"Eliana, il mio tesoro."
I groaned and buried my head in Caius' neck while Marcus attempted to gently shake me awake. I'd been dreading this day for a while as this was the day I would finally leave home. The sun shone blindingly into the room which was how I could tell just how long I must've slept in for.
"Ten more minutes," I mumbled.
With a light chuckle, Aro placed his hands on my waist and pulled me up from on top of Caius and onto his lap. Too tired to support my own weight, I sat slumped against his chest with my eyes only half open.
"You cannot hide away in your bed forever, cara mia," he shook his head and laughed.
I yawned, arching my back, before curling into a tight ball with my knees drawn up to my chest. "Watch me."
"As tempting as that sounds, today is a busy day. We have no time to waste!"
He clapped his hands with an excited grin on his face and easily handed me over to Marcus, who carried me off the bed and placed me down on my feet on the floor. I wrapped my arms around his neck and leant against him lazily.
"I want to go back to bed," I whined.
I began my way back under the covers when Marcus gripped onto my waist, firmly holding me against him. "That is not an option, go and get ready."
"You're such a party-pooper," I groaned and picked up some clothes from my wardrobe before heading to the bathroom.
Caius quickly grabbed my arm, stopping me in my tracks with a grin. "It is not necessary to dress in the bathroom simply due to the fact that we are here."
I sighed. "Fine, if that's what you'd prefer, I'll dress here like some kind of crazy strip show."
The whole time while I changed, I felt their eyes focused on my body which was just a little unnerving, though every time I turned my head to face them, they managed to avert their gaze with their vampiric speed. I quickly checked out my outfit in the mirror, wearing a pair of white denim shorts and a mustard yellow tube top. Okay, so maybe yellow was a bit of a bold colour choice, but it still seemed to look okay nonetheless. Grabbing a hair tie, I pulled my hair up into a high ponytail, which I rarely did, and applied some mascara and blush, just so that I looked mildly presentable.
Aro bustled back into my room at human speed, although I hadn't even noticed he'd left. In his hands was a pile of documents and papers, including my passport and birth certificate.
"Eliana Sofie Arrowood, what a delightful name," he mused, smiling happily at the document, and placed it in a folder, which was then placed in a binder, which was then placed in a briefcase, which was then handed to Demetri for safe keeping.
With a loud thud, Fernando appeared on my windowsill, as relaxed as ever.
"I'm going to miss you, you obese ball of fluff," I cooed, squeezing my cat so hard that he let out a quiet squeak, "Mind you, your obesity is probably my fault, thank ten year old me overfeeding you."
"Oh, tesoro, you do make me laugh," Marcus chuckled behind me and placed a kiss on my shoulder.
Jane suddenly materialised on the edge of my windowsill beside Fernando and seemed pleasantly surprised by him there. "Master, the car is ready whenever you are," she nodded, slightly distracted by my cat who she was now cuddling tightly.
"Thank you Jane, you may go now, my dear," Aro gestured subtly and with that, she disappeared again from my window, "shall we, bellissima?"
"Leggo," I giggled, leading the way downstairs with my letter for my parents in hand, closely followed by Marcus, Aro, and Caius who was carrying my giant suitcase.
"Are you nervous?" Marcus asked.
I blinked back a tear and tried to ignore the tremble in my breath. "A little, I guess. Most girls only leave home at this age if they're pregnant or something."
As soon as we got to the foot of the stairs, I grabbed a pen from my father's desk and quickly scribbled an extra line on the end of the letter.
P.S. I'm not pregnant or anything, don't worry, you're not grandparents.
"Is that truly necessary, carissima?" Caius raised an eyebrow.
"No, it just gives my parents peace of mind," I shrugged.
Aro lead the way out of the front door, followed by Caius who passed my suitcase over to Afton, and then Marcus. I paused at the door, placing the letter down hesitantly on the side table Noah had almost destroyed in the argument we'd had a few months ago. A warm tear slowly rolled down my cheek, which was caught by a cold hand as Marcus pulled me into his arms.
"It is time, il mio amore," he murmured as he placed his hand on the small of my back and led me outside into the humid summer air.
