The Angel
Chapter 2 Preparation
Disclaimer: As I said, I don't own VD or Twilight, okay?
(A/N: Pearl and Anna are alive in my story, because I love them very much. Some of the tomb vampires survived, too. Picture of some stuff on profile. Enjoy!)
Bella's POV
It has been three weeks since my transition. I found out that this new life of mine isn't as lonely and sad as my old one. I had Elena, Stefan and Damon as my company, and Elena introduced me to her best friends—Caroline and Bonnie. I was shocked when I heard that Bonnie is a witch. What else existed in this crazy world of mine?
Caroline was one of us, and that didn't surprise me as much. She was a vampire longer than I was. Bonnie didn't approve of me at first, but learned to accept me as a friend when I proved myself to be quite trustworthy. That's because I restrained myself from draining a young boy whose nose was bleeding in the park, and he was only a few meters away. Good thing Caroline wasn't with us.
Damon was so proud of me. He couldn't stop boasting for over an hour. Bonnie agreed to make me a piece of jewelry that will protect me from the sun. She said it will be ready in three days. I was excited to test it, I wasn't able to come out in the sun for so long.
Stefan told me that Katherine disappeared about six months ago, that's why Damon felt the need to leave, too. He felt out of place, like he wasn't needed anymore. Poor Damon. Maybe he didn't admit it or even show it, but I knew he was a good person inside. They thought he didn't have a heart, but I knew deep inside that he does.
All my memories come crashing down at me once in a while. Sometimes, when the pain comes too strong and tries to engulf me, I do as Damon taught me to—I shut off my feelings. I know I don't want to shut it out entirely, because I would be a total monster.
Stefan tried to convert me into an animal blood drinker by tagging me along with him when he went out hunting. I caught a deer but hesitated, grossed out by the smell of it. Not to mention the skin of the deer that was partially covered with dirt.
"Go ahead. It won't bother you once you get used to it and taste the blood." he urged, taking down a rabbit. Seriously, he will just feed on a bunny? But for his sake and to appease him, I drank from the deer anyway, even though it grossed me out a bit. It wasn't even half as good as human blood!
If you ask me, I prefer Damon's way of doing things. Guy knows how to have fun without doing any harm to any person's life. Stefan was a…buzz killer. No wonder even Bonnie could handle him single-handedly with just her mind. I had to admit, she was pretty cool.
"How was it?" Stefan asked, raising his eyebrow.
"Definitely better than bunnies." I said, dropping the carcass and covering it with leaves. He muttered something incomprehensible, clearly agitated with my response.
We went back to the boarding house after Stefan hunted a few more bunnies and some squirrels while I leaned on a tree and watched. Damon and Elena welcomed us home and I smiled in return. Somehow, the word "home" fit the Salvatore boarding house perfectly. I guess this is home for me now.
"So, Bella, how was your first try on the one-hundred percent, Stefan diet approved meal?" Damon queried, holding his hand up to the level of my mouth like he was holding a microphone. I resisted my urge to laugh at him, he was really funny.
"You mean bunnies and squirrels? Forget it, dude, it was quite gross." I said, wrinkling my nose in disgust.
"Look, if you are not going to par—" Stefan started when Damon cut him off. "Brother, let her rest. If she wants human blood, I would gladly share my stock with her." he defended me, as always. He was like my guardian, my personal angel, although I would never tell him that.
Stefan grumbled and went up to his room, with Elena hot on his heels. Damon and I just stared at each other and shrugged, used to Stefan's attitude towards drinking human blood, even from blood banks. There was an awkward silence, then he decided to say something.
"The witch told me to give this to you. She couldn't give it personally because she has to do something important." he said, holding up a beautiful lapis lazuli necklace that would just about go with anything I wear.
The chain itself was long and gold, with blue Swarovski crystals in between intervals of cylindrical lapis lazuli stones. The focal point is the circular button pendant encrusted with rectangular lapis lazuli stones and Swarovski crystals aligned in rows. The outline of the pendant has intricate designs on the edges, giving the necklace a vintage look. All in all, it was lovely.
I stared at it in awe and then looked at Damon. He shifted awkwardly and said, "I might have asked her to revise it a bit and add the blue Swarovski crystals. I noticed that blue is your color." he explained quickly, hiding his face.
