The Angel

Chapter 8 Toxic

(A/N: It's been too long…I know. But I've got issues, so please just bear with me.)

Previously on The Angel…

What Aro wants, Aro gets…

Little did he know, someone was controlling him and feeding his own intensified evil thoughts.

Adrianna's POV

Aro is acting different; I knew it. Something has changed within him that I couldn't quite put a finger on. I knew there is somebody controlling his thoughts, and I already have an idea who it is; but when I felt Aro's aura, I knew something else is up.

His eyes went blank for a millisecond before he went back to normal as if nothing ever happened, but I know what I saw. I didn't know if anybody else noticed it aside from me.

"Well, we'd all like you to know that we have come to a decision. As much as I hate to say this, but between the two of us, one group has to be totally eliminated or for sure there will be chaos. We will meet you again in three days, in order to give you some time to ready yourselves. Farewell…until we meet again." Aro said, signaling his guards to follow him.

This didn't come as a surprise to us. What did surprise us was he gave us time to actually prepare for the inevitable fight.

Nobody talked after this, and one by one everybody went their separate ways, including me. I needed some space where I can be alone and be free to be myself. I was one of the last ones to leave.

And then, I ran. I ran until I didn't know where I was anymore; I ran so far my head was spinning, even though I am a vampire. I only stopped when I saw this secluded cave that I thought was perfect for me.

I entered the dark, slightly wet cave at human speed and sat down, tears falling involuntarily down my cheeks. So much I had to give up—my happiness with Damon…and for what? It didn't stop the Volturi from coming here to destroy my family. Just when I thought I have finally found my place in this mundane world.

All of it made me feel like I want to be human again. Being human made it seem so easy. Sure, you have to endure a lifetime of pain and suffering, but eventually at some point in time, it will all end when you die. Death is a relief compared to an eternity full of guilt, pain, regret and all those bad stuff.

I fell asleep, feeling confused, hurt, and most of all: I felt the gap within me that can only be filled with Damon's presence.

Half a day later…

Then, it dawned upon me. I am not supposed to be weak. Only Bella is weak, and I am not Bella anymore. I am Adrianna; Addie for short. Screw me. I am a very strong woman, inside and out. If for example, I die in the next three days to come, then at least I lived my life to the fullest, right?

Standing up from the uneven ground, I made my way out of the cave and through the thick forest. Destination: Mystic Falls.

It only took me half an hour to reach the Salvatore Boarding House, pushing open the door, only to be greeted by Rose wrapping herself up in a silk robe. "Rose." I breathed, staring at the older vampire before me.

"Oh, hello, Adrianna, have you seen Damon? I've been looking for him ever since I woke up not too long ago." she said in that British-sounding accent of hers.

"Why are you asking me now? You're the one who slept with him, so you should know. I can't believe you! You still have the nerve to ask me where the hell he is. Why don't you look between your legs, slut? He might be buried in there somewhere." I lashed out at Rose, feeling betrayed and furious and deadly and murderous.

I turned around only to find the devil staring right at me. "Get out of my way." I ordered in dangerously calm voice, staring him down even though he is way taller than I am.

"Wait, Addie. Listen I—Let me expl—," his words were cut off by a loud noise produced by my hand connecting with his infuriatingly beautiful face.

"Don't Addie me, Damon." I began, and you haven't even heard half of it. "I am so fed up with your womanizing ways and all the shit you've been giving me. And I can't believe I even loved you in the first place. You're not worth loving; maybe that's why Katherine and Elena chose Stefan over you!" I shouted, pushing him out of my way.

He just stood there, stumped, and I was angry with myself for even thinking that a guy like him could ever be serious in a relationship and fall in love with somebody. I hate myself for being stupid.

Here I am, crying over the guy who I thought was sent from heaven, but he stole my heart and stomped on it—hard. I though the reason Edward stopped loving me because Damon is the one meant for me. How wrong I was!

