And I'm baaaackkk - apologies for the delay, but I hope you all like this chapter!
The cops don't really ask her much.
There are a few follow-up questions about the appearance of the man and any other identifiers she may have noticed, but other than that they let her go rather easily. It's what lies ahead that is what's making her nervous. Demetri is in rather good spirits, touching her as much as he can, which makes it pretty much all the time.
(Not that she's complaining).
It's thankfully overcast, so they're able to head to the airport during the day. He's still wearing shades, fingers drumming on the steering wheel as they cruise down the streets of Seattle, Radiohead playing on the car's sound system. "I thought you would've been more worried for me, the human, to meet your family." He chuckles at that statement, placing a hand on hers as they turn down the road to Boeing Field.
"I would've been earlier, but now that I have their assurance on your safety, mia cara, we have absolutely nothing to worry about. The Masters are intrigued by your skills and impressed by how well you have been able to help with these cases, and I have their word that no one, inside or outside Volterra, can touch you." Well, at least she won't become a human Capri Sun anytime soon. There's no one at the airfield except them and an attendant, and the wind nips at her as they make their way to the jet. Demetri shrugs his coat off, draping it on her frame as he shoots a dazzling smile at the man. "I trust immigration has been taken care of?"
"Both yours and the lovely lady's," he hands him a slim envelope. "Enjoy your trip back home." They board the plane, Sophia immediately struck by the understated opulence. "It's a Dassault Falcon 7X," she murmurs, running her hands along one of the soft leather seats. The plane is one of the few she had been studying in one of her engine design classes, the Pratt & Whitney turbofans powering this quiet beast of a machine. "The engine can log a million hours before needing any servicing." Demetri takes a seat across from her, looking with wonderment. "Tell me more," he says. She realises she's never talked about her intended profession to him, and it makes her happy to see him interested. "How much do you know about aerospace engineering and design?"
"Not much, if anything," he admits, "it's not something I have to ever worry about." Fair.
"Then I guess I'll take the same approach as I do with the freshmen in my class." At that, he smirks, rolling his sleeves up as he pulls out a notebook and fuck, it does something to her that still leaves her mind scrambling. I'm never getting used to this. "Alright, so the Falcon 7X is one of those planes that is designed to be sleek and quick, so almost half of the plane's maximum possible weight is fuel. The plane can also pull 0.9 Mach speeds, so it can get you places faster than you would expect a charter plane like this to do so." The jet lurches a little as it starts to taxi, and Sophia loses her footing, landing in Demetri's lap. "Mirka is not used to flying human passengers; she forgot to announce to us taxiing," he says conversationally, arms snaking around her waist. "You okay?"
"Yeah, I just lost my train of thought, sorry." She picks back up where she left off, explaining the turbo fans that help maximise the amount of thrust the engine can produce. Once Sophia has exhausted her technical know-how of the plane, she's ready to ask her set of questions. "So, what else should I know by the time we land?"
"Well, the main thing will be to not go out alone into Volterra. We maintain a fairly strict protocol when it comes to our movement around the city and beyond, and the masters will not appreciate it if you go out alone." That makes sense. "The same applies to within the castle, except that is far more important. You are not one of us yet, and there will be things that the masters might not necessarily appreciate you knowing this early."
"Of course - I mean, you couldn't have come this far without some form of secrecy, right?"
"Well, there are few things I too am not privy to, despite how long I have been with them. They trust me, but some things remain between only the people they need to, and sometimes that is not me." She gets that - there must be some things he knows that some of the Volturi might not be privy to, either.
"Anything else?"
"Not really. You are with me, and that affords you a lot more freedom." The rest of the flight passes uneventfully, and she puts a podcast on while resting her head against the soft headrest. It isn't clear to her when she falls asleep, but she's gently shaken awake, Demetri's quiet voice murmuring in her ear. "We're here." The weather here too is overcast, the rain streaking the jet's windows. They get their passports examined, and soon the two of them are on their way, the Italian countryside zipping under the Porsche's wheels.
"Why did Mirka not travel with us?"
"She'll do some routine checks of the plane, then take her own car back to Volterra."
"And this one is yours, I presume?" He smiles, fingers drumming on the wheel in response.
"German engineering at its finest." It's a fairly short drive before she can see the imposing turrets of Volterra, the burnt stone architecture glistening under the rain. The streets are sparsely populated but she recognises the warm pallor of the residents as they walk past, some talking amongst themselves while the others shop at stalls. "Humans?" she asks him - Sophia assumed that the town would be near fully populated by vampires. "If we must continue to stay under the radar, we have to make sure that we integrate well with human society. Thus, humans amongst our midst."
"There must be places they're barred from," she remarks. A guard gives his credentials a quick check before they're let through the barrier in front, leading to an area with even fewer people than before. "I guess this answers my question." Demetri drives under a stone arch into what is a thoroughly modern car park, bringing the vehicle to a gentle halt. "Do you need a moment?" he asks - she didn't realise how sweaty her palms had gotten over their drive. "Honestly, if I stay here any longer I'll lose whatever nerve I have right now, and we can't have that be my first impression on them, can we?"
"That's my girl," he grins, teeth gleaming in the amber light. They make their way past the orderly rows of luxury vehicles, a hand firmly clasped in his while the other fiddles with the straps of her backpack. When they reach the heavy iron and wood gate, he slips out a sleek card and swipes it on a scanner on the side, giving the door a sturdy push as it opens into another dimly lit corridor. She spots a woman cloaked in maroon at the end of the corridor, and Demetri wishes her a quick greeting in Italian as she opens the door into a room considerably better lit, and Sophia lets her eyes take in the sight.
