Chapter 25 - Meditation
"Shit, they are going to kill me!" Isabella murmured as she looked around with wide eyes. "Why on earth did I need to disappear now, of all times?"
She had just been rudely awakened as she fell down somewhere in the middle of a desert. It was surprisingly cold and she was only wearing her pyjamas. She knew she had to find a way to get out of here as quick as possible, but she really had no idea how she would do that.
Suddenly a tingling feeling crept up her spine and she slowly turned around, only to jump back when she was met with a pair of bright red eyes. "Oh my God, you scared the hell out of me! I don't like to be crept up on!"
Confused the black-haired vampire looked at the girl. "What are you doing here, human?"
"Oh, I'm not human, alright," Isabella muttered sarcastically before she analyzed the man and sighed. "Only I would figure out a way to suddenly teleport to another place with vampires."
"You are not human?" the vampire asked before he carefully took a whiff of her scent. His eyes widened as he detected the faint smell of vampires on the girl's clothes. "You have been with more of my kind?"
"Yep," Isabella nodded. "For a while now, actually, and I would really appreciate it if you could help me to find them. They'll probably have already started a searching party and I would like to avoid any ruthless vampire searches. Where are we, anyway?"
The black-haired vampire looked at her curiously as he answered. "We are in Egypt."
"Egypt?" Isabella asked surprised. She had never before ended up on a different continent than America and Italy. "Well, thank you for informing me- What is your name?"
"I am Benjamin," the vampire answered. "I'm part of the Egyptian coven. Who is it you need to get back to?"
Isabella hesitated before she decided that the blunt answer was the easiest way to go about it. "The Volturi and the Cullens, they should be somewhere near Russia. Or was it Germany?" She cocked her head in contemplation. "Shit, I should've paid more attention when we were moving again. Then, again, I was locked up in the back of a van, so I was not really able to see much…"
"You want me to call the Volturi for you?" Benjamin asked her with an astonished look on his face. "How do you know of them? And do you honestly want me to believe that you lived with them?"
"Well, you wouldn't be able to reach them as they have moved from Italy and disconnected all their phones," Isabella said, pulling at the sleeves of her pyjama shirt. "But I do know the phone number by heart. Do you maybe have a phone I could borrow? That would also prove I am speaking the truth."
"I don't know," Benjamin said as he frowned. "I do not have a phone on me, but we could go to my home. I live there-"
"With Amun, Kebi and your mate, Tia," Isabella nodded. "Amun won't be very happy with you letting me in at first, but I believe he will get better."
Taken off guard Benjamin stared at her before he cleared his throat. "I don't pay much attention to Amun's mood. Do you want to hop on my back? It will only take a few minutes for us to reach the house."
"Sure," Isabella told him. She was getting cold and she knew Benjamin would not try to hurt her. Even if he did want to do so he would not be able to. Not that he needed to know about that right now.
Just like the vampire had said it only took a few minutes before they arrived at the house. In front of the enormous building, which Isabella would classify as a palace, stood a beautiful woman with hair just as dark as Benjamin's.
"Ben?" the woman asked before she continued in a language Isabella did not understand.
Benjamin nodded and answered in that same language, lowering the girl down to the ground. The woman turned around and analyzed her with a scrutinizing gaze.
"You claim to know the Volturi," she stated, her tone far from believing. "You are aware of the existence of vampires, while you are not one. What has happened to get you in this position?"
Isabella sighed. She really should not have expected to be trusted this easily. "I will tell you the entire story from the beginning if you lend me your phone first. And may I please come inside? It's getting quite cold out here."
The woman hesitated, but after sharing a look with Benjamin she reluctantly held open the door. "Benjamin will bring you to our living room while I fetch a phone. Keep in mind that we can kill you within the blink of an eye if it turns out that you are not speaking the truth."
"If you can so easily kill me, and I am such a burden, why didn't you do it already?" Isabella asked her, a mischievous look in her eyes as she walked past the two vampires and towards the door of the living room. Both Benjamin and Tia stood perplexed before they split up. This would certainly be an interesting conversation.
Meanwhile Isabella was already walking around in the living room. Different shelves and cabinets were filled with trinkets of all ages from across the world. She let her finger slide over the backs of the books in the bookcase but paused when she neared the window.
From it she had view of the yard behind the house and Isabella was surprised to see that it was just a sandy area surrounded by high walls. She imagined it would manage to keep the vampires shielded from human eyes during the day, but why was it there if there was nothing to do in the yard itself?
"The backyard is where we do all our training," Benjamin explained as he walked up next to her. "I like to practice often, as does Tia. Amun tries to keep us inside as much as possible; he is worried that we will want to leave if we feel strong enough. The only reason I was out tonight is because Amun and Kebi were out hunting."
"Do you?" Isabella asked him. "Do you want to leave, I mean?"
