Chapter 5 – the Volturi
Edward opened his eyes and stared into mine. I completely forgot the world for a second but then his eyes travelled over me, seeing me properly and his expression became pained, depressed, disgusted...
I dropped my eyes quickly, I had known this was coming but I just couldn't bring myself to face his rejection again so soon. Of course this was a misunderstanding, it wasn't over me he was going to kill himself, I should have realised. I was glad I had stopped him, immensely so, but it still hurt – badly, and what if he was just going to try again? As soon as I was out of the way? I was sinking and sinking fast, his disappointment was truly crushing.
I kept my face frozen in indifference, rather than let him see my torture. Fortunately I didn't have to keep it up for long, I heard two sets of footsteps behind us. Suddenly Edward was pushing me against the wall and standing defensively in front of me. I knew the danger had not yet passed and I was afraid, but I couldn't help feeling a little relieved that I had something else to think about.
"Hello again Edward," one of the dark voices said, they were standing in front of us.
"I guess I wont be needing you after all gentlemen," Edwards voice was civil only on the surface.
The black shrouded men sighed, "I don't think that will be necessary" Edward said in reaction to their thoughts, slightly colder than before, "I know your instructions Felix."
"Let us seek better cover, I merely meant to point out the proximity of the sun" the one called Felix replied.
"I'll be right there, Bella why don't you go find Alice, I'm sure she's here somewhere" Edward said dryly.
"No, bring... Bella," his voice curled menacingly around my voice, or was I imagining it because I was afraid?
Edward snarled "I don't think so."
He shifted into a crouch, he seemed intent on killing himself one way or another. I grabbed his arm, he wasn't going to kill himself, I wouldn't let him.
"Come now Edward, let's be reasonable," the one that wasn't Felix said.
"Yes, I'm sure we can come to some sort of understanding," piped up a small voice from an alley to our left. Alice skipped into view smugly, she stopped beside Edward and crossed her arms, adopting a more relaxed pose than Edward.
The members of the Volturi straightened up immediately, reacting to Alice's voice, reacting to the presence of another vampire, reacting to being outnumbered, interesting. I had hope once again. I wondered how long it would last this time before I was let down again. Ever since becoming a vampire my emotions had been on a roller-coaster, almost impossible to control, I could feel my grip on them slipping, I knew I would lose control soon. I only hoped I wouldn't be around any humans when that happened and shuddered at the imagined yet still as disastrous consequences, I trusted Edward and Alice to be able to handle me between them.
I could see the humans shifting uneasily near us in the plaza. It was easy to see a fight was about to break out, one man was talking to the red uniformed police, him and the policeman eyeing us warily. I was afraid of a fight, I was sure I wouldn't be much use. Felix and his companion noticed them at the same time I did.
"Felix" the second shadow murmured, "there are humans watching, this is no place for a fight, come with us Edward and we can settle this peacefully."
"Only if Bella goes free," Edward demanded stubbornly, he probably just wanted me out of the way. How depressing. But the depression hadn't really hit yet, I was still with Edward – physically at least – and he was still alive, and he was going to stay that way I thought fiercely.
The column of darkness sighed, it was a disconcerting, slightly frustrated sound, "Edward, you know that's not possible."
"Well then I will just have to politely decline Aro's invitation, Demetri" Edwards voice sounded anything but polite.
"Hmm," an apathetic voice drifted lazily towards us. Sure it was lazy, but it was also extremely confident, like she was certain that people would listen to her and take her seriously.
"Jane," several voices said in recognition, the Volturi with an undercurrent of victory and satisfaction, Edward with resignation and defeat. Edward stood
I saw a small cloak floating towards us. Jane was about a foot shorter than everyone else, her billowy cloak was almost black, darker than Feilxs and Demetris cloaks. Short, mousy brown hair framed her face under her hood. She was typically, vampirically beautiful, the ice white skin, a flawless face, not a hair out of place, cherubic. Deep burgundy eyes contrasting with the paleness of her skin – they seemed to jump out at you, it made me slightly edgy to look into them for long. I suppose her lack of blinking probably had something to do with it as well. Her expression was slightly amused.
"Come with me," she commanded, "Aro wishes to speak with you," she flowed into the dark not bothering to look back to see if we were following.
Felix indicated that we should go first, sneering at us menacingly.
Alice followed Jane immediately, walking at a speed that had me hurrying even as a vampire. Edward put his hand gently over mine – the one that was still firmly gripping him arm – and I felt my fingers relax automatically under his touch. He held my hand securely in his but I could tell he was being careful, obviously trying to placate me, keep me calm until we were out of danger but not wanting to lead me on at the same time. It was OK though, I had accepted that this was probably the last time I was going to see him... and that he didn't love me any more. I didn't expect anything from him. That didn't mean it didn't hurt though, it was still excruciatingly painful.
