The murmurs of Alice and Bella were what Kiera awoke to. She sat up straight in her seat, her hickory colored eyes snapping open. On her tired face was the look of absolute dread, her normally golden-brown skin struck by a sickly pallor.
"What is it?" Bella asked, her lip being ravaged by her teeth. "What's wrong?"
"Ramona." Kiera gasped. "Ramona is going to kill me. She's got to be so mad right now!"
"Who is Ramona?" Alice stage whispered, golden eyes bright with worry. "Do I need to fight this Ramona?"
"Oh my God, you'd lose. Trust me, my cousin is an absolute wildcat when upset. I'll have to clean the house for the next fifty years." Kiera groaned, wiping at her face. "I forgot to tell her that I'm flying across the world to save someone she likely hates."
"Ah." Alice sighed."Well, we land in about an hour, so you can give her a call then."
"I'm pretty sure my phone is dead by now." Kiera said dryly, rubbing at a sleep crusted eye. "Ramona is going to kill me, so have fun with what meager belongings I leave behind."
"Is she always this dramatic?" Alice asked, winkling her small button nose.
"Oh yeah, always." Bella nodded sagely, the both of them watching Kiera pull the blanket back over her head to block out the world.
"You know you can just use my phone, right?" Alice went as far as to hold up her own phone, her delicate fingers wagging it back and forth.
Her only response was to give a tired grunt and a lazy thumbs up, knowing Ramona will kill her regardless of if she called or not. It's not like they even had time for a phone call, not with Edward's life on the line. Maybe Kiera would get lucky and she could redirect Ramona's wrath onto him somehow, seeing as this is all his fault.
Actually, knowing Ramona, she might just go for the bait. Nodding to herself from underneath her blanketed fort, Kiera settled back into her chair to grab some last winks of sleep before they landed.
Moving through the crowd at the airport was more taxing than one would think. But every single moment that went by without their goal in sight, felt like time wasted. People crowded her on all sides, everybody and their mother was here in Volterra today, because of course, it was a holiday. If it weren't for Alice's vampiric strength and her lack of shame, the trio would have been lost to the stampede of red cloaks.
Dragging along the other two girls by their hands, in a comical mockery of a mother dragging along two unruly children, Alice shoved her way through. Kiera just let her, too drained to fight against the current herself.
And when Alice broke into a bright yellow Porsche? Kiera simply looked away, expression pinching as she heard it roar to life. Theft wasn't something foriegn to her, admittedly, but times were different back then.
If it were any other circumstance, Kiera would have planted her feet to the earth and refused to get into the stolen car.
But a life was on the line, so she could look the other way.
"Not opposed to grand theft auto, huh?" Bella muttered, throwing herself into the passenger's seat.
Kiera wasted no time crawling into the back and snapping her seatbelt on, knowing Alice's driving was only going to get worse as they traveled along the empty roads. Edward was at the heart of Volterra, the center of Italy's vampire kingdom. It astounded Kiera how he chose the perfect yet worst place to make his stage.
Alice rolled her eyes, tossing the scarf she found and had wrapped around her neck over a dainty shoulder. Her skin gleamed in the sunlight, with just enough force to seem ethereal. But at the speed that she took off with, Kiera knew anybody who saw it would file it away in their mind as something impossible.
"That's what you're focusing on?" Alice tsked, her small foot pressing down harder on the pedal.
To save the ivory leather seats from her vomit, she just kept her mouth and eyes shut tightly, mentally going over what to say to Ramona. Never have they gone this long without any word for the other, it just wasn't something they did.
And while Diwata didn't have leaders in their family, Ramona was her older cousin and therefore deserved to know when Kiera was heading across the world. For all that she's done for Kiera, she would expect that much from her. Kiera couldn't blame her for her feelings.
If she were anyone else, she really would try to spin the blame on Edward. But it was against Kiera's nature to outright lie. The feelings of anxiety didn't subside as Bella began to panic, gripping at the roots of her hair.
The Porsche zipped through the streets of Volterra, finally breaching the heart of the city. Hundreds of humans walked clustered together, entire families out and about to celebrate St. Marcus. It was a sea of just red red red, there was no end in sight of the red-cloaked humans. How they were all going to pull a Moses and part this sea was beyond Kiera.
Alice shifted rapidly, pulling out a pair of long black gloves and giant sunglasses that consumed half of her face. The scarf she'd stolen was used to wrap around her head, covering the back of her neck from the sun. If they weren't in a race against death, Kiera would have loved to comment on her very retro look.
