{… The screams from the room echoed down the hallway and into the operating room. I shuddered at the noise, but continued on in my work.
I had learned early on not to question Emily. She was…something else. She was a monster, but I had to do this – not for her, but for myself. As much as I hated to admit it, Emily knew how to motivate someone.
I looked down on the young girl knocked out on the slab before me. She was young – probably not even seventeen – but she would never have a future outside of this place. 'Test subjects,' Emily called them.
'Human beings!' I had argued back. She just smirked at me, like she knew something I did not… };
-Chapter 4: Your Honor, I Object!-
I dropped the granola bar wrapper and watched it shoot behind me as I sped through the trees. I swallowed my bite before removing the scarf from my face and sticking the rest of the bar in my mouth. It was cold as shit right now and if it weren't for my shield, the wind would have turned me into a popsicle.
We were nearly there – finally! The future was murky from the wolves involvement, which made Alice extremely uncomfortable. This led to our group practically running through the airport when we landed; I didn't even get a chance to eat properly. Luckily, I had injected myself again; so I wouldn't be falling asleep any time soon.
…be destroyed!
…not here and no way to track…
"Alice!" I called. She slowed her sprint and glanced back at me. "I can hear their thoughts up ahead." She nodded and slowed to a stop. I touched down beside her, followed by the rest of our group.
"How do we want to do this?" Jasper asked. Alice closed her eyes, but still got nothing. From the thoughts of our group, I could tell we were not close enough to hear our family.
I tuned their conversation out as I focused on the thoughts around me – straining to read further out. I could hear the Volturi's thoughts but not…oh! Of course; Bella would be shielding the group by now. I wouldn't be able to hear our side's thoughts until I was under the shield as well.
"…she is absolutely unique…" Aro's voice was projected through several of the Volturi's thoughts. He was conversing with Edward about the possibility of another hybrid.
"Alice," I said, drawing her attention. "Edward knows we're here. Move closer and wait for his signal." She nodded and I hovered above the ground, waiting for Edward to give the word.
I really didn't have to wait for them to blur away. Suddenly, the name 'Alice' was repeated over and over in the minds of the Volturi. I flew off after our group. Alice and Jasper were in the front, followed by Kachiri, Nahuel and Huilen, and finally Ryan and me. Ryan opted for running, so I brought up the rear as we broke into the snow-covered clearing and found ourselves face-to-face with an absurd number of vampires and werewolves. My shield shuddered, pulsing outward further in response to the potential threat.
It was very creepy how every one of them – Volturi and…not Volturi alike – stared at us as we crossed the field to join the rest of the 'good guys.' We passed the invisible mental barrier Bella was projecting and took our places near the front of the group, and I was immediately assaulted by our side's thoughts. Not surprisingly, the red-eyed vampires were obsessing over me and my ability to fly. Hmm, it seems the Cullens have been keeping me a secret from their friends. I pulled my hood up and put my hands in my pockets; someone should start a fire or something, it's too damn cold.
The situation I was now in was very interesting. The Volturi stood over a football field length away from our group – the three ancient leaders in front. From their thoughts, they were considering what to do with us. Caius had voted to destroy everyone here while Marcus had deemed Renesmee no threat to exposure. Aro was hesitant to fight before our arrival, and even more so now that Ryan and I had emerged. Aro's power was very useful for his position; he was able to learn every thought you had ever had with just a touch. He knew what I was capable of – and he wanted me, badly.
Huilen and Nahuel stepped forward to tell their origin story to Aro, who was mentally sweating under the very real possibility of a legitimate battle. I took the opportunity to survey the scene before me. The first thing I noticed was a…mist? Yes, it was a nearly-invisible mist – similar in appearance to my shield – and was covering Bella's mental shield like a blanket. I let my mind reading ability reach out and scan the minds of the Volturi, searching for the cause.
Ah, there! Standing beside Jane was her twin brother, Alec. He was the one with the mist ability – which should have rendered us completely immobile with its sense-deprivation effect. I smirked at my good luck and let my original ability loose upon the small boy. The phantom gears shifted inside my head and pulled and prodded against Alec's mind. Reality flickered and I wasn't cold any more.
The ropes were tight and I could find no weakness in the knots. My limbs were already numb and my back ached from the wooden post pressed against it. The fire beneath me grew hotter and hotter and my sister began to scream.
"NO!" I shouted out, struggling again although I knew it would do no good. The flames reached Jane before me and I could not look away. I would watch her burn…
I sucked in a breath as the world spun back into focus. Alec's ability could be extremely useful in a fight against multiple vampires. Nahuel was only half way through his story, so I took the time to acquire as many of the Volturi's abilities as I could.
