Chapter 16: Volterra

Carlie

My mind was reeling and my heart was pounding harder than it ever had before as the plane descended. I looked out the window at the beautiful Italian landscape that was getting ever closer and closer.

Cujo nudged my arm out of his way and licked my face. I scratched the top of his head. I knew he was trying to help me calm down a little. And it was working….a little. A very little.

I glanced back at Nessie and Eric. Neither one of them made a sound. Like me they two also looked like if they dared to open their mouths they would empty the contents of their stomachs.

With a jolt the airplane landed on the ground. Great. It just meant that I was now that much closer to my demise. My babies started kicking up a storm. My hand flew to my stomach as I remembered it wasn't just my demise that would occur. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Nessie rub her belly. Then I saw Cujo push his daughter behind him. That's when I realized that we were all equally terrified to lose not only our own lives but the lives of those we held most dear.

One of the dark cloaked vampires approached us for the first time. "Follow us," he ordered.

"Yes sir," I said not sure whether I was supposed to speak or not. I just followed. Nessie and Eric were by my side. Cujo walked close to us. I felt an empty feeling in the pit of my stomach. It was the feeling that usually came over me when I was on a roller coaster. Butterflies were suddenly abound in my stomach. Then I realized that this was all just an adrenaline rush. My fight or flight response kicking in. Though I knew if I ran right now no amount of adrenaline would save me. Hell I probably wouldn't even get two feet before they caught me.

I glanced around at my surroundings one last time unsure if I would ever see the outside world ever again. This small Italian town was a very beautiful place. If it weren't for the circumstances surrounding my presence here I would have really took the time to appreciate the beauty. "This way," one of them vampires ordered.

We descended deep underground. It was pitch black and I couldn't see a thing. I felt around in the darkness until I felt fur. I grabbed onto Cujo's collar and let him lead me as I knew he had far better eyesight than I did. I gasped when someone grabbed my arm.

"It's just me," I was relieved when I heard my brother's voice trembling. It pained me to hear my brother sounding so scared. I wished that there was something that I could do to protect him and keep him safe. But I was just as powerless as he was. I might as well have been fully human.

I chuckled nervously. I used to think that vampires were so cool back when I still believed that they were mythical creatures. Heck I'd gone through a few years where I was downright obsessed with everything vampire related. I drove my parent's crazy. Yet here I was about to die at the hands of a vampire. It was quite ironic really.

We kept on walking for a very long time until we finally got to what appeared to be a waiting area. I was surprised to see a human secretary there greeting us. I wondered if she knew the secret. If she knew she worked in a place filled with bloodthirsty vampires. She seemed very surprised Cujo and Lady. I guess they didn't see many dogs walking around the place.

"Wait here," we were ordered.

It wasn't until we were alone, more or less, that the panic began to set in.

"It's going to be okay," Nessie's voice sounded as far away from reassuring as one could possibly get.

"No it's not,"

"Yeah," she said. "You're is a ninety nine point nine percent that we are going to die here today. Way too many laws have been broken,"

"I didn't know it was illegal for me to know," Eric's voice shook.

"It was also illegal for us not to do something about it once we knew that you knew about vampires," Nessie said.

"Maybe you could just change me into a vampire. Right here, right now,"

"I can't. I'm not venomous. Besides it wouldn't make a difference anyway. They'd still kill you for telling your friends when you were younger,"

"But I didn't know it was wrong to say anything and it's not like my friends believed me anyway. They thought I was just making up stories!"

"The Volturi don't give second chances, Eric. We're better off just accepting that we're not leaving here alive,"

Eric's face was beyond pale. I felt like I was going to throw up. Cujo cried. Nessie was scared but I could tell that she was trying to put on a brave face for the rest of us. I was touched that she cared so much about us to try to bring us comfort in what was possibly that last hour, no, last minutes, maybe even last seconds, of our lives.

My heart started beating faster when one of the dark cloaked vampires returned. "Come. Aro wishes to speak with you three,

I nodded. I grabbed Cujo's collar to stop him. I didn't want him or Lady following us anymore. Maybe they could at least get away. "Stay Cujo, stay Lady,"

"No. The dogs come as well,"

I took a deep shaky breath. Of course. I couldn't even be allowed this one tiny bit of relief. That at least our dogs would get out of here alive. I didn't say another word after that. I just followed him. We went into what I could only describe as a throne room. There were three of them sitting on thrones. I had never seen them before but I knew right away that these were the three leaders of the Volturi. Aro, Caius, and Marcus. They weren't alone either. They were surrounded by a plethora of other vampires guarding them. The infamous Volturi Guard. I only recognized Jane and Alec. I noticed one of the other female vampires in the guard eyeing my brother curiously.

Eric gasped. "That's my mom," he whispered into my ear.

"What?"

"That's my biological mother," he continued to whisper. "I know it's her. She still looks exactly the same as I remember her,"