Hello again.
So, last chapter i said I would have this chapter uploaded fairly quickly, but ironically i haven't uploaded in two weeks lol. I am incredibly sorry bout that but HERE IT IS.
I continued to stare at Heidi's shimmering skin, confounded. I half expected her to burn to ashes under the sunlight like the silly horror comics I read suggested, but she looked dazzling and perfectly intact. She casually continued walking towards me, not a care in the world about the blazing fireball shining down on her. She raised an eyebrow quizzically at my gawking, and then realization dawned on her. "Oh, this; I've gotten so used to it that I've forgotten this is quite a foreign sight to you. It's rather silly, I know, but our skin as you can see is ...highly reflective." She answered nonchalantly.
"How do you manage to walk out in public like that? Especially with the sun here in Italy..." I said, looking at her short sleeved outfit.
"We simply cover up. For me though, I sometimes put on layers of foundation. It helps while luring humans, you and Lilith being a prime example." She stated simply, while eyeing me smugly. I frowned at the memory, and averted my eyes to a patch of pink Cosmos.
"I think you've got enough of an eyeful of the garden…and my skin. We've still got a lot of places to go to, so let's move on." Heidi prompted, and she made her way towards the building. I trailed behind slowly, but not after giving the flowers one last look of longing.
Once inside, Heidi led me through more hallways, and if she wasn't guiding me, I would have already been lost in the endless twists and turns of the hallways. It also didn't help that I had a poor recall.
We entered a large room that resembled that of a lobby. I immediately remembered that Heidi led us through this room first on her evil tour. We stopped in front of an elevator, and as we waited for it to reach our floor, I spotted the receptionist from my first visit here. She was filing papers into drawers and jotting notes down hastily, and on her ear was a pencil that was dangerously close to falling out. She had heard the clicking of Heidi's high heels, and looked up briefly. She dismissed us at first, but then quickly looked up again with widened eyes of disbelief. I stared back at her curiously as she startedquestioning Heidi in wary Italian, gesturing towards me.
I then wished desperately I had taken Italian in school, because I couldn't understand a word of her and Heidi's conversation. They looked over at me a couple of times, and I saw a hint of jealousy flash in the receptionists' eyes.
The elevator finally arrived, and as I stepped into the elevator, I caught a glimpse of loathing in the look the woman gave me. Heidi bid her goodbye after stepping in shortly. When the doors closed, I instantly turned to Heidi.
"What's she doing here? She's human, is she not?" I implored, anxious for answers.
Heidi chuckled. "Of course she's human, she's our receptionist. She usually handles all our paper work and other…human qualities we must uphold in this place." She explained.
"Alas, it isn't every day that we detain humans from my tours, but you and Lilith seem to be such a special case. And judging by the look she gave you, she's most likely very jealous." smirked Heidi, and the look on her face implied that she was not very fond of the lady.
"Wh-what? Jealous, of me?" I asked incredulously. Why would she be jealous of me, who has been kidnapped from home and doomed to a life of eternity?
"She's been begging for us to turn her for a while now. It's starting to be quite annoying, really." Heidi retorted with a sigh.
"Then why do you keep her around?" I inquired.
"Well, to put it shortly, she's just eye candy really. We don't really need humans to organize our books, our other members can do that easily. However, having her around makes the atmosphere less tense for the humans. Aro never pays too much attention to her requests for immortality, but he'll probably cave quite soon. She's a rather persistent one…" Heidi mused.
With a ding, the elevator finally reached our destination. I followed Heidi out of the elevator and looked around. The whole room was shaped like a dome, with a high ceiling. Maps lined the walls and constellations were etched onto them.
Across from the room were a few telescopes, all neatly set up and ready to be viewed through once the sun had set.
"Well I don't think I really need to explain this place, it's just your average observatory." Heidi announced, seeming bored. I had the impression that astronomy didn't amuse Heidi half as much as perhaps something like fashion.
Heidi was right though, it didn't seem to be as brilliant as the throne room or the massive library. The room was large, but despite all the posters that lined it's walls, it was very plain.
"Oh, don't get me wrong though. It may look very dull at the moment, but just come here at night. You'll be pleasantly surprised." Heidi proclaimed. And with that, we left the observatory. I was eager to come back here at night to see what the 'surprise' was.
