A/N: Hello everyone! I hope you enjoy this chapter which features Bella learning her new shields, though with some difficulty. Next chapter will be Bella returning to the United States; I wonder what's in store for her in a little town named Forks? As always, be on the lookout for any grammatical errors I might've made, and feel free to leave a review regarding your thoughts!

(Posted on 3/14/17) (Happy Pi day!)

Chapter 11: Training

"So, I should be good for a few days, right?" I stated, asking Heidi for clarification. I knew newborns became thirsty quicker than mature vampires, yet I had no real sense of it; the burn in my throat was completely sated. But I still wanted to be on the safe side if I had to be near humans—Valentina, for example. I had no desire to fulfill the notion that I was a typical young, wild, bloodthirsty vampire. I was better than that.

She nodded her head as we strolled along the brightly lit hallway. "Yes, you should be. I'll have to fish more humans," she murmured to herself, frowning a little. Her response didn't necessarily make me feel great—I was inconveniencing her a lot, by the look of it. I sighed internally.

"Sorry," I apologized quietly, the guilt settling in. I gave her my best attempt at an apologetic smile, but it came out half-heartedly.

To my surprise, she laughed good-naturedly. "I wouldn't worry about it, Princess. We can always store a few in the dungeons," Heidi grinned, pausing for a moment to pull aside the piece of paneling that hid the passageway to me and my family's rooms. "Now hurry up, I want to show you your new clothes!" she urged excitedly, while I felt horror surface onto my face that I tried futilely to smother.

Upon Heidi's hurried insistence, we made it to my room in no time at all. I pushed open the door and was immediately flooded with a delicious, but faint, human scent. There was a prick to my throat, but nothing too unmanageable; rather, it was just uncomfortable. A muddled part of my brain realized that this alluring aroma was once mine.

I breathed in more of the freesia scent. "Wow. I smelled like this?" I questioned in astonishment, glancing at Heidi. How did any vampire operate around me? Even inhaling this days-old scent sent powerful flashes of flames down my throat.

She chuckled humorlessly, sounding like a hollow, ringing bell. "It was difficult at first. Although you were such an adorable child, your blood was still extremely potent to us. However, we eventually grew used to it," she replied, nonchalant.

I shook my head with disbelief. I had to give credit where credit was due. "I'm amazed that you guys were able to resist."

She shrugged her shoulders like it was nothing; not a big deal. "Anything for our Princess," said Heidi, flashing me a cocky smile.

I rolled my eyes in response and finally entered my room. Pivoting a bit to the left to inspect my closet, my eyes popped open in shock when they finally made contact. My cherry-wood wardrobe was apparently no longer mine—the doors were shunted to the side, revealing the overflowing articles of clothing that hung within. It was stuffed with an abundance of expensive-looking, designer clothes that she'd somehow managed to fit it all in.

"Heidi…" I choked out breathlessly. "What did you do?" Except for my coal black cloak, given to me by Aro two years ago, there was nothing that I recognized inside.

She stepped in as well, fluidly flittered to the closet, and outstretched her arms like some kind of television show host. "I got you new clothes," she answered, perplexed at my reaction.

"But what about my old ones?" I asked dumbly. Of course I knew where they were—gone forever. Probably set on fire by her, too.

Her face scrunched up slightly with disdain. "Oh, those hideous things? I threw them out."

I gaped at her, baffled, before shaking my head in resignation. "Heidi," I sighed with mild exasperation, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Why did you do that?" I wanted at least to choose my own clothes; it was one of the few ways I had to express myself. Plus, everything Heidi and Chelsea got me was usually better suited for some kind of classy restaurant situation.

"I figured new you, new outfits," she said earnestly. She then retrieved a long, thin, vibrant red dress from my closet. It resembled something straight out of a chick flick where the protagonist had to attend a conventional nightclub or party. "See? I know you'll look really good in this," Heidi enthused, putting emphasis on the 'really'.

"No way. I am not wearing during my training," I protested, folding my arms across my chest. I planned on meeting Renata to discuss my shield; I wanted her insight since she was the only other person that I could relate to gift-wise. I was also eager to train with her to make my shields stronger. I still lacked conscious—frankly, any—control over them.

Sadly, however, I made the fatal mistake of not looking away from Heidi as her crimson eyes were suddenly filled with a striking sadness. "Please?" she pleaded, her face slipping onto an absolutely angelic demeanor and her bottom lip jutted out ever so slightly as she pouted.

It was impossible to resist; hence, why she did it. I half-groaned, half-sighed in defeat, internally cursing myself for bringing her along with me to my room. "Fine," I growled mutedly.

Conceding to her efforts with poor grace, I yanked the dress from her, taking extra care not to accidentally tear it, and ran into my bathroom. I shut the door and hastily changed out of the previous outfit—still spattered with dried blood. The smooth satin fabric hugged my hard skin comfortably when I slipped into it, pulling it down from over my head. It was probably a size too small, the way Heidi preferred, but now the dress conformed to my body rather than the other way around.

