Fear clawed its way up my throat and I felt my breath catch as I sat bolt upright in bed in the now empty room. Frantically my eyes scanned the space around me, looking for a way out, for something to help.

But we were on the very top floor and I knew had nowhere to run.

My hand brushed against something, paper, rough and creased as I moved to throw myself from the bed, so I paused momentarily to pull it from beneath my pillow. I felt my throat begin working and my eyes well with tears as I saw Alice's familiar looped handwriting.

Bella,

I don't have a lot of time to write this so if my words come out jumbled and confusing, i'm sorry, but I have to warn you. I heard everything last night, the entirety of your conversation with Aro and I too was taken in by his words even as only a bystander, but then once you had fallen asleep he made a decision, and I saw it.

He doesn't understand free will and thinks he can take decisions away from you, choices that ordinarily would be yours to make he refuses to allow. To him, tonight sealed the deal.

He wants you.

As his and his alone and he will let no one come between that.

Even if it means murdering everyone else you've ever loved or cared about.

Aro is jealous, sadistic and cruel. He will stop at nothing to make sure you BELONG to him. This wouldn't be an equal relationship Bella and I'm sure that whatever he told you he meant at the time, but true feelings seem to have overwhelmed him and the darkest side of his nature has taken over.

I don't know what will happen to me but I knew that he wouldn't allow me another moment alone with you after his decision was made. So I had to warn you no matter what the cost. Please don't be afraid for me little sister, you have always been ours to protect and I will continue to do so until I am no longer able.

All I can hope is Aro still holds enough affection and loyalty toward Carlisle that I make it back to them.

I don't know how you will escape, but I have seen what his decision makes you become Bella and I know you would rather die than be that person.

You need to find your mother, she knows more than you could have imagined and whilst Aro will expect you to go to her, he doesn't know her whereabouts. She will help you. Aro intends to sire you and use that unbreakable bond to control you, to force you to bend to his will as he knows Chelsea's power will not work on you.

I'm sorry Bella but you have lost your choice in the matter either way. You need to become Vampire and soon. You cannot defend yourself as a human, you cannot hide, they will find you within hours of you running.

The only way you will get out of this is by manipulating Aro. Play him at his own game and beat him. He will do anything to ensure your connection to him. Find your mother.

I love you, stay safe and come back to us soon,

DO NOT TRUST HIM

Alice x

My chest constricted and heaved as panic set in and I began to hyperventilate. My eyes roamed the room frantically, knowing that any moment he would be back after doing god knows what to Alice.

Alice.

I breathed slowly and deeply.

I had to stay calm, to do what she told me to or else her risk would be for nothing.

Manipulate him. How do you manipulate Aro Volturi to your own ends when manipulation is his specialty?

Whatever I decided to do I knew I could not run from the apartment, I wouldn't even make it to the door. I had to play him at his own game, just like Alice said.

I folded the note carefully and tucked it inside my bra, knowing full well that was the safest place until I could burn it. I wouldn't risk Alice receiving more punishment for warning me, or the Cullen's at that.

How stupid had I been to be taken in by his words, had it really all been an act just to get me to trust him?

I laid back down and pulled the covers around me, trying to assume a position as close to the one I had been in before he had left as was possible. Whilst I closed my eyes and appeared to be asleep my mind was anything but, thoughts echoed loudly around my head and my throat worked as I struggled not to get emotional.

I needed to find my mother. She had evaded the Volturi for years at a time, I hoped to god I could find her.

The sun began to make its way up into the sky, it coloured the walls with a pinkish hue and as I watched the light reflect off the chandelier onto the walls inspiration hit me. I knew what to do and it had to be done during the day when no vampire could be seen under the sun.

I took a deep breath and stretched, sighing deliberately so that I could be heard 'waking up' and whilst I had calmed my pounding heart, adrenaline was still racing around my body. I threw the quilt away from myself and walked as casually as I could across to the ensuite where I twisted the shower on, the loud stream of water giving me what I hoped was some cover from their vampire hearing.

