In case you don't remember (since it's been so long):

I braced myself for what he was about to say next. "We have a…suspicion…that there is a human, much like yourself a week ago, that knew of a vampire's existence. This vampire knows that the human knows, and it is very dangerous. You see, this human isn't what the vampire thinks she is. This human is undercover as a spy, if you will, for the American government. She, let's call her Samantha, is about to spill the news about the vampires' existence, which would be catastrophic." Wow. What a case. But why would I need to be there?

"Ah, very good question Bella." I felt the need to blush. This other power would take some getting used to. "You will be there to convince her to keep quiet for however long she lives. And yes, no need to ask, your 'spell' will last that long. Whatever you tell her, she will do."

"Will I be alone?" I asked. I didn't want to be part of a one-sided conversation any more.

"Oh, hardly. We will be sending a few members of the Cullen family, so you won't be uncomfortable." I mentally wiped my brow of sweat. I could never handle this alone. "We'll talk later this evening for the rest of the information, and you will leave shortly after that. Understood."

"Yes. See you later." Aro nodded, and I left the room, turning one last time to take a look at his fiery red eyes.

I had one last thought before I reached my room. Why was Edward so hell-bent on me not going?

Chapter Seven

I seemed to have come out of a trance as soon as I started opening my door. I had forgotten what Alec had done to Edward. Seeing him (Edward, that is) sitting on my couch brought me back to reality. I rushed to him and flung myself into his arms.

"Oh my gosh. I can't believe he did that to you! Are you okay? How long were you…frozen?" He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. Edward looked as though he knew something I didn't.

"You accepted Aro's offer, didn't you?" He asked in a soft voice. I looked at him, confused, but only about one thing. I understood now why Edward was so adamant to keep me away from Aro today. He knew, somehow, what he was going to ask me, and he obviously didn't want me to say yes. Why was it so bad, though?

"Well, isn't this what I'm supposed to be doing? Working for the Volturi?" Or had I misunderstood the whole point of me being here?

"I don't think you understand, Bella. Now that you've accepted, you are the Volturi. You are a full-fledged member now, whether you like it or not." I was still confused. Again, wasn't that why I was here? I was supposed to become a Volturi and be a powerful vampire with Edward at my side. So what was the big deal?

"Edward, I knew all this. What aren't you telling me? And don't lie, because you are keeping a secret." I crossed my arms and stared at his sullen, heartbroken expression. I was starting to become frustrated. Edward didn't say anything for a minute, choosing his words carefully.

"Alice has seen things that will happen when you're trying to keep this Samantha quiet. They're not good things. Peop-vampires will die. You…could die." Oh.

"But, how? It's pretty hard to kill a vampire, isn't it? Or did you lie to me?" He looked offended.

"No! I didn't lie; it is very hard to kill us. Only another vampire could kill his own." Oh! Light bulb. The vampire that Samantha had found out about was the one. I looked up at Edward.

"So, this guy…what's his name?" Did anyone even know his name?

"Well, in Alice's visions, she's seen you and Samantha talking to a man with red eyes. I'm assuming that's the guy, but his name hasn't been revealed yet. Aro didn't tell you, then?"

I shook my head. "Maybe he doesn't know either." Edward looked unconvinced.

"I doubt that. He could find out every vampire's name on the planet if he wanted to. I think he just wants to test you, to see if you can handle being a Volturi." Suddenly, I began to understand the meaning behind Edward's concern. Did I really want this? Did I want to risk my life all the time, just because my mind was so powerful?

But then, if I didn't, what was to stop the Volturi to come looking for me. They would find me within the day I escaped. It was hopeless, but it was the life I wanted. I had wanted to become a blood-sucking animal just to be with the man I loved.

"Well, I guess I'll have to prepare myself, then."

The rest of the day was spent anxiously waiting the night. The day was warm and sunny, contradicting the general mood of the Volturi mansion. We were all gloomy and scared of the next week. Would I succeed?

Caius came to brief Edward, Alice, Jasper, and Emmett and I on the upcoming mission. They were all to come with me, for they all held powers (or physical strength) that would help me.

I felt so guilty. If I hadn't have come here after Edward bit me, none of this would've happened. Well, that's not true. The Volturi probably would have come and found me, wherever I went. It was inevitable, the torture I would put my family through. I looked apologetically at each of them, sending a mental "I'm sorry" to each in their head. Everyone knew about my new ability now, so it wasn't a surprise. But, no one seemed to have heard me. I didn't get any encouraging nods or mouthed words of comfort. Then I felt Edward squeeze my hand. He leaned down to whisper in my ear.

"They know, but they need to help anyway. They're glad to." He smiled optimistically. It seemed now that everyone was careful what to say around me, or they were always telling me they loved me. Were they expecting me to die? Edward tried to convince me not to go, that we would run away together.

"No," I would tell him, "This is our life now, no matter how much I wish it wasn't. There's no escaping reality, Edward. I wish, so much, that things were different, but they aren't."

He would sigh, and then put his hand under my chin, lifting my face up to look in his. "You're being negative. It's not helping much." He laughed and hugged me.

"How can you be so nonchalant about this?" I cried.

"You're only seeing the outside. On the inside, I'm dying. I couldn't live if something…happened to you. You know that." He smiled painfully as we both remember him trying to get the Volturi to kill him.

