CPOV

"This is the third time that they've seen each other!" Felix yelled at the TV, flopping his arms on the leather couch with a dull thumping sound. I was in the middle between Demetri and Felix, on the long black leather couch in what was dubbed the movie room. Felix let me pick a movie, and I wanted something familiar to cut out all of the homesickness, so I went with Forrest Gump. The homesickness still sat in my stomach like a rock, but I was warming up to everyone. Except Jane, who I rarely ever saw.

"Humans are the slowest species next to sloths," Felix grumbled distractedly, and I almost thought he would rip the couch in half.

Two days had passed since my training in the forest, and lo and behold, I had caught a cold from it. My nose ran, I was sneezing frequently, my body felt feverish, and I had the overall feeling of malaise. Alec hadn't noticed my symptoms, but if he did, he didn't show it or react to it. He had, however, noticed the little scrapes I received from slipping and sliding in the mud. I had almost given my promise to Felix away in that conversation, but that wasn't what had been most bothersome to me. It was that Alec had seen me practically naked, and torn a piece of my heart out. And although I hadn't broken my promise, I made a mistake in the matter anyway. I had encouraged the very thing I was trying to avoid since I got here.

"Ouch, ouch," I mouthed to myself as I stepped out of the shower, grabbing the huge white towel that laid on the fancy silver rack. I patted my face dry and squeezed all the water out of my hair before wrapping it around me. I scraped my legs up pretty bad, apparently landing on twigs and rocks in the process of slipping and sliding. Those would need some serious bandages.

All the while, I wondered aimlessly why Felix asked me not to tell anyone about this training. The graveness in his features told me it was a tightly wrapped reason. Aro wanted to see my progress and my strength. Why was that secretive?

It wasn't, something told me. It was something more than that. It made my stomach ache dully, as if my intuition was nudging at me. He was all smiles once it was over, though, and he told me to "hit the showers".

I hadn't seen Alec since we got back from town; he was probably with Jane, and she was probably plotting ways to hurt me. Again. Or telling him about our little conversation in the hall. I wasn't going to hate Jane; I wasn't going to hate anybody here, because there was no point; eternity was a long time to forgive people. Aro may be pushing it with the performance, and Alec may be pushing my anger with his mood swings, but these vampires are old. Everyone had a motive behind their actions, and I just couldn't judge that, no matter how threatening the twins were, and no matter how persuasive and compromising Aro was.

I had my painful story, the twins had theirs, and maybe even Caius and Marcus had one. Whatever their stories, we all had them, and I was only interested in one at the moment.

I bent down to pat my legs dry, igniting the sting from the raw skin on it. The scratches were long and thin, but sharp, just like thorns would cut. They were all across my shins, and longer scrapes were parallel with my thighs from when I slid on them like a home base. Among that, my legs were beginning to look stronger, more sinewy. I poked my thigh, and then my calf and wondered if Felix documented this. He never carried around a clipboard or a book with him to write down any progress. Then again, he wouldn't need to. Vampires could hold things in memory for a long time.

I came out of the bathroom, taking the muddy pile of clothes with me. I had put them in the sink so that I could wash the dirt down the drain later. I didn't want to ruin their perfect marble countertops or the expensive bath rugs that they spent possibly hundreds of dollars, or euros, on.

Tossing the clothes into the newly found hamper-which wasn't there until I returned-I stepped into the walk-in closet that was almost half the size of my room. I flicked through the millions of clothes, which were becoming more and more formal every time I went in here. It was getting hard to look for normal clothes, like sweatpants and T-shirts.

"You're bleeding. Why?" Alec's voice came from the closet door, and it made me jump. I hadn't heard a single sound from the outside, or maybe I just wasn't paying attention, but it scared me nonetheless. Out of my peripheral vision, he was standing perfectly still in the doorway, leaning against the jamb with one ankle crossed over the other, along with his arms, back in his Volturi uniform, cape and all. I heard him inhale deeply, and he walked toward me slowly. He asked this simply, but there was an unknown threat already formed behind it. He wasn't concerned about my bleeding; he was mad at it.

I pulled the last T-shirt off the hanger silently, and turned to the shelves with all the pants on it, picking through it. I didn't understand why he was speaking to me, because my talk with Jane earlier clearly told me that Alec had been upset with me. I had been upset with him for killing a boy who hadn't done anything, but I could only name it as...jealousy. Alec didn't have to pretend to be my boyfriend, but he did. He could have watched from a distance and laughed at how I was being cornered by the boy, but he didn't. He claimed I would have been too slow to stop him, but that excuse just didn't fit. I pushed away the feeling I got when he had his arm around me, when he pretended to be so nice, when he held me to his chest so tightly...

My heart was thumping from him standing there, seeing me like this, and I couldn't find anything to say. I just kept in my solitude of quiet, trying to come up with something.

"I fell," I said clearly, swiping a pair of pajama pants from the shelf. I knew hiding the scratches wouldn't stop the smell, but I had to do something about it, at least. I wasn't lying, technically. I did fall. But I knew exactly how it would sound to him. It would sound like a practiced response from the abused kid at school.

I was expecting him to be mad, but I wasn't expecting to be slammed into the shelves to the point where they shook, with Alec's stone cold hand resting between my neck and shoulder. My hand flew to keep the towel intact; I could feel the edges of the shelves pressing into my back, and my heart beating through my ears. His face was blank and hard as he spoke deathly low.

