Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, Stephenie Meyer does. I do however own my original characters.
Chapter 24 — Sweet Things
Demetri and Jane, bright crimson eyes glistening with satisfaction, had returned from their little hunt in the nearby village only moments later, informing us that they had hunted inconspicuously, having preyed solely on not-to-be missed individuals.
There had been little droplets of blood on their clothing, and the mere smell of the essence had given the relentless fire in my throat a new excuse to resume its torturing burning. But I had remembered Amber's words, her assurance that I would be able to feed recklessly in just a day's time. And I had done my best to ignore the pain.
Our little party had departed shortly after, once again following our tracker's directions, yet not travelling in a formation alike the way we had earlier. We had reached home, standing infront of the tourist entry to the ancient castle mere twelve minutes later. It had already been late at night, and not a single human had littered the town square.
A slender woman, presumably a secretary, had opened the gates for us, blonde, in her early twenties and dressed in a bright red cocktail dress. A name tag had classified her as Adrianna. I had felt my irises changing color, transforming into a determined raven black, yet once again utilized my remaining willpower to withstand the temptation.
Seconds later, we had finally reached the throne room. The Masters had shown themselves delighted to see us back as soon, and Aro in silence began taking our hands in his one after another, zealous for information. First Demetri, then Jane, then Amber and me. There had been disappointment in his eyes once he had let go of my hand, disappointment that, although well hidden, had clearly been directed towards his wife — my sister.
Momentarily, Alec beside me, the two of us silently sitting on the bed in our room, one must have been deaf or human entirely to have overheard the heated discussion that was going on between my sister and her ancient mate. I was completely certain that by now, the entire castle was listening in on the verbal fight of the two powerful mates — brought about, and centered around entirely by none other than me.
Alec, being the perfect mate that he was, held me tightly in his comfort bringing arms, patting my hand and whispering consoling words into my ear every once in a while. Not once did he ask what exactly had occured in Croatia; he had heard.
More accurately, everyone had heard.
"How dare you give your rebellious sister an excuse to defy her nature further? I saw her mind, cara. She wasn't entirely content with it, but she would have hunted with you. It was the perfect situation! Thirst paired with pressure and the desire to please."
"Will you calm down? Her not being content was -and is- my entire reasoning. If we forced her to feed when truly she wasn't content with it — she would hate herself forever. There is thirst within her, Aro. If only we give her some time to adjust and accept, allow her to enjoy herself..."
"Amber, darling, have you stopped to listen at yourself? She may be your sister, little one, but that does not give you the right to postpone a newborn's feeding! With every second she does not get blood in her system, the chance that she massacres Volterra becomes more and more probable."
"Ruby," Alec whispered. "Don't listen to them."
I quietly shook my head. "I couldn't even if I wanted to. It's likely even the secretary is well informed about the situation by now."
"Aro! Listen to me. Ruby will feed tomorrow. She promised it to me. She would never break that promise."
"Never," I whispered weakly. Alec gave me a reassuring nod and kissed my forehead.
"I don't have any time for this, Aro. I have things to organize; crucial things, as you will know with only a touch of my hand. If you will allow me, I will take my leave now."
A loud noise several milliseconds later indicated that she had indeed left, too swiftly though for Aro to interfer.
"All will be well," Alec told me calmly. "You will feed tomorrow, and all will be over."
I sighed defeatedly.
A knock on the door interrupted us, announcing the entrance of indeed entirely unwanted visitors with deadly certainty. I did not even obtain enough time to stand before the door was roughly thrown open, revealing the mahogany haired king and his platinum blonde companion threateningly occupying the doorway.
Alec, his sense of duty awakened, immediately stood up. "Masters," he bowed politely. "May I ask why-"
"Out!" Caius hissed, his furied gaze directed at my mate. "This is between us and Ruby only."
A shiver of dread ran down my spine.
"Stand," Caius demanded coldly once Alec had finally left the room, hurrying off to God knew where. Nearly paralyzed with fear, I questionlessly followed my orders.
