I slowly unzip my sweatshirt when I hear the first chime of the clock. It's echoing sound vibrates off of the hallway's walls, making it sound much more ominous. The square became even more crowded than before with bustling people covered in red clothing. Music plays somewhere and the murmur of conversation hums beneath the chime. I step forward, taking notice of every small movement that my body makes. I take another step, and another, and another, until I'm right at the edge of the shade, barely an inch from the hot Italian sun.
I toss my sweatshirt back into the hallway and realize how ashen my complexion has become. My throat screams at me in burning thirst, like it has been for the past few days, but such a pain seems superficial now. I close my eyes, hearing the last few chimes of the clock tower and remembering the times that Bella and I were together.
Her voice was so clear. So perfect. I don't know how I didn't pay attention to it before. Now, I can practically hear her, calling out to me. I don't remember going into the sunlight, or getting killed by the Volturi, but her calls get clearer and clearer. Maybe there is a heaven for our kind, the eternally damned. Maybe I'll be with her, and I'll be happier than I ever was in this life.
Her longing calls pull me closer and closer, until I know that I can't wait any longer. I take the final step and feel the warm sunlight on my skin, and suddenly I really am in heaven, with her arms wrapped around me and her voice in my ear and her hair in my face.
"Carlisle was right...heaven…" I murmur. I open my eyes slightly, but all I see is bright sunlight.
"No! Edward, don't!" Bella's voice reaches me again, but this time it's different. It's urgent and loud and clear.
"You're...not real." I stutter. Why is she shouting? Is she angry at me? Is she mad at me for ending my life? Only Bella would worry about my own sacrifices even if both of us were dead.
"Look at me! Alice was wrong."
I furrow my brows in confusion and open my eyes wider, revealing the bright sunlight right in front of me and Bella urgently pushing against me.
"Bella?" I ask in wonder.
"Please, step back. I'm alive, I'm-"
I step back and pull her into my arms, crushing her lips against mine and savoring the thing I've been starved of for far too long. She's real. She's alive. She's here. I smile and kiss her again, euphoric.
"You're here."
"I'm here." She responds and we both let go momentarily, staring into each other in admiration. Her hair and her skin and her eyes and her lips - they're all right here. All of the sadness and the pain and the numbness seem like such faint memories now, and now all I can do is stare in disbelief at the beautiful girl in front of me.
Our reunion is interrupted by the echo of quickening footsteps in the distance. I tense instantly and position myself in front of Bella instinctively. The Volturi.
Two dark figures emerge from the darker shadows of the distant end of the hallway. Felix and Demetri briskly walk towards us, and the reminder of my previous request fills me with fear suddenly. I wanted to be killed so badly...now I can't imagine being taken from this world now that I know Bella is still in it.
"I won't be needing your services after all, gentlemen." I try to keep my voice level.
"Aro wants to speak with you again." Felix speaks.
"No rules were broken."
Demetri's face twists into a cruel smile. We beg to differ. "We should take this to a more appropriate venue."
"Fine. Bella, why don't you stay and enjoy the festival?" Please. Let her go. I won't let her get hurt. Especially not because of my decision.
"The girl comes with us." Felix objects.
I growl quietly. "That's not going to happen-"
Alice emerges from the square, wearing a hooded coat. She looks cheerful as ever, but her thoughts are racing. "Come on, guys, it's a festival." She says it casually, but she positions herself protectively over Bella as well. "We wouldn't want to make a scene."
"There won't be a scene. And we'll still win." Felix grins.
I watch the futures running through Alice's mind momentarily and see that he and Demetri have a much better chance of killing all three of us than us killing even one of them. Though Alice and I have gifts, both of them are older and stronger. But it doesn't matter. I have to be confident. "But not easily-"
"Enough." Jane's haunting voice stops my sentence short and everyone steps back immediately. Bella notices.
"Jane." I calmly nod in her direction.
Put a shirt on, will you? She tosses me a cloak. I slip it on and tie it around my waist, overhearing Alice and Bella's conversation. They're whispering, but I still hear them clearly.