But her fears of not being able to pass through came to fruition. A police officer stopped the car, explaining they couldn't go any farther than this. Kiera barely had enough time to reach for Bella, her fingers just glancing off of Bella's elbow. Just like that day when they first met in class, Kiera breathed in energy and pushed it into Bella.
"Bella just go! We will meet up with you, find the clock tower and you'll find him!" Alice shouted.
Without her feet on the ground and without solid contact, Kiera knew it would last even shorter than it had the first time around. It was merely a gentle push, a rush of extra adrenaline for Bella, one that left Kiera slumping against the leather seats. Black spots danced in her vision, her eyes closing shut on Bella's back as the human girl shoved her way through the crowd.
"What did you just do?" Alice asked, alarmed. She crawled into the backseat with Kiera, lifting her head and putting onto her small cold lap.
Kiera groaned and held up a finger, needing a minute.
"Kiera? Kiera!"
"Please cease your shouting, it's making my head pound." Kiera's hands were shaking as they gripped onto Alice's, her bleary eyes cracking open to peer out the window. "I did something I'm really not supposed to do. I just pulled some energy from the earth and shoved it at Bella, but being even a few inches off the ground makes it much more difficult."
"So you gave her a boost?" Alice questioned. She pressed her cold hand to Kiera's forehead, the icy touch present even through her gloves. It did nothing to soothe the fire of Kiera's mind, though.
"Sort of, it's like getting a spike of adrenaline for other mortals. Fully transformed Diwata can use the sun and the earth to feed on, kind of like a plant." Kiera smiled despite the situation. "It's never left me drained like this before, weirdly enough."
"Let's get you some fresh air then. Bella just found Edward, we can take a tad longer getting to them." Alice sighed, gently putting Kiera's hair back on the seat and scooting out of the backdoor.
It took a lot of maneuvering to make sure Alice wouldn't accidentally bump Kiera's head on the door frame, but eventually, they both made it out of the backseat and into the open Italian air. Alice looped one of her arms underneath Kiera's shoulders, easily supporting both of their weights as they walked.
Kiera relaxed into Alice's hold, thankful that somebody was there for her. The brief image of an old man and his cane entered Kiera's mind, and she had to bite her lip to keep from laughing in Alice's face.
"Oh, that's not funny." Alice pouted. "I'm not that short!"
Kiera almost burst a blood vessel laughing, tears coming to the corners of her eyes. Alice must have seen it in a vision, and Kiera commended the double from another timeline that actually shared the joke aloud. Hysteria began to bubble in her chest, and the entire walk to the beautiful but creepy castle of Volterra was filled with poorly stifled giggles.
The world was red and hazy, every face they passed looked like a blur. Like an asthmatic going uphill, Kiera's lungs burned and every breath took her entire focus. She could weep with joy at the sight of the Volturi castle in front of them, the old building dwarfing both girls in its impressive shadow.
She could only stare in absolute awe at the sight before her. The Volturi obviously lived that lavish life, the gothic architecture of the castle speaking of a clan drowning in money. Kiera could hear just make out Bella and a man speaking in low tones beyond the doors.
Bella's love for Edward had to be nothing short of a tragedy. She'd come to save the one who'd help break her, and Kiera couldn't wrap her fuzzy head around hurt she spoke with sobered Kiera's cloudy mind.
It was a reminder of what they came here for, a reminder of what Edward had done to Bella. What all the Cullens had done. Kiera carefully pried herself from Alice's grasp and took a step away, clearing her throat.
"Thank you."
Alice eyed her in curiously and gave a bright smile. "Of course! Now let's save my stupid brother."
Kiera's brows furrowed, confused as to what could possibly be happening now. Alice pushed against the giant metal doors, something snapping in half from the other side. An intake of breath greeted them both, and suddenly Kiera was staring at two new vampires, their red eyes gleaming like rubies in the softly filtered sunlight.
One was impossibly tall and broad in the shoulders, his gaze searching as he looked down at her from over his nose. Both he and the man beside him were dressed in the darkest of blacks, their clothes nearly blending into the dark of the room. His companion was shorter, with Grecian features and artfully arranged sandy hair. His eyes were locked on Alice, mouth parting open slightly.
A glance at Alice confirmed she was much the same, her golden eyes wide in shock.
