CPOV

"Block!" Felix commanded, swinging at me again. He wasn't using full strength at all; in fact, I'm sure he was using only a minuscule amount of his strength just to match a human's strength.

We'd been practicing for an hour, and my entire body was on fire. And sweating. He taught me punches, kicks, rolls, blocks, throws, and even flips. He supported me fully when teaching me the flips, but he said those would take longer for me to learn. My abdomen was twisting with nausea, a common sign that I wasn't quite as in shape as I thought. Felix apologized for "forgetting to feed me", and allowed me to have a light breakfast. That was when I met Ray for the second time.

"Ray," Felix commanded, storming into the kitchen with me in tow. "I need you to prepare breakfast for our guest, and quick. Something requires little to no cooking would be preferable. I will return in thirty minutes."

I sat down at the island as Ray turned from the stove.

"Yes, sir," he replied. "What's up, Cheyenne?" He went to the refrigerator and pulled out a few things. Yogurt, and a few different kinds of berries.

"Oh, you know. Living in a castle with a bunch of vampires that ruined my life. What are you making?" I asked casually.

"Well, since he doesn't want me to cook, I'm making you a fruit and yogurt parfait," he said, retrieving some granola from the pantry next. "Hope that's all right." .

"That's great," I approved. "I love parfaits."

"So, why the urgency for you to eat so fast?" he asked warily, preparing said parfait.

"I'm being trained," I said, watching him work.

"Like, fighting?" he asked confusedly, pausing, strawberry in mid-air. "What the hell for?"

"I don't know," I said quietly, shrugging. "I have to do what they say."

"Why would they teach you to fight when you're still human? Doesn't make sense to-"

He lowered his arm, his face covered in disbelief.

"Are they turning you into one of them?"

"I don't have a say in it," I said, looking at my nails on my folded hands. "David is a vampire. So I have to be one, too."

"That's just God damn ridiculous!" he exclaimed. "What the hell? I thought you were a worker like the secretary woman. Gianna." He went back to spooning equal parts of yogurt and granola into the bowl.

"He wants me to join them. The Volturi," I said flatly. It sent chills down my spine to think about it. I couldn't think about punishing other vampires and killing them. It wasn't in me. I didn't know how far I could go with pretending to like Aro. I promised myself right then, that I would never kill anyone, no matter what.

"I suspected that," he said ruefully. "I'm hearing all this talk about a song performance from you. Aro wants everyone to be impressed with you." He shook his head, and I knew what he meant: Aro was out of his mind.

"I know," I mumbled, thinking about it. I would be in front of a crowd like an endangered species. I was Aro's shiny new toy, a new piece to his collection, and it was sickening.

"What about you?" I asked. "Are you going to be a vampire, too?"

He laughed out loud bitterly, and shook his head.

"I don't want to," he said. "They either kill me, or I kill me. But I keep myself alive, because of my girlfriend Sophie. I would like to marry her someday." He sounded hopeful, but unsure if it would really happen.

"Why don't you?" I asked, looking at him. "You don't live here like I do. How did you even get this job?"

He pressed his lips into a line, making his long mustache meet the beard that covered his face.

"It's not that easy," he began, topping the dish with more berries. "You've been here long enough to know that once you know about vampires, you're trapped for life. I may live outside this castle, but I don't exactly have freedom either."

"You want to go back to the States," I stated.

"I didn't know what I was getting myself into, until I heard people screaming one night," he explained sadly, setting the bowl in front of me. "If I hadn't passed by that room, I wouldn't be here. I wasn't going to work here forever. Italy's nice, but my family is back home. And Sophie doesn't even know." He turned to grab some orange juice from the fridge. I held an immense amount of empathy for him; his story was nearly identical to mine. If David hadn't gone on the tour, if I hadn't followed him...if we hadn't done those things, we wouldn't be here. If we had never set foot in Volterra, we would all be together.

"My brother doesn't know," I said quietly. "He thinks I'm dead."

He stopped mid-pour as we looked at each other. His brown eyes shone with sadness and disbelief, and I knew we weren't just two people who stumbled here on accident.

We were slaves.

"Now throw," he ordered. I grabbed his arm and turned forward, using the throwing motion he taught me, and he rolled by himself. He looked at me, seemingly impressed.

"Good," he praised. "You're a quick learner. Do you have experience with combat?" He stood swiftly, as I attempted to catch my breath and sank to my knees.

