CPOV

The next morning found me standing in front of Aro, Marcus and Caius, along with the Cullens beside me.

"My dear, I deeply apologize for the wreckage that has come to you these past twenty four hours," Aro lamented, but I didn't believe one single bit of his act. "We have David safely confined so that he can be further evaluated. Would you mind telling me your side of the story?"

While Mother Nature took a jackhammer to my uterus, it left me crankier this morning than I was yesterday. While I felt calmer with Alec standing nearby, the uncertainty of my fate worried me even more as I stood here.

"I went to the bathroom, stopped for fresh air on the way back, and I guess I was gone a little too long," I said, omitting the part about my plans to leave. "David found me, and then he started accusing me of lying. He got even angrier about the..."

I swallowed, my words coming out robotic, hesitant, and staccato.

"Camilla incident, and he...kissed me, without my permission. I tried to push him off, and...he bit me."

"Hmm," he hummed, bowing his head slightly as if to apologize. "And, you are feeling all right?"

Emotionally, mentally or physically, Aro? I'm not doing to well with any level of well-being.

"Yes," I lied dully. "Carlisle said I should be fine."

"Ah, yes, Carlisle," Aro sang, moving his eyes to Carlisle. "My dear old friend. I hear from your personal calculations, that she is physically unable to become immortal. Is that correct?"

"It appears so," Carlisle answered, his soft, calming voice echoing gingerly throughout the room. "Her body rejected the venom after about thirty seconds."

Aro's eyes flicked behind the group, and he jerked his chin up.

Eleazar was in front of him now, standing next to Carlisle.

"Eleazar," Aro addressed, his tone becoming eerie and dull by the second. "You see the gifts of others. I assume you have an insight to this."

"Yes," Eleazar said, his tone clipped but formal. "I would like to inform you that I have never seen this in a human, so I have about as much knowledge as my friend Carlisle. This human has a gift of being human. It appears that her human nature is her gift, along with her gift of being a siren. The two seem to be mutually exclusive from one another, but her nature prevents her from having immortality."

"Would you care to elaborate?" Aro asked slowly, and for the first time, darkly. He knew there was something else to this, and I felt fear creep into my veins.

There was a longer beat of silence than normal, and then he continued.

"Additionally, her gift prevents ours from being effective on her. That is, if the gift can directly or dangerously affect her. I can only assume that Alice's, Jasper's and my gift are still effective, because they do not cause her any harm. However, Jasper's has one defect: he is able to read her emotions, but not influence them."

"I see," Aro said shortly, slowly pacing back in my direction. "Edward. Would I be safe in assuming you cannot read this human's mind, much like your Bella?"

"Yes, Aro," Edward replied, not bothering to hide his distaste for him.

"Yet, she does not have a shield," Aro pondered, looking at Eleazar again.

"Correct," Eleazar said. "Any offensive gift will be depleted to its once-human strength, so it is practically useless. If Edward could not read minds as a human, he cannot read hers now."

Aro clapped then, spinning on his heel as his head pointed toward the ceiling and he laughed. The creepy, off-tune singing sound echoed off the walls, making me feel slimy and uncomfortable. The vampires were statues, while I couldn't hide my cringe.

"Then you know what we have to do," Caius snarled bitterly. "She cannot be of use to us if she is a human, Aro. This defies our rule of giving one immortality for knowing our secret. We have no other choice but to dispose of her!"

For once, I glanced at Caius, and though he still held just as much hate for me as always, I could see the sinister glee in his smile. He wanted me to die.

I flicked my eyes to Marcus, who remained still in his lounging position. His face was different, for once, but barely. I saw it, though.

He was studying me, but underneath his bored expression, he was frowning. His eyes, usually empty, seemed to flicker.

My heart sped up as my body involuntarily moved away from the danger, but Alec, standing beside me, easily held my arm to keep me from running.

Aro saw this, and stopped, staring at me. He held up his hand in Caius' direction, halting him.

"Now, now, Caius, we are not for sure yet. How can we be so sure that she cannot unless we have absolute certainty? This has only happened once. Perhaps, it is David's venom that is rendered ineffective by some happenstance. The only way to find out is to seek out professional, medical sources."

"I offered to perform tests, but Alec declined," Carlisle informed him. "If it is any use to you, I have my own curiosity about this as well. I wouldn't mind going forth with it, as long as I have the patient's consent."

