Bella took a deep breath as she stared at the mobile phone in her hand. The plan had been set. The Cullen's had taken the damaged red trunk and staged a scene by a winding road to make it look like Lottie had crashed off the edge. The trunk had been pushed into the water with the driver's door opened to make it appear that the waves had pulled Lottie from the car and she was dragged out to the ocean. The Cullen's assured her that the strip of beach Lottie had 'crashed' at was known for its dangerous tides and others had met a similar fate. Many people had died on that section of road from losing control of their car through the windy bends and plunging over the edge into the ocean below. It would stop people from asking too many questions and write Lottie's death off as simply a terrible accident. It was only a matter of time before Charlie would be alerted by the police in the local area.

"Bella," Edward whispered into her hair. He arms were wrapped tightly around her in support as they stood in a density treed area near the camping ground close to the 'crash' scene.

"I know," she replied, "I just need a minute". The plan was that Bella would call Charlie and ask whether Lottie had returned home as her sister had been gone for a while. If the phone records were ever checked, Bella needed to be in the area where they supposedly went camping. She took another deep breath and dialed Charlie's number, a part of her wishing he didn't answer. She wasn't that lucky though.

"Hey kiddo," Charlie chirped as he answered the phone, "How are you both enjoying yourselves?".

'Stick to the script,' she thought to herself.

"Good thanks. Dad, I-I feel a bit silly calling now that I think about it but is Lottie by any chance there?" Bella asked.

Charlie went silent, "She's camping with you isn't she?".

"Yes!" Bella replied quickly, "It's just that…she left this morning. She was meant to be going to the shops to get a few things and…well, she's not come back yet and she's not answering her phone. I'm just concerned. This isn't like her. She was adamant she would only be a gone for an hour max".

"How long has it been?" Charlie asked in concern.

Bella swallowed, "At least six. I thought she may have headed back to Forks".

Charlie cursed, "Start calling the local hospitals in case she's been in an accident and I'll make a few calls to some guys I know on the force in the area".

"Okay. I'll call if I find anything," Bella responded.

"Same here," Charlie hung up the phone. Bella pressed the end call button and slumped further into Edward's arms. Edward squeezed her tighter in comfort. It only took 17 minutes before Bella's phone rung again.

Bella answered the call, "Did you find anything?".

Charlie didn't respond immediately, "I think you should come home Bells". She could hear it in his voice, he was barely holding back tears.

"I'll get Edward to drop me home," Bella replied quickly before hanging up the phone. It was the only gift she could give her dad. Giving him some peace to cry before he would have to 'break' the news to her. Edward took her hand and lend her out of the forest to his parked car. They both got in and sat in silence as they made their way back to Forks. Edward's hand never leaving Bella's. Dread filled Bella's stomach as Edward pulled up in front of her house.

"I can come in if you need," Edward said as he looked at his fiancé. It was the day after Lottie went missing that Bella agreed to marriage. Sitting on her ring finger was the engagement ring that belonged to his birth mother and the sight still filled him with so much joy.

Bella smiled shakily at him, "Thanks but I think it'll be better if I went in by myself".

Edward nodded in understanding, "Call me when you're done".

"I love you," Bella lent over and pressed her lips to his.

"I love you too Mrs Cullen," Edward whispered against her lips. Bella pressed gave another quick kiss before exiting the car and walked towards the house.

She mentally prepared herself one last time as she opened the front door, "Dad?".

She heard Charlie clear his throat, "In the living room". She walked inside and her heart shattered. Charlie Swan looked horrible. His cheeks were tear stained and his eyes were swollen red from crying. It was obvious he was trying to hold himself together in front of Bella.

"No," Bella whispered in shock. She was going to save Charlie as much as possible from having to share the news she already knew. Without even trying, tears filled Bella's eyes and she hugged Charlie before she started sobbing.

"I'm so sorry kiddo," Charlie croaked, "I'm so, so, sorry".


