Hey! I've written a couple stories like this before but they were on a different account or a deleted them, oops! First one I've sat down to write in a looooong time.
typical A/N being that i have zero rights to the Twilight story I've just pinched the characters for a little while. :)
7 Volterra
The city of Volterra was halfway between Siena and Pisa which was about a fourteen hour flight away and considering the only plane rides I'd been on before this was when I had bounced between Charlie and Renee over the summertime this was huge. I felt fear and excitement, nerves bounced inside me like little balls of electricity; what was possibly my last day as a vampire was being spent breathing in the stale air that circulated its way through the plane. Dimitri sat on the other side of the plane, having hushed conversations I couldn't always pick up on, some of them in English while others were in what sounded like Italian.
I spent the majority of the flight looking out the window, waves crashed into each other as we flew out of America almost as if that too was a goodbye, flying over deep waters that were eerily calm as if nothing could disrupt that calm. At some point I'd fallen asleep because next thing I knew Dimitri was nudging me awake.
"We'll be landing in an hour." He informed me before sitting back down in his seat.
I straightened up trying to stretch the kink in my neck out that was the result of falling asleep at an awkward angle, my face was cold from being pressed against the window and I desperately had to pee. Looking out the window again I was left breathless at how beautiful the Italian countryside was even in winter when snow fought to mask its beauty. Fields of snow as far as the eye could see, every so often a perfect patch of green would peek through the blanket of snow that hid it from view; orange and red rooftops also battled to be seen behind the snow that had fallen the day before, the sun was shining now which must have helped. Down along the cobblestone pathways people the size of ants dotted the towns, I had never had any desire to travel and seeing Italy's landscapes now I was hit with a pang of regret over not dreaming bigger or wanting more.
We landed in Florence; Dimitri wrapped his hand around mine as he pulled me through the hoards of people that pushed and shoved every which way and more. No one stopped us as we walked straight through security, my bag over his shoulder Dimitri lead us to where they had a stall set up offering hire cars.
"Something black and fast." He instructed the man who looked to be in his forties behind the counter, pulling me closer and wrapping his arm around my shoulder as if to sell the story of boyfriend and girlfriend; I tensed having remembered the few times I'd been hugged by Edward. "Easy," Dimitri encouraged, and I exhaled.
Dimitri signed all the paperwork before the man lead us out to the garage, handing over the keys to some kind of Ferrari opening the passenger side for me before sliding over the bonnet to the drivers side. The engine purred to life and then Dimitri floored it out of the garage and merged into traffic effortlessly, the scenery along the drive to Volterra was much the same that I'd seen from the plane only close up this time; lots of snow lots of green battling to be noticed and then backs and side views of villages that looked like a warm hug felt. We stopped off at a gas station once so I could go to bathroom and Dimitri made me get something to eat while we were there and just over half an hour later we were pulling up to the city gates of Volterra. The Ferrari weaved through the streets effortlessly, mostly to do with the man behind the wheel; when Dimitri turned the engine off we'd come to a stop in an underground car park, I hadn't even taken notice of the castle from the outside and suddenly I felt silly for not doing so. Becoming a vampire seeing the world will become so different, I kicked myself for not paying more attention to the city on our way through.
Dimitri reached for my hand as we moved from the car to the old style elevator and all the way up to what looked like a very out of place receptionist where he instructed me to sit while he spoke to the woman behind the desk who's eyes matched the rest of the Volturi. In the distance there was the faint sound of cries for help and I tensed not knowing what else to do, I remained that way Dimitri pulled me up and lead me in the direction I'd heard the screams coming from but they were gone by the time we reached the end of the corridor; there stood two of the most exquisite doors I had ever seen, they complete with iron detailing and painted a deep burgundy colour as a tasteless joke I imagine. The doors swung inwards revealing three thrones, in each sat Marcus, Aro and Caius, all three had two vampires flanked on either side, hidden behind them stood two women each with another vampire beside them while several other spread scarcely throughout what once must have been a dining hall; it dawned on me that it must have still been their dining hall, just not the way the room had been intended to begin with.
Dimitri released my hand, bowing before the brothers before moving forward to touch his hand to Aro's extended one as he was welcomed back in hushed conversation I couldn't make out. If I were blind, it still would have been obvious that all eyes were on me in that room, I felt awkward, uncomfortable and horrifically out of place but oddly not an ounce of fear ran through me. As Aro and Dimitri spoke, I couldn't help but be drawn to Marcus who's gaze was fixed intently on me; head tilted to the side, one hand gripped the armrest so tight I thought it might break while the other was bent, so he could rest his chin on it almost smugly. Aro and Dimitri stopped talking both turning to look at Marcus as he watched me.
"Brother, what is it?" Caius asked impatiently.
"Caius, let him work." Aro encouraged. Let him work? Work what?
Moments later Marcus released his clenched armrest, extending his hand so that it was within Aro's reach, Aro's eyes seemed to have that same gleam they'd had when we spoke a week ago.
"Interesting! Very interesting indeed!" Aro mused with a smile that would scare a small child to death. "Dimitri, perhaps you could show Isabella to her new quarters." Aro suggested, well; more like ordered I guess.
"What was that all about?" I finally decided to ask, breaking the silence.
"That was just Aro's way of flaunting you in front of everyone I guess." Dimitri shrugged.
"No not that bit, the thing with Marcus. Why was he looking at me like that?" I stopped walking and so did Dimitri, but only to grab my wrist and pull me along again.
"Marcus' talent is he sees things I guess he saw something of interest." Dimitri shrugged again.
It was he who broke the silence next, as we came to what had to be the final corridor in the whole castle; we stopped at the beginning of the hall.
"These are the sleeping quarters. On your left you have Marcus, Aro and Sulpicia, Caius and Athenadora while on your left you have Jane, Renata, Heidi and Alec." Dimitri pulled us along past all six doors before coming to a tiny stairwell that lead up. On the floor above there were only three doors, each identical to those below.
"And here you have Felix, what will be yours, and then there's mine. Come on," he lead me through the door in the middle, mine.
The room itself was probably bigger than Charlie's whole house, two sofa's that connected in an "L" shape, a wall of books that ran up and over the door we'd just entered, there was even a fire place! Through an archway sat the biggest bed I had ever seen in my life, topped with about seventeen pillows too many all of which would end up on the floor by the time I crawled into it. A fully stocked closet, a bathroom the size of my old bedroom the only thing missing was a kitchen; which I wouldn't need anyway. Dimitri lead me around the bed to a drape covered window that also spanned the length of the wall.
"Stay there," he ordered.
Walking to the corner he reached for the cord that controlled the drapes, giving it a single tug was all those drapes needed to split straight down the middle. The view was indescribable; I had full view of the entire town from where I stood and I was speechless. Dimitri moved to stand behind me his chest to my back and I felt myself leaning in to him.
"Welcome to Volterra, Isabella." He whispered into my ear.
drop me a review, trying to upload as quickly as my fingers can keep the story flowing!
xx
