Chapter 2 - When I Could Think
When I could think around the burning, I started counting the seconds and keeping time. I refused to scream. I don't know when I gained such control, but I had the strength to stay silent.
The fire faded from my hands and feet, then faded from my arms and legs, drawn to my heart like metal to a magnet. I heard the door to the room open, and I would have moved to defend myself if not for the flaring pain in my chest. I couldn't help but concentrate on my stuttering heart; beat, beat, beat... beat, beat... beat...beat... and it gave out.
Inhaling through my nose, I caught a scent. It was too concentrated. I must have been in someone's territory. I stood and moved to stand against the wall. I didn't bend into a crouch, as much as my instincts were telling me to. I was a newborn, and I didn't want whoever it was I had accidentally trespassed on to think I was out of control. I wanted them to know I could be reasoned with.
I looked toward the door, and when I saw him, everything came back. I had decided to stay in Volterra, Aro had changed me, and I was a vampire now.
"Isabella, immortality suits you." Aro said, watching me in a way that said he was waiting for me to choose between the classic fight or flight.
"Thank you." I replied with a smile, and I gave a slight bow.
"You are very controlled." Aro commented, smiling back and relaxing, he looked me up and down slowly. He may have relaxed, but he did not make a move toward me either.
"Apparently not controlled enough." I replied, my smile widening. "Would you feel better if I were to feed, Master?"
"Marginally." He replied, his smile widening to match mine, and he offered me his arm. As I took his arm, he pulled me closer than I'd expected, and his gaze grew intense. He was silent for but a moment. "You truly are stunning."
"Thank you." I replied, automatically lowering my head to hide the blush that would never appear. I wasn't sure what Aro was doing. After all the time he'd been walking the Earth, I was sure he'd seen much better than me. I raised my eyes to look at him. The intense look was still there, but it was accompanied by a smile.
"I shall convince you sooner or later. I can be very... persuasive." Aro stated firmly, winking down at me. I was shocked. Was Aro... flirting?
"I..." I said before just shutting my mouth. I had no idea what to say. Luckily, Aro spoke before the silence could be come awkward.
"Come with me to say hello to the others. You can feed right after. How does that sound?"
"Fantastic." I replied, letting him lead me to the throne room. Felix opened the door when we approached and stepped back to stand with the rest of the guard when we had entered. Aro left me to stand in the center of the room and went to join his brothers. I felt uneasy, away from Aro's presence. Perhaps it was because everyone in the room was tense, and for once, Aro's cheer seemed nonexistent. It was silent for a long time before Caius finally spoke.
"Isabella Swan, welcome to Volterra." Caius said in a strained voice that suggested anything but a welcome. "Since you have been changed by one of the three Volturi Kings, it puts you into the Elite Guard, should you show a worthy gift." He turned his head to look at Marcus and nodded. I stiffened, and my instincts began screaming defense. I had a very bad feeling.
Marcus took a quick look around the room, and his eyes widened. "This might not be a good idea, Caius. We may want to find another way to test her."
"Explain, Marcus." Aro's voice had the vibe of a command. This was proved when Marcus reached over to place his hand on Aro's. After only a second, Aro raised his eyebrows and gave me a long and calculating look. "Carry on as usual, Marcus. The Volturi make no exceptions."
"But, Aro..." Marcus said, stunned.
"No, Marcus. I said to carry on." Aro interrupted with a ringing authority that only boosted any respect I already had for him.
Marcus watched Aro for a second before turning to Caius and speaking. "Divide et impera. Alec to Aro. Felix cleans up."
I knew that 'divide et impera' was Latin for 'divide and conquer'. (That year that Renee had me pick a 'dead' language to learn with her was finally coming in handy.) Alec to Aro? Felix cleans up? Was Alec going to attack Aro? My question was answered as Alec turned to face Aro and his eyes glazed over. A wave of mist began to crawl across the floor. A movement to my right claimed my attention. Felix removed a lighter from his pocket and seemed to be waiting for something... clean up. Felix was going to wait until Alec's strange mist hit Aro, and he was going to light Aro on fire. My creator was in danger. I felt an instinct that I didn't know existed in me, burst to life.
