Chapter Nine – Memories
(Inspired by: Whisper - Evanescence)
"Tell me who did this, Renesmee," he repeated, his voice so quiet, it's almost lost to the wind. Alec's outward attitude was far too calm, too relaxed to ease my racing heart. I took a step back, but he moved with me and it was in that movement that I realized just how tense he was. The stiffness of his shoulders, the way his face was void of emotion, the venomous glare that worked its way to his eyes compiled to make the most terrifying being I'd ever seen in my life. It was as if you could tell he was calculating a way to rip you limb from limb before you could comprehend you were dead; it chilled me straight to the bone.
He traced the marks on my cheek, his touch feather light and tender like a lover, before they wandered to my throat and on to pushing aside my t-shirt to reveal my marred shoulder. His eyebrows furrowed as he ran his fingertips along the scar, realization suddenly dawned on his face and those beautiful eyes lost all color, becoming hardened coals upon his fallen elegance. "It was that damn dog, wasn't it?" he hissed, whipping around prepared to leap over the side of the balcony; probably to finish what I'd started.
Before he could, though, I wrapped my arms around his bicep and yanked him back. Hard, concrete muscle greeted my touch and I knew he'd allowed me to stop him. I stare in to his eyes, cupping his face with my hands and pleading with all that was holy to show me the man I was falling in love with still existed, that he was still within this poor broken shell of a boy. I finally admitted it, unable to deny the blatant truth any longer. As stupid or crazy or completely ridiculous as it seemed, there was an unshakable tie between us; I know because I tried so hard to break free of it, but even those attempts had been futile.
I have to know who he is; the truth, this time.
"What happened to me is finished, but this," I say, motioning between us. "Has yet to even be started."
The ebony is suddenly rimmed with a dark violet that appears to glitter in the light from the moon. Alec looks torn, exasperated as he grips my arms, but not tight enough to cause pain in any form. "That damn wolf attacked you, he hurt you-scarred you! Yet, you want to me to just forget about it and-and what? Talk when I could be giving that dog every reason to never even think about touching you again?"
"I want you to tell me the truth," I tell him, my voice desperate and high. "Like how you know what Jacob is and why your eyes change color and what is happening to me because I haven't had a clue as to what is going on in my own head for the last eight months!"
At that, Alec loses any and all his sharp edges, shedding the dangerous aura like a second skin that never quite fit right. I don't fight him when he tugs me in to his chest, arms closing around me and keeping me surrounded in the most delectable smell in the world. Safety settles around me like a familiar blanket, accompanied by a fullness in my chest that I've only ever felt when close to him. He dips his nose in to my hair, breathing me in as if this is the first time he's ever held me close… or as if this is the last.
"Just remember that, even after everything you see," his voice breaks and he pauses, "Just know that I care very deeply for you; I never wanted to hurt you, but sometimes... sometimes the truth isn't always what we wanted to show, rather what needed to be seen." He sighs, lips caressing my temple before he steps back. He bows his head, letting out a heavy breath. When he looks back at me, I watch as the violet fades. All traces of the blue that had captured my attention for months evaporates in to a dark, sorrowful crimson and it shows no signs of changing back. As I look in to his eyes, I watch as he exposes himself completely and entirely. Connecting to his mind is easy, slick and smooth, and a brightness blurs out my vision. For a moment, the world posesses a clarity I've never experienced before until the edges of my vision become fuzzy. Within moments, everything goes black.
Disoriented, achy, and feeling very heavy, I try to push back against the weight on my head only to discover nothing there. Blinking my eyes open, I find myself in a familiar meadow. The whimsical land that Alec and I once strolled through during a dream, I realize now, is his mind, but the everlasting beauty has become a barren wasteland.
Trees curl in to one another, naked and demented in shape. The grass has become a crunchy combination of weeds, dead leaves, and black soil, the torment evident in the way the sky is nothing more than a darkening grey. I open my mouth to call out to him, ask him why I'm here, but my vocal cords are silent and I begin to wonder how I'm supposed to get any answers until the glimmering pond in the distance captures my attention. I stroll toward it, wary of the impending world around me. I don't stop moving until I come to a stop at a lake where the moon is revealed amidst the eclipsed sky, seemingly to become a spot light over the waves and poured its dazzling shine all around; my shadow appearing as a trespasser here.