I targeted Aro first, but he was not actively using his ability. Damn it! This could be extremely irritating if the rest of the Volturi were not currently using their powers. I moved onto the small vampire behind Aro – Renata, the physical shield – her gift wasn't as useful as the shield I had, but it was one I could take. The skittish vampire seemed to be using her repelling gift nearly all the time when she was near her master, so it was no trouble to yank her ability out and add it to my collection.
Chelsea's and Marcus' gifts were the only other two I acquired from the Volturi's side. Chelsea – like Renata – seemed to constantly be using her gift to bind everyone's loyalty to Aro, and so it was no trouble to snatch hers up as well. Marcus' gift was permanently on, though it wasn't anything special compared to my telepathy or pathokinesis.
I was brought out of my ability-feast by Aro's thoughts, which were directed toward me for a moment before shuffling back to the hybrid situation. I shifted my gaze to his own milky stare and cocked my eyebrow at him. His eye twitched, but surprisingly his thoughts continued on, undisturbed. Apparently he knew how to hide his thoughts very well; I didn't even get a chance to listen in to his mental slip before he recovered.
"Is that your vote?" Caius asked.
"It is," Aro replied.
"And this Joham? This immortal so fond of experimentation?" Caius questioned. Joham – that must be Nauhel's father, then.
"Perhaps we should speak with him," Aro agreed, his thoughts reeling at the chance at studying the hybrids in depth.
"Stop Joham if you will," Nahuel said from our side. "But leave my sisters be. They are innocent."
Aro nodded and looked to me once again. His thoughts were not so disguised this time; he wished to meet me. Beside me, Edward hissed; he must have heard Aro's thoughts as well. This would be an interesting encounter, to say the least. I would take my brother's advice and not instigate a confrontation, but I would be sure to make Aro as uncomfortable as I possibly could. And when it comes to making people with power uncomfortable, nothing does the trick like taking that power away.
The greedy Volturi leader already knew everything the Cullens did about my gift, so he probably wanted the chance to ask me to be in his guard. He knew I would say no, but he would ask anyway. And when I showed an ounce of weakness, he would attempt to strike me down; because like a billionaire ultimately fears poverty, Aro fears his position challenged. He simply could not allow someone as powerful as I to exist uncontrolled.
"Now that that issue is resolved," Aro declared, clasping his hands, "let us move on to the lovely specimen before us."
Aro glided closer to our group, flanked by Demetri and Felix, with frail Renata drifting close behind. Several low growls vibrated through the Cullen's chests at Aro's approach, but I waved them off. I had to do this on my own.
How mesmerizing, Aro thought to me as his small group halted twenty feet in front of me, still on the outside of Bella's shield. Alec's mist receded around them. You wield enough power to overcome multiple vampires and yet…you are still human.
I inclined my head, showing I heard his thoughts. It was very intelligent of him to keep his distance, as he had no idea which powers I had acquired in my short time in his presence. I would imagine someone as twisted as Aro would have a few secrets he wouldn't want getting out, and having your every thought downloaded – through your own ability, no less – would not be wanted in the slightest. I smirked at the underlying unease coming off him in small amounts. I raised my eyebrows and extended my arms, gesturing to Aro to speak aloud.
"Ah, yes," Aro began, smiling while eyeing the vampires behind me, before settling on me again. I couldn't help but notice the quick detour his eyes made to my right hip before flashing back to my face. "I'll get right to the point, my dear. Your gifts are…priceless; I would be very honored if you would consider joining the guard."
"I could give you a demonstration, you know," I remarked, ignoring his 'request.' My hand curled around the handle of the knife on my hip and I quickly drew it, the impenetrable metal not even scraping against the holster. "I bet I could hit Caius' heart from here." I tilted my head to the side to peer around Aro's body and smirked at the pale-haired ancient.
Aro gritted his teeth as his smile fell slightly. "OK, then," Aro started again. "Would you join my guard, Emily?"
"Do I strike you as someone fit for law enforcement?" I parried, once again ignoring his question.
"Cara mia, your gifts are simply extraordinary!" Aro exclaimed, seeming to grow more excited as he prepared to persuade me. He knew I wasn't as…docile…as the Cullens; and though he knew I would most probably tell him 'no,' he knew the draw of power that being in the Volturi gave was something very alluring to 'my type of person.' "You would want for nothing and would have all the power, respect, and luxury you could ever dream of!"
"No," I said softly, instantly deflating his upbeat mood like throwing a switch. "I have all the power I need, including some of your guard, and if I ever need anything I just take it anyway. You really don't have anything I want." I shrugged. "I'm really doing you a service in declining you, Aro. I'm not very good at following orders or working under someone."
