Chapter 2: Her Past, and Her Future.

[Bella's Dreamscape.]

After falling asleep, she somehow opened her eyes and all she could see was the vast blackness behind her eyes turning around to a vast library filled with dozens of books ranging from ancient stories all the way to modern English literature.

"Am I in heaven?" sighed Bella and ran her fingers through a row of books looking at them in surprise.

"No." laughed a melodic voice from behind her, and as she turned around Bella saw the most beautiful human being standing in front of her laughing, though, the weirdest part was that she looked a lot like her though an older version of herself. "Let me introduce myself, Izabella Maria Svon-Kuznetsov." She introduced herself and held out a hand to her in greeting.

"Hello, where am I and are we one and the same?" Bella asked her curiously, looking her up and down, and greeting her politely like she had been thought.

"We are in the in-between, the space between life and death or you could say we are inside your mind," Izabella told her with a shrug of her shoulders and walked over to the comfy couches she saw in the corner of her eyes before she heard her talk again. "You are correct in saying that we are one and the same person, years ago I decided to start over again. When you died on that forest floor after Edward left you, we began to remember our shared past life and it seemed like your soul wanted to start over again. Starting over in that time where your life changed, in the month you met the Vampires."

"Oh, so, I will start to remember everything or is it you that will explain it to me?" Bella inquired about what would happen and why they even met up here at all. Bella wasn't that surprised either because what would be surprised when you already know about Vampires?

"I will tell you the summary of our life, the who's, the how's and the when's – you will gradually get to know yourself and your feelings about the different people that have been in your life and will maybe be in your life. I will tell you about your life in the best way possible, as you get to remember them. We will have unlimited time to talk, and I will also tell you about Vampirism so that you won't be caught unaware when you meet them again." Izabella told her with a smile around her mouth, and after they had started to somewhat relax in each other's presence, her story started to be told.

Bella waited to see where her own story started and how she ended up leaving her life and starting over, and she couldn't wait to hear the history and the people she had met throughout her long life. "Wait a minute, how old am I really? When will I stop ageing? Do we have any abilities?" these were questions she had to ask before she forgot about them in the haze that was about to happen.

"We are a little over 2000 years old, and we are a hybrid. A human slash vampire hybrid. You will stop ageing when you are 25, and you will be able to grow into your power since you have time to develop all kinds of powers. Since we are a hybrid, our heart will still beat and have blood in our wains, so, don't be afraid of them knowing about you – they will still think that you are human. You have the strength, hearing, speed, and durability, but also the grace of a Vampire. I've also lived an incredibly long life, and you will also have access to our wealth." Iza smirked at her younger counterpart, and with a mischievous smile.

What she heard was unbelievable, not so much as to hear that she and unlimited wealth from her past self, so, she wondered how it could be that it was hers.

"In due time, Bella. Do you want to know of our story?"

"I would love to!"

-TWILIGHT-

Our story starts in a small town a couple of miles outside of Moscow, Russia. It was a small and tight-knit group of people living quite isolated beside a river, we were born too Alexandrei Svon and Anichka Svon.

They had always told me that I was a special little girl, from the moment I was born because they got me so late in life and they didn't think that our mother could become pregnant. Everyone looked at me like a miracle, I was told that I was born on the sunniest of days in an otherwise rainy town.

I loved playing with the other kids around there, and my parents taught me everything I should know about life and what was expected. You must know that life back then was different as night and day, the moral norms at the time was quite a lot different and what you are used to.

They were loving parents through everything, they were also some of the smartest parents at the time and knew that they had to find me a good husband, at the time I was only twelve years old – using four years to find someone, back then it was rare that parents waited for this long before marrying of their girls. I was lucky in that regard, as many of my friends got married when they were twelve to thirteen years old.

I married a nice man ten years older than myself; we fell in love with something again that was unusual for couples at the time as it could have been a lot worse – Dmitri Kuznetsov. A blacksmith.