Heidi proceeded to show me different rooms that had a wide array of purposes, such as lounging, more rooms, and even a kitchen for their human visitors. There weren't very many windows, just some placed here and there. Occasionally on the tour we would encounter other members of their coven, and each one we met would look at me with hungry eyes. I was going to have to get used to being ogled at like a snack.
Finally, our tour had come to an end. I was exhausted by the time she showed me through the last door, a lounging room. I plopped down on one of the cushions. Heidi smirked, "Tired already? Well, I guess this castle is rather large through the eyes of a human. But it gets better, trust me." She reassured.
"Yeah, I hope so." I answered, and slumped into one of the plump cushions.
"Looks like someone's out of shape" A gruff voice chuckled. I was so preoccupied by my exhaustion that I had failed to notice the presence of another vampire in the room. I looked around warily, looking for the source of the voice.
There sitting on another couch was Felix, one and on the remote surfing through channels on a wide flat screen. He regarded me with amusement in his eyes, and then returned back to chanel surfing.
I averted my eyes slowly. I was still very intimidated by him, and I was surprised he was sitting there so…casually.
I gave Heidi a pleading look to not leave me in this room alone with that Hulk, but to my misfortune, she did exactly the opposite.
"Well, I have to go organize the next tour. I'll leave you two to get... acquainted." Heidi smiled, and I could see a mischievous glint in her eyes. She closed the door and bid farewell, while smiling a bit too happily.
I slowly looked over at Felix, who had been observing the situation with amusement.
"I guess it's just you. And me." Felix stated, and winked. He moved closer until he was just arm's length away, and I stiffened. My heart rate sped up nervously, and I was biting my lip to restrain a fearful squeak.
For the next few moments, the only thing I did was stare straight ahead at the T.V. I was too terrified to move an inch, for he had moved a bit too close for my liking.
"Gee, I would have expected a bit more conversation from you. Judging by how much you were screaming your head off with your little red-headed friend back there. "Felix uttered casually.
Maybe if I just kept quiet he would grow bored, and maybe think I was a mute. Then he would leave and I could quietly sneak back to my bedroom. I remained silent, still staring at the screen and trying to be as apathetic as Marcus.
Moments and moments passed, and I continued to stare at the football game that Felix was watching passively. From the corner of my eye I could tell he occasionally gave me casual glances, hoping I would crack.
"You sure you're comfortable? You've been in the same position for thirty minutes now…" Felix sighed. He reached over to me and I flinched.
"Wh-what are you doing?" I asked, moving to the other side of the couch.
Felix roared with laughter, the sound made me flinch even more because of its sheer volume and the close proximity to my ear. "Relax, cheesecake. I was just reaching for the other remote." He snickered. I breathed a sigh of relief, and tried to muster up a smile. It came up as a very, tiny nervous one that only reached half my lips.
"Um… I think I'm going to go back to my room. And …take a nap." I say, nervously. I cautiously got up from the couch, like I was trying not to startle a kid with anger issues - and started taking stiff steps to the door.
"Hah, alrighty then. I'll be right here if you ever need any…entertainment." Felix said, smirking. From the corner of my eye, I could see his eyes on my retreating back. I muttered a timid farewell, and closed the door behind me gently. I slowly let out a breath I hadn't realized I had been holding, and made my way back over to the elevator.
I tapped my foot impatiently on the floor and crossed my arms. Why was this elevator so slow? It was starting to tick me off.
At last, the lift arrived and I was about to step in, but my movement was stopped when the sight of a young girl greeted me. She stood there, back straight and hands at her side. Her blond hair, almost passing as brown, was tied in a neat, elegant bun. She was all clad in black. Black cloak, black shoes, black leggings…
She looked no older than I was, and her petite frame suggested she was younger even. But her eyes were a deep crimson and her face held a passive look that you would not find on the faces of ten year olds. She also held the same vampire demeanor as the rest of her blood- hungry…colleagues.
She stared back at me with bored eyes, with an elegant brow arched inquiringly. Her lips curled up into a slight grimace as she took in my appearance. I probably looked like crap, but then I remembered how Heidi dolled me up, and stood up a little straighter.
"So you must be that human everyone has been rambling on about." She frowned, scrutinizing me. Her voice was bell-like, high and light. It held a slight amount of disdain and disgust.
I was at loss for words, so I didn't reply. I simply stared back like a wide-eyed idiot.
She scoffed, "Aro may have ordered the majority to treat you like a princess, all safe and…at home. But I will have none of that. You're no different than any other of your pathetic species."
