A/N: And we're back everyone. I hope your holidays has been as relaxing as mine. However, school is starting to heat up, so perhaps I won't be feeling relaxed for a while. Anyways, this chapter features Bella meeting some of the iconic Volturi Guard members. I plan on her meeting the rest and the royal family next chapter. Oh, and some other things; Would you be interested if I wrote in other POVs? I've been personally debating that idea for a while. I also spent most of my break leisurely revising the first four chapters, as the main concern from reviews was that Bella was not acting her age. Feel free to re-read the chapters if you like, and as always, I am open to critique regarding my writing.

(Posted 1/8/17)

Chapter 5: Getting Settled

Aro pulled away from the hug and stood back up again. "Felix, show Bella to her room please."

He nodded once. "Yes, Master," answered Felix. He walked up to me and looked down. "May I bring you to your room?" I bit my lip—something I saw Mommy do when she was thinking. I wanted to stay and meet my new family first. But before I could speak, I suddenly yawned. I felt my cheek grow warm when I saw everyone staring at me. I didn't mean for it to be so loud….

"I'll take that as a yes then," Felix laughed quietly. He reached down and lifted me into his arms. I giggled and waved goodbye at the people still standing in the room as he walked to the large doors. I felt tired already. Being held by him always made me sleepy. And he always smelled nice, too. The gentle shaking as he traveled down the hallway was soothing. It made me quickly fall asleep.

I woke up on something soft—a bed and pillow. A heavy comforter was covering me. I sat up slowly and rubbed my eyes, yawning. I quickly realized that I was in a new place—I had never seen this huge room before. I looked around, trying to find something I recognized. There was a wooden door on the left and a window on the right. Light came in—it was bright outside. There was also lots of pretty paintings on the wall, a thick rug on the ground, and another door very far away, in front of me.

I was startled when a knock came from the door to my left. "May I come in?" a deep voice asked—it sounded like Felix. How did he know I was awake?

"Okay," I answered.

Felix walked in and stopped beside to my bed. He looked different. His eyes were no longer dark red, but now a bright again. It was much more… vivid. "Do you like your room?" This was my room? Then I remembered—Felix was going to take me there, but I fell asleep!

I nodded and looked around again. "Thank you," I whispered, reaching out and hugging him. I did like it. It was very beautiful, especially the rug, and I really liked the paintings. They were big and colorful.

Felix smiled as I backed away from the hug. "Good. Now, what would you like to do, Princess? Would you want to meet the rest of us in the main chamber?" he inquired curiously.

I could feel myself getting excited. "Yes, please," I pleaded eagerly, bouncing on the bed. I wanted to make new friends and see my new family! However, just when Felix opened his mouth to speak, my stomach growled. I blushed and became aware that I was both hungry and thirsty.

"Err… are you hungry?" he asked. My face felt even warmer as I nodded again. I didn't know Felix had heard me! He looked like he didn't know what to do, which made me giggle. It was always Demetri who gave me food on the plane, but he wasn't here right now. "Umm, give me one minute," Felix said abruptly. I blinked and… he was gone. Where did he go? How did he leave the room so quickly? Was it because he was a vampire?

Surprisingly, it was Gianna who came in through the door after I waited on the bed. She was carrying a tray in her hands that had a plate of food and a glass of water. Felix was also behind her.

"Would you like some breakfast?" I heard Gianna's soft voice say. It was the opposite of Felix and Demetri—it didn't sound like she was always singing. She carefully lowered the tray on top of the bed and in front of me. It was a plate of scrambled eggs and ham. I loved eggs! Mommy would always make some for me. There was also a fork and knife and the glass of water next to it. "I hope this okay. I can get something else if you don't like it." Gianna sounded worried as she backed away.

I shook my head. "I love eggs," I told her and began to eat. They were tasty, but I tried to finish as fast as I could. I wanted to meet my new family and friends! "Thank you," I thanked her when I was done. Gianna gave me a smile and took the tray from me and left. I looked at Felix, who was standing by the door. It didn't look like he had moved at all. Wasn't his feet hurting? "Can we go now?" I inquired again.

He chuckled lightly. "Yes, Princess, we can go," he confirmed with an amused grin. It was time! Excited, I made my way off the bed, but I tripped when I touched the ground. Felix caught me before I hit the floor. "Are you alright, Bella?" he asked worriedly. I nodded as I blushed. I didn't want to tell him that I fell down a lot. He never saw me because he always carried me around. Felix looked concerned, but didn't say anything. I grasped his hand as he led me out the door and down the hallways.

The doors to the big chamber were already open so I got to see the inside. There were a lot of people—I couldn't count them all. Most of them weren't wearing cloaks. They had on the same clothes that Mommy and Daddy would wear.

All of them turned when Felix and I entered the room. Some smiled, while others looked the same as before. Suddenly, I felt scared—my excitement was gone. Even though they were my family, they were still strangers! I didn't know anything about them. What if they didn't like me?

Frightened, I clutched Felix's hand harder. He squeezed back gently, reassuring me. I knew that he would keep me safe. We stopped when we were near the middle of the room. Without warning, two vampires appeared in front of me. I jumped slightly, alarmed. They moved so fast! One of them was a short girl, like me, but a little taller. She was looking at me with curious, red eyes. The girl had light brown hair, kind of like chocolate milk, that reached her shoulders. Her face was very pretty and she had a polite smile. It helped get rid of my nervousness. Maybe she could be my friend, like Felix and Demetri.

