All things twilight belong to The awesome Stephenie Meyer
Songs For thought:
Here Without You - 3 Doors Down, Take Me under - Three Days Grace, Beyond the Sun - Shinedown
Chapter Twenty-Two - Volterra
We ran to make our connection, but I wasn't complaining, it would get us there sooner and waiting around would have been a bad idea. As soon as the plane was in the air I let myself slip back into my visions. I had to watch his every move, I needed to be able to keep an eye on him.
It was the same visions over and over again and he was still making decisions as the plane landed. But as soon as he was out of the gate he was heading toward Volterra and the Volturi. His decision on that was immediate, Now I had to wait as he drove, and contemplated what it was exactly he was going to say to them. I sat in silence and watched as the Tuscan countryside flew by the windows and I noted every twist and turn and corner he took, he would take the most direct path to them and I was going to make sure I took the same path. It would cut our travel time down a little.
I watched as he agonized over the memory of Bella, his thoughts revolved around her constantly. She was in his every thought, driving him ever forward to the destination of his death. A death he now wanted more than anything else. He thought about every possible strategy there was as he silently drove. I could feel my own body react to his torment. I watched as he made plan after plan in case the Volturi denied him. He wanted it over quickly and he knew the only way to get what he wanted was to shock them. He shied away from death but welcomed it as if it were an old friend. I was having difficulties watching some of his decisions, they were unnecessarily brutal and I knew that he could never really do that, it was against his nature.
He finally arrived in Volterra and approached the Volturi directly, he found one of the guards, identified himself and followed them to their dwellings. It was too quick, he had to slow down. I watched as he stood in front of them. He told the story of Bella, he asked them to grant him this death as a gift. He begged them and Aro, approached him cautiously. I was sure they saw him as a loose cannon at this point. Edward held out his hand and Aro touched him gently, a serene smile danced across his lips. I wasn't sure what this was or what it meant. I continued to watch. I was so attuned to Edward the vision came easily. He begged them to take his pain away. They told him they would consider it and that he should come back the next day.
Another day, that would give Bella and me more time to get there, I focused now on Aro and listened into their discussion. They found Edward interesting and Aro explained Edward's gift to the others and they discussed the option of having him join the Volturi. I didn't really enjoy that idea but I hoped it would stall the outcome for a while. They collectively decided that they would decline his request, they would not grant him death. Aro actually used the word wasteful when he told them his views on whether or not to grant this.
I opened my eyes and grinned, it had felt like it happened in seconds but the sleeping form of Bella next to me made me realize that we had in fact been traveling for a while, maybe even halfway through. I shook Bella gently, I had to let her know what was going on.
"Bella," I hissed but had trouble keeping quiet due to my excitement that they had decided to turn him down.
"What's wrong?" she whispered quietly.
"It's not wrong," I could feel a smile creep onto my lips for the first time since this whole mess started. "It's right. They're deliberating but they've decided to tell him no."
"The Volturi?" Bella asked groggy from her sleep.
"Of course, Bella, keep up. I can see what they're going to say."
"Tell me." Bella asked as she began to become more alert. An attendant approached us quietly.
"Can I get you ladies a pillow?" He asked quietly, his voice was just above a whisper and I realized that I had been too loud.
"No, thank you." I answered beaming up at him, I hit him with the full force of my charm. I didn't have time for his nosiness. He staggered away looking confused and I turned my attention back to Bella.
"Tell me." Bella whispered this time.
I leaned in closer to her so I could whisper quietly. "They're interested in him—they think his talent could be useful. They're going to offer him a place with them."
"What will he say?" Bella asked.
"I can't see that yet, but I'll bet it'll be colorful." I said grinning, he may not have been asked so I could see the decision but I knew him well enough to gauge his answer. He wouldn't want that lifestyle, I knew that much, but the question would throw him off and perhaps give us enough time to get there. "This is the first good news—the first break. They're intrigued; they truly don't want to destroy him—'wasteful,' that's the word Aro will use—and that may be enough to force him to get creative. The longer he spends on his plans, the better for us."
I could see the doubt on Bella's face, she wasn't sure it would be enough. I could see that she was running through all of the possibilities in her head. I couldn't blame her for not wanting to hope, we were still so far away and if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would probably be as hesitant.
"Alice?"
"What?"
"I'm confused. How are you seeing this so clearly? And then other times, you see things far away—things that don't happen?"
