A/N: I don't know how I feel about this one, please let me know what you think!
Beep hiss beep beep hiss.
Who ever had invented the alarm clock had to of been a masochist. I was not anywhere near ready to wake up and yet that damn noise was so annoying persistent, coming and going at such an odd rhythmical pace.
Beep hiss, beep...beep hiss.
It was so loud, it was as if it was coming from inside my chest. Did I eat the damn alarm clock I chuckled bitterly to myself.
Beep hiss, beep...beep hiss.
This had to be stopped. I simply was not going to get up today. Charlie would have to handle his own breakfast for once. I am taking a vacation.
Beep hiss, beep...beep hiss.
Damnit! Actually I think it is Charlies turn to take care of me just this once, he can come turn this godforsaken sound off because I know it wasn't me who set it in the first place. I went to release an angeried yell for my dear father, but when I opened my mouth all that came out was a sickly gargle. There was something in my mouth. No, something stuck all the way down my throat, which was burning and itching as if I had eaten a million fire ants. Panic was quickly setting in and I could feel my stomach flipping and heaving as it tried to reject whatever was invading my air way.
"Mmmmmahhhhh" I yelled while I began to thrash about my bed. Only it wasn't my bed of course, it was much too hard, in fact, it felt like I was laying on a plank of wood instead of my warm pillow top mattress. I had absolutely no idea where I was, or what the hell had happened to me. But I did know who I wanted, no who I needed, to help me. Edward. My Edward will come for me.
"Edwammmarrh" I groggled out, causing a another set of dry heavs to start anew. But the pain in my stomach was well worth it because before I even finished calling him, there he was in all his beautiful glory.
"Shhhh love, I'm here relax your body, do not try to breath."
"wha... what, why. I'm I... have I been changed?"
At that question all his naturally perfect features contorted. Of course I hadn't been changed, not if he was here still in my head.
"No love you are still you, there is just a machine breathing for you right now. Focus yourself on my eyes please. I need you to remember where you are, remember what happened."
His eyes were desperately pleading with me to listen to him, he never seemed to realize that I would do anything he needed. "Ok, Edward I'm trying. Please tell me what I need to know."
"Good girl" he smiled before starting in on the whole gruesome tale. He was graphic and I was able to remember ever painful detail but somehow having those awful words delivered to me from the voice of an angle seemed to soften the blow. I was badly injured from having survived a vampire attack. Big whoop, this wasn't anything I hadn't heard before. But of course I knew this time was different though, this time I was alone and my life was still firmly placed in the hands of some very angry and probably hungry vampires.
"How long have I been here darling" I asked Edward causing his eyes to darken and cloud in confusion. Right. Your not real, you only know what I know and I have no clue how long I have been here. These two realizations were more painful then the memory of my attack returning. Edward wasn't real, and if I had been here longer then two weeks my Emily would of given my parents the second letter.
"Bella no. You will not let yourself go down that road right now. There is no point in worrying about that. Remember, stay focused. It doesn't matter how long you have been here. You are alive. You are awake now and the vampires can certainly hear the change in your heart beats, someone will come for you soon enough so prepare yourself."
He was right as always. It was probably even best if the rest of the world thought I was already dead. Well, the rest of the human world. What if the real Edward...
"Bella" Edward warned, "don't you dear worry about me, I am right here with you, please try to remember what I told you repeat in your head."
I had no idea what he was talking about. "when" I asked him.
"Its ok baby girl, just think about what is the very last thing you remember before waking up."
I wanted to remember for him, but no matter how hard I strained the only thing that came to my mind now was how it was him who got me to drag myself across the room. This painful memory must not be what he wanted me to re-live. I was quickly becoming disgusted with myself, I could never do anything he needed me to do right. "Relax love it is not that important, and I hear someone coming. Stay still..."
I heard it as well, two very distinctly different sets of foot steps approaching towards me. There was the clickety clack of a high heel shoe, and the softer thud and shuffle of a nice rubber sole. Both of which were moving at an alarmingly non human speed.