"Who is she?" Bella asks.
"Just do as she says." Alice answers.
Bella is about to question her more, but Jane interrupts her. "Follow me." She walks back into the clock tower, and Felix beckons us forward, smirking. I take Bella's hand and follow her.
We walk through the web of hallways and stairwells, slowly making our way towards Aro and his brothers. Bella looks at me constantly, and I try to look at her reassuringly, but it's hard to hide my fear. There's no telling what they will do to punish me. Or us.
Finally, we enter the wide marble room in which the three ancients wait for us. Caius and Marcus sit in their luxurious thrones, but Aro stands in the center of the room. He wears the same grim smile that he did when I came into this room just hours ago.
"What a happy surprise! Bella is alive after all. Isn't that wonderful?" Aro looks at his brothers, but Marcus doesn't seem to care and Caius just scowls. He takes my hand once again and says, after a moment, "Her blood appeals to you so much it makes me thirsty. How can you stand to be so close to her?"
"It's not without effort." I respond stiffly, removing my hand from his.
He laughs. "I can see that."
Bella lightly taps me on the arm and gives me a confused look. "One touch and Aro can see every thought I've ever had in my life." She raises her eyebrows in response, but stays silent.
"You're quite the telepath yourself, Edward. Though...you can't read Bella's thoughts. Fascinating." He turns to Bella and holds out his hand. "I would love to see if you are an exception to my gifts, as well."
I tense and squeeze her other hand tighter. She hesitantly reaches her hand out and waits for Aro to react.
Absolutely...nothing. How frustrating.
I resist the urge to smile in triumph - it isn't often that Aro's power is questioned. But my temporary smugness is short lived.
"I wonder if-" Jane's power…
"No!" I shout out and step in front of Bella.
He ignores me. "Let's see if she's immune to all our powers, shall we Jane?"
I see Jane's gaze shift to Bella and immediately throw myself in the way. The tremors of pain spread through me once again, just as painful as the last time. My entire body shakes and I feel the floor beneath me when I collapse, but I resist screaming. Bella is already staring in horror and I don't need to scare her any more.
"Stop!" Bella screams. She and Alice rush to my side and the agony vanishes, leaving me breathless on the floor.
"Jane, dear. The girl?" Aro smiles at Jane, who nods in understanding and focuses on Bella.
I cringe, waiting for Bella's screams of agony, but the room remains silent. I look up in confusion and see Bella perfectly unfazed.
Jane steps closer to her in frustration, but Aro gestures for her to stop. She obeys.
I sigh in relief and stand up, moving back to Bella's side and grasping her hand once more. She's shaking, and I don't blame her.
"Remarkable! She confounds us all. So what do we do with you now?" Aro asks.
Marcus speaks up for once. "You already know what you'll do, Aro." He still seems bored, somehow.
"She knows too much; she's a liability."
"That's true. Unless Edward intends to give her immortality...But that's not your intention, is it. Shame." He says, but he doesn't really care. I freeze myself in place, trying not to pounce on Aro once again.
I see Felix move towards Bella out of the corner of my mind and instantly slam myself into him. He's infinitely stronger than I am - even when I see his thoughts before he acts on them, I'm no match for him.
He tries to lurch me to the side, but I'm one step ahead of him. I dodge his move and tackle him from the opposite side, confusing him momentarily. He quickly gains his bearings, though, and makes such a sudden thought that I can't avoid it. He throws me into the marble ceilings, cracking the stone. I see the room tilt as I spiral downwards, plummeting towards the ground. Felix kicks me with such force that I slide into the opposite wall as soon as I land, causing me to groan in pain. Such physical pain is foreign to me, and I can't say it's pleasant.
"Stop this! Please!" I hear Bella shout out.
I want to object to her pleas, to tell her not to worry about me, but I'm occupied with dodging Felix's powerful blows. I dodge a couple of his hits and manage to fling him to the nearby wall once, but he catches me off guard again and slams me into the floor. Pain blossoms from the impact, but I ignore it.