Hastily, I wiped away any remains of tears in my eyes and tried to forget about what I was actually doing here. I forced a smile and strutted over to the 7-seater Range Rover which was parked on my driveway. Caius was already in the passenger seat and Demetri was driving as per usual, while Jane and Afton were sat in the two seats at the very back, and Aro had his head leant against the windowsill in one of the seats in the middle.
I began to climb in but unsurprisingly slipped just before my foot could reach the floor of the car, causing me to hit my shin painfully hard on the doorway. At the back, I noticed Afton poking his head up like some kind of meerkat to take a glimpse at what was happening, only to be yanked back down harshly by the terrifying blonde that is Jane.
"Ah, that hurts like a bitch," I hissed.
Caius' face hardened. "Language, Eliana."
"But it hurts!" I whined.
Pulling my leg away to examine it, there was a large graze going horizontally across my shin with a thin trail of blood running down my leg and staining my white socks. Again with the white socks. It stung slightly, but that was probably only because there was a little bit of muck inside the cut. Everyone in the car's irises suddenly became pitch black as soon as they smelt the blood, Demetri even wetting his lips subtly.
I laughed awkwardly to try and lift the tension. "No, don't even think about it."
Marcus dashed back inside, reappearing with a small first aid kit from my kitchen. Sitting me on the edge of the seat with my legs outside the car, he cleaned the wound with a cloth and placed a plaster over it. God, I felt like such a five year old.
"You just can't help it, can you?" Afton laughed.
"What can I say? I'm accident prone. Why do you think my father wouldn't let me go on my school's ski trip in the French Alps?" I shrugged before wincing a little, "I probably would've injured myself before we even got there."
I scooted over to beside Aro, but he seemed more interested in the faint blood stain that still remained on my shin. "May I?"
"What? Lick my shin? If you must," I giggled, assuming he was joking.
Far from it. He pulled my leg onto his lap and ran his tongue across part of the faint trail of red liquid.
"Deliziosa, just as I expected," he murmured, licking his lips.
In a swift blur of movement, Caius had taken a drop on his finger and licked it quickly. "Incredibile."
I rolled my eyes. "You're all just as bad as each other, geez," I chuckled, "anyone else for a drop of my blood as a road trip snack?"
Marcus swiped another drop with a grin on his face. It looked like Demetri, Jane, and Afton were all tempted but managed to keep their instincts in gear, leaving Aro to happily clean up the remaining blood on my skin. If this was going be my life for the next three years, god help me.
It was about half way through the drive to the airport when I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. Pulling it out, I saw a message from none other than Afton, who was literally sat right behind me.
I'm bored.
There's nothing to do in this goddamn car.
And thanks to you, my throat's now burning.
So thanks.
This is from Jane. Eli, the scent of your blood is still in the car. It's unbearable. I hope you're very happy with yourself, Little Miss Human.
The message was followed by a series of eye roll and hungry emojis, as well as several inappropriate food emojis which I assumed were from Afton.
"Who sent that?" Aro startled me a little, leant over my shoulder.
"No one," I lied.
Not taking that as an answer, he swiped his hand across mine and read my thoughts within an instant. "Jane? Afton?"
"Yes Master?" Jane inclined her head.
"Why are you sending messages of an inappropriate nature to Eliana?" he asked.
I would've stopped him and insisted it was simply for entertainment, but I was genuinely curious as to why they were talking so much all of a sudden.
"She seemed bored, so we were trying to keep her entertained, Master," Afton explained.
"Do not step out of line, Afton," Caius warned sternly.
"Master, let the records show that the idea of these messages solely derived from Afton," Jane sneered.
"But you too did send a message to my mate regardless, my dear," Aro spoke calmly.
"Told you!" Afton laughed.
"Afton," Aro snapped.
He glanced down at the phone in his lap. "My sincerest apologies, Master."
I couldn't help but laugh, but I quickly placed a hand over my mouth. Pulling my phone back out, I decided to type a reply to them.
What you gonna do about it?
I don't like you, El.
