Hi there. Here's another chapter. I hope you enjoy.

.

.

Chapter 10 – Piccola

The doctor decided that Bella would be fine, advising her to put ice on her injuries, giving her some ibuprofen, and telling her to take it easy.

Bella was incredibly relieved. The last thing she wanted to do was go the hospital. After breaking her arm, pulling her hamstring, and cracking her skull when she was only three, she was very familiar with doctors. She kept wondering how these things kept happening to her. Hell, she even cut her finger on wrapping paper. Who does that?

Aro wasn't helping either, talking to the doctor about CT and MRI scans, worried she might have a concussion or bleeding in the brain.

She almost wanted to throw something at him. The doctor says I'm fine. Let it go!

Fortunately, the doctor said that wouldn't be necessary. He was a little bit surprised by all her past injuries though.

"You're rather uncoordinated, aren't you?" Aro whispered, lifting his eyebrow.

"It's okay, you can say it," Bella told him. "I'm a klutz."

"Oh, sweet Isabella, I would never say that," Aro teased, giving her a sly grin. "Maybe you're a little bit graceless, but that's all I would say."

Bella laughed. He was always so polite.

However, when Aro left the room, the doctor secretly pulled her aside and asked if Aro was abusing her.

"No, definitely not," Bella stated.

The doctor nodded, still looking suspicious, but he let it drop.

After he left, Aro told her to stay in bed, getting her an ice pack for the lump on her head. He even had dinner served to her on a tray - chicken soup and cherry Jello.

"It will be easy to digest," Valentina explained, handing her a napkin and a spoon.

Bella nodded and thanked her.

However, seeing Valentina instead of Renata worried her? Was Renata being punished?

Finishing her soup, Bella grabbed her robe and snuck down to Renata's room, knocking on the door.

"Renata, are you in there?"

There was no answer, so Bella peeked inside.

Renata's room was a lot like hers, only white with Dutch blue trim and definitely more lived in. There were bookcases, antique vases, and lots of throw pillows. A big porcelain white cat with sapphire eyes and gold whiskers sat next to the dresser.

There was also a white fluffy Maltese dog, spotlessly clean, sitting on the bed with little pink ribbons and a matching collar. She looked like a little powder puff, incredibly cute. But then Bella noticed she had blood red eyes.

Before Bella even had a chance to blink, the dog lunged at her, knocking her to the floor. The dog bit into her arm and wouldn't let go.

Bella cried out.

"No, Piccola…bad dog!" Renata was standing in the doorway, dripping wet, wrapped in a terry cloth robe. She must have been taking a bath.

The dog immediately backed away, her tail between her legs.

"Go to your basket right now," Renata told the dog, pointing to an elaborate doggy bed in the corner stuffed with blue pillows.

Piccola bowed her head and went straight to the basket and laid down, looking dejected.

Instantly, Renata knelt down. "Bella, are you all right. Did she bite you?"

"Yeah, I think it was just a nip though," Bella said, but she could already feel the burning sensation of the venom in her arm. Just like when James bit her.

Renata instantly grabbed her arm and placed her ice cold mouth over the wound, sucking the venom out.

Bella was amazed at Renata's self-control. She didn't even struggle with. She just stopped when she was done.

"There, I think I got all of it," Renata said, running out of the room to get some antiseptic, cleaning the wound. "Oh Bella, I'm so sorry. Piccola is usually so well behaved."

"I must have scared her coming into the room like I did. I should have waited."

"Oh, but this is terrible. You might have been killed." Renata helped Bella to stand and then led her to the sofa. "With all your injuries from earlier, I don't know what to say."

"I'm fine, really."

Renata just shook her head, inspecting her wound.

Bella desperately wanted to change the subject. She was so tired of people fussing over her. "So Piccola is a vampire dog?" she said with a laugh. "I didn't know you could pass vampirism onto animals."

"Yes, you can, and it's very dangerous. Actually, changing animals is forbidden. I should have never made her. It's just dogs have such depressingly short lives and I just couldn't bear to lose her. It was very selfish of me."

"Aro let you keep her though."

"Yes, but he was very angry with me. However, he decided to let me keep her since she was so well-behaved. I'm supposed to always keep her out of sight though."

"How old is she?"

"I got her in Milan back in the 1553s. She was just a little puppy. I thought she was the cutest little dog I had ever seen."

Bella smiled. "She is really cute."

"Here, let me introduce you." Snapping her fingers, Renata bid Piccola to come to her and the dog jumped up on the sofa, gently putting her head on Bella's lap.

Hesitantly, Bella reached out and petted her. The little Maltese had the softest coat of any dog she had ever seen.

"Now that she knows you are dear to me, she will never attack you again." Renata placed her hand on her heart. "I promise."

Bella chuckled. "I can't believe this itty bitty little dog knocked me to the floor."

"Oh Bella, I don't know how you can laugh about it. It's horrible. When Master Aro finds out she bit you, he will probably insist she be destroyed."

Bella flinched. "Well don't tell him."

"Bella, I can't keep secrets from Master Aro. I have to tell him."

"No you don't!" a voice said from behind.

