CPOV

"All of these books are original copies," Felix announced loudly, motioning to the thousands of books on the shelves.

After my sob fest, Felix came into my room, unannounced, and insisted that I needed to be cheered up. He wouldn't stop begging me to come with him, so I gave in just so he would stop.

Alec and Jane left for a mission, as Felix called it. Apparently, when vampires broke the given laws, the Volturi punished them; I read between the lines, knowing that "punishing" really meant "killing".

I wasn't sure how long Alec would be gone, but learning new things about the Volturi was increasing my anxiety. Alec hated me, and I didn't hate him, but I was confused by his hate for me. I assumed that it had something to do with Aro calling me his "singer", but I had no idea what that meant. I apparently fueled the fire by standing up to him; although, I wasn't sure why he was so affected by me if I was just a simple human.

"Signed by Poe, Dickens, The Bronte Sisters, you name it. We even have pages from Aristotle. We also may or may not have retrieved a copy of Anne Frank's diary," he continued. "We have books from all over the world, from just about any time period."

I just nodded, honestly uninterested, scanning my eyes lazily over the shelves. In truth, my mind was still running wild with thoughts of David, but I was trying to distract myself. I didn't want any of these vampires picking up on my accelerated heart rate. I weaved my way through the aisles; there were poetry books, encyclopedias, atlases, war books, biographies, and even vampire myth books.

"If you need a book, let me know," Felix called, and sat back down to finish his book on a biography of Aretha Franklin.

I didn't even want to know.

As I rounded the corner of another giant shelf, I felt something against my leg. It was in my pocket.

Realization dawned on me as I remembered that I still had my phone. I looked down, then up to make sure Felix wasn't following me. I tried to keep my heart from beating faster, but it wasn't listening. Hope was starting to bubble within me.

I went further towards the back shelves and picked out a random book. I opened it, and slid my phone out of my pocket, pressing the home button at the bottom of the screen. I laid it on top of the open pages, unlocked the screen and put it on silent. There were messages from my brother, all asking where I was and if I was okay. I also had missed calls. Several of them.

Make a distraction so he doesn't come back here.

I let out a few coughs as if imaginary dust was bothering me, and flipped a few pages while peeking through the shelves. I walked around deliberately, making it seem like I was venturing for more books.

"Those books are pretty dusty," he called from his seat at the front.

"Yeah," I mumbled, forcing another cough. "And fascinating."

I opened my messages, reading through them. My hands began to shake as I scrambled to think of something to say. The blue numbers at the bottom told me I had more messages. I tapped the screen as quietly as possible, seeing an unknown number. Confused, I opened it.

Cheyenne, this is Cassie. If you are in danger, send the letter A. Your brother is unable to find you. He informed me that you never returned from going to look for David. We need to know if you're safe. If you are seeing this message, please respond immediately.

Helpless tears dripped onto the screen, and I knew I would be exposing myself. I lowered my eyes to the keyboard, entered a letter A with a shaking finger, and hit "send."

I contemplated giving details, but was reminded of how I ended up here. I couldn't let that happen to Cassie and Travis, too. David was a vampire, for crying out loud, and it was my fault. I looked back up and peeked through the shelves. Felix was still reading.

I didn't know how long I could keep my phone, but I would certainly try my hardest to. I just had to be sneaky.

I looked back down at the screen, seeing a new message from Cassie.

Where are you? What do your surroundings look like?

I bit my lip. Crap. My heart thundered as I desperately fought to type exactly where I was. Cassie may have been authoritative and strong, but she was no vampire. There was no way that she would be able to get me out of this. She would end up dying, just like those helpless, innocent tourists.

With a heavy heart, I quickly pocketed my phone and put the book back. I wiped my eyes, and searched for a book that I could actually read, but I was unable to focus on anything except the phone in my pocket. How long was I going to be able to hide it before getting caught?

Knowing that I wouldn't be able to pull off reading a book, I slipped my phone out one last time. Each tap was like a blow to my chest as I punched in the letters.

I can't say. I'm sorry.

Hitting "send" once more, I shut my eyes, fighting back tears. Freedom was right at my fingertips, but I couldn't claim it. I was at the mercy of vampires, and nothing would allow me to escape. I shoved it back in my pocket, just as Felix called to me from the front.

"You all right back there?" he asked. Instead of answering, I walked all the way to the front and took a seat in the far corner, away from him. I made sure to sit with my pocketed phone out of sight. I saw him watching me with my peripheral vision, and suddenly he was in front of me.

"I know this is all difficult for you," he began softly, kneeling in front of me. "But, we're not all that bad! I'm actually really fun to be around once you get to know me! I like singing, too! See?" He held up his Aretha Franklin book, grinning like a cartoon character.

"If you're trying to be funny, you're failing miserably," I deadpanned, staring him straight in the frightening, bright red eyes. That was something I'd never get used to.

His smile faltered as he lowered the book.

"You are how old?" he asked. "You can't be more than eighteen, I assume."

"Nineteen," I corrected bitterly.

"Older woman, hm?" he questioned. I could hear the smile in his voice.

"You're all older than I'll ever be."

He raised his eyebrows.

"Okay, feisty," he commented before chuckling. "You are definitely what Alec needs."

