As soon as I saw the painting I noticed a slight green haze coming from my chest and looked down to notice the large green gem in the center of the necklace glowing. Then I felt another change………..
"Bella…. you're... its…" was all Edward managed to get out.
"I know, isn't it wonderful Edward, I feel so alive, honestly, I can feel my heart beating again, come here and listen," I was amazing to know I could feel a heartbeat once again, it seemed like it hadn't been there for decades and in all reality it was only just over a year.
Edward came to me and put his head against my chest to hear what I knew was there, I could feel blood flowing freely throughout my entire body and I even felt like my temperature was rising slightly. My love had noticed everything I was and quickly lifted his head from my now warming chest, he could hear the blood pumping through my veins, and as a matter of fact everyone could hear it. I knew I was changing and I wasn't sure what the extent of the change would be but I didn't fret much about it.
Carlisle had made his way down the stairs and was carefully examining the painting that was now sprawled across the kitchen table, trying to figure out where the actual scroll would be and if this was the actual painting that contained the final clue we needed. Either way I wasn't too worried, maybe I liked the fact that I was changing and thought about finding a way around Edward being pure blood so he could be my king.
The painting was a mural of who we thought was James, but whoever it was it illustrated all of his muscular features, which included human qualities of a more pinkish complexion, but yet he still had the godly look most of us vampires inherited when we were "reborn". I assume the missing scroll would have to be somewhere within the painting if that was at all possible, James was Genevieve's king, her one true love and by the way necklace around my neck acted and triggered the changes in me, I knew it was in there somewhere, but where?
I walked over to the painting to see if maybe I could help out in any way, my body had reacted when I saw it before maybe it would react again. Just looking at the different warm tones and textures nothing seemed to catch my eye but there was something that was drawing me into its beauty. The deep colors messed together gave it different textures and heavy layers, almost as if you could tell there were more than one layer of paint in certain spots and that's when the idea came to me. "Maybe she painted over it somehow, see how certain spots are thicker and stick out a little more than other spots what if it is just under all the colors themselves?" I said pointing to specific spots as I went along. As I pointed I began to feel different levels or warmth in my fingers when they grazed past particular areas of the mural. "Wait, I feel something when I put my hand over the painting Carlisle," I said waving my hand slowly over the entire thing seeing where the warmth spiked the most as if my hands were a metal detector on the beach looking for long lost shipwreck treasures. "It seems to be more intense right around here," I said pointing to the man's chest in the mural. It was also where the paint seemed to be its thickest, and to Carlisle's protest I lightly scratched over the chest area trying as if the peel the layers away one at a time, there was the pinkish color that first eluded the painting and then a softer paler cream, then shades of different crimsons, but with one final peel, there it was, the corner of what looked to be the missing scroll, it was wrapped in some kind of transparent material I had never seen before. Carlisle then motion for him to give it a try seeing he had a better angle to peel off more of the brilliant and warm colors to see what await us beneath.
It took us around forty-five minutes to completely uncover the final scroll that was hoarded between the almost leather canvass and intense shades. Once Carlisle had pulled it off the canvass with ease, he handed it over to Aro to translate, seeing he was better with the ancients writing than he had been. As he looked over it, I seemed to be saddened by the loss of the elderly but priceless portrait that depicted the obvious lover of the queen. I decided myself that it must have been James, because as I was carefully looking over the painting before we regrettably destroyed it to apprehend the scroll, I had noticed that the almost elusive man was wearing the bracelet that paired with the necklace I sported around my now pulsing neck.
"So can you tell us what it says, is there a way around this somehow?" Edward eagerly chimed in.
"My dear boy, please be patient, I figured Carlisle would have taught you that much," he said chuckling at Edwards enthusiasm to rush him.
"I apologize Aro, but none of the other scrolls really explained anything for us," Edward sighed.
"It is not what you want to learn Edward, but what you are willing to learn, the scrolls teaches you almost everything you need to know about how to live as king and queen, you are just looking for a loophole, you must be open minded when it comes to the ancient teachings," Aro said almost like a wise owl, in his own creepy immortal owl way.
