Author's note: Welcome back snacks. So school and my GCSEs have been cancelled *sarcastic cheer*, but it does mean that I'll be updating more, so with all that being said, enjoy chapter 4, ily!
Somehow my legs didn't try and hold back at my painful attempt at running, as my mind was so determined to keep me going. Something inside me was desperate to escape from whatever I'd just been through. Fortunately for me, the corridors were pretty straight with very few turns, so I could easily run in one single direction for a few minutes. I frequently glanced over my shoulder, expecting someone to be trailing behind me, but my path was completely clear. It wasn't long at all before I'd lost all sense of direction, which wasn't at all helped by the lack of oxygen going to my brain. My momentum slowly came to a halt as I stopped running and hugged my knees, before leaning my back against the cold, hard wall and sliding down against it to the ground. My breathing quickly returned to its normal rate, and I leant my head back to stare at the ceiling.
A buzz sounded from my pocket, and I pulled my phone out to see a message from Bella.
I'm really bored, and Emmett won't stop making cringey jokes about what I'd be like if I were a vampire. Help.
This made me smile; it seemed funny to me how different our current priorities were, and how, while I was coming to terms with an eternity spent with apparently three mates in Italy, Bella was simply just trying to avoid losing her temper at Emmett.
I rubbed at my tired eyes and started typing.
You're on your own with that one, have fun.
Ugh just get back soon so I don't have to deal with this for any longer.
A giggle escaped my lips, but it quickly turned into a sob. Was I... homesick? No, no way, it couldn't be possible. That didn't make any sense. For one, I'd only been in this place for two days, so it's not like a reaction like this was. I'd never been like this when I was at home or in Forks, so it didn't seem right for me to be in this state now. Not only that, but I'd never been so emotional about such a small situation before. I'd always been pretty calm and composed, and even my own family rarely saw me cry or get upset.
These tears became floods, and before I knew it I was completely overcome with emotion, unable to contain myself. This by far had to be my strangest trip away from home on record. First it was the crazy vertigo-type thing I felt both times I saw the kings, and now I'd run away down some unfamiliar corridor completely on my own, just to have a mental breakdown.
With my head buried in my arms from my overwhelming feeling of self pity, I hadn't even noticed a figure sat next to me. I hadn't checked the time, so I had no clue for how long I'd been sat there for, or for how long this person had been with me. Nonetheless, they were clearly not a human as I hadn't remotely heard them enter.
"I can't say I blame you for your reaction." I instantly recognised the deep yet soft voice as Marcus'.
It seemed I was followed through this castle after all. I considered lifting my head but instead remained in the same position, muffling my words.
"It's just a lot for me to process, you know?" I took a sharp intake of breath. It was a surprise to me that I was even able to say anything considering my state of shock. Where was this perfect diction when I was in the throne room?
He hummed in agreement, and we sat together in silence for a few moments before he spoke.
"The mating bond can do bizarre things to a person's emotions."
I lifted my head in confusion, before turning to him. "How so?"
He simply responded with "I think you know what I mean", and it was clear he was referring to my gushing tears and the fact that I'd just ran aimlessly through the castle.
"Caius and Aro insisted on joining me in following you to see where you were headed, but we thought it more sensible to send just one of us"
"I appreciate it" I replied, lifting the corner of my mouth to a weak smile.
It wasn't that I feared the other two, but simply that it was slightly unnerving being around them. In fairness this was the case with Marcus as well, but he seemed like most passive of the three of them which was what I needed at that moment.
"I do hope we have a chance to reintroduce tomorrow though;" he begun reassuringly. "From my experience, the bond becomes easier to tolerate as more time is spent together"
I pulled down my sleeve to lightly wipe at my nose. "I'm sorry, for the way I reacted. I don't know why that happened, or what came over me-"
"Don't apologise for something that cannot be prevented il mio amore. If anything, we should apologise ourselves for making you feel so uncomfortable"
My tears were now dry, but one lone teardrop ran down my face, only to be wiped away by a cold hand. Marcus quickly stood up before helping me to my feet, which still lacked in footwear.