I pulled my eyebrows together in confusion. As much as I wanted to curl up in a ball in the huge bed that was now mine, his words made my ears perk up.

"Do you remember what Aro said about you being Alec's singer?" he added when he saw my expression.

"Yeah, but I don't even know what that means. I'm guessing that's why he hates me, though."

"Your blood sings to him-calls to him, to put it simply-and for us, it's impossible to resist the call when we find our singer. Their scent is the most compelling, potent, and tempting above any and every scent encountered before or after the fact. When we come across it, a frenzy occurs within us, and we are unable to rest until we drink from the human. Not every vampire has control of themselves, but there have been very few instances where they have managed to avoid it."

I froze.

"So...your 'master' made him my bodyguard, why?" I asked incredulously. If Aro was a psychopath before, he was absolutely nuts now. Putting Alec and me in a room alone together was like a cat and mouse; dangerous and imminent. It also made me realize that this was why he wanted to kill me so much; why he almost did that night.

The thought of almost losing my life was dizzying to me at that moment.

"Aro knows what he is doing," Felix answered shortly, defending him. "If he wasn't so sure of Alec, he wouldn't have placed him with you. You would be wise not to question him."

"I'm questioning just about everything right now," I shot back. "We all know I don't to be here."

"Don't you notice the difference? Between us and Alec?" he asked, ignoring me.

"He hates me and you don't?" I deadpanned. I really wanted this subject off the table. His booming laughter filled the room, startling me as it echoed all around me. He threw his head back, and pretended to wipe tears away from his eyes.

"Oh, man, that's a good one," he said. "But, no. Alec's being such a hard ass about this. He doesn't like feelings, hence his gift: cutting off the senses. He's always been the desensitized one, while Jane has been the vengeful type: inflicting pain."

I recalled Jane saying that her gift hadn't worked on me, either. Remembering the way she glared at me, it made sense. She had been trying to hurt me during the concert.

"But y'know, now that Aro's excited about your gift, he thinks you'll be more powerful than them as an immortal; and that's saying something. No one has ever surpassed Alec and Jane. Ever. Unless you count Isabella Swan. But, I guess you're basically her equal, since you could possibly be a shield," he explained, rubbing his chin, deep in thought. My heart fell to my stomach every time I was mentioned as being a vampire.

"What made them like that?" I asked softly, his explanation piquing my interest. I was a very emotional person, and I couldn't imagine my life without feelings. I wondered what it was that turned Alec so cold and empty that he felt the need to desensitize himself from everything.

Felix turned solemn, his face unreadable.

"It's not my business to tell you," he replied. "It wouldn't be wise of me to speak a word of it; they are very private about their past."

I accepted his answer, but couldn't let it go. I decided to file it away for later; maybe, when Alec got over this, I would ask him about it.

"But on another note, aren't you afraid of us? You pulled quite a stunt with the way you spoke to Aro. He's not happy about it, but it was bad ass." He picked his book up and scanned his eyes over the words on the page; they were moving very fast, so fast that they almost resembled the shaking motion of a bobble head.

"No, not really," I said with a shrug. "Yeah, you're vampires, but you're people, too. In a way. You seem normal enough, except for the pale skin and creepy eyes."

"You think we're people?" he said slowly, eyeing me. "Normal people don't feed on the blood of humans. Or animals, if you're like the Cullens. We're predators. We don't even look human."

"Well, you're not animals," I said with a shrug. "I see skin, the human bone structure, two eyes, a nose, and a mouth. I hear the English language. You walk on two legs. You're a person to me."

I heard him mumble something unintelligible, and he closed his book, disappearing from sight.

"Well, what about Alec? Do you think of him the same way?" he asked when he returned a second later; a literal second. I suddenly took interest in the wood grain on the shelves, feeling conflicted.

"I don't know him well enough yet," I said. "Or at all, hardly. But people get angry like he does. It's human nature."

"But we're not human," he repeated. "We don't have blood running through our veins. We don't eat human food, we do not sleep; although once in a while, it would be nice to. We can run faster than the speed of sound and light. We have better reflexes, hearing, and sight than any animal combined. Now, how is that human nature?"

Well, that explains how Alec got out of the tour bus so fast.

"You're capable of human emotions," I explained. "Anger, sadness, happiness, grief. You're not robots." I rose from the chair, making my way to the door. I'd had enough for one day.

"Interesting; you're the first human who's ever considered us as normal as you," he said, by my side in a millisecond.

"Yeah. Well." I said. "I'm going back to...my room." I cringed at the sound of those words; I didn't want to consider any part of this prison to be my home.

"Aw, but we didn't even get to know each other!" he whined, sounding completely childlike. He sounded like a ten year old who just got grounded for pulling a prank. "I was gonna ask you to sing karaoke with me! Demetri needs pointers."

I stopped in my tracks, baffled by his request. Karaoke? Was this a sick joke? Seriously, this just kept getting worse by the minute.

I turned slowly on my heel to face him, my brow raised.

"You sing karaoke," I said slowly, giving him a chance to explain himself.

"Oh yeah!" he said, nodding emphatically. "Demetri and I sing it all the time! But, ol' Al hates it. When he gets too pissed off at us, he uses his gift. Sometimes."