She stared at me for a few seconds a small evil gleam in her eyes, and I stared back, wondering what was going on in her mind. I felt like I just got slapped in the face by her insults, and I wished desperately that she would just step out of the elevator so I could step in and push the button and just be off on my way…
The girl's eyes than widened in disbelief, and she growled lowly. My face scrunched up in confusion at her actions, and she took a few threatening steps towards me. I backed up cautiously, not wanting to get too close to this vicious girl.
"What are you?" she demanded harshly. Her eyes were narrowed and her jaw was clenched in anger.
She lunged at me and I braced myself for the worst, closing my eyes - but nothing came. I opened them, and there stood Alec, one hand on the girls arm.
She stared at Alec disbelievingly. "Alec, don't interfere! She doesn't deserve to be here! No human does!" she snarled angrily.
"Sister, dear, calm yourself. We wouldn't want to frighten her so much on her first day. She might not be able to take it." Alec said calmly, with a smirk. My eyes narrowed at him. He was mocking me, just like some of the older kids used make fun of my eye color at my private schools. So this was Jane, the famed twin of Alec's that Emilia had mentioned.
"My ability…it's not working!" Jane grumbled angrily through gritted teeth. Alec's eyes appraised me curiously. "Not working? What do you mean…" he trailed off, and went silent, slowly letting go of my wrist.
I looked at them both in puzzlement; they seemed to both be distracted at this very moment. I tried slipping past Jane but Alec grabbed my wrist again. I winced at the coldness and hardness of his skin.
"Maybe...No, you're definitely human. You have a heartbeat, and your skins far too warm to be one of us." uttered Alec in doubt.
"What's going on…of course I'm human!" I retorted in disbelief, still very confused about these two.
He looked at me long and hard, scrutinizing me. And Jane still regarded me with an angry glare, her expression reminding me of Caius's permanent scowl that seemed to never leave his demeanor.
"Jane? Alec? And Alvira too! What a wonderful surprise!" a melodic voice suddenly exclaimed.
We all glanced at the voice's direction, and it was none other than Aro. He walked towards us with graceful strides, and he regarded us with happy eyes.
"Master," Alec and Jane greeted simultaneously. Aro smiled, and then his eyes drifted towards me.
Wait, what was I supposed to say? Master? Aro?
"M-Master…"I stuttered, and Aro chuckled.
"Oh Alvira, my dear, you flatter me so! There is no need for such formality's, simply 'Aro' will do." he smiled and I returned it sheepishly. Jane was glaring at me with so much hatred that I would have probably be dead if looks could kill.
His eyes then traveled at Alec's hand that was on my wrist. Well it was on my wrist but his hand had lowered so much that it looked like we were holding hands. Alec noticed Aro's sudden observation, and quickly released my hand.
Aro smiled gleefully. "It brings me such happiness to see you being aquainted so soon! And on your first day too! Aren't we such a social butterfly?"
I gave him the most determined smile I could muster up. If I could keep Aro happy, then I was guaranteed safety. "I do try, Aro." I replied smoothly, and he chuckled.
"Wonderful. Well then, I must be off on my way. You three do have a good time!" He bid, and then he was off, disappearing down the long hallways. Jane turned back to me, her glare returning and ten times as icy.
"Look, even if Aro likes you, it doesn't mean I do. Nor does my brother, and I suggest you stay away from us if you want to continue on with all four of your uselesslimbs." threatened Jane furiously, and stormed off in the other direction. Alec still remained, staring at me curiously.
I stared back. "Aren't you going to follow your…sister?" I asked, my eyes slumping to the floor at the knowledge that people like Jane were in the same building. I was never good at dealing with harsh people.
He chuckled, the sound was musical and I wished I could hear it more often. "Jane has a habit of letting her anger take over. Especially when her gift is rendered useless, but I reassure you that I'm the much calmer twin." There it was again, the inability to use their 'gifts' on me.
"I've noticed." I retorted, and my stare returned to the ground nervously. It was a habit of mine whenever I talked to guys that were my age, And really attractive.
"U-um well… I best be off." I stuttered lamely, and made my way over to the elevator. He grabbed my wrist once again and I looked back, stunned.
He looked at me for a few seconds, and then released my arm. "It's nothing, farewell." He muttered, and he was gone.