"Ruby Volturi," Aro began with an accusing, dangerous tone to his voice, emphasizing my new surname. "Would you like to explain to us why on Earth you have been acting like a childish imbecile ever since you got here? Truly, we would enjoy finally knowing."
"I apologize," I managed to defend myself, my voice unsteady and anything but confident. "I take it this is about feeding? I would have done it in Croatia, really. I was dreadfully depressed about it, but I would have killed."
"...you would have killed, but Amber was hindering you?" Aro finished my sentence, laughing madly.
"Is that what you were thinking? Are you honestly blaming Amber for this? If so, dearest Ruby, allow me to tell you this: no. That is not how it works around here. My mate was feeling gracious. So? Is it her fault that you did not hunt? No. It was yours, and yours alone. Amber did naught but relieve you of the pressure you were under. There was at all times the possibility to go hunting relentlessly."
"...which you did not utilize," Caius finished.
"Amber is under no circumstances to blame," I agreed quickly. "Yes, the blame is mine. But it is mine because I finally felt positive feelings for Amber when I heard her offer, and because I wanted to spend the time Demetri and Jane were hunting with her."
Feeling a little headstrong, I added: "And, if I may add, when Amber suggested I go hunting tomorrow, I agreed without the smallest of doubts. My thoughts will be proof for this. There is no reason for you to worry, since in a few hours time, I will kill. I will feed."
My sister's mate did not even bother to ask as he sprinted forward, connecting our hands, skepticism in his crimson orbs before his eyes closed in concentration. I held my breath in anticipation.
"She means it," Aro concluded as his eyes threw open. "Her words are true. She is determined to feed, if only for Amber's sake."
"As long as she does," Caius sighed. "I will pardon you Ruby, the everlastingly foolish bird of the Volturi, one last time. You have until morning, until the final preparations have been made. And I promise you this: if you do not feed then, I will not only break your wings, I will break your every limb until you beg for death, and I will delight in your every scream and make your sister and mate watch helplessly."
"Caius," Aro warned his brother. "I believe that is quite enough."
"Simply making sure the bird understands." He smiled devilishly. "Now if you excuse me, I have criminals to execute." And with that, he disappeared into the neverending corridors of the poorly lit castle.
Aro's threat was not as terrifyingly worded as his brother's, yet it was still present. "I will see you tomorrow."
Milliseconds later, I was alone.
If only I been able to cry — I'd have cried about the upcoming feeding, about Alec being constantly pulled away from me, about Amber, and how she was stuck for eternity with a monster such as Aro for a mate. In that moment, there was truly nothing that I longed for more than the ability to cry.
And yet, as much as I longed for it, I did not obtain it. And so, with nothing better to do, I numbly stared out of the window, thinking about and contemplating everything and nothing, and waited for my mate to return, hold me in his reassuring arms and tell me that everything would be fine.
But he did not come.
Evening turned into night, night turned into morning outside of the window I had stood myself before. With a dreadful epiphany, I knew my time had come and panic once again took control over me. So much depended on my upcoming actions... and yet I was painfully aware that I could not do what was asked of me.
Exactly seven minutes after dawn, another knock was heard on my door — this time, though, the person behind it possessed enough politeness to wait for me to open it. Quickly throwing over my cloak and readjusting the golden pendant on my chest, I rushed towards it door, opening it with one swift motion.
On the other side, sparkling dimly in the morning sun, stood Amber.
There were no words, no explanations needed. Synchronically, we fell into each other's arms, and Amber's sweet yet pleasant smell filled my mind, obliterating the blind panic. For a fraction of a moment, I felt hope. And, as horrifying as it was, I knew that moment I would have left behind my loving parents a thousand times if only to experience this embrace, this unexpected hope, this moment once more.
"It's time, Ruby" she said softly, not once breaking eye contact as she pulled away from our embrace.
I closed my eyes, taking one last, deep breath. As my eyes re-opened, I hastily nodded and the two of us slowly yet inevitably walked towards our destination.
"You don't have to worry, Ruby" Amber told me. "Heidi, the vampire that gathers our prey, she and I are good friends. And so... well, I did what I could. Do you remember yesterday, the two of us sitting on that branch in Croatia, when you told me that you thought humans were innocent and you could not kill beings that did you no bad?"
