Summary: In which Aro confronts his brothers or
In which Alice extends an invitation.
Note: I know the build-up is slow, but please be patient with me! I'm glad you're all enjoying so far.
"How soon can we depart?" Aro asked as he walked, the vampire behind him trailing just a step behind.
"Within, the hour, Lord Aro," came the swift reply.
"Most excellent!" he responded cheerfully.
He promptly dismissed the other vampire and made his way to the throne room. A light push of his hands sent the heavy double-doors swinging open and his brothers immediately honed in on him.
"Where have you been?" hissed Caius.
Aro glanced around him, then waved a hand in a flippant gesture to the members of the Guard positioned around the walls.
"Leave us." he commanded airily.
A brief whisper of air and the clicking of the doors told him that they were alone.
"I have received wonderful news that my dear friend Carlisle is in Forks, Washington. I will be leaving shortly to see him."
"What!?" Caius exploded. "Aro, you cannot simply leave the castle whenever it suits you. You have responsibilities here with the rest of us!"
Aro blinked, his cheerful expression in danger of slipping. Marcus said nothing, simply staring at him…or through him, he wasn't entirely certain.
"Why, dear Caius, I am perfectly aware of my position here in Volterra – you need not remind me of that."
"Then what makes you think that it is perfectly acceptable to leave at any time?"
He felt his eyes begin to narrow, his friendly disposition morphing to something more mocking.
"Brother, surely you would not be hindered by my absence?" he began in a placating tone that to Caius would surely sound condescending. "You and Marcus are perfectly capable of running Volterra for a short while."
He paused, watching Caius and knowing that the blonde vampire would take the comment as a backhanded insult, despite it obviously being a compliment. When the vampire leaned forward, his lip beginning to curve into a snarl, he knew he'd been right. He continued.
"If you so chose to visit a friend of your own, I would not stop you. As long as you were to return to us, there would be no objection from me. If you have never thought of this, it is simply because you have never asked."
His eyes narrowed further, and he took a step forward, his tone becoming dangerous.
"There is a friend that I dearly wish to see, and I will be going."
His voice dropped low, a hint of a growl coming through.
"You will not chain me here."
Caius leaned back in his chair, clearly uncomfortable. He turned his head toward Marcus, looking for support.
"Marcus? What say you about this?"
For a long moment, Marcus was silent, staring intensely at Aro as if he were a puzzle to solve. A hint of amusement shone in his dull eyes for a split moment before vanishing and he shook his head.
"I see no reason to prevent Aro from going. We are his brothers, not his caretakers," he stated flatly.
Caius looked like he was going to protest again, but clenched his jaw and sat up straight, one hand nearly cracking the arm of his throne.
"Very well. And when shall we expect your return?"
The jovial look was back on Aro's face, and Caius desperately wished he could rip it off with his hands, then spit on it good measure. Aro acted like a spoiled child trapped in the body of a powerful elder vampire, and he seemingly tried to fit into both roles, vacillating wildly between the two. It was unpredictable, dangerous, and despite Aro's ambition gaining the Volturi several powerful members, he felt it was hardly worth the effort if they were subject to the whimsy of an eccentric – if not entirely insane – vampire. He held back the sneer as Aro began speaking again.
"No longer than a week, my dear brothers! I simply wish to catch up with Carlisle, and then I shall be on my way," he said cheerfully with a clap of his hands.
Caius leaned back, rudely dismissing Aro by turning his head and scowling petulantly. Marcus remained mute, nodding in acknowledgment but also not looking at him. Aro wanted to laugh as he made his way to his quarters to gather his belongings. Marcus hardly cared enough about his personal matters to want to interfere, and Caius was behaving like a child. He knew he could be the same way, but at least it was not over petty matters such as this. Although…perhaps it would not be so petty if Caius knew the real reason behind his departure. Carlisle was a friend, yes – quite possibly his only friend, in fact – and he fully intended to catch up with him as he said he would, but he had other priorities. The words of the report flashed in his mind, and he smiled. This was a golden opportunity to see little Isabella, to see how she had grown over the years.
"Soon, mia stellina. Soon we shall see what you have become."
Bella frowned to herself as the bronze-haired boy nearly sprinted out of their Biology classroom. What was his problem? She couldn't be that repulsive, could she? Whatever, she thought to herself sourly. She hadn't come here to make friends, anyway. She just wanted to give Renee the wiggle room she needed, even if it meant staying in a bleak place like this. It had been a long time ago that she had promised herself that she would never be a burden to anyone, and she was going to keep that promise as long as she had the ability to do so. Sighing softly, she stood and began making her way to the front of the school, staring at her feet. A tug in her chest made her frown and she squashed it down.
She was not lonely.
Charlie was there to keep her company, even if they didn't really talk to each other and didn't spend a lot of time together. It would be enough, she affirmed mentally with a nod.
"Bella!"
She jumped, looking up into the bright gold eyes of one of the Cullen kids. What was her name? Alice?
"Uh, yeah?"
The girl stuck out her hand and Bella stared at it as if it was going to bite her.
"I'm Alice, you're Chief Swan's daughter, right?"
Bella nodded, slowly reaching forward to grab the offered hand and shaking it uneasily. A shock raced up the arm of the hand that was shaking Alice's.
"You're freezing."
Alice laughed, and Bella was mesmerized by the sound, similar to tinkling bells.
"Oh, sorry about that! I can't really stay warm, no matter how hard I try!"
"It's fine…" she said softly, then thought back to the boy in her class. "Hey, your brother seemed kind of off in class today. Was there something I did to make him mad?"
The girl laughed again, and this time Bella wasn't quite so enchanted by the sound. What was so funny?
"Don't worry about it, Bella. He was just having a bad day and isn't exactly the best at keeping it to himself."
That was putting it lightly. The look on his face had been murderous. And what had been with him covering his nose? She didn't stink, she'd washed her hair that morning! If he had a problem with strawberries, that was his problem, not hers. All she wanted was for her junior and senior year to pass peacefully so she could leave and go somewhere warmer, somewhere she wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb.
But that had never been the case for her, had it? No matter where she went, she stood out for some reason, and she hated it. She didn't fit in anywhere, and no matter how hard she'd tried to ignore it, the weight of that statement almost crushed her sometimes. What was so different about her? Why couldn't she just…belong?
"…ella? Bella!"
She blinked, and realized she was glaring at the door handle of her truck. When had she moved? Alice stood behind her, and she saw the girl's look of concern on the reflection of her window. She turned, sighing.
"Sorry, I guess I just kinda…got lost in thought? It happens a lot."
Alice smiled in an understanding manner.
"That's okay, I do that too sometimes. But hey, since we're going to be great friends, how about you come over tomorrow? It'll be a way to apologize for Edward's rude behavior and to get to know you better! My mom is a great cook, I promise you won't regret it."
"Friends…?" Bella muttered, looking down.
"Yup! I just know it. Trust me, Bella, when I get a feeling, I'm usually never wrong."
It was tempting. She felt a little off-balance from the sudden attention, but what valid reason did she have to say no? One of her arms gripped the other, her posture closing off.
"Yeah, I guess I can."
"Great!" Alice said cheerily, turning around and heading to where her siblings stood waiting. The blonde girl, Rosalie, was scowling in their direction, and the blonde guy – Jasper, was it? – was staring her down with an intense look on his face. Great. Bella didn't know if she had the energy to win all of them over one by one. "We'll see you tomorrow, then!"
"Yeah, tomorrow…" she trailed off, scrunching her brows a little.
It wouldn't be that bad. Right?