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Volterra, Italy 1723

Carlisle POV

I sat at my desk, waiting for the shrieks to cease. Aro and his guard were feeding again. It disgusted me like nothing else did, this callous waste of life. Aro was trying to convince two new vampires to join his guard. How this would help convince him or her, I had no idea. "Carlisle, come! I must have your opinion!" Aro said all the way from the central chamber. I rose and hurried to the antechamber, not wanting to know what had transpired there.

The sight I found was shocking. Two faces I had not seen in years faced me. Frieda and Rebecca. I had not forgotten the opposites who lived in harmony. Frieda was solemn, her long blonde hair in ringlets, wearing a Volturi guard's cape over her now ruined dress. Her eyes were a bright crimson as they usually were. "Do tell me how I could convince this young one to come to terms with her natural food source. Her talent is magnificent and I would so wish for little waste." Aro said fervently. Rebecca was unmoved, standing firmly, her nose high in the air and pointed away from the 'food' the Volturi had procured for her.

"My, my Rebecca. You look different. How long has it been, 55 years?" I walked forward, taking her hand as I bowed, ands kissing it. Rebecca liked to be treated like a lady. She smiled slightly and giggled, her Chapeau de Jardin slipping on her hair a bit before she caught and fixed it. "Vous me flattez, Carlisle. J'étais à Paris quand ils si brutalement interrompu ma chasse au matin." Her French astounded me. It was very unlike her to ignore manners and not speak in the language of the host's house. She seemed to read this in my eyes because she spoke again. "Les Volturi sont à peine poli. Ils m'ont Carlisle otage. Que voulez-vous que je fasse?" Aro grumbled. "Enough, enough! There shall be no fighting." Rebecca stared at him and stubbornly continued on her tirade. "Je n'ai pas de parler la langue de l'hôte si l'hôte me tenait contre ma volonté. J'aurais refusé, mais Frieda qui m'a fait venir le long. Comment vous sentiriez-vous. En colère, non?" I sighed, running my fingers through my hair. This would take a while.

Rebecca now faced the Volturi and spoke very loudly in French. "Je n'ai rien fait de mal. Vous ne savez rien sur moi Aro. Vous et votre conseil des tyrans mai pense que vous pouvez faire ce que vous voulez, mais vous, Aro devrait savoir mieux. Je prévois une fin douloureuse pour vous." And she stalked out right then and there.

-You flatter me Carlisle. I was in Paris when they interrupted my morning hunt.

-The Volturi are hardly polite. They took me hostage Carlisle. What would you have me do?

-I do not speak the language of the host if the host held me against my will. I refused, but Frieda made me come along. How would you feel. Angry, right?

-I have done nothing wrong. You may not keep me here. I am leaving now.

It was strange, seeing her so angry. Normally Rebecca didn't have that much of a temper. The fact she knew everything had extended her patience and had virtually drained all of her hot headedness away. Caius and Aro must be irritating her. They have done so much wrong in the past, present and future that she must be furious with them. Aro looked confused at her sudden dramatic exit. "Aro, you do know Rebecca is extremely offended at your callous wasting of life, don't you?" I said casually. Aro seemed genuinely surprised when he responded. "I do not understand Carlisle; I said nothing of any killing what so ever!" I smiled wryly. "You underestimate Rebecca's power Aro. She sees all. She sees the lives you have taken, the lives you take, and the lives you will take. She sees all of the potential those humans and vampires had before them cut short. She sees your reasons for everything and judges them as they are meant to be judged; she has no prejudice, no bias, just impartiality. She sees everything and she does not like what she sees in you Aro. Does this help your understanding?" Aro blinked, then a smile slowly spread on his face. "Ha ha… ha ha ha ha ha!" He laughed as if all the pieces were coming into place. "Quite the fortune teller indeed. Your friend is a mysterious one, her mind holding so little that I could see… So she knows all. That is quite problematic Carlisle. You know how much of a threat she could be." I sighed. Aro's callous mention of taking a life angered me too. Perhaps it was near time for me to leave. Perhaps I could go to America. Now that would be interesting.

Rebecca PoV

That Aro disgusted me. How could he be so evil? To kill the Romanians like that? To kill Didyme, his own sister, just so Marcus would stay with the Volturi? To be so callous and uncaring… how could anyone like that exist? I need a break from Europe and all this horror that comes from life, or rather rebirth. I knew all the Volturi's secrets and I hated it. I sat on a street corner and sobbed, for the first time in ages.

I had been a silly girl in Paris and all of these other cities, living for my own pleasure. I thrived on people adoring me, loving me, admiring me. I had gone to parties, flirted with young human men and worn pretty dresses just for the fun of it. I had been silly, shallow, vain and naïve for so long. A foolish little girl who was living her dream while so much horror was taking place behind the scenes. It made me feel miserable.

For the longest time I had been the respectable puritan girl, being responsible and honorable and all these things. Now I was free, and I had spent my free time traveling the world, seeing the sights and reaping the benefits of being beautiful. It was only fair after so many years of thoughtless happiness I would have to face Aro's horrible mind. Caius was even worse than Aro. How would my mind ever recover from those horrible sights?

I simply sat on the street corner and sobbed in the rain, praying for my happiness to return.

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