While Bella was already with Edward, Alice and I ran towards the clock tower and since I'm human, Alice had to run a little slower. And that made us a little late. Alice unlocks the tower door and we walked in. The first thing I see is a shirtless Edward was standing in front of Bella in a protective stance. Two stunningly handsome males in their 20's. One was huge and strong while the other one was slender and elegant. Both have burgundy red eyes which meant that they drink human's blood. I tried my best not to show them I'm afraid because the last thing we need is another vampire trying to kill us.
"Come on, guys, it's a festival," Alice said. We reached Edward and Bella. And just like how Edward is standing in front of Bella, Alice stands in front of me in a protective stance. The two vampires notice me in the back giving me a curious stare. Then Demetri, the shorter one, looked at me up and down. It gave me chills and not the good kind.
"We wouldn't want to make a scene," Alice said staring at them.
"There won't be any scene" Felix, the tall vampire said.
"And still we'll win," Demetri said smirking, staring at me. Suddenly, Edward growls and held my left arm pulling me back with Bella.
"But not easily," Edward said making Demetri glared.
"Enough," a new voice said. A very tiny teenager appears, Jane. And just like the other two vampires she had a dark overcoat and has crimson irises. Felix and Demetri back off immediately. Edward and Alice step back, as well. I looked at the vampires, damn they're really afraid of Jane.
"Jane" Edward said nodding to her.
"Who is she?" Bella whispered. I completely understand that she's very powerful and we shouldn't make Jane angry, but Bella doesn't. Hopefully, for once Bella will listen to me.
"Bella shut up and just do as she says"I whispered-yelled at her without taking my eyes off Jane. I didn't want to get on Jane's bad side, fulling know what she's capable of doing. Jane lips sort curves into a smirk but quickly cover it as she turns to Edward, tossing him an overcoat.
"Follow me," Jane said. Jane simply turns around very confident that we'll follow her. I turn to Edward and Alice.
"We're so screwed, huh?" I said and Edward just stares at me sadly. Felix smirked and gestures us to go ahead of him. Alice holds my hand as we walking in an alley. We walked through the Volterra's streets until Jane opened a sewer and jumped in.
"I knew I should have stayed in bed," I said before jumping inside the sewer.
We walked and walked until we stopped in front of a fancy elevator. Entering the elevator, it was a little awkward and intense as 5 vampires and 2 weak humans were cramped in a small space... with opera music, who listens to opera music? Getting out of the elevator we walking down another long hallway, I mean why so many hallways and why so damned long? We ended up standing in front of a craved double doors which opened just for us. Honestly, I felt like royalty when the double doors opened and I sorta liked it despite the fact we're about to die.
Edward, Alice, Bella, and I enter to face the three ancients, the three vampire kings: Aro, Marcus, and Caius. There were eight guards including Jane, Felix, and Demetri all in a neat line against the walls. Aro rises and greats us as if we were old friends. He takes Edward's hand shaking it-
"What a happy surprise! Bella is alive after all. Isn't that wonderful? And this young lady must be Annie. Saw many things about you" Aro said not releasing Edward's hand. I turn to the other two kings: Caius responds with a sour expression and Marcus... well he doesn't seem like he cares.. at all.
"Her blood appeals to you so much it makes me thirsty. How can you stand to be so close to her?" Aro asked making me look at him weirdly.
"It's not without effort," Edward said.
"I can see that," Aro said laughing. Edward turns to Bella and me.
"One touch and Aro can see every thought I've ever had in my life" Edward explains.
"You're quite the soul-reader yourself, Edward. Although... you can't read Bella's thoughts. Fascinating," Aro releases Edward's hand and turns to Bella.
"I would like to see if you're an exception to my gifts as well. Would you do me the honors" Aro asked, holding out his hand to Bella. Bella hesitates and when she doesn't go to him, I nudged her side. She turns to me and I nod toward Aro, silently telling her to get her ass over there. I mean it's not like Bella has a choice, she has to go up there or else. Finally, she walks up to him and gives him her hand. When Aro takes Bella's hand he looks confused.