I nodded.
"You won't have a problem then."
Mere seconds later, when we had reached the heavy wooden doors to the throne room, one last time, my sister's arms embraced my frail body. "You can thank me later," she smiled, waiting for me to smile back at her before she finally threw open the doors.
Instantly, the familiar scents of familiar bodies hit me and I knew, just as Amber had said, that these humans were neither unknown nor innocent.
There were three of them, no older than me or Amber, rushed into the exact center of the room to stand directly beneath the dome. Their blood called out to me like a siren, and I instantly felt my throat on fire in desire.
Two of them were female; one on the left, one on the right. The left girl, grey-eyed and straight blonde hair cut into a bob, turned around towards me first, her eyes, weary with mascara, threatening to fall out of their sockets in terror.
"Dead girl," she whispered.
I smirked, not responding and continuing my calm, victorious walk towards the small group of teenagers. The pain was blinding, but it was worth it. By now, the right girl and the boy were staring at me as if they were seeing a corpse out of a particularly scary horror movie come to life.
"Alexis," the right girl demanded insecurely, going through her long, brunette curls with her fingers anxiously. "What...?"
"Shut up, Marlena" the boy, brown irises surrounded by a pool of tears, snarled. His heart was beating by far the fastest; pumping sweet, tantalizing ambrosia through his body.
"Greetings," I interrupted them, my voice as confident and smooth as ever. Instantaneously, all eyes, human or vampire, turned on me.
"Why, if this isn't Marlena Canterbury, Alexis Dors and Louïs Nills. Truly, you were the last people I had hoped to ever meet again."
"What on Earth happened to you?" Alexis asked, her voice barely audible. There were silent tears streaming down her picturesque face. "You were — are missing. It was all over the media. They searched every corner of England for traces of you."
"Y-your eyes," Louïs realized with a scream. "Dead girl. Why are your fricken eyes red?"
"Don't you dare talk to me like that!" I snapped. "Louïs, you are in no position to curse at me and call me names. Absolutely none!"
"Why?" The words were naught but a fraction of a whisper, but I still heard them. I smirked sadistically in reply as an ideal answer crossed my mind.
Louïs Gabriel Nills, the same boy that had called me ugly, stupid and slow, the same boy that had suggested suicide to me multiple times, the same boy that had hit me repeatedly and left me crying in the school corridor only weeks ago, did not even possess enough time to blink as I threw myself at him with full force.
It wasn't a fair fight.
Louïs' eyes widened once and closed forever as he fell onto the marble flooring, his skull cracking at the impact. Thick, red blood oozed from the wound, sweet and warm and taunting. I did not hesitate for a millisecond.
Consumed entirely by pure hatred and unconditional bloodlust, I sunk my teeth into his neck, moaning in satisfaction as my bully's blood ran down my throat, every bit as pleasing as ambrosia, quieting my thirst. Looking up shortly, I saw the Masters shooting me pleased glances, a bit of happiness visible in Caius's eyes.
I finished quickly — too quickly. I was blind with bloodlust and revenge thoughts, but as I saw Marlena and Alexis sobbingly holding onto each other only meters away from me in shock, I knew that I owed it to myself to drag my revenge out.
"I gather the two of you have figured out by now why dead girl's eyes are fricken red?" I demanded politely.
"Vampire" Alexis croaked out. Marlena broke into even heavier sobs, falling out of her friend's embrace and onto her knees.
"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name," she prayed.
"Silence!" I hissed. "Save your breath. There will be no God where you are going."
Within a second, Alexis made her friend company on the cold marble, sobbing her eyes out.
"What happened to you, DG?" Marlena whispered terrifyedly. "Were you... always this way...?"
Again, I smirked. "Do you by any chance remember my long-gone older sister?"
"No," Alexis whispered in terror. "It cannot be."
"I believe it can," I replied darkly, turning towards the entry where my sister, invisible to human eyes, hid in the shadows. "Amber!"
She was beside within the fraction of a second, presenting me with an angelic, seemingly innocent smile. "Yes, Ruby?"