"Why?" I asked, shaking my head. "Why is he so...mean?"

"Again, it's not my place to say," he reminded me seriously. "Alec doesn't like to share his feelings. One's strongest trait or talent in their human life is enhanced in this life, hence their gift. Like Aro. He can access every single thought you've ever had, past or present. He wanted to see what kind of person you are. By the way, I suggest you not pull that next time."

"Who's Isabella Swan?" I asked, recalling the name. "You said she's more powerful than Jane and Alec."

His expression changed; a smoldering, dreamy look crossed his face.

"Only the one defense against the Volturi, and one hot piece of ass," he said euphorically, staring into space. "She's part of the Cullen clan. When she was a human, she pursued a relationship with one of their members; Edward Cullen. They are helplessly in love, but he once came to Aro, asking for death. Aro denied him; his gift to read minds is too precious to waste. Isabella prevented Edward from exposing our secret, but Aro took an interest in her. He discovered that she, like you, was immune to every one of our members' gifts. None of us knew why until she became immortal; she then discovered that she was a shield. She can protect not only herself, but everyone around her from gifts of the mental sort. She is still exposed to the use of gifts that cause physical harm. Aro suspects you could have something similar, but nobody knows for sure since you denied Aro's request."

"I'm sorry, but I don't want him inside my head," I said firmly. "He's not exactly one of my friends. Nobody is here. No offense."

He grinned humorously.

"Eh, don't worry, we're gonna be great friends!" he exclaimed. "We are going to be seeing each other for the rest of eternity, aren't we?" He slung his ginormous arm around my shoulders, blanketing me in icy, cold air.

Gosh, it's colder than ice.

"So whadda ya say? Will you sing karaoke with me? I'll prove I'm not as 'big bad wolf' as I seem. We only have so long before Alec returns from his trip to India. I like to get a good session in," he added. I awkwardly moved out of the embrace.

"I'm not in a singing mood," I said coldly. "It's pretty much what got me here. So, no thank you."

This wasn't my life anymore, and I had no control over it. Everything was spiraling down like a hijacked plane, and I could do nothing but watch it crash and burn.

I walked out of the room, leaving a silent Felix. He didn't try to stop me.

~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~

Four days.

Four days had passed since David's transformation, marking off my first week here, and I hadn't seen him at all. I was told that he woke up, but I wasn't allowed to see him. Heidi would inform me every so often about him, since Alec strove to do just the opposite. Four days ago, he took me into town since Aro decided that I deserved some fresh air.

We didn't speak to each other, resulting in a silent trip. He only spoke to ask me if I was hungry, which I declined. When he came back from his mission a couple days after my conversation with Felix, he seemed a little happier than when he left.

But, not enough to make him stop hating me. Not even close.

The rest of the week dragged on with venom-filled words from him. He kept saying I was in the way, or I was too slow, or that I would never make it as a Volturi member. I stopped listening to it altogether, and decided to try and just be civil with him. We were in town again today, and I planned to cut my hair off. Aro didn't want to risk anyone recognizing me, should my brother should still be here.

"You do need to cut your hair, you know," Alec said nonchalantly. "Your ends are wretched, and that look doesn't suit you."

"Thanks," I said carelessly, looking at the world through a pair of sunglasses. I didn't know if he meant it or not, but I knew my hair was fine. It was considerably long, spilling over my chest in waves.

I decided that if I didn't offer Alec a reaction, he wouldn't keep trying to induce one. Apparently, it didn't work, for he kept doing it no matter how I reacted. I just pretended that I didn't care, though.

I didn't care when he threw my mattress off the bed frame to wake me up. I didn't care when he gripped my arm too tight and left bruises. I was too unhappy, and I was worried for David. I would find some way to see him; they couldn't keep me from seeing him forever. Aro said it was just until he had his thirst under control. I wondered then if he would try to eat me, despite our friendship. I shuddered internally.

Alec stayed in the shade, wearing his own pair pf sunglasses and normal clothes. He looked strangely human, just like at the club, aside from his pallor.

"I do not approve of your responses," he said with warning. I stopped dead in my tracks, and looked at him. I stuck my hands in my pockets and just looked at him patiently.

"What do you want me to say?" I said calmly. "I already told you. I don't care what you say to me. Call me any bad name in the book, and I won't care. I know you hate my guts, and that's fine. You're not the first person to ever hate me. But, I don't want to argue with you anymore. How I react to you is how I would react to any other person who wants to bully me."

I was pulled into the shade with him, then. He had to use a human pace since people were around. He got so close to my face that our noses were practically touching. His cold grip on my arm was always in the same place so the bruises would overlap. I could smell him again.

"You would be dead already if it wasn't for Aro," he seethed lowly. "Do not cross me again, or things will get much worse. I can very easily find your dear brother if it comes down to that. You wouldn't like that very much, would you?" He smiled evilly, the tips of his pearly white teeth starting to show through his full lips.

He wouldn't. Wouldn't that count as exposure? My heart thumped in my chest at the possibility of him finding my brother. I didn't even know if he was still here or in the United States.

Don't let him get to you, don't let him get to you, don't let him get to you.

