(20) "[I] Left You No Options."
Odessa woke up groggy and confused. Her eyes blearily opened, and she blinked them a few times to clear her vision. She was laying down on a hard, cold surface, and she heard a soft dripping noise coming from the corner of the room. She sat up slowly and observed her surroundings. She was sitting in a dark room with only one source of light coming from the open doorway. The room she was in was shaped in a small square long enough for her to stretch her legs forward and wide enough for at least one other person to sit beside her. She tried standing up but realized she couldn't due to a heavy weight weighing her down. Silver cuffs tightly linked together around her wrists. She tried to break them apart, but she found she couldn't. Still, she kept at it, and it wasn't until she felt them bite into her skin that she realized they were reinforced with venom.
There was no window, so she couldn't see what time of day it was or where she was geographically. She focused on her hearing and heard light footsteps making their way towards her direction. By the lightness of them, Odessa concluded that whoever was walking towards her was a vampire. She tensed and anxiously waited for them to appear. A pale hand appeared in her field of vision and knocked loudly on the doorframe.
"Knock, knock!" they exclaimed loudly. Then, they popped their head into the doorway and grinned down at Odessa malevolently. Smirking teak eyes met bewildered teak eyes as orange embers of hair and a familiar face appeared.
"W-what?" Odessa asked unintelligibly. "What are you doing here, Jennifer?"
"I hope you aren't too cramped in there," Jennifer ignored Odessa. "I thought you should've gotten a smaller one, but Maysun insisted that you get one that allowed you a little bit of comfort."
"Maysun is here, too?"
Maysun stepped beside Jennifer with a grim frown on her face. She looked between Jennifer and Odessa, switching from looking disappointed and weary to apologetic. She looked like she didn't want to be in the position she was in, and Odessa wondered if she had even agreed to be a part of the opposition. If she hadn't, then Odessa had a chance of getting out of wherever she was unscathed. She needed to get back to the castle and find out what was going on. That attack hadn't been random; they had to have been watching the city somehow. And Odessa worried Heidi hadn't gotten back to the castle in time. Did they hurt Heidi? Was Heidi in the same building as her? Did the Volturi even know she was gone? If the opposition was going to attack the Volturi, then Odessa had to be there to help. She couldn't be wallowing away in some cell. This was something bigger than her, something that she had to protect so she could cherish later. She finally felt like she was a part of something bigger than her, and she didn't want to give it up just yet. She couldn't lose it. She couldn't lose Alec, or Jane, or Heidi, or Santiago, or Felix, or even Afton or Chelsea.
"I do not understand," Odessa told them. "Why are you here? Why are you acting this way? Is Nahuel here, too?"
"Huilen would never let Nahuel partake in something like this," Maysun reassured her.
"Besides," Jennifer started, "Nahuel is too much of a pacifist to voluntarily do something like this."
"And you?" Odessa asked incredulously. "When I first met you, you were so nice and kind. Even when we reunited, you were nice to me. You acted like you were my sister."
"I wanted to be your sister," Jennifer sighed heavily. She walked into the room and sat opposite Odessa on the floor. Her leg brushed against Odessa's as her other leg bended and curled in on her. "When we first met, I was apprehensive of you because Serena was very hostile towards you. Serena always looked out for us, so I took her lead in being wary. But then I heard you talk about our father, and I realized that we could relate to each other; you had been through similar experiences as I have, so I thought of you less with wary and more with anticipation. I wanted to talk to you - to talk to someone who could relate to me and vice versa - but you left, and I never got the chance to." Her face was scrunched together in disappointment as she relived how she felt.
"You see, I had felt a disconnect between Serena, Maysun, and me. I felt like I was different from them - less important. They were so comfortable around our father, but all I felt was trepidation. I felt like I couldn't tell them because of how they viewed our father. I wanted to feel the close bond we had before father hit me - before I felt lesser. Then, you visited Nahuel, and I grew excited because it was finally time for me to get the hurt I felt towards our father off my chest. And it felt nice when you hugged me and consoled me through my pain. I felt like I could finally step past my grief and feel like I was close to my sisters again." Her face relaxed before it broke into a sneer and a glare. "But then you and Serena fought, and your stupid mate killed her!"
"She attacked me," Odessa protested.
"It doesn't matter!" Jennifer shouted as she stood up abruptly. She snarled down at Odessa and said, "Serena might have taken your arm off, but at least you could reconnect it! I'll never get to speak to Serena again!"
"I did not kill her," Odessa tried again. "And Alec knows that what he did was wrong. He already apologized."