I knew what she was referring to. "It's clear because it's immediate and close, and I'm really concentrating. The faraway things that come on their own—those are just glimpses, faint maybes. Plus, I see my kind more easily than yours. Edward is even easier because I'm so attuned to him."
"You see me sometimes," Bella said quietly.
I shook my head. "Not as clearly."
Bella let out a long sigh. "I really wish you could have been right about me. In the beginning, when you first saw things about me, before we even met . . ."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"You saw me become one of you." she said almost inaudibly.
I sighed unsure of what to say, so I danced around the truth. "It was a possibility at the time."
"At the time," Bella repeated. I knew what she wanted from me but I wasn't sure if I should say it. I knew that she had a right to know and I knew I wanted to tell her.
"Actually, Bella. . ." I trailed off and hesitated, I still wasn't sure about whether or not I should say something. I had to, it was only fair. "Honestly, I think it's all gotten beyond ridiculous. I'm debating whether to just change you myself."
Bella stared at me eyes wide open, I saw a glimmer of something behind her eyes but it was gone before I could identify it. She was frozen in place. I was beginning to wonder if I'd frightened her.
"Did I scare you?" I wondered aloud. "I thought that's what you wanted."
"I do!" gasped Bella, and I realized the glimmer behind her eyes had been hope. I had never realized how much she had wanted this. "Oh, Alice, do it now! I could help you so much—and I wouldn't slow you down. Bite me!"
"Shh," I almost choked trying to get the sound out, I hadn't expected her to be quite so conformable to the idea. Not to mention the fact we had picked up the unwanted attention of the flight attendant again.
"Try to be reasonable," I whispered under my breath. "We don't have enough time. We have to get into Volterra tomorrow. You'd be writhing in pain for days." I could feel my face reflect my discomfort of Bella in pain. "And I don't think the other passengers would react well."
Bella bit her lip in contemplation. "If you don't do it now, you'll change your mind."
"No." I thought about it, Edward would probably want to rip me limb form limb. But I knew that it was coming and I knew I wouldn't be the one to do it, Edward would, even after I made the decision so say it and mean it. "I don't think I will. He'll be furious, but what will he be able to do about it?"
"Nothing at all." I heard her heart rate pick up speed as she allowed herself to hope.
I laughed at the sound quietly and sighed, I really hadn't known how much she wanted this. "You have too much faith in me, Bella. I'm not sure I can. I'll probably just end up killing you."
"I'll take my chances." She said defiantly.
"You are so bizarre, even for a human."
"Thanks." Bella said almost sarcastically.
"Oh well, this is purely hypothetical at this point, anyway. First, we have to live through tomorrow."
"Good point." Bella said but it didn't wipe the twinkle of hope from behind her eyes, I knew that she had a more positive outlook for tomorrow now and I was alright with that. It would give us incentive to move quicker when we hit the ground.
"Go back to sleep," I suggested quietly. "I'll wake you up when there's something new."
"Right," she grumbled and looked at me like I was insane. I pulled my knees up onto the seat, wrapped my arms around them and rested my forehead on my knees, it was time to go back to my vigilant watch. I had to keep an eye on Edward, when he heard the decision he would start with his backup plan and I was hoping and praying to a God I hoped listened to vampires prayers, that he would draw it out as long as possible, we had to get to him, we had to stop him.
I sat with my eyes closed, I could feel Bella's eyes boring into me as she watched me intensely. I concentrated on Edward, and waited. He was waiting for the appointed hour to return to the Volturi and get his answer. He looked agitated and I was sure it took all of his willpower to hold off until the hour they had suggested. He was still in pain and was thinking of ways to provoke them. It seemed he had an idea that they would say no, in fact he was concerned they would call Carlisle, no doubt.
When the hour finally came upon him he headed towards the dwellings through the dark streets, I tried to keep an eye on the direction he was headed in case we needed to find him. It was impossible the streets were like a dark twisting maze turning back on themselves before forking off into another direction. I gave up after a while and concentrated on the things in front of him. I tried to keep in mind recognizable landmarks.
He finally arrived at the Volturi's building and entered quietly keeping out of the gaze of the humans who were beginning to head to work, it was early in the morning, but it was a city that was almost stuck in time and there were trades men who took their livelihood seriously.
He paused in a clean office waiting to be admitted, waiting to hear his fate, whether they decided it or he did. He was still running through possibilities in his mind as he stood in front of them.
