AN: Again, I have edited this chapter along with the first one. Please re-read. The information stays the same, but Bella's emotions change. Thank you for reading and enjoy!

"Attention passengers. We will be landing in Rome, Italy shortly. Please buckle up your seatbelts while we are descending for your own safety. Thank you."

As the plane began to descend, the exceptionally loud snoring passenger next to me finally woke up. Thank god…

When we landed all of its passengers pile off the plane, including me and I quickly collected my baggage and made my way to customs. When I finally got out of the airport, after a bit of hassle from the customs officers for carrying batteries in my luggage, I hailed a cab.

"Where do you want to go, signorina?" The driver asked me with a heavy Italian accent and a wide, friendly smile.

"Do you know where the Volturi Castle is?" I asked politely.

His eyes narrowed and his grin faded into a frown. Maybe he knows. "Si. I do." He said uncomfortably.

"Would you mind taking me there, please?" I asked again, attempting to act as innocent as possible.

The man closed his eyes briefly before opening them to look directly at me, searching my face for something. What he was looking for, I did not know. He then sighed and sceptically responded, "I can."

I could feel the sadness and somewhat anger radiating off him. He took his penetrating and knowing stare off me, turned to the road and started the car.

The drive to the Volterra was quite fast considering how far the village was from Rome. Maybe it was just his driving. Or maybe it was his company. He was friendly, despite our rough beginning, and he talked proudly about his family and his home in a small village just outside of Rome.

Just when we were about 500 yards outside the gates of the Volterra, he pulled over and turned to me.

"I regret to say, signorina, this is a far as I can take you. The walls of the Volterra are evil. Are you sure you want to go there? You're such a pretty and nice girl. It would be a shame to have such a lovely girl…" He didn't finish his sentence, but I could make out what he meant. His eyes sad and pleading. But I refused to change my mind now.

I smiled at him and gave him a small nod. "I'm positive." I pulled out some money and handed the fare to him with some extra as a tip. "Thank you for your company."

"Goodbye signorina, may you find what you are looking for." He said meaningfully, obviously trying to fake a smile, but his face was contorted into a grimace.

I got out of the cab and waved at the man as he left. I then turned around and took a look at the little village. I stared in wonder at the ancient sienna walls and the sets of towers and villas, crowning at the peak of a steep hill. It was a beautiful and quaint little village.

As I entered the gates I felt a role of nausea hit my stomach. I didn't have a clue what to expect from them. The last time I was here, they were promised I would be changed after graduation. What if they didn't want me? Even worse, what if they wanted to kill me?

I weaved in and out of the alleyways leading to the castle, occasionally greeting and waving at the residents as I walk past. The housing was beautiful around here, historic and delicate.

I finally reached the Volturi castle. The image that I remembered of the structure doesn't do it any justice. It is the single most extravagant building I had ever seen in my life. Although you could see the bricks had been restored, it had still kept its original charm, serenely towering over the village. The series of towers, balconies and buildings were all similar yet unique in their own way, with beautiful multi-coloured vines growing up them, the different shades of green and red contrasting the light brown brick.

I turned and went through one last alleyway and finally reached the front door of the castle. I took a deep breath and busted through the doors, ungracefully as ever might I add. I walked through a brightly light room to an elevator at the back wall ridding it to the 2nd floor, barely remembering where to go. The ding and opening of the doors revealed the posh and familiar reception room.

Ginna sat at a rich mahogany desk, still human I noted, with her legs casually up on the desk, reading a magazine. She had obviously not noticed me yet. I cleared my throat and she looked up. With a fractionally surprised look, she quickly stood up, looked around, and then restored her gaze back on me once again. I stood quietly, smiling nervously.

Before, I remembered wondering what reason she could possibly have to want to become a vampire of the Volturi, thinking she was weak for wanting to join them. Now that I had a reason myself, I understood and being in the same shoes as her, I could relate. Maybe she wanted to escape her human life too.

"Hello Ginna." I greeted her politely.

She looked struck by my causality, but she kept her composure. "Hello… Isabella, is it?" She asked, slightly flustered yet poised.

"Bella." I said quickly. "I prefer Bella." I approached her holding out my hand, which she took, shaking it professionally. I felt extremely out of place.