"Not to me he didn't," Jennifer retorted as she shook her head back and forth. "Serena may have been brash, a tad overprotective, and rough around the edges, but she cared!"
"She did not care enough to believe you!" Odessa shouted, upset over Jennifer's reasoning. "If she cared so much, she wouldn't have accused you of lying. She would have believed regardless of her image of your father, and she would have comforted you the same way Maysun and I did!"
"Serena was just conflicted! If she would have had more time, she would have realized I wasn't lying and would have apologized!"
"You do not know that. She could have continued to believe you were lying or she could have even acted out like Joham and hurt you."
"Don't soil Serena's name," Maysun spoke up for the first time. "I may not agree with Jennifer on joining this group, but I won't let you soil Serena's name. As Jennifer said, Serena was many things, but she would never lay a hand on any of us."
"My apologies," Odessa apologized quickly. "I just do not understand why Serena's death would lead to this outcome."
"Serena was one of the only constant people in my life," Jennifer explained. "She was there for everything - my first words, my first steps, my first meal, even my first gaze at the world. We were supposed to travel the world and experience everything it had to offer. Serena said she would take me everywhere. And then she died right in front of my eyes. I couldn't let her die in vain. I won't let her die in vain."
"So, you joined the opposition," Odessa concluded. "You joined them so that you could get back at me. Do you even care about their cause?"
"If they want to destroy the Volturi, then so be it," Jennifer waved away. "The only thing I care about is getting back at you."
Odessa stared at Jennifer with a deadpan expression as she processed Jennifer's words. "I thought you had grown up, but I see you are just as childish as usual."
Jennifer growled and grabbed Odessa by the throat. She pulled her up by the throat, grinning in delight as Odessa struggled against the cuffs around her wrists and the hand around her neck.
"Stop this, Jennifer!" Maysun demanded. She pulled on Jennifer's shoulder until Jennifer let Odessa go. Jennifer spit beside Odessa and stormed out of the room. Odessa caught her breath and avoided the wad of venom on the floor. She rubbed at her neck and willed the pain to go away. She was startled when Maysun crouched down in front of her and unlocked the cuffs around her wrists. Odessa rubbed her wrists and winced at the tenderness they held. She looked up at Maysun and questioned her actions.
"Jennifer is acting out of line," Maysun told her.
"Then why are you here with her?" Odessa asked.
"Jennifer was filled with a lot of grief when Serena died in front of us. She's never seen such violence before, and it hurt her," Maysun said. "I've heard of vampires going crazy, but I've never seen it happen before. Jennifer cried that entire day before she became quiet. She wouldn't talk or move or leave the house. Huilen got her to leave the house to feed. Once she came back, she was manic and mumbled to herself all the time. She would leave for days and come back, until one day she came home talking about some group. She got into a big fight with Huilen about it. Huilen thought she was crazy; she wanted Jennfer to stay and relax and find her peace of mind again. Jennifer refused. She pleaded with me to come with her, and I couldn't say no."
"Why didn't you talk her out of it?" Odessa asked. "She would have listened to you."
"I did," Maysun told her exasperatedly. "But she wouldn't listen. We argued and she wouldn't talk to me for days until I apologized. She had already gone mad."
"So, you stayed?"
"I did. I didn't want her to be alone, and I didn't want to be alone either. Huilen was kind and Nahuel was my brother, but I didn't share the same bond with him as I share with Jennifer. I couldn't leave behind the only family I had."
"But you do not support this cause either, do you?"
"I've never been one to take sides," Maysun shrugged. "I've always been less biased than my sisters. I don't care whether the Volturi are here or not. I've never done anything wrong to be afraid of them, and I've never cared to memorize the laws, either. But I do care about Jennifer and her well-being."
"You know this will not end well," Odessa warned her. "You should leave now while you have the chance."
"Didn't you hear me?" Maysun asked with a small smile. "I care about Jennifer. I can't leave her. If she dies, then I guess I will share the same fate."
"I do not want to see someone like you die, Maysun," Odessa said softly.
"I will be fine. I would rather leave with my sister than be alone," Maysun said. She held out a hand for Odessa to take and helped her stand up. Maysun led her through a hallway and up a set of stairs. As she walked through the building, Odessa couldn't help but observe the link between the decor and Vera's personal style. It was like Vera personally decorated the building. Some things looked older, like they were popular years in the past, and some things looked new. A thought occurred to her suddenly and she turned to Maysun to ask.
"I was with a woman before I was brought here. She was attacked too, but I gave her an opening to run away. Do you know what happened to her?" Odessa asked.