"Lie to me one more time," he said, and I almost didn't hear him because it was so quiet. Lethal.

"I'm not," I answered back. The cold was seeping into my skin, and leaving goosebumps in its wake. It also didn't help that I was still wet from the shower. His eyes were blazing, and he had had just about enough of my subtlety. But that was me; I hated speaking a lot. I never started the conversations; I left that up to the other person. Plus, I had said my peace to him earlier. I had calmed down enough to where I could be rational again.

A feral growl came from his throat, but it didn't quite scare me the way it did before. He stayed like that, staring, with the blank expression, but his eyes told all. I couldn't help but let the thought slip through my head that he was actually sort of beautiful while doing it, but that thought was washed away quickly by the torrent of thoughts and blood already rushing through my brain.

Then slowly, his eyes started to rake down my body. Over my face. Over my neck, which he paused at for a moment before moving to my chest, my midsection, my legs, and then my feet and back up to my eyes. I felt exposed, like the towel hadn't even been there, like he was looking past me and trying to look in me instead of just at my body. Then, he started moving. Stepping forward so smoothly. Moving his head, tilting it, as if he were going to kiss me, only he wasn't. He moved past my face, only to stop right at my neck. I told my heart to stop beating so fast, but it wouldn't listen; it was going on its own accord, as biology explained. He was so much closer than he had been at the mall, and it stopped my breathing.

The sound of Alec inhaling slowly and deeply through his nose made me stiffen. I felt the cold tip of his nose brush my skin. I didn't understand why he was doing this; everything and nothing was going through my head all at once. I couldn't even remember that I had a body. I couldn't remember my own name.

"One more time," he said with the strangest mix of his amusement, warning, and...lust? No, no, I was just imagining that last one. I felt the words form in my throat, and only gave myself so much time before he got angry again. I wasn't even sure if he was still angry at this point. It was all so confusing. Was he trying to torture me or himself?

"I fell," I forced out, then swallowed, awaiting his reaction. I was beginning to feel a bit faint, but that had everything to do with the way my lungs weren't working. I heard another growl sound in his throat, and then he wasn't there anymore. He was back in his spot two feet away from me, reaching into his Volturi jacket with the heaviest glare. I finally remembered I had a body again, although there was the strangest humming running through it like electricity. But when I saw what he held in his hand, the world practically stopped turning.

My phone. He took my phone.

I remembered when I fell asleep with it the day after I saw my brother and reluctantly told Alec, but why hadn't I noticed that it was ever gone?

I instinctively reached out to grab it, but as always, he was too fast, his hand a blur. He held it between his thumb and forefinger, dangling it with a sinister grin on his face. Although I hated to admit that he looked beautiful doing that too, I was panicking.

"You have a lot of interesting things here, human," he taunted with an evil smile. "And I would love to play cat and mouse with you, but I am afraid there are other matters at hand." His eyes darkened again.

My heart dropped as I realized what he meant. He must have found the text messages between Cassie and me. His face didn't change, but he began to turn my phone around and around in his white hands. They were moving so fast, that it was all a blur of black and white. I watched his hands, sliding my eyes back and forth between it and him. Black. Red. White. Black. Red. White.

"You love your brother, don't you, human?" he lilted slowly. "You cannot live without him. So sad of you to be taken away from your only blood, isn't it? Wondering every evening where he is. What he will do without you. All of the memories incorporated in your mind, wasted. Why, it breaks your little human heart, doesn't it?" he asked, sneering at the end, mocking me. He was circling around me, flipping my phone around and around, taunting me. His smell was everywhere, and I fought to stop liking it while he was trying to break me.

"And all you have left of him is this," he waved my phone around in my face slowly, chuckling darkly to himself. "It would be a shame if it were destroyed, wouldn't it? All of the messages. Your cries for help. All of your music. It would all seem like a waste of time, wouldn't it? All those years together, only to be torn apart."

My heart was stuck in my throat; I didn't know what to say, but he continued.

"I have to admit, you struck me when you played a smart move. Refusing to let anyone know where you are. How brave. I would have thought you would take any opportunity to leave, still having this device in your possession."

"I'm not stupid," I squeaked. "Why would I bring anyone else into this trap? I'm not selfish. I wouldn't leave here without David. You wouldn't leave anywhere without your sister, even if you had the chance."

"Do not speak of my sister," he growled at me, suddenly in my face. "I heard every word between you two, and I am appalled that she did not take her opportunity to strike you."

"What do you want?" I asked quietly, almost frustrated. I felt almost as naked as I physically was right now, knowing he went through my phone. My eyes were stinging with tears at the thought of my brother and he knew it, too. I was at his mercy now; there wasn't anything more I could do.

"The truth," he said in a hard voice. "You are hiding something, and you are the worst liar I have ever met." He sounded disgusted at the end.

"I did fall," I repeated again, although what he said was true. I was bad at lying, and my expressions never helped, but I wasn't lying here. "I'm telling the truth."

He tightened his grip on my phone slightly, and I knew what he was going to do.

And for whatever reason, panic chose to fire a neuron in my brain. I knew I had made a mistake for myself. My hand shot up and covered his in a rush to stop him.