"It cannot be," the brown-haired girl cried out. "She... she's dead. And... and so are you."
"Now, now," Amber interrupted. "You seem to have confused a few things there. Marlena, is it? A missing person is not nessecarily a dead person. As for death — I must congratulate you on the tragic irony your nickname for my sister obtains, yet it is not entirely accurate. The both of us, and every other person in this room for that matter, may not technically be alive, but we are not dead either."
With a sadistic tone that would have put Vladimir to shame, I concluded her sentence: "We are the undead."
Alexis, pure, animalistic fear in her eyes, stayed silent, gazing off into the distance. It was Marlena that could not supress her feelings and cried out.
"Silence!" I ordered once again. "The next one that cries can join Louïs without further complications."
"To carry on with the story," Amber continued, "You can thank yourselves for this. You hurt my sister, you know that? You girls misused her verbally, and the boy hit her. She considered suicide for some time, do you know that? Because she was so entirely depressed, she went and travelled here on her own to find me."
"I've been like this for a day or two now. And recently, somebody had the genius idea to sort our special relationship out. For your information — it is only payback. All the pain, all the panic, the fear; because of you, I've had much worse." Reluctantly, I added: "And you deserve every last bit of it."
"I'm sorry, dead girl" Marlena croaked out. "I mean it. If only I could take it all back..."
"Aren't you pathetic," I snarled. "Two long years of inflicting pain on me, no signs of remorse. Ten minutes of me inflicting pain and panic on you, and you wish you could suddenly turn back time. Tragic, the measures needed to make Marlena Canterbury finally apologize."
"And my sister has a name!" Amber scolded her, yelling. "Ruby! R-U-B-Y. Is it that hard?" She sighed. "Did Ruby not explain to your deceased friend less than three minutes ago that none of you are in a position were nicknames are acceptable?" She was screaming at the top of her lungs now, resulting in Marlena cowering behind Alexis. "Did she not demonstrate to you why?!"
"Yes," Marlena whispered. "Yes, she did."
But Amber, eyes glistening with fury, had already caught up with her, holding the slender girl up into the air by her neck. Choking, Marlena fought a battle that could only be lost. After only seconds, betraying tears streamed down her face, ruining her mascara; sealing her death sentence.
Alexis had nowhere left to hide as I bolted towards Marlena, breathing in her somewhat overly sweet floral smell. Unlike Louïs, she did not close her eyes.
Marlena Jade Canterbury, the girl that had called my life a joke, the girl that had called every day of my existence a waste, the girl that had misused my trust entirely when we had been forced to shared a room, shrieked when my teeth pierced her skin.
Her blood was not as pure as Louïs's, the taste bitter with a small note of alcohol. I still drank it gladly, hastily, allowing sweet ambrosia to fill me and numb the pain of thirst once more. After several seconds though, Marlena's empty body dropped to the ground — and I was still thirsty.
Alexis's frail from, eyes closed on the ground, involuntarily reminded me of Eve, but I quickly shrugged the thought off. Eve had been innocent; Alexis was the farthest from innocent imaginable.
"I do not see any reason to drag our final contact out any longer, Alexis," I stated. The last human alive shivered, attempting to cover its ears with its hands yet failing due to the uncontrollable shaking its body had subdued to.
"I feel gracious today," I informed her. "Do you have a last wish?"
Unexpectedly, her shaking stopped at my words, and Alexis opened her eyes, sitting up.
"Yes," she whispered, nodding zealously. There was no fear, only determination in her voice. "I want my parents to know that... that I am no more. I don't care what you tell them — I just... I just don't want them to have to live with the cruel uncertainty of never knowing what became of me. Is... is that possible?"
What an honorable last wish, I thought. If only Amber had gathered up enough courage to ask for it...
No, I told myself. It was better this way. I had Amber that way. That was worth leaving my parents, as much as it hurt. That was worth the cruel uncertainty. Worth leaving my parents in pain, never coming back.
I nodded shortly. "Yes, I gather that will be doable."
"Thank you," she whispered.
And as she closed her eyes one last time, she smiled.
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