"Now play nice Jane" a deep sinister voice said, "unless you want daddy to never allow you to play with your powers again, haha, if you make him angry again I bet he'll even put you on body disposal duty." He was almost hysterically laughing now.
He, he... sounded familiar... he was Alec? Yes! Alec, Jane's brother. Jane! Can't get in your head and...and.. Aro didn't want you hurt. I did it Edward!
"very good love, very good. Now you know to be weary of Jane and Alec.
"You know, you are going to be the first one I go after when he gives me privileges back darling brother." Jane replied with out a trace of humor in her cold tone.
"Oh, I tease, I tease you dear. Really, it is more then impressive that you have lasted this long. I don't know what I would do without my power for two days let alone two months and my power isn't even as fun as yours."
"yes, well thank God this thing is is finally coming to. Now Aro can see for himself that she is nothing special and we can get on with it. I'm going to enjoy killing her more then anyone else."
Two months, I had been in Voltaire for two months!. So it was official, Bella Swan doesn't exist anymore. I wonder how Charlie is doing? But even with this disturbing information it was hard to be the appropriate level of scared while listening to these two talk so nonchalantly about me. Anger was an easier response. I had done enough eavesdropping for now, and I needed to get these tubes out of my throat desperately. All it took to captivate the bickering vampires attention was a slight shift of my finger.
"Awwwh look, its trying to move." Alec teased as he forced open my eyelids to shine a bright light into them. I never knew light could be physically painful.
"haha... so pathetic, I think she wants us to take her tubes out... well, we better wait for daddies permission right."
"hmmm your right, we wouldn't want to hurt his little pet."
I couldn't stand to hear one more second of the two them, if they weren't going to take out these tubes I would just have to do it myself. Reaching up I could feel my IVS going taught but I was able to get my fingernails under the tape on my mouth. Jane and Alec stood stone still watching me, their eyes filled with a perverse pleasure that was hard to stomach, a cold hate that hide deep behind their young beautiful eyes. I almost felt for them, clearly they had been changed too young.
Flicking and scratching my nails under the tape, I began to peel it off inch by inch. The task was painfully daunting but eventually the sticky fabric ripped away from from dry cracked lips, taking a fresh pink layer of skin right along with it. Alec's nostrils flared like an angry bull as the scent of my bleeding lip no doubt filled the air, and Jane simply rolled her eyes my helpless floundering. There was no way I was going to be able to pull the tube out myself and they both knew it, reviled in it even.
"tisk tisk tisk, such a pitty isn't it Alec? What a waste of a soul that one is. It almost isn't even worth me taking it... almost..."
Alec smiled, though his jaw remained tensed. "yes, well I'd love to know how much longer they expect us to reframe when she keeps insisting on teasing us with her blood."
"Well, I'm sure one little lick won't upset anyone?" Jane smiled before easing down towards my trembling form.
I closed my eyes awaiting for her cold scaly tongue to descend onto my lips, wondering if it would be coated enough venom to harm me at all. But before she could taste a droplet of my blood Jane froze just above my face, her hard nose slightly scratching mine. "hummph, yes father" she whispered allowing her fidget breath to blow across my face. Turning to me with mouth perched and eyes squinted, she said "till later then" before gracefully running out of the room with Alec following right behind her.
"Oh dear, I do apologize for them, you know how children can be."
Bella, this is Aro Edward sullenly appeared again. Be careful what you say around him, don't be fooled into anything.
Aro in person was even more impressive then the Aro I knew from the paintings. Yes, he still looked just the same as the man hanging in Carlise's office, tall with pointed angular features, and long midnight black hair, but in the flesh he also possed a great auro around him. He truly belived himself to be a king, or maybe even a God, so much so, that I could feel his power and authority even before he hooved into my line of site over where I lay.
"I am truly, truly excited to see you awake dear one. We have been waiting so long for you to recover- and let me say with much remorse how very sorry I am for your injuries... sometimes children, especially vampire children, just do not know their own strength." He was so soft spoken and yet so full of authority that even though I knew he was telling me a cold blooded lie I suddenly felt at ease.
It was only when Aro stood back from my bed slightly did I notice he had not come alone. Standing behind him where Caius, Marcus, and another massive unknown man.