Blacksmiths at the time were a high paid and sought-after occupation in regions like we wandered throughout Russia. When war and difficulties arrived, we were often summoned to the bigger cities to help them out, when I was seventeen, I became pregnant with our first child. Travelling and being pregnant was hard, so, it was good that we spent almost a year in one singular place during the whole pregnancy.

I gave birth to two beautiful children, one boy and one girl. Andrei and Anastasia Kuznetsov. How I loved them both, having children was the best gift life had given me at the time, having someone that looked up to you no matter what the best thing is to happen to us in the world.

The best thing was also to watch them grow up to become successful and find their own happiness in the world.

My next pregnancy was a lot harder on my body than my previous one, nevertheless, it was rewarding to have someone there with me throughout it all. With every day, month, and year we were married we were the happiest couple out of everyone there.

Throughout my second pregnancy it was then I noticed that I was different from anyone around me. It had been a harrowing birth, I died but before anyone noticed it came back to life. It was a boy and we named him Mikhail and with that, I had the knowledge of what I had become and how to survive and what my powers were.

After the discovery, I had to be careful with how I behaved and what I said, and in secret, I began to experiment with my powers to what I could do with them. It was also then I remembered something my parents told me when I married – 'There will come a time of great changes, dorogaya (sweetheart), so when the time comes, we want you to follow your heart.' Did they talk about this? I would never know, but it seemed like it at the time.

The knowledge of not being able to grow old was hard, and that she would not grow older than 25 and outlive everyone in her family was a hard pill to swallow. The thing that made living with people around her was her power to let people see that she was growing older, an illusion over herself that made them see her ageing. One of the more normal powers I had was being able to compel those around me, I used to compel my husband, so, that I could drink from him, but I couldn't do it often as that would have seemed suspicious to those around us. Compelling him to forget and not to be in pain, and the older I got the less I had to drink blood to survive.

Years went by us in quick succession, we watched our children grow up and find their own happiness and careers by the time my lovely husband lay on his death bed, I decided to stage my death too, so, that we both could give them peace. I could never just leave them either by staging my disappearance, so I 'died' together with my husband.

With everyone grieving, I made my way out into the surrounding woods to watch over them from afar.

Andrei became a successful blacksmith just like his father, he also found love and appreciation in a girl named Natashia, giving me three grandchildren.

Anastasia found her happiness in being a seamstress, but she found happiness when she fell for a wealthy businessman, a nobleman named Ilya Ivanov. They got two children together before she got sick and died of a relatively young age and that hit me the hardest to see it happening from afar and never being able to do anything about it.

Mikhail lived to be a mercenary slash trader and became pretty good at it though later he settled down with a sweet girl named Anya who could see the good in him and grounded him in life.

It looks like there is only one line of this family of mine that survived to the modern-day, and that Andrei and Natashia's children.

After looking after them with the best of intentions, I spent yet a couple of years wandering around Russia and Siberia learning and mastering my abilities, as some of them weren't easy to learn. Learning to fight all kinds of people and learning languages and other necessary traits from all over the place.

What was the hardest to figure out was what to do with my life, spending about 200 years of her life seeing what I could do and finding a purpose in life?

What you need to know Bella, is that there is a lot of supernatural beings out there including three types of Vampires, Werewolves, and other curious creatures. There are hybrids like us, we are the ones that live the longest of them all, then there are Cold Ones like the Cullen's and then there are the traditional.

We are a cross between hybrid, a cold one and a traditional vampire as you experience life through my eyes you will see how that is, so, don't you worry!

With being able to cast an illusion over myself I could change my age every time I went to a new place, and a lot of times I started over with another family though most of all I stayed in my own true age at 25 though I never strayed over the age of 40. With time I learned how to forge identity papers and not to get caught doing it.

We have a mental and physical shield.

I could also shapeshift – there was even a time when I spent a couple of years as a mythical dragon protecting a child in what now is China. It has become a legendary tale to tell children in that part of the world. Stories that have always been great and humorous to read. The longer I live the more power I had, and you will also see that happening to you!

The one thing I knew for sure was that I couldn't get pregnant again, the only time that will happen is if I meet my mates, or if we had a true love for one another.

