Author's Note:
Happy New Years everyone!
And thanks for reading and reviewing.
Enjoy.
Disclaimer: Don't own it.
Back in Volterra
The contracts were long and to be honest, I wasn't much of a financial and business person. This was way out of my comfort zone. But Alice. Oh, Alive looked right at home reading all the documents, checking for any other meanings in the contracts and looking for any differences between them. Over time, we all found it best to sit back and leave it to Alice who was perfectly fine with it.
"I can go much faster this way without constant complaining." Alice snarled as she looked pointedly at Emmett. He held his hands up in mock surrender as she flipped through document after document.
"I don't see any differences right now between the contracts and so I can look at my own. But I want all of you to at least understand what's going on." Alice said as she handed out our contracts, ignoring Emmett's glares.
I sighed as I opened mine up. The first page was a title page that could almost resemble an essay I could hand in.
Cullen-Pack-Volturi Final Contract
Isabella Marie Swan Cullen
It was nothing special but the words were cold hard and defined. Too certain and permanent.
The next page is where the confusion begins.
The herby contract states the following rules, regulations and exceptions regarding the Volturi-Cullen-Pack working standards. Below, the Volturi demands are met as well as the Cullen-Pack demands.
The following Cullen-Pack member is allowed to quit after their regulated time (At least 1 year or two), and can "be their own person".
The following member is allowed to be visited by any family members any time, any day.
The following member is allowed to contact home twice a week via phone.
The following member will be treated and have rights like any other Volturi worker, working regular hours and regular days.
The following member can hunt however they wish.
The following member is not allowed to return home to visit for the purpose of keeping our Volturi secrets a secret.
Renesmee Carlie Cullen will return to your custody in Forks after some things are handled.
The following will not be harmed on the following members' request
-Any coven that fought with the Cullen's
-The Cullen family (Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, Alice, Edward, Bella and Renesmee).
-Any member of the Black and Uley pack.
-The Bianchi family (Xavier, Angelina and any other future members)
The following member will follow orders given by the Volturi and may inform us if they are extremely uncomfortable with the task at hand.
Most orders and commands are expected to be followed and obeyed under all circumstances.
Welcome to the Volturi.
Sign below
Back in Forks
"...Welcome to the Volturi, sign below." I finished. The pack was all Ears listening about the contract from Jacob and Embry and I was translating the contact aloud.
We were silent. Because it was real. It was happening. Right there in front of them was the proof and the evidence and everything in between.
"Under the the list of people not to be harmed, the Bianchi family and "future members" could potentially be an issue." Carlisle pointed out. Rosalie underlined something on the sheet of paper and looked back up. She had been told to write down everything I told her.
"They should definitely change "Bianchi family to coven", even though we all know they are a family, we shouldn't let the Volturi know that. It would be safer for them to consider them as a coven." Jasper added. Rosalie underlined and corrected some more things before nodding and looking up.
"Read it again! We need to be sure about anything else." Esme insited.
"I can't believe they're going to part of the Volturi now." I murmured leaning back.
"You know they're not really part of the Volturi right?" Rosalie drawled. I glared at her and continued to consider it.
It was so awkward and disgusting to think about it. Then an image of Bella in a Volturi cloak creeped into my mind and I shivered.
"Relax Edward. She'll always be the jeans and old sweater Bella." Seth said slapping me on the back. I smiled at the kid. He was really a good friend.
"Edward! Pick up a contract and begin checking!" Esme scolded.
"Go listen to your mummy." Seth chided. I scowled at him as I picked up a copy of the contract and began reading.
Back in Volterra
"So make sure you all underline the Bianchi family to coven and the future member part." Alice instructed circling us as we edited the contract.
"Re-read and check for any other meanings. We need to be positive of the contract before anyone signs." She ordered as we continued to read. Alice was reminding me now of a college professor who was really getting on my nerves.
"What does "Renesmee Carlie Cullen will return to your custody in Forks after some things are handled." mean?" I asked as I pondered the terrible meanings of that.
"Edward just asked the same thing," Embry chuckled as he turned back into human form.
