Chapter 13: Surrender
"Oh I'm terribly sorry, Bella," Jane snickered. "But your power seemed to have worn off." When she smiled it made me quiver violently.
"Why…why did you come? I…I thought you were supposed to…to stay away from us," I managed to utter, even more terrified than before. Two Volturi members or guards held each one of the Cullens. The intruders held their faces very close to their captives' necks, threatening to kill them at any given moment. Except for Edward, who was still shuddering on the floor from what Jane had done to him.
"Well actually, we didn't come for you. We came so we could get a handle on some of the newborns that have been mysteriously popping up all of a sudden. We followed a particular one here, and found you instead," answered Jane in a sinister voice.
"What are the odds?" I murmured to myself.
"Now, you must know there's only one way for you and your family to walk out of this alive," said Jane calmly. "And I'm guessing you know what that is…"
No!! Just leave us alone!!
She dropped my gaze and glared down at Edward, and he shuddered more violently. She was torturing him!
"Just leave him alone!! You can have me! Just leave them all alone!"
"Good girl," sneered Jane. "Aro will be very pleased. Let's just keep it to ourselves how we got you to agree, okay?"
I saw her evil grin again, and knew that if I said no, she would hurt Edward again. I nodded quite shakily, and bent down to touch Edward's arm. He stared back at me with pleading eyes.
"I'm sorry Edward, I have to. They would have killed you all!"
He shook his head and buried his face into his hands. "I'd rather be dead," I thought I heard him say, but it was hard to hear, for his words were muffled. I sobbed again, with no tears escaping my eyes.
"You said goodbye, now I think it's time to go." Jane was impatient to get back to Volterra and show Aro what she did.
I shook my head, but two, strong arms were pulling me up. They weren't going to let me really say goodbye! I struggled to be free, but it was no use. I would never see them again.
I spoke to the minds of all the Cullens, telling them goodbye and to not worry about me. I saved Edward's goodbye for last.
Edward, I love you. Please understand...it's the only way. I'll be safe; don't worry about anything. Goodbye.
There was so much more I wanted to say, but I had no opportunity. After I said my goodbyes, he tried to stand up, and run to get me, but the Volturi were faster. We were gone in only a moment, and I closed my eyes, not wanting to see the betrayed look in his eyes again.
It seemed like we arrived in Volterra all too fast. I didn't want to face anyone at the time, but Jane led me straight to Aro, and he was beaming with pleasure when he saw me walking gloomily beside her.
"My dear! I can't even begin to express how overjoyed I am to see you here! You will make a lovely addition to our family." The way he said family sent shivers down my spine. My family was the Cullens. He would never take their place.
I snapped my mouth closed, and decided that I wouldn't answer him, or talk to him at all for that matter. I was going to make my stay here as miserable as possible, for both them and me.
Maybe if I annoyed them enough, they would either set me free or kill me. Right now I could welcome death warmly. It would be more inviting than trying to live an eternity without Edward.
I finally did speak, but the only thing I did was demand for my own room or space that I could be alone to think things through.
Aro agreed, a bit hesitantly, and warned me that if I tried anything, my life would be in danger.
That didn't really scare me, but I was happy I would be able keep to myself, rather than trying to live these heartless vampires.
What disturbed me the most was how peaceful and calm they all were. To me they were monsters, but they hid it really well, making them more menacing than before.
They rarely saw me, for I hid myself in my room all the time. I think they realized how useless I really was, though. The reason they wanted me was because I could manipulate minds, but if I couldn't manipulate my way into getting out of the Volturi's hands, then I obviously couldn't do my job very well.
The truth was, I was strong enough now to get out. But I knew I had to plan it carefully, and not let them suspect it. I avoided them mostly because I didn't want them to try and test my strength. Another reason I was waiting was because I could sense something big coming up, where I would need it most. If I let them know I was strong, then they would have found a way to maneuver around my power to make me useless again. I didn't know what I was preparing for, but whatever it was, I wanted to surprise them with my power so I could handle the situation my way.
I had a feeling it might have been Edward coming for me, but I wasn't sure.
I learned how to be very sneaky when I was with the Volturi. I still had no idea how they stayed fed, but they seemed to always be in control of their thirst. Once a week, they would bring in a human for me, and that's when my training began.
I would try to manipulate the mind of the human, making him or her do something for me. Then I would go through the secret exit (which I built myself, so I could feast upon animals instead of humans) and set the human free. That was when I discovered a new talent I could do. I was able to erase memories as well. When I set the human free, I would erase the memories of vampires from their minds, and go out of the city to hunt for animals.
The Volturi had no idea I was doing any of this, and if they did, they would most likely kill me. That's why I secretly built the little exit, so I could get out without them realizing it.
And I loved the way my eyes were turning out. The red was barely visible, instead shining with a bright topaz. I also had to be careful about hiding that feature from the Volturi as well. If they knew I was now a "vegetarian" that would bring up questions, such as "how did you get the animals?" and "what about the humans we gave you?"
One day, they brought in two humans for me. I was nervous at first, because I didn't know how I was going to manipulate one person without scaring the other one half to death. Instead of fretting about it, I decided to try something new. I tried to talk to both of them at the same time. I told them both to hop on one foot, and they both did. I always liked to make them do funny things, so I could stay entertained.
When I had finished erasing their minds, hunting animals, and returned safely back to my room, I was becoming very proud of myself. I knew how to manipulate and erase minds, and I could do it to more than one person at a time. I couldn't help but think about how happy Edward would be if he knew what I was preparing for.
I could feel it…Edward was coming.