Edward must have said something rude, but all that came out was a terrible hissing noise. The smaller of what Kiera assumed to the Volturi snapped his attention to Edward and roared, spittle flying and the sound leaving an unnerving ring to Kiera's ears. His eyes bleed into two dark animalistic pools of black, a color Kiera hadn't seen from a vampire before.
In a flash, Alice was next to him, standing on her tippy toes to lay a small hand against his cheek. All of the tension was extinguished from his body beneath her touch, his look turning to one of reverence.
"Shh, shh, it's alright." Alice murmured, barely audible. "What's your name?"
"Demetri," Demetri rasped. "Your name is Alice, correct?"
Alice's smile was beatific. "Mary Alice Brandon, in the stoney flesh."
Her smile fell a fraction, Demetri's thumb coming to rest just next to the corner of her lips. "What is it?"
"I never saw you coming." Alice whispered. "Not once."
Whatever cosmic connection had been made between the two, Kiera didn't want to see anymore. She turned to look at Edward and Bella, all three of them sharing a look of discomfort. Bella reached a hand towards Kiera, becoming her friend over as she stood in Edward's embrace.
"Edward, this is Kiera. Kiera, meet Edward." Bella said softly, taking her lip between her teeth.
Edward suddenly looked a thousand years old, his eyes becoming tired. He smiled at Kiera as if they'd known each other for years, nodding to her and mouthing a 'thank you.'
Kiera reluctantly stepped forward, taking hold of Bella's hand. The strangely tall vampire was watching Bella now, a hunger in his eyes. Edward shot him a warning look, his smile turning to a frown when the vampire only smirked.
"Guys, this is Demetri." Alice announced, pulling a wary Demetri behind her. "Everything is going to be alright."
The look she and Edward shared was confirmation that Edward must also have some sort of gift. Maybe he had a form of telepathy? From the way he and Alice seemed to have their own private conversation, it'd make sense. His gaze turned to Kiera and he laughed a little as he spoke.
"You're correct. I am telepathic. But I can just barely hear your thoughts. I thought Bella was the only one who I was unable to hear." Edward's voice was just like Bella had described, each word smooth and perfectly pronounced.
A tinge of a Chicagoan accent coated his musical speech, surprising Kiera. In fact, all their accents surprised her. Half of her had forgotten that vampires were human once, and had come from all over the world. It's not like in the old horror movies, there were none from Transylvania to be found.
"When we get home, I'd love to pick your brain." Edward smiled, his hand stroking Bella's arm.
"Only if I can pick yours in return." Kiera eyed him.
Like a ghost, a young girl materialized before them. Her eyes burnt brightly, a ferocity in them that would have terrified Kiera if she weren't so tired.
"Hello Jane." Edward said, eyes wary.
"Aro wants to see what's taking so long, Demetri." When she spoke, her voice sounded angelic. It instantly warred against the cruelty in her gaze as she scanned Bella and Kiera head to toe, all before turning and stalking away.
Demetri held Alice's hand in his, his thumb tracing circles against her skin. "It'll be alright."
Kiera wasn't so sure they could trust him. But the way Alice looked at him, like she actually trusted his words, gave Kiera pause. She'd spare her questions and judgements for later, she was more concerned on making out of this creepy castle alive.
The Cullens made sure to barricade Bella and her between them, once again sharing in a secret conversation. Kiera couldn't find it in herself to care, just thankful she had Bella to lean on as they walked through the halls of Volterra. Jane lead them, her black cloak blowing gently behind her with each graceful step.
It almost lured Kiera to sleep even as she walked, her lids closing halfway. She blinked harshly, giving herself a little shake in hopes to stay awake. Bella gripped her hand tighter, trying to give some reassurance. At least if Kiera died today, she would die with her best friend at her side.
She'd missed what they said about the secretary, exhaustion settling into her bones. She couldn't even force any sense of alertness as they stepped through a set of double doors and into a large stone room. Immediately, her eyes zoomed in to the long wooden table overflowing with papers to the five figures sitting at it.
These vampires were nothing like the ones Kiera had seen before. Still as statues and with veins that more closely resembled cracks coursed over their skin, these vampires were nearly old as time. A milky white film covered a couple of the vampires' eyes, giving the image of a sickly albino lat rat.
"These are the Kings and Queens of the Volturi. You'll address them with respect." Jane said, her voice deadly calm.