"Find him, then," I challenged. "No amount of bruises or hurtful words can hurt me as much as I already am. Are you going to threaten to kill me next? Do that, too, then. I know you want to, so really, go ahead. Kill me. You'd be doing me a favor by reuniting us."

He released my arm and took his sunglasses off, his jaw set. His eyes were disguised with blue contacts, making them look a vibrant purple. His narrowed gaze pierced through me, searching my face, looking for something I couldn't see.

"You defy me, human," he said after a minute. "You are only fooling yourself if you think that I believe you." His fingers brushed against my cheek and he leaned in close again. His breath was as cold as a bitter winter's wind, but smelled just as delicious as his skin. I think my head swirled for a minute. Focus.

I took the chance, and pushed his hand away. He didn't mean it; he wouldn't do it. Or, at least, that's what I tried to tell myself as I turned on my heel and headed toward the hair salon. I didn't wait for him, and went inside as fast as I could.

"Ciao, benvenuto! Come posso aiutarla?" a woman asked. Her rich brown hair was curled and she was tall from wearing pumps. She had a nice light tan and glistening brown eyes. I stepped up to her at the desk.

"Er, do you speak English?" I asked, taking my sunglasses off.

"Oh! Yes!" she said, looking me over with excitement. "You are from America?"

I glanced out of the shop to check if Alec had followed me. I didn't see him anywhere.

"Yes I am," I said, smiling at her. "And I'd like to get my hair cut."

"Ah, si, si! We would love to! You have gorgeous hair. Color is very beautiful!" She said, ruffling the ends of my hair and marveling at it.

"It's okay, Marcella, I have an open seat," another girl called. I looked toward the voice, which wasn't heavily accented like Marcella's. She was brushing the chair off with what looked like a handheld broom.

"But, it's almost your lunch," Marcella replied worriedly, tapping her watch with her nail.

"I've got time for one more."

"Ah, fine, fine," Marcella said, throwing her arms up. She smiled at me. "Tara will do your hair, yes? Come, come." She motioned me with her hands, the bracelets on her wrists dangling. I complied, settling myself in the chair.

"Hi, how are you today?" Tara asked sweetly, clipping the hair sheet around my neck and pulling my hair out of it.

"I'm good, how are you?" I returned politely, lying straight through my teeth. Being good was the farthest thing from my mind right now. I was shattered, sad, hurt, and scared.

"Great," she replied happily, running her fingers through the length of my hair. "What would you like to do with your hair?"

I told her what to do with it, and she nodded, getting to work. My heart pounded, feeling anxious about the change. I was so used to my hair being long; I wasn't sure how I would fare with it being so short.

"So, what brings you here to Italy?" Tara asked curiously. "School trip, vacation, move?"

"Yeah, just vacation," I lied. I didn't know how many people knew I was "missing" or if they even knew at all. "I didn't have time to get my haircut before I left home."

"I see," she said politely. "How long are you visiting here? That must be exciting for you!" I felt my hair slip away as she snipped at it.

I don't know. Eternity?

"Only a couple of weeks," I lied again. I looked at her face in the mirror. She was concentrating on my hair, but looked thoughtful. A bell chimed, and I saw her look toward the entrance.

"Hello," she called out distantly in greeting, then concentrated back on cutting my hair. She came around to the front and measured off my hair to the desired length before cutting it too.

"Ciao, bella!" a man's voice called before Marcella tended to him. I peeked at the man through the mirror. His hair was really curly, and a shocking golden blonde. His skin was tan, and his jaw looked strong. He looked like an Italian meets surfer boy, very handsome.

I wondered where Alec was, then, speaking of handsome. I appreciated the privacy, but what would he do while I'm just sitting here? Was he listening to my conversation with Tara?

"How has your visit been so far?" Tara asked, interrupting me from my thoughts. "Two weeks is a long vacation for this place."

"It is," I agreed. "It's been really amazing. Are you from Italy?"

"I moved here when I was little," she replied. "I was too young to remember, but Italy is home to me. I'll return to America someday, but I have someone here who needs me."

I nodded in understanding. Might as well shoot the breeze, since I'll never be able to do it again with the outside world.

"Where are you originally from?" I asked, soaking myself into the conversation, trying to feel normal.

"New York," she laughed. "I've gone back and visited my family there many times, but have always stayed here. It's been a while since I have seen them. What about you?"

I hesitated; I shouldn't be answering questions like this.

Well...honestly, it's not like anyone is ever going to see me again, anyway. Might as well leave my mark here.

"Oklahoma," I said slowly, the word leaving an empty feeling inside me. I missed home, my small town.

"Oh, this a far way from home," she commented. "What hotel are you staying at? The big one just outside of town square is the best. They've got the best room service, even a penthouse. It was almost blocked off because of some spontaneous concert."

"A...friend is letting us stay with him," I answered, sounding so wrong to myself, so foreign as I inwardly panicked. "His place is pretty big."

"Bigger than that castle with the huge clock tower on it?" she asked, poising a brow. "Because there's not many houses here that are even half the size of it. It's the biggest building in this city."