Aro smiled warmly at him as though he was greeting a son. There was compassion behind his eyes as he watched Edward closely.
Aro explained that they had in fact come to a decision and that there were declining his request for assistance in killing himself but that they were impressed with his gift and offered him a place with them. Edward stood still, thanked them for their offer, and declined. He excused himself from their presence and took to the streets. His mind flickered through possibilities. They came to me like snapshots, freeze frames of ideas he'd come up with. He was getting quite inventive. But he stopped on something I hoped he wouldn't be able to carry through. He decided to hunt.
He made his way through the city and stalked his potential victims, he was completely focused on his targets but something would always change his decision. There was a female he stalked through the streets and got very close to but she was visiting her lover and fell into his arms lovingly. Edward backed away, the scene was too painful for him. He followed another older woman down the street. She was carrying a large load and he offered to help her. He carried her things for her and charmed her as they walked, as he convinced her to enter an alleyway with him. I felt my breath stop, my body froze, and if my eyes weren't already closed I would have closed them. It seemed he was really going to do this.
As he leaned into the woman, he caught something running through her mind and he stopped. He dropped her things and disappeared. He changed his mind again.
This time he decided that he would just walk into the sun. That was it and he stuck with it. I saw people, a lot of people gathered and him walking out and sparkling like a diamond that catches a shard of light.
I let my body breath again. There was a clock tower that chimed as he did this and he would wait until the sun was high in the sky because the walls were high. This was our chance. We had to get there and fast. I felt the sun begin to warm my arm and I opened my eyes quickly. Through the small oval window of the plane, the sun was making it's first appearance of the day. I leaned over Bella and snapped it shut.
"What's happening?" Bella mumbled as her eyes flickered open.
"They've told him no," I said quietly.
"What's he going to do?" Bella asked her voice strained with panic.
It was chaotic at first. I was only getting flickers, he was changing plans so quickly."
"What kinds of plans?" Bella asked.
"There was a bad hour," I whispered. "He'd decided to go hunting."
Bella's face was blank, I felt like curling up into a ball and hiding, on the replaying of the scene in my vision, I found it hard to comprehend this was my brother. He seemed so lost, so vulnerable.
"In the city, It got very close. He changed his mind at the last minute."
"He wouldn't want to disappoint Carlisle," Bella mumbled, and she was right. I knew that even though Edward was determined to do this there was always his family and his love for them that played in the back of his mind. I knew this because it's how I would feel, and in matters like this we were very similar.
"Probably," I agreed, not knowing what else to say.
"Will there be enough time?" The plane began to descend as she asked me the loaded question.
"I'm hoping so—if he sticks to his latest decision, maybe."
"What is that?"
"He's going to keep it simple. He's just going to walk out into the sun."
Bella sat in contemplation and stared blankly at me, her eyes lit up at once and she gazed around the cabin in culmination and then looked back at me.
"We'll be too late," her voice was hoarse due to the panic.
I shook my head. "Right now, he's leaning toward the melodramatic. He wants the biggest audience possible, so he'll choose the main plaza, under the clock tower. The walls are high there. He'll wait till the sun is exactly overhead."
"So we have till noon?" Bella asked looking hopeful.
I knew that it would be hard to make guarantees when I couldn't see how it would play out for us, so I chose to be honest.
"If we're lucky. If he sticks with this decision."
The pilot came over the intercom, announcing, first in French and then in English, our imminent landing. The seat belt lights dinged and flashed.
"How far is it from Florence to Volterra?" Bella asked curiously.
"That depends on how fast you drive . . . Bella?"
"Yes?"
"How strongly opposed are you to grand theft auto?" I knew I needed a faster car than some Peugeot that barley got over eighty without suffering.
As soon as we left the gate I pointed Bella in the direction of the door I would meet her at, she agreed and I headed to get us a decent car. Italians are proud people and enjoy their luxuries, so I knew I would find something that would work for us.
It didn't take me long, two minutes in the parking garage and my small piece of heaven called me. It was Yellow, had a wonderfully dark tint, it was a Porsche and it was perfect. I headed towards the beauty and using some well acquired skills that Rosalie had so lovingly taught me I popped the locks easily and slid in. The Porsche was a turbo so it would get me where I needed to go and fast. I used another set of skills procured from my sister and started the car. The car purred beautifully and I threw it into gear and headed towards where Bella waited for me.