"Sister, you were sent to get two and you come back with two and a half. How in character." A young boy said stoically, his face a matching set to little Jane.
Kiera's brown furrowed. Two and a half? When it clicked, she rolled her eyes. Edward and Alice were the two, with Bella being the half. Kiera probably didn't even make the list due to her dying state.
How typical.
One of the vampires sitting at the table rose, his long silky black hair fluttering behind him with each careful step he took. His eyes were on Alice and Demetri's still locked hands, a smile of surprise and satisfaction pulling at his lips.
"That's Aro." Edward whispered to Bella and Kiera. "Next to him is Caius and Marcus. The women are Athenodora and Sulcipia."
"Alice. How wonderful to see you again." Aro clapped.
But like he couldn't help himself, Aro's attention turned on Bella. Once again Kiera was barely worth the notice, and she felt just fine with that as Aro stepped into further Bella's orbit.
"Oh, what's this? Edward's beloved is still mortal?" The calculating glint to his eyes was clear as day to anyone who dared to look closer. Beyond the mischievous smile and gentle accent, Aro was taking clear stock of everybody in the room, categorizing them from most to least interesting.
Too bad for Bella, being as his scope has zoomed in on her and only her. Even Edward at her side didn't hold a candle to the curiosity Bella's mere presence brought. Edward stepped before her, and this gaze Kiera a chance to truly study the vampire. Bella's blind adoration for him had smoothed out any inconsistencies to her stories of him, painting Edward in a prettier light than Kiera would have.
With tousled bronze hair and a lean, lithe figure, Edward was more boy than man. Though physically in his early twenties like Kiera, Edward had a youthfulness to him that betrayed him. Bella's tales of a hauntingly beautiful young man didn't paint this exact portrait, not exactly.
The dark circles under his deep ochre gaze coupled with his high cheekbones made him look ill. His thin and tall frame spoke volumes of how he'd suffered in his last days. Sick from the Influenza, Edward was truly left a beautiful corpse.
His knowing gaze startled Kiera from her thoughts. How inconvenient that he could only hear parts of them- she'd never know just what was safe inside her mind. A guilt she hadn't expected clenched at her gut. He couldn't help the way he died, not any more than she could.
"Edward, nice to see you once more. Come, shake an old man's hand." Aro smiled, the points of his razor sharp fangs almost gleaming.
The ginger didn't hesitate, likely knowing it was futile. His hand was eagerly encased by both of Aro's, the king's eyes fluttering shut. Kiera wondered what gift he had, if he needed to touch someone for it to work.
"Ah. A shame, really. I had thought you would want your beloved to live alongside you, but it seems you do not wish her to be immortal." Aro sighed as if truly put out. "A pity, really."
He dropped Edward's hand, his attention once again focusing on Bella. "But what an amazing immortal she could make. Let us see if I can read her any better than you can."
"Aro can see every thought you've had, through a single touch." The tall vampire said, a grin full of malice aimed towards Bella. It was the grin of a cat playing with a half dead mouse, almost bored but still unable to resist playing it's game.
The hairs on the back of Kiera's neck rose. She shuffled closer to Alice, ignoring the piercing look of Demetri as Alice used her free arm to wrap it around Kiera's waist. Her eyes could only follow Aro's movements, his hands eclipsing Bella's.
After a moment, Aro's mouth twitched. He opened his eyes, fascination written across every inch of his face. "How remarkable. Not a thing."
Bella dropped her hands from Aros and stumbled back into Edward's arms, trepidation in her steps. Edward's face became fierce, a flat 'no' falling from his lips.
Aro dismissed his no, calling over his shoulder for Jane to step forward. Before he could say another word, the room was turned into a battlefield. Edward surged forward, heading straight for Jane, only to be brought to his knees. Kiera stumbled backwards, trying to pull her friend with her to no avail. Bella twisted from her grasp and lunged for Edward, carelessly throwing herself on top of his convulsing body.
Jane's eyes turned upon Bella and the world held its breath. Bella and Jane stared at each other, one wary and the other increasingly angered. Edward's torture had stopped, only remembered by the pained look on his face and the tremor of his limbs. As another second passed, and another, Jane's anger only grew.
Her power, whatever it was, could not work on Bella.
"Wonderful, just wonderful! How this situation grows in curiosity. I would like to see how immortality would mold you, but it seems even now Edward doesn't wish to turn you. It really is a shame, my dear." The look on Aro's face melted into one of hunger. "But you'll make for a great meal."
