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I'm immediately aware of a fingers running through my hair. I blink, cringing against the harsh light of day.
"Emily, tell the Queen she's awake." The fingers in my hair stop, I open my eyes slowly and find Leah standing over me. She's got dark circles under her eyes, making me wonder if she's been sleeping.
I glance around, finding I'm in a medial suite, an IV in my left arm, a plain gown instead of my costume.
"What happened?" I croak, my throat scratchy with disuse. Leah raises an eyebrow.
"Someone tried to poison you."
Poison? Why would anyone poison me? I'm a nobody a… The Volturi. The realization washes over me making me feel cold and sick.
There are people trying to kill me.
Emily comes back the Queen following quickly after.
"Oh dear, please know that we have increased security and that you will be kept separate along with the other girls until the culprit is found. Should you want to leave I can't fault you but please don't let this incident scare you off."
I don't know why I was poisoned, to kill me, to change me, to scare me off. But it isn't working, if anything I'm more pissed off at the audacity of my would be killer.
"I'm not going anyway." Esme sighs in relief.
"Wonderful! How are you feeling?" I shrug, taking inventory over my body. My head throbs a little, but otherwise I just feel like I've slept too long.
"I'm great thank you, Leah when is the last time you slept?" Leah is swaying on her feet, her eyes heavy.
"Three days." She mumbles. I gasp and gesture for her to leave.
"Why? Get out of here, go sleep, now." Leah grins and looks to the Queen who nods. Leah runs out the door.
"I don't mean to overwork her, you needed a guard while you rested and Edward refused to allow any men to be in your presence alone. Leah is the only female wolf in the pack." I roll my eyes at Edward's antics, I'll give him an earful very soon.
"So can I go then? I'm dying to get up and walk around." Emily laughs at me and the Queen calls in the doctor.
It's official I've been given a clean bill of health and advised to drink plenty of liquids. I practically skip out of the room and make my way to lunch, I'm starving.
It nearly makes me laugh that some of the girl's look like they've seen a ghost. Maybe it's my unbrushed hair and plain white gown, or the fact that I've been poisoned.
A few gasp and spill the tea they're sipping on. I give a wide grin and take a seat besides Angela who passes me my favorite strawberry pastry. The girl gets me.
"I'm so glad you're okay!" Gina says pulling me into a hug, I awkwardly pat her back my mouth full of pasty.
"Thank Gina, I'm great really, get some breakfast." Takes a seat at our table and Marley and Tina move to do so as well. Apparently the Queen's order to keep the Selectant girl's and the guests separate when ignored because some black robed vampires join the room. Their arrogance screams Volturi.
"Bella, I'm so glad to see you are well, it worries me that someone of your talents is so… fleeting." I recognize Aro's voice, He's average height, with shoulder length black hair pulled back in a low ponytail, and large, almost childish red eyes.
He makes my skin crawl.
"I'm much more durable than people give me credit for, don't worry Aro, I won't be going anywhere anytime soon."
Over his shoulder a petite blond with a severe bun is glaring at me. She must be Jane, lovely. I feel ticklish all over, you'd think she'd learned by now.
"Jane dear, someone just tried to kill me, don't add yourself to the list of suspects." She, and others of the Volturi gape at my audacity. I polish off another pasty, licking my fingers as I do so and stand, breezing out of the room with an air of confidence I don't feel.
Once I'm in my room I collapse into a shaky mess, panting and crying softly. The door opens swiftly and a tiny figure wraps me into a hug.
"I'm so sorry I couldn't come sooner I got caught up in the Volturi and planning the ceremony, and I can't believe I didn't see anything!" We sit together on the floor for a while until I dissolve into giggles when I realize she's wearing a fluffy pink robe.
"Oh Bella, everyone is raving over the Carnival! And Aro's reaction to you has really stirred some international interest, Plus the whole poisoned thing has made you the talk on every news, talk, and magazine network in the world!" I cringe.
"So glad my personal tragedies could entertain them." I say sardonically Alice tsks.
"When are you going to learn you are a big deal? You've got some big people vampire world eating out of the palm of your hand." I roll my eyes.
"I've got some big people trying to kill me too." I say thinking of Jane and her hateful gaze. That reminds me.
"Alice, everyone made a big deal about the Volturi power but what exactly is it?" Alice crosses her legs and sits across from me her hands resting calmly on her lap.
"Well Aro can read every thought you've ever had with one touch. That's why everyone made such a big deal about him touching you. And Jane has this ability to cause searing pain throughout your body. It's not a physical thing, more like she creates the simulation of extreme pain. Then there's her twin Alec who takes away a person's senses, he incapacitates the ones Aro usually wants to recruit and lets Jane have her fun." I grimace, Jane certainly looks sadistic.
"Chelsea breaks ties between people. Mate ties, familial ties, it makes people fight less." I frown, shaking my head. "The rest are just muscle." Alice continues.
That's how the enslaved the wolves, taking away their senses and inflicting pain. I recall Seth's pained whimpers and imagine dozens of them.
"And now they want me to join them, or die because I'm a threat." Alice doesn't say anything, she simply gazes sadly at me.
Alice and I talk for another couple of hours until she needs to run off to attend to more planning. I get dressed in a pair of jeans and T-shirt I smuggled away, it feels good to be casual.