A growl erupted from my throat, and I shifted to stand next to, and slightly in front of, Aro. Suddenly, I felt a ripple at the edge of my mind. It felt like I had an extra muscle in my head that was preparing to spring. The mist was only two feet away now. The ripple was becoming a strain as my instincts tried to make it move to cover Aro. I decided it was worth the risk if there was any chance of it saving him. I let the strain free, and I saw a clear band stretch to envelope Aro. Just then, Alec's mist made contact with the band wrapped around Aro and I.
It tasted like an anesthetic, and as it hit my clear band, I felt a power swell inside me. Alec was still trying to get to Aro, and I knew that if I didn't get rid of him that he wouldn't give up. As I continued absorbing the strange mist, I got an idea. What if I could reflect this power back at Alec and use his own gift against him? I let the power go, and I saw the wave turn around and advance on Alec. Alec fell to the floor in the next second. I turned on Felix next and used the rest of Alec's power that I had absorbed against Felix. His eyes went unfocused, and he fell to the marble floor like Alec before him. Somehow, I knew that I had an hour before the effects wore off.
It felt like the danger was over, but I couldn't bring myself to remove the shield. Then I realized why. Caius and Marcus were the ones that had given the order. I turned on them, but straightened out of my crouch. I had no idea how to approach the situation. I had no fighting experience, and these two vampires were older than I could begin to imagine. They had to be good fighters or they wouldn't have survived as long as they had. I decided that I would question them, and if they attacked me, I would fight back to give Aro as much time to run as I could.
"What is the meaning of this?" The steadiness of my voice surprised me. I also heard a touch of command in it that was new to me. I had not been one for leadership in my human life.
"Welcome to the Elite Guard, Isabella." Caius said in a normal tone, but I sensed a bit of fear in it also. It took all the control I had not to smirk at him or attempt to increase his fear. Instead, I flicked my tongue out to test the air. I sensed nothing out of place. I withdrew my band from Aro, nodded to Caius in polite recognition, and walked backwards to stand, once again, in the center of the room. It had simply been a test. Aro had never been in danger. "What do you think Marcus?" Caius continued.
"I think we need to call upon Eleazar." Marcus replied, his face expressionless. "I haven't seen a gift like this before. Aro?"
"Do what you will, my brothers, but I wish to speak to Bella alone. We will finish this meeting later. Jane, take this time to go feed. I will have Demitri track you down before we complete the meeting." Aro said, standing up and walking to the large, double doors that lead into the entrance hall. "Come, Bella."
I bowed to Caius and Marcus to excuse myself and followed Aro out into the hall.
He led me through the castle's maze of corridors. If not for my new vampire memory, I would have been lost after the first few turns. Soon, we came upon the end of a dead-end hallway. In the ceiling was a trap door. I could smell trees and dirt beyond it, and I deduced that this must lead into the woods that surrounded the castle. Aro pushed open the trap door and gestured for me to go out first. I jumped up and walked a couple steps from the opening. It was very late at night, and it was completely dark because it was a new moon. My improved eyes could see everything as if the sun were shinning directly overhead. Aro jumped out right after me and began walking toward the city, and I followed again in silence.
Due to my advanced walking speed, we came upon the city in no time. Aro turned down an alley and finally came to a stop.
"Normally, we do not hunt inside the city, as I'm sure you know. There are, however, some homeless people in this part of town that no one will miss. Just don't dip too far into our emergency resources." Aro spoke in a whisper I would not have been able to hear as a human. "They sleep in the abandoned warehouse just around the corner. You know the only law, no exposure. I will stay here and wait. Come back when you are finished. Make it quick."
I nodded in understanding and darted down the alleyway and around the corner. I had known that by choosing to stay with the Volturi, I was choosing to feed off humans and not animals. I figured that the guilt of taking a life would be horrible the first few times, but I also figured that I had forever to get used to it.
When I got to the back of the warehouse, I started concentrating on the task at hand. Aro didn't want me to kill them all, and I knew this might pose a problem. Being with the Cullens had taught me that not giving into bloodlust took a considerable amount of control. I would have to lure a couple of them out of the warehouse without losing control and slaughtering them all. I would also have to do so quietly and without the others seeing, all while holding my breath.
My most promising plan was to create a distraction, dash in through the back door, grab the two unlucky ones nearest the back, dash back out, take them a little way away, break their necks, and finally feed.