"Well. Underline it!" Alice said as if it was the most obvious thing.
"Well, Embry. Who cares if we want to know what's going to be handled with our daughter? I mean, that's the whole reason we're here." I snapped.
"Bella! That is the reason we're here but we don't want to accidently get ourselves into something we're going to regret. We have to be careful." Alice reminded.
"Yes and I'll leave that to you to figure out and ensure. But my daughter's life is looking very thin right now and I need to know what's going to happen to her every moment of everyday!" I insisted.
"That's it!" Alice shouted. "That's exactly how and what you need to tell the Volturi tomorrow!"
"Alice….you are one strange strange person." I said shaking my head.
She beamed and continued to circle us.
Back in Forks
"A new member has joined the Uley pack!" Sam glowed as he and the others marched into the house at 6 in the morning.
"Who?" Carlisle asked.
"Carlisle, Cullens, meet….Luke Carter." Sam introduced as a kid, fair height, dirty blond hair and uneven teeth, muscular build and charming smile walked out. Despite his size, he appeared to be very shy and scared.
"Hello Luke." Esme said kindly not moving an inch to present a friendly posture to him.
"We're the Cullen's. I'm Esme." Esme said softly.
"I'm Luke." Luke said in a rather squeaky voice.
Esme smiled. "I'm Carlisle. And this is Rosalie, Jasper and Edward," Carlisle said gently as he pointed to each of us in turn.
Luke gave a weak wave.
"He needs to eat." Paul said immediately. "No little brother of mine is going to starve. Pizza? How many boxes should I order?" Paul asked pulling his phone out and shoving Luke into a chair.
"Your brother?" I asked raising an eyebrow. "He looks nearly stronger than you."
Paul scowled and flipped his phone on. "Yes my brother. He and I are like PB and J."
I smirked but said no more.
"So, how does it feel to be a werewolf?" Carlisle asked scooting forward slightly earning glares from Esme.
"Well...erm...it's cool I guess." Luke said shyly.
"Fascinating." Carlisle nodded.
It's cool to be a werewolf. Well, when you become one so young…*Carlisle
Carlisle! The poor boy must be frightened out of his mind. *Esme
Luke Carter. Hmmmmm. Seems different from all the others. All others were proud and show off's *Jasper
"Hey. Can I get 20 boxes of pizza please?" *Paul
This place smells like bloody shit. And these people must be who Billy was telling me about. *Luke
What did Billy tell him? Probably the other fake tales about vampires. I scowled.
Stereotypical, bloodsuckers who feed viciously and ruthlessly on humans. They are evil and vengeful and a threat to everyone near them...blah blah blah.
I scowled even more intensely at nothing and no one in particular.
That must be the constantly grumpy and worried Edward Cullen who can read minds….*Luke
Luke suddenly looked away at the sudden realization. I smiled as friendly as I could given the current circumstances.
Luke backed away slightly and made to think about pizza the rest of the time.
Back in Volterra
"Alice…..I really think we covered everything." Emmett moaned as he threw the documents on the floor.
Alice glared at him. "We need to be sure."
"I think I'm sure that you have become officially mental." Emmett muttered.
Ouch. Alice was going to…
Just then there was a whoosh and Alice was chasing Emmett all over the house. He was laughing gaily and she was scowling angrily. She was quicker than anyone would anticipate. She leaped from the wall to gain leverage as she tackled him to the floor and pummeled him repeatedly. I couldn't help but laugh.
"Embry, Jacob! Send a visual of this to the others." I laughed as Alice kneed him and walked purposely off him via his face and marched back to the living room.
Back in Forks
After their pizza fest, which smelled putrid, they all left to patrol and Seth and Leah remained to spend time with their mother. She had hunted one more time since the last time and she was still constantly thinking about blood.
I was spending time with Seth to get my mind off of Bella and Renesmee and all the drama going on in our lives right now.
"You need to chill bro. Things will work themselves out." Seth said to me as we walked out into the woods.
"Easy for you to say." I grumbled.
"In case you forgot, my mother is a bloody vampire." Seth remarked.