"All right, all right, fine, no more today," he said, crossing the room. "But you still gotta sing karaoke with us."

He was by my side in a flash, towel in hand. I took it, and wiped the sweat off of my face. I felt demolished, and I knew I wouldn't be able to move the next day. He made me put all my strength into the punches and kicks and throws. All of my muscles were just screaming in protest and crying for a break.

"I will sing karaoke with you," I panted. "But I have to practice the song Aro gave me first." Felix plucked me up from the floor, slinging his huge arm around me.

"Right," he said seriously. "Aro will be checking on you, believe it or not. He'll be down in an hour, if my calculations are correct. You must hurry if you don't want to get in trouble."

He threw me onto his back, and ran me all the way back to my room.

~~~~~S~~~~~

When I stepped into the soundproofed room, which was a floor above the training room, I noticed the huge, sleek piano in the middle of the room. It looked brand new, as if it was newly purchased. The room was too big for just one person; it was twice the size of the penthouse we stayed in. A crystal chandelier hung from the extremely high ceiling and lit up the room with a glittering radiance.

"I'll be back soon," Felix said, and shut the door, leaving me alone.

I slowly sat myself down at the piano, the conditioned response of not being able to sing stuck in my muscles. It had been a week since I performed, but I felt the buzzing and the urging to play to get all of my emotions out. Usually, I'd never go a day without singing or playing an instrument. I enjoyed it so much, that it just had to be part of my daily routine.

One of the things I needed most was right in front of me, and I wanted nothing more than to belt out every lyric that mirrored my feelings. As my mind thawed out and realized I could actually be free, be myself here, my fingers immediately took their place on the keys, where they belonged. They moved on their own accord, playing a melancholy, angry, almost sarcastic tune. I let myself feel everything.

How much I missed my brother. How heartbreaking it was to me that he thought I was dead, when I was clearly alive. How I was forever trapped in this castle with human-eating vampires, and would never be released. How I would someday have to face the fact that my brother and mother would die, and I would still be alive. How I would never reunite with my dad someday, wherever you go. How I would have to be with Alec forever while he tolerated me. How I would live with the fact that the only person I would have is David. How I even got here. I opened my mouth, my voice scratching the lyrics out angrily, loudly, bitterly.

I've been floating on a dark wave

Don't want nobody to come rescue me

No direction in mind; I'm just killing time

I give my body to the riptide

Maybe it'll put me back to sleep

It was the last thing I had

Now I can't get it back

There's war inside my mind

But I'm the only one who fights

And I get lost here every night

I'm just trying to survive

I heard another voice, then. A voice that harmonized with mine. A voice that I recognized so clearly, that I thought I was imagining it. I whipped my head around, and my eyes found him for the first time in what felt like forever. There stood my best friend in his all his vampire glory. But he didn't look the same. My voice broke off immediately, as I was stunned into silence.

David looked more defined than he did as a human. His tan was replaced with ivory skin, and his face was chiseled with strong lines. His lips were still thin, but definitely fuller than before, and they held a darker, paler pink, compared to the flush pink mine did. The light brown eyes I grew up knowing were replaced with the same bright, frightening crimson as everyone else's. The light reflected hints of brown and gold in his hair. His body was seemingly built with more muscle; not bulky, but he wasn't so lean anymore, either.

As my old emotions left, new ones replaced them. Relief. Happiness. Horror. Sadness.

I dropped my hands from the piano keys, as he carefully, gracefully sat beside me. It was so strange to see him move that way; his human movements were so lax and careless, but now he moved with as much agility and grace as Alec himself.

I looked up at him, and my resolve broke. Without thinking, I flung my arms around him, sobbing into his shoulder. His body was no longer warm; it was replaced with a cursed chill and rock hard exterior. I couldn't feel a heart beat from his chest through his shirt; I felt nothing at all. He was no longer human, and he never would be. He was forever frozen at twenty one while I would stay nineteen. He also smelled different from everyone else. While Felix smelled like pine trees, and Alec smelled like berries, David smelled like honey. Melting honey, almost, and I couldn't help but think it fit him. His smell was the warmest thing about him now. It was sweet, but not sickly. It was the smell of a friend; comforting. It was so bittersweet to see him like this. I was angry at myself because he was changed into this. He didn't deserve this. At the same time, it was comforting to see a familiar face...sort of.

