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Chapter Eight: Fae

Rose and Bella didn't get much sleep. After they had been shown to their rooms, the door had promptly been shut and locked behind them. The last thing Bella saw was Edward's crestfallen face. She hadn't even had the chance to speak to him properly.

In the morning, a young girl had come for them. She was barely older than sixteen and had kept her eyes downcast the entire time, her entire body rigid with fear. She'd given them both clothes to dress in, nothing over the top, just a pair of sweatpants and a loose t-shirt. Then, she led them down to the dining room where they were served a large breakfast.

Neither one of them ate much. Bella was too worried about Edward, she hadn't seen him since last night, and Rose was looking for escape routes.

After breakfast, they were led back upstairs and into a study. The young girl had pointed to a door in the corner, letting them know it was the bathroom before telling them to 'explore' as she shut the door behind them, the lock clicking into immediately went to the window and cursed. Werewolves were patrolling the grounds, so escaping through the windows was a massive no. Floor to ceiling bookshelves lined the room. Two red leather sofas were facing each other, a low coffee table between them, and that was the extent of the furniture in the room.

Lunch had been brought to them, and once again, very little of it was actually consumed. Instead, Bella had wandered around, reading excerpts of books that looked interesting. If she wasn't being held hostage, she would have found the entire thing enjoyable.

Back up in the study, Bella stumbled across a book that immediately captured her attention. It was called 'A History of Vampires'.

"What have you got there?" Rose asked, settling herself down on the couch next to Bella.

"A book about vampires."

Rose snorted when she saw the title. "The irony that such an old ass vampire has a book on the history of them." She shook her head. "He probably wrote it himself."

Bella ran her hand over the worn front cover, the tips of her fingers gently skimming over the bumps before she carefully opened it. The simple scent of the old book washed over her, and she eyed the yellowing pages. They were creased and crinkled, and she wondered what they'd been through. What they'd seen. There was no author listed and her eyes ran over the typed words listed on the content page.

She flicked to the first chapter—The Origins of the Vampire. Scanning the pages, Bella didn't really take anything in until a picture caught her eye. It was of a woman. She was naked, and there was a yellow circle around her, almost like an ethereal glow. Her hair was brown and flowed to her waist, her eyes a deep shade of brown, her skin a lighter shade. Her body was slender and lithe, her hands clasped to her chest. But that wasn't what caught Bella's attention. It was the two wings visible over her shoulders. They had been drawn partly see-through and ended just past her bottom. Underneath were the words The First Vampire.

"What—" Rose began, reading over Bella's shoulder.

The words on the page were grey, a sign of their age. Yet, they still held a significant amount of weight.

Pictured above is the first vampire—Kebi. Vampires originate from fae. It is thought that Kebi was a Fae who was experimented on by others in her tribe, resulting in the need to drink blood. This curse alienated her, leaving her angry and afraid. As a result, she slaughtered her entire tribe. For decades, Kebi wandered alone, being rejected by other fae for her blood-drinking. Eventually, she fell in love with another fae. But it was short-lived. He betrayed her—

The reading was cut off by the sound of the door being unlocked and then opened. The same girl from earlier came in.

"It's time," she announced, gesturing with her hand for Bella and Rose to follow her.

They did so in silence.

What do you think's going to happen now? Bella asked Rose with trepidation.

I don't know. But whatever it is, it can't be good. Rose's words did not fill Bella with any comfort whatsoever.

They were led into a 'drawing room'—Bella thought it was just another word for a second living room. Aro greeted them both, gesturing to the silver tray on the coffee table that held what appeared to be tea.

They both declined, and he sat across from them in an armchair, crossing his legs and sipping on some blood in a teacup, looking like an English gentleman.

Sulpicia entered a short while later, sitting on the arm of Aro's chair, gently stroking his arm through his suit.

The young girl entered again. "I have the other guests for you, sir."

"Excellent!" Aro proclaimed, setting his cup and saucer down on the coffee table. He stood, welcoming Edward, Emmett, Jasper, and Carlisle. They all looked tired and weary. Bella wanted nothing more than to go over to Edward, wrap her arms around him and bury her face in his chest. She always felt so safe with him. But something was stopping her. It was like Aro wanted her to move. Like he was waiting to see what she did.

When she didn't move, he finally spoke. "Now we can begin." Rubbing his hands together, Aro resembled a mad scientist. "I can't tell you how I know this, but I do know that you two are very special." The scene in front of them changed into something out of a movie. Aro began to slowly walk around the room, hands folded behind his back. "I've heard from a very reliable source that you two can read minds—this in itself is very intriguing, but what makes you even more special is that your blood calls to every vampire." His eyes darkened, and he licked his lips, eyeing both of them up. His stare only lasted a few seconds, but to Bella, it lasted a lifetime. He looked… animalistic. His cheeks were sucked in, and his muscles tensed for a second. It was only when Sulpicia gave a delicate cough that he seemed to remember where he was. "It is simply extraordinary. Because of this, I have come to the conclusion that you are not human."

Bella's eyebrows hit her hairline as Rose's mouth dropped.

"I have some idea of what you might be; however, this requires further… experimentation." A downright creepy smile crossed his face, and then he was up and across the room in a matter of seconds. He stood in front of Bella and Rose, his eyes wide.

