A/N: Wow, we've hit 10 chapters already? And Bella hasn't even met the Cullens yet (Don't worry, that's definitely a possibility after a few chapters). Let's see how the Volturi react to Bella's additional shield. As usual, be on the lookout for any grammatical errors I may have made. Feel free to leave a review of your thoughts—I know I don't really communicate that much, but I love reading them. It helps motivate me to continue writing despite my hectic life.

**Rating has changed to Mature/Mature Adults as a result of Bella becoming a vampire and doing...well, what a vampire does. Killing humans. I'll try to keep the descriptions of her actions close to the writings of Meyer.**

(Posted 3/5/17)

Chapter 10: Acclimation

My eyes captured the exact moment the clear wall of energy smashed into the three vampires in perfect detail. They were unprepared—they either couldn't see the translucent wall or couldn't react fast enough. Their bodies conformed to the curvature the dome, flew backwards, and slammed into the cobblestone walls with a resounding bang. I sank into a defensive crouch atop the stone outcropping that had served as my pyre, eyeing the downed vampires warily.

I tentatively took a small breath, taking in the diverse, sweet scents in the air. One smelled of peaches, another cinnamon—however, this had a bit of spice to it, and the last could only be described as aroma of a fresh-baked pretzel. I could also taste the particulates of stone dust that emerged and drifted into the air from the pulverized blocks.

I listened hard, my senses ranging further and further out, searching intently for any dangers. There were mellifluous voices engaged in conversation, their tones alarmed—I suspected they heard the crash; the scratching of paper as it was inscribed upon—I detected another sound nearby, one that instantly made me aware of the unmistakable burn within my throat. A wet, beating heart.

The sound of rocks shifting to my left, clicking disjointedly as they struck one another, drawing my attention to the source. "What the hell was that, Princess?" Felix groaned, his ruby eyes displaying shock and confusion, as he shoved himself out of the destroyed part of the wall that held a rough indentation of his body, four feet away. I scrutinized him meticulously. His voice was a deep bass—considerably richer and heavier than I'd remembered; his posture was rigid—guarded.

I immediately straightened out of my crouch when I could feel my conscious control return. The move was instantaneous—from thought to action, my body had already completed the task. In the same millisecond, the wall that had been projected snapped back, creating a secondary layer of invisible skin, hovering just above my own. It reminded me of plastic wrap—I was essentially covered by it. Then it hit me—I was an idiot; obviously, whoever had originally touched me would feel different. I was a vampire now—we were at same temperature. They wouldn't feel cold to me anymore. I'd overreacted—but what exactly did I do? I frowned, mulling over as I replayed the scene in my mind. How was I supposed to describe what I did when I had no clue?

"Yeah, Princess," Demetri agreed, fluidly standing up from the cracked floor beside Felix, where he had landed, and brushed off the specks of stone that clung to his cloak. His deep voice, lighter than Felix's, mirrored the emotions on his face—bewilderment. "That was a bit… unexpected," he summed up succinctly. His posture was noticeably more relaxed than Felix, but still alert.

Jane pushed herself out of the divot in the wall, to my right, and shook out her pale, butterscotch hair, creating a miniscule cloud of dust and sent a few stone shards sailing through the air. They landed with a gentle, yet erratic tinkling. "I should've known you would've gotten my hair dirty," Jane sighed, her high, musical voice a mix of irritation and awe. She pivoted to face me, her crimson eyes studying me carefully. "What did you do?" she inquired cautiously.

I felt my frown deepen. "I don't know," I admitted softly. My own voice startled me—it was just as every bit high-pitched and melodic as Jane's. However, there was a minor difference that was barely noticeable. Mine was comparable to that of a wind chime and slightly lower, while hers was more of a light bell. "I don't know what I did, or how I did it. It was instinctive," I tried to explain.

I felt frustrated that I had no tangible explanation for my rather abrupt actions. Was this part of my mental shield? That didn't seem likely—having the ability to shove vampires away. I thought my mental shield limited solely to mental gifts? It wasn't applicable to any physical gifts. On the other hand, I suppose it could be construed as a mental shield—I didn't actually physically touch anyone, yet they still moved away from me.

"Could you see it?" I wondered aloud.

The three of them nodded their heads. "I caught it briefly just before I was hit—a kind of shimmering in the air," Jane noted observantly. "Like the air was visually unstable—distorted," she described. Felix and Demetri both nodded again in agreement.

"I didn't notice it at first," Felix added next. "Actually, I'd thought you were telekinetic or something—you moved your arms, and we flew backwards," he chuckled humorlessly. "But now that I've had time to analyze what you did, I definitely remember a faint distortion in the air that I saw from the corner of my eyes."

