Disclaimer: I do not, nor will ever, own the Twilight Saga, or any of its characters and plots.
Where there is power, there is resistance.
Michel Foucault, 1978
"Can I ask you a question?"
Major was chasing down a doe, and though I knew he could hear us from where we sat on a fallen log, he didn't even glance back. Alice looked at me, her bright golden eyes reflecting my own amber eyes.
"You just did." She replied, a playful smile curling her lips.
I shook my head, nudging her with my shoulder. She laughed softly, the sound musical and free.
"You and Major... you're together, aren't you?" I asked quietly.
Her eyes flickered to him.
"Like... mates." I amended, suddenly regretting bringing it up in the first place.
Was this the moment she came to her senses and tore me to pieces?
"It's complicated." She responded, looking back at me.
There was no anger in her eyes, just a strange sadness.
"I don't... I'm not able to have sex." She blinked, and then shook her head. "That's not what I meant. I mean, I have no desire for sex. I love Jasper, and he loves me, and our love is more than familial or even friendly, but I don't have a need for a sexual relationship."
I didn't understand, and she must've seen as much.
"Okay, so we have a bond, right?" She asked.
I nodded slowly, cautious. Where was she going with this?
"It feels nice to hold hands, or hug, right?"
Again, I nodded. She leaned in slowly, her lips brushing against mine. I instinctively relaxed, kissing her back. When she pulled away, she was smiling.
"And it feels nice to kiss. But there's nothing else for me. I can, of course, have sex if he wanted, but there is no pleasure. I don't feel anything." She explained. "So, even though we are mates, there is another connection that I cannot fulfill for him. Our bond can never be consummated."
"So that's why you allowed us to..." I trailed off, looking down, and she reached for my hand.
"I care for you, Elisabeth, just as much as I care for Jasper. You complete us." She said softly.
I looked up at her, my lips turning up just a bit at her words. She beamed, her eyes lighting up.
"Oh, I knew you could smile!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms around me, and almost knocking us both to the ground. "Now, can I ask you something?"
"You just did." I mimicked, and she giggled before her face became serious.
"Who was that boy yesterday, the one who said he missed you?"
I felt like all the warmth was sucked away, leaving me cold.
"Maria forbids us from knowing each other's names." I said quietly, glancing at Major as he approached us. "After the two rogues came back for him, she was afraid of anyone else become close, so she banned the use of names."
"The boy knew your name." Major pointed out, sitting on the other side of Alice, and wrapping an arm around her.
"It's her way of controlling me, I think. He's the only one I've ever sired. That's why he's still alive despite turning twenty this year." I muttered, looking away from them.
There was a silence before Alice asked, "Why would she need someone else to control you if she can hypnotize you?"
A small black beetle crawled obliviously across a fallen leaf. It would soon be trampled on or consumed by a larger creature, but in this moment, the beetle was content exploring its leaf. It had no idea what was to become of it.
"My awareness makes her wary. The others don't know when they're being controlled; they mindlessly obey. She's afraid that I will break her control like the first rogue did, and guide others away like him. If she has the boy in her grasp, she believes I won't run. That's why she sent him to find me, to lure me back in case I did turn rogue."
My voice was soft, and if they hadn't been vampires, I wondered if they'd even have heard me.
"A failsafe." Major murmured.
Alice's hand tightened around mine.
"Why does she want you so badly? She wanted Jasper because of his empathic abilities." She whispered.
I shook my head.
"I don't know." I admitted.
The silence that covered the clearing was strangely peaceful, despite the heavy topic. I wondered how much of that was Major.
In the stillness, a small bird swooped down, picking up the defenseless beetle in its beak, and flying away. Alice looked at it, a strange look on her face. I stared at the dirt beneath my feet.
I still never wore shoes. They were far too constricting, and it wasn't like I had anything to fear from the bare ground.
After a few moments, we continued on to the house.
"No problems, right?" Carlisle asked when we entered the living room.
Everyone had been on edge since the boy left.
"None." Alice said cheerfully.
Except Alice, of course. She was always so happy.
"How are you doing, Elisabeth?" Esme asked, her voice soft.
"I didn't kill a family of seven, if that's what you mean."
A hint of harshness entered my voice, and Esme blinked, surprise crossing her face.
"That's not what I was asking at all." She defended herself.
"Really? Because I cannot even look at your pet human without y'all thinking I'm going to kill her!"
Edward and Bella just happened to walk in while I was talking, and Bella looked very offended at my words.
"I'm not their 'pet human'!" She protested.
I scoffed.
"I'm sure you believe he loves you. Have you never questioned their motives, or are you just happy someone is paying attention to you?"
She flinched at my words, or perhaps the harshness of my voice. I thought she'd shy away, like the timid little girl she portrayed herself to be, but then, her eyes lit with anger.
"How dare you?" She demanded, her voice rising in volume. "You know nothing about me!"
"Bella-"
"No!" She cut Edward off, storming towards me. "I'm sick and tired of you acting like you're better than me because I'm a human. You may be stronger and faster than me, but at least I have a family who actually cares about me!"
Was that supposed to make me feel envious? Angry, perhaps?