"Felix please- take care of our guest. I am sure she would love to get those awful tubes out of her now, she seems perfectly capable of breathing on her own. Be very gental now, and also-," he paused looking towards the door, "Jane hurry up with that water already, I am growing very tired of you."
Felix, the big guy is Felix love. Lets hope he is as gentle a bear as Emmett.
I wouldn't of called his handling of me gentle by any means, but he didn't seem to actually want to hurt me. His eyes, though blazing red like the others, did not hold either hate or curiosity, but a faint spark of something lighter: humor, or perhaps lust? To me, he felt like an odd combination of all the Cullen men, big like Emmett, mysterious like Jasper, knowledgeable like Carlise, even holding a slight trace of my Edward's charm and dazzle. Then again, I could just of taking a liking to him because he was the one to finally free me from the God awful tubes.
As he carefully withdrew them he used one hand to massage my throat causing me to gag even more uncontrollably. It hurt every muscle in my body and my throat felt like it had been washed with a sandpaper rag, but I think the gagging proved helpful at extracting the plastic tubes. My first breath of air felt intoxicating, laced with the sweet aroma from all the beautiful vampires around me, so I sucked in all that my lungs could take in one big gulp. My second breath brought forth an unstoppable conniption of hacking and croaking,
"Here drink this doll face" Felix urged, pressing a goblet of water against my chapped lips. I tried to swallow as much of the luke warm liquid as I could, but most of it dribbled out the corners of my mouth, down my chin, and onto the front of my shirt.
My shirt? I thought with alarm as I remembered how Edward had told me to take it off. I wondered how many people had seen me in that state. Sitting up, I started to take a blurry inventory of myself and was shocked to find that someone had dressed me in the very dress I had purchased for Alice. My shocked expression must have registered with Felix, whom was still standing directly in front of me, as he smiled sadly at the shiny material of my dress. "It is a shame about your face" he whispered, " I can tell that you must have been magnificent, full of great style and grace." As offensive as his statement was, I could feel genuine concern behind it and I wanted to thank him. My mouth did not though. I tried open it fully, tried to speak even just one word, but the pain that resulted was all consuming and I just laid back down and pleaded at Felix with my eyes for help.
"Oh poor child" Aro sighed, nodding Felix away from the bed. Felix. "We were forced to drill some screws into your jaw...it was unfortunate, but it was the only way to it healed correctly. But," he clapped his hands with enthusiasm, "You shouldn't worry, Felix here is something of a jack of all trades- its why we keep him around even despite his lack of, of... well, uniqueness." Felix flinched, at his words but didn't seem surprised by the insult.
"You, though dear one- you are extremely unique, and I think it is time to find out just how far that goes." He was oddly excited, clearly restraining himself like as if he was a little kid trying to sit through a Christmas service properly before being allowed to open their gifts. The lack of composure didn't suite his king like aura whatsoever and I couldn't understand what could be so exciting about me anyway.
I don't like this Bella... Edward was agitated and rightly so, this was worrisome and there was nothing I could do about it but sit and await whatever Aro was talking about.
"Now, I heard from my dear distraught daughter, that her powers were unable to affect you. And that... that is so very intriguing. I also heard from her that you seem to know quite a lot about my wonderful family here... I am so, so very curious to learn how that came to be." He glided over to my side and reached his hand towards my face.
"I will rip your fingers off if you touch her!" Poor Edward was really having a time with all of this and his shrieking caused me to flinch back knocking my head quite hard against the board.
"Oh, dear child... do not worry, I shall only touch a comforting hand upon you. I just... wish to see something..." He lightly clasped the side of my face, his large hand covered the majority of it. With eyes closed, he scrunched his face into a strange deep sort of concentration and I held my breath in anticipations of whatever he planned on inflicting upon me. Minutes passed by and I still felt nothing except for the cooling touch of his hand, which was oddly pleasant. Soon after Aro released me, his face burst into smile as he turned to the rest of the room, "absolutely amazing he clapped his hands in joy."