Suddenly, I sensed a change in my peripherals; I heard the noise of fabric swishing—rubbing against itself as it swayed in motion—echoing almost imperceptibly down the tunnels. Before I knew it, I'd already compiled a rough mental sketch of the tunnels using the echoes. I could distinguish how differently sound traveled between the stagnant air and the surrounding walls, and map accordingly. My head automatically twisted to the closed door when the noises approached. The wooden door swung wide open, revealing Aro, Santiago, Renata and Heidi.

They were all taken aback as they stepped inside and surveyed the damaged room; only Aro's features were reserved. "We thought we'd heard a commotion, but I didn't realize the Princess put up this much of a fight," Heidi commented absentmindedly, examining the utterly destroyed portions of the floor and walls. Her eyes fixated onto me after a moment with an curious gaze. "Then again, I guess it shouldn't surprise me," she complimented with a wink. Leave it to Heidi for making me smile after a startling situation such as this.

Jane rolled her eyes. "Wasn't much of a fight. She threw us into the wall with some kind of physical shield. Like Renata's, but more outright," she grumbled to the newcomers. Instantly, their maroon eyes flashed onto me, which made me feel embarrassed. I wasn't exactly trying to throw them into a wall. I just… acted without thinking.

"A physical shield?" Aro repeated in disbelief, his feather-light voice skeptical yet interested. Wordlessly, Jane strode up to him and offered her hand as a means of explanation. Aro closed his eyes when he grasped it, shaking his head marginally as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. He then opened his milky red eyes and began laughing uproariously, his face giddy with excitement. "My dear Bella, how intriguing you are! I've never doubted your uniqueness, but this…." he shook his head and chuckled again. "You simply continue to astonish us all," he finished. I ducked my head and, reflexively, waited for a blush to appear on my cheeks. It never came.

Renata's face soon turned pensive. "Perhaps her physical shield never manifested when she was human, because she was too physiologically weak," she suggested quietly.

"Perhaps," Aro murmured, matching Renata's thoughtful tone. His eyes met mine, and they unexpectedly became worried, as if he saw something troubling. "Have you hunted yet, Bella?" he inquired, concern leaking into his question.

I shook my head in response, and he frowned a little. Actually, I hadn't been paying any attention to my thirst—my mind was a thousand times better at multitasking; the need for blood was simply pushed aside, shelved in another section of the brain. The desire was still there, of course, but no longer taxing on conscious thought. Consequently, now that Aro mentioned thirst, it was as if my throat abruptly ignited into flames—which it essentially did. I could no longer focus—the dry, itching pain was unbearable.

"I'll take care of it, master," Heidi promised, shooting me a quick smile. My thirst lessened considerably when her eyes flashed with excitement—a look I all too easily recognized. She was up to something, and even though I was in this indestructible vampiric form, I wasn't sure I wanted to find out what she had planned.

She rolled her eyes when she glanced at my expression, her angelic features impatient with anticipation. "Oh, calm down, it's not that bad. I think you're going to like it—your late birthday present. Took me ages to find," she remarked with a sly smirk, which didn't exactly reassure me.

I stared at her with suspicion. "What kind of present?" I asked slowly.

Her smirk widened, exposing her pearly teeth. "The best kind," she said lightly before becoming serious. "Now, come on, enough stalling. We need to take care of your thirst." I groaned internally as my throat burned once again. Why did everyone feel the need to remind me?

Heidi swiftly left the room, leaving the discussion about my actions to those that remained, and I hurriedly trailed behind. I no longer felt uncomfortable traveling through the tunnels—my surroundings didn't bother me. The dark wasn't really dark, as I could see every minute crack in the cobblestone blocks when I passed them, despite lacking some kind of light source—it was clear as day. And the cold, wet temperature that was the norm had no effect on my skin or body. I didn't have the fear of becoming lost, either; I could merely follow Heidi's scent as if it were a visible, tangible thing.

Heidi held open the panel door for me when we reached the main hallway. I exited and inhaled deeply, breathing in the unfamiliar, sweet perfumes that swirled gently in the air. A particular smell stood out—really, it was a combination of three that were similar—from the pleasant mixture. It was much, much sweeter, and for some reason, appealed to my senses differently. My instincts automatically told me it was human; venom involuntarily welled in my mouth, reminding me of how dry my throat was. I tried my best to ignore the flash of pain as Heidi continued guiding me to the main chamber. The delectable scent strengthened in density with every step I took.

As we got closer, I suddenly heard three distinct, wet heartbeats that I hadn't noticed before. They originated from the chamber in front of me, and they were elevated—beating quickly. Heidi pushed open the set of gilded doors, and we both entered. Chelsea and Afton stood at the ready, albeit their postures relaxed, overlooking the three humans that were kneeling on the floor.

One was a lanky man with short, light brown hair. The other two were brunettes and relatively short—their casual clothing told me that they were tourists. They seemed young—perhaps only a few years older than me. Their heads tilted up when they saw both Heidi and I enter, and I could see the fear and confusion in their eyes when they met mine.