I go to the music room and vent my emotions until dinner, then join the festivities. The room is crowded, dignitaries from all over the world as well as the Selectants. I take a seat at an empty table in the back and am soon joined by Benjamin and his mate Tia.
"Bella, so glad to see you well. I knew you'd fight it off, you're much too sassy to let poison get to you." I roll my eyes at his antics and butter a roll.
"Is that how you charmed your mate as well? Because then I'm inclined to believe your mate is either dense or you threatened her with your fire." Tia laughs much to the chagrin of her mate.
"Please don't encourage her, she grows more bold each day." Benjamin practically whines. I bite into my roll heartily and wink at Tia.
Angela joins us, as well as Emmett, Zafrina, and Stefan.
"Bella you're positively diabolical." Emmett says waggling his eyebrows. I point a knife at him.
"What lies are you spreading this time?" I demand. He laughs good naturedly and pulls out a sleek phone from his pocket.
"I didn't do anything it's all you." It's a video from breakfast this morning. Apparently we were being filmed and I didn't even know it. It's me, standing up to Jane, more fuel to the fire. I groan and glance around.
"She may actually kill you for that public slight." Stefan says seriously I throw a roll at him. It bounces off his chest harmlessly and Stefan eyes me speculatively.
"I didn't make it public. And you'd be annoyed too if you woke up after being poisoned and realized someone was using a very painful power against you just hoping it will kick in."
"Easy tiger." Emmett grins, taking a long swig of something bloody. I choose to ignore him and turn to Angela.
"Ang, my wonderful human companion, you keep me sane." I said dramatically she giggles at my antics, as does the table.
"Bella, be serious though, everyone is terrified of them and you just… you're just you."
I groan and facepalm.
"Everyone keeps saying that. But I don't even know what it means! All I know is someone is trying to kill me and I've made a long list of enemies." Oops. Zafrina reaches across the table taking my hand in hers.
"You've made a long list of allies as well." She says firmly I glance around the table and find them all nodding.
"Well-" An explosion rocks the walls and the lights flicker off. Screams fill the air. There's a rush of panic as everyone, vampire and human, rush for the exit. Another explosion, this time closer, makes everyone scatter. I crouch under a table and look around, the flames give me just enough light to see massive wolves pacing the room. A vampire with a jagged knife is creeping behind a massive grey wolf. I recognize him from Leah's description.
"Paul!" I cry. "Behind you." The wolf turns and growls menacingly. An explosion behind me forces me forward, I follow the rush of guests, and get cut off by a vampire I don't recognize, A wolf lunges for him and another vampire, a Volturi guard, rushes forward. I turn around, avoiding fire and growls and creep toward the doorway open to the terrace. Another blast, a rush of heat to close and I run for the terrace.
"Bella!" Someone calls after me. Afraid that I'm being followed I run the length of the terrace and throws myself over the wall. The landing is painful, jarring my legs and seriously spraining an ankle. I limp, run for the trees surrounding the garden, my heart beating in my chest. Just inside the treeline I grab a low hanging branch and swing myself up into it.
I'm gasping for breath, tears are running down my face. My ankle is throbbing. Voices drift close and I clamp a hand over my mouth trying to keep quiet.
"Did Charlotte make it out?" A man asks.
"Yeah, it was a close call, Jason the idiot, managed to get cornered by a mutt." This voice is feminine, bell like. Vampires.
"She's close to the wolves, she recognized one in it's form." The man says, my head swims from holding my breath.
"I don't care how many friends she brings to the table as long as she stands with us." The woman's voice is vaguely sarcastic, authoritative.
"I smell her." The man says. My heart screams in my chest. A feminine figure stands at the base of the tree, all I can make out is the golden glint of her eyes and the blond of her flowing hair. She gives a short bow, something white flutters from her hand to the forest floor, she uses her boot to cover it with dirt.
"Let's go." The man urges. "They're coming." Four more figures join the woman and then in a flash they're gone. I wait a moment then swing down from the tree, my scraped palms and sprained ankle protesting the movement. I limp to the small mound of dirt and pull out a small slip of folded paper. In the low light I can't read it, so I tuck it into my bra and wait.
A few moments later I hear voices calling my name. Emmett appears looking relieved.
"Bella B, you are a danger magnet." He sighs lifting me into his arms, he carries be back to the palace at vampire speed, making me close my eyes and groan.
"Warn me next time." I grumble.
The inside is a mess. Rubble is everywhere, fires are still being put out. Girls are crowded together crying in each other's arms looking hysterical and afraid. Emmett tells me not to look but I see it.
Change is happening. We are coming.
It's written in blood.
I'm carried to the medical suite where a doctor wraps my ankle and applies a cream to the cut on my cheek. I didn't even realize it was there.
He cleans my scraped palms and tells me I'm free to go. In lieu of crutches Emmett carries me down the hall.
"Edward assigned me personally until Leah can be made available." Emmett says with an air of seriousness when I insist he put me down and help someone else. Word of Edward shuts me up.
The Queen herds all the girls into a room full of cots where wolves stand guard at all doors. Leah paces the length of the cots when she sees me she gives me a grim nod.
Emmett places on a cot and leaves with a strained smile.
"Don't get into any trouble okay?"
A few of the girls are crying.
I know some of them have decided to go home.
Things are beginning to pick up!