After finding out a lot, I started travelling through Mongolia, China, and Korea, learning how to fight with a sword and making a name for myself. With the years coming and going it soon became obvious that I longed to find some friends or anyone to talk with, so the year was 30 BC that I made my way through Goguryeo, one of the three kingdoms that were founded in Korea at the time. It was in the earlier stages of the kingdom; there I was able just to be and was able to help people.

I learned how to shoot with a bow and arrow, and even became quite the marksman – later I earned the respect of Jumong, the king. In secret he threw me through a lot and trained me to protect him, and I did because he was the only one that knew that I was a woman – they would have laughed at him if they had known it, and we both knew it. Proving myself to the guards and everyone in the palace when I saved their asses in battle and from internal enemies.

Life when on, and I became a good friend of Jumong someone he could count on in tough times, and with the secret friendship came enemies so I had to watch my back – I even have a scar on my back to prove it. Jumong and I were also lovers until his marriage.

When he died, I disappeared with him and travelled through the other countries and villages for some time. I never told anyone of my abilities, and those that I told things to were those that I trusted implicit or those that I changed that that was fewer than anyone I had known. In all my life I have only changed three people, and one of them was a cold one.

I learned early to notice if someone had ill intentions or if someone was lying to me, something that you will also be great at.

In 18 BC, I made my way back to the mainland, and through the Han Dynasty, then again, I made a name for myself again, with a sword strapped on my back. People said that I was a vigilante and with that, I made my way through Chang'an.

In one of my many properties around the globe, many of the dresses I wore back then will be found and they will be yours in time. After a time, I went back to Goguryeo when I heard words that there was a crown prince that the king sent away to protect him. The crown prince there again became king Deamusin, the fourth king, in the year of 18AD.

Everything going on there made her realise more that she loved helping people in need, the more I watched and learned of him, the better was the rule and in the end, he became a headstrong and stubborn ruler of Goguryeo – like his grandfather before him.

After seeing him prosper I wandered around Korea, going through the countries of Shilla, Nakrang, Beakjea and meeting many fascinating people and loved a couple of people, but in all my life there I never changed anyone.

In the end, I had explored almost everything there, so, I made my way west and through Europe, especially the Nordic countries, and their fascinating culture. This time around I decided to go younger and showed up as an orphan in a small village on the coast of Norway. The troubling times made it easy to forge a backstory, and in the end, I was taken in by the chief of the village, and I bought myself free when I married a man.

This man was Erik Erikson, I raised his children like they were my own since their mother had died in childbirth and I could never get pregnant, and he knew it. I found myself falling for him, though, I never felt safe to tell him about what I was. Around the years of 790-791, I had known quite a few kings and queens around Asia, and now she was finally married again to another wonderful man, and it was good to finally stop up and process everything that had happened.

It was now I found out that I had magic powers, though, it was nothing fancy – I only used it to hide my things and see to their protection from the elements of time and people's greed. Money for me has never been a problem, every decade or century has me making money and the money is under a lot of different names, so, no one knows for sure who's the money is but that they are protected.

Living in Norway was an exciting time for me, because of its culture and how they treated women, they had a lot more power there and they ruled their home when the men were out on the sea, after all, someone had to watch over them their home.

We were absolutely surprised over when I became pregnant years into our marriage, after years and only thinking that only our mates would be able to make me pregnant. The only thing that made sense what that if we truly loved one another. If we truly loved mutual love at that.

This pregnancy went alright, and it was a miracle to have the child right then and there because it was a wonderful sensation. It also was a wonderful girl we named Astrid, who grew up to become a wonderful and inspiring woman.

After having spent a lifetime with them, and when the Viking age was over, I made my way down through Europe, Eastern Europe first and foremost helping the poor and just learning more than what I had known before. Then I went to Germany, through Italy it was now I first got into contact with the Volturi coven.

-TWILIGHT-

"I know what Edward told you about them, and it couldn't be farther from the truth." Iza explained to her younger self, "Edward don't actually see the bigger picture of why they are like they are. That's the only drawback of becoming a vampire that young, and that's you will never grow up. What would have happened if there was no one to rule over them?"