I hurriedly got into the lift, not wanting any more interruptions from anymore of the terrifying inhabitants of this building. I was relieved when the doors finally closed, and took a moment to rethink of the events that just happened.
So that was Jane. She had a pretty face, but the cold looks and scowls she gave me quickly distorted her beauty in my head. I was going to have to avoid her whenever I could, because she looked like she was going to bite my head off back there. And there was also Alec…he was so mysterious…'and so handsome' a voice in my head sighed dreamily.
I slapped my mental conscience for thinking like that. He was probably as much of a killer as everyone else here, and If I remembered correctly about what Emilia said about him, he was very dangerous. I absently rubbed my wrist, where Alec's cool hand had touched. His skin, although cold, it felt…soothing.
I finally arrived at the floor my room should have been at. I walked down the corridors, and I finally found the door that was mine. I opened it and to my surprised I saw Lilith and Chelsea, sitting on the floor talking. They looked over and Lilith's face brightened.
"Al! You should come and join us. Chelsea was just talking to me about the history of her home! It's so fascinating, you must listen!" exclaimed Lilith.
"Um.. I really shouldn't…" I said reluctantly, but I had no choice in the matter because Lilith had arrived in front of me and tugged me over to sit on the floor with her and Chelsea.
Chelsea regarded me with a smile, but she seemed to be watching my every movement…It made me feel a tiny bit uncomfortable, being under the scrutiny of her sharp eyes.
"So as I was saying…" Chelsea started, and she continued to talk about the architecture, and small things that seemed to peak Lilith's interest. I, however, sat there bored, and Chelsea's chiming voice was like relaxing background noise to me.
While she continued to enlighten Lilith, my mind wandered off to other matters on hand. First off were my parents, who were right now most likely worried sick. I should have arrived home by now, embraced by my parents, and maybe even going out for a nice dinner. Instead, I'm sitting here in the home of murderers, and soon I would be forced to call this dreaded place my home as well. I shuddered at the thought of having to feed on humans. Were there maybe vampires that didn't see humans as snacks? Ones that shared the same mindset as I do now, or maybe they use to until their vampire instincts took over them.
I was pulled out of my thoughts when Lilith suddenly nudged me. I looked up startled, and thanks to my preoccupied mind, I just took notice of Chelsea looking at me patiently.
"Oh…um…I'm sorry, what?" I asked awkwardly.
"I asked 'what is your favorite part about this castle'." Chelsea repeated patiently.
'I don't like any part of your wretched home! Your hallways all look the same and your habitat needs a desperate makeover!' Was what I wanted to say, but refrained myself and went for a more polite approach. "Um, well I liked the designs of the walls and…"
I mentally did a face palm. The walls didn't have any designs. They were all one color and I had clearly picked the wrong response. I tried to think of the many rooms Heidi showed me, and tried to highlight one of them. Then I remembered the observatory.
"….and the observatory. Stars truly fascinate me and…I would love to go there at night." I finished. At least I didn't elaborate any further on my 'love' for the walls.
Chelsea laughed softly. "Ah, yes the observatory. At night, wonderful things appear in that room and through that telescope. I think it's quite romantic when you go there at the right time." She confided , her eyes reminiscing.
"And you must have a rather sharp eye to have noticed the intricate patterns on the walls. It's how we distinguish each hallway." She explained, and I sat there, dumbfounded. I had absolutely no idea that there were any patterns on the walls at all. And my eyes weren't very sharp at all, so I made a mental note to do a very close-up examination of the walls next time I stepped out. I just simply nodded in agreement, acting as if I didn't make up me seeing the wall's decorations.
"I must take my leave now. Lilith, it has been rather pleasant being in your company. And Alvira…it's nice to meet you. I'll leave you two to catch up with each other." She said, and gracefully made her way to the door, gently shutting it behind her. I looked to Lilith, who was sporting a huge smile.
"I can't believe we're actually here, it's like a fairytale. We're living in a castle and Aro, Marcus, and Caius are like the kings! And they have wives too, so that makes kings and queens!" rambled Lilith, and I looked at her in disbelief.
"Lilith, are you hearing yourself right now? These guys are vampires, and you talk about them like they're the greatest thing in the universe!" I accused angrily, "You sound like a child."