Several days later

"If I sense any of you are going to shift, I will personally drag you out of the church. I don't give a damn who is looking," Sam threatened his pack. They were all here to pay their respects; Sam, Jacob, Paul, Jared, Quil, Embry, Leah, Seth, Brady and Collin. They all nodded in understanding. Sam's gazed lingered over Jacob, Embry and Quil, the three he considered the most likely to be of issue today. Not that Sam blamed them. They had particularly taken the death of their friend very hard. Sam was aware that Emily and Kim were waiting near the church for them.

"Let's go," Sam said as he and the other shapeshifters walked towards the church. Emily smiled sadly at him and wrapped her arms around his waist once he was close enough. Sam pulled her tighter to his body and placed a kiss on her head. They withdrew from each other and held hands as they made their way into the church first. Charlie Swan was standing at the doorway, his eyes filled with unshed tears.

"Sam," Charlie welcomed as he shook Sam's hand, "I wasn't expecting to see you here".

"I'm sorry for your loss Mr Swan," Sam apologised, "I came to pay my respects".

Charlie nodded in thanks as he surveyed the rest of the pack standing there. Each of the boys were dressed in a black suit while the ladies were dressed in black dresses. It was evident to Charlie that they had taken great care in their appearance today. He wasn't sure exactly whether they all knew Charlotte but he sincerely appreciated the gesture all the same.

"Appreciate it," Charlie replied. Jacob, Embry and Quil suddenly turned around and ran out of the church.

"Shit," Sam hissed as followed the boys. Emily followed right behind.

Jared quickly drew Charlie's attention back to him as he shook Charlie's hand, "Sorry about them. They're taken it quite hard". Charlie nodded in understanding, a small part of him still bitter over the pain the three had caused his daughter.

"Please come in. Um, take a seat wherever you want," he instructed. He shook hands with Paul, Seth, Brady and Collin before the pack quickly made their way inside the church.

Sam opened his mouth to call after the boys when Emily stopped him, "They don't need a leader right now, they need a friend". Sam hesitated for a moment, concerned that she could get hurt, but eventually nodded that she could come along. They raced out of the church as the three boys disappeared into the woods. Sam and Emily chased after them and came across the three huddled together in a hug, just crying.

"Oh boys," Emily whispered in sorrow as she went over and pulled Embry and Jacob into a hug. Sam awkwardly stood there before he approached Quil and placed a hand on his shoulder in support. Quil suddenly turned around and hugged Sam as he continued to cry. Now Sam was even more uncomfortable. This is why he and Emily worked so well. Emily was good with emotions. He was not. He remembered Emily's word of the pack needing support, not a leader. He patted Quil's back, quite awkwardly, several times.

"It's all our fault," Jacob whispered.

Emily looked at him in confusion, "How on earth is this your fault?".

"She called us. She called all of us. The day-," Embry managed before another sob left him, "The day she was kidnapped, she called us for help. We didn't answer. If only we answered!".

Emily shushed him as she pulled the two sobbing boys even closer, "It's not your fault".

"We should have known though," Quil wept, "We heard our phones go off but we ignored them. If we had just answered, we could have stopped that leech". Sam and Emily remained quiet as the three boys kept crying on their shoulders.

"I've never met Charlotte but from what I've heard about her from you, she wouldn't want you to beat yourselves up," Emily comforted them before squeezing them one last time and pulled away, "Now let's head back in. I know you'll regret it if you're not there". Sam quickly released Quil as well, happy to never do that again in his life. Jacob, Embry and Quil nodded in agreement and spent several minutes regaining their composure.

"Are you ready?" Sam asked. The boys nodded. The group of five walked back to the church and slipped inside just as the funeral for Charlotte Elizabeth Swan began.


Ba-dum. Ba-dum.

My eyes snapped opened. I expected to be dead. I expected to once again feel the searing burning sensation that I last recalled but that wasn't the case. My throat burned. It was a sensation I had never experienced before.

Ba-dum. Ba-dum.

It sounded like someone was banging a drum beside my head. The sound somehow made the pain in my throat sear even more.

Ba-dum. Ba-dum.