Bella thought about it, and she could see the truth in what her older self was saying to her, "It would have been chaos all around, and they need to be strict with everyone to hold on to the peace. Then why did Edward tell me about it then and how is it so wrong?" Bella asked in wonder, and she was in wonder over the story she had been told from her past self – was this some of the things I would remember. "Will I remember the lives we have lived like myself or as if it was someone else living it? I know I will have to train my powers on my own, but will I remember how to do it?" These were some of the wondering questions she had to find out before going on with the story.

"It all is quite the misunderstanding in that family, even if Carlisle tries to tell differently to them all it's no use, and as Edward only can hear surface thoughts there are bound to be some conflicts." Isa told her counterpart this with humour, "He is also quite young in both Human years and Vampire years and think about it living quite the sheltered life."

Hearing this made it easier to see that something wasn't right in that family, and with-it Bella wanted to get to know Carlisle better because of how it seemed to be that it's only through him that she would get a complete truth. It also made it easy to see that Edward and she never would have worked in the long run.

"When it comes to the memories you will get when you wake up, I think it's a little bit of both worlds. Even I don't know everything when it comes down to the spell I did back in the day, and you will have to train as that is something we all do when we want to learn but you will have an advantage as you will know how to do it." Iza smirked glad that it was the truth for her because it had been a bitch to use so many years to figure them all out. "You are also your own person so it can be that you will have a couple of more powers to you than I had," Iza said in wonder over what she had seen back then and what the future held for the person who sits in front of her.

"Shall I continue our story?"

"Let's!" Bella agreed, and it would be the most shocking story of everything that had been told.

-TWILIGHT-

It was the 1500-1600s when I met the Volturi coven in Volterra, Italy. It had been centuries since they had taken over from the Romanian coven, it had been them who had ruled before them. The Volturi at the time I was there at the time aren't the same as they were back then – when I first met them, they were too noticeable.

They were also the general rulers of the cold one and quickly established themselves as the most powerful vampire coven at the time.

Through time and knowledge, I got their trust as I helped them through some troubling times and helped them to see opportunities and to become better at hiding themselves. I helped them realise that they couldn't just feed off on everyone that came through the city and that they had to do something or else they would be discovered.

It wasn't often that they listened, but I got them to think and do it after some time going through the pros and cons of what I had been telling them with the help of Marcus. It happened gradually, and I mean it over 500 hundred years of negotiation, and I had been with them for a hundred more years. I wasn't a member of their coven, family but I had become a trusted friend of one of them, the others not so much.

Of course, they had to be ruthless in their sentencing and that reputation lives through tales of others who had been there at the time.

Aro – the leader of the kings was and still is a power-hungry fool, the greedy idiot doesn't know anything of what's really going on even with his power to see everything because of his touch. Even with these enormous flaws of his, he is still a good leader, and an eccentric, hyperactive guy. An incredible father to the twins, Jane and Alec who is known through the community. His mate Sulpicca were the same but calmer and could centre him with her warm touch.

The hardest part of it all was to teach them to drink from criminals instead of innocent people, though, in the end, they made a great deal out of it with the governments around the world to send their prisoners to them.

Even with this, they had their faults, though, I also had my favourites in their coven that I spent a lot of time with.

Marcus and Caius were those that I spent my time with, though, again my favourite of them were Marcus because of his peaceful nature. We could just sit in the library and read together without problems coming between us, and we talked a lot about the things we had done throughout the years we've been alive. Marcus was also the rational brother, and he could calm the other two down when it was needed and without bloodshed.

With getting to know him I managed to undo the oppressing bond Chelsea had on him because of Aro's orders to keep him in line. We had one of the closest bonds because of it and because of everything we did together and even did a lot of things without Aro's and Caius' notice.

Caius was another matter entirely, he was the warrior of them all, the fighter and though he was ruthless he was also sweet to those in his family. Becoming a good friend of mine, though, he did not know everything of my past like Marcus did. Marcus was the only one of them that knew everything about me.