"Don't tell him," I blurted out. "It would be a moot point, anyway. I didn't tell her where I was. That's what Aro would have wanted, right? I didn't break any rules."

Except giving my autograph to a complete stranger, but he didn't need to know that was part of my plan.

He stopped for a moment, and tilted his head slightly as if he was thinking about that. He looked curious, amused, and angry all at the same time while narrowing his eyes. Then his eyes roamed over my body once more, and his lips formed a small smile as he barely squeezed his hand and the rest of my world shattered literally and figuratively. With the smile plastered on his face, he leaned close to my face again.

"You disgust me, human," he said coldly. "You are the weakest thing I have ever seen in my millennium of living, and the worst excuse for a human. You feel sorry for every living thing, and it is pathetic. You aren't attractive, you see. Every member in this castle despises your needs and your existence. You will never survive as a Volturi member, and you will never surpass me and my sister. I cannot fathom what Aro sees in you as an immortal. So, I suggest that you hope he takes mercy on you when..." He paused to chuckle darkly again, which allowed the coolness of his breath to fan across my face. I held my breath just so I wouldn't smell him. "Well. I will just leave you with that thought. I have more important things to do and see." He scraped his eyes over me with disgust.

His words were ones I had heard before from people in middle school. The unattractive part, anyway. But feeling sorry for every living thing? He was just mocking me for taking pity on the boy. I knew all these things, but it made tears flood my eyes and my throat develop a lump. My body felt dragged down by his words, and there was that ache again. I couldn't think of anything to say back to him; he had twisted, shaken, and ripped apart my world, and I only had one piece of it left. I had reigned myself in for the past week and promised to be strong, but that last string was about to break.

"Oh, you poor baby," he mocked slowly, running his finger down the length of my face. "She cries. How so very human of you." He said acidly. He straightened back up, and walked leisurely out of the closet. But before he fully left, he smirked and added some last words.

"I cannot wait to see what Aro sees in your pitiful mind."

He laughed musically, and then was gone.

Since that day, Alec had happily been taunting me, but not with words. Where Jane was torturous, he was silent and deadly. No words came from his mouth; though he was silent, I only knew he was with me at night because of the coolness of the air that ghosted from the left side of the bed and nowhere else. The only wake up call I got was him ripping the covers from my body. He had seen right through my attempts to be strong, and was rubbing it in my face.

He even threw me over his shoulder once, and hissed that I was too slow for everything. That was only because I was sore from training, and I was still trying to hide that. But, that was all ending for however long because Alec and Jane had left while I was sleeping the night before. Apparently, I was getting in the way of their time together. I already knew that, and didn't blame them. I'd escape for time with my brother if I could.

Felix and Demetri had been in charge of me because, as Jane had put it, someone had to "babysit the human" while they were gone. The other part of me, though, was strangely missing Alec. It had only been a handful of hours into the day, and I couldn't pay very much attention to the TV because I was trying to make sense of the strange feeling I had from his absence. It was like getting used to sleeping in your room after a whole month at summer camp. Why in the world was I missing the presence of someone who hated me, and did nothing but bully me?

Felix immediately asked to sing karaoke after I had breakfast, but because I was sick, he let us watch a movie instead. He felt a bit guilty about getting me sick.

Aro heard of our little incident in the closet, and was more than happy for me to finally let him see everything. Which, if I had control over, I'd only let him see that I wasn't lying about falling. The only reason it didn't happen right away was because Aro wanted Alec there for proof. I was safe for a couple of days, but then the idea hit me: by showing Aro, I was breaking my promise. He would know of my conversation with Felix. Realization hit me like a strong wind and my mistake grew that much bigger.

But wait.

My thoughts moved back. Felix asked me not to tell Aro about my training. Ever since I promised him I wouldn't tell anyone, though, it shifted my belief in Aro knowing. Why not tell anyone when Aro orchestrated it? Is Aro planning to make a big bad vampire machine out of me? Bigger than Jane and Alec combined so that I can be his brand new toy, only to have Jane and Alec put on the shelf? That made me uncomfortable. I was uncomfortable with this whole endeavor. I never liked being in the spotlight, metaphorically. Being in the literal spotlight was fun, because I was only doing something I loved, but my shy personality rendered me nervous most times.

I was always looking for ways to stay in the shade, blend in the crowd, and stay in the background so no one would notice. That was how it always was. I was only comfortable with very few people in my life, so just the thought of being a vampire itself had my stomach in knots. I had not seen one shy, introverted vampire here except for Marcus, who seemed the closest to it because he never talked. He always seemed bored to death.

Felix told me about the changes he noticed in Isabella Swan after she was turned. When she was a human, she was very shy, introverted, and clumsy, but she was very mature for her age. Apparently, she straight up told Aro that he didn't know a single thing about her husband's soul when he tried to stamp vampires as soulless creatures. When Bella and Edward were questioned over the birth of their "hybrid" daughter, respectively meaning half-human and half-vampire, she radically changed.

Felix noticed she was confident and powerful after her change, but she had accepted their kind from the very beginning. The entire story had me counting the days I had left as a human, but I didn't know how many there were. Aro had never spoken of when I would be a vampire, and David was Aro's way of making us stay; that I was sure of. It brought me back to my first dream of seeing myself in the broken glass. Pale. Immortal. And, dare I say it, beautiful.