Bella jumped, surprised to find someone in the room with them. She didn't even hear the door open. Whipping around, she found Jane standing in front of the door glaring at her. She looked really different too. Her long blonde hair was pulled back into a braid and she was wearing a nightgown and a white cotton robe.

Jane immediately came over and lifted Piccola in her arms, letting the little dog lick her face. "He doesn't have to know, Renata."

"I don't know how we can keep him from not knowing. He probably heard us."

Jane shook her head. "He's not in the east wing right now. In fact, nobody is, except Alec, and believe me, he is too busy playing Halo to even notice."

Renata's face was grave. "Eventually Master Aro will find out. We can't keep it secret forever. I'm already in trouble with him."

"Yes, Master will find out eventually," Jane argued, "but if we wait until Bella is changed, he won't be so angry."

"I suppose that's true, but how will we keep Master Aro from reading our mind until then?"

"Let me think." Jane knelt down on the floor, setting Piccola in front of her. The dog kept sniffing her pockets. This made Jane smile. "Yes, I've got a treat for you."

Piccola started wagging her tail doing a little doggy dance and then barked at her.

Jane laughed and pulled out a little white mouse from her pocket, waving it in front of her. "Okay, Piccola, I give you your treat. But I want you to do your bounce."

Piccola happily obliged, jumping up and down, her jumps so high they almost reached the ceiling.

Bella watched in amazement. The little dog looked like a white fuzz ball bouncing around the room.

Piccola then came back and patiently sat in front of Jane, who praised her, and gave her the mouse. Piccola immediately pounced on the mouse and ran away with it in her mouth, back to her bed.

Bella grimaced. "She's kind of lethal, isn't she?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Renata said, her shoulders slumped as she stood, walking over to the dresser, changing into a nightgown

"Of course she's lethal," Jane snapped. "She's a vampire dog. What do you expect?"

"I don't know what to expect," Bella retorted. "I didn't even know vampire dogs existed."

"Well, now you know." It was clear, Jane was furious with her. Obviously, she loved Piccola very much.

Renata put on a silk robe and then came back to the sofa, taking a seat beside her.

Bella turned to her. "I've got a question. How come you two dress for bed?"

"We sleep," Jane snapped, rolling her eyes.

"But vampires don't need to sleep."

"That's true, we don't," Renata explained. "But we can induce sleep through self-hypnosis. It helps conserve energy, which means we don't have to feed as often."

"The Olympian coven never sleeps."

Renata shrugged. "Carlisle probably doesn't think it's necessary since he drinks animal blood. However, we prefer not to have to kill so many humans."

"I see," Bella said, realizing she didn't know that much about vampires at all.

"I have an idea," Jane announced, sitting sat back on her haunches. "First, we have to stay busy. Aro never stops and touches people who are working. So just try to keep moving."

"He knows that trick," Renata said sadly. "At least he does with me."

"Then we'll just have to distract him," Jane suggested.

"With what?"

Jane's eyes narrowed and she looked over at Bella. "With her," she said, pointing her finger.

Bella's eyes widened. "Me? How am I supposed to distract him?"

"Oh come on," Jane scoffed. "Aro thinks you're God's gift. He keeps saying how you're the most potentially gifted vampire he's seen in eons. All I hear is 'Isabella did this,' and 'Isabella did that.' I think you can distract him."

"But I don't even begin to know how to do that?" Bella argued.

"Just act weak and frail, like you usually do. Otherwise, you better start coming up with ideas," Jane warned, pointing her finger. "Because this whole situation is your fault. If anything happens to our precious Piccola, I'm going to hold you responsible."

Bella groaned and leaned back into the sofa. This was ridiculous. How was she supposed to distract Aro? If anything, he distracted her.

But then she saw the look of worry in Renata's eyes, and she knew she couldn't let her down. Renata loved that dog. "Okay, I'll try to distract him."

"Don't try," Jane grumbled. "Do it."

"Okay, okay." Bella threw up her hands.

That's when Jane froze. "Aro's coming," she whispered.

Renata nodded, hearing it too.

Bella looked around. She couldn't hear a thing.

Immediately, Jane stood up and sat on the chair across from them, her back perfectly straight.

Renata sat up too.

Bella listened closely, and finally, she heard someone knocking on a door down the hall.

"Miss Isabella, are you in there?" Aro said.

Bella stiffened. He was checking her room.

He then knocked on Renata's door.

Renata immediately invited him inside.

"Isabella, I was wondering where you went," he chided. "Why aren't you in bed? The doctor said you needed rest."

"We told her she needed to go lay down," Jane declared, giving her a sideways glance. "But she refused. Said she was fine."

Bella glared at her.

"Isabella, I've very unhappy with you. You're supposed to take better care of yourself. I thought we discussed this." Grumpily, Aro came over to the sofa and picked her up. "Off to bed with you."

Bella cringed. Was she in trouble again?

Renata held the door for them as Aro carried her out.

"Now children, don't stay up too late."

"Don't worry, we won't," Jane said with a sweet, sing-songy voice.

Bella rolled her eyes. This was going to be the longest two weeks ever.

.

.

Sorry, everybody. I just thought the idea of a vampire Maltese was the funniest thing. I had to put Piccola in there. Anyway, I want to thank everyone for your reviews, likes, and favorites. They really mean a lot to me. Please let me know what you think.