"Thank you, it's beautiful! I have to thank Bonnie next time I see her, too." I said, squealing in delight. Surprising myself and Damon, I threw my arms around him and hugged him close. I didn't know why I did it, because I wasn't one to suddenly jump on people and hug them. When I realized what I was doing, I quickly withdrew and placed both my hands behind my back.
"Sorry." I mumbled, swaying like a child. I noticed the necklace was still in his hand, and he noticed it, too. He took my hand and dropped the necklace on my palm. He told me to wear it always and not to lose it, because if I did, I will burn under the sun, and that is something that I would never like to happen to me.
I fastened the clasp and put the necklace on and looked at the huge mirror on the wall. It looked pretty nice on me, and I slowly approached the window, which was mostly covered with the velvet curtains.
At first, I was confident. But as I came nearer to the windows, my step faltered and I trembled. I remembered the time when I tried to get out into the sunlight. It was excruciatingly painful, like being charred alive—almost like I had vampire venom in my veins again. My skin healed quickly, as if nothing ever happened.
Damon was beside me in a flash, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Bella, do you think I will let anything bad happen to you? I will pull you right away if the necklace doesn't work. Then, we can go have the witch for dinner." he said, managing to crack a joke. Any other time, I would be rolling on the ground and clutching on my stomach. Now, I don't think I can find anything funny.
Swallowing hard, I took a hesitant step forward, then another, and another step. One more and I will be under the glare of the sun. Please let it work, please. I closed my eyes and braced myself for the pain, but it didn't come. I opened one eye and peeked to check if I wasn't burning yet.
Luckily, I wasn't. Damon was chuckling behind me and I gave him a playful glare and crossed my arms. "Well, expect me to become more of a pest now since I can walk in broad daylight, too." I said arrogantly, raising my chin up.
"Oh mommy, I'm so scared." he said, placing the back of his hand on his forehead like he was going to faint. In a flash, I was beside him and mock-punched his shoulder, but I guess I didn't know my own strength. He flew to the other side of the room and hit the wall. At least, that ought to shrink his ego a bit.
"Ow!" he said, rubbing his head while sitting on the floor.
"That's what you get for crossing me." I boasted, placing a hand on my right hip. "You're too strong for your own good." he muttered, still not standing up.
"Glad to know that. Come on. Stand up there, will you?" I whined impatiently. I walked towards him and sat on my legs.
"Aren't vampires supposed to be fast? What's taking you so long there?" I asked, looking at him up and down for any signs of serious damage.
"I think you caused brain damage to me. It's hardly functioning." he complained, tapping his forehead.
"You'll live. I don't think you have any injury aside from your "brain damage". If you don't stand up now, I will damage that brilliant brain of yours even more." I threatened, standing up. Suddenly, he grabbed my arm and pulled me down with him.
"Sheesh, what is it this time?" I asked, rolling my eyes.
"It's your fault I'm like this, so I'm afraid you might need to help me up." he said, feigning innocence. I snorted, and pulled him up with me not too gently.
"You need to be more gentle, not barbaric." he lectured, dusting off his polo shirt.
"You're just too sissy. Sometimes I don't know who's more sissy—you or Stefan?" I wondered out loud, tapping my chin with my forefinger.
"Hey, if it wasn't for me you'd be a corpse right now." he reminded me.
"So now you're asking for payback?" I challenged, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Not really. Just keep that in mind. Follow me, I want to show you something." he said, patting me on the back.
"Fine." I said, turning around to follow him.
We went up the stairs and he led me to a door that led to…I seriously don't know. He opened the door and motioned for me to come in. The room was large and beautiful, and simply elegant. I figured out that this was his room, and I wondered what his was purpose for bringing me in here.
"This is my room, as you obviously already figured out." he stated, taking a full turn. "Now this is what I wanted to show you." he added, handing me a picture of a woman in 1864. There was a writing on the lower left side of the picture—Katherine, it said. At first, I thought the girl was Elena.
They look like twins! In shock, I staggered backwards and fell on the bed, my mouth hanging open. "When you told me the look alike, I didn't know they resembled each other so much they are like just one person." I said, clutching the picture.
"Surprising, isn't it? We think Elena is a direct descendant of Katherine. But it's really hard to trace the history since it was so far back. We tried researching at Duke University, but our efforts hadn't resulted in anything good yet. I even tried using her real name, Katerina Petrova, but still, no records." he said, lying down beside me.
