Small AN here. I actually did my first Carlisle POV ever in this chapter. He has got to be one of my favorite vampires ever. He rocks. Anyway, continue reading. Oh yeah…I didn't proofread this chapter. It's been taking up space in My Documents and I needed to get it to y'all as soon as possible. Enjoy the grammar mistakes!!!
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
EPOV
As soon as I was able to leave the castle, I was off running towards the forests. Unfortunately, the largest animals weren't plentiful. Small Italian deer and a few full grown wild boars were hardly enough to slake my burning thirst, but it would have to do until I could get back to Forks. The bears were just starting to prepare for their hibernation. I grinned at the thought.
But my mind wasn't on the hunt; they were caught in the net that this Isabella Swan had set out for me. What she didn't know is that long after she had forgotten the net, I was still caught up in it and struggling to get free. This woman-child, the temptress in the body of an innocent, she had called me in ways that I had never known she could. Had she known, I was not sure. But what I did know was that I wouldn't have the ability to stay near her. Her history had been horrible, giving me the knowledge to know that she was ready to die; not only that, but she wished for it.
But how had she survived this long? The Volturi wouldn't have kept her alive for so long against her own will, would they? But when I saw Aro speak to her, I could see the fear in her eyes. His cloudy red eyes were intimidating, yes, but when she saw mine, she didn't react the same as she had when she saw Aro's. Was it because at the time, she knew that death would come to pass? What about Aro was scaring her more than she the sight of my own pitch black eyes? So many questions that I had no answer to floated constantly through my mind, bumping into one another as if they were trying to find a solution within each other.
Carlisle knew where I was and when he would see me again. I refused to uproot my life for this horribly tempting human girl, no matter how much I wanted her. I continuously had to remind myself that each human life was important, even hers. But I was starting to doubt that. I had no idea what kind of gift she would get when she was changed –if she even would get a gift when she was changed. With my own gift, we automatically knew what kind of gift I had; it explained how I was able to answer every question Carlisle had without him even asking. What if she wasn't beneficial to the Volturi in the end? What if the Aro had been going against fate that day when her parents died? What if she was right; what if she was destined to have died with her parents?
The more I thought about it, the more horrible I felt. Here I was, trying to justify my attempt to kill her and yet she had gone through ordeals that I never would have imagined. And her memory had yet to erase the terrors of her past. Human memories may have not been infinite, but that didn't mean that she didn't remember. And from the way she broke in front of Aro, it was obvious that her memory was very clear.
I struggled to comprehend the reasons behind her actions. Aro had been right when he said nothing could penetrate her mind. It was if I had been standing in an empty room until I breathed and even then, if I were to have tried to enter the confines of her mind, there was no doubt that I would have found nothing but a brick wall blocking my entrance. Great, I thought humorlessly. Not only has she entranced me with her scent, but she has kept me curious with her mind. But then I thought about what else she had done.
She had practically seduced me, calling to another side of me that hadn't truly been awakened in probably more than a century. Being one of the eternally damned meant that I was, like all the others, cursed with an inhuman beauty that both frightened and entranced our prey. But as vampires trying to live amongst the humans instead of in the shadows, there was a persistence that many female humans had when it came to the male gender. Unfortunately, I could do nothing but deny the pleas of these mostly-innocent human girls; had they known what close proximity of my mouth near theirs would mean for them, I'm sure they would have run away from me at top speed. But then again, if fear helped them rid their minds of such foul, lust-driven thoughts, then I wouldn't have complained.
But not this girl, no, she was different. I couldn't explain her; she was unreadable by me in more ways than one. Not only did her mind block me off, but her actions went against all human nature, the instinct to survive was not quite there. Instead of running away, trying to escape her death, she met it head on and willed her murderer to suck away her life's essence. I realized what was going on and scolded myself. I was getting interested, letting curiosity run away with my mind and allowing my thoughts to dwell on this human. She was insignificant to me and that was all that mattered.
I didn't drive to the airport, instead running all the way from the small forest to the airport, dodging behind trees and homes so I wouldn't be seen. As soon as I entered the airport, I went straight to the ticket seller and bought a first class ticket back to Washington. Who knew what would happen if I had to be confined in a cramped First Class cabin with that sinuously scented siren.
