Four months later.

I had settled into a fairly predictable routine.

It basically consisted of the unpredictable moves of the Cullens. Which was what made it predictable. They tried tracking me with a new method each time. Since I had found that out pretty easily, it allowed for me to think of the other logical options. Some options were not logical in the slightest, but I still considered them plausible since they had figured out I was running.

They didn't want me to know their plan.

Yet I still deciphered it.

Each and every single time.

I had no clue how.

What mattered, though, was that I had moved - essentially bouncing from country to country - and passed through undetected. By the Cullens at least.

My thoughts and actions had been repeated so much that they had become robotic. Rent a room, fail to find a job, stay for a few weeks, flee. Somewhere between the several moves I made in the last four months, I'd lost what few possessions I had brought with me.

Actually, most had been left before I even moved the first time. It had not been routine at that point and I had panicked when I tuned into the news and heard an update on the story. My story. The Cullens had received an 'anonymous' tip, which likely meant they had vampire-tracker buddies, that I was in Iceland.

Iceland. That seemed like a lifetime ago when it was only just a few months back.

I shook my head from my thoughts and focused on where I walked. The drawstring backpack bounced with every step I took, and I briefly considered tossing it since it weighed me down. But I knew that if I got rid of the only thing that held the items keeping me presentable and alive, then I'd be screwed.

My eyes stayed on the road, tracing my path as I walked. I cringed at the sight of my toes, so calloused, so bloody, so bruised. Someone had taken my shoes when I stayed at a dingy motel in France. Victoria's money had run out long ago, sometime while I was in the United Kingdom.

I had found out just after I stayed for a week and then the time came to flee again and I tried to purchase a boat ticket. The only reason I got across the Channel was because the captain took pity on me.

It was because of the captain that I had not been stranded in England. It was because of him that I had not broken any of the Rules and that the Cullens still lived.

The conversation between me and Victoria was something I had condensed to a simple list. I had named it the Rules, which basically consisted of the simplified rules she gave me. It was simple enough, since I had a meek human brain, and a mind like a sieve (as one might've been able to tell, I've had a lot of time to reflect on the Cullens departure way back when).

They were, as follows:

One: No contact

Two: Stay ahead

Three: Follow rules

Four: Don't die

Pretty simple. Cut and dry. However one wants to describe it.

I'd say I have done a pretty spectacular job thus far.

If living on the run, losing my entire support system and belongings, and having no source of income was considered a spectacular job.

I emerged from my thoughts, the Rules fading as I came to my surroundings. The road underneath me had been replaced with some sort of smooth rock and I stopped short. I looked up, raising a hand to shield my eyes from the sun's vicious rays.

A building nearly as tall as a skyscraper blocked some of the light and I took a step to the left so it would completely eclipse the sun.

Once it did, I looked around, my heart pounding in my chest.

For the first time since I closed off my emotions, I felt something other than the numbness that had taken over me for so long.

Fear. It seeped into my bones as adrenaline was pumped into my veins. My heart rattled wildly within its confines. I began to sweat and it was not from the heat.

I knew where I was, having recognized the spires erecting from the castle roofs. The old stone, the arches, the fountain. I had been here before. A lifetime ago.

A little girl's scream caused me to snap to her direction in alarm. I relaxed only slightly when I saw that she was just laughing as she was picked up by an older man, though still young. "Thanks so much for bringing us to Italy, daddy!"

His smile was radiant as he glanced at the woman next to him. He gripped her hand before looking back to his daughter. "You're welcome, pumpkin." He turned back to his wife with his daughter in his arms and pecked her cheek.

The woman had a pamphlet in her hands and she looked up and around several times before folding it and tucking it into the back pocket of her jeans. She turned to the side with her hands on her hips and I caught sight of her large stomach. Several months pregnant.

She smiled when she caught sight of something and turned back to her husband. They were close enough that I could hear her voice, which was much quieter than the man's. "Are you ready to see a tour of the castle, sweetie?"

The little girl smiled eagerly, bouncing in her father's arms.

As the family began to head toward the residence of the world's largest vampire coven, the girl's wide brown eyes caught mine. She waved at me over her dad's shoulder before her attention was caught by someone in the crowd that they had joined.

The crowd was made up of dozens of people being funneled through the main gates. On either side of the large entrance stood two figures cloaked in black. Their eyes were red like crimson.

Red like blood.

The screams of those slaughtered when I had been here last echoed in my memory.

On pure instinct, with no thought in my mind, I darted for the crowd only to be pulled into a narrow space between buildings before the guards were even alerted to my presence. "Are you suicidal?" someone hissed.

