The afternoon flew by. I was inundated with question after question. I knew I would have to repeat myself over the coming days but I need support from the family for my sanity.
I took a lull in the questions to have a look at the futures that were opening up. Looking at all the paths I realised there are far more paths leading to a brighter future. The darkest paths had reduced considerably. I shuddered thinking of the desolation of the paths I was trying to avoid. I had a light bulb moment, at last I knew how to move things forward tonight.
The strong arm tactics may have been needed at the first meeting but this should a good chance to use diplomacy to make everyone see. I checked the future and smiled, this has a really good chance of improving things. Just a couple of possible snags but nothing I can't overcome.
"What's got you grinning?" Emmett startled me out of my thoughts, "You zoned there for a bit, then you got this sly look, now you're grinning like a Cheshire cat. Come spill, what's going on in that pretty little head of yours."
I had to laugh at the way his eye brows danced with amusement at me. "Just deciding how to handle the meeting this evening. I just came up with few ideas to help make everyone more in favour of the changes."
He was scowling at me now, "Hmpf, and that's all you're going tell us. You are no fun sometimes," his face softened and the mischief came back, "So will there be more fire balls, how you going to scare them this time?"
Every eye in the room watched our little discussion with bated breath hoping to learn more, "Sorry Emmett, I'm going for different tactics this time. You know most of what we will be talking about, I just came up with an idea for the presentation."
"I'm always the last to know," he pouted.
"Em, just look around this room, who's here?" he looked up meeting my eyes first then round to Edward, Carlisle, Eleazar and Caius. The others had drifted away during the afternoon. "I've just told you more than anyone else knows. The future is so tenuous, I daren't tell anyone too much in fear of jeopardising things. I think you'll find you are in the innermost circle for finding out what is happening," I smiled at him and attempted to lighten the mood, "Besides I need my brother bear close, to keep me in line."
I gave him a quick one armed hug, He gave he such a soft, vulnerable smile I tightened my hug to acknowledge his unvoiced thanks.
"This evening may go on a bit so I think some down time might do us all some good," enough, I need some alone time with my fiancé.
"What time this evening do you want us?" Carlisle asked.
"About seven but I'll call everyone when I'm ready," by that time I could see a couple of vampires would be trying to leave, the shield activating and getting transferred into the main hall would make them think twice next time!
I blinked Edward and I back to my house. We didn't have long but the relief and relaxed feeling that hit as we arrived, made up for so much.
"How are you coping?" Edward asked me, concern dripping in his tone.
"I'll have to live with the guilt of all those deaths for the rest of my existence," Edward moved to speak but I stopped him," I know it was the only way to save the rest of us from so much grief, I also know only too well how black their souls were but, but," I hung my head.
So many deaths, they would have cause so many more deaths and so much misery but the guilt of being their executioner would never leave me. I don't think I ever want to lose that guilt, I don't ever want to become comfortable with murderer.
Edward just held me. His arms around me a balm to my soul.
That's how we spent the next couple of hours, just enjoying each others company. Conversations stayed light, when we felt the need to talk.
The mental alarm system I set up for an vampires leaving the confines of the Castle broke through and forced me to admit we need to move, "Sorry Love, it's time to head back."
"I'm here for you," he whispered.
"I know, it means more than you know," I placed a soft chaste kiss on his lips and blinked us into the main hall.
As soon as we arrived I started with the time consuming job of sorting out the latest disputes and problems.
I had to transport in the two attempted escapees and the seven vampires that had triggered their shields. I set all the shields to turn solid black if their auras changed black or if they tried to hurt anyone.
Two newborns had come across Gianna and tried to eat her. Everyone had a blood scent blocking shield but the lure of a squishy thumping heart is too much of a temptation for newborns. I had told her to stay out of public areas but she had ignored me. She would be getting a memory wipe soon and sent on her way. She has very few redeeming personality traits, while I didn't want to deal with her for eternity at least I have an option to let her live a life outside the supernatural. The newborns were acting on instinct so no punishment needed, the time they spent inside the solid blackout shield left both of them shaken but respectful.
