Have a Little Faith

Chapter Two: Demetri

Addison had been running for an entire week. A part of her felt sickened with herself for leaving Adriano and Katya and Nataliya there to die at the hands of the Volturi. If she had only stayed, maybe she could have helped keep them all alive, she thought. However there was another voice, a stronger voice, and by far more stubborn one that told her that she'd done the right thing. It told her to not feel bad about abandoning Adriano, because the only reason he'd turned her in the first place was because he was certain that she would be extremely powerful. He was oh so certain that she was special…

She was ignorant to her current location. All she knew was that she was in the woods in some small town in some random state. All was irrelevant now, Addison thought gloomily. She had no family anymore. Adriano, Katya, Nataliya, the newborns… they were all, surely, dead. She did hold onto some small piece of mind. This mess wasn't her doing. No, it was Adriano. It was Adriano who had lost his entire family to the Volturi. One day, his coven had gone to visit the beautiful ancient city of Volterra. Christiano had practically been Adriano's brother, and he'd gone and fed on a human in Volterra. Though they left neither evidence nor human witnesses… The Volturi found out. Christiano and their creator, Antony, were killed for it. Adriano all but lost his mind after that. Later, he found the clever Russian duo that shared his hatred for the Volturi. The Russian Twins had been very closely involved with some of the Romanians, the old rulers who the Volturi had overthrown in their rise to power over all the immortals. Upon the Romanians' downfall, the Russian Twins lost whatever power they had had under their rule, too.

Addison stood in a tree high above the ground. She leaned against the trunk, completely motionless. Her burgundy eyes were alive with color thanks to her recent feeding. Addison sighed as she contemplated her next move. She'd been told that some vampires lived as nomads. Maybe that was her fate; to wonder the land, alone, only stopping when it was time to feed again…

Suddenly, Addison straightened. There was someone coming in her direction… someone moving very fast. Addison sprung into action at once, jumping down to a lower branch with astounding inhuman finesse. Listening carefully, she heard the quick footsteps growing closer and closer. Then he was there. Addison could see his wavy black hair, his beautiful face, and his crimson eyes. He was a vampire, Addison could tell with absolute certainty. What was more, she'd seen him before.

He was with the Volturi.

Demetri frowned slightly as he glanced around the thicket of trees. The girl, Addison, was here, he could tell. He waited calmly, listening intently. Then he heard a light rustle of leaves above. Inaudible to human ears, he knew she was up there, watching him.

"I am not here to punish you," Demetri called upwards quietly, "I've been sent to make an offer."

She didn't respond, at first. Perhaps she was still hoping he wasn't really certain of her whereabouts. Or maybe she was thinking over his words carefully, weighing her options, trying to identify the best one. Just as he was about to speak again, she replied.

"What kind of an offer?"

Demetri smiled. "My master has interrogated all those left. He knows of your innocence, and he knows of your talent. My master would very much like it if you would come to meet him."

"That's not a very good offer. You could easily be luring me to my death."

Demetri chuckled. "The Volturi does not lure people to their death."

"That's not what I've heard."

With that Addison finally came into view, her eyes alight with curiosity. She had a long sheet of golden brown hair and the face of someone in the prime of her youth. She was tall; Demetri could see that even from where he was positioned. She was clearly very thin, as well. But most importantly, she was beautiful, as were all the immortals.

"If I wanted you dead, I probably would have attacked you by now." Demetri pointed out, as he watched her from her position overhead.

"Maybe you're waiting for us to be on, ah… equal ground, perhaps?" Addison suggested, leaning casually against the tree.

Demetri chuckled again. "I was told you've been told stories of our wickedness. I can assure you that they are false."

"Even if they weren't, you'd probably be saying that."

"True."

Addison gazed at him thoughtfully. "What's your name?"

"Demetri," he answered.

"My name is Addison."

"Yes, I've been told," Demetri replied calmly.

"By who?"

"My master was informed by your friends Adriano, Katya, and Nataliya," Demetri told her.

There was a pause in their conversation. A bird took off from a near by branch. A few crickets chirped. A breezed played gently with Addison's long, silky hair, though she paid it no mind.

"The Volturi is not wicked, like you've been told."

"Really?" Addison said her lovely face full of skepticism, and a hidden curiosity for Demetri's words.

"The Volturi's purpose is to protect the secrets of our kind; to keep us from exposure to humans. Sometimes it involves sacrificing some of our kind, for the safety of the rest. We do so with great remorse and regret, I assure you, but we know that it must be done to protect us all."

"What about the slaughtering of innocent children?"

"Do you refer to the plague of the immortal children?"

"I suppose that is what I'm talking about."

Demetri smiled up at her for a moment. "If you come down, I promise I will tell you."

Addison gazed at him thoughtfully for a moment. Then, with amazing agility, she leapt down from her branch and landed in front of Demetri gracefully. She stared up at him and he held out his hand to her. Addison gazed at it for a moment, wondering if it was some sort of trick. Like, perhaps he would tear her arm off, or something. Nevertheless, she placed her hand in his.