I came flying to the curb and watched as Bella's eyes reached a new level of open, I unwound the passenger window.
"Hurry, Bella!"I shouted. I didn't have time for her to stand there gawking, time was running from us and we had to keep up.
Bella ran to the door and threw herself in, she looked completely horrified. "Sheesh, Alice," she said looking at the people staring at the car. "Could you pick a more conspicuous car to steal?"
I stepped on the gas and clicked through the gears to get to the top speed as fast as I could, I was weaving through the traffic and heading in the direction that I recalled Edward heading in. my Photographic memory came in handy.
Bella grappled for her seatbelt and fumbled as she tried to click it into place.
"The important question," I corrected her, "is whether I could have stolen a faster car, and I don't think so, I got lucky."
"I'm sure that'll be very comforting at the roadblock."
I laughed at her sarcasm. "Trust me, Bella. If anyone sets up a roadblock, it will be behind us." I hit the gas again making the car fly even faster.
I was driving the same roads that Edward had taken, the countryside was beautiful but I didn't have the time to appreciate it. Bella was sat on the other side of the car holding as tightly as she could to anything she could find. Every time we wove around a car on the narrow two lane highway she would tense and wait for a collision. She had no faith in my driving abilities apparently.
I would check my visions occasionally but not dwell on them for long, I needed to keep some kind of watch on the road, I was a great driver but if I let myself get caught up in a vision the consequences could be disastrous, especially considering I had a human sat next to me and an impending deadline that was growing ever closer. I couldn't afford to make a mistake like that. From the things I did see, I could tell that there was some kind of celebration going on, people everywhere were wearing deep crimson and they were all gathering in the clock square. It seemed Edward had his large audience.
"Do you see anything more?" Bella asked quietly. She'd been quiet for a while.
"There's something going on," I muttered. "Some kind of festival. The streets are full of people and red flags. What's the date today?"
"The nineteenth maybe?"
"Well, that's ironic." I almost choked the words out in a strangled laugh. "It's Saint Marcus Day."
"Which means?"
"The city holds a celebration every year. As the legend goes, a Christian missionary, a Father Marcus—Marcus of the Volturi, in fact—drove all the vampires from Volterra fifteen hundred years ago. The story claims he was martyred in Romania, still trying to drive away the vampire scourge. Of course that's nonsense—he's never left the city. But that's where some of the superstitions about things like crosses and garlic come from. Father Marcus used them so successfully. And vampires don't trouble Volterra, so they must work." I smiled cynically. "It's become more of a celebration of the city, and recognition for the police force—after all, Volterra is an amazingly safe city. The police get the credit."
"They're not going to be very happy if Edward messes things up for them on St. Marcus Day, are they?" she asked understanding the irony of the situation.
I shook my head somberly. "No. They'll act very quickly."
Bella turned her head and glanced at the window, she, just like I, knew the severity of the situation.
"Is he still planning on noon?" she asked, hoping like I was that things hadn't changed.
"Yes. He's decided to wait. And they're waiting for him."
"Tell me what I have to do."
I kept my eyes on the road, it was winding and narrowing as we neared our destination.
"You don't have to do anything. He just needs to see you before he moves into the light. And he has to see you before he sees me."
"How are we going to work that?"
"I'm going to get you as close as possible, and then you're going to run in the direction I point you."
Bella nodded in understanding.
"Try not to trip," I added. "We don't have time for a concussion today."
Bella groaned and looked down at her hands, I felt bad for bringing it up but I hoped being more aware of her feet would keep her upright. As we got closer the sun seemed to jump higher in the sky. Bella became more restless and I pushed the car as fast as it would move.
There on top of a hill ahead of us was Volterra.
"There," I said pointing it out to Bella. I was hoping that having it in sight might ease her nerves a little, but I knew it was pointless at this point her nerves were as frazzled as mine were. I just couldn't show them yet.
"Volterra." I said. The word felt like a razor blade sliding along my tongue.
A/N: I seem to have become long winded :) lol. Well, I promised you two again today, so here it is the second chapter of the day.
I love the Porsche, I wanted to delve more into how Alice really felt about it, but I thought it would take away from the moment so I let it go, maybe she can describe it in detail to Jasper when she gets home :)
Thanks as always to my driving force, My reviewers. YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME! and of course YOU ROCK! (I wouldn't be me unless I said it lol)
Playlist link is on my profile :)