My stomach dropped at the mention of the castle; I didn't want to go back there. I knew I could run away, being this free right now. I knew I could run from Alec; there were too many witnesses around for him to go full vampire on me.

But, I couldn't without David. As tempting as it was, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I pulled something so selfish.

"Not that big," I squeaked. "Bigger than a hotel room, though. That's why it's so big to me."

"Hmm," she hummed with a nod, ruffling her fingers through my now short hair. "You have a good friend."

Yeah, except he's not really my friend; he's a bloodthirsty vampire who has to resist the urge to kill me because my blood is just too much for him. Oh, and he hates me.

"Any boys caught your eye?" she asked when I didn't respond.

No...more like, I was literally caught by a boy.

"Erm, no," I said shyly. "I'm not into the dating scene. I'm not that kind of person."

"You're not missing out," she informed me. "The boys here are...not what you'd think."

Her voice took a cryptic turn, making me glance at her in the mirror. She glanced at me, too, before ruffling her fingers through my hair.

"How does it look? Do you like it? I think it suits you," She smiled satisfactorily, her words ringing the opposite of Alec's.

I avoided looking at myself in the mirror until now. I let my eyes roam over my newly cut hair, in shock at how the girl in the mirror looked. My hair now barely brushed my shoulders, the layers adding needed texture and body. It was so different, so new; I felt a mix of awe and uneasiness, surprised at how good it actually looked on me. I looked at least a few years older than my actual age. Tara had been right; it did suit me.

"Wow," I choked, barely able to speak. She giggled, rubbing some product in her palm before scrunching and rubbing it through my hair.

"I knew you'd love it. This brings out the waves and smooths any frizz," she added. "I'd say you look like a new woman."

She removed the sheet from around my neck and made her way to the front, while I couldn't stop gaping at myself. I checked my pocket for the leftover money Robert had given us, and counted how much I had.

Robert. I wondered if he knew about this, or even cared, if so. He could have already been on his way back to the States, so it wasn't possible. I mean, even if he did know, he couldn't really do anything about it.

Getting too caught up in my thoughts and counting the money resulted in me colliding with someone else.

"Oh, gosh, sorry," I apologized, my head snapping back. It was the handsome, surfer Italian guy.

"No worries. It was my mistake, love," he replied in his cheery Italian accent. "My apologies."

I smiled in return and counted the rest of my money.

"Ten euros, please," Ella said. I took out a pink colored bill with a big "10" on it and gave it to her. She smiled and took it, putting it in the register. "Thanks, sweetie. I hope you enjoy the rest of your trip. It was nice to meet you."

"Thanks. You, too," I replied sincerely; it had actually been nice to talk to someone who wasn't a vampire.

I put my sunglasses back on, exiting the salon. I looked around for any sight of Alec, and came up empty. Before we left, he told me that he was taking me to eat, and wouldn't let me refuse. I had absolutely zero clue as to where he was taking me. I internally shrugged, and descended down the cobblestone sidewalk, looking through the windows of various shops.

"You went for a masculine look, I see," came a voice in my ear, and I jumped, my hand flying to my chest. I turned around to meet Alec, who laughed at my reaction.

Crap, it was a nice laugh; smooth, perfect, deep and...boyish. It made him look like the complete opposite of his cold, rigid demeanor. He looked normal for a moment.

"No," I mumbled, removing my hand from my chest. "That's not funny, either."

His laughter stopped abruptly, and his face was serious again.

"On the contrary, human, I find myself laughing at your hideous choice in hairstyle. It's simply atrocious," he said seriously, moving past me. His smell breezed across my nose and I had to stop myself from breathing it in deeply. He radiated cold, despite the September warmth. I followed him, ignoring his comments about my hair.

"You've made it clear enough that you hate me," I pointed out, walking beside him. "You don't have to keep implying it. I get the point."

"You do not understand anything. You do not understand how powerful the Volturi is, and how gracious Aro is being with you for rejecting him. You do not understand how easily I could kill you, or how easily I could kill anyone you love. You do not understand that if you keep behaving the way you are, I will not hold back in punishing you," he said coldly, stopping to lean close to my face like before. "We do not enjoy your company. I do not enjoy your company. My sister does not enjoy your company. Defy my words, and I will make sure you never see David. Do I make myself clear, human?"

My heart thudded at his acidic tone and the amount of malice it held. He really meant it.

Keep calm.

I remembered that he called me ignorant for defying him, and, well, with him throwing David into the mix, I couldn't do anything but go with it. I nodded silently, letting the rest of his words roll off my back. I tried to remember Felix's assurance that Alec would get over this soon.

"Good. This way, then." He turned, and we continued on to the restaurant. He opened the door for me, and the smell of all kinds of Italian food filled my nose. It smelled good, but my heart was still thudding from his threat. But threats and promises were two different things. With Alec, they seemed to be the same.

"Ciao, quanti?" a waitress asked from the podium. She didn't look a day over twenty, and was eyeing Alec in the worst way. She unabashedly looked him over, smiling flirtatiously.

"Due," he replied smoothly in Italian. He could pull an accent off easily. However old he was, I assumed he knew many languages. He's been alive far longer than my grandparents' grandparents have been, I was sure.