For the third time this evening, I ran to the only place where I felt safe and protected. I went to Club Sangre to find Cassie and I poured my heart out to her. She didn't say anything; she just waited for me to finish while stroking my hair comfortingly.

All the while, I was drinking my heart out, trying to forget everything that just happened to me. I tried to forget my name, where I was, all the people I've met—my whole identity.

The last thing I remember before I fell asleep on Cassandra's shoulder was the image of Damon and Rose together, poisoning me and killing me slowly.

Elena's POV

Earlier that evening…

I was asking Stefan for details about the meeting with the Volturi and how it went, when Damon suddenly came bursting through the door of my house.

"Damon, may I remind you that there are humans living in this house who might hear you and the commotion you're making!" I hissed at him, until I saw the look on his face. I was about to ask him what happened, but Stefan beat me to it.

"Adrianna, she left." he said in a monotone, scaring me a lot. This isn't the Damon I know, that's for sure.

"Who are you and what did you do to my brother?" Stefan asked, holding a stake from behind his back.

"What did you do this time, Damon?" I asked exasperatedly, pulling Stefan back down on the couch with me.

"She…she saw Rose dressing up in the boarding house. She was quick to make her assumptions." he said, with a somewhat panicked voice.

"WHAT?" I burst out, eyes bulging. Is he telling me that he had sex with Rose and his girlfriend, who also happens to be one of my best friends, saw her dressing up afterwards?

"I seriously don't know what kind of person are you, Damon. You cheated on my BFF, and that is simply unforgivable. Sorry, but if you came here to ask for help to find her whereabouts, I am not going to help you with that one." I said stubbornly. Let's just say that Addie's now a part of the Velociraptor sisterhood.

I say we make a pretty cool bunch—a human, a Vampire, a witch, and a part-Vampire, part-witch. Sounds cool, right? Well, not really. It just means more trouble, but we get by.

In a flash, Damon is right in front of me, his grip tight on my arms. "Elena, you're the only one who knows her enough to know where she went. If you know something, please, tell me. Just—please. I beg you." he begged, and it was strange for me.

Damon never begs for anything—he gets it himself, either by brute force or his charm. Is Addie really that important to him that he'd do anything for her? Only one way to know for sure…

"I'll help you out." I said with a huge smile on my face. He suddenly looked like a child on Christmas Day when he heard this. "Oh, I couldn't thank you enough!" he exclaimed, hugging me tight.

"Of course, you can't. I will only help you on one condition." I said slowly, pursing my lips. His brows furrowed in confusion. "What do I have to do?" he asked.

"Well, you just have to get through our Velociraptor sisterhood—all four of us!" I announced, clapping my hands together. He looked surprised, not to mention scared. "You'll go through Bonnie first, then Caroline, me, and lastly, you need to get Addie to forgive and accept you again. After that, I'll tell you where she is." I bargained, circling him.

"Deal." he answered desperately. I smiled inwardly upon hearing this. Boy, is he in for a ride.

Adrianna's POV…

Present time…

I can't believe I am doing this right now. This is basically suicide. If anybody has to take the blame, it would be nobody else but me.

But this is the most logical thing I will ever do in my pathetic life. Want to know what it is? Well, you have to wait just for a little while more for the whole thing.

You see, right now, I am flying in my animal form through the forest at the fastest speed imaginable for a bird. I know I'm supposed to be flying to the opposite direction, but no, I had to be the good one.

Just then, I saw my target a good few yards ahead of me. I flew faster than I ever dared to try, before I flipped my dark wings one last time and plummeting down to the ground. I stopped just in time for me not to hit the forest floor.

The entire Volturi, including the Cullens, froze in their tracks as I slowly changed back to my "human" form.

"Hello, Aro." I whispered softly, looking at him straight in the eye. He had an amused smile on his face as he took me in. The Guard poised themselves to kill, but I did nothing to even protect myself.

"To what do I owe the pleasure, Bel—Adrianna?" he asked, correcting himself at the last moment.