I turned to the person holding me, freezing as the temperature of their skin registered. I looked up into scarlet eyes and my heart ground to a halt.

The person, the vampire, before me froze, releasing his vice like grip on my arm. "Oh my," he muttered, his voice heavily accented and deep. He took a step back as he regained his composure, crossing his arms. "With how fast you moved, I thought you were-" He cut himself off and sighed, the sound one of complete bewilderment. "But no-" He sniffed the air. "-you're human."

"Yes, I am," I grumbled, jerking my arm away as he reached for it again. "Is there a problem with that?" I figured that if I was going to die, I'd be dead already. Since I sensed no immediate threat, I allowed myself to wonder why vampires kept finding me of all people.

He chuckled. "Not in of itself."

My brows furrowed. What? I shook my head, deciding I wasn't going to try to understand this strange vampire. "Well, if you don't mind," I began, turning back to the gates only for my shoulders to slump at the sight of the closed doors. I tried not to think of the little girl or her pregnant mother.

"You've some fire," the vampire said from behind. I rolled my eyes. Of course, he couldn't see the action, but he sensed it nonetheless. "Feisty, too. And you know about us…"

A person who trailed off in thought was a person scheming. I whirled on him, some vestiges of my forgotten heart making an appearance through anger. "What, so you think you can use that to your advantage? Newsflash: you can't. I'd rather die than be used again." Spittle landed on his face.

Rather than becoming angered, he simply wiped it off. "I stand corrected," he said. "Not only do you know about us, you also have quite a bit of business with us." His face darkened. "How?"

"Buddy," I said frankly. "If I live long enough to figure out the why, I'll tell you how."

He still did not seem threatening, despite the scowl on his face.

A thought crossed my mind and I leaned in. "You don't know any bitch named Victoria, do you?" He shook his head. I smiled. "Well, finally! I can get a drink and if some vampire comes to attack me, you can just kill him!" I again spun around, eager to have at least a sip. It'd been too long. "Or her," I tacked on as I raced for the nearest bar.

The man whom I did not know the name of groaned, likely wondering how insane a human had to be in order to boss vampires around. I think the second a human learns of vampires and shifters and werewolves is the second they lose their mind.

The cool temperature of the bar rushed over me and I relished it, smiling at the reprieve from the sun's relentless heat. The bar was surprisingly lively considering the time of day. It was dimly lit but the open windows allowed for the natural light and warm air to flood the room.

I hopped on a stool and was reminded of the last night with Rose and Alice before everything went to crap.

The metal legs screeched against the ground as the vampire claimed the stool next to me. I was too distracted rifling through my bag to find the few coins I'd managed to scrounge. I'd have absolutely no money left after this but a drink was worth it.

"What's your name?" he asked, his eyes tracking the bartender and his movements.

I opened my mouth to respond but thought better of it. Not one person in the last few months had asked me my name. The name on my passport was Elle, which was too close to my own for comfort. I thought of Renee, remembering when she told me of the names she had considered. Isabella, of course, had been one of them. The others had been fairly similar so I discarded that idea.

Then my thoughts switched to my other mother and a faint voice, her voice, whispered, 'Anne.' Right. That was her middle name. Choosing that could be a risk, but how many people in the world had that name, after all? Besides, it was short and sweet and I liked it.

I looked at the back wall, which was covered in bottles of wine, alcohol, and beer. Then I turned to the vampire, my lips curving into a slight smile. Now I was confident and firm in my decision. "Anne."

His face clouded with skepticism, not believing me but deciding not to press. "I'm Vladimir."

The name rang a bell, but I was unable to put a pin on why. I took the time to survey him. He had blood-red eyes and hair as white as snow. He had a fair build and his facial features were reminiscent with the faces of medieval paintings. His structure was slightly different than a modern human's. It was a similarity he shared with Carlisle. It gave away the fact that Vladimir was much older than he seemed at first glance.

I nodded my head to myself, taking in his appearance and the information it gave me.

He had been surveying me, too.

As his drink came - he had apparently ordered without my knowing - Vladimir wrapped his fingers around the glass and tipped his head. "By my guess, you're in your early twenties but your mind is that of someone much older. Despite having little to no money, you're holding up well enough." His eyes flickered. "You have a strong spirit. The hesitation during which you chose your name, the fading color in your hair, and those cheap eye contacts tell me you're on the run. From who, I wonder?" He grabbed my arm, his icy grip shocking my nerves.