The other five weren't as easy to deal with. Three were fighting over the death of a mate. It turned out he wasn't actually her mate. To cut a long convoluted story short, Barden cheated on Gilda and got caught with Ethel. Ethel's partner Maurice killed Barden and Ethel in his rage when he found them together. Gilda knew nothing of Barden's cheating only that Maurice had killed him, she had enlisted help and hunted Maurice ever since. The best of it is Maurice and Gilda are actually mates if I could get them to stop attacking each other long enough to see it. William had a knight in shining armour complex and just wanted to aid a damsel in distress. I showed all three of them what had actually happened to start the feud and they started talking.
The last two, Aram and Licia, his aura had turned black yet she had attacked him. Licia's aura is one of the brightest I've seen yet so scarred. Aram had pursued Licia for centuries and his actions against her had caused the scarring on her aura. She had escaped again and again but he still chased. He had tried to corner her today but she had reached a point of no return and lashed out at him, triggering the shield.
Aram went up in smoke, I hate the roll of executioner no matter how evil they are. I healed Licia's scaring then called William across. How many birds can you kill with one stone? Maurice and Gilda need some time together so the bond can grow, William lives to help others, Licia needs a shoulder to lean on and to realise not all men are evil like Aram.
The attempted runaways were a young couple dragged into the Vampire life for newborn wars, they found each other and just wanted a peaceful existence. Raul and Myra were scared.
Rather than threatening them I decided to try and convince them they could have a better future by staying, "I'm so sorry for scaring you. I too just want a peaceful life with my mate. I looked at so many ways to get us all a better future and this has the best chance. Many of the old vampires only respond to a threat. The casualties this way are the fewest but every death is one too many, each one weighs heavily on me. I'm going to show everyone the possible future but to get a good future we all need to work together. Will you both come and listen?" the shock on their faces when they heard the honesty and hurt in my voice and when I gave them a choice. I could see a flicker of hope in their eyes.
"Here goes!" I winked at them then I sent a mental message to every vampire that the meeting would start in two minutes and I expected full attendance.
One hundred seconds later I sent Rose and Emmett a warning that if they weren't in the main hall under their own steam in 20 seconds I would transport them here in whatever attire they were wearing at the time. Nineteen seconds later they arrived, a more dishevelled Rose I have never seen but their grins were huge!
I checked everyone was here. The last few stragglers came through the doors with Eleazar, Carlisle and Caius bring up the rear. I gave them a stern look to which they looked very sheepish an each apologised for their tardiness all 3 seconds of it!
Seeing those three getting reprimanded and humbled gave me even more respect from many of the older vampires. Too many assumed I was a puppet and they held the strings.
"Good Evening All. Thank you for joining me," okay so I hadn't given them choice on the matter but manners don't cost anything!
"Many of you know I have many powers, you have seen a few of them in action. One of my powers is to see the possible futures. I can see many possible paths but they all lead to one of two eventual destinations. Time frames and major events are still variables but I can show you the results of each outcome then I will let you each decided which future you want for yourself," I looked around the room trying to catch as many eyes as I could.
"Be prepared, I will show you each your future if we don't change, if for any reason in this version of the future you are killed you will continue to see the future from a birds eye point of view," with that I let a future play if they all went home today and went back to life as they knew it.
Each of them would see their own future like watching a t.v. show but with feelings and emotions tied in. I showed them a dark future.
It starts easy enough each vampire getting transported home. Many have an easier life initially since the most evil ones among us have gone but others step forward and take that role. The weakening effect of contaminated food accumulates. The humans make lots of noise about pollution, oil, global warming and more but are never willing to change their own life styles enough to improve things fast enough. In this future it's the world wide oil blockades due to the sky rocketing prices that triggers the beginning of the end. Anger mobs torching fuel tankers, picketing airports and docks, destroying pipelines; the destruction in it's self was scary. Commercial airlines no longer flew, gas stations had no gas for cars or trucks. Supermarkets couldn't get deliveries, customers could no longer get to the large out of town stores. Farms had no diesel to work machinery, no trucks to transport the crops; crops rotted in the field or in storage.
The vampires found feeding easy, who misses a member of a mob or a picketer, more to the point who will follow up and find out what happened to them in amongst the chaos when food is already scarce and mobs rule.
