Language: English
Rating: Rated: M
Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Drama
CHAPTER 7: DON'T KILL THE MESSENGER
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. All rights go to Stephanie Meyer
Revenge is a dish best served cold:
The Hunt
Don't kill the messenger- actually, go ahead
THE CULLEN family huddled closer as they walked down the halls of the Volturi Castle. They had touched down in Florence a little over an hour ago and had rented cars to drive to the city of Volterra. On the entire journey, Alice and Esme fidgeted nervously, worried over having not heard from Edward in over ten hours. The tiny figure cloaked in black nodded to the human secretary, Gianna, as she passed, stopping before the giant oak doors to wait impatiently as the coven caught up. Thrusting the doors open rather dramatically, she marched to the center of the throne room before announcing them.
"Masters, the Olympic Coven, the Cullen's," she called, her bell like voice resonating through the room. After a quick curtsey, she took her place beside her twin, her kitten heels resonating throughout the silent room.
"Carlisle, it has been too long, old friend," exclaimed Aro, grinning in that maniac way of his. The blonde leader inclined his head.
"Indeed, Aro, it has. over 300 years," responded Carlisle tiredly.
"What has you so weary, friend? I pray it wasn't the travel here?" asked Aro.
"No, not at all. In fact, us being here is the safest thing for us at the moment."
"And, pray tell, why that may be?"
"We're running from a vengeful human-turned-vampire that we left in Forks," said Rosalie bluntly when Carlisle hesitated. The Cullen coven bristled as their secret was revealed. The blonde shrugged. "What? They were going to find out sometime. They may already know. Didn't you hear what Jasper said?"
Before anyone could respond, Emmett's phone rang. He looked down at it. "It's Garrett," he said. Aro motioned for him to answer. "Hey man, what's up?"
"Emmett, good to hear you man. Where are you? I'm at your place in London but none of you are here and your scents are faded," came the familiar voice. The coven exchanged glances.
"We're in Volterra."
"What? As in, at the Volturi? Now?"
"Uh yes."
"Shit!" Garrett exclaimed. The others were worried now. Jasper snatched the phone from Emmett.
"Garrett, are you alright?" he asked, picking up that there was something unusual about their friend's behavior.
"Yeah, sure, Jasper. Just…I'm on my way," he admitted. Esme and Alice gasped. Jasper and Carlisle frowned. Emmett and Rosalie exchanged looks.
"Look, man, right now is not the best time. Maybe…maybe another time?" The sound of rustling clothes and pounding feet could already be heard, telling them that he had started running.
"No, I have to come. It's…out of my control. I'll explain when I get there. See ya." Then the line went dead.
"What an interesting turn of events," hummed Aro. All attention to him again, Jasper tensing slightly at all the potential threats to his mate. Subtly, he positioned himself between the three kings and Alice; ready to take on anything that came at them. Aro chuckled. "No need to get so defensive, Major. It was never my intention to lay a hand on any of your coven mates, including your mate." The words did nothing to sooth his nerves.
While the two powerheads conversed, Jane stood amongst the guard, nearly jumping out of her skin at all the noises. Now that the Cullen's were here, Aro would find a way to contact Isabella and she'd make her way here then Jane would get her chance to get out of this hell hole. Alice was scanning the guard and as she locked eyes with the equally small vampire, Jane narrowed her eyes in suspicion. But all she was met with was the sorrow and grief in the vegetarian vampires topaz depths. Alice gave a subtle shake of the head that had the blonde confused before fixing her eyes back on Aro.
What had Alice meant? Jane's mind struggled to find any plausible answer before stopping on one: Alice could see the outcome to things. What if she had seen that Isabella wouldn't accept her? What if instead, she did to her what she did to Victoria? No, she couldn't think like that. Of course Isabella would like her, would want her how she did. They would be a pair and live a long eternity together fucking and feeding with the occasional fight here and there. Jane didn't want to believe anything else.
Carlisle's phone rang then, and again, Aro motioned for him to answer. "Hello?"
"Carlisle, it's me," came a familiar voice. The entire group sagged with relief.
"Edward, where are you? Why haven't you called? We've been worried sick about you and-" Edward cut Esme off, who had snatched the phone out of her husband's hand once she'd heard her favorite child's voice.
"Esme, she's coming. She's coming for us and she's going to kill us all," panted Edward frantically. The whole room held its breath. Once more, Jasper took the phone.
"Who's coming for us Edward?" he asked, already knowing the answer.
"Isabella. She, she was able to change her appearance. She looked like Alice, and smelt like Alice and sounded like Alice. But that's not all. She managed to put Zafrina in pain, and compel me, and somehow make her shrivel up while Zafrina imagined the worst thing possible happened to her. Then she compelled Garrett….Garrett! He hasn't called, has he? You haven't told him where you are?" his voice sounded urgent.