"Si, si," she replied, and showed us to our table, swinging her hips on purpose as she walked. I glanced at him for a moment; if he noticed what she was doing at all, he didn't seem interested. In fact, he looked sort of annoyed at her. She put our menus on the table and kept her eyes on him the whole time.

"Is this all right?" she asked in Italian, pulling her bottom lip between her pretty, straight teeth.

I instantly felt insecure; I hadn't looked at her close enough before, but she was really pretty. Alec might not have thought so, but I did. Styled, curly, chocolate brown hair clipped back halfway with her makeup intricately done. She wasn't wearing too much, but it enhanced her beauty enough to make her eye candy herself. Her lips were glossy and rosy as they stayed trapped between her teeth.

"Yes, thank you," he replied back tonelessly, simply sitting down in his seat. I followed suit, pushing my sunglasses on top of my head.

"Please let me know if you need anything," she said seductively, leaning down; her cleavage was more than noticeable. Alec removed his sunglasses and looked her in the eyes with a charming smile back.

"Si, lo farò," he said smoothly. I tore my eyes away from them and read my menu, looking over the choices. Pastas, pizzas, antipasto, breads, soups. I quickly decided on soup to make it simple.

"I hope you don't plan on keeping me here for an hour," he said seriously. I looked up, and the woman was gone. I set my menu down and met his eyes, which were starting to show some crimson around the edges. His contacts were making his eyes a light lavender now.

"I already picked," I said. "And you wouldn't let me have a say in coming here, so it's actually not my fault. Your contacts are fading, by the way." I sat back in my seat, folding my arms.

"Do you want to repeat what you just said, human?" he asked threateningly, raising an eyebrow. Our waitress appeared, saving me for a moment. Her eyes widened hungrily at the sight of Alec, and she fluffed her hair.

"Hello, my name is Natalia. I'll be your waitress today. Can I start you off with a drink?" she asked in Italian, keeping her eyes on him. He looked to me expectantly, his expression still hard.

"Water," I said flatly. He raised an eyebrow at me, but looked to her and gave my order. Her smile grew as she asked him something else. He replied disinterestedly and gave his menu back to her, including mine.

"I assume you know what you want," he stated to me.

"Minestrone," I said. He told her in Italian, never taking his eyes off me. She glanced at me, looking me over quickly with a disgusted look, and snatched the menus out of his hand. She mumbled something in Italian before storming off. He smirked and slowly stood up from his seat.

"I'm going to change my contacts," he said. "Don't move an inch."

He left then, leaving me alone. The slight devious side of me was saying to make a run for the entrance as soon as he was out of sight, but I held David soundly in mind. I looked around the restaurant, wondering if anyone recognized me. My eyes prickled with tears; I missed my brother. He was the person I was closest to besides David. I once considered us twins, because we were so close. Now we were all split up. I didn't know where he was, and it hurt me further to not know. If this was fate's plan for us, I knew somewhere that fate wouldn't have us separated forever. I had to see my brother again, didn't I? I wasn't damned completely to immortality, was I?

The waitress came back with my water and my soup, setting it down a little harshly.

"Where's your friend?" she asked with a heavy accent, seemingly annoyed by the fact that I spoke English.

"The bathroom," I said, starting on my soup, fighting a smile. It was really good; I had only had a frozen form of minestrone once, and it was never as close as this. The chicken was moist, the vegetables and pasta were fresh, and the broth was fantastic. It comforted me in a way.

She turned away with disappointment, leaving me to my soup. I was on my fourth spoonful when Alec came back, his eyes a deep violet again.

"You're practically drinking your soup," he said, sitting down. I swallowed and took a drink of my water.

"Thanks for the info," I said, placing my glass down and switching it for my spoon again.

"Human," he said. I looked at him.

"Yes?" I said. His eyes were starting to show red at the edges again as they burned with anger. I was starting to become immune to it, although I'd hate to remind him of his contacts again.

"You're so very close to getting something worse than bruises," he warned.

"I don't understand why we can't just be civil," I said, putting my spoon down. He scoffed at my statement and rolled his eyes.

"We are not friends, human," he spat the word with venom in his voice. "I am above you and I always will be. You do what I tell you and you will do it."

"There's a difference between being friends and being civil," I stated. "I never said we were friends. I'm just asking for this to stop."

"If I cared at all, human, I would be listening to you," he said. "Do not speak another word."

I remembered that Felix told me Alec didn't like to show his feelings, hence his gift, but I still believed he was capable of human emotions just like anyone else. He just didn't want to show it. I was about to add something, when someone beat me to it.

"Ciao, bella!" a slightly familiar voice sang in Italian, coming closer to our table. I looked toward the sound, and handsome, Italian surfer dude was heading towards us. He stopped at our table, grinning with excitement. "We meet again!"

"Oh, hi," I replied tentatively, slowly. I was actually sort of glad he was here, but the interaction wasn't helping my case with Alec around.

"I wanted to ask you, bambina. You performed at the club, si? I was wondering if I could have an autograph. I almost forgot," he said apologetically, taking out a pen with a bright smile.I froze; no one ever asked me for my autograph before, and Alec definitely didn't count. I never thought about people asking me.