"Interesting" Aro releases her hand.
"I see nothing. I wonder if-" he looks at Jane and then a Bella.
" Let's us see if she is immune to all our powers, shall we Jane?" Aro said looking at Jane. I turn to Jane and she has a smug look on her face.
"No," Edward said sounding afraid. He then starts to run towards Jane, however, Jane looks at him and simply said pain. Not even a second passed, Edward was on the ground, in actual pain. Alice, Bella, and I watched helplessly as Edward's in the ground in pain.
"Stop, stop, please stop!" Bella begs and Janes stops. Edward stops being in pain.
"Go ahead, Jane" Aro tells her.
"This might hurt," Jane said smirking. Then Jane starts intensely at Bella, but nothing happens. Jane stops when she hears Aro's laughs.
"Remarkable. She confounds us all... So what do we do with you now?" Aro asked.
"You already know what you'll do, Aro," Marcus said seemingly bored.
"They know too much; they're a liability," Caius said angrily.
"That's true-"
"Wait!" Marcus shouted cutting of Aro.
I turn to Marcus and he's staring at me as if this was the first time he has laid his crimson eyes on me this entire time. Surprising everyone and myself Marcus gets up from his throne and slowly walks towards me. Everyone including his brother where shocked that he didn't look bored but he seems to be shocked. Then he stops right in front and studies me for quite a while, looking at me up and down. Awkwardly I turn to Edward who had a shocked expression and I turned around and they were confused and mostly, surprised.
"How are you still alive?" he asked in wonder.
"Excuse me?" I asked confused and a bit afraid.
"You, my dear don't have a string," he said and the others besides Bella gasped. Confused I turned around and tried to see what string he was talking about but I couldn't find any. So I turn to him still confused.
"A string? Like a yarn attached to me?" I asked stupidly. Shocking us, even more, Marcus smiles and held his hand in front of me, gesturing me to grabbed it. I turn to Edward but he was no help nor was Alice. I turn to Bella who looks as confused as me. Sighing I grabbed his hand and when our hand touched he gasped.
"Poor soul," he said in a sad tone. Suddenly Aro was next to his brother. He was staring at Marcus and I confused. Taking Marcus other hands and when he touches it, Aro stared at me shocked.
"How is this even possible?" Aro asked making me take my hand from Marcus.
"What's going on?" I asked confused and a little irritated that no one is telling me anything.
"You, my dear aren't bound to this world," Marcus said. Sharply I turn to him eyes wide, what does that mean? Have they found out? Does this mean they know my real identity? What will happen? Am I going to die right here without ever seeing Jasper again? Or even my father?
"What do you mean, I'm not bound to this world," I asked. I had to play along, act like I didn't know anything. Perhaps acting like I don't have a clue what he's saying, I might live... long enough to see Jasper again.
"It's hard to explain. But you see my dear my power or so call 'gift' let me see every possible bond that can be made with a soul. A connection to someone other than yourself. I can also see a string, this string is attached to one single person. Every person string is different and every bond is different. This string also lets me see how long a human has to live, it lets me see the bond between two souls. And you don't have a string, you're not tied to anyone here. To put it in simple words, you shouldn't exist"
I stared at Marcus wide eyes. Holy fucken shit, this... this is, oh my god, is this why that one voice, said I didn't have long. Is this why I died when James attacked me? Because I shouldn't exist? Wtf? I looked down at my hands and then up at Marcus who was still staring at me in wonder.
"You know something," Aro said making me turn to him.
But before I could say anything he was in front of me. He roughly grabbed my left hand and stared directly into my eyes. I didn't have the strength to pull away, I mean I'm just human and he's a very old vampire. I was internally panicking, thinking this is it. He's gonna know the truth. However, instead of seeing everything about my life or every thought I ever had, there was nothing. It was like a blanket book with all white pages. Aro tried and tried to look for something and every time he would try it was like a stab in my head.