How could I have looked like that? With me, there wasn't much to work with, anyway. Alec said it himself; I wasn't attractive. Not that I needed that reminder, but it was still true. I was never approached by anyone except that boy from the mall. He had been the first.

I had been stunning in my dream, but I didn't care about that. I didn't want to lose myself; my humanity, my respect for anyone, human or vampire. People were people; they made mistakes, and I had no place to say whether they were good or bad. I recalled the reflection I saw in the mirror, how I didn't recognize her. Myself. I was clearly someone that I never dreamed of being. I looked...almost like Jane, but in my own way.

I thought of David, then. I hadn't seen him since my first rehearsal, but I knew he was struggling with his thirst and his newfound identity as a vampire. I just hoped he would be at the ball, and not locked up in some sort of vampire cage. Most of all, I hoped that he wouldn't lose himself to the darkness of the Volturi.

"I take it Alec has no idea about your sickness," Demetri stated, raising an eyebrow at me. I snapped out of my reverie and watched Jenny and Forrest walk around the Capitol together on the screen. I barely shook my head, pressing my lips together.

"Please," Felix said. "Anyone who didn't know would have to be completely blind. Alec's done nothing to help it. He knows she's sick; he just doesn't care. I gave her the medicine. I don't believe Alec would tolerate it any further if he heard her constant sniffling and sneezing. No offense, little woman." He nudged my shoulder.

Demetri was quiet for a moment, and then he chuckled, his eyes on the TV.

"Ah, he's never been this pissed in a hundred years. You have done quite a number on him. I am unsure if it's fantastic or horrific. It's surprising, though, that is for sure." He gave a handsome grin, which charmed me for a moment.

"Alec is the most complex member in the Volturi," Felix joined in distractedly, and I turned my attention to him. "No one's been able to piss him off like you have, or set him off this bad. And that's saying something, because that's Jane's job. Nothing bothers Alec. Nothing, except any hint of harm to Jane. Do you know how many times he's spoken since he's been a vampire? Hardly. He sits in his room mumbling to himself now, and it's more words than in his entire life. He never talks about humans unless he's eaten some delicious ones."

I half expected Felix to put a joke in there, but he didn't. He was probably upset about not getting to train me for the last couple of days, but something told me that wasn't it. He was distracted from the movie, just like I was. Alec mumbling to himself about me sounded unreal, because...who would mumble about me?

"Speaking of life," Demetri started, whipping his head to Felix, and I looked at the TV again. My thoughts stayed on Alec. I didn't want to make him mad; it was starting to drain me with all of the fighting and bullying, but he was also pushing me to my wit's end. Again. I was getting fed up. And frankly, the angry part of me didn't care. But dang it, the part about him mumbling to himself about me made me bounce right back to compassion. I didn't know of any stories where any one of these vampires asked for immortality. Except Bella. Felix told me that Bella easily agreed to become one of them, so she could be with Edward forever.

"Do you remember that century ago, Felix?" Demetri finished with a coy smile, raising a perfect frosty eyebrow. "Perhaps involving a dear blonde ourselves?" He said slowly. I perked my ears up and listened between them, glancing toward Demetri.

Felix, in the same slow speed, slid his eyes over to Demetri first in realization, then gave a smile of his own. I glanced between them, trying to translate their secret eye conversation.

"Shit," Felix answered with a now glowing grin. "This just got interesting." He averted his red eyes to me, and between my own diversion, their eyes looked like red laser dots. Felix was excited now, and I had no idea what they were up to. I was that much more lost.

"Do you think she will make an appearance?" Demetri asked in his lovely English accent. "With a human in the picture...it's been years since any entertainment occurred."

"Oh, she'll be there. She wouldn't miss anything with Alec involved. I'm pretty sure she counts down the years until she sees him again," Felix scoffed.

If they were talking about a vampire woman, she wasn't one of the Volturi. Felix's replies put a drop in my stomach. I wouldn't have any doubt she was beautiful, simply because she was a vampire.

"How angry do you think she'll be when she finds out?" Demetri asked with a laugh. "Oh, it's going to be great. Do you remember what happened to the last female that tried to even speak to Alec with her around?"

They laughed simultaneously, and my curiosity only grew. She who? Did she have a crush on Alec? Was she an old friend? Or girlfriend? She must have been if she was going to be 'angry'. It was more than that. At least to her.

"Yep," Felix replied, peering down at me as if I knew exactly what they were talking about. "Everyone's been avoiding him since. No woman goes near Alec when she's around. But she's going to have a cow when she sees you." He wiggled his eyebrows. Hearing a handful-of-centuries-old vampire say, "have a cow" was a big shell shock, though, and sort of funny.

"What does this have to do with me?" I asked finally. "Some girl has a crush on Alec? Why am I involved?"

Demetri rolled his eyes at me.

"Are you being serious? It has everything to do with you, love. Camilla is going to be absolutely furious when she finds out about you. She would tear you apart for even looking at Alec if she could." He sounded none too concerned about that possibility. I shot him an anxious look, which made him laugh.

"Oh, look at your face! Humans!" Demetri exclaimed, throwing his head back.

"Anyone who even thinks about attacking one of the Volturi will be massacred, if they even dare try," Felix added in, knocking his hand on my shoulder in reassurance. "Camilla absolutely goes mad when someone tries to take Alec from her. It's psychotic, really. She becomes jealous over nothing."