Heidi anxiously yanked me out of the bathroom when I'd finished changing. I stood impossibly still in front of the tall mirror as she appraised me, a wide grin on her lips. I stared at the motionless, yet lithe, person in front of me while she stared back. The young woman in the reflection held herself with a certain grace—an air of power and beauty.

"It matches your eyes," Heidi pointed out, bringing me back to my senses. The bright maroon hue of the dress truly did match the ruby color of my iris, making me smile involuntarily. "I told you it would look good," she gloated with a smirk upon seeing my reaction.

The pale, perfect being mirrored my roll of the eyes. "Now are you happy? I want to talk to Renata about my shield," I spoke impatiently.

Heidi nodded. "Very happy. I won't hold you any further," she cheerfully dismissed, completely satisfied with having imposed onto me an article of clothing she admired. Truthfully, wearing a dress no longer felt like a demanding chore; I barely paid attention to the fact that I had it on. It didn't feel as constricting compared to when I was still human.

With another internal sigh, I decided to allow Heidi free reign on my entire wardrobe from now on—I shuddered a little at the thought. She'd deserved the right, regardless, having put up with me for the past twelve years. I swiftly exited the room, leaving her standing behind, poring over my closet. While I strolled, I searched for Renata's scent that I remembered from our brief encounter—a light, fragrant odor, similar to tang of spearmint. Not long after, I caught her fresh trail departing from the tunnel where I'd had been changed. It continued down the main hallway, toward the chamber, and I followed, entering the half-filled room.

Various vampires stood about, except for Aro, Marcus and Caius; they were sitting down on their thrones, as usual. "Princess!" Jane called out, standing near the wall to my left, with what appeared to be Alec.

I quickly strode toward them. "Hey Jane, Alec," I addressed casually when I reached the two. Alec seemed aloof as examined me, his red eyes cautious. I had my suspicions that Jane already informed him of what had happened regarding my gift. I rolled my eyes, irked. "I'm not going to bite," I muttered under my breath.

Finally, he smiled, revealing a row of small, perfectly white teeth. "I know, Princess, but you can't blame me for being a little wary. Especially if you did throw Jane into the wall," he chortled amusedly, prompting Jane to punch his arm. "Ow!"

Her crimson eyes glittered with cute kitten-like anger. "She did not throw me into the wall. Her shield did," Jane clarified.

"Same difference, Jane," Alec argued, rubbing his arm a little.

I laughed as quietly as I could, leaving the bickering pair once I spotted Renata, who was conversing with Demetri. "Hello Renata, Demetri," I greeted as I approached.

"Hello, Princess," they both answered.

Demetri scrutinized me before smiling. "I'll leave you two alone to discuss whatever you need," he excused himself. He joined another group consisting of Felix and some of the transitionary guard members.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, light worry lacing her tone.

"Much better after hunting, thank you," I reassured with a smile. "What did you and Aro talk about?" I inquired curiously. Maybe she had more insight about my gift than I did.

Renata shrugged her thin shoulders. "Not a whole lot, as we do not know the full extent of your gift. Though we did hypothesize that you do have two shields, rather than one—a mental and physical. And that the physical one was hidden as a result of you being human and, subsequently, having a lack of strength," she said, her face becoming pensive.

My eyebrows furrowed as I processed the information. "How do I control either of them?"

"I can try to teach you. But considering you have two polar opposite shields, I'm unsure if I can help with any," she warned slowly, her voice hesitant. "Well, perhaps only the mental one."

I frowned slightly. "What do you mean?" I asked, confused. I thought both my shields were purely mental? Wasn't my mental shield sort of like Renata's gift? It was only a bit different.

"Your physical shield is, to put it simply, physically there. It's not a mental manifestation like mine, where an attacker cannot see it and winds up with a distorted memory. Yours is much more prominent, but also extremely powerful," she explained as I felt my eyes widen from surprise.

"How do you know I still have a mental shield?" I questioned.

She smiled mischievously—a rare sight. "I asked Jane earlier to try her gift as soon as you came in, and seeing how you're completely oblivious to that fact, I'd say that's a good indicator," she divulged, looking proud of herself. I gave her a look of disapproval; her expression became sheepish as a result. "Sorry, Princess," she apologized, eyes darting down to the floor.

I just shook my head. "No need. No harm done, regardless," I added. I mean, how else was I supposed to test my mental shield? "So, how do you control your shield?" I wanted to see how she did it—the resulting knowledge might help with mine. I was optimistic that I could command my shield to the extent of Renata's.

"I think of my shield as just another extension of myself, one that can be controlled like a muscle or extremity. I will it to expand, or to contract, and it obeys," she mused aloud.

I pursed my lips as I ran her words through my mind, over and over again, like a mantra. It was definitely easier said than done. I took a deep breath, tasting her prominent minty scent on my tongue, and exhaled slowly in an attempt to clear my mind. I could faintly sense something hovering above my skin, acting as an additional, second layer. It was difficult to distinguish—it clung to my body closer than the dress I was wearing. How was I supposed to 'will it to expand' when I had no clue how to expand it? Despite the mounting angst, I gritted my teeth and thought about heaving the thin layer away from my body. I imagined shoving it with my hands, willing it further and further.