"Uh, W-." She paused for a few seconds, visibly trying to find the right words. "What are you doing here? The last time you came you looked like you wanted to leave for good."

That was true.

I flushed. "Well," I began to explain, "the last time I came here, it was to save someone. At the time, the thought of living on this planet without him was unbearable and I was scared of this place. But now that he is gone again, and that I don't care where he is or what he is doing, I have come back with a new opinion, I guess." I was shocked that I had not stumbled my words once. "So, may I ask if I can speak with Aro, Marcus and Caius?"

She seemed surprised, to say the least. "Uh… S-Sure. I will fetch Demetri or Felix for you. Just wait on one of the couches and I will be back shortly." She was about to go before she turned around. "If I were you, I wouldn't touch anything" She said, smiling grimly.

I nodded respectfully and sat down, waiting to be summoned. The crushing nervous feeling from before came back and I felt that I needed a distraction and began to look around the room.

The walls were made up of a dark brown panelling and the floor was covered by a dark emerald carpet. There were no windows in this area, but instead, several paintings of the Tuscan Valley seemed to replace them. There were black leather couches in the centre of the room and vase full of fake, vibrantly coloured flowers sat on an end table next to where I was sitting. This room hasn't changed one single bit.

I saw a bookshelf and decided to have a look at the literature they offered. I saw an old, delicate book sitting there calling to me. I looked around. No one was there, so I picked it up. It was a seemingly ancient version of "Midsummer Night's Dream" and awed, I was about to open it when I heard a voice. "I think I heard Ginna tell you not to touch anything, Isabella?"

Startled, I jumped ten feet in the air, accidently dropping the precious book and turned around to see Demitri leaning against a doorway, grinning facetiously and laughing at me. I frowned, which made him laugh even harder. I had never seen a vampire of the Volturi laugh, apart from Aro, and that was creepy and very short lived.

I picked the book off the ground, caressing it and checking for damage before putting it back in its rightful place. Never trust fragile things with a person like me. Never.

I turned back to Demetri. "It looked like an interesting book, ok? And it's Bella." I said, irritated.

He chucked quietly before a more serious look settled on his face. "Ginna tells me that you wish to see the Masters?" He asked, curiously.

"Yes, I would appreciate it if you could take me to them."

He grins slightly and nods his head once. "Follow me," he said before turning around and walking through the door that he had been leaning against.

This room was like a second reception. Felix, with a childish smile that reminded me of Emmett, was waiting in the corner and came over to greet us.

"It's a pleasure to meet you again, Bella" He said, taking my hand and kissing it delicately. I, of course, blushed furiously causing Felix to smirk, which widened when Demetri mumbled something about being a kiss ass.

"Your just jealous, Demetri, that I could make this fine woman blush, whereas you made her frown." He replied, chuckling. Demetri growled, grabbed my hand and tugged me out of the room, walking at a fast pace which had me jogging to keep up. Laughing at him didn't seem to slow him down.

"Could you please slow down, I have human legs."

Demetri heaved a sigh, but slowed his pace immediately, letting go of my hand.

I smiled to annoy him. "Thank you."

He grimaced in return.

Demetri lead the way down a wide, ornate hall. He walked all the way to the end, where a huge intricately carved door loomed over us, entirely sheathed in gold. He held the door open for me, which lead into a small and dimly lit antechamber. Demetri turned to me, quickly. "They are in there waiting for you. Felix and I had informed them earlier about you." He leaned closer so that he could whisper. His voice was so low, that I could hardly hear it at all. "Don't do anything stupid, Bella."

I smiled and nodded at him, thankful for the warning. He studied me for a few seconds longer before turning to the doors and opening them, revealing the throne and feeding room. It was a bright, canvas room, shaped like a rectangle. Two stories up there were long window slits of bright sunlight streaming in. There were no artificial lights which made me like this room the most. In the centre was a big drain. I shuddered thinking what they would use that for.

About 20 feet in front of me sat three very ostentatious thrones, evenly spaced and stunning. Even more stunning were the people sitting in them.

Marcus was sitting with his head in his hand, looking even more miserable and uninterested than he did last time I visited. He hadn't changed one bit. His black hair fell just below his shoulders and his skin was white with a papery texture. He looked down on me with a grim smile, before turning his attention to the window.