When I saw a snake, I decided on my distraction. Picking up the huge snake, I climbed onto the roof and found a crack in the planks. I slid it through and jumped down to wait at the back entrance. It didn't take more then a second for them to realize they had a little guest. I heard one wake the others up, and I heard them arguing and trying to kill the snake. I took my opportunity. Darting in and out of the warehouse unnoticed turned out to be one of the easiest things I had ever done. I covered the men's mouths and ran to the edge of the woods just in the cover of the trees. Before I killed for the first time, I whispered a two word prayer.
"Deo volente." I snapped their necks and drank their blood as quickly as possible. The warmth cooled the burn in my throat while heating my frozen veins at the same time. I shuddered slightly at the feeling. I couldn't help but compare it to strong alcohol, only so much better. I finished before they went cold. I took a deep, unnecessary breath. Now for clean up. I slung the bodies over my shoulder and went deeper into the woods. I found a fox den and set the bodies about 50 yards from the den entrance. The foxes would clean up for me, and they would be able to sustain themselves using these men too. Smiling slightly at the thought, I ran back to the city and toward the alleyway Aro was waiting for me in.
"That was very fast," Aro commented as I came to a stop in front of him. "And you know Latin." It wasn't a question. He must have heard my two word prayer.
"Only a little." I replied softly.
"That's good to know." He said. "Would you know what I meant if I said desiste or tacet?"
"Halt or silence." I translated.
"Very good. Do you know the plural differences in case I were to command the whole guard in Latin?"
"I do."
"Very good." He repeated, and he began walking toward the woods. I automatically began to follow. When we were only about ten meters into the treeline, he stopped and turned to face me. "We have some things to discuss. I have an idea of what your gift might be and a way to test it, but before I tell you my theory I must ask you a couple questions. You will need to tell me the absolute truth."
"I will always tell you the whole truth." I replied fiercely, and I wasn't even shocked when I realized it was true. Even as a human he'd had my respect, and I'd chosen to give him my loyalty. As my creator though, I was utterly and completely his. I would not betray the smallest of his secrets, and I would give my life under his command. He could trust me with the world, and I would die before I let him down.
"The following conversation never took place." Aro said seriously, and I nodded in understanding. "If you were to hear every thought I'd ever had, would you be able to keep the fact that you had all that knowledge a secret?"
I was silent as I thought about his question. I was determined to be sure I answered truthfully. I would have thousands of years worth of information. Plus, I would know the thoughts of countless others that Aro had used his gift on. Would I be able to pretend I didn't? Would I be able to keep from answering if someone spoke in a language I wasn't meant to know? Yes. I could do it, for him.
"Yes, Master." I stated. "I could do that."
"In the chamber when they set Alec on me," He ignored my flinch and continued without pausing. "Did you cover me with a shield of some sort?"
"Yes." I said simply.
"Did you use it to absorb and reflect Alec's gift?"
"Yes."
"I want you to try something. I am going to take your hand and try to use my gift on you. Instead of simply shielding yourself, I would like you to reflect my gift the same way you did Alec's." Aro said, and he reached forward to take my hand. The second he made the contact, I understood why I hadn't felt his gift before now. It was a very subtle pressure on the outside of my shield. I felt myself absorbing it, but it was very faint, almost like it was second nature; easy as breathing. His gift felt natural intertwining with my shield. If I hadn't been looking for it, I wouldn't have noticed it. Doing as I was told, I released the power back at Aro. The result was instantaneous.
I saw everything. It was like watching a movie in fast-forward, but because of my expanded brain, I remembered everything. I saw the cloudy thoughts of Aro's human life, his thoughts during his change, his wandering of the Earth, when he met the Romanians, his idea for keeping the existence of vampires a secret, the changing of Marcus and Caius, the patient formation of the Guard, his leading the Volturi to victory, the Volturi becoming the ruling class, the trials, the thoughts of thousands of others, their creations, their deaths, his meeting Carlisle, his meeting Sulpica, his reading Edward and Alice, and every other possible thing Aro had thought became part of my thoughts. There were some things I picked up that had a large impact on me or made me curious.
Apparently, Aro had killed Marcus's mate, Didyme, because she was giving information to the Romanians. She had tried to make him leave to Siberia with her and join the Romanians, and when he refused to betray his brothers, she decided to go without. Demitri tracked her down and brought her back for Aro to judge. The penalty of betrayal has always been death, and Didyme was found guilty. Marcus had been heartbroken, and that is why he always looked bored now. It was his way of dealing with the past and his lost love. This was one thing I could understand, and by knowing what Aro knew, I formed a deep kinship with Marcus. We, both, had been left behind because of what we were; he for being one of the Volturi leaders, and I had been left for being human.
