Marina's death was such a delightful occurrence in my eternal life. I found myself savouring it even more than I had savoured her late lover's death, though the two were so very different in nature. The boy died to be erased from Earth and forever forgotten while my Marina was dying to be reborn much more powerful and strong, a fearsome force of the Universe. He was ashes in the wind and she was a thunderous phoenix.

I enjoyed watching the destruction of her documents more than I expected. I could not help but see the poetry in it as the flames licked away her old identity, taking away from the world and from herself who she used to be. I cut her credit cards to pieces myself, admiring her full name for the first and the last time. She would be simply Marina Volturi from then on, her baptism name disappearing under my scissors, little puzzle pieces that would never again be put together. I allowed myself the privilege of seeing her photos and videos before destroying her cellphone and felt sorry to see most of them go, apart from the ones with the human boy she once believed she loved.

She had a few years worth of memories in there and I nearly tried to save a few before I caught myself. Nothing in there would ever be relevant to her again and thus it should not be relevant to me. All that mattered was who she was becoming.

Jane took some pleasure in it as well.

"I do like her" she said as we watched her identity card burning on a plate. I smiled and sighed with relief.

"I'm very glad you do. I hope she liked you as well."

"Hm, that can't be so difficult".

We finished and then had to part ways, with her going to Minas Gerais to take care of Natalia. "Taking care" of her ended up not being what I hoped for, but not all hope was lost yet.

"Still can't believe you found that one by accident" Felix commented after I left Marina's room in Volterra. "Can't imagine her living a full regular human life, growing old and dying."

"I can," I retorted. I most definitely could envision her doing just that and being nothing but perfectly happy with it along all the way but it pained me.

It would have been such a waste.

"We will have to deal with the other one" he reminded me, like he even needed to do it. I had dreaded the moment I would meet Natalia for quite a while. I was certainly not in a hurry to see her again, especially under the new circumstances.

She had an explosive personality and would certainly stir up some trouble if she could. It was a very good thing she was under Jane's vigilance as my sister would be unwilling to allow her any opportunity to be a nuisance and would be very glad to punish her accordingly if she ever managed to be one.

I was not pleased with her upcoming arrival. Truthfully, I hoped she would be eliminated for knowing of our existence and I would never have to see her or think of her again. She was a link to Marina's old life and judging by what Marina shared with her, she didn't like me. She could try to hurt my relationship with Marina and cause her adaptation to life in Volterra to be much more difficult than it had to be.

I wanted her to fail.

I wanted it very much .

"She is nothing like Marina," I warned Felix. "She is loud and obnoxious, and not nearly as smart or impressive in any way. I will be very surprised if her gift grants her a position in the guard."

"She doesn't like you either, does she?" He guessed too cheerfully to my liking.

"She does not."

"She will bother you forever if she stays, I hope."

I grimaced, not really entertained by the provocation. Felix apologised and fell silent.

I didn't want to think of how future events would unfold if the masters decided to keep her. I remembered Marina implying that I should feel thankful because Natalia caused us to meet in a way but I couldn't, I could only think of how difficult she would try to make my life from that point onward. It was curious how much I found myself disliking her considering that we had never really been introduced. I gathered all of my distaste for her by watching her from afar and she most likely disliked me from Marina's confessions alone.

And she didn't even know I killed the boy yet.

I was glad Felix and Jane were to be with me, I didn't trust myself completely to not simply end the girl during our first interaction. I became too unnerved just thinking about her.

When she did arrive Felix and I were in the reception hall to receive her and Jane.

"I believe you had a much more pleasant flight than I did" were the first words my sister offered me and I laughed joylessly.

"I would think so."

She then went on to tell us how the girl tried to escape at any apparent opportunity and wouldn't stop complaining during the entire duration of the transatlantic flight.

I felt more and more sorry for her as she spoke.

"And then " my sister concluded with a tired sigh "she wouldn't stop asking about your beloved and the human boy she had taken to Rio."

Natalia flinched as she heard Jane's choice of words to refer to Marina and frowned at me.

"Should have snapped her neck, sister. I hardly believe her gift is worth such an annoyance."

The human girl scowled at me with a delicious mixture of offence and terror. She opened her mouth but managed to close it without making a sound.

"I just wanted to be safer rather than sorry. She could be useful to the masters."

God, I sincerely hope not .

"Where are Marina and Luke?" Natalia asked in a raspy whisper, her arms crossed tightly around her. I noticed that she was still dressed too lightly for the new weather just like Marina was when she arrived.

I felt a smile spreading across my face.

I walked to her with deliberate calm and watched as she tried not to back away from me. When I stopped in front of her she lifted her chin defiantly as if to show me she was not scared or intimidated but I could hear her heartbeat getting out of control and I could smell her fear.

I inhaled deeply to properly appreciate it.

"Marina is resting. She was very tired."

Her eyes searched mine for the answer to the other part of her question and after broadening my smile I happily gave it to her.

"The other one is dead. I killed him myself."

She screamed and threw herself at me, hands closed in tight fists. Felix had her before she could even think of actually touching me.

"That was gratuitous" Jane scolded me but I paid her little attention. I had my eyes on the human gone wild in Felix's arms.

"This one needs a leash," he joked.

Her screams of anger gradually became desperate cries and hot tears bathed her face.

"You fucking demons !" Her long hair covered her face like a thick veil and she sobbed uncontrollably. "Filthy monsters, the whole lot of you!"