I tiptoed back into the bedroom and knelt softly before my case, cringing as the zipper seemed to make so much more noise than usual as I pulled it down. I needed casual, comfortable clothing. Something the complete opposite of this ridiculous dress. Thankfully Alice had left a single pair of jeans and an old rock band t-shirt tucked at the bottom of the case, beneath the other more glamorous options.

I pulled the clothing into the bathroom with me and placed the items down on the side counter by the sink, I frowned slightly as a clunk echoed throughout the room and rooted through my pockets to find the source of the extra weight. As my fingers closed around the sleek plastic of my smartphone I breathed a huge sigh of relief and clutched it to my chest.

"Thank you Alice." I whispered.

Aro had forbidden technology on this trip and like an idiot I had agreed, agreed to conditions that only isolated me more and enabled him to more easily control me.

As I held down the button to turn it on I pressed the device to my chest, praying the start up noise wouldn't be audible over the shower and layers of cloth I had muffled it in. No one came running through the door, so I assumed I was in the clear for now and looked down at the screen of my phone.

48 missed calls from Mom

14 emails from Mom

17 voicemails from Mom

2 voicemails from Dad

I gulped again as the panic began resurfacing. I looked around the room and saw an in shower radio attached to the tiled wall. Once the music was blaring loudly combined with the pouring water I felt safe enough to begin listening to my voicemails. I crouched down on the floor next to the shower and hit the play button on my phone.

The first voicemail was from Charlie.

"Hey Bells, hope you're having a good time over there. Was just hoping to have heard from you though I know you must be busy working and all. Call me back when you can."

I played the next one, pressing my phone to my ear tightly to hear.

"Bella, it's Mom. I know we have a lot to talk about but PLEASE speak to me before you do anything rash. We need to talk, call me back."

"Bella why aren't you answering your phone, I need to talk to you. It's important."

"Bella if you don't answer this phone I will call your father, I didn't want to get him involved in this. Bella they aren't who you think they are, please baby don't rush in blindly."

I could hear the panic escalating in her voice with each new voicemail and it seemed she really had contacted Charlie for his voice came through the phone next.

"Hey Bells, i've had your mother on the phone worried cause you're not answering, i've tried explaining what you're up to but you know what she's like, doesn't understand other people might be busy! Anyway call her back when you can, me too. Love ya."

"Bella I hope you're ok." Moms voice again. "Charlie told me where you are, i'm coming. I haven't told him the truth, he doesn't need to know and it would put us all in more danger if he did. I wont let them take you baby. Be safe, i'm on my way."

"Baby I hope to god you're getting these and you know i'm coming to you, as quickly as I can. I love you."

"Bella i'm sorry, I should have told you, should have warned you what was to come. But I was afraid and I was hopeful, I'd hoped he'd just forget about you and just let you live your life as a human, but I was stupid. Aro Volturi never forgets." She whispered the last part and it struck me deeply in the chest to hear my mother speak his name, to finally truly have confirmation that what I had been told was the truth.

"I'm here baby, in Seattle. I know where you will be but I can't be seen by them. You will need to come to me when you can get away. If you haven't discovered already then you will, but he isn't everything he makes himself out to be. Don't trust him. I will find a place where we will be safe and wait to hear from you. Please call me sweetheart, I know he will have kept you safe at least but I need to hear your voice."

"I've found somewhere Bella but I don't want to leave it as a voicemail on your phone, just in case it is taken away from you. I hope you had the foresight to hide it, please god let her have hidden her phone."

"Bella why aren't you calling me? Please baby, please be all right." A sob cracked her voice and it broke my heart to hear my Mom upset. I cycled through the rest of the messages, all begging my to call her until I reached the final one.

"Ok baby, i'm just gonna hope you're listening but can't call me. Remember the place Grammy took you when you were little? I will be there every day at the time you were born, I will wait until dark. Please come to me baby girl, I couldn't stand it if… Just please, come. I love you so much."

AN: Please don't forget to review, reading your thoughts and responses really helps kick my muse into gear which enables me to write more and gets new chapters to you much faster.