her only as a mascot?"

Now I saw where he was heading. "Alec, please. This is not something I can cont-"

"For whom she's only a plaything? A nice ornament to show off?"

"You are being unfair, Alec. We owe him our lives and I'm sure he loves us sincerely."

"I don't doubt that, Janette. What I'm not sure of is if you should lay your heart to be stepped on, and whether I should allow it."

"That will not happen."

In a matter of seconds my hair was back in its chignon. "Sure?"

"No. But I hope."

A few weeks went by, but I did not have the chance to remotely see who was right in this new bet, and not even remotely the opportunity to repeat that kiss. I did want to try, but I could never bring myself to make any insinuations to my Master, and he never made any himself. Then I noticed something was wrong. There were sudden changes in the rules and the Trio was overly cautious when it came to movement outside the castle. We were instructed not to go out unless it was absolutely necessary, and if so we had to leave in groups of three or more. Eventually we took turns to go out and bring back food for the entire family. When I asked Caius why we were taking all those measures he only said that tough times were coming, and that we should be prepared for them.

I didn't quite understand what he had meant by that until one night Felix came to my rooms and announced,

"Someone wants an audience with Aro."

"Who?"

"She won't tell me. She insists and says that he knows her. She's with other three or four girls. Could you please deal with her, Jane? She's rather insistent."

I looked at Felix. I liked him. He was at least twice my size but never took advantage of it. On the contrary, he was most respectful and gentlemanly, but without losing that very special sense of humor that was so him. And as if Alec and Aro were not enough, it seemed that he, too, wanted to protect me. Yes, I definitely liked Felix.

"Yes, of course. Don't worry, Felix."

I went downstairs to the Main Hall and found the girls Felix referred to. They could have been mistaken for sisters, so alike they were. All of them had red hair, different but unforgettable shades; upon closer inspection I realized their eyes were emerald green. To my surprise, they were human, and to my more intense surprise, they were quite beautiful and sensual, much more attractive than humans normally were –even the best ones-, and I suddenly didn't want to show them to my Master, though I wasn't sure why.

"So… who are you?" I asked.

"My name is Selene," began one of them, taking two little steps forward, "and these are Aleida, Chelsea, Mary and Coco," she gestured at her companions.

"What do you want?"

"We need to see Aro."

"Why?"

"It's a matter of life and death that we need to discuss with him. He's the only one who can save us."

I did not move an inch and she seemed to understand I would not present them until I'd heard everything first, because she added, "We're being hunted."

"Hunted?"

"We are witches."

Her words took my completely by surprise. All this time I'd thought that witches were only an excuse to get rid of people, like what had happened to Alec and me; not once had I considered that those stories were true. Yet there they were, matching every description I had read and heard in both my lives.

"We are witches," Selene continued, "and we seek protection with the only ones who can help us. Witches and vampires have worked together before, with the best results. The entire supernatural world is threatened once more, and without an alliance defeat is certain. Please, let us talk to him."

I considered the matter for a while. Selene's words had finally made everything fall into place. It was perfectly logical that the Trio was overprotecting us, now that it was hunting time again. I remembered the time when my brother and me had suffered that persecution and finally allowed Selene and her second in command, Mary, to see Aro, Marcus and Caius.

I went into the Hall with them while the others waited outside with Felix. The story Selene told my Master was the same she had told me. It seemed logical that the alliance would be formed, and that's why I was shocked when Marcus said,

"We are truly sorry to hear your grief, Selene, but sadly we cannot help you."

"Why?"

"We are afraid your coven is already too present in the hunters' minds. They might have even followed you here. It would not take them long to find you here and it would be prejudicial for us all if you were caught here. Everyone would perish."

"But that's my point! Together we would not be caught. Neither your clan nor my coven are humans, yet we're being massacred by them. You know how this is: if we do not join forces we will all be annihilated. Please."

That please was tiny and imploring; all her pain and fear went inside that word. Her hands trembled with desperation; all six fingers of each hand were shaking. I looked around and saw that most of the guard was moved by her and by the whole situation; they could not believe she had been given a no. But the refusal was repeated, and though she tried all sorts of arguments to convince our Masters, she and her coven were forced to leave again.

Once they were gone Aro sighed.

"Tough times indeed." Then he rose from his throne. "Felix, Demetri, Georgette, go to the city and around it: Pisa, Livorno, Arezzo, Firenze, Siena. Bring as much food as you can. We can keep them in the dungeons, underground, until we need them. The more, the better, but be back tomorrow night. From this moment on, no one is allowed to leave the castle at all, under any circumstances. No excuses, no pretexts. Everyone stays here until further notice. Jane, Alec." He waved and we went to his side. "You must not leave my sight, even for a second. You are the strongest, most valuable elements and your life is precious."

"Yes, Master."

"Good. Now everyone get back to work. We need to be at our sharpest." After a pause he added, "Poor girls. Ah, Marcus, my brother, I hope one day you will be able to forget old sentimental affairs and give a hand to those who need it."

We were all puzzled by what Aro had said, but no one dared asking. We locked ourselves up in our respective rooms and night had barely fallen when we started to hear the screams of hunters and hunted.