An all-consuming scent of something riot filled my nostrils. It was only then when I noticed I was laying on my back, staring at a jagged rock ceiling. What perplexed me though was how even in the dark space I was in, I could clearly see everything on the ceiling – every line of the jagged edge, the grainy texture of the rock foundation, the mixture of various shades of grey. If I didn't know better, I would have thought I was looking at a sample underneath a microscope with how much detail I could see.

Ba-dum. Ba-dum.

As if I was possessed, my body shot up to find the sound that was singing to me. In the coroner of the room, there was a burly man curled up. I scrunched my nose up slightly at the repulsive smell radiating from him, the rioting smell I had smelt. It was then my eyes narrowed on the pulsing vein in his throat. I could practically see the blood being pumped in the veins, teasing me.

"Per favore non farlo (please don't)" he begged, his eyes fixed on me in terror. Something primal took over.

Ba-dum. Ba-dum.

I pounced.

He screamed.

My teeth latched onto his throat and I feel his windpipe shatter under my grip. Blood poured into my mouth and I moaned in delight at the sensation. I greedily kept drinking the blood but no matter how much I drunk, the burning in my throat did not pass. I readjusted my grip and was vaguely aware of several cracking noises as I drove my teeth deeper into his neck. Within minutes, the blood dried up. I tossed the bloodless body away from me. My thirst not yet satiated. I heard the clunking of metal and a portion of the ceiling opened before a body dropped down.

Ba-dum. Ba-dum.

I flung my body onto the squirming human, my hand wrapped around their throat as I twisted it to get better access to artery. Like a knife cutting into butter, my teeth easily plunged into their neck. I gulped and gulp. The rich, hot, delectable blood coursed down my throat like a stream. Another body drained within moments. Another clunking of metal and another body dropped down.

Ba-dum. Ba-dum.

Pounce, bite, drain.

Clunking of metal.

Ba-dum. Ba-dum.

Pounce, bite, drain.

My thirst no longer ravenous but still present. Like a switch, I felt my sanity slowly coming back to me. The animal instinct that demanded to be fed slowly disappeared. It could still feel it though. Crawling underneath my skin, begging to be released, whispering sweet nothings in my mind. Promising satisfaction if I continued to drink. It was only then that I became aware of what I had just did. I looked around and felt like I might vomit as I saw four dead bodies littering the room. There was a stone alter which I woke up on and a large mirror mounted on one side of the wall. It reminded me of those two-way mirrors I had seen on those cop shows. I cautiously walked over to the mirror.

Who was that in the mirror?

It was me but at the same time…not me. My features had become more defined. The skeletal form I had last saw was gone, replaced by toned muscles. Something I had never achieved in my life. My eyes were a vibrant, bright red. That's not even what shocked me most. The entire front of my body was drenched in scarlet liquid, some dripping down my chin. I watched myself in the mirror raise my hand up. I wiped the liquid away from my chin and bought it up to my mouth. It smelled amazing. Like freshly roasted coffee beans. I continued to watch in fascination as my tongue emerged from between my lips and licked the liquid away.

'Blood,' I thought in horror but that didn't stop me from licking up as much as I could.

"Forgive me my little swan," I whipped around and saw a man with translucent skin, hazy red eyes and long black hair framing his face, "I know you crave more but we do have a limited supply of these things".

The animal took over.

I crouched down and hissed in warning, "Who are you?".

He smiled warmly, "Immortally suits you my little swan".

"My name is Charlotte," I growled back.

"Charlotte," He hummed and held out his hand, "Come my dear Charlotte. There is much to discuss". The animal instinct deceased into the shadows of my mind. Like was approved of the vampire in front of me, deemed him not to be of risk.

"Are you the ones who took me?" I demanded. The animal inside may trust him but I certainly did not. Memories flashed in my head. An orange haired woman, torture, despair, a blonde-haired vampire girl, my prison guards screaming, a plane, a vampire with shoulder length black hair on the plane, a black shadowy figure. Pain. Saviours then perhaps?