"You've been bitten," he mused, bringing my arm to his nose. "Yet you're still human." Vladimir dropped my arm and it fell limply at my side. "Two scents linger. One is foul, a dead scent belonging to an equally dead vampire. The other is much sweeter, but it's diluted." He inhaled deeply, his eyes and nostril flaring. "By animal blood." Vladimir hissed, "The Cullens."

He gripped my arm again, this time harshly, and we were in a dark building before I could blink. My heart sped, the danger this man presented finally beginning to resonate.

"What affiliation would a human have with vampires? Even ones as puny as the yellow-eyes?" He snorted, continuing before I could respond. "I may loathe the Volturi, but they're not wrong. Humans, even one as isolated as you, cannot be trusted to know of our existence."

He was going to continue his tirade but stopped short, a frown appearing on his face. "But the wimpy one had come to the Volturi half a year ago," he muttered, seemingly to himself. "They must know about you, then."

His face morphed into shock as his thoughts caught up with him. "How are you still alive?"

I swallowed with extreme difficulty. He accepted my lie earlier but he wouldn't tolerate it now. "They allowed me and the coven to live-" I tried to seem as removed from them as I possibly could. "-on the one condition that I be changed."

"And you're still human," he reiterated.

I shrugged. "It didn't work out." Way to oversimplify things, Bella.

"So you're a human traveling around the world with the promise of becoming a vampire hanging over your head. And you're running from someone. The Cullens, I presume." A statement. Not a question.

I didn't correct him. I was running from the Cullens, but not for reasons he might think.

"I'll admit you are a curiosity. The Volturi let you live in a situation where others would die. Something's different about you. You're special." He circled me, a finger toying with one of my curls. "You're valuable."

He was beginning to worry me. He clearly was not fond of the Volturi, and his next words only confirmed my thoughts.

"I've been hoping to overthrow the Volturi for centuries. They wiped out my coven. They killed my mate." The vulnerability on hid face was quickly masked. "I've been waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike." He grinned, revealing a set of eerily white teeth. "And now I've found my opportunity."

Without knowing, I had begun to back away from him. Vladimir's jaw ticked. I watched as his muscles twitched then contracted as he burst into movement. I knew it should've been a blur to me but my mind was too preoccupied with the threat.

I took a step to the side as rushed for me. His momentum made it possible for him to redirect and he crashed into a wall. The building shook around me and flecks of rust rained down from the ceiling.

He spun around, confusion lighting his features. "How did you do that?" he growled.

I didn't have a clue but he definitely did not need to know that.

Realizing I wasn't going to answer, he charged again. I side-stepped him again, and as I saw that he wouldn't be able to stop himself, I darted through the door. The square was still buzzing with activity, which was a stroke of pure luck. I stepped into the crowd, hoping to blend in and knowing that he couldn't do anything in front of so many people.

Bodies closed in around me and I held my breath, cursing my claustrophobia. The last time I had been in this square, everyone had been wearing red. I spared a glance over my shoulder and skidded to a stop.

Where was he?

I didn't let my confusion stop me and I continued to run. The crowd suddenly thinned and I darted for a street that was crowded with backed up traffic.

Before I could make it to my potential escape, icy arms wrapped around my torso. My eyes watered as my surroundings suddenly became blurred. The wind beat at my face and my body became numb. When I was finally set down, I immediately realized that I wasn't in Italy anymore.

An old, forgotten rage coursed through my veins as I spun around to face Vladimir. His mouth popped open at how quickly I had moved. "You!" I shouted. "You and your kind are done playing with me!" I stepped forward and he stepped back. I relished the idea that a vampire - who was who knew how many centuries old - was afraid of little human me.

"Listen here, buddy," I started, rushing up to him before he could back away any further. "You may be fast, and you may be strong, but there's something I have that you don't."

His raised eyebrows in a silent question were the only sign he was listening.

"A life."

Energy pulsed under my skin, in my blood, until it raced down my arms and pooled visibly in my hands. I didn't think.

I acted.

Closing the distance between us, I placed one hand on his head and the other on his chest.

Before my very eyes, his skin disintegrated into ash. The breeze carried the smoking embers away and I could only stare at my hands in bewilderment.

I had gotten so accustomed to both the shifters and the vampires that I failed to consider that there might be a third party.

Currently, I was its only member.

But all I could think about, rather than figuring out what the hell I am, was the fact that I now had an advantage over Victoria. Vladimir's actions had been arbitrary. It would be hard for her minions to follow us with that. Which meant that my new ability and my location were unknown to her.

Victoria had the perfect play, but she no longer held all the cards.

Game on.

15 - Written - 5/8/22-5/17/22

Posted - 5/20/22

:)