Chapter 10

Max's POV

When I woke up, I was confused out of my mind. I was tied to a wooden chair and Renesme was in the same position next to me. From the dusty, barren smell, I could tell that the School hadn't kidnapped us. Even though the Flock had completely destroyed each and every remaining School, I still couldn't help but feel relief when I noticed that I wasn't strapped to a lab table in a sterile white room.

"Where are we?" I asked, my voice coming out shallower than I'd hoped. I felt a throbbing pain in my arm and glanced it. There was caked on blood covering most of my forearm. "What happened?"

The last thing that I remember from last night was going out for a midnight fly to try and clear my head. Being suspended was the least of my problems, despite what the Cullens think. Since we've arrived in Forks, I've been feeling more emotions that just my own. If I thought the Voice leaving was going to make me feel someone else's emotions, I would have never told him/her to leave me alone.

"An old friend attacked you and then took us here." Renesme explained as if it were noting, a friendly smile playing on her lips. I mean, hello?, we were kidnapped! Usually most people would consider this a big deal.

"Um…Nessie, I know I may not know you that well but doesn't being tied to a chair mean that we were kidnapped?" I asked and Nessie let out a small chuckle. 'Was this all a joke to her?' I thought as I questioned her sanity.

"Of course we were." Nessie said, her laughing turning into a bitter sound as she continued to speak. "And before you ask, I also know that my good buddy Nahuel wants me for some reason and that's why he took us." She was practically weeping by now. "I just wanna go home, Max. I wanna be with my Jacob and the rest of my family. I'm so sorry that I got us into this mess."

I felt remorse for this teenaged looking girl. Here she was, in the same situation as I was, and she was apologizing…to me. I tried to calm her but since I was neither A) a big hugger or B) able to actually reach her through both of our ropes, I settled for giving her a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry about me, Ness." I said, trying to sound not at all worried even though I was shaking in my Converse. "I've been through much worse than this, trust me."

A few moments later, two dark brown vampires with braided black hair entered the room. The male had brown eyes with gold flecks in them while the female had golden ones. 'At least they're vegetarians.' I thought. 'That's one problem down.'

"Oh good, you survived!" The male, Nahuel?, exclaimed when he spotted me. "Sorry about the ropes, but we just couldn't have you fighting us again. You've got quite the sucker punch there Max." He said with a smile and I scowled. I still didn't know what he was talking about. Suddenly, my memories from last night came rushing back.

FLASHBACK

I could still FEEL anxiety that wasn't mine and it was about to drive me up the wall. I couldn't even help it when I started subconsciously passing the floor. I hoped to God that I wasn't feeling the Voice's emotions. That would just be a new twist on the sick game that Jeb has me playing.

Usually I would talk to Fang about this, but how could I tell my boyfriend/right-winged man that I was going crazy…or crazier (we all knew I was messed up in the head). But how could I not tell Fang? I mean, dare I say it?, I love him. I've always told Fang everything, every fear, every insecurity, even when I thought I was turning into an Eraser all those years ago (the good news is that was just a trick from the good-ole School).

I FELT remorse washing over me and that's when I snapped. I dove out my window and spread my wings as wide as I could. I beat my wings faster and faster, pumping them until I was long away from the Cullen mansion. I stopped when I ran out of my own emotional energy. The other person was still FEELING things; worry, love, regret. I wish this person would just leave me alone!

I was punching the giant spruce tree when I heard someone approach the base of the tree. I glanced down and spotted Renesme, dressed in her pink cotton pajamas, standing beneath the tree. I jumped out of the branch I had been standing on and landed on the ground as gracefully as I could.

Suddenly, an unfamiliar vampire shot out of the bushes and towards the two of us. He moved faster than I could and before I could stop him, he scratched my arm with his razor sharp nails. I punched him across the face and was satisfied when I heard a cracking sound.

He tried to come at me again, his teeth blazing, but Renesme stepped in his path. I tried to stay focused to see what happened to the guy but my arm was gushing out blood and my head was spinning. I felt someone throwing me over their shoulder before I drifted off into unconsciousness.

END FLASHBACK

I let out a growl. "You did this to me! You're the reason I almost died from blood loss! Don't come in here and say my name like you know me!" I said defensively.

Nahuel shot the other woman a smile and, thinking I couldn't hear him, said. "I told you she would be feisty. It was that expression on her face while she was sleeping that made me think that."

"Calm down, young one." The woman 'whispered' back. "I understand that your people skills are getting better but this is but a small victory. Lets not forget that you did endanger her life in the first place. Volturi or no Volturi, that was a huge mistake."

Nahuel turned to me and Renesme with a less excited expression on his face. This woman really had him in check. He caught me staring at the full vampire and pointed towards her. "Forgive me Max, this is Huilen. Renesme you remember my aunt from the Volturi encounter, don't you?"

"How could I forget?" Nessie stated in a bored tone even though I could tell she wasn't comfortable here.

"You don't have to be dramatic about it." Nahuel said, a bemused smile on his lips. For a kidnapper, he sure was cheerful.

"Why are we even here, Nahuel?" Renesme asked as she subtly cut through the ropes that were restricting her.

"The Volturi." He said quietly, almost fearfully. "They brought me and Huilen to Italy to stand trial for 'attempted mutiny' and 'treason.' They decided that instead of killing us and coming after your whole family…and the wolves, that they would make a compromise."

"What kind of compromise?" I asked, startling the vampire woman who was standing against the doorframe with her arms crossed.

"That is none of your concern, human." Huilen said with an icy tone. "If it weren't for my nephew's bloodlust, you wouldn't even be here."

Nahuel's face reddened in shame as he mumbled something about his aunt finalizing the deal and that he would have rather wished death upon himself. "I have to bring him a hybrid child or else They are going to kill most of us and take the rest as trophies."

His eyes were apologetic when he looked at Nessie again. "They already have captured or slaughtered most of the nomads, including your friends Charles and Makenna. Your family won't stand a chance against Them alone."

"You don't expect to get away with impregnating a human girl do you?" I asked. Even though I knew how Nessie got here and what Bella and Edward went through, I doubt that Nahuel would have the same luck creating his child.

"That's not who the Volturi want as the mother." Nahuel stated, his cheeks red with humiliation.

"Oh, just spit it out boy." Huilen said angrily. She glared at me before smiling kindly at Nessie.

'Oh, crap! They didn't want Renesme did they? She was only six!' I thought disgustedly. 'I mean, sure, she was engaged to Jacob but that was different. Jacob respected her and didn't do anything she wasn't ready for or didn't want. Besides, she would be a full 'adult' by time they got married and had to deal with this kind of stuff.'

Nessie's face paled as she realized who the intended mother was. When she got over the shock, her face twisted into an angry scowl. "I won't do it. My family won't allow it! And you'd better not even think of this around my Jacob!"

"Well then, I guess that leaves you in a difficult situation, dearie." Huilen said. "The Volturi are determined to make a hybrid reproduce with another hybrid and since you are the only female one other than my nephew's sisters, Nebulae and Naomi.