"So Alice," Edward sounded barely interested, "what actually happened?"
"Well, it turns out, that Bella had gone for a little hike in the forest and happened to run into Laurent." she didn't say any more aloud but I was positive that a more detailed account of what happened was running through her head.
"Hmm" Edward replied curtly, I wasn't exactly sure what he was hearing in Alice's head, maybe friendly werewolves, possibly stalking vampires... it was sure to be awfully embarrassing.
There was a loose curve to the alley, leading it down and to the left. Then there was a blank wall facing us, flat and featureless, only the same, dark sienna bricks that seemed to cover every surface, flat or vertical, in Volterra. I couldn't see Jane anywhere.
Alice walked calmly and coolly (and quickly) towards the centre of the wall. She then slipped through and uncovered hole in the street with the kind of grace and agility only a vampire has.
Me and Edward walked forward to where Alice had disappeared into the ground and was now waiting near Jane for us. I wasn't worried about the drop to the ground, my new body would be able to handle the impact better than the ground. Edward gestured for me to go first, so I – unwillingly – let go of his hand, took a step forward, and dropped through the hole into a dark and gloomy tunnel, in which I could see every detail with perfect clarity.
I landed on the balls of my feet barely making a sound in the echoing stone tunnel. I straightened slowly and turned to see Edwards pale shape land next to me out of the corner of my eye. I quickly grasped his hand in mine again before we moved on. I was perplexed by the way we was holding on so tightly as well, it wasn't like I was going to go anywhere, make an attempt to escape, we were with three Volturi guards who sounded completely and utterly ruthless the way Alice described them, I wasn't about to go anywhere they didn't want me to. It was funny how I could still be afraid just as easily now that I was almost indestructible.
I made my way easily and swiftly over the uneven stone cobbles. I looked back once at Demetri and Felix to see their faces now that they weren't obscured by hoods and Felix grinned menacingly at me. Edward pulled me tight to his side, putting his arm around my waist and holding me solidly so I wouldn't look back. I rested my head on his shoulder and wrapped both my arms around his waist, wondering if it would be too much. I kept staring straight ahead so I wouldn't see his face, I didn't want to know the answer to my own question, although he never made a move to suggest he was uncomfortable with me like this, and I was grateful, it made me that much calmer so that I could deal with this relatively calmly – I wont say easily, nothing about the situation was easy.
At least I could be with Edward one last time before I died. Well it certainly looked like we were going to die. We hurried through the winding tunnel and within a minute we were standing, watching Jane open a small door in a wrought iron, Gothic looking gate. The gate sent shivers down my spine, like the gate leading into the city, it seemed like it was waiting to trap us in, only this time I was far less eager to be on the other side.
But, inevitably, we had to move through the gate and into yet another dark, depressing tunnel made out of more of the same dark sienna bricks. It was cold, I could feel the low temperature but it had no effect on my stone skin. I could also feel how Edwards arms were no longer cold, hard marble, but soft and warm... more human.
As this tunnel ended, we came out into an open space. It was bright and clean, like an ultra modern office reception or something similar. There was a woman behind the desk, she was pretty for a human but in the company of vampires, she appeared plain. I preferred this room, to the bleak, macabre tunnel. Edward apparently disagreed.
"Good after noon Jane," she said unsurprised by the mismatched group walking – at superhuman speed, I might add – in front of her desk; Edward with his bare chest glistening slightly in the bright white lights and a face like thunder, me completely dishevelled and frantic, glued to his side and Alice with her face in constant flux, going from aware to blank every second.
Jane nodded in reply and behind us Felix winked. The receptionist giggled. The sharp high-pitched sound cutting my already frayed nerves. She had to have known, how else could she be so relaxed and unsurprised?
There was a shiny lift across the other end of the waiting room. We walked the length of the room swiftly to reach the open, waiting lift and as we all packed into the tiny space – it felt cramped although only me and Edward were touching – we all became utterly motionless. The Volturi guards adopted a more relaxed stillness than us, Edwards jaw was taught, and his hands were balled into fists. My own hands were intertwined in a vice-like grip - nothing would separate me from Edward now – and I closed my eyes trying to shut out the environment. If it weren't for the stress of the situation, I would have found the contrast between our hurried walking before, and our ultra still poses which we were now stood in humorous. The lift rose for a few seconds, then came to a smooth halt at the floor we were to get off at with a smart ding when the doors opened and a cool, professional voice announced our level.
As the doors opened and a boy, about the same age as Jane greeted us. He was possibly her twin, his face was almost as cherubic – just a little more sharp, angular, masculine – having similar features – other than the obvious vampire traits of course. He spread his arms wide in a warm gesture directed at Jane. He smiled at her as she walked forward to give him a hug.