Aro's eyes narrowed and Caius strode up to him, linking their hands together. Aro tilted his head as he went over Caius' extremely angry and murderous thoughts toward me, and I took the time to prepare for the inevitable threats to come. Focusing on Alec's ability, I let the numbing mist diffuse from my mind and directed it toward the large body of Volturi guard and witnesses. I didn't ensnare them with it, however, I merely let it drift and linger very close – ready to immobilize at a moment's notice.
Aro started shaking his head at Caius' suggestion to offer me immortality – which was their word for vampirism. The fleeting image of Rosalie's venom being drained from her body flashed through his mind. I found myself growing very irritated at his pesky talent; absolutely no privacy. Caius grew irritated with Aro shaking his head at their one-sided conversation and decided to verbalize his suggestions.
"You know too much for us to leave you alive," Caius sneered at me. "Your abilities are too dangerous to be left unchecked. Either join us, or we will destroy you."
An ultimatum wasn't exactly cause for a fight, but my pride wouldn't allow me to submit to the will of these vampires. Without a visual cue, my numbing mist ensnared the entirety of the Volturi guard and their witnesses. Gasps, snarls, and the panicking shuffling of vampire bodies echoed across the field as Alec's own mist diffused into the air. Demetri and Felix crouched to spring or defend, Aro held perfectly still with Renata behind him, and Caius growled lowly after cataloguing his fallen army.
"You're welcome to try," I taunted, lifting all five of them four feet off the ground with my mind. Vampires were incredibly strong, sure, but take away any leverage and their strength is useless.
"Emily," Aro started, "I'm sure we can work something-"
"NO!" Caius half-shouted, half-growled at Aro. "Now you see? See what your greed has done this time, Aro? We should have killed them all straight away!" His speech was cut short by the metallic rending of sense-deprived vampires fighting each other in the distance.
"I'm not a vampire and I don't work for you, under you, or with you," I said, Caius' eyes snapping to mine. "I should kill you for being such greedy, overconfident bullies, but. You do have your use in keeping the world from total chaos. Go back to Volterra. Go back to your fucking castle and do your job; and if you really want to throw down with me, fine. You're free to enforce your rules and try to kill me – try. Just don't go on trying to rationalize it." Aro remained silent but his thoughts were racing as his guard struggled with my phantom hold.
"Of course we can make an exception," Aro said, his voice only slightly shaking. He turned to Caius. "As she has demonstrated, Emily is as much a part of the supernatural world as the shape shifters are. She is no threat to exposure."
Dude, Emily's a total badass Emmet's thoughts cut through my head. I turned to smirk at him before dropping the remaining Volturi to the ground. I released my hold of the mist and nodded my head.
Aro reluctantly turned his back to me after retreating several steps to look at his guard. "Dear ones," he called out to the shaken, but recovering, guard. "We do not fight today!"
"I'm so glad this could be resolved without violence," Aro said to Carlisle as the 'fearless' guard started retreating behind him. Even the ones he brought with him to speak with me were anxious to leave. "My friend, Carlisle – how pleased I am to call you friend again! I hope there are no hard feelings. I know you understand the strict burden that our duty places on our shoulders.
"And my dear," Aro turned to me again. "Emily, I am so very sorry for my brother's behavior toward you." His words sounded completely convincing, but they were just words. Of course he didn't mean anything he said. I inclined my head but said nothing in response.
"Leave in peace, Aro," Carlisle addressed coldly. "Please remember that we still have our anonymity to protect here, and keep your guard from hunting in this region."
"Of course, Carlisle," Aro replied. "I am sorry to earn your disapproval, my dear friend. Perhaps, in time, you will forgive me."
"Perhaps, in time, if you prove a friend to us again." Carlisle said with a note of finality. Aro nodded and glanced at me again, desire and greed running rampant in his thoughts and emotions, then turned and followed the rest of the guard into the tree line.
Disbelief and suspicion hung in the air for a moment, before being replaced with joy and relief. Bella's shield fell, finally, and the euphoria that the cheering vampires expelled was invigorating. I holstered my knife and stretched my fingers out – they were still tight from how strongly I was gripping the handle.
I turned, and smiled at Ryan, who returned the grin with his own. I had no doubt that Aro would be back, but for now I would allow myself to relax.
End notes: We've reached a strange point, loyal followers. It's pretty much all original plot from here on out.
Bad news as well: the semester is coming to an end for me and I will probably be writing this story less (expect one more chapter before the short hiatus). As soon as school is over with until the new year I'll get back on the horse, I promise.