"The plague of the immortal children was a long time ago. At this time, mature vampires decided to experiment by giving immortality to human toddlers. These children could not learn. They were forever frozen in their young form. Their temper tantrums would destroy half a village. My master studied them all that he could, to see if something could be done, if there was some way to get them to learn the rules, or anything at all, for that matter…

"This proved impossible. It was a terrible time. For the sake of the rest, we knew we had to destroy them. I can assure you, Addison, that we only resorted to this because it was our very last option, only when we were absolutely certain that no other solution was possible."

Addison was silent. They walked through the woods with no conscious thought as to where they were headed. Sunlight was shining through the branches above them. Their skin sparkled beautifully, like diamonds. Animals took off in the other direction at the sight of the two gorgeous immortals walking in their direction. Addison was thoughtful as they walked, thinking over her options carefully, wondering if Demetri was speaking the truth. She could risk going with him to visit the powerful Volturi, but she could also be killed once she arrived.

Soon, they reached the edge of the woods. The sun shone brightly for a moment, glinting off their diamond-like flesh. Then, a cloud moved in front of the sun, and their skin resumed it's less attention-grabbing form. Though, of course, the pair of vampires were still positively ethereal and very eye-catching. They stood in silence for a moment longer until Demetri turned in front of Addison, smiling warmly down at her as she gazed up at him.

"So, Addison? What do you say? Will you join me? Will you visit the Volturi at my Master's request?"

Addison stared up at him for a moment or two before asking, "Where is the Volturi, anyway?"

"Have you not been told already?"

Addison shook her head.

"It's in Italy," Demetri told her.

Addison nodded absentmindedly, still contemplating her options, and trying to decide what her best one was. "It's a long journey to Italy from here, isn't it?"

"Yes," said Demetri, "But it would be a much greater comfort to me to not have to travel that long distance alone."

Addison smiled up at him for a moment. Then, she glanced up at the sky. A great clutter of clouds was moving over their heads, becoming one, and they threatened a storm. She could here all sorts of distant sounds and she let them fill her ears: cars up on the highway, kids laughing at the park that was about a mile or more away from where she and Demetri stood, and the heart beat of a nearby grazing dear. She sighed as she looked back at him.

"I'm having a bit of a dilemma," She admitted.

"Yes?"

"I'm trying to decide what my best option is. I mean this could be a trap, couldn't it? Kind as you are, Demetri, I've only just met you."

"True," he said slowly and carefully.

"So how can I trust you, considering?" Addison asked, watching Demetri's expression carefully as it became thoughtful while he thought over what she had just pointed out.

"Well," he began, choosing his words carefully because he knew how curious Aro was about her gift, and how much he wished to meet Addison. "That's true, I suppose, and I guess that I can't really assure that this isn't a trap in a way that would make you certain that you could trust me. All I can really say is that it really isn't. My Master has heard tell of your gift, Addison, from Adriano and Katya and Nataliya. He values unique abilities, like yours and like mine-"

"Like yours?" Addison repeated, curious.

"I'm a tracker, Addison. I can identify people based on their minds, and I follow that."

"Oh," said Addison, "That explains how you found me, I guess…"

"Yes, and he puts these talents to good use in the Volturi Guard, where we work to protect the secrets of our supernatural world. He would never waste a talent like yours."

"A talent like mine…" Addison repeated slowly. "You say he heard of this from Adriano and Katya and Nataliya, didn't you?"

"Yes," said Demetri.

"How exactly did he get them to tell him that? I know they must have been angry with me for abandoning them. However, they new they Volturi well, much better then I do. They would have known if Aro would have, to use your words, 'valued a talent like mine' and I know they would never have revealed it, just to spite him. Because they would not have any reason to protect me, after my treachery during the battle."

"My master has a gift, too, Addison; he can read all the thoughts and memories of any person he touches. That's how he found out. Not to mention Felix and Santiago had some words to share on the subject, do you remember? Felix tried to stop you, and you made Santiago jump in his path, even though he was Felix's ally?"

"I only created an illusion. The illusion that this… Felix, did you call him?... was the newborn he was fighting. I didn't make the other turn on him, not really."

Demetri nodded, understanding. "Aro was very curious as to what it was that you did exactly, before he getting the full story from your… friends. Not that he holds you guilty, Addison. He knows you had no real part in the crime."

Addison nodded, understanding.

"I'm still not sure, though…" Addison said, glancing up at the grey, cloudy sky. She could feel tiny rain drops beginning to fall.

Demetri shrugged his shoulders. "Have a little faith," he suggested.

Addison grinned up at him. "That's what my mother always used to say in times of indecision. 'Have a little faith' was her motto."

Demetri smiled back at her, and held out his hand again.

"So? Will you join me?"

Addison thought for a moment, and then she placed her hand in his again. "I think I will."

And with that the two began their journey to Volterra, Italy, home of the Volturi.

A/N: In the next chapter or the chapter after that, I'll try to work in the Cullens. I'm not entirely certain as to how these chapters are going to work out, with Demetri and Addison that is. I'm not sure how long I want to concentrate on the actual journey, and I hope that my story does not completely suck. :D Thanks for reading.