"Ah, Jane," he said in such an adoring way he was almost cooing "I see you've done well, we send you out for one, and you come back with three."
As Jane let go and stepped back he looked us over appraisingly, "hello again Edward, it seems your mood has improved," he noted.
"Fractionally," he replied stiffly.
I felt all Edwards muscles still tense around me, tension had not abated one bit, in fact it had slightly increased since the lift door had opened. I glanced up at his face, his jaw was still tensed, it even slightly jutted out a bit and his hard eyes were narrowed almost imperceptibly. I couldn't really imagine his mood being worse, I was kinda glad I wasn't around for that.
Alec's eyes flickered to me for a tiny instant, I was sure that if I hadn't been a vampire I would have missed it.
"Indeed," Edward replied flatly to Alec's thoughts, then stiffened in reaction to someone else's, his lip curled back and he started ever so slightly to snarl, he whipped his head round to glare at one of the guards behind us. Alice put her petite hand on Edwards shoulder.
"Patience," she warned. I wished I could hear her thoughts too, I wanted to know what was going to happen once we met the Volturi, she seemed calm enough so I figured the future wasn't too horrendous.
"Come, we shouldn't keep Aro waiting," said Jane, a little more life in her voice now that she was in the company of her brother.
Alec and Jane turned in perfect synchronisation, to hold each others hands and lead us through another door. I almost screamed when Edward pulled me through the door and we faced yet another grim, stone tunnel. Only the fact that I was holding onto Edward and he was holding onto me kept me quiet. Of course Alice's calm was also reassuring. Thankfully this tunnel was short, we were at the other end in a few seconds.
We emerged into a huge, circular stone room, there were shafts of golden light coming down through either holes or skylights in the roof. Some of the light shattered into a million eight-coloured rainbows giving the room a very surreal and fantastical effect. There were lost of vampires there, some in more dark cloaks, some in plain, nondescript clothes. Despite the suddenly tense atmosphere in the room, the vampires all looked very graceful and elegant, almost superior, like they were the rich upper class and we were the peasants. I glanced down at ,my tattered and torn clothes, my muddy jeans – I probably did look like a peasant to them.
The floor sloped downwards kind of like a very shallow reversed cone, another drain at its deepest point, like the hole down the alley – maybe this was another escape route. There were three incredibly ornate and delicate oak chairs, the emphasis being on beauty rather than comfort – well, the more accurate word to describe them would probably be thrones – across the room from us.
The darkest cloak yet flowed towards us, it was eerie the way he undulated over the slightly uneven stone floor, like a shadow seeming to proclaim impending, yet irresistible doom, and he did seem to swallow all the light surrounding him... a black hole drawing near. I couldn't move, it wasn't like my muscles tensed, I just lost the capacity of movement, he could have been Medusa for the effect he had on me.
He was clad from head to toe in complete black, with a small oval of pure white for his face. His skin was translucent and had a faint shimmer to it so that it gleamed and glistened even when he wasn't standing in direct sunlight. He looked fragile and whispery, like I could poke right through his skin, piercing it with the lightest pressure. His eyes, though not as menacing as Jane's, were even more dreadful. They were glazed in a milky white film, he was like a real horror film, Count Dracula style vampire, although I doubted he could turn into a bat.
"Jane! You're back!" he cried in delight, "and look, you've brought Alice and Bella as well! Well done Jane my dear!"
"Thank you master, I brought him back alive just like you asked," she said with ultimate adoration in her eyes and her voice.
I was shocked he seemed to know me and Alice so well, I mean Edward may have told him about us but still, this was just a little too overly familiar for me.
"Ooh, just look at this turn out, I do love happy endings! Felix, go fetch our brothers, they must come at once!" he turned back to us, "I simply must know what happened!" he floated quickly to Edward and took his hand turning completely still for a few moments once the contact was made.
To say I was confused was an understatement. Apparently I wasn't the only one, Edward turned to Alice and explained as Aro released his hand, "Aro has a gift much like mine – he can read minds – however he can read every thought a mind has ever had but skin to skin contact is needed."
"Indeed, but I do envy the convenience of just being able tohear from a distance..." he sighed longingly, "and your power, Alice, that is also something to envy."
"Hardly," Alice said sceptically, "as you can see I make my fair share of mistakes too."
"Certainly, Edward was convinced your visions were fool proof, but just look Bella is alive after all!" Aro was almost bouncing with enthusiasm.
