"Fuck!" Serena cursed as the blonde-haired vampire ran through the trees towards a small inn hidden away in the thick forest. From the outside, the inn wasn't anything too special. It was an old thing that needed a fresh coat of paint as well as numerous restoration works. The perfect hideout away from prying human eyes. She managed to pry the door open before dashing inside and slamming it shut. She released a nervous sigh and rested against the door frame. Serena quickly surveyed the environment before her and was relieved to see her sister's familiar dark hair standing in the middle of the decaying foyer of the inn, looking very alarmed by Serena's dramatic entrance.

The inside of the inn was in far worst shape then the outside. Missing sections of floorboards that had been eaten away over the years and mould, among other things, covered the walls. The only area of the two-bedroom property that hadn't been completely overrun by nature was the basement. Whoever abandoned this property had at least the common sense to shut the basement up tight. While it still had some water damage and a bit of mould here and there, not that it mattered much to the health of the hybrids, it was in far better condition compared to the rest of the house. Most of the furniture was still intact and it was decent enough that their father approved. They had been based at the rotting inn for a few weeks now and knew it wouldn't be too long until their father moved the coven again. His paranoia about the Volturi finding him had always been bad but he was now on high alert after becoming aware that Nahuel had spoken to the coven. Normally, he would send either Maysun or Jennifer every few weeks to try and soften Nahuel up. However, he wasn't sure what the Volturi and his only son discussed and was not willing to risk the lives of his daughters. Their role too important in his plans.

"Serena?" her younger half-sister Maysun called out in concern at her sister's dishevelled appearance.

Serena released another shaky breath, "The Volturi's blood hound. He…he almost found us. The only way I escaped and threw him off track was because of that newborn vampire father turned a few days ago".

Maysun frowned as she processed the information her half-sister just told her, "…how close?".

"I'm pretty sure he caught my scent," the adrenaline seemed to be slowly leaving Serena as she started to compose herself, "Thankfully, that camper father turned a few days ago distracted him enough that I could get away. I never thought I would be so grateful to be half human".

Maysun nodded in agreement, "Your scent isn't as strong as a normal vampire. Let's hope the tracker lost it with the attack from the newborn".

Their younger half-sister Jennifer emerged from the basement after hearing the noise upstairs, "Serena! Is everything okay?".

"Fine," Serena replied instantly, "Is father here?".

The red-haired Jennifer shook her head, "No. He left a few hours ago. Something about checking the status".

"And Sulpicia?" Serena questioned further.

Jennifer shifted uncomfortably, "Still sedated". Serena carefully observed both her younger half-sisters. Maysun and Jennifer had expressed several times about their…displeasure…over the treatment of their father's guest. Their father had been studying vampires for many, many years and had discovered a way to put vampires into a coma of sorts. It was a dangerous procedure that was tricky to perform but after countless failures, he had mastered it. However, it caused the vampire to slowly fade away. Blood sustained a vampire. Being trapped within one's own body and not getting to drink meant their body slowly putrefied.

"Maysun," Serena ordered, "Cover Jennifer and go guard Sulpicia". Maysun nodded and headed down to the basement where their guest was currently in a comatose state.

Serena sighed as she could feel Jennifer's piercing stare at her, "Ask your question Jenny".

"Why can't we let her go? Father said he got the information he needed and there was no further use for her. It's not right," Jennifer blurted out before quickly covering her mouth with both hands. Jennifer had a bad habit of saying what was on her mind, no filter at all. It was probably one of the reasons that Nahuel adored her. He always knew where Jennifer stood, she was almost incapable of lying.

Serena sighed once more at her sister's kind nature, "She could warn the Volturi and then all of father's plans would be for nought".

Jennifer didn't seem pleased by Serena's answer, "I still don't understand his obsession. What's so important about this other hybrid?".

"She is the only other hybrid in the world. I want to know how she differs to my wonderful daughters…and if we play our hand right, a potential mate for Nahuel".