"I don't know," Maysun said. "I wasn't part of the group planned to attack and kidnap you, and the only person they brought here was you."
Odessa inwardly smiled at that. There was a chance Heidi got away and informed the Volturi of what happened. The upstairs of the building was surprisingly clean and there was furniture littered around the room. It looked homey, like someone lived in the building rather than just used it as a hideout. Odessa looked around and was confused as she saw no one in sight.
"Where is everyone?" Odessa asked. "How were you able to free me without any protest?"
"They're gone," Maysun replied.
"Gone as in dead?" Odessa questioned. How could all of them be dead when they just attacked the city?
"Gone," Jennifer's voice rang out as she entered the room and sat on one of the armchairs with her legs crossed, "as in attacking the Volturi in this very moment."
"What?" Odessa whispered incredulously. "I thought - I mean, why did she? Why am I here, then?" Odessa choked out. "I thought Vera wanted to exact revenge on me, too."
"She wanted to get you away from the fight," Jennifer laughed out. "She knows you're too powerful. You'd ruin everything. She had to get you out of the picture, and she succeeded. I guess you won't get to say goodbye to your mate. Seems fitting the goodbye I had with Serena."
Jennifer began cackling at the scared and heartbroken expression marring Odessa's facial features. Maysun scolded Jennifer for being so dramatic and inconsiderate while Odessa tried to rein herself in. She had to get back to the castle and help. She had to go now! She couldn't sit back and let her mate and his coven - her coven, their coven - fight by themselves. She refused to lose anyone. She needed to get her head straight and move. But the more Jennifer cackled and the more Maysun complained, the more emotion Odessa felt. She wasn't scared or nervous about what was happening anymore, she was angry. The immense amount of rage she felt was overpowering her senses and she couldn't help but let it take over. She screamed in anger and swung a fist at Jennifer. Jennifer's laugh cut off as Odessa's fist connected with her jaw and pushed her off the chair. Maysun shouted out as she tried to restrain Odessa, but Odessa was too angry and threw Maysun off her. Odessa stalked towards Jennifer and grabbed her by her hair. She dragged Jennifer across the floor, ignoring her cries of pain and fear. She picked her up, threw her against the wall, and watched gleefully as Jennifer fell to the floor.
"Stop!" Maysun cried out. "Please, stop, Odessa!"
Odessa growled and grabbed Jennifer's head before she banged it against the wall over and over again. Maysun ran up to her and grabbed her by the shoulders, pulling her back and throwing her across the room in panic.
"I will handle Jennifer, just don't hurt her!" Maysun shouted as she threw her arms to the side to shield Jennifer from Odessa's sight.
"You won't!" Odessa shouted back. "You are just going to stand there and let her do whatever she wants just because you do not want to argue with her or be alone!"
"Please," Maysun tried again.
"She threatened my mate! She threatened me! I am done with these games!" Odessa yelled. She grabbed hold of Jennifer's essence and pulled her forward. Maysun watched in anguish as Jennifer screamed as Odessa began pulling her apart. "You think Serena's death was harsh? You did not have the pleasure of seeing Joham's death. I think his punishment is fitting for someone like you."
"No!" Maysun lunged towards Jennifer right as Odessa split her apart. Blood rained down on both of them as Odessa looked on with satisfaction. Maysun looked at her in disbelief. She pointed a finger at her and sobbed out, "You're a monster."
"Maybe," Odessa said. "I have never said I was a saint."
"You belong with them - the Volturi," Maysun cried. "You and the rest of them don't care about anyone. I should have listened to Jennfier and Vera. I should have-"
"But you didn't. And now you will pay the price," Odessa stated. She walked up to Maysun, crouched in front of her, and grabbed her head, almost like she was caressing her face. Then, she began to squeeze.
"What are you doing?" Maysun asked frantically. She pawed at Odessa's hands, trying to find purchase against them and move them away from her face. The blood kept making her hands slip, and she cried hopelessly as she knew her fate was sealed.
"I cannot let you go," Odessa said. "I cannot let you turn into another Jennifer or Vera. I am sorry Maysun. I did not want to see someone like you die."
Odessa ran as fast as she could to the castle. She ignored the blood staining her clothes and her skin as she pushed herself more than she had ever pushed herself. She made it to the castle in record time and instantly saw the onslaught the opposition had started. It was chaotic, and the opposition had more numbers than they had previously thought. She glanced around and saw Alec being tag teamed. Someone else was creeping up behind him and Odessa panicked. She screamed out and took control of everyone in the vicinity, making them all pause. Their heads swiveled to get a look at the ferocious anger shown on her face.
"Do not move another muscle."