Aro carried himself in his normal cheery disposition. He manages to look completely at ease. He watched me with fascination and intrigue. I don't know why he did, but he found me fascinating. He also had shoulder length jet black hair, almost identical to Marcus' hair. His skin was white and pale, but not papery like Marcus' was.

And last, but defiantly not least, was Caius. He easily was one of the most beautiful men I had ever laid my eye upon. His shoulder-length hair was straight and was such a light blond it was close to white. His red eyes captivated me more than the others. They held so much knowledge, depth and wisdom that it was exhausting to look into them for too long. His pale skin looked so gentle that I had a primal urge to stroke his cheek just to see just how soft it was. His mouth was perpetually twisted into a grimace, which only added to his aura.

I considered Caius to be the cruellest one out of them, as he has never extended mercy to anyone. Whenever the opportunity presented itself, he advocated for the harsher methods of handling the situations, and was usually in favour of executions. In fact, he was most likely considering executing me right now.

I clearly had been gaping at him for far too long, because his grimace twisted into a scowl and apathetic stare turned cold as he glared at me. My face flushed into different shades of red and I quickly shifted my gaze to the floor. I already had drawn too much attention to myself.

Aro glided over to me with such grace, it put Alice, whose movements that looked like dancing, to shame. He put a hand on each side of my face and gave me a kiss on each on my cheeks.

"Bella, dear one, you have returned!" he cried in evident delight."Wonderful!" He looked ecstatic. "May I ask, what the occasion is for your presence here at the Volterra?"

Caius quickly spoke up, sneering at me. "Might I add, still human."

I looked down at my shoes and looked back up, trying to dismiss my nervousness and fear in favour of confidence. "As a matter of fact, that is the very reason I have come here today, concerning my – uh – change. You see, the Cullen's left me once again right before my marriage to Edward, vulnerable and human. I-" I took a deep breathe trying to calm my nerves. "I would like to join you. As a member of the Volturi"

Caius clearly objected my proposal profusely.

He furiously stood up off his throne, pushing it back slightly. "What?" he demanded, voice loud and defined, eyes boring into mine.

"Caius, surely you see the potential," Aro chided him affectionately.

"You cannot truly be considering this, Aro." Caius hissed with a caustic expression, turning to Aro. "This is an outrage! After three years of risking exposure of our race, our species, she-" he points a skeletal finger in my direction "-comes here in expectation to join our family. Our guard. Our trust."

"Caius, sit down. I haven't seen a prospective talent so promising since we found Jane and Alec. Can you imagine the possibilities when she is one of us?"

Caius obeys and sits down, grudgingly, after glaring at me for a good few seconds.

"Bella, it would be a delight to have you join us." Aro cried in joy, happiness displayed over his face.

I looked over at Marcus to see if he agreed, but all I saw was a rare and sinister smirk, rising on his face. He got up off his throne and gracefully glided over to where Aro and I were standing. He gently put his hand into Aro's, presenting his thoughts to him. Aro closed his eyes and reopened them a few moments later, eye mischievous like Marcus' had been.

Aro then turned to me. "Bella, Marcus agrees with my opinion. He also proposes that you stay a mortal for couple of weeks just as a precaution. In that period of time, Caius will be your "guardian", so to speak, and will also be there to serve you at any time of the day. If he doesn't obey, I suggest you come to me, and I will sort him out." Aro smiled cheekily at Caius, but his eyes were dead serious.

That really riled Caius up. "What!" he roared again, the exclamation making the glass in the windows above shake profusely. He was fuming, and it was terrifying that the magnitude of his anger was directed solely at me.

"It is not up for discussion, Caius." Aro said with finality. "Both Marcus and I settled on it. These days I think it is called two against one. Correct me if I'm wrong."

Caius' expression was murderous, but he finally nodded, a defined, curt nod. Turning around, he left the room fast, but at a human pace. I watched him as he walked away, wondering if I should go with him.

Aro turned to me once again, as if reading my thoughts, which he couldn't. "I advise you follow him with haste." I nodded and quickly exited the room running down the hall, following his fading footsteps.