"Do you still love her?" I asked quietly, twisting my neck to see him behind me. I didn't know where the question came from, it just popped into my head and came out of lips in a chain reaction.
He shook his head, looking at me. "I stopped loving her for a long time already. All I feel towards her now is hate and loathing." he said honestly.
"What will you do if she…comes back?" I asked, thirsty for answers. "Nothing. Protect the town and drive her away. Maybe even kill her if it comes to that." he replied, playing with my curls.
"Why will you kill her if you loved her? Doesn't that count for something?" I asked yet again, curious.
"For her, it doesn't. Look, Bella, all Katherine cares about is herself. She doesn't care even if she sells all her friends and family to her enemies in order to save herself." he said seriously.
"She must be such a horrible person, then." I said, pondering about this woman who Damon loved long ago. How could he love a person like her?
I heard Elena shout from below, "Damon, Bella, Stefan and I are going out for a while, okay?"
"Take your time." I replied, loud enough for her to hear.
Damon and I chatted for a long time about all kinds of things—Goldilocks planet, why people think garlic scares away vampires, and a lot of other stuff.
It was fun to be with him. It was like I was an entirely different person. Damon Salvatore certainly made a mark in my life.
A few hours later…
Bella's POV
Damon and I were having so much fun, with snacks in between. Empty blood bags were scattered on the floor and the sheets and pillows were disarranged due to our little pillow fight hours earlier.
Suddenly, somebody knocked on the door and I thought it was Stefan and Elena, but why would they knock?
Damon was the first to stand, and he pulled me with him. "That person better have a good reason to disturb our bonding time or he's going to turn into dinner." he said darkly, straightening out his clothes.
"Relax. Just keep your cool and don't blow off your top, okay?" I requested. He nodded and took my hand in his. In a flash, we were downstairs and in front of the door. In a very slow human pace, Damon opened the door and I peeked from behind his shoulder.
"Good evening, Damon." A middle-aged woman in a black dress greeted, holding a teenage girl with her. "May we come in?" she added, already stepping in.
I stepped backwards, intimated by their presence. They were clearly one of us, for the woman was wearing a lapis lazuli pendant, and so did the girl. Finally, after we sat down, she noted my presence and spoke to Damon. "And who is this?" she asked, raising an elegant eyebrow.
"This is Bella. She's new to our family." he said stiffly, being too formal. "Bella, this is Pearl, someone from my time." he added.
Pearl laughed, and looked at me. "Nice to meet you, Bella. Damon has a way with words, doesn't he?" she offered her hand, and I graciously took it after stepping in front of Damon.
"Nice to meet you, too. And you are?" I asked politely, motioning at the girl.
"Ah, this is Anna, my daughter." Pearl interrupted, looking between us.
"Hi, Anna." I said shyly. Later, I learned that Anna was older than she looked, and so was Pearl.
"Pearl, what is this "knock-on-Damon's-doorstep-and-bug-him" thing going on?" Damon asked, irritated.
Pearl's face became serious as she stared at him, giving him a pointed look. "Somebody told the old Cold Ones about our location, and they are coming in a week." she stated, giving away no expression at all.
"The Volturi?" I blurted out, shocked.
Pearl turned to me so fast she was a blur, even to me. "You know about them?" she asked sharply.
"Uh, when I was human, I had friends who were Cold Ones, but they left the town I lived in before I was changed." I explained, editing a bit.
"They didn't harm you?" she asked doubtfully.
"No, they didn't. They were…vegetarians." I said reluctantly, taking a step back.
"I have heard of them." she muttered to herself. "We have a problem. They are coming to Mystic Falls, and soon." she added, clenching her fists and gritting her teeth.
"What is the problem with that? Then we stay and fight. This is our home. We can't just leave it without putting up a fight." Damon said, crossing his arms.
I saw Pearl look sideways for a fraction of a second to her daughter, Anna. I am sure she is worried about her safety, so I decided to talk to Damon using mental telepathy. "Damon, she is worried about losing Anna. You can't just expect her to let her daughter fight. She is a mother and she loves her daughter." I said mentally.
He nodded his head in understanding, and then decided to placate Pearl instead. "Pearl, if we get ready and prepare ourselves, nobody is going to get hurt." he said soothingly.
"Do you think we can fight them with just a few of us left?" she asked doubtfully. Why, how many vampires are here in Mystic Falls, anyway?