The feeling is mutual bitch hahaha
Interior crocodile alligator
I turned around and looked at him weirdly. Was he really referencing vines now?
I drive a Chevrolet movie the-ate-her
And they were roommates
Oh my god they were roommates.
I wanna be a cowboy baby
HELL YEAHHHH!
Why the fuck you lyin'
Why you always lyin'
Mmm oh my god
Stahp fucking lying!
Without any warning, Aro grabbed my phone from my hand and placed it in the inside pocket of his black velvet jacket. I tried to reach in for it but he just laughed at my weak attempt.
"Already trying to get under my clothes, I see," he teased.
I whacked him lightly on his chest. "Can I have my phone back now?"
"What on earth were you both sending to each other?" Marcus asked us both confusedly.
I paused. "Vines?"
"Vines? What are these 'vines'?"
I giggled. "I'll show you later. Now, can I have it back then?"
"I will return this to you when I believe you will be more sensible with it," Aro replied.
"How was I not being sensible?" I asked exasperatedly.
He seemed amused. "Allow me to read you just some of these messages: 'Interior crocodile alligator', 'I drive a Chevrolet movie theatre-"
"It's pronounced thee-ate-her," I interrupted, "and interior is pronounced 'in-tear-ee-ay'."
"Eliana, I have spoken the English language for much longer than you, so I think I would know," he quipped.
"What, are you saying that I can't speak my own language?" I acted genuinely offended.
Fortunately, he wasn't making any physical contact with me so he didn't realise I was winding him up. "No, no, I was only saying that I would have a better idea of pronunciation-"
"Wow," I breathed a disbelieving chuckle, "you really think that just because you're older than me, you can tell me how to speak my own language?"
He paused. "N-no, I just-"
"You just what? Think you're smarter than me?"
"Of course not, I-I-"
I burst out laughing, soon joined by Marcus and Caius who had caught on much faster than him. He was a little confused at first, but eventually clocked it.
"Aro, I'm just teasing, you should've seen your face-" I cackled, gripping onto my sides.
"That was not funny in any way, Eliana. Good thing I took your mobile phone away when I did," he frowned, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Oh, come on," I leant on his arm, "the only reason you didn't find it funny was because I did it to you."
He was still a little pissed off, but his muscles loosened slightly when I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. "I really never thought you would be that gullible."
"Gullible?" he raised an eyebrow.
"Fun fact about me: I am incapable of keeping a straight face while lying, so the fact that you genuinely thought I was offended says a lot," I laughed.
He placed a hand on the side of my face and his thumb slid down to my lip. "I will get you back for this, trust me."
I narrowed my eyes and nodded sarcastically. "Sure you will."
A gruelling few hours later, we finally made it to the airport ready to fly back to Italy. The four of us were sat in the Volturi's private jet as usual, but this time we were in the smaller plane as the journey was only two or three hours long. Jane, Afton, and Demetri were all sat across the sofa in the corner watching some kind of horror movie containing incessant screaming while I was sat beside Aro, trying and failing to sleep my way through the rest of the journey. Caius and Marcus were both sat opposite us, Marcus looking as bored as ever while Caius was on the brink of losing his temper over the volume of the movie. Honestly, so was I.
Aro looked down at me sympathetically. "Can't sleep?"
I shook my head, curling into his side further. Before I'd even realised it, he pulled me sideways onto his lap beside the window and wrapped his black cloak tightly around us. I watched sorrowfully as we lifted far away from the airport, knowing that was likely my last time in the UK.
"I am sorry you had to go through this, cara mia," Aro murmured, pressing a soft kiss to my temple.
"It's fine, I'm excited to be moving in with you, I really am," I assured half-heartedly.
"We cannot wait to have you with us, carissima," Caius smiled warmly.
I shot him a quick smile before bringing my knees up tightly to my chest and leaning my head on Aro's chest, the soft hum of his purring slowly drowning out the sounds around me and making my eyelids feel heavy.
Once I woke up, I could feel a vibrating underneath me, not that of a plane but more of a car. I opened my eyes slowly to be met with darkness, the only proper light being the yellow streetlights which zoomed past the window.
