Chapter 34 – Meeting the Masters

It was strange, but riding in a motorhome with a couple of sadistic children was ten times more nerve-racking then being around vampires ever was. Everything I was ever taught, all of my ingrained morals and sense of humanity screamed at me to do something to save the kids, but I honestly believed that even my father would have chosen to sacrifice those particular children. They were monsters – much more vicious then any of the other monsters around.

But that wasn't to say that I didn't try to reach out to them a few more times before completely giving up…

"So Alec, have you ever had a thumb war?" I asked him reluctantly one evening as we continued traveling east.

"A thumb war?" he questioned with a mix of confusion, and shockingly, a little excitement.

"No, he's never done a thumb war," Edward answered for him curtly. "Bella, I thought you understood…"

"I do understand!" I snapped at him. Edward could intimidate everyone else into submission, but regardless of how much I loved him, I refused to let him control me in that way so I shot him a dirty look while holding my hand out towards Alec. "Here, clasp your hand to mine and hold your thumb up like this," I instructed. "We go -one, two, three, four; I declare a thumb war… See? Now we try to pin the other's thumb down, and that's how you win."

Alec crunched his brows in confusion. "So…then the winner gets to remove the other's thumb and keep it as a prize?"

"Uh…no," I said disturbed as Edward silently chuckled next to me. "Nobody actually loses their thumb."

"Then what's the point?" Alec asked baffled.

"To have fun."

"Fun? The only way something like that would be fun is if I got to rip your thumb off after I won, and then shove it violently through your eyeball."

"Hey Bella, I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but I think we should just listen to Edward with these freaks," Jake suggested.

"I'm not not listening. I get it, but…" I let my sentence trail off. The truth was that I agreed his plan was the best course of action, but I suppose I wanted to give the kids a few more chances to prove there was hope for their humanity after all.

"Just face it Love, some people are beyond saving," Edward said casually before leaning in to kiss my temple.

"Keeping us from immortality would not be saving us anyway," Jane cut in. "Our destiny is to serve our master and control the world. Anything less would be a crime against the universe."

I had no response for her, so I just shook my head and decided to finally let it all go.

…

After a few more days on the road, we finally approached Austin, and I had to admit, I was scared to death that everything was going to fall apart and we'd all pay for it. In the past I had accepted my potential death on several occasions, but at that moment I was loving my life with Edward far too much to risk it again without fear.

"Control your emotions," Edward reminded me tenderly.

I nodded and did my best to comply, but with him joining me in mortality, my biggest fear was losing him. "Whatever happens, we stay together, okay?" I asked him anxiously as I grabbed his hand tightly.

He smiled reassuringly. "Everything is going to be fine. You'll see."

"But what if they see you and don't wait for your explanations?"

"Bella, I know exactly what I'm doing. I promise. Just relax. If you go in there this nervous they'll get suspicious and not want to trust us."

I nodded and then took a deep breath. "Okay."

He raised our conjoined hands and then kissed my knuckles. "This is the beginning of a whole new world. We're making history," he said with a level of excitement in his eyes that I hadn't seen before. How could I not be excited with him when he looked at me like that?

I nodded again, but more confidently this time. "Let's do it."

But only a couple minutes later that confidence was abruptly shaken…

"Oh yay, a welcoming committee," Leah grumbled while we parked the motorhome and watched anxiously as a small group of vampires stood staring at us near the city's edge. It almost seemed as if they somehow knew we were coming; which was more than a little eerie. If ever I wished Edward was still a vampire, it was at that moment; we could seriously use his old mind reading ability right then.

"Everyone just relax," Edward warned us calmly. "Nobody phase into their wolves unless absolutely necessary. Bella, stay here and wait behind them with the kids while I go out and do the talking."

"We're supposed to stay together!" I hissed at him.

"We are together…but you're going to be in here, and I'm going to be right out there," he told me with a smirk. He didn't give me time to argue; he just kissed my forehead and then exited the motorhome.

I watched out the window absolutely petrified as Edward approached the vampires without any sign of fear. He looked so at ease that I was scared his overconfidence was going to turn around and bite him in the ass.

"You're not controlling your emotions very well," Jake whispered to me. "Even I can smell your anxiety."

"I know, I know," I said while squeezing my eyes shut tightly as a last ditch effort to get a hold of myself.

"Look, they're shaking hands!" Seth shouted excitedly.

My eyes immediately snapped open, but I found no relief because what I saw was not friendly hand shaking; it almost looked as though the dark haired vampire was listening to something while holding Edward's palm.

"What's going on?" I breathed.

Something moved beside me, so I glanced to the side and saw Jane hovering over me to get a better look out the window, and I was appalled to see a sadistically enthusiastic expression on her face. "That must be our new master. Do you see him Alec? Look how he commands obedience with his very evil presence."

"Yes. It will be an honor to serve him," Alec replied.

"I think we should just kill these two now," Leah huffed. "I mean, what good could they possibly bring the world?"

"We will bring the world whatever our masters' wish," Jane answered her.

Suddenly the motorhome door swung open, and Edward stuck his head in. "Okay, we're all good. Everyone get out."

"Everything's fine?" I asked warily while reaching for him.

He embraced me, but quickly pulled away. "I told you everything would be fine. Actually, Carlisle and the others arrived two days ago and already explained everything."

"What was he doing when he took your hand?" I questioned.

"Remember I told you these vampires are gifted? Well, Aro can read every thought someone has ever had just by touching them. He was just making sure I didn't make any secret deceptions that Carlisle didn't know of."

"So…they're on board? They wish to move forward with everything?"

"Yep. It's happening," he said while wiggling his eyebrows. "We'll need to further discuss it all and form a solid plan, but that can wait. Right now they wish to meet the children and start that process."

"Excellent," Alec said pleased. "Sister, we shall be immortal by nightfall."

"More like withering in pain for three days," Edward mumbled wryly.

After he introduced the children to the three vampires that would become their masters, Edward reluctantly introduced me, and then the wolves. The vampires' glowing ruby eyes didn't give me a second glance, but they looked at Leah, Seth, and Jacob with distrust, and I knew it was going to be a very uneasy alliance indeed.

The three of them – Marcus, Caius, and Aro, claimed to be brothers, and each one was more terrifying than the last. Of all the vampires I had encountered in my time outside my village wall, they seemed to be the oldest and most menacing by far. I supposed if anyone could overtake the current Romanian leaders, it was these three, but that really didn't make me feel much better. Would they really hold true to Edward's idea of turning the world back around? Would they honestly use their new power to force vampires back into inconspicuous obscurity and allow humans to peacefully repopulate? There were so many uncertainties; uncertainties that only time could answer.

When introductions were complete, the children were taken to -who knows where - but the rest of us were thankfully brought to the place the Cullens were staying, and finally I was able to relax. It almost felt like our family unit was back together in a way, and for the time being, that was the most I could hope for…