"Stop! Stop, I've seen it! I'll turn Bella myself!" Alice gasped, pulling against Demetri's steel grip. "I can show you."
Aro's disappointment warred with his own brutal need to know. Kiera knew the feeling, the drive to taste one's secrets. She could admit preferred Aro's dangerous curiosity to his craving for her friend.
Alice and Demetri stepped forward as one, Alice's free hand reaching forward to reveal all that she's seen. The time, Aro's eyes remained open as he flickered through Alice's thoughts, the amusement in his eyes. This was all a game to him.
Alice tried to retract her hand, but Aro's grip only tightened. A hunger of a different kind, a hunger for power, flickered across his face. It was gone within a blink, and Alice's hand was freed.
"A happy ending indeed." Aro smiled, a childish glee to his tone. He clapped his hands once before turning to the figures at the table. "It is true! Bella will be one of us."
A young blonde man with a cutting glare and sharper features scowled. "I do not think they should go."
"Caius, no rules have been broken! Bella is mortal, but she will not be for long. The situation will rectify itself soon enough." Aro said, his smile unwavering.
Caius's scowl only deepened. Whatever biting comment he was about to say was cut off by a harsh looking woman's elbow to his rib. She, like her companion, was glacier in her beauty. Her rapunzel long platinum tresses spilled across the table as she moved into Caius' space, leaning her thin frame against him.
"Love, he is correct. Let the lovers go." She spoke soothingly, as if to not anger her beast of a husband.
"Athenodora agrees, brother. It is settled then, yes?" Aro asked the table.
Marcus and Sulpicia barely lifted their eyes from the mound of paperwork, only looking to Aro long enough to give a nod of their heads. To them, the entire situation must have been more of a nuisance than entertainment. Sulpicia went as far as the wave them off, like their very presence annoyed her.
Carefully, Bella helped Edward stand, their attention once more on each other. Sucked back into their own world, they paid Aro no attention until he turned to Kiera at last.
"And you, my dear." Aro tutted. "You look like you are arriving on death's door. Did your friends not realize how poor your condition is?"
A lump formed in her throat and for a moment Kiera couldn't speak. She tried to clear, only for it to turn her voice hoarse. "I'm sure they know now. Life as a Diwata can be tough. "
It was carefully laid out, a piece of bait for Aro to snatch up. It was the only bargaining piece she had left, as weak as she was and as strict as their rules against humans knowing were. If they knew what she was, would it keep her alive?
Diwata don't have the highest standing in the supernatural world, but they weren't usually respected as protectors of the earth. The earth has a vampire diet living on it, so maybe Aro would afford to give Kiera respect just for that? Or was that a foolish thought?
Kiera hated not knowing.
"What a strange collection you've amassed yourself, Isabella." Aro chuckled. "Is it true you are like Bella here? Edward painted such a strange picture of you in his mind. Such an odd being you are, Miss Kiera."
To her surprise, it was Edward who spoke up. "Trying to read her mind is like trying to tune into a far off radio station. Most of what I can channel is static."
"And even Alice cannot see her future?" Aro pressed.
Edward seemed pained to share any information with the man, his jaw ticking. "Alice has seen pieces, but most of it is also static."
The bomb dropped and Kiera's stomach rolled. She knew Alice had seen her. It was like Kiera was looking at a board game, with all the pieces set out, but watching as a few were plucked right from her hands. The control of her own life was slipping through her fingers. Kiera wondered if Alice had foretold any of these events, if she'd seen the kind of carefully contained manic glee form into Aro's face at the room full of new playthings.
Kiera mourned any sense of privacy she and Ramona once had. With Bella in her life, the Cullens would be able to pluck any information they wanted right from Kiera and her cousin's pretty little heads if they had the whim to. It may have been cruel of her, but Kiera felt herself beginning to regret stepping foot into Italy.
Maybe she even regretted finding Bella that one gloomy day.
The secret hadn't been his to give, and Kiera hissed at him from where she stood. Dozens of eyes landed on her, the weight of them lighter than she'd expect in a room of killers.
"Kiera, your teeth!" Alice gasped.
Aro's answering cackle was more frightening than anything that had already happened. In confusion, Kiera raised a stiff hand to her mouth, eyes widening as she felt her skin prickle from something sharp. Alice, ever ready, stepped forward to hand Kiera a compact mirror.