"Alec's life has changed now, whether he wants to realize it or not. There's no going back," he continued. After a brief pause, he snickered. "This is going to be good. She's gonna lose her shit."

"Oh, great, now they're leaving each other again," he scoffed, plopping his arms against the couch, watching the scene. "He's head over heels for her, and she's completely blind! He's right there, Jenny!"

"So you guys wanna rub me in her face," I filled in the blanks, thinking about her name. It sounded even more beautiful than what she probably looked like. All kinds of features went through my mind, and I tried to piece them together to make the perfect woman. It only squashed my self esteem more. "I don't think that's a good idea. I've already made Alec mad just by existing."

"Oh, we'll do more than that," Felix answered. "Alec's been tired of her since they met. He only allows her to see him because he likes to hook up with her. Then they go their separate ways, and don't see each other for fifty or so more years. She, though...she is attached. Badly. If Alec wasn't in the Volturi..." He shook his head and locked eyes with Demetri, who finished up his laughing fit. "I swear on my own life that she would keep him locked up somewhere."

"Really," Demetri agreed, all traces of his laughter gone. "I want to run all the way to Antarctica whenever I see her. She is nothing compared to Heidi. Or you. And you're a human." He smirked. Gee, thanks, Demetri.

The thought of Alec being with her, or anyone for that matter, in that way, only increased the stony feeling in my stomach. I mean, I didn't doubt that vampires had or wanted some type of entertainment or intimacy. They had more time on their hands than they knew what to do with; they had to pass the time somehow.

It was just the thought of Alec being so close to her, touching her, kissing her, holding her, or whispering things in her ear with his musical voice that twisted my insides. I'd been sensitive and emotional lately, and I couldn't place my finger on why except for this whole situation. Yes. Yes, I was sick. I'm totally sick. This whole situation has my emotions going out of control and my brain is searching for comfort.

"I don't see the point in this," I tried to say carelessly, but it didn't come out the way I wanted. "I'm already being put out there by singing. I think that's enough. Plus, if you do this without Alec knowing, he's going to be even more mad. He'll think I did it. He blames me for pretty much everything."

And I'm already in hot water with him.

Something in the back of my mind told me that I knew exactly why they wanted to do this. I wanted to kick out the idea that I could change Alec's or any of the Volturi's lives. They were vampires. And strict ones. No vampire was going to listen to a human, because we were food to them. Would a human listen to a cow or a carrot?

"Christ, calm down," Felix arched his brow at me as if I was crazy. "You worry far too much. We have known Alec for centuries, and you have known him a week. I think we know how he will react. We will gladly take the blame; it is our idea, anyway. Are you that scared of him?"

"He hasn't put his hands on you since you were first here. I can tell," Demetri added in carelessly, scanning over my arms. He slid his finger down the inside of the top of my arm with his long, icy finger. "You must heal fast for a human, because I see no evidence."

I followed his finger with my eyes and his words rang true. Where there used to be dark, purplish shadows of Alec's fingers, there was only the smooth, pale skin of my arm. I counted back the days since the bruise first appeared; five. It normally took a bruise only three to disappear on me, but Alec's strength made these deeper, especially with his consistent grip. They should have started to yellow by this day, but were instead gone. It was probably the protein that Felix made me eat, since I started training and nothing else. I haven't gotten to have a cheat meal yet, and I planned to soon. Without him knowing, of course.

"You are the most innocent human we have ever met," Felix said, still giving me the crazy look. "You are extremely people pleasing, aren't you?"

"Oh?" Demetri inquired flirtatiously again, and I rolled my eyes, giving my attention to the wall.

"I don't like fights," I pointed out. "It never solves anything, and I'm not afraid of Alec. I just don't want to make him angrier than he already is. Again, he already hates me just for existing and being his singer. I'm not meaning to torture him like this. He...deserves peace, basically."

They both stared at me, frozen as statues, and I warily gave them glances. Their crimson eyes were wide with surprise.

"Do you realize what you just said?" Felix asked me slowly, like he was questioning my sanity.

"Talk about innocent. I cannot believe my ears. Blow my bloody head off," Demetri leaned back into the corner of the leather couch. "Nobody, and I mean nobody has wished peace to Alec. Ever. Never in the history of our existence. That's leaving out Aro, of course. Volturi members are not on immortals' list of favorites, especially Alec."

"All I said was he deserves peace," I said, perplexed. "I mean, doesn't he go through enough with me here? I can't blame him for hating my existence. You said it yourself. My blood sings to him, and it's the most appealing, irresistible smell. It's no wonder he hates being my bodyguard. If it was up to me, I'd ask to have him switch with one of you. He shouldn't have to be forced to stay with me all the time."

"I can see angel wings sprouting from your back," Felix said sarcastically, bending his head backwards to look at my shoulders. "Alec can try hate you for as long as possible, but it will never last. A vampire and a singer are more powerfully polarized than super glue. To the layperson." Smirk. The way Felix kept describing whatever "bond" was between me and Alec made it sound like we couldn't be anything but-

"Aro loves a pure human," Demetri mused, running his finger along my cheek, which interrupted my thoughts. It felt like sliding an ice cube over my skin. He leaned in then, inhaling deeply like Alec did. I wanted to automatically lock his arm behind his back, which was something Felix taught me. "As do I. You smell incredibly refreshing. A freshly bloomed rose with that hint of exhilarating coolness. It is very earthy."