"Yes, I do. We have the upper hand. Only some of them have talents while we can distract them or use our Power on them, right?" he suggested.
She nodded in agreement with him, standing up to shake his hand. "Thank you for your time, Damon. It was nice meeting you, Bella." she said, giving me a small smile.
Once they were off, I faced Damon and asked. "If the Volturi comes, how will I defend myself?"
"You seriously think I am just going to leave you on your own don't you? Don't worry, I will teach you what I know and I will protect you. Just trust me, okay?" he asked, grabbing my shoulders and staring at me. I nodded weakly and stepped back instinctively. Why? I didn't know.
He let go of my arms and looked over at the door, just as Stefan and Elena entered the house. "What are you two doing standing here in the living room?" Elena asked, walking towards us with a questioning look.
"Pearl and Anna came to for a visit. They said we need to round up all the vampires we can get because the cold vamps are coming." Damon explained quickly, smirking from what I presumed is excitement.
Stefan paled tremendously, while Elena had a curious look upon her beautiful face. She touched Stefan's shoulder lightly and asked, "Are you alright? And what is a Volturi anyway?"
He just shook his head and started to grab Damon's arm to lead him away. Meanwhile, I wasn't about to let him do that. I grabbed his shirt, pulled him back, and said, "She has the right to know, Stefan. If you won't tell her, I will. If you really love her, you shouldn't keep secrets from her." I said seriously, glaring at him.
He looked at me for some time, before finally letting go of Damon and I loosened my grip on him a bit. "You're right." he admitted, looking ashamed.
I looked him over for any sign that he was pretending, but saw none, so I let go of him completely. Elena looked a little angry at Stefan for attempting to keep something from her. She gave me a grateful look as she sat down on the couch, waiting for us to do the same.
I followed her lead and sat beside her, crossing my legs. I looked pointedly at Damon, trying to get him to sit down, too. Thankfully, he understood my message and sat opposite us girls, and patted the space beside him.
"Come on, brother, you've got nothing to lose." he said, placing his hands at the back of the couch. Sighing, Stefan sat down but kept a rigid posture. "This is serious, more so than you all probably think." he said, looking at all of us.
"We all know how serious this is. Okay, maybe not so much in Elena's case." I said, joining in. Stefan's lips were pressed into a thin line, a sign that his patience is wearing thin and he was this far from attacking me. "Care to explain?" I added, adding in a smile for him. It was becoming my habit to pester him, something I got from Damon.
"The Volturi is an old coven of vampires, and to be specific, Cold Ones. They sought for power, and will stop at nothing to ensure that there is no threat against them." Stefan started.
"The three leaders are Aro, Caius, and Marcus. The rest of them are guards. Why vampires need guards is something I will never understand. A long time ago, one of them accidentally drank some blood from our kind, and that made him stronger. He became stronger, and his talent became more potent than before." he continued, pausing slightly for effect.
"If he was human, he would have undergone through the Change. But since he was a vampire, and is already dead, the only thing that happened was that the blood slowly left his system after a few days. He returned back to his normal strength and talent, and this frustrated him. Sometime after, he learned of the reason why the blood of his victim made him stronger. He discovered about our existence, and that's why the Volturi has been hunting us down for centuries now." he finished, still being in serious mode.
"So, they are like, vampire royalty?" Elena asked, raising her eyebrows. That brought back memories, from when I was just like her, a human who was still learning about the mythical world where creatures like vampires, werewolves, witches and shape-shifters existed.
And with those memories came the pain of remembering him. The time when he left me in the forest without even any explanation as to his reason for leaving, except the words "You're not good for me, Bella."
I imagined, since we are now equals, that maybe he would think differently of me. But I would never go crawling back to him even if he shows up at my doorstep right now. He would have to prove himself to me this time.
"Hello? Are you alright there? Are you still with us or what?" Damon asked, waving his hands in front of my face. I stared at him and shook my head, clearing it.
"Sorry, zoned out a bit." I mumbled, a blush creeping into my cheeks.
"Figures." he said, smirking. His words made me blush deeper, so I lowered my head in order to hide my face. "So, what's the plan?" he added, looking around.
"We need to train and get as many vampires as we can. How many tomb vampires have survived?" Stefan asked, looking sideways at Damon.