The very first thing she feels is awe.
The marble foyer has a timelessness that only something that has withstood centuries can, and though it may look good as new, she can feel the history within. Her footsteps echo in the silent hall as she goes to look closer at one of the pillars. "You can touch them, you know," a voice says. "Fuck, I forgot you were here," she says with a nervous laugh, his hand moving to rest on her back. Her hand reaches out gingerly to touch the pillar, the stone smooth and cold under her skin in a way that is all too familiar to her now. "These are made from Grecian marble, to honour the first home many of us had."
"This is living history," she breathes out, "it's like you've frozen time."
"A home should reflect its occupants, shouldn't it?"
"This has seen the Medicis, the Borgias. Been there for the siege of Constantinople. Seen two world wars." His laughter rumbles through her body as she absorbs the gravity of what she's witnessing, his fingers running through her hair. "Mia cara, this is nothing - I'll ease you into the rest but first things first, we must pay our respects." Awe gives way to nerves as she remembers what she's walking into, and she uses Demetri's presence as an anchor as he guides her past the receptionist, to whom Sophia waves a quick hello before turning to the man beside her. "She's human?"
"Yes."
"Does she expect to be one of you?"
"Yes."
"Will she?"
"That will depend on the circumstances."
"So she dies, no matter what?"
"When you look at it that way, yes."
They wake their way past a final set of doors, revealing another high-ceilinged room made of marble, but much larger than the foyer. It's lighter too, the sun filtered through glass in a way that didn't make them sparkle but illuminated the vampire occupants with a faint halo. Like angels walking the earth. She catches Jane and Alec standing in one part of the room, and the former throws her a disdainful glance as she makes her way to the centre of the room, the three men in front of her observing her keenly. They dismiss the twins, leaving just her, him, and the three men on the raised dais.
"Masters," Demetri bows, and she follows his lead, keeping her eyes to the ground.
"So this is her," the man on the left remarks, leaning forward on his chair - throne? she isn't sure what to call it - chin resting on a propped hand. He's pale, like all the others, but his face seems lankier, like there should be lines of worry where there are none. His long hair is untied but well groomed, and he's dressed in a clean, minimalist suit, feet crossed like a royal. "I still do not understand why she is being given such access," the man on the right counters. His platinum blond hair is shorter than the others, but it falls by his shoulders and is far more neatly kept, to the point where she seriously doubts even a single hair is out of place. His red eyes regard her with some anger, and for some reason Sophia feels that emotion is his default. "When have we given humans such liberty, to gain such insight into our lives?" Yeah, he doesn't like her at all.
"Sophia Summers, is that not your name, child?" the man in the centre asks. His eyes, though the same shade of red as the other two, shine with a curiosity that isn't there in the others. She nods, muttering out a quick "yes". She feels Demetri's grip on her hand slacken as he takes a step back as the man in the centre beckons her towards him. He meets her halfway, stepping down the dais to immediately take her now free hand in his. She sees a host of emotions flit across his face, coming to rest on an amused smile as he drops her hand. "I knew that one of our finest was taken with you, but now I see better why. You, child, are different."
He can see that there is a question on her mind as he chuckles, stepping back. "Go on, ask, child; my brothers and I will try to answer you to the best of our discretion."
"I'm certain you've encountered several others who are different, -"
"Master Aro suits me just fine, dear."
"Master Aro," she picks her question back up. "Others far more exceptional than me, like Demetri and the rest of your guard. I suppose I just want to know what makes you see me that way." At that, he lets out a laugh, hands clasped in his lap. "Oh, brothers," he begins, "Demetri was not wrong about her curiosity and bravery. Very few question us so directly." Uh oh. She had a feeling she fucked up, and here it is. This time curiosity might legitimately kill the cat. "Don't worry child, you haven't offended us. Rarely do we meet those who directly voice what they want or wish to convey. That is one of the reasons why we put you in such illustrious company."
"I wonder if she has a healthy regard for authority," the blond man says, his eyes trained on her.
"Master Caius, she will follow all the rules you have laid down for us," Demetri says, stepping forward to stand beside her. "You needn't worry about that, Master Caius," she adds, "I am well aware of your position and the respect it commands, and I would not do anything to jeopardise everything you have built."
"Flattery does not work on me, child," he replies, although his posture relaxes a little.
"Oh, I think she's being sincere there, brother," the third - Marcus, she recalls - chimes in. "She would not do anything to jeopardise what she has with him. A bond like that, she will fight to preserve it." At first she wonders if Marcus is just really good at reading people, but then Aro clears it up for her.
"He is gifted in that sense, Sophia - he can see the ties that bind people, and just how deep they run. Much like how I could see every moment and thought of your life as if I experienced them as my own." So that's what the hand touch was for. "I suppose you must be tired of your travels?"
"I slept on the plane," she replies. "Didn't want to give a bad impression."
"Then I suppose we must leave the two of you to it. Before you two depart, however, there is one thing that must be addressed." She has a feeling as to what it is. "You must be aware that one of the cardinal rules is keeping our existence silent."
"Yes, Masters."
"Given that you are aware of our existence as a kind and of the Volturi, you are aware of the choices you have." A choice she hasn't yet decided on, but she's well aware that her time has been running out since the moment they met.
"And given your attachment to Demetri and his to yours, I don't suppose you will be choosing death over immortality, will you?"
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