"Demetri, you're scaring her," Felix said slyly, and I couldn't tell if they were joking or not. They could be funny at times, but their age contradicted that. I decided to muster up a brave moment at this point, because his closeness was becoming sufficiently awkward. I became accustomed to everyone's smell, and memorized them all.\

"Well, you smell like coconut, so," I deadpanned. "You should stop wearing coconut bras in your spare time."

"I beg your pardon?" He replied, astonished, his head snapping back. An ice cold breeze of said coconut came my way, proving my point. Felix burst out laughing, damaging my ear drums, while Demetri just looked plain offended. "Coconut?"

"So, how did they exactly meet?" I asked hesitantly, and looked at Felix while ignoring Demetri. I couldn't stop my curiosity from growing; something in me just had to know. I think my heart was practically beating with anticipation. His laughter stopped abruptly, and he looked at me like he was reading my mind. He knew.

"Are you sure you can handle it?" he asked seriously. "They have quite a voluptuous past. You won't approve of it."

"I think she deserves to hear the bloody story," Demetri answered bitterly in my ear, earning a biting chill to move across my cheek. "Oh, yes, love. There is history, all right. Lots of history between them. Endless occurrences of broken bed frames and wall-trembling screams-"

"Demetri, why don't you go fetch her some food?" Felix interrupted forcefully. I wasn't sure I even wanted to eat after hearing this story, much less now. I heard nothing from Demetri; only the sound of the door closing. I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding, and looked to Felix. His brow was arched and he let out the small chuckle that was in his eyes.

"I was wondering when you were going to breathe," he said. "Forget what Demetri said. We all know that happened." He waved his hand dismissively. "But again, are you sure that you want to hear this?"

Did I want to hear the story of how Alec met this sinfully beautiful, but insane, jealous vampire who worshiped the ground he walked on, and risk giving myself an ulcer?

My mind said no, but my gut said yes. After all, this story couldn't really change how I felt-if I even could pinpoint how I felt-about Alec, and what I thought of him. Even though he destroyed my cell phone, and last piece of connection to the outside world, that wasn't what this was about.

Whatever the story contained, I only felt as if it would take me closer to all of Felix's inputs about our "connection". I didn't know what I was getting myself into, and I didn't even want to tell Alec this was happening. There was a deep pool of unknown that I was diving into, but I wanted to do it. I wanted to know, against my nature of being extremely introverted. I wanted to know all about Alec, and I couldn't deny it. I looked right back in Felix's crimson irises and answered him.

"Yes."

He picked up the TV remote, and muted the movie, watching me carefully. I could tell that he didn't believe me, and was contemplating on whether to say anything. But, he opened his mouth.

"It was in 1865 after the Civil War. We were on an assignment to find a runaway newborn. He murdered an entire village of humans in the Massachusetts area for his own feeding, and left it unkempt. Being a newborn, he was faster than the normal tempered vampire; more crazed, and wild with thirst. Demetri ordered us to split up and search in every direction for him. Of course, he got there first, but I was in a closer distance to Alec. Almost a mile away from me, I heard their conversation. I decided to spy, should Alec's witness be involved with the newborn."

"Did you have anything to do with this occurrence?" Alec asked in a calm manner. "Are you involved with this newborn?"

The threat of the black mist was upon her. Long, golden curls fell to the crook of her arms, and by the look of her skirts, she came from a wealthy human family. The light blue silk was threaded by the finest of mills, and her jewelry was exquisite. The scent of the fabric matched a town not in this area, nor this state. Her frame stood only a handful of inches below Alec's, and her pearl-like complexion held a slim face with full lips and a slender nose. Her age could not have been more than twenty. Her eyes were colored ebony, the sign of a meal not yet found. Oh, but something stirred in her eyes. Desire. Not for the spill of blood, but for Alec himself.

"I am afraid I have not a clue who you are speaking of," the woman spoke silkily, her eyes roaming over his form. The threat bypassed her entirely, by the stretch of her pale red lips to reveal her pearly teeth. "I have no...particular interest in this newborn."

"I run short on patience, cara," spoke Alec as he gazed upon her fluid figure and released his silent fog. "I asked you a simple question. Now where is my answer? Are you traveling with the newborn?" He stepped toward her slowly, enjoying his game. Alec held no mercy since his awakening. The woman's smile faded as her vision was stolen. Her helpless dark irises moved in their sockets quickly, in search of her surroundings. Unnecessary breaths moved out of her mouth. I took a whiff of her scent to remember it. The warmth of vanilla, sweet orange, and lilies wafted their way into my nose just as Alec's satisfying smile appeared, stopping two feet from the woman.

"I know nothing of a newborn. I am a traveler from New York. My name is Camilla Anderson," the woman spoke. "I speak the truth! I have left my former love in exchange for my life."

"Human? Vampire?" Alec asked dully. At that moment, Jane's scent passed my senses. She wanted to go home. The newborn was finished. She floated past my dwelling figure and paused to observe her adoring brother's work. Her identical smile ghosted upon her pale rose lips.

The woman, Camilla, paused before her answer.

"My husband was a human; he was deployed and killed in action during the war in England! Please!" she pleaded, the anguish apparent in her tone. By the sound of it, his death was recent. Alec, in return, gave an unknown smile. He was entering the tease. His endless game of the flirt and sarcasm began.