Nothing happened. I took another breath to steady myself, clamping down on my growing frustration, and tried again. Nothing. I exhaled a little forcefully, and methodically switched to another tactic. I remembered I had actually extended my arms out to create my shield right after my transformation. Perhaps it required the same motion?

It felt silly, but I threw my arms out, mimicking what I'd done previously. Much to my surprise, I noted a change—my palms became the focal exit point for my shield. It shot out a thin, clear beam before plateauing and expanding, generating a paper thin layered dome that surrounded me.

A sharp gasp broke my deep concentration; I felt the shield retract, snapping immediately back to place. My eyes flew open and met Renata's awed ones. "Princess," she said breathlessly. "I saw you project it!" she exclaimed excitedly.

I nodded, too focused to speak out that she had distracted me, and closed my eyes once more when Renata became quiet. I forced my physical shield away again with the same motion, feeling the energy travel length-wise down the surface of my arms and out my hands. I sluggishly opened my eyes, examining the transparent dome that enveloped me—it left two feet of space inbetween myself and the shield. I retracted my arms; the shield stayed in place. Renata was outside, looking in with an expression of pure astonishment. I was vaguely aware that all the vampires within the room were staring at me—mostly in disbelief and shock. Three faces stood out: Aro's enthusiastic smile, Caius's suddenly interested expression, and Marcus's customary 'bored' appearance.

Renata circled me, inspecting my dome with unadulterated intrigue. She abruptly stopped and punched the wall as hard and fast as she could—I was barely able to track the movement of her balled fist. A sharp prick jabbed my shield the same time a resounding boom echoed the room—it sounded like a clap of thunder. The shield became surprising white where she'd made contact, a milky color instead of being translucent-clear. Renata's punch didn't hurt me in any way, but it wasn't necessarily enjoyable either; it was moreso the fact that I'd registered the hit in my mind.

"Cool," I mumbled from inside the dome as deafening silence overtook the chamber. Once the guards realized I was perfectly fine, their moods lightened; some began to chuckle in amusement while others shook their heads, stunned by Renata's demonstration.

"Renata!" I heard Aro say. "Not so loud. We do not wish to arouse suspicion," he chastised softly. His face was relaxed, however, so I didn't think it was that serious. In fact, I'd wager that he was too enthralled to really care.

Renata bowed her head at once. "My apologies, master," she promptly responded. She then twisted to face me, her scarlet irises flashing with anticipation. "Shall we resume our training? Try extending your mental shield now."

I nodded in agreement. I felt like I had a good grasp of my physical shield. Not excellent, by all means, but decent enough. I knew I could project it farther and hold it there if I wished—the shield wasn't as mentally demanding as I'd originally thought. And it felt exactly like what Renata had said earlier: my shield was a part, an extension, of myself.

My attempts to conjure up my mental shield ended in embarrassing failure. There was not a single instance where I could ascertain it had moved or if I could even feel it—anything at all. Whereas my physical shield had hovered almost imperceptibly above my skin, there was nothing for me to grasp onto. What I desperately needed was a starting point, a definitive part of my body where I could focus on to push out my shield.

"Have you tried projecting it with your mind?" Renata suggested after a pause from my unfruitful endeavors. "You utilize your arm movement for your physical shield; ergo, it's possible that you need to use your brain. It is a mental shield, after all," she carefully explained.

I frowned ever so slightly. Well, theoretically, it made sense. And a hypothesis was an improvement on blind, random attempts to produce my shield. Gritting my teeth, I thought of pushing my shield away from my mind. At first, there was no reaction I could detect. Shortly thereafter, I instantly perceived a small, but growing silver-metallic bulb that emanated from my head. It was extremely difficult to move—it resisted every force, every mental command I'd willed. I shoved as hard as I could, causing it to shroud my body for a fleeting second before it snapped back like a rubber band stretched to it's maximum limit.

"What happened?" Renata queried, confused at my panting, out-of-breath state. I took several deep breaths, calming myself. The mental shield was ten times more mentally challenging than the physical. It had taken every single ounce of my concentration to move it, and even so, it didn't move much.

"Did you see it?" I said, rudely ignoring her question.

She shook her head. "See what?" she replied, her tone confused.

I frowned to myself, pursing my lips. "I believe my mental shield isn't visible to others," I stated tentatively. "I could see it myself, but you reacted indifferently when I moved it." I suppose it was logical. My physical shield was physically there, inhibiting people from moving through it; on the other hand, my mental shield defeated mental gifts, which aren't necessarily physical—they affected the mind.

She nodded in understanding. "It's the same with mine. I can visualize it when I decide to project it, yet others cannot."

A/N: Yay, Bella did it! Hmm, she looks like she's having trouble with her mental shield, however. Hopefully, she'll be able to strengthen her shields with additional practice.