"Oh, um, I don't..." I started, at a loss for words, until I looked into his eyes; his swirling, ocean blue, crystal clear eyes that implored me, but also seemed slightly familiar. The more I looked at him, the more I started to question if I'd seen him somewhere before today.

"Okay," I conceded, taking the pen from his hand. He pulled out a notepad, which I also took.

God, what the heck am I doing? Alec's totally going to kill me for this, but I'd feel so rude for saying no.

With my eyes on the blank, white paper, I realized I could write anything I wanted. A phone number. A message. A cry for help. A secret code to somehow let him know I was in danger.

"Who am I making this out to?" I asked, clicking the pen, debating on whether to go through with my plan or not. Guess I'd find out.

"My name is Manny, but my sister is named Cassie," he said, smiling sheepishly as my heart stopped. "She went shopping, but she would have my head if I didn't get her an autograph from you." He laughed at himself, while a smile was frozen on my face, and I couldn't find it in me to laugh.

Coulditbecoulditbecoulditbecoulditbe?

Could it be the Cassie I'm thinking of? No, it can't be. There's only one Cassie, and she couldn't possibly know where I am right now. This guy's a total stranger, there's no way they know each other.

My hand moved robotically across the paper, writing a thank you message for enjoying the show and writing their respective names. But, while writing the A's in their names, I capitalized them, a nod to Cassie's text. I knew I was crazy for possibly considering that this could be the same Cassie that was searching for me, but I had to try. I wasn't at the castle, so she could know I was out and about, at least. At the bottom, I scribbled my name before handing the items back to him.

"There you go," I said, smiling at him. He turned my hand over and planted a kiss on it, before thanking me. It surprised me and a blush rose to my cheeks again. I thought I heard a strange noise come from Alec, but with the way my mind was reeling, I'd probably only imagined it.

"Thank you so much, bella. Have a lovely day. I hope to see you again, eh?" he said, meeting my eyes one last time before giving me a wink. He glanced at Alec, greeting and thanking him shortly before departing. When he was far enough away, Alec spoke.

"Are you out of your mind?" Alec growled. "You should not have done that. You have completely exposed yourself, and me. Do you know what you've done?"

He was saying more, but I couldn't hear him, because my eyes landed on someone else far behind him.

Oh God, no. Can it be?

He was standing at a table almost halfway across the room, pointing to something on his phone to a young couple. He looked worried and sleepless and his clothes were rumpled along with his unkempt hair.

Oh, dear brother. My brother.

My heart ached and flooded with relief at the same time, tears springing in my eyes. My mind screamed to run to him and wave my arms like a mad man. I wanted to hug him. I wanted to run over there and tell him I was okay. I wanted to tell him that I missed him. I wanted to beg him to get me out of here. I wanted to run right out of that door with my brother, and never look back.

But, I couldn't. I couldn't even find it in me to blink back the tears as I interrupted Alec.

"We have to go," I said hurriedly, choking on a sob. I rose from my seat, my eyes glued to my brother. "Now."

He followed my eyes, and rose from his seat quickly, reaching into his pocket. He looked at me, his face hard.

"Out the door, now," he ordered darkly.

I'm sorry, brother. God, I'm sorry. Forgive me. I love you.

I did what he said, my feet feeling like lead weights. I looked back at my brother one more time before going out into the September heat. His face broke my heart; he looked so heartbroken, lost, worried, and exhausted. I kept moving my feet, getting further away from the restaurant, realizing that may have been the last time I ever see my brother again.

"This way," I heard from beside me. Alec took my arm, and led me into an alley way.

"Get on my back," he commanded, bending down. I hesitated at first, but complied and did what he said, though it felt strange. I had never been this close to him, or even touched him. He was always the one touching me by grabbing my arm and such. He was so cold as I held onto his shoulders and he held my legs up. It was like taking a piggy back ride from an icicle.

"Close your eyes if you don't want to get sick," he warned, before we started flying. Or at least, it felt like flying. Colors blurred past us, and I couldn't make out the forms of any building or tree. The warm wind was making my hair fly gently in the air. It was all moving so fast, and I took his word on closing my eyes. I didn't know how much time passed before we stopped moving.

And, instead of warning me, he simply shrugged me off harshly, causing me to fall to the ground. I opened my eyes, seeing dim glow above me; a lit hallway that I recognized as the castle.

"Get up," Alec snarled impatiently, lifting me by the arm. I grimaced as he pulled us down the hall, still in shock from seeing my brother. I couldn't believe it was him. He should be eating and sleeping, not worrying for me. I noticed he was by himself, too. Where was Cassie? Where was Ned? Were they helping at all? Did they just leave him?

My head was spinning, my heart was racing, and my arm was probably hurting from Alec's grip. Except, my body was buzzing with adrenaline, so I couldn't feel any pain. I tried to keep my composure as we went toward the throne room. Alec barely pushed the heavy, wooden doors open with his hand, revealing Aro dressed head to toe in a black suit, while Caius and Marcus wore their robes.

"Ah, our dear ones have returned," Aro announced, bringing his hands together. "Ah, your hair looks marvelous, dear. What a change!" He rose from his seat. Alec stopped a few feet from him, releasing me, and bowed his head.

