Author's note: This story is only really Bella x Aro because I've taken pretty much everything from Stephanie Meyer's Twilight, but I don't resonate with the characters that much so I'm changing them up a bit. Main update for now: Bella and Aro's appearance (it felt weird letting Bella date someone so old), and Aro was turned at 22. Enjoy!

Chapter 1

Bella lay in the cold, sticky mud, waiting for her horrible nightmare to end. She couldn't feel anything but throbbing somewhere on the side of her face – an unfortunate consequence of letting the clumsiest human roam an empty forest on her own. Her thoughts moved to Charlie and Renee. Maybe, if she had made more of an effort to get along with her parents, she wouldn't have felt the need to find comfort in another family. Maybe, if her curiosity and creativity hadn't gotten the best of her, she wouldn't have been so eager to let herself get lost in the allure of the supernatural. Maybe she wouldn't have been stupid enough to believe a family of perfectly complete vampires would truly love her like one of their own, even as a human.

But she did look for and find comfort in the family – no, the coven – of seven vampires who found joy in playing human until their act no longer succeeded in entertaining them. She did get lost in the allure of the supernatural – their inhuman beauty and addictive qualities made it impossible not to get lost in the unknown. And she did believe they loved her. She believed it more than she believed in herself. And now she would never believe again if she managed to make it out of the forest alive.

...

It had been three months since Charlie found Bella laying, unconscious in the woods behind their house. He stood in front of her bedroom door, ready to wake her up before her nightmares inevitably did. Everyone knew Edward was the reason she was like this. He left her in those woods alone, knowing she had no clue where she was, how to get back home, or who to call. Edward had left Charlie's daughter without so much as a phone call to ensure her safety, and Charlie would never forgive him for it.

Despite the nightmares, Bella had been doing relatively well. She had agreed to therapy after about a month of dissociation and finally opened up about what happened that night. However, she still dreamt of how Edward told her just how little she meant to him and, according to him, all of those around her. Waking up crying, I understood, but the toe-curling screams that came with the tears made me think there was more to the story than Bella was letting on. Did the boy hurt her while they were seeing each other? Maybe one day he'd get Bella to open up.

Charlie knocked on her door, walking in slowly as he did so.

"Hey, Bells," he said as he walked to the side of her bed. He shook her shoulder slightly causing her to react. Her body jerked and she turned to look at him with wide, scared eyes. Charlie fought the urge to wrap her in his arms, knowing it would make her feel weak. "It's time to wake up."

He could see her finally recognize where she was and who was speaking to her, and she gave him a small smile.

"Thanks, dad." She had stopped calling him by his first name after that night. Almost immediately. Again, he wasn't sure why, but he wasn't complaining. He gave her a smile back and a small nod and turned to leave.

...

Bella felt bad that her dad had to wake up early for her, but she was glad he did. The visions in her nightmare - the same one every night – were disturbing to say the least. And the fact that they had very much been real and in front of her face at one point made her shiver. She slowly got out of bed, made it, and started getting ready for her day. Another day in Forks High was another day closer to graduation, and another day closer to facing the harsh reality that Bella had nothing planned after the school year.

She had been so misled by the Cullens' illusion of acceptance that she'd convinced herself she wouldn't make it past high school as a human. So, she never applied to any colleges or universities and couldn't anymore, thanks to the deadline that had already passed. Nonetheless, school gave her a purpose. At least, that's what her therapist told her to frame it as.

...

As she drove, Bella thought about her future. Despite the Cullens leaving, they hadn't completely rid her life of dangers. Not quite. Victoria was out there, somewhere, looking for her. To avenge her mate, of all reasons. As if her mate would be avenged by killing me.

She scoffed as she thought of his last words to her, "And, Bella, please try to use your head for once and not let yourself get killed, unless you really do have a death wish. But, if that's the case, I can always help with that," a sadistic smile plastered onto his face.

So much for being mates.

Bella's hands tightened on the steering wheel, making her knuckles go white. Victoria had sent a note the week prior. It was a warning, no, a threat. She could jump in front of her car at any moment, can snap her neck at any time of day, can suck her dry without making it a scene. But Bella had a feeling that if the vampire got a hold of her, she would be begging for a quick death.

She needed help, quickly. If not for herself, for her family and friends. During their conversation in the woods, Edward had showed her the lengths a vampire is willing to go to get their point across, and Bella wasn't willing to let Victoria drag anyone she cared about into her mess. Which meant Bella would most likely have to go on the run after high school. It was a surprise she hadn't tried already, but she wanted her dad to know she was going to be okay. She didn't want to cause him or her mom any more stress than she already had.

She wished she could turn to the wolves, but they refused to put their families in danger over a rogue vampire and my problems. On the surface, when Charlie dragged me to the reservation, we were close-knit friends. But that's all it was – the surface.

The reality, my reality, kicked in again for the first time today: when Edward left, so did the rest. I was left alone to deal with the path I had chosen and the path I would take.

...