The temperatures may have gone up with aircraft free skies after 9/11 but this started in late May, empty skies for months but more than that, the roads were empty too, industries closed down unable to get supplies. With the pollution severely reduced, it no longer reflected the suns heat back into space and temperatures started to rise. Heat waves and food riots took a considerable toll.
Still vampires prospered.
The storms that hit in the autumn took out many of the relief initiatives that were still in their infancy. Restoring the fuel supplies was prioritised, there were ambushes and losses of life and supplies. Implementing martial law caused even more dissent.
The high world temperatures triggered more glaciers and ice sheets to melt. The winter bought more storms and widespread coastal flooding, major cities across the world all hit hard. Combined with food rationing and lack of oil for heating or transport made for a winter of discontent.
Still the vampires prospered.
Come spring, like rats from a sinking ship, people deserted their city homes, flooded by the spring high tides one of the nicer reasons for leaving. Food still scarce, hunting became very popular , it was a life line for many. In one short year life had changed beyond recognition.
Vampires never had easier pickings.
Then the wars broke out, fighting over the oil, over land, over food. Only two nuclear bombs were deployed but it they were both big ones. India and Pakistan both wiped out in an instant. The human population was plummeting. The earthquakes and volcanoes triggered by the bombs had a far wider impact.
Some vampires started to realise that while pickings were easy their prey was rapidly disappearing, those that could started to help the survivors so they could try to rebuild. These healthy pockets of humans, along with others, flourished until the human nomads and small communities had been wiped out by huge bands of hungry vampires. Armies of vampires wiped out the remaining pockets of humans and any vampire that stood in their way.
Vampires no longer prospered. After such a short time of glut they were now in famine. Humans were becoming an endangered species. Previous vampire wars in comparison were tame to these new conflicts. As the humans were wiped out the fighting became even more vicious, coven member against coven member in the fight to secure the next meal.
Few of the vampires in the hall were still seeing their own futures, only a handful survive to this point. The survivors are the unfortunate ones. The mammals that had survived the humans massacring them for food didn't survive changes in environmental factors or the ever hungry vampires.
Vampires food supply had gone, all wiped out. A vampire deprived of blood eventually weakens but the brain remains alert, always looking for sustenance. Vampire fought vampire for even the smallest source of blood. The horror on the faces as they watched two vampires fight, trying to rip each other to shreds over a cockroach for the sustenance they crave. Lone vampires committing suicide by tear their own limbs off in the path of molten lava until the earth cooled too much for lava; seeing a lone vampire collapsed on a barren, desolate plain without the strength to move have a look of relief, longing and hope in his eyes as the sun finally goes nova wanting his existence to finally end, so, at long, long last he can find peace.
Horror, shock, fear, anger buffeted me. "Stop," I shouted to get though to them, them gently said, "let me show you a different future that is possible if you will follow my suggestions."
This future starts so differently.
All of us learning and working together. Reaching out to all the supernatural beings the exist, finding out how we can work together and helping each other.
Having break times with a nice warm mug of blood, chatting about what everyone had done the previous night, making plans for weekend.
Different groups going to the research facilities on the different continents. Visiting each other and having big get-togethers during the normal human holiday time.
Gradually starting to integrate with humans and building up lives in the outside world.
Celebrations of each break through, each discovery. Bring out new technology to reduce the reliance on oil. A cure for some types of cancer. A vampire artist taking the world by storm for their inspirational artwork. A group of vampire musicians going on a sell out world tour. Extending nature reserves and protecting endangered species. The political successes from law reform to community service. Yet another marriage.
The reactions in the world media when we final came out and let the world in on our secret.
Seeing all the different sentient beings work together for the common good.
Finding ways to rejuvenate the earth's core and the sun, space travel. All these things become our future. Hope and happiness for the future.
The emotions from the room of joy and pleasure, hope and happiness hit me hard as I allowed this vision to fade into the promise of more tomorrows.
"That's the direction I want our future to take. It will take work to keep that other fork in the road from rearing its head again. I'm fighting for the bright future. We will take a break, refreshments are available," I may be able to see the future but I like to live it before I believe it.
Edward had his arms around me as soon as I turned. I sank into him.