"Humans are not allowed to know of our existence" Jane explained to her calmly. "He had nothing of interest to us and so we had no reason to make him one of our kind."

"Do not dare to make me like you! I would rather die ."

I would rather have you die too .

"Oh, brother. Such a bad way to deliver the news."

"I have to disagree. This is fun."

She had to be carried to meet the masters as she refused to go willingly, only showing some manners when we reached the deliberation room. There she seemed apprehensive enough to keep herself in check. She was trembling like a leaf in the wind and I could see some places where her hair and her clothes got soaked with sweat in spite of the temperature of the castle. I suppressed a smile as I took notice of how scared she was and how poorly she was hiding it.

She was shaking and panting, so unaware of how she impregnated the air with the smell of her blatant fear.

She glanced at Felix as the doors were held open for us and he gave her a dazzling smile. She pressed her lips together and quickly looked away from him.

"How wonderful of you to join us, my dear!" Aro welcomed her and reached for her hand as he did with Marina but anyone could easily tell that he was not nearly as thrilled as he was to meet her. The room was also not nearly as full as when Marina went there as Natalia's arrival could not possibly cause such a commotion.

I still feared she would make it somehow, the thought of her unbecoming personality doing little to soothe me. Would she ever fit in if the masters wanted her?

With Marina there, she could. Two things could happen after they reunited: she would either influence Marina or be influenced by her. The latter was the lesser of two evils and I would have to take it if it ever came down to it.

"Ah, how interesting. It seems like you have a little radar."

Natalia swallowed and looked at their joint hands. She seemed to notice what he was doing with no explanation needed.

"Doesn't always work" she whispered nervously and I barely recognised her. She had lost her impetuosity and her confidence in front of Aro.

"No matter, child. It would work much better if you were immortal" he gave her a pointed look, "but I see that you do not wish to become one. Are you set on this decision?"

My body tingled in anticipation.

"I am."

Am I truly this lucky?

"You cannot walk from here as a human" Marcus reminded her in his soft, tired tone. "The alternative is death."

Her eyes travelled from one vampire present to the other, shifting after every few seconds. Her breath halted before she spoke again.

"I know. I just would like to see Marina first, if that is okay."

The masters shared a quick look before Aro turned to her again, she didn't even notice the altercation.

"Yes, that is quite alright. I'm afraid she is asleep now, but you may talk to her once she is awake."

Felix conducted her out of the room and I followed them closely. The human looked over her shoulder to me.

"What did you do to her?"

I lifted one eyebrow and she huffed impatiently.

"There is no way she is with you willingly, knowing what you are. Does she even know you murdered the love of her life?"

"She is brave again" Felix teased but she didn't get the hint to behave, growling instead. I scoffed.

"How very unladylike."

"What spell is she under?"

"My irresistible charm."

I laughed and it only angered her more.

"Fuck, you're a psycho. Does she know about Luke or not? She is gonna get back at you for it." She kept trying to look at me from over her shoulder as we walked. "We are gonna get back at you" she corrected herself angrily.

"She knows. She is over it."

She snorted.

"The hell she is."

I felt like sinking my fingers even deeper into her wound.

"That boy was hardly the love of her life. That would be me."

She yelled and tried to lunge at me again but Felix caught her with one arm and threw her over his shoulder.

"You bastard ! You're insane if you think she could ever love you!"

"I have to give it to you" Jane said softly as she watched the thrashing girl, "it is quite fun."

"I like this one" Felix contributed with a smile, "so much fire."

Too much, I would say. Tiresome at best.

We had not properly prepared to receive her as we didn't know she would be taken to Volterra until Jane met her, so her room was chosen at the last moment simply because it was reasonably far from Marina's. The wardrobe didn't have clothes suited for her and she hadn't brought a bag.

Good thing she would not stay for very long.

"Dibs" Felix whispered too low for her to hear as he lowered her to the ground. Jane chuckled.

"We'll leave you now" she told the human, "you will be given a change of clothes soon. Don't leave this room by yourself."

"When will I see Marina?"

"We'll let you know."

I could tell she wasn't happy with that answer but she didn't say anything else, merely glaring at me through her hair as she stepped inside the room. I winked at her.

"Be nice."

She groaned and closed the door in my face.

"No respect." Jane stared at the closed door like she couldn't believe the girl really did that to me. "If she were to stay here she would have to be put in her place."

"Shame she won't" Felix's smile lingered as he looked at the door with a very different expression on his face, almost fondly. "I could put her in her place alright."

How very nauseating .

"Master Aro was not very impressed but maybe Marina will convince her and she will get to be a lower guard" Jane pondered.

"Bet you Marina will try very hard to convince her."

I frowned at Felix.

Would she?

Or would she be convinced into escaping? She had attempted to escape before. I suddenly started to worry about Marina not conforming to being part of the guard.

She already is conforming. You saw that when she proved herself before the masters.

I tried to clear my head of the intrusive thoughts Natalia caused and walked away from her room.

She would be gone soon, just like the other one. Marina would be free of every last tie that held her to her human life.

Completely free to be mine forever.


a/n: hi, I will be travelling for 2 weeks beginning Wednesday so I don't know when I will update again, sorry about that.

last chapters are probably all over the place, I haven't been getting much sleep lately, sorry about that too.

hope you are enjoying the story anyway.

thank you for reading and reviewing! I wish I could answer reviews directly because I don't like to leave notes very often, sorry if anyone feels ignored. I do have a Tumblr but I don't know how to use it (lol)

see ya x