Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. I only own what I can come up with.

I almost regretted coming home to the mercy of seven female vampires. They were waiting for me as soon as I stepped out of my car. I barely had time to call close my door before I was literally swept off my feet up into my room to get ready for the ball. The seven women - Heidi, Jane, Mia, Sulpicia, Renata, and my 'mother', Athenadora- were hectic as they waxed, buffed, plucked, moisturized, and applied make up to my face and any visible skin. After that, they went to painting my nails, choosing jewelry, doing my hair, and clothes.

Between all this, they all took turns getting ready themselves. Not that I will ever admit it to them, but the six somewhat tortuous hours that I spent sitting in my massive bathroom were kind of fun. By the time they finally declared me done, they were all looking like models. Heidi and Jane brought in the bag with my dress in it. Nobody would let me look in the mirror until after my mom had placed my tiara on my head. When I did get to look at myself though, I was surprised.

The dress was tight fitted on top, sticking to my torso like a second skin. It had two little pieces of fabric that reminded me of Cinderella's dress. Not surprisingly, the dress was red with silver and black accents. The very full skirt flared out from my hips. Overall, the dress highlighted my figure in an amazing way. The tiara on my head, glittering with obsidian gems and rubies, completed the outfit. I looked very much like the princess I technically was.

"Oh, darling," Athenadora said, smiling. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you, mom." I said, hugging her. As we pulled away from each other, there was a knock on my door. Everyone shared a look and a grin as I looked towards the doors. Nobody was supposed to be coming by. We had all agreed that instead of meeting up in my room, everyone would meet in the ballroom. Who would actually show up?

I got my answer when a familiar teasing voice called out to me. "You ready yet, woman? I'm not waiting for you all night!" My heart soared as my bedroom door opened. Laughter echoed through my bedroom as my big brother and sister walked in. "Well? Are you just gonna stand there?"

"Peter! Char!" I exclaimed, running as fast as I could in my heels. They both laughed as I threw my arms around both of them. When I pulled back to study them, I noted Peter's shit-eating grin. That could only mean something was going to happen tonight. Hopefully it wouldn't embarrass me too much.

Char hugged me again before taking my appearance with sisterly pride. "Look at you, sugar. You look like a real princess."

I blushed. "Thank you, Char. When did y'all get here?" Even in my embarrassment, I couldn't help by being excited. Peter and Charlotte were two of the best, if not a bit annoying, brother and sister I could have. These two were some of the most feared vampires. Maybe even more feared than my family. I had only heard of one person above them, but they assured me he wasn't that scary. Despite their assurances though, Caius still asked them not to bring him here just yet.

"Just now, honey. They all looked rather excited." Peter said, kissing my forehead in affection.

"Actually, Firefly," Demetri's voice rang out, making me smile. I turned towards him and grinned even bigger as I saw him dressed up all fancy. He looked almost like he had those years ago when I had met him. A small smile crossed his face, as if he could read my thoughts. "The Kings have summoned you. All of your guests arrived now."

I gave him a quick hug before shooing the women out of the room to the mates that were waiting for them. The happy, almost goofy look that crossed their faces almost made me sigh. They moved out the room at vampire speed. I could track them if I wanted to, but my eyes were glued to Heidi and Demetri. They were adorable, wrapped up in each others arms like no one else in the room.

It stung slightly, to see the happy couples in my home. It seemed like everyone had someone. Maybe they weren't all mates, but they had someone to hold. Everyone except for me, of course. Not that I was trying to be bitter or anything. All these couples who are so in love just tended to make me feel even more like an outsider than I already was.

"Come on, Bells. I'll escort you to the ballroom doors," Peter said, kissing his mates head real fast before leading me away at human speed. Once we were safely away from their hearing range, Peter got down to business questioning me. "What's wrong with ya, honey?"

"It's nothing, Petey. Just slightly disappointed that I don't have a date to my own ball," I said softly, walking down the hallway. He wrapped an arm around my waist to comfort me. We were the only ones in the long hallway. The closer to the ballroom, the louder the voices seemed to get. I twisted part of my dress, then smoothed it out only to repeat the movement again and again.

All my confidence seemed to leave me with every step I took. Soon enough I was shaking with fright. Living with a giant group of killers didn't seem to mean anything to me at this moment in time. "I can't do this, Peter. They're gonna hate me. I'm going to freeze up in front of them all and then-"

"Firefly," he cut me off, using the term of endearment that all my family used. "Stop worrying, okay? They're all going to love you."

"How do you know?" I whimpered.

Peter flashed me a wicked grin. "Because, I'm Yoda." At my disapproving look, he shook his head, getting serious. "Bella, honey, do you remember when you first got here? You were a tiny little thing, barely able to speak without a little stutter. You managed to wrap the most violent, heartless coven in the universe around your little finger. If you can do that, you can get everyone here to love you too."

"They only loved me because 'Metri, Jane, and Alec were protecting me though."

We stopped a few feet from the doors, and he lowered his voice, bending down to look me in the eye. "No, Bella. They loved you because you walked in and saw the goodness in them right away. I'll see you inside there. Keep your head up. You're a princess after all."

I watched him run away, closing the door behind him quickly. Once I was alone, I thought back to my memories, only focusing on them for a few seconds. Those few seconds did miracles for me though. Before I could re-lose my newly gained confidence, my father's voice rang out loud enough for me to hear.

"We'd like to thank everyone for coming tonight. Many of you are curious as to who this 'princess' of ours is. Let me be the first to introduce my daughter, Isabella Marie 'Firefly' Volturi!"

Breath, Bella. You're a princess. And it's only the majority of the vampire community. No pressure or anything. I thought to myself, taking a deep breath. With no further hesitation I pushed the doors open, and walked into the room where all eyes turned to look at me.

A/N: Here's the second chapter guys! I had issues writing this so I hope it's not horrible. Next chapter will have songs in it. Thanks for reading, everyone! :)