The unclean thoughts of the passing stewardesses were enough to make a sailor blush and for me, I felt very much uncomfortable with the lustful gazes of these women on me. The 'Mile High Club' wasn't something I would ever think of joining, especially not with these women. I distracted myself as best I could, listening to music on my MP3 player and allowing it to blast into my already sensitive ears, reading the mediocre articles of a magazine, anything to get my mind away from the incessant buzzing of people's thoughts.
BPOV
"Bella? Are you alright?" My head spun as someone spoke to me. In my mind, all that I could really think about was the strange nightmare I had just had. I was being taken to live with more vampires, something that I never would have imagined. But the images had been so vivid; to think that these characters were unreal was almost too hard to believe. "Bella?" I groaned, not wanting to get up. If I moved, surely I wouldn't feel any better. Reluctantly, I opened my eyes, allowing them to adjust to the too bright lighting only to see that the light was blocked by a shadowed face and concerned golden eyes.
My blurry vision cleared and I saw the clear outline of the face from my dreams. Groaning again, I covered my eyes with my hands. "Bella, what's wrong?" Carlisle's smooth and calm voice was beginning to annoy me. Trying to focus in on the darkness behind my lids, I spoke, "You're real." My tone was annoyed and muffled from behind my hand. Carlisle chuckled above me before backing away and allowing the light to shine from above us.
Somehow, I had ended up with my seat inclined backwards with Carlisle hovering around me. But then the reality of the situation hit me, allowing me to fully understand what was going on. Carlisle leaned back in his seat and waited for me to catch up. When I did, I cursed under my breath and looked back at him.
"Carlisle, you live in Forks, as in Forks, Washington, the rainy unfrequented town that has a population of maybe six hundred people, correct?" He nodded slowly, his gaze one that obviously questioned y sanity. If only he knew.
"Oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god, I'm going to hell." His eyes widened at my frantic assessment and he quickly tried to figure out what was wrong. "Bella, what do you mean? Are you alright?" His voice was still calm, but his demeanor was beginning to show signs of nervousness. They way he ran his hand through his silky blond hair, how his eyes quickly began shifting over me to see if I had any bodily injuries, yes, he was definitely nervous.
I took a deep breath and tried to just breathe. If he couldn't understand me, then this would have all been for nothing. "Carlisle, did Aro tell you any of my past from before they found out what my gift would be? You know, the past from my life with my…family?" It was still hard to say that. To remember that I hadn't always been alone and at one time, I had had a family to look after and to love with requited feelings, it made it hard to breathe.
He shook his head, his eyes bugging out and his body leaning forward unconsciously as he waited for me to explain. "Carlisle, my whole life hasn't been lived out with vampires. At one point, I hadn't known that vampires or werewolves or shape-shifters existed. And during that time, I lived with my mom and spent my summers with my dad in Forks." His eyes became understanding and he nodded sadly, a grim and pitiful smile on his lips. I didn't need his pity, I didn't want his pity. I had seven years to understand how horrible this had all been, to understand that everything that had happened was nobody's fault but my own.
He pulled out his slim cellular phone and dialed a number before waiting less than two seconds to get a response. He talked quickly, too fast for me to even guess what he said. Then he asked, "Bella, what is your full name?" I looked at him curiously before actually answering. "Isabella Marie Swan Vol –Isabella Marie Swan." My new last name had been implanted in my head for so long. It seemed that in the end, I was not only lying to the world, but to myself as well. Carlisle continued speaking before saying goodbye and hanging up. He turned to me and smiled kindly. "Well, the entire family already knows that you are coming." I mumbled 'psychic' under my breath and listened as Carlisle chuckled lightly. It was still strange to me; no one laughed so freely or without some sort of sinister aura at the castle.
"Alice," he corrected. I nodded and saved that little bit of knowledge for later. It would be nice to have a name for the monsters.