"Who created you?" he inquired. She heaved with dry sobs, hesitating in her answer. I knew it, then; the newborn had changed her.

"How unfortunate," he answered without an ounce of sympathy. He knew it, too, but he continued with his game. "Loneliness has been your companion for quite some time."

Camilla obliged; she knew the game, for she played it, too. Her smile revived, forthcoming her answer. Jane hissed from beside me; I held her tiny figure back from attacking the woman.

"He is just in play," I reminded her sweetly in my lowest volume, God forbid she unleash her own gift upon me.

"I only pray you will release me..." was Camilla's attracting reply. "I can explain, in depth, if you like."

"So, Felix," Demetri cut in, bringing me out of the reverie. Of course he could hear the whole story from the kitchen. "How much are we to bet, hm? Thirty years? Forty?" He sauntered over, tray in hand. There was a bowl with steam coming from it; probably soup.

"Two hundred years," Felix replied confidently.

"Two hundred years?" Demetri exclaimed, his eyes bugging out. "You can't be serious, mate!"

He slammed the tray on the table in front of us, obliterating it. Pieces of plastic flipped in the air before landing on the floor. The soup bowl tumbled over with the glass of orange juice, creating an orange-y chicken noodle concoction across the table.

For some inner delighted reason, his sentence made me smile, despite the flirting I heard from Felix's story. He was right; it was uncomfortable.

"This is the most eloquent fun we're going to have for a while," Felix shrugged, unfazed by the mess. "Might as well pick my battles. When will Camilla ever have competition again? By our laws, she's Alec's property." Felix nodded his head toward me. "She's going to be here forever. The next time, we'll bet on Jane. So, two hundred years, or I'll increase it. Take your pick." He finished smugly with a proud smile.

I let them make their bet about whatever it was, while I tended to my somersaulting stomach. It was obvious what happened when Felix's story ended: everything Demetri was emphasizing before he left. Broken headboards and ripped sheets and whatever else vampires did in their sex-capades. That shouldn't be any of my business, but Alec didn't like me, and he didn't have to. If he was so interested in her back then, why does he seem so disinterested in her now, according to Felix and Demetri? Why was this story even important, anyway? Why was being his singer so important?

'Cause he likes you, and you like him, too.

Alec? Like me? Ha, yeah, that's funny. Real funny, brain. You almost had me there.

I also knew there was much more to dive into, much more to be explained, but I didn't want to visit this anymore. I didn't want to think about how Camilla had her hands, lips and whatever else all over him, or about how many years they'd been doing it. Alec was a grown up, so to speak. Grown ups can do whatever they want. Just because I thought he was attractive, didn't mean the feeling would last. Any female human walking this earth would think he's attractive.

Oh yeah, that's a good one.

Before I could answer my conscience, Demetri growled, gaining my attention once again. A painful look crossed his face. He seemed uncertain until he showed a smug smile of his own on his own beautiful face.

"If I win, you have to get rid of that dreaded karaoke machine."

"Why?" Felix roared with horror, and I'm pretty sure the floor shook, along with the DVD rack and the TV. "Was it that prank I pulled on you thirty six years ago? Oh come on now, it was a joke! You knew blood oranges didn't have blood in them!"

"Please, I don't hold grudges for that long," Demetri rolled his eyes, folding his arms. "It was the day you bought the bloody thing! You sang every single Taylor Swift song over nine hundred times! Each!" Every time he emphasized words, his accent got heavier.

"At least I have use for it now!" Felix dramatically gestured to me. "Someone who can actually sing! You're off using your fancy cold-pressed hair pomade from the Bahamas when you don't even go anywhere! Heidi is the only one who ever sees your hair!"

I couldn't help but snicker at that one. They may be old, but they were funnier than Travis and David when they argued.

I stopped. Travis and David. That's exactly who they looked like right now.

Of course, now I was upset. My brother. Where was he? What if he was at home right now telling our mom I was dead? Funeral arrangements, my mom crying, Travis holding her, another person lost...God, I couldn't handle that thought. I didn't want to. It was the ultimate suffering. First my dad, and now me...

I wasn't the only one being worried about, either. The news could have spread that both me and David were dead. My brother not only lost me, but his best friend. And what about David's mom? Would the news even reach her? Working late nights as a nurse almost every night, he didn't really see her. But, he loved her. He tried his best to be there and take care of his mom; be the man of the house, because his dad left. But, now what? What are their lives going to become? It wasn't right; none of this was right.

"...just get another tray, I will do it. Human. Hello," I distantly heard Felix, and saw his hand waving in my face. I looked to him and snapped out of my thoughts. "Start breathing, little woman."

"Nice work giving her the drowsy medicine," I heard Demetri, his voice dripping with sarcasm. A door shut. When I realized Felix's words, I blew out air that I apparently held in and breathed again.

"You were thinking about Camilla," Felix stated. I glanced at the table where the mess used to be. All traces of it were gone. How long was I out of it?

"No," was all I said, because I didn't know what was worse to think about: a clingy vampire who would probably throttle me on sight, or my brother and my mom thinking I was dead.

"This way," he told me, standing up in all his seriousness again. "You need rest. Demetri is bringing you more soup."

I did what he said and followed him, finally feeling the drowsiness from the medicine kick in.