"You are finally awake, tesoro," Marcus chuckled from beside me, pulling what felt like a blanket from over me before I realised it was Aro's cloak.
I sat up slightly confused and rubbed at my eyes. "How long was I asleep for?"
"Three hours. We are now in the car, and we will arrive back in Volterra in approximately five minutes," Caius informed me from my other side. Apparently I'd been sleeping across them the entire time and using Caius' lap as a pillow.
"How did I sleep so well?" I giggled.
"You were fast asleep, carissima, we could not have woken you up even if we tried," Caius laughed, "Aro carried you out of the aeroplane yet you did not so much as flinch."
I nodded my head, beginning to feel a little queasy. We'd been travelling all day and it wasn't doing any good for my stomach.
"Are you okay, tesoro? You seem pale," Marcus tilted his head to the side.
"Yeah," I winced, clutching my stomach, "just a little travel sick."
"Travel sick?" Aro asked.
"Travelling and me don't get along well. I shouldn't throw up though, there are only a few minutes to go," I turned to face Marcus, "Can you please open the window a little?"
"Of course," he tucked stray strand of my hair behind my ear and winded the window down half way so that the night air billowed through the car.
"Do you often get travel sick?" Caius asked me.
"On long journeys, yeah. When I was little, we often had to do long car journeys in stages because otherwise I'd be sick everywhere, which unfortunately did happen a few times," I cringed at the memory, "Fresh air helps though."
A few minutes later, we pulled in to the Volturi's car park for the last time in a while. I was absolutely physically and mentally drained, in need of a good long sleep. The group of us all stumbled into the elevator while I could feel Jane internally dying at the sound of the dated opera music.
Caius wrapped his arms around me from behind. "Are you okay? You still seem ill. Maybe we should give you some medication or take you over to Theodore-"
"I just need sleep," I groaned tiredly.
He shook his head with a chuckle and easily swept me off my feet as soon as we arrived onto my floor, arriving in my familiar bedroom in a split second. The window was wide open which meant the air was still fresh within the room. Caius placed me down on my bed and tucked my covers around me without any rush. Pressing a kiss to my cheek, he pulled the duvet over my exposed shoulder just as I shivered slightly.
"Dormi bene, carissima," he whispered before disappearing out of the room again in a blur.
I tried so hard to sleep but I couldn't, constantly tossing and turning in my bed. Suddenly, all of my emotions were catching up with me. I had seriously left home, left my family behind. What if I was making the wrong choice? Sure, it was too late now, but what if there was a better way? All the things I wish I'd said, wish I did while I had the chance.
A soft knock sounded from the door and Heidi's hesitant figure approached. "Eli? I heard you crying from the other end of the corridor, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, just…homesick I guess," I sniffled.
"Oh, honey," she cooed, sitting on the edge of the bed and pulling me into her freezing cold embrace, "I can't imagine how hard this must be for you, but we are so excited to have you with us. You are hands down the most exciting addition to the coven we have had."
"I'm not exactly part of the coven yet," I reminded her.
"The coven members are Aro, Caius, Marcus, and you. Sulpicia and Athenadora used to also be part of the coven but, as you know, they've been replaced with a much better female."
"I'm a human, Heidi, humans don't belong in vampire covens," I said.
"You have a secure place in our coven, and our coven is like a weirdly dysfunctional family. As the only female coven member, you're the sarcastic mother, the Masters are like a bunch of psychotic fathers, and the guard are the kids who are out of control," she explained humorously.
"Great," I muttered.
"Eli, I'm sorry to tell you this, but you're like family to us now," she laughed.
I sighed. "The family I never signed up for."
"Exactly, trust me, I promise you won't regret living here with us."
Author's note: We're edging closer and closer to *the end*, aw. Afton constantly harassing her with texts containing vine references is a mood though, same honestly.
Translations (any errors are due to Google Translate, not me, but feel free to correct me in anyway :)):
Dormi bene, carissima - sleep well, dearest
Anyways, thank you so much for reading, be sure to leave some feedback, stay safe, and ily lots!