--
The flight didn't take as long as I expected, but that may have just been because I had fallen asleep. I hadn't even noticed when Carlisle had moved me into a more comfortable position so that I wouldn't have to crane my neck as much. He was much gentler than most vampires I had ever encountered. I knew what most were capable of in strength; I just hadn't assumed that they could be the exact opposite as well. But when we arrived in Seattle, I guess I should have assumed that it would be raining. Yes, the psychic had said that this would happen, but I didn't want her to be correct. Her ability to accurately tell the future meant that at some point, she could possibly see my contingency plans and ruin everything for me. If worst came to worst, I would have to try to kill myself in a more human way rather than taking the opportunity to use the vampire's weakness. He would be an easy target, along with the empath of course. Luckily, Jane enjoyed mumbling darkly about this vegetarian family in which Aro was so fond of. I knew few of their weaknesses, but it wouldn't take me long to figure out more.
The airport was much more crowded than I was used to. The terminal in Italy hadn't been packed, but then again, it was the off season for travel. Here in Seattle, there was the strangely familiar bustle of business men and women as they chatted away on their cell phones while juggling around a cup of gourmet coffee, a briefcase or portfolio, and their black umbrellas that matched their suits. I wanted to run and hide away. It had been seven years since I had been given the company of a human (besides Gianna, whom in my book, did not count as human company; her heart was prepared to stop beating for the vampires, whether she was to be changed or she dinner), and the very thoughts of being in close proximity was both exciting and frightening.
The way they interacted, talking animatedly to each other, hugging their relatives and friends as soon as they saw each other, crying as others left, it was all such a strange experience. Was it my fault that I hadn't had human company in so long?
Yes, it was.
Carlisle opened a black umbrella over our heads as we walked down the street. He led me into a car garage where he paid the female teller and went on to retrieve his car. When I saw it, I realized that it was exactly the same as his rental car, a shiny black car with darkly tinted windows that blocked out any sunlight. I almost laughed at the thought of there even being sun in Forks.
I was glad that Carlisle seemed to be giving me my space and wasn't talking to me. My thoughts were already blocking everything else out so I would have been useless if he decided he wanted to talk to me. This coven I would be joining was supposed to be different. From the manner in which they were spoken of, I could only assume how highly remarked and lowly thought of they were. They lived amongst the humans for one thing; that was enough to allow me to give some leniency. But what of me invading their lives without even a simple warning? I doubted they would take kindly to that. It's obvious they wouldn't like having me around. What was I to them, a measly human that was sent here by the leaders of the vampire world so that she could live a semi-normal year before the end of her life? Please, the normalcy of my life was practically inexistent. How normal could it be to live with vampires?
But somehow in this mix of emotions and thoughts—a horrible combination when put in the same room with a big predicament such as this one –a trust had formed within me, a trust in the vampire sitting next to me. I had allowed myself to believe that he was as kind-hearted as he portrayed himself before the Volturi. And maybe he was; he hadn't yet tried to do me in quite yet, so that was a plus. This angered me. For seven years I had taken to the fact that I hated vampires and now here I was, practically ready to accept him as my friend.
The drive didn't take long. The speeding car was practically lifting the ground, making the trees blur at my sides. Everything was so green. Even the dirt alongside the road looked green as it was covered over with grass and moss. It was so familiar yet so foreign to me. And then I saw it. The same sign that was up when I had first visited Forks to see Charlie, my father stood proudly on the street, the wooden sign looking worn but still legible enough to welcome newcomers to the tiny town.
CARLISLE POV
The girl sitting beside me was something else. One moment ago, her brows were furrowed and her eyes tight as she allowed her own thoughts to consume her and when she saw that we were entering Forks, a wistful smile graced her face. I tried to give her some time. Though she had been living with the Volturi for so long, I wasn't sure how much human interaction she had had within those seven years. From what Aro had said, Gianna had only been with them for about a year and Bella had kept to herself for the most part.
It was wrong of me, but I was beginning to grow protective of this fragile human girl. She was young and healthy, yet here she was, getting her last year as human to live in "normal" peace before she was sent off to her death. The Volturi were supposed to be the law of our kind, the ones who insured that we weren't revealed to the humans. But here they were, practically torturing this girl whom was a hundred times weaker than themselves. I internally shuddered at the thought of them punishing her in any shape or form. Jane breaking her wrist was bad enough.