"Master," he greeted quietly. I rubbed my arm where his grip left an impossible chill, and glanced at it for good measure. Visible bluish, purplish imprints of his hand encircled the top of my arm. Aro looked to me and then Alec.

"I do trust you took care of her per my request," he stated, gazing at my arm. "Her heart is beating quite rapidly. What is the cause of this?"

Alec held out his hand to Aro, who covered his hand and stared blankly at nothing. His expression turned amused, then hard. He looked at Alec a bit sternly before glancing at me.

"Oh dear, that is quite a problem," he spoke slowly. He held out his hand to me, and I knew what he wanted. "My dear, may I see the extent of this unfortunate happenstance?"

"No." I said calmly, despite my buzzing insides. I was only doing it to gain his trust. I would never trust Aro; my gut always twisted when I was around him. I could certainly pretend to grow to like this place, and Aro himself.

"It all happened so fast...I don't remember what happened, exactly," I lied, pulling a pained expression so he'd try and focus on my arm instead.

His hand retreated, and his eyes narrowed a little. He was clearly disappointed, but nodded his head once, glancing at said arm.

"Yes, of course. You have had quite the start," he hissed slowly, the way a snake would, but without the malice. "I do wonder what to do with your dear brother. You are quite close with him, aren't you? As much as your friend David."

I didn't reply; I knew he was trying to get into my head. If Aro wanted satisfaction, he wouldn't get it.

"Answer, you fool!" Caius roared at me, the permanent scowl on his face.

"Caius," Aro soothed, studying me. "Please, the girl has had enough grief. May I see your arm, my dear?" He pointed to my right arm. That, I would do. I stepped forward, lifting my arm for him to see. His creepy, papery fingers ghosted over the bruises. I tried to swallow down the bile that wanted to come up from him touching me; he did not give me good vibes at all.

"Alec," Aro sighed sadly, lifting his eyes to Alec behind me. "My dear son, I gave you specific instructions. She is inherently valuable to us. Do keep her in well conditions. You must remember her fragility."

"Master," he answered softly, sounding inferior for once. "I apologize for my actions and my behavior."

"I'm okay, really," I assured Aro in a dull, dead voice, refusing to look at him. I wanted him to stop touching me, now. "I have a pretty good pain tolerance, so it's not a big deal."

"Alec, please stay for a moment," Aro instructed, his eyes on me. "I would like to discuss your behavior. Demetri." He snapped his fingers, finally releasing me, and I heard the throne doors open.

Thank God.

"Master?" Demetri responded, immediately in place between Alec and me.

"Please take Cheyenne to her room, and provide treatment for her injuries," he said. I stepped toward Demetri, putting as much space between Aro and me as possible.

"Yes, Master. This way, love," Demetri said, turning on his heel toward the exit. I happily followed him, but Aro's words stopped me from going any further.

"I do apologize deeply for your injuries," Aro called after me. "I do hope you will forgive our dear Alec."

I turned my head and looked at Alec himself, who looked right back at me. His face was blank and emotionless as always, and his contacts were completely dissolved; yet, he did something that surprised me.

He smiled. He smiled, and it was beautiful. He looked almost human, but I knew better.Between his growl at the restaurant, his anger, and his close proximity from our conversation before my haircut, I couldn't tell if it was genuine. I chose civility; I couldn't give him satisfaction by calling him out right in front of Aro.

"Sure," I responded dismissively, before following Demetri out of the room. Once the heavy iron doors shut, he spoke.

"You are one brave human," he mused. "I'm surprised Aro hasn't issued a punishment for you. Not even Jane speaks to him that way. Or to Alec."

Demetri and I were slowly becoming friends. We didn't talk much, but I had forgiven him for biting David. Felix would still beg me to sing karaoke with them, which I still declined. Music had become dead to me since I've been here, but I would occasionally hum in the shower. Alec hated me singing due to my supposed gift, and I didn't want everyone to gather around me when I did sing. How embarrassing.

"I'm already punished," I replied grimly. I could feel the adrenaline subsiding within me, and fatigue began to take its place. The familiar ache in my arm throbbed, eliciting me to instinctively wrap my hand around it.

"It will get easier," he promised. "You will have Alec for the rest of eternity. That's a long while to become friends. Or more so than." He smiled suggestively. Demetri was the innuendo type, which I didn't particularly like, but he wasn't mean to me. So, I was willing to ignore his lewd side for that.

"The day I become friends or 'more so than' with Alec is the day you marry Heidi," I said. He may be a charmer, but Felix told me he was too chicken to become anything more than physically beneficial to Heidi. I was thankful that I hadn't heard any of their...activities.

Demetri halted his descent up the stairs, and I stopped a step above him.

"That's a low blow, human."

"Forgive me," I said wearily, taking the last steps up. I went straight to my bedroom with Demetri following me, and dragged myself into bed.

"I will return with some ice," was all he said before I heard the door close, and the world faded around me.

A'ighttt, this rewrite is donneeee. Yes, i've changed quite a few things in this story, but that's why I wanted you all to go back and re-read. What was up with Italian surfer dude? Do you think it was just a coincidence that his sister's name is Cassie? Do you think Cheyenne's attempts will bear any fruit?