His eyes bounced between them and then settled on Rose. He grabbed her wrist in his cold hand and began to bend the limb back.

"Ah, shit!" Rose hissed, using her other hand to try and prise his frozen fingers from his skin. "Get off me!" Pain seared through her—the muscles protesting at the odd angle as a burning sensation spread through the limb.

"With a bit of persuasion, we could probably encourage your powers to show themselves," he mused, an evil glint in his eye. He turned to Bella. "Hurry up now, Bella; I'd hate to break her wrist."

Bella panicked. Her breath coming out in short pants. "I don't know anything about my 'powers'!" She could feel the hysteria rising through her body, could feel the adrenaline pumping like she was running a race. But this was more serious. Rose's face was marred with pain, her features twisting as the Aro continued to manipulate her wrist.

"Stop!" Rose cried, attempting again to free herself. Against Aro, it was useless. He simply chuckled as her fingers grasped and pinched at his cold, pale skin.

"I don't know anything!" Bella shouted, tears forming in her eyes as she felt Rose's pain tearing through her.

"Concentrate, Bella!" Aro roared.

"Enough," Edward hissed, moving forward. He only made an inch of headway before Sulpicia was in front of him, wagging her finger at his chest as if she were chastising a child.

In a moment of sheer panic, Bella closed her eyes so tightly, flashes of light danced between her eyelids, and she willed for something, anything to happen.

"Ah!" Rose cried out as Aro pushed harder, her eyes welling with tears.

Emmett shuffled forward a fraction, Jasper placing a hand on his shoulder and giving a slight shake of his head.

"I can't do it!" Bella screamed, fat tears rolling down her cheeks as her arms wrapped around herself to try and control the panic and fear filling her up. Her admission didn't stop Aro in the slightest, Rose's mind screaming with pain.

Then, it was as if something changed; whilst pure fear consumed Bella, anger emanated from Rose. She raised her head to look Aro in the eyes, and she straightened her body that had been previously twisted in pain.

"Let. Go. Of. Me." The words were spat with such venom that Sulpicia took her eyes from Edward and turned to Rose.

But Aro didn't let go. His grin got even wider.

Bella watched through blurry, tear-filled eyes as Rose's unusual lilac eyes became even stranger. They glowed. And Aro… well, he looked worried.

Rose placed a hand against Aro's chest, and a shriek ripped from her throat, light simultaneously bursting from her hand. Aro was sent flying, his body crashing into the wall behind him, plaster cracking and dust lightening his jet black hair.

Sulpicia left Edward's side and crouched next to Bella. But she pushed him aside, moving closer to Rose.

She was staring at her hands in fear, her eyes wide.

Gently, Bella grabbed her injured wrist, drawing her out of her thoughts.

They locked eyes, and Rose's had stopped glowing, but they were now filled with terror and confusion. Her pupils were wide and her mouth was open.

Emmett bolted to Rose's other side and gently guided Rose, and therefore Bella, away from Aro and towards Carlisle. He met them in the middle of the room, his cold fingers moving Bella's so he could see the damage done.

He probed and poked at the reddening skin. "It's not broken," he muttered.

Rose continued to stand in silence, her mind racing a mile a minute. Her thoughts were so confused and so fast that Bella could barely catch the tail end of them.

Edward approached them, his hands going to Bella's hips as she leaned back into him. She hadn't meant to brush him off, but she had been so worried about Rose. She placed a hand on his and squeezed, hoping he got the message. I'm sorry. I love you.

From behind them, Aro started to laugh maniacally. The kind of laugh that starts out small and then builds into what could be considered hysteria. It was loud and high pitched. He shrugged off Sulpicia's efforts to help him to his feet.

"Again! Do it again!" he shouted, dizzying glee written across his face as he stumbled towards them, dust evident on his clothing.

Rose shook her head and shrunk into Emmett's side.

"You got what you wanted, Aro. Now leave them alone," Carlisle said firmly, moving to stand in front of Bella and Rose. It was a challenge.

Rose had tears forming in her eyes again, and Bella moved closer to her.

"I want to see what Bella can do," Aro declared, moving closer once more but slower this time. He recognised Carlisle's challenge.

Sulpicia was glancing at her husband, concern in her eyes.

"I can't do anything!" Bella shouted, feeling distressed. She had tried to help Rose and couldn't. Rose had no clue how she had just done… whatever it was she had just done, so how was Bella supposed to do it?

"You underestimate yourself," Aro muttered darkly, continuing to move towards them.

"Enough!" Carlisle shouted, his voice stopping Aro from moving any closer. It was loud and commanding, and Bella stiffened at the noise. It didn't suit him. It made him sound dangerous and aggressive, and that was opposite everything Bella knew Carlisle was.

Aro's eyes narrowed. He clearly didn't like being told what to do.

"You've proven whatever point you wanted to. Once again, leave them alone."

Aro was silent, his eyes flicking between the little group, to Rose huddled against Emmett, to Jasper stood on the periphery. "You do realise that this means, don't you?"

When no one responded, his face lit up. "We have two fae on our hands! We could command the respect of the entire vampire community. They are a rare commodity, even you must know that, Carlisle."

Bella and Rose shared a look, surprise etched across their features. The exact same thought ran through their heads.

What?

Thank you to Edwardsmate4ever and Twi-Girl83 for their work as my betas.

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