When I looked to the water, I became entranced by it's gentle, rhythmic movements. My feet moved on their own accord to the bank where the chilled waves tickled the tips of my toes. Something in this lagoon called to me, summoning me in to its clutches and I was far too weak to fight it. I continued my trek in to the water, feeling my clothes cling to my form, but not giving a damn until I didn't feel anything as I became completely submerged in the cobalt waves. I released my breath, sinking to the bottom of the lake until my back pressed against the soft floor. I stared up at the epilimnion, the moon growing blurry and the world becoming a watercolor painting; distorted, runny, and yet oh-so-mesmerizing. I was completely absorbed in the beauty of this world, it's broken, tortured agony that became something so captivating, it felt as if I was truly seeing for the first time.
And then it began; the memories.
The year is sometime in 800 AD, the dirt road and underdeveloped homes showing proof of a world I'd never known. I lay on my back in the middle of some forest, moving to my feet quickly and allowing them to carry me out of the brush. The wind seemed to be my guide and soon, I approached a tiny, wooden stockade. The front door was left wide open, as if someone was expecting me to arrive and as I step through the threshold, a woman cries out. I pause, thinking maybe I should go back, but a silent entity urges me forward, hinting I should go toward the source of the sound… so I do.
I move deeper in to the small home, passing a crackling fireplace and coming to a doorway. I peek around the wall to see a woman, a beautiful woman, with long golden-white locks shaking on a bed. Her skin is the color of warm ivories, reminding me of a porcelain doll. She parts her lips to breathe, eyes squeezed tightly closed. Through her pain-stricken state, she still caresses her rounded stomach and it's in that moment that I see another woman, a doctor, I suppose.
"Come now, milady, this baby is on the way!" the doctor said, appearing to be encouraging. The blonde woman screams again and after a sigh, the sound of a crying child rose through the still air. "It's a wee girl!" the doctor-lady claimed, moving away to clean the infant and wrap her in a blanket. She pauses as the new mother cries out again, "There's another!"
The doctor places the baby girl in to some sort of crib, trying to move quickly as to return to the woman. Blinking, I moved in only to freeze when the doctor swiftly cut me off and prepared for the delivery of a second child, "Push, madam, push!" The blonde woman moans and groans before another bone-shattering shriek shakes the house, diminishing in to heavy breathing. Soft whimpering of a baby echoes around and the doctor chuckles, "Now, this is a sight; one girl and one boy!"
I peer over her shoulder and lock eyes with the baby boy, meeting an unforgettable crystal blue. Alec.
The world gives out beneath my feet and spins, tossing me around as the next memories pass before me. I watch as Alec grows, grows, grows in to a young man. Even as a human, he was handsome; inexplicably so, but it's not until I look away from his impossible beauty that I see yet another unforgettable face.
Jane.
As a human, she held an unparalleled innocence. Her blushing cheeks, button nose, and soft white-blonde waves accompanied by her small form made her appear like a dainty china doll that needed to be adored.
My fears were confirmed; he is Alec, half of the evil witch twin duo from the long-time feared Volturi and yet, my feelings for him stood against the betrayal; unwavering.
I watched his world fall apart, from the moment his gifts began to show till the day they were condemned and put to the stake.
It was an overcast sky, stoic masks in place of what was once the loving faces of his parents, and I watched as Alec closed his heart to the world. I moved through the crowd as the executor read off their sentence, claiming they were witches. As I reached the stake, Alec looked past me and I knew I wasn't truly there, but that didn't make this any less real or him any less human.
I pressed a hand to his cheek, his only thought wishing he could take away the pain Jane was bound to feel. The fire was struck, but only to be dropped to the dead grass as screams erupted from behind us. I turned, my body morphing to stone at the sight of Aro, Caius, and Marcus. They obliterate the witnesses as other members brought along by the Volturi leaders set fire to the village and drain the townsfolk. Alec and Jane watch from their posts, bound to the wood.
"They're here to save us!" Jane grins, enthralled by the carnage before her. Alec stares at her, eyes conveying his apprehension. "You don't know that, sister."
She glares at him, "I do, brother. They are our guardian angels come to set us free, to offer us a new life; one where we can punish those who've done wrong by us… we will have our revenge." Staring at her with disturbed confusion, he moves his gaze out to the destruction that has ensued on his home town as it burns to the ground. "It seems they have taken vengeance for us."
The scene whirls beneath my feet once more and my mind sprints through a thousand years of memories, of emotions, of life until something within his soul dies away and he becomes numb. Suddenly, another thought opens before me and somehow, I know I'm in the throne room of the Volturi's kingdom. Alec emerges from the shadows as Aro beckons him forth.