There was something to be said about my friendship with Marcus, it is because of him that I stayed in Italy for so long. I figured out quickly how to protect him from Chelsea, with a button that I charmed to help him in hiding and for them to see that he had changed. We stayed together a lot back then, and I kept in contact for years until I told him that was going to die and be reborn again in someone else.

He was one of them that I changed to be like me, he became my brother in everything but blood – a brother through change.

After the oppressing bond was gone, he told me that he hadn't felt so free in centuries and that he was happier than he had even been when he had been together with his wife, Didyme.

Later, when I talked to him last, when I told him – he told me that he would try to escape in a couple of years to find happiness on his own.

After the Volturi, I started to wander around the continent to find something to do with my life, and as the world around me grew and got bigger I had to find something to do. The world at that point had changed so much from when I was born, and the year 1683 was when I first got an education. First within medicine, working as a paediatrician and I still maintain the certificate to practice, and I hope you will too – though, you have forever to create your own identity. This was when I was in Rome, then I wandered around doing something I loved and created a reputation of doing good work.

A while after this I made my way through Egypt, this is where I met Amun and his mate Kebi. We talked a lot together at the time, though we never became really close because of their closed personalities. I loved Kebi and her quiet love for her mate Amun, and it may not seem like it is her that owns the pants in that relationship when they are alone.

This is also something you should know of their culture, there is a strict patriarch hierarchy when you aren't with your own coven slash family. It's all about dominance, but when it is done correctly there will be equality between both partners. That is why I love being who I am as I don't I have to worry about any side effects if I don't do it, but at the same time, I understand the ones that must.

After saying my goodbyes there, I made my way down the Nile, and just worked as a doctor for those that needed help. The African world was special, everywhere I went there was something to look at, to learn though after a while I jumped on a boat to the south of America. To Argentina's Buenos Aires where I settled for a few years and established myself around these parts for a few hundred or so years, going from Argentina to Chile, and thereafter to Brazil to Colombia, and then into Mexico in central America, before going north.

I didn't just work within Medicine but went also for teaching where I could get away with it though I had re-educated myself either every decade or century.

It wasn't before 1860-63 I felt an urge to go north, but I knew it would not be a good plan at the time because of the rumours of an ongoing war and because Texas is where Vampires fighting over territories.

The whole history there was interesting though I didn't agree with how they were doing it, and some of it shouldn't have happened at all. In the end, I chose to walk around Texas to see other parts of America, so that is what I did. The years went by until I decided to go to sleep for a few years, reincarnate myself.

-TWILIGHT-

"That's my story, though, there is a lot more to it, but you don't need to know that!" Izabella told her younger self. "I know you have questions, hit me with them!"

Bella had listened carefully to everything her older self had told her, but she knew there was a lot more to it after all those years living a full and meanings full life. There had to be! "Did we ever meet the Cullen's before? How will I know who my mates are? Will I have magic powers? and how will I access your things?" she could have asked more, but these were some of the things I wondered about, everything else she could learn herself by exploring her new body.

"I never did manage to meet the Cullen coven, but from what I've heard about them from Marcus – Carlisle loves being a doctor, he lives for it and his companion Esme is a nurturing mother figure to everyone that comes their way, she lives for moments like that. Then there is Edward, their child who's stuck at seventeen. Alice Brandon-Cullen is someone you should look out for because her motivations aren't as pure as they sound and she's the mate of Edward, but they are denying their bond. You know the rest of them, and their history should be truly learned on their own." Izabella started to answer herself made questions, and she had started by the easiest before continuing to the next ones. "You will know who they are when you first look them in the eyes, and when they touch you for the first time."

"Of course, you will have them either in a more potent form or weaker than what I had!" Izabella secured this to herself, though, at one point everything would come back to her, so this was just security for the person she found herself to be. "As for my personal things, you will soon be contacted by a lawyer that will tell you more and give you instructions to pick up a couple of things like keys, cards and maps."