"Hello, Princess Bella," she greeted softly in a high-pitched voice. It was very pleasant to listen to. Also, how did she know my name? Did someone tell her? "My name is Chelsea, and this is my mate, Afton." Chelsea gestured to a much taller man next to her. Afton's hair was a bit darker than hers, a muddy brown, and much shorter. He smiled, but didn't say anything. I got the sense that he didn't like to talk a lot. Was he shy like me? Also, what was a 'mate'?

"We would like to formally welcome you to the family," she continued with a warm smile. I liked them immediately. Chelsea seemed nice and kind. And maybe I could get Afton to speak!

"Hello, Chelsea and Afton," I replied shyly. Then I remembered. "How do you know my name?" I asked, confused. I never met them before.

Chelsea laughed, and it sounded like ringing bells. "Aro made sure of that." She glanced behind her, then looked back at me. "Until we meet again, Princess," she said, smiling. Chelsea and Afton walked away, toward a small crowd. A stranger that was waiting behind them stepped forward.

She was the prettiest person I'd ever seen. She was much taller than Chelsea, and her hair was darker and longer, too. It went past her shoulders and the color was like the wooden table Mommy had—mahogany? The dress she was wearing was very beautiful. It was bright red, like her eyes. She leaned down and smiled. "Hi, Princess Bella, I'm Heidi. It's a pleasure to meet you." Her voice sounded like Chelsea's, but it was a bit lower.

Then, to my shock, she carefully hugged and lifted me into her cold arms. I shrieked from surprise and hid my face behind my hair. She had startled me! When I peeked through my hair, she didn't look mean. She had a friendly smile. Maybe she could be my friend?

I took a small breath. She smelled nice, like one of Mommy's favorite tea—Jasmine. Only it was a bit sweeter. It calmed me down. "Felix, why isn't she talking?" Heidi asked after a moment. She appeared to be upset, and I didn't know why.

Felix rolled his eyes. "It's probably because you're scaring her right now," he answered with a chuckle.

Heidi looked back at me with a serious expression. "Am I scaring you?" I shook my head. Why would I be scared of her? I liked her. She seemed… outgoing and brave. She had given me a hug and picked me up! I liked her name, too. It was unique.

"See, Felix, I'm not scaring her! Why won't she say anything?" Heidi pouted, which made me giggle. She looked so sad that I wasn't talking to her.

"You're funny," I commented with another giggle.

Heidi shot me a wide smile. She looked even prettier. "Thank you, Princess." Heidi glanced at Felix again. "She's adorable, Felix," she cooed and sighed at the same time, making me blush. I always felt embarrassed when people spoke about me. I rested my head on her and began playing with her hair. It felt very smooth and cool, like ice.

"May I meet her?" a low, but not deep, voice inquired. I peered around Heidi and saw a short and small boy dressed in a dark cloak—the same color as Jane's. He had dark brown hair, which reminded me of dark chocolate. He looked familiar, but I didn't know why. I had never seen him before.

"I don't know if you want to do that," another high-pitched voice said. It was Jane! I recognized her hair as she walked up and stopped next to the boy. They both looked similar—more rounded faces and short height. Were they related? Maybe they were siblings?

The boy gave Jane a look. "Don't be disrespectful, Jane. I want to meet her." She rolled her eyes as he bowed his head. "Apologies, Princess. My sister tends to speak without thinking first." I giggled aloud while Jane growled, but he ignored her. So they were brothers and sisters! I didn't know Jane had brother. Maybe he could be my friend, too. "My name is Alec. It's nice to finally meet you," he smiled politely.

"Hello, Alec," I greeted quietly. "It's nice to finally meet you, too." Alec was so different from Jane! It felt like he was the complete opposite of her. They reminded me of my parents. Jane was more open and energetic like Mommy, while Alec was more calm and… composed like Daddy.

Suddenly, I realized something—Demetri was missing! Where was he? I looked around, trying to find him, but I didn't. Felix must have noticed me searching because he asked, "Who are you looking for, Princess?"

I turned and faced him. "Where is Demetri?" I felt sad that he wasn't here—I wanted all my friends to be here!

Felix smiled. "Don't worry, he'll be here shortly. He's bringing the rest of your family, along with a few others," he said reassuringly. The rest of my family? I quickly became excited yet scared. I wanted to meet the rest of my new family, but what if they didn't like me? I also knew nothing about them! Soon after, everyone in the room turned toward the large doors. There was a group of cloaked people walking toward us. I recognized Aro and Demetri at the front, leading them. Four of them also had the same colored clothing as Aro. Were they part of Aro's family? They stopped in front of me.

"Princess Bella," Aro said cheerfully. "I would like to introduce you to my mate, Sulpicia." A pretty woman with dark brown hair like Daddy's favorite drink—coffee—smiled politely at me. She, too, had the cloudy red eyes and different skin. I examined the rest of them. All of the black-cloaked people had the same eyes and skin as Aro.

"This is my brother, Caius, and his mate, Athenodora." Aro gestured to another pair of vampires. Athenodora had pale blonde hair, like Jane's butterscotch but lighter. She smiled, but Caius didn't. He seemed… bored. His hair was the opposite of Aro's. It was white. "And Marcus," Aro finished. Marcus looked like he was tired. Maybe he needed to rest? He was taller than the rest, and his hair was almost the same as Aro's, but just a bit shorter and lighter, too. Marcus gazed at me with… intrigue? Interest? I wondered why. He reached his hand out to Aro, who took it and held it for a moment.

"Thank you, Marcus. How very interesting," Aro murmured to himself. "It appears most of our Guard has met the Princess and all went well," he explained. "My dears, I also have an announcement regarding Princess Bella's gift. She is a shield."