Benjamin smiled. "I would like to go out and explore the world at some point in time, yes, but I am content living here for now."
"Isabella," Tia called as she entered the room. "Here is the phone. I would like to ask you to call soon, as Amun and Kebi will arrive within a few hours. Amun is not as... hospitable as we are."
Isabella nodded, taking the phone from Tia's hand. "Which means that he'll throw a fit about you letting me in and helping me. Don't worry; I wasn't planning on putting off this call anyway."
She took a deep breath and dialled the number Marcus had pressed that she'd learn when they had been reunited. Never before had she been so thankful for his overprotectiveness.
"Marcus Volturi"
"Hi," she managed to get out before the questions and shouting started.
"Isabella? Is that you? Where are you? With who are you? What happened? Are you safe? Aro, Caius, come here! I have Isabella on the phone right now."
"Hey Marcus," she said, trying to convey as much calm in her voice as possible. "I am safe, yes. I'm in Egypt right now, together with Benjamin and Tia from the Egyptian coven. I teleported here an hour ago, I ended up somewhere in the middle of the desert."
"We were so worried! We are very happy that you are safe. Are you hurt, little one? And can you be a little more specific on your location?"
"No, I'm not hurt," Isabella told him. "I don't know where we are, but I don't believe that I should tell you."
"What? Of course you should! We need to be able to send the guard to safely bring you back."
"That is exactly why I don't want to tell you," she explained carefully. She knew they would be livid because of her choice, but she just knew it was what she had to do. "We cannot split up right now, it is too dangerous. What if they attack when they have departed? There is no way we can defend ourselves against so many with only half of our numbers."
Benjamin and Tia were watching with wide eyes as Isabella started talking about strategy, presenting tons of argument as she tried to prove her point. When she had finished it was quiet for a moment before there was some rumbling on the other side of the line.
"Bella, it's Jasper, I am taking over for a moment. Please, I want you to know that although your point is not invalid, you should remember that you are the one who they want. They might attack to decrease out numbers, but anyone here would want to take that risk if it means that you are safely protected again. You are currently out in the open, with no one to protect you from harm. In addition to that you have no other means to come back home."
Isabella was silent as she let Jasper's words sink in. "It's just that- I really don't want anyone to get hurt trying to protect me while I am not even there. Now I'm all worked up which means that I certainly can't magically transport back, because I have to feel kind of relaxed to do that and-"
Surprisingly it was Benjamin who interrupted. "Have you ever tried meditation?"
Shocked Isabella turned around to face the black-haired vampire. "Excuse me?"
Benjamin shifted uncomfortably. "I have no idea what your teleportation entails, but if you need to relax to do so, why don't you try meditation? It usually helps me to relax and focus on the important."
There was some cursing on the other side of the line as Isabella continued to stare at the man.
"Why have we not thought of that? Damn it, we are a group of vampires who have lived for centuries, but no one ever thought of that?"
"Calm down, Jazz," Isabella said absentmindedly. She looked Benjamin into the eye. "Do you think you could teach me?"
He shrugged. "It is worth a try."
-oOo-
Not long after Isabella ended the phone call, promising Jasper she would call back within 24 hours to make further arrangements, Amun flew into the room.
"What is this?" he asked, his voice loud, conveying his anger. When he spotted Isabella in the corner he ran over, planning to shove her against the wall, but he was stopped by Benjamin.
"She is under the protection of the Volturi," he stated gravely. Isabella swore Amun became even paler at those words and he reluctantly backed away.
"Who are you?" he demanded, looking at her. "Are you a spy?"
Isabella took on a straight posture, not at all intimidated by the vampire's behaviour. "My name is Isabella Marie Volturi. I am considered the Princess of the vampire society and I am most certainly not a spy; I ended up here by mere coincidence. We are not after Benjamin's gift, nor do we want to split up your coven. I simply needed a phone and a roof above my head at the moment."
"Isabella needs my help to go back," Benjamin explained. "I will make sure she is safe and I have given Jasper Whitlock my word that I will take care of her. Also, we were just about to hear her story, so please calm down. I would like to hear this."
Reluctantly both Amun and Kebi sat down on the couches, followed by Benjamin and Tia. Lastly Isabella took place on the chair.
She took a deep breath in. "Alright, it all started when I was four years old…"
It took nearly two hours for her to explain what had brought her up to this point; her arrival at the Volturi castle, the people she had met there. The history of the ancient vampire's obsession with her and her ancestors, the war that had been arising for years, the gifts she possessed and lastly what exactly she was.
"You are la fenice?" Amun whispered unbelieving, his eyes wide. "Now this all makes sense."
"What do you mean, Amun?" Kebi asked curiously. The woman had kept quiet during the story, but she too had hundreds of questions flying through her head.