"Don't cry, dudette," he begged with restrain. He sounded like he wanted to cry, but it wasn't happening. His voice was almost as beautiful as Alec's. Almost. It was new to me, but it didn't make my heart skip like Alec's did. David's new voice flowed out smooth, like a hard liquor, and even sounded a bit deeper. Where his human voice was naturally rough and used from singing so much rock music, his new voice seemed to carry so easily and melodically. My heart raced with relief, soaking in his presence. Even though he was no longer human, or warm, he was still the same old David to me.

"God, I missed you," he added, his voice thick with emotion.

"Where have you been? What has Aro been doing to you?" I said through my tears. "I was worried to death."

"I had to control myself. He wouldn't let me leave," he said regretfully. "He said it wasn't safe for you. Jane's one tough bitch, though. Thank God her gift or whatever doesn't work on you. She's the only one who's been doing anything to me."

His body grew tense while he answered. I pulled back, studying his face. I forgot that he could now smell me in a different way. He could hear my heart beat. He could smell my blood. And he could also kill me, but I knew he wouldn't. If he came down here, he must have enough control to be around me. His cold thumbs wiped away my tears and the chill startled me. I could tell that he was struggling with me being so close, so I put some space between us. His face was stern.

"Did they hurt you? What did they do while I was gone? Who took care of you? Do they feed you? Oh, God, you don't wanna know how freaking disgusting food smells to me now-" he rambled, and it made me glad to see that he was still the same old David.

"No," I said, shaking my head. "I'm fine. There's a chef here to feed me. Alec is my bodyguard, so he's the one that watches me. But, Felix watches me when he's..." I trailed off, seeing his eyes frozen on my arm. I've seen David angry before, but his new, vampire self looked absolutely murderous.

He brushed his hand over it, a feral, unnatural sound ripping from his throat. The bruises Alec left were purple and blue, but they weren't that dark. They looked like mere shadows to the human eye.

"What the fuck did he do to you?" he roared. "That doesn't look like he took care of you!"

"It doesn't matter," I said, cringing visibly at his anger. "He doesn't do it anymore."

"Like hell he will! Where the fuck is he? I'm going to destroy-"

"You're gonna get in trouble for being in here. This room is soundproof, how did you get in here?" I interrupted, his attitude genuinely frightening me. He couldn't have heard me singing if the door was closed. And, if it wasn't as soundproof as Aro thought, then the entire clan would be here.

His crimson eyes searched my face, possibly sensing my fear, and visibly relaxed, though it seemed a little forced.

"I smelled you," he answered tensely. "I just followed it like an instinct. But once I could hear you...It's so weird being a vampire, dudette. I mean, turning into one..." He paused, shuddering, his eyes closing. I could see his dark gold lashes almost touch the hollows of his eyes.

"God, it was the worst pain I ever felt. It was like being set on fucking fire, ripped apart, dipped in lava, and hit by a million semis all at once. I couldn't even move, and it wouldn't stop, it just kept getting worse. But then, when you wake up...you smell everything, and you hear everything and it's just so weird, but it's badass! You can even taste things in the air. I could really almost taste you. It tasted like mint, but...flowery too."

He swallowed then, and disappeared from sight. He now stood a few yards away from me. The relief was beginning to be replaced with dread. I soon would be a vampire, too. I was the last one on the list. He wasn't the same, but he was. He wasn't warm, but he was. He wasn't David, but he was. And the pain he described didn't make the process any better.

"I can hear your heart, too," he said. "It's fast, and I can hear the blood moving through your veins. I hate this, but I like it, too. I never thought blood would taste so good, but it-"

"I'm sorry," I said quietly. "It's all my fault that you're one of them. If I hadn't-"

"Don't you dare start," he warned me. "It is not your fault. I was a dumbass and fell for Heidi's gift. If I hadn't done that, we wouldn't be here. I'm sorry, Cheyenne. I'm sorry I got us trapped in this shit hole. I completely fucked up, and now we're just..." He paused. It sounded like he was choking on dry air. He only used my name when he got really serious, and David wasn't one to be so serious all the time.

"Damned," I finished, looking at his perfect face. I figured out, then, that it must have been a vampire's version of crying. Fluids weren't possible for them. "We're damned, and Travis thinks we're dead." I tried to keep my face from crumpling, but the crushing reality of my words were too strong, and I gave in.