"Well, yes, we just spoke to him," answered Carlisle, frowning. Understanding dawned on Rosalie's face.
"She compelled him didn't she," she muttered. "She compelled Garrett to find us then do…something. What did she tell him to do Edward?"
"She told him to find you and deliver a message before he killed himself in front of you." Gasps resonated throughout the room. Aro sat forward, intrigued.
"But…but…how!" exclaimed Caius, unable to hold in his burning questions any longer. The thought of any vampire having the ability to completely control another was absurd.
"I don't know, just…don't let anyone in. Wait until I get there before you do anything. She's dead set on killing us- all of us." Then, for the second time in ten minutes, they got hung up on again.
"A certainly interesting turn of events," murmured Aro.
Maggie and I had been in London for two days now. Turns out I could alter other people's appearances as well, which meant we were both able to go out in the sun. Considering the fact that we were in England, it didn't really make a difference. From what I'd heard, it was hardly ever sunny. We'd 'bought' a ton of souvenirs that I had compelled the shopkeepers into giving me, and Maggie seemed to get a kick out of going on the London Eye for some reason before insisting that we visit all the silly tourist attractions. It didn't matter that we were the real monsters in among all those playing dress-up. It was nightfall on the last night before we set off for Volterra and Maggie and I were just about to grab a snack, and as I went to bite into my prey, a growl stopped me.
I compelled the human to stay silent and where they were. Turning, I saw an Asian vampire standing there, growling with venom dripping from his bared teeth. I scowled at him and threw him a tissue from my pocket.
"Oh act your age and not like a newborn, mate," I scoffed, raising a brow at him. His dribbling stopped, but not his growling.
"You're on my turf," he growled. I rolled my eyes.
"What is this, the animal kingdom? Grow a pair and find your own prey," I sneered. I knew it would rile him up but my tiger had been getting restless lately and I needed to gain access to a mind and feed off their mental energy soon otherwise I'd explode. He roared and charged, tackling me to the ground. We rolled several times but I pinned him down and stared into his eyes, feeling my mind slip into his and gain full access to his thoughts, memories and though he had no gifts, he was a strong willed person. Fighting through his defences was exhilarating.
I saw his eyes go glassy before I ripped his head off, my tiger purring before settling down in her cage, full on all the energy I consumed. Setting his body on fire, I turned to my prey. Her eyes were wide with fear, adrenaline pumping through her veins and thickening her blood. I licked my lips before sinking my teeth into her soft flesh, moaning as the ambrosia flowed soothingly down my throat. I clutched her body to me tightly, straining to devour every last drop of her delectable blood.
When she was dry, I threw her body on top of the unknown vampire I had just killed. Wiping my mouth, I started onto the streets of London, stronger than ever.
Maggie had just finished her meal. She pranced down the streets of London, admiring the way the lights lit up the streets as if it were still day. The city never seemed to slumber, unlike the tiny towns of Ireland. Couples made out on almost every street corner and a steady stream of people poured from shops. The city was so alive.
She thought about her companion. Isabella. A strange character, that one. She seemed to take pleasure out of making drama, terrorizing, getting the feeling of fear out of people. She seemed to thrive on the very thoughts of revenge and power and she had a very, very dark aura. But Maggie knew that she wasn't always like this. It wasn't a darkness that seemed to be ever-present. More like it had grown, like a fungus or developed like a cold. Some major event had happened to cause a sudden change in the girl and Maggie was determined to find out what, though she did suspect it had something to do with that Edward Cullen.
Maggie had never really liked the Cullen's. They thought themselves better than the rest of them, simply because of the fact that they could resist the allure of human blood while interacting with them on a daily basis. The only one she truly liked was Jasper, and that was because he wasn't as big headed as the rest. He had spent at least a century living off human blood while feeling all of the horrible feelings his prey was. He had suffered so much, and she understood the need to cut all ties with that part of him.
Back to the topic of Isabella. Maggie wasn't in love with her, but more so related to her in a way. Maggie had always been cooped up one place or the other, while being somewhere where she wasn't always wanted. Isabella allowed her to be free and wild and be a normal girl- or as normal as eternally stuck seventeen could be. And Maggie was immensely grateful for that.
Granted, she had been thinking of leaving Siobhan and Liam for some time now. It was evident that Liam didn't like her, for every time she contributed to the conversation, he would shut her down and often suggested he and his mate go on hunting trips for weeks at a time without extending an invitation to her. And his overall attitude towards her generally stank.
The smell of burning vampire made its way to her and she shook her head, chuckling to herself. It would seem Isabella had gone and found herself more drama and killed a vampire. For some reason, this made her laugh instead of frown. Maybe the crazy vamp was rubbing off on her.