Bella screams helplessly and tries to get to Aro, but one of his various guards flings her back instead. She slams into the wall, bruised. I try to yell for her, but I can't manage to get out anything more than a groan as Felix hits me again.
Through the gap in Felix's arms, I see Bella finally make it to Aro thanks to a struggling Alice. Her words are disguised over the smashing of marble and the grunts of Felix and I, but I already know what she's going to say.
"Do it! Kill me! Just leave them alone!" She shouts. No. No. She can't do this. She can't sacrifice herself for me and Alice, after all I've done...she can't die.
"Enough." Aro says over the chaos.
Felix stands up and releases me, finally. I see Bella kneeling in front of Aro with her hand pulling back her collar to expose her neck.
"Get away from her-" I jump towards Aro, but the waves of pain that suddenly flow through my veins make me stop and stiffen, willing myself not to scream in agony. Through the pain, I see a vision in Alice's mind: Bella, as a vampire. It's clearer than ever now.
"Edward, stop. I've already seen it." She says to me.
"Alice, stay out of it." I respond through gritted teeth. My body is tense and my breaths are shallow, fighting against the pain.
"I know what to do." She walks towards Aro, who's intrigued. He gestures for Jane to stop, and the agony stops immediately. I go limp on the floor, watching helplessly as Aro reaches for Alice's hand.
"Ah yes, the clairvoyant. I saw your gift in Edward's thoughts. What is it you've seen?" He says.
"...Don't…" I manage to get out, but she seems to ignore me.
"I'm the one who will change Bella." She says confidently. I see Bella's surprised face behind her, but she doesn't say anything.
Aro gestures to Bella and says, "Please. Be my guest." I hold myself back from pouncing on him again. The memories of Jane's pain are still fresh in my mind.
"Not here. Her father is in law enforcement. If she goes missing, there will be questions." Alice responds.
"He is easily dealt with." Caius speaks up. Bella's shoulders tense at the suggestion of killing her father.
"It will happen, Aro. See for yourself." She holds out her hand once more and Aro takes it.
They stand still for a moment, and then Aro smiles. "Mesmerizing! To see the things you've seen, that haven't happened yet!"
Alice pulls her hand out from Aro's grasp and flits to me. She whispers, "I'm so sorry." as she helps me to my feet. My brows are furrowed as I concentrate on Aro's thoughts, but my expression quickly transforms into shock. He's going to let us go.
"Your gifts will make for an intriguing immortal. Go make your preparations." He says, ignoring Caius's annoyed glare.
Bella immediately rushes to my side and I hug her to my side urgently. I never want to let her go again.
"You're letting them go?" Caius asks in disbelief.
"Dear Caisiu, the girl's disappearance will be conspicuous at best. And surely you see her potential." They talk about her like she's just an object, a tool that might be useful to them in the future.
Marcus sighs in exasperation. "Let us be done with this. Heidi will arrive any moment." Heidi - another of the Volturi's loyal followers. They're awaiting a meal from her, no doubt.
Felix opens the doors and motions for us to leave. Alice, Bella, and I walk cautiously out. Bella trembles against me. Felix escorts us through the hallways again, but this time I hear a chorus of footsteps in the distance.
I squeeze Bella closer to my side as we watch a group of tourists travel down the corridor, taking various pictures and talking amongst themselves. Heidi leads them forward, saying an occasional "This way." or "Just down this hallway…"
They make it to the large doors and enter. Alice and I exchange glances and rush Bella forward, but she leans back in curiosity. And then we hear the screams.
Yay! Our favorite martyr is finally reunited with his love again. I have to admit, I've been looking forward to writing this section most of all. It's much more enjoyable to write a happy character than a sad one, and even with this Volturi confrontation, I think that Edward is still just happy that he's with Bella now. I wrote this chapter especially quick, even though it's probably my longest one yet, so I hope that I didn't leave you at a cliffhanger for too long. The next update will be up soon!