"What?" he choked, and I almost missed it. I was pulled into another hug, cold enveloping me. "Who in the hell told him we're dead, Cheyenne? Who?"

"It was my fault, too," I sobbed, shaking my head at myself. "Aro said he was faking our deaths, because I was stupid and gave this guy an autograph yesterday. I thought that if I gave a cry for help, they'd..." I couldn't finish.

"God damn it," he whispered, enunciating each word. "I'm gonna kill-"

I pulled back, shaking my head vehemently. David couldn't try to kill anyone, for he'd surely be killed himself. I wanted to keep him safe, even if he was immortal and I wasn't. Aro couldn't keep us apart forever, and I would see to it.

"No," I said emphatically, wiping my eyes. "It's too late now. It wasn't going to work, anyway. I just got myself into more trouble by doing that."

"Who did you give an autograph to?"

"Just some random guy," I shrugged, sniffling loudly. "I ran into him when I got my haircut, and then he found us at this restaurant Alec took me to. He said..." I swallowed.

"What? He said what?" David asked urgently, his voice clipped.

I sighed, closing my eyes. I still had my doubts.

"He told me his sister's name was Cassie, so he was getting the autograph for her," I said, shaking my head in disbelief. "That's why I thought..."

"Well, what if it was her?" he asked, suddenly hopeful. His expression was calculating; like he was trying to piece things together. "What did the guy look like?"

"Really curly, blonde hair, tan, blue eyes, with an Italian accent," I said, recalling how handsome the guy was. "But, David, I really doubt he was talking about the same Cassie. This guy was just a fan. Plus, he didn't look anything like her. I was just getting my hopes up-"

"You don't know that," he told me in a low voice. "She could have sent that guy to find you. We'll see what happens, okay? In my opinion, you did the right thing. You might have saved us, dudette."

The possibility of that settled uneasily in my stomach; I probably wouldn't be allowed out again after that, and if it was Cassie, she certainly wouldn't find me now. I had no way to give away my location, and she had no way of knowing. These were vampires, for crying out loud. Nobody would be able to do anything about it, except if I had conveniently known some other vampires beforehand.

"You look different," I hiccuped, instead changing the subject.

"I know. I'm hot," he grinned, rolling his eyes. "I'm even more irresistible now."

I rolled my own eyes, turning back to the piano. I began to play the embarrassing song Aro assigned, realizing that I never even started.

"Why are you playing Bonnie Raitt? She's not really your style, dudette," David commented, by my side in a flash.

"Aro's making me sing it for the ball," I sniffed, flexing my fingers. "He wants to put a human in front of a crowd of vampires...and sing it." The words tasted terrible in my mouth.

"What!" David roared again, hitting his fists on his legs. His hard, stone-like arms flexed while he struggled to contain himself. "He's fucking using you as a-God!" He was gone again, and I heard a crashing sound from next door. I stiffened, wondering what it was he destroyed.

And that's when I got an idea. Aro gave me the song to sing, but he wouldn't know at all that I would perform it the night of. This room was soundproof. He couldn't hear me singing unless he opened the door. Aro wanted me to perform in front of a crowd. He wanted to show me off like a trophy. I had my best friend, a piano, and two angry minds.

David returned then, shutting the door slowly, his eyes on the floor. He paused for a handful of seconds before walking in a human pace back to his spot beside me. He cleared his throat.

"I may have destroyed the wall next door. There's a karaoke machine in there," he spoke evenly. "Jane will probably kill me for it, but I don't care. He can't use you like this! This is fucked up! There has to be something that can be done! Maybe I can talk to him..."

"What if I just don't do it?" I asked carelessly, my plan already in motion. "This room is soundproof, right? He's not gonna know what we're doing in here. If he wants a song, why don't I just give him one?"

I could feel the anger bubbling inside me, fueling my mind and actions. It wasn't smart, but I'd already made plenty of mistakes so far. What was one more possibly stupid decision? And, I would be a vampire soon, anyway. Why wouldn't I go out with a bang? I deserved it. I could always butter Aro up by singing the real song afterward. And, maybe...maybe we could escape during the ball. If we could formulate a plan...

"What, like sing what you want? Tell him, 'fuck you'?" David asked inquisitively. I shrugged, nodding.

"I can always save this sappy song for last," I said. "But, if he wants me to show them who I am...then, I will."

David grinned, a familiar look that made him look almost normal, and I returned it.

"Fuck yeah," he agreed. "I'm all in. Let's do it, dudette."