I was silent. That was in fact something I couldn't deny. It must have been tremendously difficult for Seth and Leah to deal with their mother becoming a vampire, especially at a time like this.
"Hey. Bruh. It's okay. No one blames any of you. So chill. At least I'll get eternity with my mommy." Seth said crossing his arms as he shoulder bumped me.
I smiled. This kid was a bright ray of sunshine that trailed and glowed constantly.
"What did you think of your new pack member?" I asked Seth as we kicked stones and hiked deeper into the forest.
Seth's face fell and he looked away, thinking how to respond.
Should I tell him? I don't even know if it was Luke. Hell, he's probably already hearing all this. *Seth
"Your right. So spill. Either way, I'll find out. You're bound to think about it sometime." I reminded him as we reached a stream and sat down on some boulders.
Seth sighed and began to picture Luke's face and nothing else. I waited patiently for some sort of sign of talking but Seth remained sullen.
Finally he spoke up. "First of all. He's not in my pack. He's in the Uley pack. But, I was eating a late lunch at Sam and Emily's after my afternoon patrol. I was alone in the house and there were footsteps. The pack stormed in and they were clapping Luke on the shoulder and congratulating him. They all wanted to go out and get a drink at the bar and Luke and I were still too young so we hung back. I tried to make conversation with him but he never answered directly. It was always part answer part another conversation. He unnerved me and they way he talked and answered was cautious and careful. I didn't like it. When he asked me a question it was...often about vampires. And the Cullen's. And the Volturi. And Renesmee." Seth said struggling to continue. My heart was on fire and I was listening eagerly and anxiously. "I answered as he had been answering the entire time. I responded by complementing the Cullen's and talking about how sweet Renesmee was. He was really creeping me out. I told him I had to get going and left their house. I was almost at the forest when I heard yelling. I ran back and listened by the door, debating whether to go in or not. There was a man's voice whom I didn't recognize and he was yelling at someone else. I heard things like "What did he say? Find out more! How else is this going to work! I want that girl! She has value. We can use her to lure the Cullen's and the pack, she will be helpful on our side too. Figure it out or you can go back to the pound." I didn't know what to make of it. The other person never responded and that was the end of the conversation. There were footsteps and before I could register anything, The door opened, I fell in, someone kicked me in the head keeping my face down. They asked me how much I knew and I said I just came and they kicked me a few more times before shoving me out of the house. I never knew who's voice it was. The person who was speaking to me, his voice was amplified. Almost artificial. ANd when I got out, I ran like hell."
Back in Volterra
We had reviewed the contracts multiple times and I was getting really annoyed. I just wanted skip this bullshit and jump to the happily ever after part with Renesmee and Edward.
It was early in the morning and we were finally getting the final okay's.
Alice had found no other suspicions and Jasper whom we contacted via the werewolves, had found no other issues either.
Maybe the Volturi were being fair with us. Unlikely, but possible.
"Alright. Before we sign, we need to go over these things with the Volturi and then get the contracts reprinted and reviewed again." Alice said stuffing the contracts back in the envelopes.
Emmett groaned earning a glare from Alice.
"We have to be sure." Alice snapped as she gathered the envelopes.
"We should get going. We shouldn't be late to work." Angelina said bustling up the stairs. "Brad! Brad! Wake up! Time for breakfast!"
"Lucky kid." Emmett mumbled as he lay on the couch rubbing his forehead.
"Tired?" I smired, reusing his words.
"No just the constant reviewing and nagging of my pixie of a sister," Emmett sighed modifying my response to fit his case.
I smiled when a scream came from upstairs. There was a flash and Angelina was back in the living room, searching frantically for something.
"What's wrong?" Xavier called from the kitchen as he flipped omelettes.
"I...I can't find Brad!" Angelina sobbed. I felt a sense of deja vu and piity for the Bianchi family.
There were plates smashing in the kitchen and everyone was gathered in the living room.
"I...he's...not in his bed." Angelina wailed. Xavier was reassuring Angelina but there was fear etched clearly on his face.
"Look everywhere." Alice said as we fanned out and searched the house.