This made her glad because how else would she know even with her memories coming back to her when she woke up, and she knew she would not remember everything that went on in her life, maybe just the most important in it. "Did you ever change anyone? Enemies and friends?" This was the last of the things she wanted to know at once because it was time to get on with her life, and she had one week on her to at least get the hang of her strength and speed, also maybe her illusions of ageing not that she needed it for a few years yet.

Izabella knew at once that her younger self had decided that those questions would be her last, and that made her happy because they both needed to learn how to live again and make a living out of everything in her head.

"That's one harsh question, other than Marcus I changed two other people. Other than how a sire-bond, like any other vampire race though its different than a sire-bond between cold ones – with them there are only those two years where they have to stay together to learn of the ways you have changed, however, there aren't many people who follow that instinct in them to do so, something I think is harsh." Izabella quickly told her this because there is a lot more to say about the different bonds between people. "With our hybrid mindset, we have bonds where the more we learn and get to know each other the stronger the bonds become. The stronger it is at the end of those years, the greater the strength of it the longer and we can go without seeing one another without drawbacks. So, you will have to be careful when you chose the people you change because you will have to live with them for those two or more years."

"So, then what happens when you can't get along with them and have a weak bond after those two years? Will the bonds break or can you choose to beak it?" What she was learning right now is right up her alley because there is something about it that she would never have learned if it weren't for her older self. After all, who teaches it to the vampires other than those that change them? No one, other than you must figure it out yourself and that can lead to your death if you aren't careful.

"If you have a strong bond nothing will break it, if you don't want to stay after those two years, then you can go. If you don't at all share a bond and go before those two years you will feel a longing to go back, it will irritate your skin it will drive you mad – then when those two years has gone it will break and other than feeling a little lost nothing else happens. That is why you must be careful, I learned it the hard way by losing the one I changed at the beginning of my vampirism. He hated me and left as soon as he was able to – he blamed me for his family's death. It relatively broke him, and I had to kill him in the end or else he would have dragged up the secret to everyone. So, I waited a couple more years before I tried again, and I did it by living life and getting to know the people, becoming soon friends with a couple that I loved like my own children." Izabella sighed, it still saddened her to remember what happened back in the beginning when she wanted to transform someone that would be here for her throughout the years. "They are still alive roaming the world like true nomads, Sonja and Harald. They live in seclusion, and he's a lawyer and she works like a decorator – something they can do without having to be together with so many people at once, and they love their work."

It was great to finally hear something great of her past, and Bella couldn't help but smile hearing about the couple that she had changed years ago. There was also that deafening silence over what happened the first time she had changed someone, and she there and then promised herself. "So, let's get it right – those that I in the future change has to stay with me for two years to learn or else they go mad?"

"Yep! It all depends on their maturity levels and their mindset at the time of the change!" Izabella taught it along so that she wouldn't do the same mistakes as herself, though, it would be a learning process in the end.

"Friends – Marcus, he knows everything, and I think he will await your call. You have to see, what you will get of the lawyer I have hired for this.
Harald and Sonja – will make contact with you in the future if you meet them.
Amun and Kebi – allies, if you need them though don't call upon them if you must get the Volturi involved.
Vladimir and Stefan – distant friends.
Friends and Enemies – Caius, a confused fellow.
Aro
The Volturi Coven
Enemies – I don't know, but there sure is someone that hates me other there with passion or wants me to change them if the word gets around.

So, I want you to be careful."

At least she knew it now, and now she couldn't wait to get on with her life because now she needed to plan everything. "Is everything alright, right?" Bella asked unsure if everything was said, and she knew that she would sooner or later get something right, and she would remember things somewhat.

Izabella smiled at the younger version of herself, she's so young barely grown up and so eager to impress everyone even if she doesn't show it. "Yeah, remember it will be a hard transition and don't get overconfident!" one last piece of advice before she jumped towards her younger self and disappeared around her to her sweet, shocked look.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?" grumbled Bella with a shocked laugh, as she suddenly woke up in her bed sweating like crazy to the tinkling laugh of her own self.