"Please," the tall man begged, his voice scratchy and hoarse. "Let us go. We won't tell anyone you kidnapped us. Just please, let us leave!"

Chelsea let out a low, threatening rumble from her chest. "Quiet," she growled. The man became silent and still immediately. The hairs on the back of his neck rose in intimidation, along with his heart rate. "Hey, Princess," Chelsea greeted politely in a softer tone as Afton gave me a respectful nod. She scrutinized me for a moment before smiling. "You look well."

I smiled back at her when I approached the cloaked duo. "Thanks. I'm still… getting used to it." On their own accord, my eyes flickered to the humans by Chelsea's feet. The sound of their heartbeats seemed to get louder the longer I gazed; the whooshing of blood as it was pumped through the heart, past all the valves, and into the artery. In an instant, the scorching desert that was my throat burst into an intense flame. The relief was right there—I struggled to stay still and not act rashly.

Chelsea had a sympathetic expression on her face when I looked back. "We'll leave you to it, then," she said with urgency, bowing her head and disappeared through the doors with Afton following after her.

"Happy birthday, Princess," Heidi congratulated happily, gesturing to the three humans, all of whom had looks of astonishment on their faces after witnessing Chelsea run—I knew she was a blur to their eyes. "I know it's two days late, but I figured I'd get you something special. I had to search for a while, trying to lure specific humans that smelled particularly tastier than usual," she stated proudly.

I gave her a grateful smile. "Thank you, Heidi," I murmured, momentarily touched by her considerate gesture. To be honest, I'd expected expensive clothes per her usual custom. I felt guilty that she went through the trouble of finding the humans, let alone those with better blood.

"Enjoy," she replied, returning my smile. She turned to leave, but I interrupted her, inexplicable panic seizing me.

"Umm, Heidi?" I glanced at the humans. "How am I supposed to do this?" I asked, frustrated. I was also embarrassed—I was a vampire, for crying out loud. What kind of vampire doesn't know how to drink blood?

She simply laughed her pealing laugh. "Oh, Princess, you're over-thinking this too much. Just do what you feel like doing—trust your instincts," Heidi giggled before winking and bounding away from the room. Well, that was helpful. Her airy footsteps were soon overshadowed by the sound of the creaking, golden doors closing and a heavy bolt sliding into place, followed by a sharp clang when it finally locked.

I inhaled, filling my lungs with the delicious scent of human blood inside their bodies. My body automatically shifted into a crouch, back curving slightly. My eyes focused on the man, and I let out a low, deep growl. I could hear the abrupt change in their heart rate; the thudding of their quickened pulse around their necks. It promised to quench my itching thirst.

I sprang, launching myself to where the male was, and grabbed him by the shoulders. His futile attempts to escape my steel grasp went unnoticed. I sank my sharp teeth into his soft neck, crushing the windpipe. His gurgling screams were largely ignored; the blood was so sweet. It flowed exquisitely hot, bringing instant, gratifying relief to my parched throat as I sucked and gulped. It felt as if only a second had passed before he ran dry—my thirst flared up again with a vengeance. I let his body fall to the ground with a dull thud and wiped my mouth—an old reflex. The other two humans were already scrambling to their feet, invested in a pointless attempt to escape me. I quickly hunted each of them down, breaking their necks with my teeth again when I drank. My stomach was full by the time I'd finished. I exhaled forcibly, feeling elated that I was finally relieved of my aching thirst—it was muted, sated. It was no longer a distraction.

I twisted to face the door when I heard the bolt sliding, and Heidi and Santiago both stepped inside. Heidi's face immediately became amused when she examined me. "Oh, Princess," she chuckled. Puzzled, I glanced down at my shirt—the same one I had wore on my birthday—and saw the source of her amusement. I hadn't been paying much attention to being neat whist I fed; my outfit was stained with drops of dried, rust-colored blood.

"Oops." was my only reply.

Heidi rolled her eyes. "Don't worry. I bought you some new clothes in addition to your birthday present—you really didn't think I would forget, did you?" She smirked, pleased at the opportunity of forcing upon me her wardrobe choices.

I sighed, momentarily exasperated, yet grateful for her decision to purchase me some clothes. "Of course not, Heidi," I admitted in defeat.

Her smirk widened substantially. "Santiago, do you mind?" Heidi asked, looking pointedly at the corpses that lay strewn about in the chamber.

He shook his head. "Not at all." He promptly began picking up the drained bodies and slinging them over his broad shoulders. He pulled up the metal grate the sat in the center with one hand, dropping his burden in, then placed the grate back. The bodies landed somewhere deep down with a muted thud.

Heidi glanced at me. "Let's go."

A/N: Next up should be Bella training with the various Volturi members—she needs to prepare herself as a permanent addition to the family!