The day went by quickly since Bella was more focused on her next move than the subjects at hand. She'd narrowed it down to two options: run, forever, or tattle on the Cullens. Bella remembered the picture she'd seen in Carlisle's office of the men vampires considered royalty – the Volturi – and knew they were the best option. She obviously couldn't run forever and running would most likely prompt Victoria to use other, more manipulative means to draw Bella out of hiding.

No, she couldn't let that happen. The only questions running through her mind were how she was going to get in contact with the kings and whether they would take her seriously. Would they even let her live a second longer once they found out she, a human, knew their secret? Maybe she'd get brownie points for not spilling all of these months, despite having every motivation to.

...

As she walked through the cafeteria doors, Bella realized she was the first of her friends to get out of class. She decided to use the time to her advantage and began searching for any way to get to Italy after that month. A Google search led her to an advertisement for an all-inclusive tour of Volterra, Italy. Bingo. She quickly gave the site her email for more information. All it would come down to was cost. Working at Mike's shop definitely helped with money, but she wasn't sure if she had Italy money quite yet.

Her mind was spinning. Was this really happening? Why couldn't she have a little more time to process the decisions she made, before being thrown into the only chance she had at keeping her life? Bella didn't miss the voice in her head wondering whether Alice was seeing her future unfold, whether they cared enough to act if the Volturi set to exterminate her.

She couldn't control the anger bubbling in her, threatening to spill over at any moment. Which is why, when Mike came over and swung his arm around her shoulders, she smacked it off with a scowl without realizing who it was.

"Damn, Bella," Mike said with wide eyes and hands up, facing her. "I was just trying to say hi."

"Sorry, Mike," she sighed. "Still a little jumpy." He looked at her sadly, unable to hide the pity he felt for his friend. As he sat down next to her at their group's table, the rest of the gang pulled up.

Unfortunately for Bella, the whole town knew the abridged version of how Edward had left her. She had opened up to Jessica and Angela, and Jessica had told Lauren who told her mom, who told the entire town. Bella didn't blame Jessica, who had a few choice words for Lauren, but she couldn't help keeping her problems to herself from then on.

"Hello, you two," Lauren chirped as she sat next to Mike. "Mike, maybe you should learn to keep your hands to yourself." Her teasing immediately lightened the semi-tense mood that had been created between the two friends. With Mike focused on coming up with a good comeback, Bella made friendly conversation with the rest of the group. Angela and Ben were officially a couple, Tyler had just finished another round of Charlie-mandated driving lessons, and everyone was excited to be graduating in a month. They knew she didn't have any plans, so no one asked. She wouldn't have anything to say, and she appreciated they thought about her feelings. See, it doesn't take reading a mind to be a thoughtful person.

...

Bella's phone buzzed the moment she got to her truck after school. She picked it up, her hands instantly clammy. What if this was Victoria calling – the beginning of a different sort of torture. Bella didn't know what she'd do if Victoria managed to get her number.

She slowly picked it up, hesitating at first but ultimately picking up the call. With an embarrassingly shaky breath, she began her journey to a new life.

"Hello, this is Bella."

"Hello, Ms. Swan," the woman on the other end chimed. "We received notification of your interest in the I Governanti's Annual Volterra Tours. We're calling to ask if you had any questions and see if you'd like to know more about the tour packages."

Bella couldn't form words, her thoughts rushing too quickly to the front of her mind to express just one coherently.

"Yes, actually, I'd love to." Bella started. "Truthfully, I have a bit of a tight budget so if you could let me know what your cheapest package is we'd probably save both of our times."

"No worries, Ms. Swan. Our packages can be quite luxurious, but we do offer hefty discounts for customers with special circumstances. I see here you are eighteen years old, have you graduated yet?"

"No, I am graduating a month from now," Bella said as she felt her heart deflate.

"Well, if you buy the tickets before you graduate, you can apply for the Governanti scholarship."

Bella was intrigued. Scholarships were right up her alley, having been a stellar student throughout her academic career.

"If you can provide records proving you were an exemplary student throughout high school, the entire trip is covered by our company."

Bella's jaw dropped to the floor – she turned around, so no one looked at her funny for it. "Everything?" She questioned.

"Everything – room, board, food, attractions, and more."

"But, why?"

"We didn't do this before a few years ago. But we realized how much both the students and the people of Volterra benefit from experiences such as this one. A few free trips are no big deal."

She didn't know if she could trust it, but Bella did know that she had no choice. She quickly agreed to everything, asked for the documentation and sending addresses needed, and sprinted to the school's office before it closed.

...

Once home, Bella warmed Charlie's dinner and left a note for him letting him know she was going to bed early. She showered and then got to sending the documents to the tour company she spoke with earlier.

Within the thirty minutes it took her to finish her night routine, she heard a ping from her inbox. It was the tour company letting me know I had been approved for the scholarship. I had to be ready to leave exactly a month from now – on the day of my graduation. If she played her cards right, she'd be able to walk on stage, take pictures with her dad, facetime her mom, and still make it to the airport on time.

She laughed at the irony of it all. This company was giving her a free scholarship for an all-inclusive tour of a beautiful city in Italy, and she was planning on going missing the moment she stepped foot in Volterra.

Five minutes later, Bella was falling asleep to the sound of confirmation emails.