Jennifer froze upon hearing her father's voice. The two sisters turned to the back door of the property and saw their father standing in the doorway. His black hair was neatly combed back as usual, he wore his customary pitch-black cloak that hid his body but his eyes were now bright red unlike when the sisters saw him last. A visual confirmation that he stopped for a meal on the way home. While Jennifer didn't agree with her father, she knew better then to question him.

"Welcome back father," Serena greeted him warmly, "We had a run in with the Volturi's blood hound. He…he almost found us. Thankfully the camper you turned a few days ago distracted him enough that I was able to get away. I made sure he wasn't following before I came back here".

"Well done my first born. No matter now," Joham said as he entered the rundown inn, "The opportunity we have been waiting for has arrived. The Cullens have headed to Volturi and Renesmee is with them".

Serena nodded in understanding, "Is it time to execute the plan father?".

A wicked smirk appeared on Joham's face, "Correct my first born. Jenny, please go guard our guest. Maysun, please come here". Jennifer quickly went into the basement while Maysun quickly made her way upstairs. Both sisters knew that you didn't dare make father wait…his wrath was something neither wanted to be on the receiving end of.

"You both know the plan," Joham looked at each of his daughters, "I expect swift execution. Too early, the Volturi will know. Too late, the Volturi will know. This is our only opportunity. Do not disappoint me".

"Yes father," both sisters responded in unison. Joham grinned as he dashed into the basement and then returned shortly later with a small black box.

He opened the box for the sisters to reveal three needles that contained a milky liquid inside each, "If this hybrid is anything like you, two vials of drugs should be enough to knock her out. Use a third if you must but only if absolutely required".

He closed the box and handed it to Serena, "Bring her to our property in Rome. I'll be there waiting".

Both girls nodded again in understanding.

"Stick to the plan and do not fail me or I will be most…displeased".


The silence between Bella and I was the very definition of awkward. We were sitting opposite each other in the library, neither one of us making eye contact with the other. My twin didn't know what to say and I wasn't going to help her. She was going to be the one to start this conversation, not me. I was not going to apologise for making Bella or Edward uncomfortable. I still vividly remember Athenodora's lessons.

"Lesson one," Athenodora purred as she sized me up, "A queen never apologizes".

I kept glancing at the clock behind her and watched as the minutes continued to tick by without a word being said. At this stage, one of the guards would arrive shortly to let me know that it was mealtime.

"Lesson two," Athenodora looked at me, "Treat every move like a game of chess, let your enemy show their cards first".

As such, I refused to speak first.

"I'm sorry for the way I behaved," Bella suddenly broke the silence. I was a bit caught off guard by her sudden comment as my eyes snapped away from the clock back to her. I noticed that she wasn't looking at me, rather at the table in front of her.

"You're still a newborn. Emotions can still sometimes get the better of you," I responded, almost on auto-pilot. During my short time with the Volturi, I was starting to discover that newborns seemed to be causing most of our problems.

"Carlisle confirmed as much," Bella cringed.

Awkward silence.

"Nessie is looking forward to seeing you," Bella broke the silence again but continued to look at the table in front of her, refusing to meet my eyes. I wondered if my red eyes, though slightly dark because I was due for a feed, was a haunting reminder about the situation we found ourselves in.

I smiled, "That's nice".

Another awkward silence.

"Jake too," Bella eventually added but still continued to look at the table.

I looked at her in shock, "I'm surprised the guards let him into the coven".

"Well, he's not here. He's staying nearby in a hotel. We thought it best not to bring him into the coven," Bella slowly lifted her gaze and looked into my eyes.

"Smart," I noted, "He may be a shapeshifter but his presence would upset the coven".

More awkward silence.

"I'm going to be honest with you Lottie…I don't…I don't really know what to say," Bella confessed.

I didn't immediately respond, "I…I don't know either".

"I thought you were dead," Bella whispered, "I mourned you. We all mourned you".

I sighed and sarcastically responded, "What do you want me to say Bella? Surprise? I'm still alive?".

"You turned you?" Bella asked. I bit my tongue, gently reminding myself that Bella didn't truly understand what a personal question that was. Ever since becoming Queen, I had learnt that being turned was not always a pleasant experience for each vampire. You didn't ask who turned them unless they offered the information or unless absolutely necessary.