God, how much I don't want Carlisle to do this. There's no point in testing me! The proof is in the pudding! I can't become a vampire, and that's that!

"Yes, Carlisle. That would be helpful to our case," Aro sang, whipping his head toward Carlisle. He smiled with adoration for his friend, which I found extremely creepy. "I would like to know the full extent of her condition. Perhaps there is something we are not seeing. I would love for you to extend your stay in order to help us further."

While Aro was busy making googly eyes at Carlisle, I looked at Carlisle, though he had no gift of reading my mind.

Carlisle! Carlisle! Please don't do this. Don't give Aro what he wants!

I moved my eyes to Edward, who was standing slightly behind Carlisle. He was already looking at me, concentrating on me as if he was trying to use his gift.

Read my face, Edward. Read my face! Do something! Help!

"Of course," Carlisle answered candidly. "That is, if Cheyenne agrees to the tests. I cannot do procedures on a patient without their consent."

I ripped my eyes away from Edward as soon as I heard my name, and looked between Carlisle and Aro, who were both looking at me now. I tried to mask my face and look cool, but I couldn't mask my heartbeat.

"Do you consent to this, Cheyenne?" Aro asked lightly, his piercing stare feeling like lead weights. "This is, after all, something unknown to us, to our world. I must obtain every bit of knowledge involving your kind and ours in order to avoid any possible danger."

I looked at Carlisle, whom I studied with my eyes while I kept my face neutral.

"I will be as gentle as possible," he promised. "It will only require a vial of blood. I can obtain a sample of venom, and test the two together in a Petri dish to avoid injecting you with it."

He smiled comfortingly at me, and he did something that he didn't need to do that caught my attention.

He blinked. Once.

I kept my composure as I quickly looked at Edward, who did the same two seconds later. It was then, that I knew what they were trying to say.

Finally, I nodded hesitantly, though I hated the idea of this. I had to trust the Cullens if they were going to get me out of here.

"Okay."

"Wonderful!" Aro cheered, giving his attention back to Carlisle as he clapped. "I will be awaiting your results, my friend. I request that you document every piece of information. And, Eleazar? Do explore this...human gift of hers, if you possibly can. It has been wonderful to see you again."

"I will try my best," Eleazar answered neutrally, ignoring his sentiments.

The way they interacted held extreme familiarity, like they'd known each other for years. But, how? Eleazar and Carlisle didn't seem remotely like the type to cause trouble.

"I expect nothing less," Aro pressed, and dismissed us with the wave of his hand. "I will leave you to it."

"Master," Alec spoke, the sound of his voice cutting through all the tension in the room. "I would like to speak with you. Carlisle will escort her."

"Of course, my son," Aro said adoringly.

As Carlisle approached me, I didn't miss the way that Alec slid his hand down my arm, disguising it as releasing me to Carlisle. His hand lingered on mine for just a second before I was walking away with the Cullens. I couldn't help but look back at him as we departed, noticing his cool, empty expression.

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

I kept quiet, waiting for the perfect opportunity to ask Carlisle why he was going along with Aro's request. This was only giving him what he wants, and if Aro found out what we already knew, I was dead for sure.

My eyes kept flitting back and forth between the laptop Carlisle had sitting in front of us, with an open Word document containing medical terms I couldn't decode. I didn't have a chance to snag my iPod, and this was the only way to communicate non-verbally without Aro hearing or knowing.

"How are you feeling this morning?" Carlisle asked politely as he cleaned up the mess. Only Edward, Bella, Alice, Eleazar and Carlisle remained in the room. Jasper and the rest were waiting somewhere else, and it was explained to me that Jasper still had difficulties controlling his thirst for human blood.

"Tired," I answered, feeling the slight sting in my arm fade away. "Like I got attacked by a vampire."

"Any dizziness or lightheadedness?" he inquired, turning back to me as he finished up.

I assessed myself for a moment, before telling him no and eyeing the laptop again.

"I'm going to check your vitals again, just to be sure," he said, taking out his little flashlight again. He went through the routine of checking my eyes, pulse, reactions and reflexes, before documenting it with a simple flick of his fingers on the keyboard. He also assessed my lip, which he said was healing normally, but advised me to keep using ice on it. He told me that it would hurt more than a normal wound, given it was administered by a vampire. When he turned his back, I grabbed the table on wheels and pulled it to me, my fingers flying across the keys.