"Angelina! Maybe the Volturi don't have him. Afterall, they don't even know about him. Let's not jump to conclusions. Where could he be. Where does he like to go?" I asked holding the weeping Angelina.
Angelina seemed to consider this. Her eyes lit up. "At the town fountain! He loves it because he always said he believed dreams could come true. He loves to throw coins in the water." Angelina explained as we all tore to wherever the fountain was.
As we turned a corner, there was a huge fountain that gleamed white and was pouring with crystal clear water and there was little Brad sitting on the edge, looking down at the water.
"Brad!" Angelina screeched as she tackled the young boy.
"Hey mom." Brad said clearly oblivious to the havoc he caused.
"How dare you leave home without telling us!" She yelled crushing the little boy.
"I was just visiting my dreams." He said so innocently.
"Oh Brad!" Angelina sobbed as she and Xavier huddled around Brad. I couldn't help but feel envious and jealous at the reunion. I wanted that too.
After we dropped Brad off at home, we rushed to the Volturi residence.
"Bella. Thank you so much for getting me to consider that! And I think we need to get Brad to Forks as soon as possible." Angelina said as we walked in.
I smiled at her and squeezed her hand.
As we neared the main room, my whole body went rigid and I began to get nervous and jittery again.
We entered and there sat my favorite people; Marcus, Caius and Aro.
"Good morning workers!" Aro beamed as we stood in front of them.
"Good morning Aro. We actually have some corrections on the contracts." Alice said handing the envelopes to them.
"Arietta!" Caius hollered. "We have a new secretary who is way better than any of the others." Caius said dreamily. "In fact. She's my wife."
I gagged and had to look away as a lady, fair height pranced in in a long tight black dress that had a lot of cleavage. She had pale, ice pale hair that was shoulder length and she skipped to Caius' side.
She took the envelopes and waited for further instructions. I immediately hated her. I didn't know if it was because she was Caius' wife or because she just had that...evil look.
"We will review your...corrections and you may pick up the contracts after your shifts today." Aro said waving us off.
As we exited the room I once again felt slightly more relaxed and calm.
"Bella and Alice you're with me. We're going to Bulgaria today to investigate. There have been many killings and we have to check it out. Angelina you are on guard duty and Emmett, you will be on dungeon duty." Xavier said as he read off of a schedule posted on a wall.
"We'll see you at the end of the shift." Angelina said as we all parted ways.
"Let's go to Bulgaria."
Back in Forks
I was flooded with a mix of emotions. Anger, fear, suspiciousness and vulnerability. There was no doubt, that the she they kept referring to was Renesmee. So another group of people were plotting to kidnap her too?
I stood up and paced back in forth. I punched the nearest tree and it fell echoing a loud boom. I paced several times before stopping and screaming and doubling over and finally collapsing on the grass.
Seth cautiously approached me and sat down next to me. "I'm sorry. Maybe I shouldn't-"
"No, Seth! You might have just given us a new edge against whoever the bloody hell those people are. Thank you for telling me. And for not answering directly to Luke. I don't trust him either and I think we should keep this to ourselves for now. And maybe we'll tell the Cullen's later." I said shaking my head. Seth nodded.
I couldn't believe how many things were going on right now. Renesmee was still in the Volturi clutches and there was no denying, Bella would be too. It irked me and haunted and tormented me to visualize all this.
How many obstacles would we have to overcome to enjoy the peace and giving of life? It seemed like an endless pile that kept piling up. One problem down, another one arose.
Some people always said that things happened for a reason. But I see and will never see any reason for all this shit to happen for future possibilities.
First James, Victoria and Laurent. Then the Volturi and my leaving Bella for safety reasons. Then the newborns and Victoria. Then the pregnancy. Then the war. Then the kidnapping. Then Bella leaving for the the Volturi. And it appeared there would be another kidnapping that was currently being plotted.
Through all that. I liked to think that I had to have some hope because that was all I would have in the end. Hope. A four letter word that would be there for me anywhere, anytime. It seemed to have abandoned me now. It wasn't anywhere near me so much as with me.