"Stop!" I said in agony. However, Aro didn't stop he tried to look for something within those white pages. My head felt like it was bleeding, it felt like someone was stabbing my head, cutting into my brain, over and over again. Suddenly a calm voice told me to stare into this eyes. Not even hesitating I looked up and stared at Aro's crimson eye.
And it was incredible, I saw everything. I heard every thought he ever had, I heard every conversation he had with someone, and I felt every emotion he felt. Both before and after being a vampire. It was as if I was watching a movie and I was physically there. I realized that I was witnessing Aro's life. I watched him laugh, I saw him smile, I saw him fall in love with his wife, and I watch every terrible thing he has done. I watched every torture he's done, I watched him do unimaginable, unforgiving things to humans and to his own kind. But what shocked me the most was when I saw him murder his blood, his sister, I watched him rip her head off. At first, he was glad that he did it but later on I felt his pain, his grief, I watched him go mad at that fact that he killed his dear sister.
It all stopped when I was forcefully pulled back by someone. Blinking multiple times I saw Marcus standing in front of me, in a protective stance. I wasn't paying attention to my surrounding, I was staring at Aro and he was staring at me, we locked eyes. I was shaking with different amount of emotions, both from mine and Aro's. Who said a monster couldn't feel emotions.
I didn't realize I was crying until I felt something dripped on my shirt. Looking away from Aro I stared down and notice my shirt was wet. Touching my cheek and it was wet, touching my other cheek and it was also wet. Now fully realizing that I was crying I wiped away tears.
"You're hurting the girl," Marcus said in an angry tone.
"Marcus" Aro said but was cut off by Marcus.
"You already had your look, leave her alone. She doesn't know anything" Marcus said making Aro glance at me. Once again we locked eyes at each other, I don't know how long we were like this but then Aro turns away and acted like nothing was wrong.
"From Edward's thoughts, you're the mate of the emotion manipulator, Jasper. And just like Edward, he doesn't want to turn you" Aro said with a smirk.
"What a shame, that's not their intentions, is it? And just like Caius said, you two are liabilities-" Aro said. Caius smirked, however, Marcus who's still in front of me, I see him stiffen.
"I'll turn her," Marcus said shocking us all.
"You'll turn her?" Aro said through gritted teeth.
"If she's okay with it," Marcus said turning to me. I felt everyone's eyes on me and I didn't like this kind of pressure. An ancient was willing to save me, a human and go against his brothers.
"Wait" Alice interrupted. I turn to her and she was staring at me with a guilty expression.
"Annie and Bella will be one of us, I've seen it. I'll change them myself" Alice said shocking us. I stared at her eyes wide, I get turned? Am I going to stay here? But that's not right!? The figure said... I can't... Am I going to stay here with Bella? Am I going to stay here with everyone?
Alice walks up to Aro and extends her hand so he can read it. Aro quickly grabs it. It felt like forever but it was only seconds later that Aro turns to me with a blanket face. I didn't know what to do so I just stared back to him, confused. Then he turns to Alice and smiles his creepy smile.
"Fascinating, too see what you have seen before it has happened. Your gifts would make for intriguing immortals. AnneMarie, go and make your preparations" Aro said staring at me.
"Listen closely, we do not offer second chances so do not delay" Caius glares at us threateningly. I glance at Aro and he was staring at me. I don't know why he let me go, isn't he afraid I'll tell others his secret? Aro gestures Demetri to open the carved double doors. Still staring at Aro I felt someone touch my arm, flinching away I turn to see Marcus staring at me worriedly.
"Child, you should go home," he said.
However, the way he said it, I felt like it had a hidden message. A double meaning. Like he was telling me something he didn't want anyone to know. Nodding I turned around and walked to Edward, Bella, and Alice. Demetri lead us toward the doors however, I stopped before leaving. I turn to Marcus and then at Aro. Slowly I turned away from Aro and walked with the others.
We walked out and we passed a group of tourist heading to the throne room. There were small children in the group. Not even a minute after they entered I could hear all their screams. Hearing their screams just wanted me to get home sooner. I wanted to leave here as fast as possible. I wanted to forget it all. For the first time since I been here, I want to go home.