"Next time I'll read the label," he added sheepishly, noticing my steps. He put his hand between my shoulder blades for support. The only thing I felt was the iciness of it; it was like opening the freezer and letting all the fog out.

But besides that, I couldn't help but ask the juicy questions in my loopy state.

"So, if Alec was so into her then...why did you guys make it look like he isn't now? He sounds like he doesn't even want to be near her," I pointed out, going down the stairs.

"I think you've heard enough stories for today, little woman," he answered. "But if you really want to know...he doesn't. Alec sticks to no one woman, but this is the longest time that he has been with an immortal woman. I haven't known him to be with anyone else since. He's only started sporting his disdain for her...recently."

He opened the door to the hall my room was in. I wasn't sure if I could expect him to laugh at this moment, but he didn't.

"But, wait. Wasn't she involved with that newborn? Why didn't you all kill her if she broke the rules?" I asked, confused. If she had been changed by the newborn responsible for the massacre, wouldn't she be charged with being an accomplice to murder?

"Let's just say that Camilla proved herself," he said seriously. I shuddered, knowing what he meant. "But, we did report her to Aro, and he cleared her. She was transformed by the newborn, but he mistakenly thought he had killed her. He only meant to feed on her, but ended up leaving venom in her system. Now, into bed, little woman." He pointed toward my door, and my form deflated. Her life had been taken from her, too, not to mention her husband. I flopped onto my bed, remembering one more thing. Maybe Felix would tell me.

"Where is David?" I asked, sitting up straight. "I want to know. Jane wouldn't tell me. Is he all right?"

"With Aro," he answered, and I panicked. Aro and David in the same room? No. Why would he need that, anyway? David didn't even do anything. Well, except cuss Aro out numerous times, but he had to listen now, right? I was pretending as it was, so that Aro would believe me and David and I could find a way to escape.

Okay, I need to calm down. Felix's story hyped me up way too much.

"He's fine," he promised. "If it makes you feel any better, I will stop by to check on him. Now go into bed. When you get better..." He raised both brows this time, and I knew that look. More training. I just nodded in response, because I was too tired to do anything else, opened the bedroom door, and got into bed. Before Felix walked away, just one more thing came to the front of my mind. Something I forgot all about until now.

"Felix," I called, even though I didn't have to; I could have barely whispered or mumbled and he would hear me. His face turned toward me, but I couldn't tell what he was thinking.

"What about you?" I asked him, showing him the scrapes on my legs. Whether he knew I didn't mean to break my promise or not, there wasn't anything I could do about Aro seeing everything now. I didn't know what would happen to Felix, and I didn't want anything to, despite the fact that he was the servant of a demented vampire who wanted nothing but power. David was already doomed because of me; Felix shouldn't be, either. But to make matters worse, he didn't answer my question. He only chuckled, gestured with both his index fingers point away from his shoulders, and said,

"Angel wings."

Then he was gone, and Demetri came in with my soup, striding confidently as always.

"How was story time, love? Did you find anything particularly...ravishing about it?" He taunted me, setting the tray in front of me. Brand new bowl, soup, tray, glass, everything.

"Yeah," I replied, too drowsy to put anything behind it. "You should use less Bahama pomade and you won't smell like coconut so much." He growled before replying.

"You do not possess any sort of ladylike qualities, do you?" he commented disgustedly. I blew on my spoonful of chicken soup, which I thanked heaven wasn't from a can, and ate it. With all the spinning history right now, I could use some immaturity in my life.

"Not really," I said over another spoonful of soup. "I gotta entertain myself somehow here."

"I cannot wait until you meet Camilla," he said delightfully, and picked up my free hand. It got my attention, and I met his charming, glistening red eyes. If Alec didn't exist, I knew I would be crushing on Demetri. "Your sharp wit is exactly what she needs a taste of. You are surprisingly sharp for a human. Use that, love." He pressed his hard, icy lips to the back of my hand and was gone.

So he wanted me to pick a fight with her? Call her names, pick on her? I couldn't even do that. I used to be bullied, for crying out loud.

But maybe it wasn't that he wanted me to do that.

I took that moment to find pieces that stuck together. The story, Felix's words, and even Alec's actions.

Did you miss the part where Aro said you were Alec's singer?

He didn't have to pretend to be my boyfriend, but he did.

How unfortunate...Loneliness has been your companion for quite some time.

How so very human of you. I can't wait to see what Aro sees in your pitiful mind.

I will not allow anyone to get within a reasonable distance of me or of you, so don't worry yourself, sweetheart.

By our laws, she's Alec's property.

With all of the images, actions, behaviors, words, and stories, I had one piece of information put together. Demetri didn't want me to ridicule her. They didn't just want to show me off.

They wanted me to mark my territory, because Alec already had.

Ya know, I've been surprising myself with the stuff I've written xD reading back on my old chapters, I didn't have to change a lot in this one. I wrote pretty dang good for only being 19 at the time. There's been some stuff I looked back on and thought it was cringe and I was like "Why did I write that lol, that's so cringe". anyway, I hope y'all are enjoying the rewrite. I know I am. It's making it a lot easier for me to keep up with my story and see where I'm at. Don't worry, I have the new chapter pretty much finished. I just have to wait til I'm done with rewriting these old ones so that I can double check and make sure everything makes sense.