"I really do hope your Guard will relax a little bit more, don't you think? Why would I come here all alone if I were going to attack any of you?" I asked rhetorically, shaking my head. He said nothing, and I decided to be direct to the point.

"I have a proposition for you." I offered confidently, even though I wasn't sure he'd accept. But a little positivity won't hurt me, right?

He seemed to ponder this for a moment, before finally saying, "Well, go ahead and speak." he responded in that wispy voice of his.

"I'd rather speak with you privately, if you may." I asked politely. Might as well try and be as diplomatic as I can. A growl echoed through the entire forest coming from the Guard in unison, Felix's being the loudest one of them all.

"If she wishes to speak with me privately, then she will get her wish. Leave us be, all of you." he ordered the ravenous vampires. He then noticed that the Cullens have stayed behind, probably wanting a word with me, too. "My dear Cullens, if you don't mind." Aro added kindly, and then they slowly melted into the shadows.

"Alone at last…well, dear, what is it that you wanted to share with me again?" he asked excitedly, like he is about to get the best present ever.

I took a deep breath before finally saying my proposition to him. "Go back to Volterra, Aro." I started, and gauged his reaction based on his expression. He was astonished, to say the least.

"Pardon me? I might have misheard you, Adrianna. I think I just heard you say that you wanted me and my Guard to go back home." he said incredulously. I didn't actually believe the bit about him not hearing what I said in the first place.

He is a vampire, and vampires have superhuman abilities which include extraordinary hearing for one.

"You actually heard me right, Aro. In exchange for this, you can do whatever you want to do with me, and you will never hear a protest coming out of this mouth." I promised, hoping he would just accept and get on with it.

"So, you are saying that you are trading yourself for your…friends?" he asked skeptically. I merely nodded and waited for him to say something else.

"Adrianna, I don't think you get the point of this. We will gain so much more if we capture all of your kind. What makes you think I will settle for you instead?" he asked, raising one elegant eyebrow.

"You don't know me, Aro. You still don't know the full extent of my abilities. I am a Vampire and witch blood courses through my veins. Don't you think you will become more powerful if you have me, willing to obey your every word, than when you do have all of them, but they don't wish to follow you?" I pressed.

"Hmm, you do have a point there. But I still have to confer with my brothers." he added.

"You don't have to ask them about anything. As far as I know, you are the most powerful and influential vampire in existence. You don't need their permission for every decision that you make." I insisted, getting impatient with every second that passed.

That seemed to do the job, because almost immediately, I saw that gleam in his eye. I know how much he loves power and being in control, so I used it to make him agree.

"Very well, then. Follow me." he ordered, making his way towards where the other immortals have gathered.

"We shall go back to Volterra immediately. Felix, call the airline and tell them to have our private jet ready in a couple of hours." Aro ordered, and the muscled man merely nodded and went off to do the task given to him.

"Dimitri…" Aro trailed off, but he understood his master's meaning. In a flash, Dimitri was tying my hands together at my back while I looked at Aro with confusion and betrayal in my eyes.

"We had an agreement, Aro!" I shouted, struggling against the vervain-coated roped that burned my skin.

He now had a look of apology on his face as he slowly shook his head. "I did have an agreement with you, dear Adrianna, but I also had an agreement with somebody else before we even met personally. And I'm afraid I must honor that agreement, because I gave my word of honor in front of the whole Volturi." he apologized quickly.

"Who is it? Who is the damn traitor you made an agreement with?" I raged, veins popping out under my eyes.

"Aww…no need to be so feisty, Addie, I'm sure we will have a great time together." a woman's voice purred.

When I looked up, I was astonished to see the face of the traitor. No, it couldn't be…

(A/N: Sorry for not updating in so long, guys. I fought with my best friend who is also my "ex-boyfriend", and now we're not talking anymore. I'm stuck in a very sticky situation where I have to endure seeing him every stinking day without talking to him. Life is so unfair!)