Also, after I had followed Jane to Aro's room to await my change, Marcus had shown Aro the strange bond of loyalty to him that I had developed out of thin air the moment I said I would join the guard. Alec had been told to attack Aro because becoming a vampire and his being my creator only strengthened the bond. It had been meant to test my control. If I tried to protect Aro without trying to kill anyone, I would pass. I didn't only try to protect Aro, I did protect him. I was sure that none of the guard would have been a problem (except Demitri, who even before I had Aro's thoughts to back it up, had looked like a seasoned fighter) since I would be able to fling around any powers used against me, and I was confident I could have distracted the other two ancients long enough for Aro to get away.
The thing about the bond that caught my attention, however, is that it was the same strength as a mated pair. Now, knowing what Aro knew, I could see why he had wanted to be the one to change me. With this undying loyalty and powerful gift, I could see why Aro viewed me as special. Not even Chelsea would be able to break the bond.
"Did it work?" Aro asked me mentally, and I realized I was still projecting it back. I nodded to answer his question. Aro withdrew his hand and continued speaking aloud. "Now I would like you to try another thing. Push your shield away, and let me read your thoughts."
He once again took my hand, but instead of reflecting the gift or absorbing it, I attempted to move my shield and allow his gift to work on me. My trust in him made this relatively easy, but I knew should I need to do that with anyone else, it would be harder. I would need to practice this aspect of my gift more than the others.
"Bella," Aro said after a moment of silence. "Concentrate on letting me in and reflecting at the same time." Since I was already letting him in, I just had to find a way to move my shield and redirect only part of his ability. I finally found the balance, and I was amazed by the constant flow of thought in and out of my head. Aro was thinking about the same thing, and I looked up at him and smiled.
"This will come in handy." I thought with a laugh. "Two heads are better than one."
"It will indeed." Aro replied in our silent conversation. "I assume you gathered what your gift is from my thoughts?"
"I'm a Sponge Shield. I don't pretend to know what that entails though. Every time you thought about it, your thoughts got all jumbled."
"It's the excitement. Sponge Shields are the only offensive shields. I believed the existence of Sponge Shields to be a legend until Caius and I had gone to meet the Romanians. Marcus was watching over Jane and Alec, who, at this time, were still newborns, so he didn't accompany us. Do you remember the woman that stood between Vladimir and Stefan?" Aro asked, as we continued to speak in our heads.
"Yes. Her name was Sultana Sweyn. She was killed by a nomad with a powerful physical ability." I replied.
"She was a Sponge Shield. Luckily, I never tried to read her mind, so she never got the chance to read mine. I caught one thing though. She had a son before her change. I was very intent to follow her family line because gifts often travel in the family. I followed her bloodline for centuries. When one of her decedents migrated to England in the first decade of the seventeenth century, he changed the spelling of his last name to s-w-a-n-n. Carlisle's daughter married a man named Thomas Swann. Thomas dropped the second 'n' when he moved to America." Aro paused for a moment to give me a pointed look. "Surely you understand now?"
"I am a decedent of Sultana by blood, and so is Carlisle." I replied, and then spoke aloud. "Does he know?"
"I hinted his relation to Sultana, but I'm not sure if he got it." Aro answered aloud also, and removed his hand, closing the mental link. "You must remember I have not seen him in a very long time. I don't even know if he would understand the significance."
"Am I allowed to tell him about his connection with me, Master?" I said, trying to sound simply curious, but I think he knew how much I really wanted to tell him. I was related to Carlisle! For some reason, I wanted him to know that I was his family. I wanted him to know that he had abandoned a blood relation. I realized that it was wrong to want such a twisted form of revenge, but I knew that this kind of thing would make Carlisle feel guilty. I might not be tied to the Cullen family by bond anymore, but I still held some resentment.
"If you promise to keep it simple and not tell him anything you shouldn't know, I don't see a problem with it. You can call him in the morning." He replied, turning toward the castle. "It is time we get back to the meeting. There is still much to discuss."
.:!*!:.
Aro had me stand in the center of the room again when the meeting continued. Marcus had been looking at me with slight curiosity ever since Aro and I had reentered the room. Once everyone was in attendance, Aro stood.