'Honestly,' I thought in dismay, 'What are the Cullens teaching her about manners?'.

"Bella," I began, "Be careful who you ask that question too. Not all vampires who are turned are done so willingly. It is considered quite rude if you do".

Bella looked surprised by my response, "Really? I…I had no idea".

"I'm gathering that," I responded, having to really resist the urge to call out the Cullens for their lack of education, "…it was Aro".

Bella looked even more surprised, "Aro? How? How did you end up going from America to Italy?". I stared at Bella in disbelief, did she really just forget the whole part of turning isn't a pleasant experience for every vampire so don't ask. Bella seemed to quickly catch on and muttered an apology.

"What do you think happened?" I turned the tables back on her. Part of me was very curious to hear what she had to say. Bella was still human when I was kidnapped by Victoria and her psycho newborns. I had no expectations that Bella could have participated in my rescue mission but the Cullens on the other hand, how that unravelled I was interested in knowing.

Bella shifted uncomfortably in her seat, "The night of the graduation party. Jake, Embry and Quil had crashed the party and Alice had a vision that the newborns were coming to Forks…it was then that Jake and the other shapeshifters received the message from Paul and Jared that there were vampires at La Push…and that they had taken you. Jake and the others…they literally sprinted out of the house. The Cullens hot on their heels. They…they all really tried to save you Lottie". I stared at my sister. Bella had stopped talking, as if she was expecting me to say something to that.

"And then?" I questioned.

Bella frowned, "Lottie, they didn't abandon you. We didn't abandon you. They did everything they could to stop the vampires who kidnapped you but they were too fast. You know what newborns are like. I promise, they didn't abandon you".

"I didn't say they did abandon me," I snapped back, my patience starting to wear thin with my twin. My mates had helped me overcome a lot of the trauma I had experience in my last few days as a human. Having to re-open these wounds was not something I enjoyed doing. Bella expecting me to be grateful that the Cullens and the wolves had tried and failed was not something I could just do.

Bella flinched at my harshness and decided it might be best to continue her tale, "When they…lost track of the vampires. We re-grouped at the Cullens and began training for the upcoming battle while trying to figure out where they had taken you. Unfortunately, we couldn't figure it out and then the battle was suddenly upon us. The next plan was to capture one of the newborns and find out where the nest was. It was just after the battle and…that's when the Volturi had arrived and said they killed you. A mercy according to Jane…she said you were broken".

I lent back into my chair and silently sat there while I absorbed what my twin had told me. What does one say to that? Thank you for trying to find me? Why didn't you look harder? I was extremely conflicted as I could feel the bitterness rise within me. I didn't know how hard the Cullens looked. Part of me hope they searched nonstop but another part of me had my doubts over their commitment. Bella said they were training for the upcoming battle. Had they really searched or just accepted that I would have been killed or turned and not worth the trouble.

Bella must have realised my train of thought about the Cullens' and their search efforts as she quickly added, "I saw maps of the area in Carlisle's office. He and Esme spent hours looking through them. Discussing where the nest could possibly be".

I tilted my head to the side at Bella's comment, "Just Carlisle and Esme?".

"W-W-Well no," Bella stuttered, "The others would participate as well when they weren't training". Somehow, I doubted that but I chose not to press any further. Technically the Cullens hadn't committed a crime. I was but a human…and nothing could change the past, I was a vampire now.

"The Volturi arrived you were saying?" I picked up where Bella left off.

Bella nodded as she drew her gaze away from mine and looked at the table, "…what happened to you Lottie? Why did you not return home?".

"At least have the decency to ask me those questions to my face," I demanded causing Bella's eyes to snap back to mine. Bella stared into my eyes and hesitated but asked the questions again. Despite all the time I had spent with my mates and their assistance in working through my trauma, images of the hell I suffered flashed before my eyes.

"What did you do?" I whispered, "When the memories…just linger".

Athenodora didn't look away from the garden, "Vampires believe that with time, your human memories fade. Even after all these years, I still vividly remember what he did to me. How I overcame them? I created new ones. Ones so meaningful to me that they consumed the negative ones".