He paced around the room for a while, sometimes stopping to scratch his head, other times to flip the scroll upside down as if he might be reading it upside down, like he didn't understand or it didn't make sense to him. I knew that letting Aro do what he needed to do was best, when he finally was able to translate it to where it would make sense and he would understand it, then he would share some type of news. I knew Aro had other motives than what he tried to show us, he tried to seem honestly concerned about Edward and I, but really it was basically him covering his own ass, if I were to find my so called king, then we would become rulers of the vampire covens, and then the Volturi wouldn't be number one, and that meant the rule of the tyrants would be over. If others found out that us "Cullen's" were the new rulers in town, most would join us and that meant that the Volturi wouldn't be strong enough or large enough to even try an attack. He knew if he found a loophole they would remain in power, which is what I was counting on him doing, I knew his hunger for power would lead to some type of resolution.
He finally stopped pacing and seemed to be debating on what to say, "Well there are a few things here as for loopholes, and the first you know of, that you can deny what you really are and by that become human again loosing all memory of your vampire and human past and you wont be able to be turned again, blah blah blah, we know that one. The second one is a bit more complicated and from what I can translate, I think its called Switch of the Pure and that is basically set so that if there are a male and female pair and they refuse to accept their prophecy, then together they must find two other vampires to take over their pure blood, its hard to translate exactly what it entails, I don't have enough time to sit down and thoroughly go through the specific details. The last one here says that if all else fails, death would be an alternative way out as well which I don't believe Bella you would be interested in that," he chuckled at the last part. "Just give me some more time and I will be able to explain more on the Switch of the Pure, I think that may be your best option," he said still looking over the scrolls.
I didn't get the warm and fuzzy feeling I should have from Aro's translations, I had a feeling he wasn't being completely honest with me for some reason, but that wasn't by biggest problem; Alice calling was. "Yea Alice, what's up?" I anxiously asked.
"Its about the others that were following Aro's trackers, they gave up, you don't have to worry about them, but I think it would be in the best interest to know who sent them, especially Aro. Bella can you put me on speaker phone please, everyone needs to hear this," she said.
"Yea Alice anything you want, hold on," I said pausing to address the rest of the household.
"I hate to interrupt right now," I said loud enough for everyone to hear. "Alice is on speaker and needs to let us in on some things, so if I can have everyone's attention please," I said waiting for everyone to gather around.
"Ok Alice, your on speaker go ahead," I finally said putting the phone on the coffee table for all to hear.
"Well this is basically for Aro, but everyone needs to hear it, I know who hired the vampire to intercept the package you sent for Bella, and you are not going to like what I have to tell you," she said only pausing so we could all grasp what she said. "Well let's start with Jane, somehow she found out about the prophecy and alerted Caius to your plans and he is the one who sent for the package to be intercepted. I don't believe Marcus knows anything about this, but I do know that she made a deal with him that if she were to give him information about our clan, he would give her the freedom she wants along with Alec's. Aro, basically what it all comes down to is Jane betrayed you, and so you take that for what it is. The second thing is for Bella, Edward, and Ryan, and the reason Ryan stayed was because the first time Aro came and mentioned the prophecy and that the pure bloods were able to show emotion, well he is a pure blood," she stopped there knowing we would all need a minute to take in these new revelations. "I have to go now I will call back and let you know the rest, I need to take of some things right now," she said before abruptly hanging up.
Aro let out a loud growl and hit Jane who was slowly creeping farther from him, trying not to let him notice, sending her flying across the room and into the wall. She lay almost lifeless on the floor, leaving pieces of drywall and insulation on top of her. As quickly as it had happened Joel and Valentino were hauling Jane to her feet to face Aro again, "How dare you betray me, after all I have done for you," he demanded her to answer.
"Why are you so surprised, you made me the way I am, I have served you for as long as I can remember yet you favor Bella over me, you made me bitter, it was only a matter of time before someone betrayed you anyways you incompetent old tyrant," she snarled.
Aro refused to hear anything more from her vile lips, "Bella round up some of your wolf friends for me dear, I believe they would love some practice, am I right?" his evil smirk towards me sent shivers up my spine as I dialed Jakes house as quick as I could.
Jake answered and I told him that we had a vampire that needed to be disposed of and said that it might be of some use for the younger wolves to get some training in, he agreed and I could tell by the way he talked that his grin was as sickening as Aro's had been.
"Damn it," Edward growled as his face winced, Jane was making a last ditch effort to hurt him before her tormentors arrived. Jane was so weak she only gave Edward a slight headache and as I saw it happening I was standing in front of her, my hands around her throat……