Kiera's teeth were in fact razor sharp. Dozens of tiny needle point teeth crowded together, her mouth opening like a jagged cavern that doomed anything that entered. It was like the teeth of an angular fish had replaced her normal blunt ones.
"You must sense it by now, don't you?" Aro laughed, the entire thing a soap opera for him to consume.
"Sense what?" Kiera ground out, her words an octave deeper and slurred.
"Edward had seen you were dying, had glimpsed some of those underling dark thoughts. You'd thought something was off…" Aro sighed. "Poor dear, you were correct."
"What? What's wrong with me?" Kiera took a step forward, tears welling in her eyes. "What the hell is going on?"
"I'm sure that you already know."
The world beneath Kiera rolled and shifted, pitching her into Alice's ready and waiting arms. Alice's words went unheard as Kiera could only stare at Aro, her vision blurring. She didn't want to hear Aro's next words. Whatever they were, he could keep them in his stupid smiling mouth. Kiera wheezed, the need to scream building in her core.
"Gifted with such teeth, too." Aro chuckled.
On weak and trembling, not unlike the legs of a doe, Kiera stepped forward. But before she could move even an inch forward, she was brought to heel.
A fire like she'd never felt before took hold of her, pulling her to the tips of her feet and burning every inch of her body. Her blood boiled in her body and an animalistic keel tore it's way out her wretched open mouth. Like the hand of God was pressing onto her bones, Kiera was thrown to the ground, left to tangle with whatever was burning her.
Across the room, she caught Jane's vicious smile. Each time Kiera screamed, it was like Jane was stoking the fire she'd set upon her. Bella's answering cries of anguish were all that she'd heard, mingling with Edward and Alice's frantic shouting. Just when she thought the fire would consume her from the inside out, Aro raised a hand.
"Jane, that's enough." Aro said calmly. It was a tone Kiera had thought him incapable of, one full of power and clarity. "She's learned her lesson. Haven't you, Kiera?"
"Yes." Kiera howled, her view becoming blocked by Edward and Bella's backs. "God, yes, now please make it stop!"
As if blowing out a candle, Jane's fire was snuffed. Kiera panted from where she laid on the ground, her tears finally spilling over.
Caius' face was one of vicious glee. Her trembling turned to heaving, and Kiera let out her mouthful of bile onto the pristine tiled floor. Kiera's body bent in two with the force of her vomiting, a weary groan escaping her spit covered lips. Edward's hand was on her back, Bella's hands pulling her hair from her face with a gentleness that made Kiera tear up.
Aro turns away from them, dismissing them. Kiera glared at his back. She wished she could have vomited on his ugly overpriced shoes, or on his impeccable Valentino suit. But like a child, Kiera was picked up from the cool floor and carried towards the door, her head flopping weakly onto Edward's chest.
"I cannot believe I just vomited onto the floor of vampire royalty." Kiera gritted her teeth, knowing her breath must stink.
"I can't believe any of this." Bella admitted, her eyes bloodshot. "It's all just so surreal. I really thought we were going to die in there."
"I would never have let that happen." Edward protested.
Kiera wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, already mentally bitching Edward out. All of this was his fault, she'd never concede on that. He jumped the gun instead of waiting for Charlie himself to confirm Bella's fake death, and lead them all down this path. Now she was a joke to vampire society.
Kiera needed to be frank with herself. The Cullens were a troublesome coven, and she doesn't know if it's fair to Ramona to get dragged into their bullshit. It wasn't even fair to her. She glanced at Bella, guilt heating her face.
"You're right about it being my fault. I'm sorry Kiera, I truly am." Edward murmured in her ear, his voice sorrowful.
Kiera only nodded, grudgingly taking the apology. She'd get the rest of her thoughts out of her head soon, when they were back in their home land and not across the world. She could feel herself slowly slump against Edward's hold, her eyes fighting to stay open.
"You should sleep." Alice sighed from next to her, her golden eyes blank with the future. "It'll be a long, long flight back."
But sleep didn't come so easily this time. For the entire way back, Kiera was wide awake. Her body was exhausted, her mind was weary. But her thoughts raced through her head like a hamster on a wheel, never stopping and making too much noise to ignore. Her face was pressed against the window of the plane, her dark eyes glued to the clouds all the way home.
There would be hell to pay and decisions to be made.
AN: What did you guys think? Is Kiera going to be alright? And yes, there are some changes to the Volturi, and there will be many more changes throughout the story!