I was brought back to reality bare Caius' stare. Of course, I had been aware of the goings-on around me, but I chose not to listen for the sake of my sanity. I didn't want to go on this mission, and everyone knew it.

"As I was saying," Caius continued, "Your trip to Oregon should be brief. You will find Samantha in Salem, so there's no need to worry about a search. Bella, just get the job over with and return home." As soon as he said Oregon, home was all I could think about. Not my new home, but the old one. If I got the mission over soon enough, I could stop by Forks and see if Charlie was all right! I made sure to keep my thoughts blocked so no one would hear of my secret plans.

Aro and Marcus had entered the room at this point to see us off. Carlisle, Esme, and Rosalie were there as well. I said good-bye to each, and waited for Emmett to finish his. After all, it was hard to say good-bye to the one you loved.

The plane ride was bearable, to say the least. I had done some things to get used to the smell of blood, but let's just say that being on an airplane full of humans is hard for a vampire. Very hard.

The blood lust was almost too much to handle, and I almost had to jump out the Emergency Exit. I had to wear a hat and keep my head down; my eyes were still a deep shade of red. My behavior was embarrassing, and as soon as the flight landed in Philadelphia, I was outside and away from people. The others took care of the bags.

Because Oregon was so far from where we initially landed, we had to take two connector flights to get to the Salem airport. Let's just say that we couldn't catch the second flight because of some "technical difficulties." A.k.a.: I had to hunt.

Our first flight in the U.S. went from Philadelphia to Las Vegas. I could almost feel when we were close to Phoenix. I had such a yearning to be with my mom, it was unbearable. I had to go to the bathroom. Edward snuck in there to help me through things, but it still hurt. I would never, ever see her again.

We got off at Las Vegas and ran into the desert to find "food". All we could find were small reptiles, so we had to run a little faster and farther towards Oregon. Once we found a forest, all hope was lost on me. I went wild at the smell of so many animals. However, I didn't want to just go on a killing rampage. I sniffed out the best, and caught my prey. When I sunk my teeth in, I thought I had never tasted anything better. I didn't think I'd ever get used to loving the taste of something I had once hated. But, at that moment, I didn't care. Drinking the blood brought back memories of eating the best chocolate money could buy, or eating a really good meal. Nothing could compare, though, to feel of the blood running through my dead system. It was heaven and hell all at once.

Edward and I had run away from the rest of our family. When we were done, we found a fallen tree and sat on it.

"It's so peaceful out here. I forgot how much I love this part of the country."

I laughed. "Yeah, because you've been every other place there is to go." He smiled.

"Yes, but anywhere I could go with you would be better." His words held two meanings. He would like a city we were in no matter how bad it was, as long as he was with me. Our feelings were mutual on that, but there was that second meaning that scared me. He was talking about being with me in the most intimate way possible.

I looked into his eyes. I knew how he felt about me, and I knew how I felt about him. There were scars there, buried deep, but we knew they were there. Nothing could ever erase what we had done to each other…nothing. But, to ease the pain of the scars, you had to move on, and accept the consequences of your actions.

"Edward. I know how you're feeling, and believe me; I wish it were that easy. I would love to share that with you. Nothing would make me happier." Before I could finish, his lips were on mine, kissing with ferocity I had never felt. It felt, tasted, and smelled wonderful. Again, I was in heaven and hell at the same time. It wasn't a secret: Edward and I wanted to be together that way, and it was one of the reasons I had wanted him to change me into what he had been for 100 years.

But…I was a hypocrite. I understood that I had to accept the consequences of what had happened, and that I had to move on. The last time we were kissing like this, it didn't turn out as I had hoped. Sure, I hoped to become a vampire, but not like that. I would never wish that upon anyone. How could I move on when all I kept feeling was Edward, biting into me, and changing my life forever?

Edward hadn't let me finish before he fulfilled his desires. I was going to say that I couldn't do that just yet. The scars were still painful, and the pain hadn't been eased as much as I needed it to be. I pulled away from Edward, much to his surprise. He looked confused.

"You know I love you, and I know you love me. There's no one in the world I would rather be with even though I'll probably get sick of you after a hundred years or so." I said sarcastically. We smiled, and I took his hands.

"I can feel a butt coming on." He replied warily.

"But," I said, smiling sadly, "I am not…ready to be with you. I hope you can forgive me. I've never felt this way about anyone, and believe me the feelings are there. I just need time." I knew he already understood without me even explaining why I pulled away. He also understood that I didn't want to get to Oregon just yet, and I was just stalling. He pulled into a soft embrace. Despite how cold our skin was, I felt so warm in his arms.

"I would wait forever." He whispered in my ear.

I laughed. "I hate to ruin the sentimental moment, but you're a guy. You couldn't last a month without…you know." Edward laughed into my neck.

"Fine, you got me. But in all seriousness, I would never pressure you." We pulled away from each other unwillingly. We could no longer ignore how low the sun was getting, or how much time had gone by.

"I guess we'd better go find everyone else before it's too late." His words seemed to foreshadow the upcoming events, but we chose to ignore the impending feeling of doom clouding overhead.

AN: Sorry for the delay. I didn't like this chapter as much. Maybe I wasn't in the writing mood, but please review anyway! Let me know what you think!