"La fenice or the Phoenix is considered one of the most powerful creatures on earth," Amun explained, turning around to face his mate. "She is rarely spotted, only presenting herself when her presence is desperately needed. She brings harmony and connects with the true nature like no other can." He looked at Isabella. "I will do anything to help you. If this danger threatens you, it threatens us as well."
Benjamin looked at his sire in surprise. He had never seen him act in this way and especially not this willing to present his help. Amun was one to hide away and let the world continue in its own pace. If even he was willing to help there was no question that this was a serious matter.
"Thank you," Isabella told him before a she looked away in contemplation of what to do. She closed her eyes for a moment and when they opened again a worried expression crossed her face.
"The numbers have risen again," she murmured, looking down at her hands.
"I want to help and fight," Benjamin suddenly said, standing up. When Amun did not react at all to his statement he turned around only to see Amun walking up next to him.
"I will help too."
Isabella rapidly scanned their faces; a new plan was starting to form in her mind. An excited glint appeared in her eyes as the two women joined their mates.
"You are genius!" she happily exclaimed after a minute of silence. She flew forward and hugged a shocked Benjamin. "Of course! If anyone wants to help to protect the vampire world, plus their food source, from a possible demise it is the vampires themselves! Now, if I only had a way to reach out..."
Isabella took a step back and started to pace through the room.
"How exactly do your gifts work?" Benjamin slowly asked, sitting back down on the couch.
Isabella halted in her movement as she answered. "Well, to receive information I usually-"
"No, I meant the gift of teleportation," the black-haired vampire interrupted. "Do you end up in dangerous places, or do you often return to areas you know? Have you tried mastering it?"
"I have never actually landed somewhere where I did not have friends, or potential friends," Isabella answered, deep in thought. "I landed in Forks with Renée and Charlie because they were good parents, and Charlie apparently had connections with shapeshifters who help us now. I also ended up in Italy because it was where I would be best protected. I landed in Denali twice; and I made new friends both times. They are all part of the Volturi guard or 'army' now."
"If it brought you to all of those places, don't you think it can bring you to other people who can keep you safe?" Tia asked her.
A grin spread across Isabella's face. "That is a big possibility, yes."
"We can try to prove our theory later," Benjamin nodded. "But do understand that there is a big risk factor. We do not know whether or not we are right, and the situations you could end up in… I would not like to think about that."
"I understand," Isabella told them. "And I am willing to take those risks, if it means that we have more people who will fight on our side."
"Very well," Kebi said, standing up from the couch. "If you are willing to do so, we will stand behind your choice. However, I believe it could help if you first had a warm shower and a change of clothes, as well as something to eat."
"I will go into town and get some food." The words had barely left his mouth as Benjamin disappeared.
Tia smiled at Isabella. "Follow me, please."
A few hours later Benjamin led the warm and well-fed girl into another beautifully decorated room. He sat down on one of the cushions on the floor and motioned for Isabella to follow him.
"Meditation can help us to understand our own mind," Benjamin started, helping Isabella to sit in the right position before he sat back. "We can learn how to transform out mind from negative to positive, from unhappy to happy and from disturbed to peaceful."
Isabella nodded, showing she understood what he was saying.
"It has truly helped me to master my gift," Benjamin explained. "With the gift of control of the elements I constantly have to focus on what exactly I want to do. Through mediation I have come to know my own mind and it helped me to create better understanding of the working of my gift. I believe that if you are able to push the disturbing thoughts, as well as the stress, to the back of your mind and let the peace fill you, you will be able to teleport. Maybe it will even be possible for you to control it."
"That would be great," Isabella sighed.
Benjamin smiled at her. "However, you must understand that this will not be something you can master within hours, days or weeks."
"The earlier I start, the earlier I will be able to focus," Isabella said, looking him into the eye.
"Well, then let us not waste any time," Benjamin stated.
-oOo-
Kiev, Ukraine
"Please let him be alright," the tiny woman muttered as she nervously paced through her hotel room. "Why can't I see him? I should be able to. What happened?"
It had been decades, no, centuries since she had last been with him. If it had not been for the goal she had set the day he was taken away from her she knew she would have gone mad long ago. Only the knowledge that he was still walking around somewhere on this planet kept her going.
She knew that she was the only reason he had been taken in the first place. It had been a small move in this master plot, but it had had great impact on her existence. There was nothing she could do but follow the orders, her instincts demanding she did anything that could increase the chances of seeing him once this all was over.
While her rational side told her that he would probably be killed when they were no longer in need of her gifts, the vampire in her did not want to give up.
She had no choice.
A/N: Hello! I had hoped to have this chapter finished and uploaded earlier this week, but I ended up spending too much time working on another project. Anyway, here is chapter 25! Isabella is, in fact, safe and had yet again made new friends. With a bit of luck she will learn to master her gifts as well...
Reviews make me a happy person, so please let me know what you thought of this chapter. Also, if you spot any mistakes, please tell me ;) I hope to have another chapter ready for you within a week!
- Laura