Felix arrived leading who I presumed to be Caius and Marcus. They both had the same papery skin as Aro, and one had ashy blonde hair that was almost the same shade as his skin, which was crumpled into a frown. The other seemed to be a complete opposite, his face was dead – if he decided to lie still, most would mistake him for a corpse, he also had long jet black hair like Aro. As the darker one passed Aro, he held out his hand briefly and touched Aro's, telling him his thoughts. Marcus and Caius went, with their own body guards to sit on the two outside thrones.
Aro's face was surprised and interested for a few seconds then seemed to shrug it off as he turned back to us. I looked at Edwards face, he seemed nonchalant, calm, maybe this was going to turn out all right after all. Edward looked down and saw my face, which probably looked terrified, and gave me a reassuring squeeze. That calmed me down some, all they wanted to do was talk, Aro hadn't known I would be here, he just wanted to persuade Edward stay alive, but my nerves were still stretched too tight.
"Young love," Aro sighed, yes it probably did look like that, us both stood here with our arms wrapped around each other, "of course, the strength, enduring her scent day after day, never tasting... such a mammoth effort and in the ballet studio!" Aro seemed to reminisce all mine and Edwards memories which he hadn't even been there for, it was surreal to say the least.
"It didn't seem wasteful at the time, I looked at it more as a price."
"Unquestionably a high price, one which you don't have to pay any more! How wonderful!" Edwards face looked as if wonderful wouldn't be his first choice of word, maybe something more like horrible, repulsive... did he really not want me around that badly? Agony, again. All the terror seemed to leave me in that moment, I would welcome death, if that's what was going to happen.
"If I had not seen your memories I wouldn't have believed such strength and control was even possible, I thought I would never see Carlisle bested for that of all things. You know, you remind me of him, only he wasn't quite as angry," Aro carried on while Edward eyed him doubtfully.
"Carlisle outshines me in many ways," Edward agreed.
"But your restraint, her scent! I am curious though..." he proceeded cautiously before turning to me, "may I see if you are also immune to my talent as well?"
I looked to Edward, he calmly nodded so I guessed it was OK, then held my hand out as if I was going to shake his hand. He took it with an eagerness that startled me and bent over my hand greedily. Greed turned to concentration, strain, then perturbation, which he concealed as he finally straightened with a perfect smile on his face.
"Hmm I wonder... Jane," he called, a purely terrifying growl ripped from Edwards chest in reaction to Aro's mysterious plan, it put me instantly on edge and alert.
"Yes master?" she said sweetly coming to stand next to him, Edwards growl turned into the deafening roar of a chainsaw being ripped to life right next to my ear.
"Let us see if Bella is as unaffected by your power too, dear one."
"Of course master," Jane smiled angelically and turned to face us.
Suddenly Edward sprung at her, then he was writhing on the floor in obvious agony, "No!" I shrieked.
I was frozen for just an instant then I was hurling my self to his side, I had no choice, it was compulsory. I felt Alice grab my hand but that barely slowed me down, nothing could stop me now. Except perhaps Felix and Demetri grabbing an arm each. I desperately wished my supernaturally thick skull could protect him as well. I was angry, furious, Jane had better watch out. I mentally flung myself forward, just a desperate attempt to save Edward. To make an impenetrable umbrella or bubble to stop him being tortured. I could tell how desperate I was, how delusional I was. It was actually like I could feel an extra layer of skin ballooning out to encompass and protect Edward, and then he lay still, panting.
Then just a moment later "Jane," Aro called and nodded in my direction indicating that she should turn her dreadful talent onto me.
I cringed waiting for the pain to hit, but it never came. And then a second later, Edward was wrapping his arms around me once more. I realized that I could still feel the invisible bubble around both of us, I could feel him as well, under the umbrella like a bright flame in the rest of the dark vacuum inside.
Aro started to laugh and we both looked up to he him in near hysterics and Jane bearing her teeth and crouching forward as if she would physically make me feel the pain her mind had failed to do.
"Don't be put out, dear one, she is a muse to us all," he sighed and became serious, even slightly pleading, "are you sure you wont join us, Alice and Bella are welcome too?"
"I'd... rather not," he said cautiously as if trying not to set a hundred vampires on us.
Aro turned to both me and Alice and we each expressed our desires to return to Carlisle. Much to the genuine disappointment of Aro.
"Well, I guess I can't force you," he sighed, "give Carlisle my greeting and congratulations on having such a wonderful and intriguing family."
We then hurriedly departed with Alec leading us back to the waiting room where the pretty human sat behind her desk.
I couldn't hold it together any more, everything just burst out of me at once, I flung my arms around Edwards neck and sobbed, hard tearless sobs.
AN: really sorry this took so long but as you can see this was a REALLY long chapter and also i was starting my English language coursework which is (get this) writing a story! do you think I will get an A? (you don't have to answer that - but you can if you really want to!)