Thank you, middle school keyboarding class.

I quickly typed out the words I'd been holding in for the last fifteen minutes, and finished just as Carlisle pulled it away from me. He didn't say anything, but peered at the screen.

I'm not saying anything out loud since Aro can hear us, I wrote. How is this getting me out of here? This is what he wants. I don't understand.

Carlisle seemed to ponder for a moment before he calmly typed an answer back to me, and angled the screen toward me again.

This is a smart idea. We already know you cannot become a vampire, he had written. If I cannot find any evidence to prove what Aro is looking for, then we will escape. This is just a ploy to give us time. If I refused his offer, it would have raised suspicion, and he most likely would have looked into my mind.

I chewed the inside of my cheek anxiously as I took that into consideration; he was right. If we were going to get out of here unscathed, he had to act as smooth as possible. The twisted knot in my stomach clenched tighter as I reluctantly typed out my next message, and pushed the computer away.

What am I supposed to tell Alec? How is he supposed to know about this? He might be back at any moment, and he isn't going to leave me alone. The only reason he's not here right now is because he's asking Aro if he can guard me full time. I'm sure of it, anyway.

"He'll be back in five minutes. Approximately," Alice chirped from the other side of the small, makeshift hospital room. "Aro approved his request, if that's what you're wondering."

Carlisle nodded at Alice, but kept quiet as he typed his response.

"That is all I will need from you for now," Carlisle spoke, as he turned to place white labels on my vials of blood.

I pulled the laptop to me again and read Carlisle's response.

For the sake of your safety, I would advise against telling him. We don't know if he is loyal to you or to Aro. Perhaps, both. Edward can keep tabs on his mind, and Jasper his emotions, but it's best if this is kept between us. It would be too much of a risk to tell anyone else.

Keep a secret from Alec? Again?

I didn't know if I could do that. I broke down the last time I didn't tell the truth.

My fingers practically smashed the keys as I typed frustratingly.

But, I trust Alec, I wrote to Carlisle. He won't hurt me. I know he won't, and I'm a terrible liar. I can't stand to not tell the truth for a long period of time. It bothers me.

He smiled sadly, and typed briefly for a few seconds.

Hopefully you won't have to lie for long. This shouldn't take too long, he wrote back to me. I trust you, and I am confident that you are more than capable of doing this. We are going to get you out of here. This also involves the safety of my family, and I will not hesitate to do anything I can do protect all of them.

I blew out a breath, deleting our entire conversation. A thought suddenly crossed my mind, prompting me to type again.

Is there anything I should do, since Alec isn't going to let me out of his sight? Who knows when I'll get to see you all again?

Carlisle pursed his lips, and when I looked to Alice and Edward, I saw Edward's lips moving way too fast for me to decipher what he was possibly mumbling. I heard Carlisle typing lightly, and just as soon as he started, he finished.

Just act as you normally would, Carlisle typed. Alec can be very observant. He hardly misses anything, being one of the Volturi. If any signs become apparent, he could relay it back to Aro.

My stomach dropped at that fact; I hated that he was right, but how did he know so much about Alec and the Volturi?

How do you know so much about the Volturi, and Alec? I typed curiously.

Carlisle flicked his eyes to me, and his face become solemn.

"Some time after my own transformation, I stayed here with Aro, and became part of the Volturi. I have my own experiences with him," he said, seeming peaceful about it, rather than troubled. "I left after about twenty years. Their way of life went against my own personal beliefs, and where I wanted to remain a vegetarian, they wanted me to feed on humans."

I was stunned into silence. He just let him leave?

He let Carlisle and Heidi's friend leave, yet he won't let me go for anything.

I turned to the laptop, furiously typing again, my confusion and frustration getting the best of me.

I don't get it, I typed. Heidi told me about a former member that Aro allowed to leave, and now you're telling me he let you leave. Why can't I just walk out, too? If he's letting you all go so easily, why is this so difficult? Why am I any different?

His eyes scanned over my words in three seconds flat, before he frowned and typed again. His lips pressed into an apologetic, sad line, and he slid the laptop back to me about ten seconds later.

I am already immortal, and I can assume that this former member is also. Therefore, there was no issue with the existence of vampires being spread to humans. If Aro sees no threat in a member that wishes to leave, he will allow them to go peacefully. Not only that, but you are the mate of one of his most treasured members. If you leave, he knows that Alec will most likely want to go with you. He is going to try to keep you here in any way possible, and Alec more so. Even if it means killing you.