I had known Aro for over a century and never had I known him to be this cruel. Leaving a human alive against her will was sick. Though I believed that human lives were meant to be lived out fully, I wouldn't have tried to control this young girl's life; especially after all she had been through. I would attempt to make her as comfortable as possible before her end, even if it meant that, if even for a moment, my own family was uncomfortable. I knew Esme and Alice wouldn't mind. Alice, having seen the vision, had several more visions of herself and the young woman beside me. Though she didn't know when they would occur, she was sure that when they did, she and Bella would be great friends. Esme, the love of my eternity, would accept this young girl as one of her own children and care for her. It was just her nature ever since she had lost her own child all those years ago.
As for the others, I couldn't be sure. Jasper would have a hard time with the bloodlust that was for certain. Emmett would voice his opinions as soon as we would walk in the door and Rosalie…I couldn't be sure. She didn't like change and I could only assume that she would be the first to protest the new company that was thrust upon us.
There was something about this girl…it could have been the fact that she didn't fear us, or rather, she lived to push us to the edge. The thought nearly made me laugh. She was so young, but she seemed to intelligent. Just listening to her speak, it bespoke that she was much older or at least much more mature. Whether it was the Volturi or her own strange nature that had been the reason why she was so dissimilar, I wasn't sure, but I knew that she was special. I could already picture her as one of my daughters, though as soon as the thought entered my mind, I mentally scolded myself. She wasn't a normal girl; she was a daughter of the Volturi and she loathed our kind. Considering her one of my own was a foolish mistake that I couldn't make.
We arrived at the house, me not even realizing it until the car came to a stop. Bella was already opening the door as soon as we stopped and reached into the back of the car to grab her bags. I pulled them out for her before she could take them and guided her to the door. I could hear the light murmur of voices as the others gathered by the door and awaited our entrance. I looked expectantly at Bella, hoping she would be ready to see my family. She just looked forward at the door and didn't say anything, so I proceeded to turn the knob and ushered her in.
BPOV
I stiffened when we entered the house. The familiar sweet scent that had filled the castle now filled this mansion like home. But there were significant differences between the two places. For one, the Cullen mansion was much brighter with its glass-window walls that allowed the tinted rays of light to shine on through into the main room onto the white carpet and couches. Secondly, the normally cryptic look of the castle had instilled ideas in my mind that all vampires enjoyed living in dark settings with cobwebs and blood red curtains, gothic cathedral like castles being their home of choice.
There before us stood five vampires, that I could see from the way they stood, unmoving and perfectly calm looking, but already I could see that there was more to them than they let on. In the center stood a short, bouncing female with ink-colored air that was short and spiky, making her look like a modern day pixie. Her dark golden eyes glittered in excitement as she continued her small bouncing movements. So this was Alice; I would remember that for later. To her left stood a tall, curly blond-haired man. He was standing stiffly, his chest unmoving as he held his breath. But the calm aura he gave off told me exactly who he was: the empath.
To the right of the little bouncing one was a large, bulky looking "man" with a large amount of dark, curly hair atop his head. He reminded me much of Felix, but bigger. He was a few inches taller than the blonde haired male. And beside him was what I would describe as the most beautiful "woman" on earth. Long flowing blond hair, beautiful golden eyes lined with thick lashes, perfectly red lips, and an hourglass figure all would have made me self conscious had I not been used to being this insignificant. Living with these beautiful creatures for long periods of time tended to make you immune to their unnatural, entrancing beauty. But then I noticed how her eyes looked so similar to Jane's, full of malice and hate as she stared at me, her eyes darkening slightly and her mouth forming into a visible grimace as she stared at me in disgust. Go ahead Blondie, I thought humorlessly, kill me. Lord knows I've waited long enough. A smirk flitted across my face before quickly fading into a blank expressionless canvas.
And then I noticed the last female who had been standing behind the others. Her caramel colored hair framed her heart shaped face, reminding me of a modern day fairytale princess. The way her eyes flitted over me, checking me over as if to insure that I wasn't harmed in any way, was unnerving but also so familiar. It was so strange, so human of her to look at me that way, as if I mattered. Slowly, as if I was frightened of them, she walked forward and watched me warily. Her hand was held out for me to shake, but I didn't take it. What was she doing?
