Chapter Two
The leader
The day wasn't different from any other day. A pile of dead tourists laid in the dimly lit room where Aro, Marcus and Caius ate in private. There was a lot of spilt blood that made its way to the drain pit that was centred in the room. The sickening smell of it filled the room.
From my left, I could feel Chris curiously looking at me. Even though I wasn't a newborn anymore, I still had a hard time with Aro's hobby. Marcus had told both of us that from the moment I had chosen to be a vegetarian, Aro would try to make me snap. Aro had done the same with the leader of the Olympic coven, back when he was still staying here. I always had my curiosity about the vampire who had chosen the same path and if he had ever failed to live up to his decision.
I knew I wouldn't snap, since the only time I craved human blood was after healing a human, and even then I would not be able to keep it in. The smell was just unbearable.
A knock on the door pulled my attention away from the stench. Felix and Demetri made their way over. The doors would be too heavy for a normal human and every vampire in the room knew that the one who knocked was human. Valentina entered. She was the new secretary and the replacement of Gianna.
Chris's head shook which showed that she made a bad choice. Was it the dress? Admittedly it looked more like lingerie than your normal evening wardrobe. I knew the leaders wouldn't be charmed by her, seeing as they all had their mates.
I stared her down when she dared to give Chris a quick alluring smile. From the beginning I never like her. Always flirting with everything that had a Y-chromosome and never doing her job. I swear that if I got a penny every time I had to revise the work she did for Marcus, I would be able to buy a piece of land in the countryside. That would solve my problem with the constant interruptions from humans during their hunting season.
Valentina wore apart from the revealing dress a silver plate with a letter on top. Aro slowly took the letter of the tray, giving the brunet a villainous smile. He looked delighted when reading the letter.
"Edward and Bella are to be married." He announced to everyone present. I couldn't tell if his joy was genuine. However, Marcus and Caius didn't leave anything up for the imagination. The first one looking bored as ever and the second one immediately protesting.
"This is the Cullen's way of announcing her transformation. They mock us with their delays."
"Patience brother..." Aro said and paused for a moment. "...Though you do have a point. The human did interrupt."
The confused face of the secretary turned to fear, but before I could even get a glimpse of the scene Chris took his chance to guide me towards the door. I couldn't stop a flinch when the screams struck my eardrums.
It wasn't until mid-July that I found out what happened with the Olympic-coven-message-situation. The quick pace of footsteps didn't startle me away from the book I was reading, but the door that almost crashed against the wall when it opened did. Chris who had joined Marcus about an hour ago to some official business scanned the room until his eyes landed on me. I was sitting in my favourite windowsill enjoying the last sunbeams of the day in my cosy clothes.
"Change in something more appropriate,", he said hastily. "Hurry please, I'll explain later." I didn't even get the time to react. Instead, a dress with sewn roses was thrown in my face. I rushed into the new outfit and followed Chris back to the hall.
"What is the matter with you?" I asked as I saw a small skid in his walk. I hadn't seen this behaviour since the two of us decided to install and celebrate a new birthday for Marcus, because he forgot his original one.
"It is finally here.", he said excitedly. "Your chance!"
"My chance for what?" I asked, only finding myself more confused every word he spoke.
"A mission!" The word stopped me in my tracks. 'Mission' had never been a positive word for me. It meant either Marcus, Chris or both of them leaving for an uncertain amount of time. Chris noticed that I had stopped. "This will be good Eve," He assured me. "The coven will have to accept you if you succeed."
"Like that is ever going to happen," I responded with little enthusiasm. Chris ignored my comment and pulled me further. In mere seconds we found ourselves in the personal chambers of Aro.
Chris stopped in front of a door which I hoped wasn't the bedroom door. Before knocking he gave me one last glance and smiling encouragingly. I tried to swallow my nerves.
The room was dark, especially for the fact that there was a fireplace to the right wall. In the room, what was probably Aro's personal study, were three leaders waiting. Marcus was the closest one, he'd probably been waiting for Chris's return. Aro was sitting behind his desk, welcoming both Chris and me with a warm and somewhat sincere smile. The last one was standing beside Aro, a blond male vampire which I recognized from a few paintings in the halls of the castle; Carlisle, the leader of the Olympic coven.
"Aah, our little Eve," Aro chimed. "Please come in." All eyes were on me. Chris had already returned to Marcus's side, making me feel lonely even though my family was in the same room. "No worries my child. Have you been well?"
"I have," I responded politely. "Thank you for asking." Aro seemed satisfied with the answer, now taking the time to turn to the guest beside him.
"Carlisle," He informed. "Do we have an agreement?"
An agreement? Wait... did this mean that the vegetarian leader had something to do with the mission Chris spoke of? My heart, although anatomically impossible, made a little jump in its ribcage. I knew I had dreaded my first mission, but the chance to be able to speak with someone with the same diet would be amazing. I did meet two (three if you count the girl) of his coven, but to call that meeting a conversation would be exaggerating.
"Before I agree, I have an enquiry," Carlisle stated.