"About ten or so. It's not about the number, bro, it's the talent. We just need to figure out a way to kill them. I don't think stakes and vervain work on those vamps." Damon said, running his fingers through his dark hair.
"They cannot be hurt physically, unless you use really sharp teeth or claws. And I mean razor sharp. They don't die when sunlight hits them either, they sparkle instead. They can die with fire, and some of them have talents that can make you writhe in pain." I answered automatically.
"You really know this stuff, don't you?" Stefan stated, looking at me.
I nodded while Damon's laughter could be heard. "Why are you laughing when all of us are serious here?" I asked, shocked. Did he lose it already?
"Sparkly vamps…can't see why they are a threat to us." he choked, still laughing.
"Look, they may sparkle, but they are still dangerous if we are not careful." I warned. I didn't know why I still bothered, knowing he wouldn't listen anyway.
I sighed and walked up to my room, closing the door behind me. It was simple and yet very beautiful and elegant. I walked heavily towards my bed and started crying my eyes out, for the pain that was brought by those memories a while ago. He still affected me some, but now like there was a hole in my chest anymore. Those days are over, when I would clutch my chest to keep myself together.
But I don't think I could forget them that easily. I never did. They were the reason I was involved in this mess right now because I met them in Forks. Stupid town. No wonder it was named after a kitchen utensil. I heard footsteps and the door closing. Damon is here. Why did he bother? It was a regular thing that sometimes I lock myself up and cry until I fall asleep.
"Go away." I said, my voice muffled by the pillow I was crying on. He didn't budge, but sat down on my bed. I raised my head a little and glared at him, trying to express my seriousness about the matter.
"You think you can scare me with that glare of yours? I have been through hell and back, Bella, and you are just starting. You haven't known the real meaning of the word scary yet." he said with feeling.
I kept my silence, and my head slumped back on the pillow and I hid my puffy red eyes from him once again. "You want to forget everything that happened?" he asked suddenly. That was enough for me to lift my head and look at him so fast that if a human was looking, I would surely be a blur.
"How would I do that?" I asked skeptically. The offer was really inviting, but I was careful not to close a deal without knowing the pros and cons yet. Everything came with a price. I learned that the hard way.
"Well, you just need to throw away your old life and start anew as a different person. We will change your name, your choice of clothing, your hairstyle…everything. You will be good as new afterwards. We will concentrate on training you to be a powerful vampire and we will enroll you in high school with Elena and Stefan." he offered, looking serious, though I still wasn't sure about it.
"Enrolling me to high school? I don't think I could control myself that much yet." I said, although I was nearly caving in.
"I know you can do it. You have been doing great in the three weeks you have been a vampire." he insisted, taking my hand in his.
I bit my lip and pondered this for a whole minute before answering, "Deal. When do we do this?"
"Well, we could start now, although, we need to be careful around town. Caroline's mother knows about us and one toe out of the line and we are all dead. Liz is one of my very few friends, which consists of you, Elena, and her. She could be a very dangerous enemy, I am telling you." he cautioned, staring at me and wiped away the tears. "Plus, we had better put that gorgeous necklace of yours into good use, too. I am starting to get jealous now. That is a lot better than our talismans." he added, feigning disappointment.
I nodded and he pulled me up, nearly dragging me across the room. He didn't even bother to use the stairs. He just jumped down to the first floor and invited me to do the same thing. I hesitated, but followed his example nonetheless.
It was exhilarating. Not to mention fun. We drove across the town in Damon's Ferrari. Good thing he didn't drive so fast. I decided to play with the radio and found something nice on air— "Firework" by Katy Perry. It was pretty nice, so I listened to it.
We stopped in front of a salon, where he opened the car door for me and offered his hand like the perfect gentleman. When we entered the salon, the woman behind the counter asked. "What could we offer you?" she asked kindly.
"My friend here needs a new hairstyle, and probably some highlights. Make-up wouldn't go amiss either." he said, knowing what to answer in a matter of seconds.
The woman nodded and led me away to shampoo my hair. She smelled inviting, but I resisted the urge to sink my teeth into her neck. Not now, not today. This day is important for me. It was a turning point in my life, and it is a major one.
I heard the snip and snap of the scissors and the sound of the blow dryer as she styled my hair. Finally, I zoned out with Damon's face in my thoughts.
(A/N: What do you think? Should I continue writing or what? Review and let me know your thoughts on this!)