"And when the memories prevent you from doing that?" I confessed. Athenodora looked at me.

"You remember that your human fell victim to them, not your vampire. The transformation process destroyed very piece of skin that they ever touched, every bruise, every mark…it was burned away. You rose from the ashes as a new being," Athenodora's eyes continued to drill into mine, "You don't survive, you thrive".

And just like that, the flashbacks of my hell disappeared. Replaced by the images of Aro, Caius and Marcus. It made my heart fill with love. I reached out through my bonds with my mates and pushed as much love as I could through to them. They were my support network and I knew after my meeting with Bella, I would need to rely on their support once more. Immediately, I felt their love being pushed back into me. Sharing our emotions through our bonds had only been something I had recently learnt how to do. Marcus taught me and promised that once I got the hang of it, it would happen naturally. For the moment though, I had to really focus for it to happen. After the first training session, my mates must have had a better understanding as I was immediately bombarded by their feelings. Thankfully they realised it was quite overwhelming for me while I was struggling to shift through all the emotions. Ever since then, my mates had actively capped their feelings as to not overwhelm me again and would only open their emotions when I did first. Right now though, it was an incredible feeling. I basked in their love.

"Jane…she wasn't over exaggerating when she said I was broken," I eventually replied, "I'll leave it up to you to fill in the blanks however you want but I've closed that chapter in my life. I'm not re-opening that chapter Bella…not even for you". Bella slumped back in the chair and I watched the range of emotions that crossed my sister's face. Sadness, pain, anger, sorrow. I watched her silently as Bella processed what I had told her.

"After my transformation," I continued, "I received notification about my funeral. There was no way I could return to Forks when everyone thought I was dead. I was also a newborn. You know how overwhelming that blood lust can be. I was safer saying in Volterra with my mates. It gave me time to process everything and bond with them".

"I still don't understand how you came to be in Volterra," Bella whispered. It was almost like she was afraid that if she asked any questions, I would close up and say no more. Part of me wanted to because this whole thing was very private to me but I wanted this conversation to be the one and only time I speak of it with her.

"Because of my mirror ability, when Jane tried to attack me, it reflected back on her," I further elaborated, "It peaked her interest and I was brought back to the coven for the leaders to decide my fate. Aro turned me, Marcus saw our bonds and the rest is history".

Distress filled Bella's face, "I'm…I'm so sorry…I'm so sorry you went through this".

"The past cannot be change Bella," I replied bluntly, "I've moved on and I do not wish to dwell on it any longer. I will not speak on it again".

A tense silence filled the room.

"How did I die?" I asked.

Bella was snapped from her thoughts and looked at me in confusion, "What?".

"I received an invitation for my own funeral Bella," I reminded her, "How did I die?".

"The Cullens took the damaged truck when you first went missing. With the newborns lurking in Forks, I told dad we had gone camping. After the Volturi said…they had killed you, the Cullens staged the scene with the truck to make it look like you were in a car accident and had crashed over the barrier into the ocean," Bella explained, "It was the best way to provide closure for our family and friends without a body". I hummed at Bella's explanation. This whole situation felt surreal. I was sitting across from my twin talking about how my family and friends thought I died. My gaze drifted away from Bella's and once again landed on the clock behind her. I watched silently as the minutes continued to tick by.

"I heard you got accepted into CAKES," Bella suddenly said, causing my eyes to snap back to hers, "Well done, I'm really proud of you. I know how much it meant to you". I didn't know what to say to that. A few months ago, everything in my life was perfect…or as perfect as things could be. I had just graduated school, I got accepted into the culinary school of my dreams, I had an amazing family and, while the boys and I weren't talking at the moment, I still had some incredible friends. I had my whole life ahead of me before it was violently ripped away.

Bella must have sensed that what she said was inappropriate, "I'm sorry Lottie! I didn't mean to re-open wounds…I was just so proud of you. I know how hard that school was to get into. I know how hard you worked".