"All will be answered," the hand remained unmoving, waiting for me to take it. I stared at his hand. I slowly stood up from my crouching position but refused to take his hand. Not until I knew what the heck was going on. The vampire's eyes scanned my body, obviously looking at my blood stained body.

He retracted his hand when it became evident I wasn't going to take it, "Rest assured my dear Charlotte. It will become less messy with practice".

He stood aside and held his hand out, showing a doorway that had been hidden amongst the rocky terrace in the room, "Shall we?". I hesitated for a moment before I nodded. He smiled and walked out of the room. I followed behind. Despite the hallway being pitch black, I could clearly see the vampire I was following. We continued through the tunnel for what seemed like ages before we arrived at a large metal door. It looked like it weighted a ton. The vampire easily pushed it aside and signaled for me to enter first. I watched him carefully as I walked inside. I walked into a massive oval shaped room. There were marble pillars holding up a dome shaped marble ceiling and various patterns decorated the surrounding walls. To my left were three thrones, two vampires sitting on them. One with shoulder length snow-white hair, the other black shoulder length hair. Against the wall stood a line of vampires cloaked in red capes, their faces hidden by the hoods of their capes.

"Good to see you have fed," the vampire with white haired addressed me. My eyes drifted from the red caped vampires to him. My inner animal seemed to enjoy his praise, telling me to bask in it.

The vampire who I had followed walked towards the duo and sat in the last empty throne, "It was marvelous Caius! A natural killer". My inner animal purred at the recognition.

'The hell is going on', I thought in concern. My inner beast seemed to thrive off the approval of those three vampires and trusted them.

"Leave us," the third vampire ordered, "Jane, Alec, Demetri, Felix, remain". Four hooded vampires remained while the others quickly made themselves scarce.

"Just a safety precaution. Newborns are known to be…defensive," Caius said as I surveyed the red clocked vampires in front of me. Once again, my inner animal for some reasons saw the remaining red cloaked guards as threats but the three to the left were deemed safe. I was getting really annoyed at whatever this was inside of me. It felt like me, a more animistic version of me, but me none the less.

"Where am I?" I asked.

The vampire who escorted me into the room smiled, "Welcome to the Volturi".

'Well that cleared up nothing,' I thought to myself.

"Remember this always, this is your sister's fault"

'Bella,' I remembered in horror, 'That crazy vampire is after her. I have to warn her!'.

"I need to leave," I said as I looked at the three vampires sitting on the thrones.

The vampire with the long black hair tilted his head and watched me curiously, "Whatever for my little swan?".

'Again with the nickname,' I thought in annoyance. However, deep down, a very small part of me for some reason loved hearing him call me that. I can only reason that it was because of this feeling that I admitted why I wanted to leave. I felt strangely compelled to want to tell him the truth.

"My sister is in danger," I replied, "I need to warn her".

That response seemed to please him greatly, "How wonderfully kind of you my dear! However, I can assure you that is not required. The Cullen's took care of that problem and your sister is safe". My mind stopped.

'The Cullen's took care of the problem?' that thought repeated in my head. The only way the Cullen's would have taken care of the problem is if they were…oh my god.

"…Edward is a vampire?" I asked in horror. The white-haired vampire, Caius I believe his name was, stand from his throne and approach me.

'Bella's in even more danger!', I thought in sheer terror.

"Please," I begged him, "I have to warn my sister".

Caius stood in front of me and wrapped both his hands around my left wrist and brought it up to his face. I watched in morbid curiously as he took a deep breath, taking in my scent I could only imagine. Any reasonable person would have thought this weird but…my inner animal thrilled in it. My eyes were locked with his and I felt trapped in his eyes. A smile appeared on his face. The smile on his face reminded me of the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland…or that of a predator that just caught their prey.

"Did your sister never tell you?" he questioned, "She knew he was a vampire. In fact, my brothers and I have met her".

My mind slowly processed what he told me, "…what?".

I felt one of Caius' hand pull away before it started to lightly draw patterns on the back of my hand, his other hand keeping my wrist near his face, "Edward came to us seeking death. We refused. He, your sister and Alice were brought to us by our guards. We granted mercy on them and let them return back to America".