I felt sick reading the last six words, and I swore that I could feel my face visibly pale.

If Aro tried to kill me, Alec would retaliate. He said so himself. If Aro did kill me, and Alec killed Aro, what would happen to the Volturi? Would Caius take over the Volturi, and keep David? What would Marcus do?

"We won't let that happen," Carlisle whispered reassuringly, placing his hand on my arm. "But, it is a very likely possibility."

I typed numbly, ignoring my thundering, sick heart.

Alec would kill him. He told me so. He said that nobody is allowed to hurt me, not even Aro or Jane.

Carlisle typed back, his face giving nothing away.

I believe that. I think everyone in this castle can see how he feels about you, Carlisle wrote. However, I wanted you to be aware of that possibility. Aro has done many unforgiving things, all for the sake of gaining more power. You are the greatest key to making him invincible, and he will not treat this any differently than he did anything else. In fact, I fear that he may take even more extreme measures if we're not careful.

"Carlisle!" Alice hissed suddenly, and the laptop was out of my sights. Carlisle pressed two keys, and I saw our conversation disappear.

"Where's Eleazar and Carmen?" I asked, noticing their absence.

"Aro's unleashing the Spanish Inquisition on them about your gift," Edward replied, his face hard. "He's too curious for his own good."

Just then, the door swung open, much easier than last night. Alec sauntered in, and I pulled the sleeve of my hoodie down to cover my arm. I easily guessed that Alice saw him coming.

"Good morning, Alec," Carlisle greeted calmly.

"Aro is curious for good reasons," Alec told Edward, his voice empty but sharp. "Can you blame him for not knowing about any possible dangers of this situation?"

"Of course not," Edward responded indignantly, and I knew the zipper on my mouth had been pulled shut.

"Dr. Cullen," Alec said dully, brushing past him and stopping in front of me. His eyes inspected me, searching for any signs of injury. "Do you have what you need?"

"Yes," Carlisle replied. "For now. I may need some venom samples from you. That is, if you don't mind. I am going to test her blood with different kinds of venom to see if it reacts to different stimuli."

"Of course," Alec responded, his voice detached, as he grasped my arm. "Aro wishes to see you."

I nodded, hopping down from the table. Alec stayed behind me as I made my way to the door, and I swept my eyes over to Edward and Alice for a second. What I saw confused me, and I had no time to decipher it.

Alice's eyes were blank, wide, and staring, as if she wasn't actually seeing what was in front of her. She was focused on something else, something I couldn't see. Edward's face turned hard, but his face was otherwise unreadable.

"Why does he want to see me?" I whispered to Alec, who remained silent.

"Alec," I tried again, but we were already at the doors. He pushed them open, and led me to the front, where not only Aro was waiting.

David was there, too.

Felix and Demetri were on either side of him, each holding an arm. Jane stood off to the side, where she normally chose to be.

My steps froze, and I stumbled, but Alec's grip ushered me forward. I stopped far enough away from David. I wanted to be nowhere near him. I felt the anger rise within me, searing through my veins.

"Cheyenne..." David started, his eyes wide with heavy bouts of sadness and regret. Slight purple shadows were becoming noticeable underneath his eyes, and overall, he looked like a wreck.

"No," I cut him off angrily. "I don't want to talk to you."

"Cheyenne, please, I'm sorry!"

"Sorry?" I scoffed, laughing humorlessly. "You're sorry? You almost kill me, and you're sorry?" I raised my voice.

"Enough," Aro interrupted, holding up his hand. He came down the three steps, floating towards me. "That is enough now."

Shut up, Aro, I wanted to say.

"Now. Are there any words you would like to say to your friend? Before we terminate him," Aro said lightly, as if it were a joyous affair, but his voice was cold underneath. His eyes held no sense of remorse, and my heart stopped.

"What?"

"He attempted to kill you, my dear," Aro explained, pacing in front of David leisurely, like he had all the time in the world. "That, of course, calls for a termination. You are one of our newest, and dearest members, and we have an intensely strict notion against threatening one of our own."

I felt my knees shaking. The air left my lungs. My blood ran cold. Aro was reading this all wrong. I was angry, but I didn't hate David. Who did Aro think I was? Who did he think he was?

