Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight
Chapter 3: Marked
Three Days Later
Bella POV:
I don't know how long I've had this bag over my head, but it's been quite a while. It's safe to say I have no idea where I am or how I got here. Wherever it is, it's boiling hot and humid. The traveling has been a nightmare. There are several of people I've been squished between, which isn't really helping with breathing. Every once in a while someone near will cry out or whimper, but then someone else comes along and shuts them up. I've just been moved to probably my fifth different room they've shoved me into, but this time they tore the bag off my head at last.
I immediately squinted against the newfound light in my eyes. A quick scan of the room made my stomach lurch. This is where I'm going to die. There appeared to be one other human in the chamber, a male around my age. Then of course there were three vampires, one checking over my vitals and such, another doing the same with the boy, and one vampire in the middle of the room who was obviously their superior. Noticing that both humans were staring at him he spoke.
"Hello my name is Aro," I instantly recognized his name, it's not one to forget. Yep, definitely dying here. "I am sure you are wondering why you are here and what is going to happen to you. Well, if I succeed you will become my most prized possessions." He smiled at this bit. He seemed a little off his rocker to me, even for a vampire. "The humans are getting cleverer. They are creating weapons that can destroy my kind, the vampires you see. Well we can't have that can we now? So I am trying to create obedient soldiers that the humans cannot destroy. Royal soldiers for the Volturi that will have no need to disobey orders." At that moment I felt a sharp pain in my arm and gasped. The vampire who was previously checking my vitals was taking a needle with ink to my left forearm. Aro smirked at my outburst and continued his I'm sure well-rehearsed speech. "Felix and Demetri are both marking you as Volturi property. From now on your serial number is your name. You will only answer to your number. That is, of course, if you survive." A Cheshire grin spread across his face and with a swish of his cloak he left the room.
I looked down once again to my throbbing forearm that now had a serial number etched in black ink across my skin. 173952. I could already picture Charlie finding my body washed up on some shore with this number on me. My heart ached thinking about it. Eighteen years old and dead before I even graduated high school. I looked across from me at the boy and wondered who he was leaving behind and how he got here. Demetri and Felix regarded each other and nodded, each pulling out two matching syringes.
"This won't hurt a bit." The vampire inserting the needle into my arm gleefully said. I just closed my eyes and prayed that it would be a quick death.