In my head Edward began to pull at his own hair in frustration. He was pacing around and around Aro emmitting that low possessive growl of his. It was quite distracting.
"Well, father do enlighten us," Jane chided in. "What have you learned, who is she, and more importantly, which vampire do I get to go kill for you?"
Aro just chuckled at the woman and shook his head. "Sorry little one, I could see absolutely nothing from her... total darkness, such a …. such an impressive power she has." Marcus and Caius shifted uncomfortably at this news, they hadn't said or moved an inch since there arrival.
"Well, as interesting as this all is, I think we have let it go on long enough. We have rules for a reason Aro..." Caius sternly stated.
"Yes, I do agree Aro." Marcus stepped forward. " It is time to end this human we have wasted so much on her already and we cannot allow a human to exist once they know of kind. It is too dangerous."
"No, this... this girl is too astounding to simply drink away." Aro stated with much authority. "Besides, we must concern ourselves more with who has shown her our world. She is no threat to us here now is she? But they, whom ever they are, are the real real trouble."
"Yes, I supposed you are right, but if you cannot see her mind then we may never get our answers."
"Oh ye of little faith dear brother, there are many ways to go about getting something that you want. We will start with the simplest of options of course, and then go from there." He turned to Felix and spoke in a tone too low for my ears to pick up. Felix flashed away and returned a second later with a pen and piece of parchment. Edward pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. "Ok child, lets get some answers- lets start with an easy one. What dear thing, what is your name." Felix handed me the pen and held the parchment up for me to answer.
"lie love, lie." Edward's tone was so static and serious I didn't even consider disobeying him. With a shaky sore hand I scribbled down the first name that popped into my head, Catherine my favorite character from my favorite book, Wuthering Heights. Edward flashed me his brilliant smile and nodded at me.
Aro smiled, "Catherine, Catherine, Cathy, Cat...yes Cat it does fit you dear." Jane was not happy about Aro taking such a liking to me, and she hissed loudly to make sure everyone else was aware of it. But Aro ignored her, and continued on beaming down at me. "Ok my dear Cat, now tell me the name of who told you about us, how did you come to be here sweet girl."
His question stopped my heart. There was no way I would ever give my family to him, especially after hearing Jane, Aro, and Caius, talk of rules and punishment. But this was a question I couldn't just lie my way out of, I would have to just stand my ground here.
"NO!" Edward barked at me in anguish. "Just tell them, tell them my name. I can take care of myself and I... I can be there for real to get you if you do this. Tell them Bella! Tell them EDWARD CULLEN."
I grasped the pen tightly and scratched the word never onto the paper.
"Tisk tisk tisk" Aro sighed in disappointment. "Then why, why dear Cathy, why are you hear. Did you just simply have a death wish, because...I imagine there a whole lot easier of ways for a human to kill themselves."
At last, a question I could answer honestly and without turning to Edward I wrote in large bold letters: MAKE ME LIKE YOU.
Aro's smile returned. "Oh, now that would be fantasying wouldn't it? I do say, with the strength of your power now... as a vampire... why you would be... "
"Don't get ahead of yourself there brother" Caius interjected. "She is not exactly a willing servant to the Voltaire now is she? Already she refuses your requests..."
"Training brother, don't forget about training. And I, I will get my answers before I give anything in return that shouldn't be a worry of yours."
"But master," Felix questioned, "We already have one human pet, and her training is almost complete." He must have been talking about Gianna the woman from the gift shop.
"She is but a pretty face Felix, I know you are fond of her but really, she is more suited for supper then for serving our great causes... you may finish her if you like, otherwise, I will let Jane have her fun." Aro was growing tired of having his decisions questioned. "This is what I want, I am willing to take whatever time is needed with this little Kitty... she is but a human, we will break her eventually. Break her, and then train her, and then make her."
Aro was going to kill the poor woman, kill her and replace her with me and I was going to let him. I was soon to be a murder. "Stop it love, you must not think this way. Your only job here is to keep yourself alive, it is a hard enough job you cannot help her and she knew what she was getting into." He was right she did know what had gotten herself into, just as I knew it too. I only hoped I was strong enough to endure without giving away my family.