Garrett cursed as he flew across the land in the East of Rhône-Alpes, France. His body moved of its own accord. He cursed himself as he continued to Volterra, to the Cullen's and ultimately, to his death. Why had he ever stopped to talk to Isabella? Why had he traveled with her, kissed her, groped her and taken her to his friends' house in the first place? What possessed him to do that?
You fancied her, you idiot, he berated himself. You thought that you could make her fancy you too, that you could show her how much better you were compared to those bratty Cullen's.
And now he'd die because of them. It wasn't fair. He knew it sounded childish but it was true. It simply wasn't fair that they get to live while he dies. And for what? To prove a point. To prove a fucking point, he had to end his own life. If there were a heaven for vampires, he wouldn't be getting in simply because of suicide. Why, why him?
He was nearly to the border separating France from Italy. He brought himself closer and closer to his doom. Thud, thud, thud. His feet pounded the ground. The wind whipped at him, branches snagged on his clothes. Streets passed in blurs and barren lands became a blob of browns, yellow and green. The sun shone but he ceased caring about exposure. He would die soon enough, with the Volturi no less. The irony didn't escape him.
-2 hours later-
Garrett had just arrived in Milan, where he had decided he would take a pit stop and feed. Walking into a nightclub, he instantly found someone who resembled Isabella and dragged her out back, not bothering to stifle her cries of protest. Once in the back alley, he beat her up, not bothering to watch his strength. He pretended the fragile human was Isabella and beat her until she was unrecognizable. Then he fed savagely on the little blood she had left before finding another three to satisfy his hunger.
Not bothering to clean himself up or dispose of his evident feeding, Garrett took off once more.
- another two hours later-
He had just come to a stop in Bologna, needing to feed again. He had run into several other nomads and ripped them apart, not bothering to speak to them beforehand. If he had to die, he'd take as many others out with him as he could. He stalked the streets, tuning out a human as they spoke animatedly about a concert they had seen earlier. Instead, he focused on the sound of their thumping heart. Thump, thump, thump. It was music to his ears. As soon as the bus stopped, he grabbed the human and dragged him to an alley, slamming him against the wall and feeding from jugular hungrily, blood spraying everywhere.
Garrett's throat was on fire, erupting in mini flames and the only thing that could put it out was blood. And so, five more people met the same fate that night.
- 1 hour later-
Garrett had just reached Florence. This was when the fear kicked in. In half an hour, he would reach Volterra and be forced to deliver a message then kill himself. Whatever happened to don't kill the messenger?
He fiddled with the lighter in his pocket. He'd already doused his hair with petrol from a gas station, and they wouldn't be able to tell what he'd do until it was too late, unfortunately for him. For the thousandth time that night, he cursed Isabella to the deepest pits of hell. He cursed that wretched family too. Isabella may be psychotic, but one only had to listen to what she had told Edward to understand that he was the reason she was like that, he was the reason the world had the deadliest weapon prowling the streets. Fear so crippling it made his limbs tremble blossomed in his heart as the Volturi castle came into view. Soon, his life would end. By his own hands no less.
He slowed his pace to a walk as the castle loomed over him, blocking out the moon and blanketing him in shadows. He took the back alley leading to a manhole. Removing the lid, he jumped down, landing with a soft thud. His eyes adjusted to the dark and he ran through the halls, replaying the message in his head again and again and again. He reached the front lobby. A human sat at the desk. She said something to him about him not being allowed in there. He snapped her neck. He was about to push open the door. He was about to walk into his death scene.
Edward raced through the streets of Volterra, praying all the way that he made it before Garrett. Guilt flooded his being. It was his fault their peaceful existence had been disrupted. All of his fault that his family was forced into hiding. And by a newborn no less! And to think that that newborn had once been the girl he held in his arms as she slept, the girl he used to kiss and love.
All until he let her go.
She was right. It was his fault. It was all his fault. That's why as soon as he reached the Volturi castle, he'd ask for death by their hands. Because he knew, somewhere deep within, his loving warm Bella still lived, waiting to be released for the world to see and admire. This shell, this persona she'd become was simply a defense mechanism. But hopefully his death would shock her enough into herself that she'd see reason. Either that or send her further into her craziness.
Edward got to the manhole, only to discover Garrett's scent fresh and the lid moved aside. Cursing colorfully, Edward jumped down, running as soon as he touched the floor. The sound of Garrett ahead told him that it wasn't too late, that he could still save him from himself. The sound of a neck snapping reached him just before he saw Gianna's lifeless body hit her desk. But Edward didn't have time to stop and grieve for the innocent human life lost. Garrett was about to open the doors to the throne room. Launching himself through the air, Edward crashed onto him, sending them tumbling into the throne room.