"No!" I screeched, leaping for him in anger. He swiftly moved, as if he expected it, and I was suddenly anchored by Alec, his arm around my waist easily holding me back. I fought, thrashed, kicked, and screamed, reaching my arm out for David as he tried to do the same.

"You son of a bitch!" David roared.

"You do not agree?" Aro asked in confusion, but I knew better.

"No, I don't agree!" I yelled. "What the hell is wrong with you?! You're sick! You're twisted! I don't want him killed! I'm mad, not murderous, you psychopath!"

"Hm," was all he replied, unfazed by my words. "What a shame. Demetri?"

"May I do the honors, Master?" Alec cut in, his empty face sporting the coldest smile. "That is, if you do not mind."

Confusion crept through me; a sickening feeling curled its way into a ball in my stomach. What was happening?

Aro's twisted, sadistic smile made him look even more evil, and a senseless pride sparkled in his eyes.

"Of course, my dear son," he crooned darkly. "You do deserve it the most, don't you?"

"It is good to have you back, brother," Jane spoke, her own cold, sinister smile beaming at him.

My mind spun, scrambling, trying to put the pieces together, but my confusion was still screaming in my face.

"Wait for me," Alec said simply, as he began to drag me away. Panicking, my body fought back, my chest heaving and sobbing as I unsuccessfully tried to reach out for David.

He was going to die.

"No! David!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, squirming and trying to thrash out of Alec's arms. "David, no!"

A feral, roaring growl sounded out of David's mouth as he shoved Demetri and Felix.

"Cheyenne!" He roared, his face a twisted, perfect mess of torture, anger, and pain. "Get out of here! You have to escape! Forget everything I said! Fight! I'm sorry! For everything! I love you! No matter how much you hate me! Get out, all right? Do you hear me?"

"Get your hands off of me!" I screeched at Alec, but the harder I tried, the further away I was taken from David. "Carlisle!"

That was the last I saw of David before Felix and Demetri before they pounced on him, and David's words echoed in my mind. The doors shut, the echoing sound striking me in the chest like an unforgiving punch. My chest hurt, my throat hurt from screaming, and my heart was pounding so hard, harder than it ever had before. Panic washed through me, paralyzing me each time I tried to escape Alec's grip.

Alec said nothing as he moved at his own speed, and I continued to fight him.

"You lied to me! You're such a liar!" I screamed as I sobbed, kicking and thrashing. "You tricked me!"

"Look who's a smart little human," Alec replied in amusement, not one single ounce of emotion in his voice. "But, not smart enough. You really thought I was being genuine, didn't you?"

"Carlisle! Alice! Edward! Help me!" I roared, my voice echoing off of the walls, and I didn't even recognize it. "Carlisle!"

"If you do not want to be next, I suggest you shut your mouth," Alec warned me, tossing me to the ground. I rolled across the floor, seeing almost nothing but darkness. I hopped to my feet immediately, a move learned from Felix, and the only thing lighting our surroundings was a few torches on the wall.

Vertical bars of metal met my vision, and with a simple swing, Alec pushed a door closed.

A cell. I was in a cell.

Aro and Jane's words suddenly shattered the reality that I had only begun to attempt to grasp: that Alec was in love with me, and was my mate.

Instead, he had lied. This had all been a trick. None if it had been real to him.

And I was paying the price for that.

He smirked coldly at me, giving me an empty once over.

"Not even the most powerful human can make a change," he said to me. "Such a shame that this has to end so abruptly, when I was just beginning to have fun. Now, look at you, human. You thought you would rise with the Cullens and escape unharmed. You thought you could overthrow my Master. Such a foolish notion."

He laughed, the sound piercing through my heart. It was unforgiving, sadistic, empty, and dark.

"Now, if you will excuse me, I have a certain newborn to do away with. He was terribly annoying, don't you think? But, it is only fair. An eye for an eye. You waste my time, and I waste the life of your beloved, precious David. After all: all is fair in love and war, is it not?"

Then, he was gone.

And so was my heart. And my consciousness.

Yeaaaaaaaaah, so...that happened. I'm sorry *grimacing*. I know y'all are gonna hate me. Just...curl up in your blankets and take a moment. I know this was rough. Story ain't over yet, but this wasn't meant to be all rainbows and sunshine. I'm glad y'all are enjoying EMT, and I'm SO glad I finished this chapter LOL.

This chapter is named Deception after Deception by Christina Grimmie.