"Isabella, you have been added to the Elite Guard, but your position must still be decided." Aro began. "The position you are given today is not permanent. You could be promoted or demoted at any time, and there is the possibility you could be removed form the Elite Guard entirely. Could the Elite Guard please join Isabella in the center of the room?" Once they had all walked forward, Aro took his seat. Marcus stood next, still stealing curious glances at me. I knew why. By knowing what Aro knew, I had formed bonds with every member of the Volturi. The binds I shared with them were probably very close to the kind of bonds Aro shared with them. Because of his gift, Marcus was seeing these similarities. I looked from Marcus to Aro and raised my eyebrows in silent question. Aro smiled and nodded. He had noticed Marcus's behavior too. No one noticed the exchange.
"Demitri, will you step forward?" Demitri did as Marcus asked, turning to face me, his face impassive. I didn't like where this was going. "Demitri is going to attack you, Bella, and you are permitted to use any means available to you to gain advantage. Have you seen vampire's spar before?"
"I have." I replied, remembering the real fight I had seen between the Cullens and James, and I recalled the times I'd watched Emmett, Edward, and Jasper (sometimes joined by Rosalie or Alice) mess around. Jasper always won, even with Edward using his gift and Emmett's size. Jasper would teach them moves, and I'd sit and watch on the porch with Alice, Esme, or Carlisle. Realizing Jasper was the best fighter of the group, I'd watched and listened to him the closest. Even as a human I'd picked up on a couple things.
Don't go for the obvious kill, Emmett. You're acting like a newborn.
Following instinct is the key, Edward. There are no gentlemen in war.
Be careful, Alice. Abilities should be used as an advantage, not as a lifeline. Always use your gift, but you must have skill to fall back on.
I took these three things I could remember through the fog of my human memories and waited for Demitri to advance. I did not think I could win, but I was determined to try.
"Then begin." Marcus said with a wave of his hand, and the Elite Guard created a circle around Demitri and I as Marcus sat down.
The second Marcus was seated, I felt Demitri trying to use a gift on me. I absorbed a good amount of it, but I only reflected a small amount to see what his gift was. I was going to save it for when I needed the advantage. He had the ability to memorize the essence of the mind and sense it over large distances. When Demitri deduced his gift was ineffective, he dropped into a crouch. Bowing to my instincts, I followed suit. We circled each other for a while, both looking for an opening in the other's stance. Apparently seeing one, Demitri began to slowly move toward me. He never faltered in his movements, and he looked so much like Jasper that it gave me an idea. Jasper had mentioned how newborns normally went for the obvious kill. I was a newborn, and it was possible that Demitri expected an obvious attack from me because of this. I was suddenly hopeful. If I could move fast enough, perhaps I had a chance.
Making it seem like I was going for the obvious kill, I ran at Demitri. I shot my shield to cover the rest of those in the room. When Demitri paused slightly in confusion, as he could no longer sense the others in the room, I shifted to tackle him from the side. Pinning him to the floor, I touched my teeth to his neck in victory. I drew back my shield, giving Demitri his extra sense back. I got to my feet and offered a hand to Demitri to help him up. Staring at me in shock (like everyone else in the room), Demitri slowly took my hand and returned to his feet.
"Impossible." Caius whispered into the silent room. Demitri held my gaze. I had no idea what we were waiting for, but Demitri seemed frozen by shock. Finally, he came out of it and spoke.
"Summa cum laude. I step down for you." Demitri said to me with a bow.
"With highest honor." The rest of the Volturi Guard echoed back in English, also bowing, but lower than Demitri.
"Isabella Marie Swan," Aro's voice rang through the chamber, and the Elite Guard parted for him as he walked to stand in front of me. "From this day forward you shall be known to the world as Isabella Volturi, Leading General of the Elite Guard." Taking off his own pure black cloak, Aro had me turn around, and he placed the Volturi cloak onto my shoulders. He leaned down and touched his mouth gently to my ear, and I could feel the smiled gracing his lips. "Welcome to the Volturi Coven, Isabella."
I shivered slightly at his cool breath along the shell of my ear. Everything had just shifted. My future was my own again. I could feel it.
A.N.: Oh my... Wasn't that interesting? Who saw that coming? Bella is turning out to be a bit more of a closet-firecracker than expected. I think I'm kind of starting to like her. Now, there's just two questions. First, what will Carlisle's reaction be to the news that Bella is his kin? Second, now that Aro and Bella know each other on such a personal level, will Aro's strange behavior continue? Only time (meaning, the next chapter) will tell.