"Yes, master?" Alec bows. I take in his attire of dark slacks and a black cloak. His eyes, a vibrant crimson, are empty of emotion and yet, still thriving with life. It's a hopeful gleam, hidden beneath layers of confusion that is lacking in the other members who possess those red, empty eyes; devoid of life with no concern for anything other than power. Their faces are no longer muddy from time, rather vivid in detail as I take in their unnerving hatred.
"We have a mission for you, my dear boy," Aro grins, appearing as creepily cheery as I remember. "One that will expand our glorious coven; we'll become the most tenacious clan the immortal world has ever seen and all you have to do is fetch a little, well-known hybrid from Oregon."
"This is about the Cullen's." Alec states, remaining as still as a statue. I turn my head away, having seen enough, but that invisible entity is back, pleading for me to watch the rest. With my eyes burning, I look back at the scene before me.
"No, no, no," Aro chuckles. "This is about dearest Renesmee… she possesses unfathomable abilities, far beyond what we saw of her half a decade ago. See, this child doesn't even realize her own potential because the Cullen's are far too afraid of what she'll become if they shared with her the truth behind her human self. We simply want her to unlock the power within."
Alec's stature and expression remain attentive, but his eyes show the livid concern and unspoken questions. Aro nods his head, as if seeing the questions as well.
"Master, I ask how you know she has such incredible talents."
A giddy excitement electrifies the air around Aro and he stands from his throne, moving around the room to a desk I hadn't noticed before. He moves aside a few books and presses a button on the surface of the table. A buzz echoes through the room before the doors open. Alec and I turn at the same time, my knees giving out beneath me with a gasp catching in my throat. No.
"Please give a warm welcome to our newest member and your partner on this mission, Anastasia."
Her blonde waves fall in curled ringlets, glossy and beautiful. An perfectly proportioned oval-shaped face, adorning a sharp nose and full lips, it's strange the only thing I can focus on are her corrupted, burgundy eyes. She smirks, tossing her curls over her shoulder. I recognize the look in her eyes, the one of a predator who has found its prey and I realize that much was true; she wants to jump his bones.
"What can she do?" Alec questions, eyeing her as if she carries the world's deadliest plague. Aro claps his hands and laughs, "The truly fascinating question is what cant this lovely immortal do?!"
Ana grins, looking to Aro as if he is truly an interesting person rather than someone a few thousand years off from being sane. Her egotistical demeanor bleeds in to the air, taking a physical form as she goes on to brag about her abilities of controlling the mind's perception. Her abilities seem impossible, even for a vampire. She boasts about how she can intercept mental waves, shifting and mending them to show memories, thoughts, beliefs the person doesn't truly have. She tells them about how she can change someone's appearance in the minds of others around them, making a vampire appear human. The more she says, the more makes sense. Everything, from the very beginning, had always been her in my head, but then, if she's so powerful, how were there so many slip-ups? How could I sense an immortal? How could I see his eyes shift to so many different shades of passion? How could I feel the unnatural frequencies that've been haunting my thoughts?
"You could say I'm God." She says as she inspects her nails., snapping my attention back to the room. Aro laughs, spinning back to his throne and watching Ana with absolute fascination, "Isn't she ravishing?" he gushes, completely off his kilter.
"What's the assignment, master?" Alec asks, clearly growing tired of the games. Marcus sighs, looking off in to the distance as Caius sneers his disinterest. Aro rests back in to his throne, taking in an unnecessary breath as he answers to one of his most prized possessions. "You and the lovely Anastasia are to head to Oregon. She will influence the Cullen's and then you will come in. Both of you will engage Renesmee, earn her trust, and convince her to return to Italy. Her family will follow her here and we will take matters in to our own hands from there; understood?"
Alec nods, but I see how, clearly, he doesn't understand. The raging questions in his mind, the concerns he have for the safety of those around him, are bursting in his eyes, but are lost upon his stance. He doesn't believe he can speak up and perhaps, he can't. Aro notices his disciple's intense expression and waves a hand, as if to give him permission to open his mouth. Alec nods his thanks, making my body cringe. "Master, I don't see how I could convince the hybrid to return… she has been raised to fear us." Anastasia steps in at that moment, curling around him like a boa constrictor. Annoyance flutters through me as she traces his jaw, her intimate gesture awakening something dark inside of me.
"Don't worry about the hybrid; by the time I'm through with her, she'll believe anything you tell her."
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