All eyes turned to the pair of struggling vampires. Garrett, having centuries of more experience compared to Edward, managed to gain the upper hand and kick Edward across the room, sending him crashing into the tiles. Standing, Garrett dusted himself off. "I come with a message," he announced.
"Garrett, no!" screamed Edward, scrambling up from the rubble. Garret swung around, glaring at the younger vampire.
"Shut it, boy. It's your fault I'm in this mess in the first place. You may as well let me come and go in peace," he to the others, he said, "As I was saying, I have a message from Isabella. Well, really, I'm to tell you of all that I saw." He swallowed thickly, choosing to glare at the tiles marble floor.
"I was in Portugal, stopping for a snack before making my way to Ireland and then London, to see you, when I noticed a vampire sunbathing. As in, actually in the sun without sparkling. So I followed her scent to her room. She met me there and explained that she was a new vampire and had the power to change her appearance at will. She said she'd encountered the Cullen's a few months back and that she wanted to surprise you guys with her presence if she came with me since she didn't know where you were. I allowed her to come with me, thinking she was a friend of yours, Carlisle.
We got to Ireland and she introduced herself as Ella. Then she and Maggie got talking. The two seemed to really hit it off. Then she demonstrated to what extent she could manipulate her power and took on the appearance of Alice. When Edward and Zafrina got there, she actually pretended to be you, Alice. And boy was she good at it, bouncing around and stuff…" he trailed off laughing. But a glare from Jasper sobered him up.
"Right. Anyway, we told her she could drop the disguise and when she did, Edward recognized her. Then, Zafrina started growling but a glare from Isabella had her in pain, like the witch twin." At this, Jane was stuck between pride and insult. "Then she kind of compelled Edward to tell her who Zafrina was and then she must have stopped whatever it was she was doing to Zafrina because she just tackled Isabella and they crashed through the wall into the yard and started fighting. But then, Zafrina projected the image of fire and lava and the heat seemed so real..." He shivered.
"But Isabella got really angry when she heard Maggie's screams and smacked Zafrina and demanded she end her vision projection. Then she told her to stay put before helping Maggie to her feet. Then Edward here confronted her and she got really mad, talking about how they could have had a perfect eternity if he hadn't destroyed her and left her to die that day in the forest, whatever she was talking about…" Alice whirled on Edward, fury clear on her face.
"What!" she screamed. His face crumpled as he remembered the day he left his heart behind and walked away, even after hearing her cries for him to come back and knowing that there was no way that she could find her way home from that deep in the forest.
"Am I to assume you all thought Edward's relationship had ended on better terms with Isabella?" asked Aro.
"Yes, Aro. Much better terms. You're a monster, Edward! How dare you leave, let alone breakup with a young defenseless girl in the woods! What lies did you spew?" spat Rosalie, outraged.
"I told her I didn't love her anymore. That she was a play thing to pass my- our- time." Edward ducked his head in shame.
"You dare drag our name through the mud as well? No wonder the girl wants us dead! Did you think about how it might have affected her? Even if you were mates, which I now highly doubt, how bad you were feeling would have been nothing compared to how she must have been feeling since she was human!" shrieked Alice furiously. Jasper laid a calming hand on her shoulder while sending calming waves to everyone.
"Continue, Garrett," snapped Caius impatiently. Garrett flipped him the bird.
"So Isabella was really mad at this stage but she was still in control. Then she turned her gaze to Zafrina again and then she started freaking out, trying to pull out her hair and screaming and then she started shriveling up. Like, like, like a raisin. Then she was just there, her eyes staring in permanent horror." He turned his eyes to Carlisle. "I think she wants you to know what's going to happen to you."
Then Garrett pulled out the lighter and smiled a sad smiled before he dropped it in his hair, not only doused with petrol, but also the most flammable part of a vampire barring their venom. Esme's sobs resonated throughout the room, weeping for the death of a dear friend and the loss of a close child.
The pain was much for Garrett to bear, but he firmed it, dropping to his knees as he gritted his teeth in agony. The fire was spreading, eating at his marble skin. A cry escaped his lips and Jasper worked hard to soothe his friend, but there was only so much pain he himself could absorb. Aro motioned for Alec to use his gift, so he did. The fog crept closer, and closer it got, the less and less he felt. Until finally, he was floating, detached from the pain, detached from the fear, detached from the drama; he was free. Garrett smiled weakly. The sound of Esme's sobs still reached him, and he never thought someone would weep at his death; it was a beautiful sound to behold.
A/N: Hello my lovelies. Well, here's another [filler] chapter. Two chapters within the space of five hours! You guys sure are lucky. I hope this makes up for the exceptionally long wait if the other one didn't. What do you want to happen? What do you think will happen? But ultimately, what will happen? Review and wait for the next chapter to find out!
-Channie.B
EDITED: 28/12/18
