Chapter 5

We walked up to a homey-looking cottage just outside Volterra, up on a forested hill. I knew the location was probably for feeding convenience as well as spying, but I tried not to let it bother me. It was the perfect spot to watch the Volturi.

Before we could knock, the door was open and a smiling face was peering out at us. She had long black hair and bright golden eyes, and I immediately recognized her from the many pictures back home; this was Carmen, Eleazer's wife.

"Tanya, Kate, so good to see you! Who is this chica bonita?"

"This is Cassandra. Carmen, we need your help. The Volturi summoned her here because of her talent. We're not sure what they want from her, or how she could help them, and we thought Eleazer could give us some insight." With mention of the Volturi, the new vampire beckoned us inside, glancing around nervously.

"Eleazer will be back shortly. I think you should know that we've added another clan mate since we arrived here. He was on one of the 'castle tours' that Heidi leads, but somehow he managed to escape from the feeding frenzy, though of course he was bitten. Dios mio, that boy has been through too much this year! His talent is quite strange, too. If he went back to Volterra now, they'd never let him go."

"Why not?" Kate asked. "What does he do?" Before she could answer, we heard rapid footsteps coming towards the house.

The familiar face of Eleazer came bursting through the door, with a handsome stranger I had never seen before. Both their eyes widened as they took me in. I heard an intake of breath beside me and turned to find Tanya staring at the newborn. Her eyes sparkled with longing.

The man was actually quite cute, with curly brown hair that sprung from his head and strong muscles that stood out from under his tight sweater. Of course, my eyes were only for Jack, but I could understand her reaction.

"Carmen, who is our guest?" Eleazer asked, still staring at me.

"This is Cassandra. The Volturi summoned her here, and they were hoping for advice. Mi amor, what is wrong?" His gaze was locked with mine now, and he seemed at a loss for words.

"Look at her eyes, Carmen," he whispered. "Her gifts are just as rare as Marcello's, if not more so."

"Gifts? As in, with an S?" I asked in disbelief. His face turned wary.

"We will talk about this later," he promised. "But how did you change your eyes to such a color? Surely not with contacts."

"It's natural," I replied smugly. "Surely you would know about my diet."

"Yes," he mused, stroking his chin. Then, turning to Carmen. "She can live on the liquids in plants, and doesn't drink blood." His mate's eyes widened. Marcello's attention was now focused on Kate, though I wasn't sure why.

"Eleazer," he whined. His voice was like honey, smooth and syrupy, and I heard Tanya exhale for the first time in almost five minutes. It was almost a sigh.

"Oh, how rude of me! Tanya, Kate, Cassandra, this is Marcello. Marcello, these are our friends; they won't hurt you."

"But the shocker-"

"Is not going to harm you," Eleazer finished sternly.

"Wait, does he have the same talent as you?" Kate asked incredulously. He paused.

"Sort of." We waited for him to continue. "Marcello has the power to copy another's talent with a single touch. Since I am the only one near him with any out-of-the-ordinary skills, he's been mastering mine." He smiled proudly at the boy, who had now turned his head to Tanya. I knew she would be blushing, if it were possible.

"But yours," he continued, "yours is even rarer. One-of-a-kind, in fact. Of course, his is too, but he uses powers that others possess. Yours is beyond any category we've invented; his consists in all of them. I can see why Aro would be interested, to say the least. But you must be careful. Try not to give him any unnecessary information he could use against you." I nodded.

"Marcello?" Carmen asked. "Do you have any advice for them? You were the last to encounter the Volturi." He was now right in front of Tanya, gazing deep into her eyes.

"Oh, there is much advice I want to give her," he murmured, taking her hand and kissing it lightly. She giggled. "But, for the Volturi, there's not much I can say other than what Eleazer has already told you."

"Very well," Tanya whispered, leaning in closer. "Maybe you should tell me your other advice." I smiled and immediately blotted out their conversation from my mind.

"Eleazer, you said I could drink liquid from plants. Does that mean from all plants?"

"Yes. Have you ever tried draining a tree?" he asked curiously. I shrugged. "Never really thought about it, I guess. I just use normal fruits and vegetables."

"Well, perhaps you should try it sometime. Who knows? Maybe your eyes will turn a different color for that, too. Maybe trees are the humans of the plant world." He chuckled slightly. While I didn't really like the wording of his inquiry, his idea had me intrigued. I would have to try it eventually.

"We shouldn't waste anymore time," Kate announced, looking around at all her friends. "Aro is expecting us."