Noticing that I wasn't responding to her, she put her hand down and a small frown flashed across her face before she hid it thoroughly. "Hello, my name is Esme." Her voice was soft, much unlike those of the Volturi. It bothered me; it made it even harder for me to hate them. I felt so much like the monsters I loathed, hurting those who are completely innocent and did nothing wrong. I was just like them.
All in all, these creatures were beautiful, possibly even more so than those of the Volturi, but they were still monsters. In response to the female Esme's welcome, I nodded slowly. My training was kicking in, the urge to curtsy before her like she was my master. If they managed to change me, I would rip Jane apart for forcing me to curtsy for them. I wasn't their dog, I wasn't their servant…but I was human and weak.
Esme's smile widened at my response and she moved to her side and started introducing everyone. "Bella, this is Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, and Alice." As soon as she said the psychic's name, the little creature made a small bound toward me in which I immediately went on the defense and stepped back calmly. Her smile wavered slightly before widening.
"Hi Bella, I'm Alice. I can tell that we're going to be the best of friends." Her highly musical soprano voice was sweet and tinkling, like a wind chime, but then again, most of their voices were. Yes, I'm sure you'll be my best friend when you accidentally have a taste, I thought sarcastically. As if I would be her friend. I was nothing more than a brazen human that would annoy her. I looked forward to it.
I nodded again and allowed the others a chance to slowly feel up the atmosphere like I was. The blonde male, Jasper I believe, was staring at me curiously but he wasn't breathing through his nose. His mouth was open slightly as he tasted the air and took in small breaths. The empath was going to be a pain. If he sensed my emotions, I wondered if he would realize when I would make my move. The large, burly one, Emmett, stood there with an arm around the blonde, Rosalie, and looked like he wanted to say something. I almost laughed at the way he smiled dumbly at me…how did vampires have dimples? Seriously, how could stone smile like that? Rosalie still stood there, angry and hateful looking as ever, glaring daggers at me as if she expected that she could make me spontaneously combust by staring at me. This was much more humorous than I had thought. But the thought that made me angry was that though these were all monsters, they had something that they could hold onto, a family of sorts that could comfort each other, that would be there for one another. I felt my eyes water, but I didn't acknowledge the feeling. There was no way that I would cry in front of them. Weakness would do me no good.
EPOV
As soon as I got home, I immediately sped into my room and shut the door tightly. Headphones blasted my music out onto me and I had time to really ponder all that was happening. Bella was downstairs being introduced to my family and they were all surprised. Their thoughts all revolved around how such a young, weak looking girl could have caused so much trouble with the Volturi. I knew how: she was a succubus from hell that was out to get them, that's how.
Alice's thoughts were the most vivid as she gave me a full view of what was happening. Bella's face was a blank canvas again, a perfected look that almost seemed vampire-like, stalk still and unwavering. I saw the smirk she gave Rosalie before it disappeared. What was that about?
And then Alice bounded up to her and she took her step back. I worried; had Alice startled her? She didn't look scared; she had that same look on her face. Perhaps caution was what she was exercising at this moment.
Edward, what if she doesn't like me? My vision said she would but I'm not feeling all that patient at the moment. I want my best friend NOW!!! Alice's thoughts were childish and impatient, I laughed. Her first visions of this girl were unclear and nearly impossible to decipher, but now that she knew who it was that she would befriend, she couldn't wait. Bella was already her best friend in her mind, but it would take time for Bella herself to accept this fact.
Jasper was positively confused. Her emotions kept on changing from anger to bitterness to humor to guilt and then jealousy and sadness. I couldn't understand it either. He wasn't calming her, he wanted to get a feel of her aura so that he would have more experience in the future. She would be here for a here, one very long year.
Whoo!!! I finally got it out. Well, I shouldn't be doing this, but I am because I was finished with my class work. Just so y'all know, I normally type about six to ten minutes a day and I've done this for six days. I think 4, 700 words is pretty good for a chapter written in that amount of time….I'm a really really fast typer.
Anyway, didya like it!? PLEASE REVIEW! Seriously guys, I've been lacking reviews recently, though I do appreciate those who did review me. Oh yeah, read my one-shot love scene called The Last Night. I really really like it. Oh yeah, you can skip over the love scene if you'd like. I have it marked anyway.
Keep up the awesomeness!!!
Sincerely Yours,
Sovoyita a.k.a Laura