"I'll call Felix to escort you back to your room and bring you some food. He should see to your needs."
"Thank you." I muttered quietly. He gave me a quick smile before vanishing down the corridor, Felix quickly taking his place.
"I can assure you that during your brisk jog of the castle, you already covered half of the distance back to your room" Felix said with an almost sarcastic tone as we began our walk back, to which I rolled my eyes. I realised that I was actually slowing him down if anything, as he could easily speed off and arrive back in a fraction of the time, and I opened my mouth to offer walk on my own only to remind myself that I didn't even know the way back.
Another vampire suddenly appeared in front of me, making my heart jump out of my chest. This man wasn't nearly as tall as Felix, although he was still taller than me. He lightly brushed his brown hair back and glanced up to Felix before moving his attention to me.
"I'm very sorry if I startled you milady. I am Demetri, and I also am part of the guard here." He spoke.
"Eli" I nodded and smiled.
"It's nice to meet you, but I've already heard all about you. I was told to ensure you are given some food. Any requests?"
I'd never been any good at coming up with ideas when put on the spot, so I simply shrugged and asked "What do you have?"
"We have a chef who is brilliant with food and Heidi was sent out to buy groceries for you earlier today, so you may have whatever you wish"
"Ooh okay, then I guess I'll have some pasta or something, I don't mind, surprise me"
Demetri nodded before leaving, but I'd forgotten to add something rather important.
"Hey, um, Demetri?" I awkwardly called out down the corridor. He instantly reappeared with a look of worry on his face.
"I'm vegan, so I can't eat anything with animal products." I added, to which he let out a sigh of relief. I assumed he must be quite on edge after the events from earlier, concerned that I was going to have another breakdown. Again, he vanished, leaving me and Felix to continue our slow stroll back.
On the way, he mentioned my shoes, which made me wince. Apparently I just couldn't help but humiliate myself everywhere I went. I just hoped my new mates were okay with dealing with me and my constant embarrassment. It still puzzled me how I, out of all people, managed to somehow be destined to live the rest of my life with three of the most powerful people in this whole goddamn vampire world. This whole concept hurt my head just to think about, and my mind just couldn't process this mess I'd gotten myself into.
It didn't take long at all before I arrived back to my room, and everything was exactly where I'd left it, except for the addition of a digital clock placed on the dresser in the corner which glowed the digits 17:48. That would explain why I was so hungry, and so tired; it turns out time flies by when you're losing your mind.
I turned to see that Felix was already gone before I even had the chance to thank him, but this gave me time to settle down and take off my hoodie and now ruined socks. I dramatically threw myself back onto the bed and sighed, finally being left at peace, before a knock on the door caused me to jolt upright.
Two people casually strolled in without even asking to enter, one of them carrying a tray with a bowl of delicious-looking pasta and a glass of water. This girl seemed so young yet absolutely stunning, her blonde hair braided back neatly behind her head. Behind her stood a boy who looked about the same age, and both of them had ruby eyes. Vampires, again. To be fair, I don't really know what else I expected in a place like this.
"Your dinner" the girl bowed before placing the tray on the bedside table. "I am Jane, and this is my brother Alec" she spoke, Alec nodding behind her.
"Nice to meet you" I replied nervously, still getting over the shock of these two strangers wandering into my room. I mean, I could've been getting dressed for all they knew.
"Is there anything else we can get you?" Alec asked.
"Um, not really, no. Actually though, there is something."
"What is it?" Jane snapped as if she had better places to be. She probably did, not actually expecting me to need anything else.
"Oh, it's just my window's been stuck closed and I can't open it. I don't suppose one of you freakishly-strong vampires could get it open for me?"
Jane rolled her eyes and dashed over to the window, and when she put her hand on the handle, it opened with ease. Of course the hinges were made for vampires. She sighed, gesturing to the now open window with a look of absolute exasperation, before strolling out. Well, she was friendly.
"Thanks for the dinner by the way!" I called after her, hoping I hadn't completely pissed her off. The last thing I needed was the entire guard here to hate me and my existence, as they already had way too many reasons to.
