Chapter 9: Volturi
As much as I loved spending those two plane rides with Edward, I was relieved when we finally landed in Florence. Of course, Carlisle stole a silver Hyundai Tiburon, and was speeding through the streets a little faster than necessary. I couldn't pay attention to any of the scenery flashing by with the speed we were going, but I didn't want to take my eyes off of Edward's angel face anyways.
Eventually, when we were in Volterra, we couldn't travel at the insane speed any longer, because weaving inside and out of cars became impossible. We didn't have to wait long though before Carlisle recognized one of the Volturi's guards.
He rolled down the window and the guard stepped up so they could greet each other. "Aro has been waiting for you," he quickly said in hushed tones. "Follow me."
Carlisle didn't even bother to roll the window back up. He simply parked the car on the side (making some of the people driving in the traffic very angry) and followed the guard. Jasper was right next to Carlisle in a heartbeat, and Edward helped me get out and go at our own pace. I wasn't familiar with any of my surroundings, and my excitement was suddenly replaced with fear as we crept along through dark alleys.
I didn't know what to expect with these strange vampires, their eyes even more tinged with red than mine. I dropped my head and allowed my eyes to focus on the ground of which we walked on.
I forced myself not to conjure up any ideas of what I thought might or would happen. I tried to focus on putting one foot in front of the other, and think of nothing at all. Surprisingly enough, it worked, and we entered into a huge, palace-like building with spacious rooms and high ceilings. The walls were off-white, and the floor was a gray carpet. It all looked completely medieval.
Edward chuckled under his breath at my response to our surroundings, but it didn't relieve the tension that was in the air. Even his lighthearted mood couldn't convince me that we weren't in danger.
"Ah, they've finally arrived," said a high, reedy voice, which forced me to jerk my head up. A beautiful angel face was looking up at me, with wide eyes, and her lips seemed to shift into a pout. She had short-cut hair that was a pale brown. Her eyes narrowed and her lips moved into a devilish grin.
"Jane," Edward addressed her. I couldn't stand looking into her crimson eyes, so I focused on the elevator that she was standing behind. It wasn't long before the elevator doors opened again and the little boyish girl led us into a smaller room that resembled a reception area. We passed a marble desk, and were in another flamboyant hall.
There were golden doors at the end of the hallway, but Jane ignored them and led us through a wooden door. I tried to forget about the fact that we were going through a familiar place as the sewers and the dark alleyway. Before I knew it, we were exposed to another room, brighter, and more spacious than the previous one. Jane ran off and greeted a young boy who looked like her twin, and they embraced warmly.
"Bella! I am so pleased to meet you!" A voice boomed, echoing in the steeple-shaped room. "I knew you would want to visit us! Alice saw it, you know."
I searched for the face that teased with me as if we were best friends, and I didn't actually see anyone until his face was inches towards mine. When I saw his face, I unintentionally allowed a gasp to escape my lips. It definitely was not what I expected to see.
His features were perfect, but it wasn't unnaturally beautiful like any of the vampires I grew to know. And his eyes were red, with deep black irises, but they were foggy.
"And Carlisle!" He exclaimed, gliding over to his friend and slapping him on the back with affection. "This truly is unexpected!" His warm smile didn't comfort me. It seemed like he was hiding something, or too happy for his own good. He had kidnapped my friend, my sister. It definitely was not a "happy" matter.
"Dear friend, we have much to discuss," Carlisle told him, and I inwardly thanked him for not getting off-task.
"Of course, I did not forget. Do you mind?" Aro held his hand out, and this gesture surprised me. What was he doing?
Carlisle held his hand up as well, and I thought I was missing something. It was only a minute before Aro nodded and muttered, "I see." They dropped hands.
It was another long minute before Aro said anything. I looked at Carlisle's face, and it looked composed, unruffled.
"I'm terribly sorry, beloved friend, but I can't help you. You see, Alice has helped me so much, and I'm much too selfish to give her up. However, if you miss her that bad, you can join me as well," he offered. Jasper snarled angrily at him from behind me. I had almost forgotten his presence.
In just a matter of seconds, he collapsed on the floor and was shrieking in terror, writhing in pain. I tried to jump down and help him, but Edward was holding me, restraining me from doing so.
"Jane, dear, that's enough," Aro glanced up at the little girl, and she frowned up at him. When she stopped looking at Jasper, he had the chance to stand up and compose himself. I peeked up at Edward with questioning eyes, and his returning gaze seemed to tell me, "later."
I then looked at Carlisle, and he was giving me a significant look. I realized what he wanted me to do. I was to manipulate Aro to give me what I wanted... Alice.
Carlisle, do you want me to manipulate him?"
He wasn't looking at me anymore. He was looking at Aro, but I caught a slight nod that was barely visible. I took that as a yes.
Aro, you will give us Alice back, and you will not force any of us to do anything we do not want to do. You will let us leave in peace.
"Hmm," Aro sighed, appearing to think to himself. "Amazing. I never knew how that worked exactly. Thanks for showing me."
I just nodded, not caring to even smile at this odd man. I hoped it worked.
"Well, you can have Alice, but I was wondering…Jane, dear?"
"NO!" Edward shouted in terror, but Jasper held him back, so he couldn't instinctively throw himself in front of me.
I had no idea what was going on; it was all so confusing. I looked at Jane, and she was glaring at me in disapproval. Obviously, something I was doing was agitating her, which didn't bother me in the least. She gave me the creeps.
Edward grinned when he saw Jane's disgruntled expression. "It doesn't work on her," he muttered to himself.
"Oh bother, that really is inconvenient," Aro said, letting his hand rest on Jane's shoulder. "I was hoping that Jane's talent would make it so your mind manipulation wouldn't work, but I suppose I did give my hopes up. You may have Alice, I guess." His expression lingered for a moment in disappointment, and then changed into amused. "That is an incredible talent you've got there, Bella."
"Thanks," I muttered darkly. I didn't like this place; I wanted to leave now.
"Felix, go fetch Alice for me, please."