Lilith looked at me hurtfully, but then anger replaced her expression. "A child? All these years of you crying on my shoulder and complaining about your problems to me, and you call me a child?" She spat furiously. My anger immediately dissipated at her statement and how right it was. It was always me with the emotional outbursts and tears. But it had seemed like Lilith all of a sudden switched roles with me during our little adventure here, and frankly, it was scaring me.
"'Then why…why are you acting so happy to be here? You and I were so scared when we realized what was happening on that tour. And all the way up until we met Chelsea… you all of a sudden…" I trailed off, unable to describe her current state.
For the first time since our encounter with Chelsea, Lilith looked confused. For a few seconds she stayed silent, most likely thinking over my words. Then she ran a hand through her red hair, as if she was stressed. "I…I don't know. When I met Chelsea, everything suddenly felt right. These people didn't feel like predators anymore, they felt like…family. And when I was talking to Chelsea here, she was friendly and I felt safe. Alvira, don't you feel the same way about these people? Why didn't Chelsea do the same for you?" She asked, her distant eyes finally focusing on me in puzzlement
I looked at her, and then it hit me. Aro couldn't read my thoughts, and Chelsea couldn't brainwash me or bind me or whatever she was doing. "Maybe…maybe Chelsea couldn't use her power on me... Aro couldn't get into my brain… and this girl I met – Jane – she couldn't use her ability either…" I answered slowly…
"Y-your right…this is all so weird. Now that I think about it, whenever I'm around those people, I feel like I'm bonded to them, and I just met them. I look up at Aro, Marcus and Caius as if their my masters, and the feeling is especially strong when I'm around Chelsea…" She described warily, looking as if she had a headache.
"I don't know what Chelsea's power is, but it's not brainwashing. I could think clearly, and every decision was on my behalf. I felt closer to these people. Yes, closer! That's the word, and now that I'm talking to you…the effects feel like they are wearing off just slightly." Lilith clarified.
I sighed. What was wrong with me? Was there maybe something special about my brain that blocked out their supernatural powers?
"Oh right, I talked to Aro a few hours ago. He's….He's planning on changing us." I announced slowly.
Lilith looked at me quizzically. "Changing us? In what way?"
"Lilith…We're going to be…one of them. He's planning on changing us in a year." I admitted, a feeling of trepidation washed over me.
"Wh-What? I thought…but...a-a year?" She sputtered in disbelief. I nodded my head somberly. She sat down on her bed and rested her head on her hands. An act of fatigue, Lilith always did this when she was extremely stressed.
I went to sit down next to her, feeling the same stress. She took a deep sigh. "We only have a year… that seems so…so short. "Breathed Lilith softly. "But wait, why does Aro want us to be vampires all of a sudden?"
"He wants us to join his family, the Volturi. He thinks we might have some kind of special gift or something…" I answered doubtfully.
Her eyebrows scrunched up in thought, and then she looked at me with wide eyes. "…It's probably because none of their special talents are working on you! I mean, it's not like I could prevent them from entering my mind…that Alec guy easily took my senses away…" And she trailed off, remembering the most-likely very horrifying memory of having no senses.
"Sure but…maybe it's just a fluke. There's nothing special about me, and if there's anyone that's going to have a ability, it's going to be you." I concluded, and Lilith smiled.
"We'll ask Aro about it tomorrow…together." She confirmed, and I nodded in agreement. Lilith seemed to be returning back to her normal self, and I was glad. After our discussion, we simply started talking and reminiscing about random parts of our life and trying to get our mind off of our disastrous fate.
I then found myself yawning, and I looked at the fancy clock on the wall. It was still early evening, but I was probably tired from all the walking on Heidi's tour and mental exhaustion. Lilith offered her bed for me to nap on, and I gladly accepted the offer.
I dozed off in a matter of seconds, and had a relatively dreamless nap. I then heard voices that at first were incoherent mumbles. 'I'm just dreaming, or half asleep…this can't be important' my hazy self-conscience uttered, and I tried blocking out the noises.
Then, a piercing scream shattered my dreaming state, and I sat upright in alarm. In front of me was Jane with a smile on her face that seemed so angelic, but the scream suggested otherwise. However, what opened my eyes the most was Lilith on the floor, sobbing, screaming, and writhing in pain.
And there's Jane for you! So evil...
Thank you so much to all the people have reviewed, added to alerts, and favourited. It means alot to know that people are enjoying this story because, well, it's my first ever fanfic. I apologize if this chapter kinda seemed a bit slow and boring, but it should pick up the pace in the next one.
-Snowbell