"You're welcome Eliana. If you need anything, a member of the guard should always be down this corridor, so don't hesitate." Alec replied. Words' spread about me it seemed, as apparently everyone here now knew my name as well.
"Thank you, Alec" I smiled. He bowed his head slightly and grinned before following after his sister.
Once they left and closed the door, I flopped back onto the bed and stared at the painted ceiling above me. This day had been eventful to say the least, and left me with a lot of burning questions, such as why the Cullens had apparently left me here, or how long it would be until I could leave. In an effort to distract myself from slipping into insanity, I pulled my phone and called Bella. I just needed a sense of familiarity at that moment, and besides, the Cullens were the ones who got me into this mess by dragging me here with them, so the least they could do was help keep me sane.
"Eli! Oh my gosh, hi" I heard Bella murmur something to someone else in the room.
"Hi! It's so nice to hear your voice. God, it's boring here" I lied. I could only wish my life was boring at this point.
"At least you're not stuck here in Forks. Alice seems to be really on edge as well"
"Really?" I remembered when I woke up after passing out in front of the Volturi, she was acting a little weird, but Alice was always slightly crazy so I didn't bother to question it.
"Yeah, I think she's seen something, but she won't tell anyone. It seems good though, I just can't wait to find out what it is"
"Wow me too" I chuckled half-heartedly. Did Alice know? Maybe she had a vision about me being mated to the Volturi. That might've been why she brought me here. Huh, the nerve. I quickly rushed to change the subject, truly fed up of talking about this.
"So how is everyone?" Admittedly, it was a rather stupidly general question, but it was worth a shot. All I needed was distraction from everyone around here.
"All things considered, everything's almost back to normal. Still though, there's something you need to know Eli" she answered, her tone suddenly becoming serious.
"They voted. I'll be transformed into a vampire. After graduation, so it should be easier on Charlie"
There was an eerie silence between the two of us. This change was certainly inevitable, but I didn't realise just how soon it would be. Honestly, I didn't quite know how to feel because, as much as this was something Bella always thought about and she wanted to go through with this, I was definitely going to miss having accident-prone human Bella around to talk to.
"Oh wow, um, Bella that's really great, I mean, congratulations?" I stumbled on my words. Was 'congratulations' really the right word?
"Thanks. Yeah, Edward and Rosalie voted no, but other than that, everyone else was fine with it…you're not mad are you?"
"What? No, never. If this is honestly what you want, I'll support you in it always" I tried to sound encouraging, but this wasn't exactly an easy matter to be supportive of. But in all honesty, Bella was always there for me whenever I needed her, so I had to return the favour, and always would. After all, she was like a sister to me.
The two of us gossiped like a bunch of old ladies for the rest of the evening, but in that moment it was all I wanted to do. My heart longed to be away from this place and back with everyone else, and talking to Bella slightly eased my pain. Many times, I considered asking about the Volturi and how much longer I was to stay here for, or telling her about the… news… I'd received that day, but for some reason I could never get the words of my tongue, and instead resorted to small talk. It just didn't seem right to spoil the moment, and Bella was already going through so much, what with her immanent transformation and all. My problems just felt insignificant, and I decided instead to blank them out.
Once I finally put the phone down, I noticed my empty pasta bowl on my lap, and the digital clock now showed 20:59. With that, I placed the bowl on the floor and instantly tried to fall asleep, not even bothering to change into something comfier, but anxiety plagued my mind. Marcus said he hoped I'd be reintroduced to the kings tomorrow, but I didn't feel mentally prepared for it. After both of my irrational reactions, I slightly feared whatever was to come. I attempted to reassure myself, telling myself that it couldn't really get much worse, but I couldn't promise it at this point.
Author's note: Ooh, she still hasn't told Bella about her mates, how exciting (I'm cringey I know). I'm quite excited to go into detail about these characters, especially her mates, but also the Volturi guard. I just hope you guys are enjoying reading this as much as I am writing it. Be sure to leave a review hehe, and until next time I guess! :)