I wasn't naive. I knew Maria didn't give two shits about me, and if I stopped being useful to her, she wouldn't hesitate to get rid of me. The boy was different, but even he knew his place. He'd be dead long before I would be.
"Bella, that's not fair!" Esme spoke up, horrified.
"If that's the case, you are going to destroy your 'caring family' the moment they change you." I responded, my voice dull.
This entire conversation was tedious. What did it matter if I didn't have people at my back who were required to care for me to save their own morality? I didn't need a family.
"People die every day." Her voice was doubtful, her body physically faltering as she stepped out of my personal space.
I watched her eyes flicker with emotions.
"They'll be fine." She said quietly, her humanity unable to handle the silence that fell over the room.
It was a skill that Maria had honed in me early on - the ability to cause someone to doubt everything they thought they knew. Bella, it seemed, wasn't immune.
"Elisabeth..." Edward sighed, and Bella turned mechanically, going to him.
Safe in his arms, Bella turned back to me, her eyes fiery.
"What would you know about humans? You'd kill us before you learned anything." She accused, her voice calm despite her anger shining through her eyes. "The Cullens have spent decades living among humans; you've spent those years killing humans. If they want me to be a part of their family, then I'm obviously going to listen to them over you."
I rolled my eyes.
"I don't give a flying fuck what bullshit you choose to believe, Isabella. The sooner you're changed, the sooner I can go back to-"
"To your mistress?" She broke in, a mocking light in her eyes.
In the reflection of her eyes, I saw my own darken with fury.
How dare she make a mockery of me? If my life wasn't tied to her safety, I wouldn't have hesitated to rip her head off. Edward tensed, his arms coming up around her, and both Esme and Carlisle stood.
"C'mon..." Alice murmured, stepping towards me.
She paused, her eyes unfocusing. Edward gasped.
"Maria..." he said, horrified.
Almost on cue, her voice cut through my thoughts.
"They have Emmett and Rosalie." Edward's voice was filled with pain and sorrow.
"She wants me."
The words slipped from my mouth without me meaning to say them. Their eyes flashed to me, even Alice's, though she still looked preoccupied.
"She's trying to trade them for you." Major spoke, and I nodded without looking at him.
"How many are there?" Carlisle asked.
"Four."
"Nine."
Alice and Edward spoke at the same time, and then looked at each other in confusion.
"She's more likely to kill Emmett and Rosalie than one of hers." Major said, and I could feel his eyes burning into the side of my face, though I still refused to even glance at him. "And if it's just a trade, she may leave after she had what she wants. Then we'll go from there."
He was careful not to mention anything else... he probably thought Maria would break me.
"We need to go. She cannot see Bella." Alice urged, and Carlisle sighed, meeting my gaze.
"We won't abandon you." He promised.
I said nothing, lowering my gaze from his.
In the end, Major, Carlisle, and Edward accompanied me to the clearing while Esme stayed behind with Bella.
Maria was already waiting, the boy at her side, with four others behind them. Emmett and Rosalie were being held by the four, their faces blank. The moment we stepped into the clearing, Maria only had eyes for me. She didn't even glance in Major's direction.
Warmth spread through my body, the urge to run to her lessening with our proximity.
"Elisabeth." She said, her voice soft and so very alluring.
How could I have ever thought about leaving her? She was my maker... my creator. She was the center of my entire world.
"Mistress."
Absolute adoration rang through the word, and she smiled.
"Release the prisoners." She snapped at the four behind her, and they obeyed mindlessly.
She'd always had such beautiful control over her subjects.
"Two for one. A fair deal, I think." She said, her eyes continuing to gaze into mine.
"Send them over first." Carlisle said, his tone patient.
If I dared to look away from Maria, I knew that he'd be watching her with his cautious stare that he always used on me. Maria smiled, and I automatically mimicked her.
I knew she'd come for me.
Emmett and Rosalie crossed the field, their expressions clearing as they neared us. I kept my eyes on Maria.
"Come, my Elisabeth. Let's go home." She spoke softly.
I was hers. Home. Where I belonged. Her hand was warm as it touched my cheek. I had no memory of crossing the clearing.
"Kneel." She ordered, and I obeyed instantly, my knees hitting the ground soundlessly. "Such a good pet."
She ran her fingers through my hair. With a single motion, she tightened her fingers and ripped my head clean off. I stared blankly at the lighter in her hand as it got closer to me before something in the air shifted.
Suddenly, the boy was holding my head in his hands, snarling dangerously as the Cullens approached him. I saw Carlisle try to negotiate with him, failing quickly until Major stepped forward. Major's hands were gentle as he pieced me back together.
"Elisabeth!" The boy's voice trembled as he clung to me.
I felt strangely calm, almost disconnected from the entire situation. I looked up, meeting Maria's eyes from where she stood with the four newborns.
"Come, Elisabeth." She commanded, her eyes narrowing at the boy when he held tighter to me.
"No-!"
The boy fell silent when I pulled away from him, rising to my feet. Major's hand brushed against mine as I passed him. The warmth that greeted me when I took Maria's outstretched hand was nothing compared to the warmth I found in Major's and Alice's arms.
I didn't look back. How could I? I knew I'd fight her control over me, and then we would all die. We turned as one, the newborns moving in sync as her control ran through us.
Nobody said a word.