"Bella was in Italy?" I asked in disbelief. My sister was knowingly dating a vampire. She had come to Italy. She had met the three in front of me. What else had she been hiding from me?

"Did you know that orange haired vampire?" I asked.

Caius studied me, his hand still drawing patterns on mine, "Victoria. We came across her path many years when she and her coven drew the attention of too many humans. She wanted to avenge her mate by creating a newborn army to kill your sister. Unfortunately, you were collateral".

"My sister knew?" my voice was calm. It did not reflect the storm of emotions swirling inside me. Surely Bella would have told me if she was in danger…if I was in danger...if her family was in danger.

As if Caius could see the storm of emotions inside me, he fanned them a little more, "Knew? They trained for the upcoming battle. They knew you were taken and well, here we are and they are not".

'They knew! They knew and they let me suffer!' I thought as I could felt the rage begin to burn inside.

"You heard Riley! We can do whatever the hell we want! We just can't kill her!" the vampire leered. I could hear my bones snap, almost like twigs, underneath his grip.

I cried out in pain, "Please don't!".

"It's been a while since I've last been with a chick".

"They…knew?" fury leaked into my voice as I recalled the trauma I had gone through. The trauma that Bella had avoided but I had not. The trauma I went through because of her and to find out that they knew and…just left me.

Caius' hand stopped drawing patterns, "I'm sorry".

I roared.

I ripped my wrist away from his grasp as I became blinded by betrayal and rage. It felt as if time was slowing down as I saw one of the red cloaked vampires charge towards me. I crouched and met him head on. His body collided with mine and I easily kicked him off. I watched with satisfaction as he sailed through the air and smashed into a marble pillar, damaging quite a bit of the pillar. I had to release the pent-up anger in me. I charged at him and I saw a smirk appear on his face as he ready himself for my oncoming attack. I threw my body at him with my fist raised but missed as he annoyingly side stepped. My fist contacted the already semi-destroyed marble pillar behind him.

BANG!

A small crater formed underneath my fist and destroyed the rest of the pillar. I was surprised by the damage I had just caused, where had this strength come from? I withdrew my hand and stared at it in fascination.

"Is that all you have?" the large vampire teased. I could feel my inner animal beg to be released and I let it consume me. It felt like an outer body experience as I heard myself roar and leap at the vampire. This time, I didn't let him step aside as I tackled him to the ground. I raised my hand and smashed my fist against his face. I heard a sickening crack as the vampire's head swung to the side. I punched him again before I was kicked off. I re-positioned myself in the air and landed on all fours like a cat. The large vampire jumped up, rolling his shoulders and re-positioned himself, waiting for my next attack.

I was about to attack him again when I saw a flash of blonde from the corner of my eye. I recognised the blonde-haired vampire from my human memories. The one who had made my prison guard scream. Just like that, my anger disappeared as I turned to her. I watched as the other two guards near her tense up and ready themselves for a battle. Her face remained blank as I stared at her.

The vampire next to me stopped screaming and clasped to the floor.

"You made him scream," I stated, "You killed him".

Her face still gave nothing away but she knew exactly what I was referring too, "I did".

"Thank you," I thanked her sincerely and smiled at her.

That seemed to shock her as her eyebrows raised slightly, "No need to thank me".

"I disagree," I said as I began to walk towards her. A young male vampire similar in features to the blonde stood in front of her, protecting her from my gaze.

I stopped as I looked at the young male and raised my hands up, a universal surrender sign, "I mean no harm".

I looked at the young female vampire, "You made them suffer when I could not and I will be forever grateful for that". She looked very uncomfortable by my thanks and looked over at the three vampires.

"Jane," Caius began, "Could you please take Charlotte to get herself cleaned up and then have her join us in the library?".


It was extremely strange sitting at the table, surrounded by the three vampires my inner demon adored and some incredible looking books. I felt much better after cleaning up the dried blood from me. I did feel slightly sorry for Jane. She practically power walked to the spare room for me to clean myself up and disappeared as soon as she escorted me to the library entrance. My thanks had definitely made her uncomfortable. When I arrived, the three had fully introduced themselves as Aro, Caius and Marcus before we sat down at the round table in their private library.