I continued to stare at my twin, my dark red eyes staring into her gold eyes, "Bella…I've closed the chapter of my last few human days alive. I don't want to further be reminded of what I missed out on. You can still see our family and friends. I cannot. You can stay in Forks while I can never return for several decades until I know for sure that any human who could have possibly known me has passed". Bella at least had the decency to look guilty and apologised once again.

My twin and I sat in silence for several minutes. It seemed to be the way of this meeting. We would chat for several minutes and then sit in silence for several more trying to figure out what to say next.

"I don't want to lose you Lottie. I already thought I did and…it destroyed me," Bella whispered, "How do I make this better? I…I want things to be back to normal".

I smiled sadly at my twin, "Things are never going to be normal Bella. We are both vampires, you have a child and I am vampire royalty".

Bella chuckled softly as she nodded in agreement, "You're right…things are really never going to be the same are they? How do we make this our new normal then?".

"Bella, you're my twin. I love you. No matter what has happened, I always will love you," I responded honestly, "Despite all the crap I've gone through, you are my twin…and will forever be my twin. In a few centuries when everyone we knew from our human life is no longer around, we'll still in a weird way have each other". Bella smiled and I swore that her eyes would have filled with tears if it was possible.

My twin opened her mouth to say something when I interrupted her, "In saying that though, I do need time".

"Why?" Bella asked in confusion.

It was difficult for me to admit this next part, "I love you Bella. I always will but…some part of me does resent you. While I do not wish to change my life because I couldn't imagine a day without my mates by my side, seeing you reminds me of everything I unwillingly lost. I lost dad, I lost mum, I lost my friends…I lost Em…I lost Q…and you lost nothing. You got everything. I was simply a casualty of a war I had no part of and didn't belong in. I just need time to…come to terms with how everything happened".

Bella looked hurt by my words, "I disagree with you Lottie. I lost our relationship and I've had to sacrifice other things as well".

"Our relationship can be repaired over time," I immediately responded, "This isn't a competition Bella about who's lost the most. I'm just telling you things from my perspective. I need time to move on. My mates and my coven are helping me do so. We will be sisters again. For the moment however, I need space". Bella drew her eyes away from mine and looked at the table in front of her. A frown appeared on Bella's face as I could practically see the clogs turning in her head and silence fell upon us. However, unlike previous times, this felt natural. It reminded me of the car rides to and from school where we just happily sat in silence. We didn't need to fill it, each other's presence was enough…it reminded me of happier times.

Bella must have sensed it too as she looked back at me, I could see that her eyes were filled with emotions, "Take as much time as you need. I'll only ever be a phone call away should you need anything".

"Thank you," I replied gratefully.

"Nessie, she really wants to meet you," Bella smiled at me, "She reminds me so much of you. She's actually started baking recently…not everything she's made so far has been editable but she does try". I was thankful we moved onto a safer conversation. I knew time would heal the wounds between myself and Bella. My bitterness and sense of betrayal by the Cullens and my sister would eventually go away I had no doubt about it but for the moment at least…it was too tender.

"Jake also wanted to see you as well," Bella added in passing as I watched her carefully study my reaction.

"We'll have to arrange a dinner. I know Renesmee can eat food so I'll cook her something. Being a family affair, I must insist that my mates join us as well. Because of my relationship with them and my relationship to you, the Cullens have become the second most powerful coven in the world," I began, "It would be best if we could at least be civil with each other. You know how important family is too me. I refuse to let it become my weakness". Bella looked uncomfortable at my suggestion but nodded regardless.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door and I heard Felix call out from behind the door, "Forgive my interruption my Queen but I have received word that it is almost mealtime".

"Thank you Felix," I replied as I stood from my seat.

"So…," Bella trailed off, "You drink human blood".

"I do," I replied instantly, "It's a natural part of the vampire diet. I don't question your vegetarian lifestyle. Rest assured Bella, everyone who we feed on deserves it".

Bella frowned, "But you're playing God. Deciding who lives and who dies…that's not right Lottie".

"Oh Bella, but we are Gods".


Hello everyone!

As always, thank you for your support and stay safe xxx