"I've seen Alice's visions so I thought I was prepared but ...oh Bella, I never want to lose you, the feeling of losing you as when you were so weak from lack of blood but you still tried to defend that village, how do you cope with visions like that," he sounded so shaken, so lost.
"I keep remembering the bright future and it makes me fight all the harder to get there, I held a few things back from the bright future but it's better this way," I sent him as a silent message as a smile crept onto my face.
He looked at me silently for a few moments, "So the bright future can be even brighter."
My smile widened to a fully fledged grin, "Yup,"
His lips met mine as he sent "I can't wait."
Is two minutes too much to hope for, well obviously yes, Emmett was the first of many lined up with streams of questions to throw at me. I'm very tempted just to transport myself and Edward out of here but the soon this is over with the sooner we can have some time to ourselves.
One look at Esme's fear filled face confirmed my decision and I called the meeting to order.
"Every choice, every decision effects the future, I have only shown you two possible paths but there are many paths that lead to very similar outcomes, there are darker futures and brighter ones but the ones I showed you are the most prevalent possibilities. The first future I showed you is what would have happened before this meeting if I made the decision to let everyone go back to their old their lives and I had no further involvement. The second future is what happens if you all decide to follow me. Just showing you those futures will have changed them. Each decision makes changes to events and the outcomes but the endings you have seen is the fork in the road that we now face. Any questions?" here goes!
The questions came thick and fast, many involved things they had seen in one or the other of the futures. I tried to tell them about the 'Butterfly effect', a small change can cause a big variation in result. I pointed out again and again neither future has happened yet and every choice changes the future.
Eventually we got to the 'what happens next' questions. I had the chance to ask my question, "Hands up, Who wants to live the first scenario?"
I looked around the room, not a single hand. I looked pointedly at a the Rumanian's and the leaders in the American south's newborn wars.
"Is anyone here not willing to follow my lead? Anyone that doesn't want to fight for the second scenario?" I took and unneeded breath.
"Anyone?" I questioned again.
Vladimir spoke up, "I want the second future. Will you really let us live our own lives and get involved with human government? Even be allowed to make our existence known?"
Yes, his question is what I hoped for. I had the Volturi on my side but getting the previous rulers wanting the same thing would be enough to turn the tide of the small number that still dream of the immediate win.
"Yes, I want everyone to live their own life but not at the cost of others. It will be a few years getting used to the changes but everyone will have the option to blend in with society then eventually be accepted for who we truly are. I don't want to rule; I want a bright future similar to that you have just seen. While ever you work towards that, you can do it in the way that suits you best, live your own life without anyone making your choices. I will only step in to stop anyone that jeopardises the future we want," I smiled at Vladimir and Stefan, "I can see you two being excellent advisor's to the human world leaders, leaders yourselves again, one day." They both stood taller and prouder at that.
Babble broke out, "So I can really do that, it can really be like that," repeated in many ways, in many tongues across the hall.
"Order," I called out over the noise of voices, "In the morning we will start learning. Would any teachers or those of you with higher level of knowledge be willing to help others? I'm sure we have many here that have never learnt to read. I have many different learning materials lined up, we just need to find out where best to start for each individual. It doesn't matter how much you know now, I see the willingness to learn as the most important thing. First I'd like to learn about each of you, the things you enjoy, what interests you have. I want to make this fun. Use the rest of the night to get to know each other and to come to terms with the changes we are all choosing," I stepped down and let their conversations take over again.
Edward was by my side, an arm around my waist the instant I stepped back. I spent hours talking and reassuring, it felt like everyone wanted a piece of me, wanted to talk to me individually. I'm so happy the ice has finally broken, the corner turned. I took great pleasure in having the chance to start to get to know all the individuals. A small part of me screamed 'I want to spend time with just with my mate', I keep telling myself 'the time will come'. Just having his hand in mine or his arm wrapped either around my waist or over my shoulders makes everything easier.
Eventually I had spoken to everyone and decided to make an escape. I called "Night All!" as we headed for the door. The chorus of, "Night," "Have a good evening," and similar salutations rang back followed by a hand full of "I could get used to this," comments with agreements rolling from around the hall.
We walked at a human pace to the room. A small smile growing on my face as I felt the trail of our family following in our wake.