"I'm sure you have many questions," Marcus began as he watched me shift in discomfort in my seat, "Ask away".

"Why did your guards save me?" the question had been burning in my mind as I cleaned the blood from me.

Aro smiled at me, "There are a small portion of vampires who possess powers. Our guard is made up of individuals with some of the most powerful gifts in the vampire world. Jane tried to attack you, her power seemingly bounced back and attacked her instead. Her interest was piqued and she bought you to us".

I frowned and looked at my lap, "I don't even remember that".

"That's probably best," Marcus suddenly spoke up, "It appeared you had been through some things when you came to us". I flinched at the reminder.

A hand covered my own and I looked up to see Marcus staring at me, "This is a safe space. You can trust us…should you need to talk about anything". He hand was so comforting. It soothed the beast inside. It made me want to tell him all my problems.

"I can feel something inside me. Like an animal but it's me," I began, staring into Marcus' eyes, "When I…when I ate, when I attacked that vampire. It felt like an outer body experience as my body was consumed by something. Is that normal?".

A slight smile appeared on his face, "Quite. It's the vampire inside us. With time and experience, you can better control it".

"It's why newborns are more emotional during the first few years. They listen too much to the monster within instead as opposed to reason. It's ultimately you though. Over the years, you'll become one as you become a true vampire," Caius added, feeling a bit jealous with how Charlotte was staring so intently at Marcus.

I looked at Caius, my inner vampire whispering that he shouldn't be excluded, "Why does my, 'inner vampire' as you put it, have an unhealthy obsession with you three?". The three didn't immediately respond but I felt Marcus' hand squeeze mine lightly. My drifted over Caius and Aro before I looked at Marcus for an answer.

"Vampires have soulmates. The perfect being for them. Your inner vampire is merely recognising your soulmates," Marcus explained.

My mouth just about fell open in shock, "But she, well me, trusts all of you. Not just one".

"While rare," Marcus began, "A soulmate can have three other soulmates".

"No offense but I barely know you," I said beginning to panic.

Aro lent over and placed a hand over my free hand, "We know this is a lot to take in my little swan but we will take this slow. Get to know who you are and you know us".

"But I can't!" I panicked, "I have to get home. I got accepted into CAKES. There's…there's still so much I have to do". The blank looks I received from them made me want to cry, it confirmed my greatest fears. I wasn't going home any time soon.

"Well, I want to call my dad then," I requested, "I'm not foolish enough to think I can see him at the moment but he's probably stressed out of his mind". Aro released my hand and lent back into his chair.

"I'm sorry my little swan," Aro replied sadly as he fished out a piece of paper from inside his coat, "Our spy in Forks sent this to us". He placed the paper in front of him, waiting patiently for me to take it. My arm crept forward before I picked it up and my eyes widened in shock.

'Celebrating the life of our dearest Charlotte Elizabeth Swan'

"But…I'm not dead," I whispered in disbelief before I looked at Aro, "How long have I been gone?".

I watched as Aro's eyes filled with pity, "You disappeared the day of your graduation and were held prisoner for four days. Your transformation lasted six days. A bit longer than usual but…there was a bit of damage needing to be repaired".

I sat there silently as I looked at my funeral invitation, "That means it was held today then". Aro nodded in confirmation.

"The tale of your death woven by the Cullen's no doubt," Caius spat as he stood up and walked behind me.

I could feel more fury to develop once again, "They left me to die and then they feed lies to the loved ones in my life". I felt Caius put his hands on my shoulders, just as my body started to shake from the rage coursing through my veins.

"Let's go to the training room".


Hello my friends!

Once again for your support!

I am continuously blown away when I see an alert come in about a new review, a new follower or a new favourite for the story!

The next chapter will continue to cover the funeral (because I do love a bit of angst) and Lottie learning more about her mates.

As always, thank you for your support!

Stay safe xxx