Hello me readers! It's been two months.. I bow in shame. But I have my reasons: Colleges, going to china, still being in china, little to no internet access...etc. Once again my greatest damn apologies for my late update.:( Please enjoy. ((Ehhhh sorry for the second email; this internet is driving me crazy. It keeps telling me that I only have 3 chapters up :P))

Thank you to my lovely beta: BigKTo

Disclaimer: I do not own the twilight saga only what I change about the twilight saga.

August 1856~

Didyme's eyes shot open in the dark. She could still feel the hairs of her neck bristling and her heart felt extremely tight. The sun had set a few hours ago and despite the ache still present in her bones, she didn't want to stay still any longer. Slowly, she pushed herself up. Marcus had long gone to train his men, leaving the other half of the bed cold and empty.

She smiled as she heard steps running up to her door. A young boy of thirteen came bursting into the room, sweat dripping from his long bangs.

She thought of the day she had found him mewling like a kitten at the foot of their bed. She had just found out that she was pregnant with Demetri and the idea had not sat well with her that the human child had come from Aro's orders. Thankfully a message arrived from Carlisle a few days later that had ended her dilemma. Edward would be her son; the heavens had given her a second blessing.

As he ran to her a bedside, the wind from his movements pushed back his bangs enough to reveal a very large, very prominent black eye. The ecstatic boy seemed not to notice the wound.

"Mother, father is allowing me to go with him to receive the new group of Commons." His green eyes shown with excitement as the words spilled out of his mouth.

"That's wonderful," Didyme began, but before she could continue, Edward was already rushing off. She chuckled and said. "Come back here will you." Reluctantly, Edward froze at the door and turned back to face her, but this time with his bangs over his left eye. Slowly, he made his way back to the bed. "Yes?" he said under his breath.

"How did it happen?" Edward did not meet her eyes.

"What do you mean?" He replied. Didyme smiled softly and lifted a hand to brush his hair out of his eyes.

"You know what."

"I fell." Edward muttered. Didyme looked skeptical. Gently, she touched the bruising with one finger. Edward winced under the slight pressure..

"You fell." Didyme pressed, amused. Edward nodded his head ferociously. Didyme sighed, "Well, let me heal it." Edward backed away quickly from her hands. "It's really alright mother. You know what healing does to you." he smiled ruefully. "I really quite like it." With that he gave his mother a kiss and ran out the door and into the hall.

Didyme smiled at how mature her baby had become, but sighed as she reclined her head against the wooden headboard. She could feel it, the time passing. It was something that she hadn't felt in a long time and she knew what it meant.

oOo

His heart was still pounding after delivering the news to his mother. His father had said that all he needed was his mother's approval and he would finally be able to go to his first Selection. He heard from talk among the older vampyre trainees that the Selection was nothing compared to the induction, something that he would have to go through himself. He had never seen it happen before. The last batch of common children had come when he was five.

His father had put him under training the minute he had turned twelve saying that as a human, he had to make up for the disadvantages. This gave the youngest trainees plenty of chances to take him apart every morning, but he was getting better. From being unable to stay off the ground for even a few seconds the first time he sparred the youngest most inexperienced trainee, he was now almost on par. Stupid vampire strength though.

He had been lost in thought as he ran towards the stables when a streak of black he could recognize anywhere launched itself from the bushes. He reached his arms out just fast enough to catch it as the creature fell into his chest and pushed him down.

"Argh, Demetri!" He exclaimed. His brother was only nine and reminded him more of a wombat than a vampire as he clung to his longer torso. "You know you can break my ribs right? Haven't you learned anything in Mrs. Corva's control lessons?" Edwards said as he detached the younger boy from his body. "Wait, aren't her lessons now?"

"You said you would take me." Demetri said with pleading dark blue eyes looking out from under long lashes.

"I said no such thing." said Edward with a smile as he avoided eye contact.

"Brother please." Demetri said with a hint of whining as he jumped over and over again in an attempt to establish eye contact. Finally, Edward grabbed him by the shoulders to hold him down. "You'll experience the induction when you turn thirteen like everyone else. You know father didn't give you permission" Demetri's shoulders slumped in defeat. Finally he said,

"Mrs. Corva won't stop making me use my strength. I don't like being so violent." said Demetri quietly. Edward smiled knowingly, so that was what was bothering his gentle brother.

"It's part of the training. You can't control without losing some control first. Plus," Edwards said as Demetri looked up. "I heard Mrs. Corva tell father you've been doing great."

"Really?" Demetri said, his prior problem seeming to have disappeared.

"Yah, really. Now hurry and go back." Edward said pushing his brother to send him off. As he turned to continue to the stable he heard his brother shout.

"Alright, but you'll take me next year right?"

"Sure, sure" He said under his breath, but right now he was almost late.

His speed picked up as he neared the stables and a sigh of relief escaped him when he saw that the group of five and eight stars were still getting ready. He could see his father already mounted on his black steed Abathos. It's body was larger compared to the other horses' present but seemed sleek despite its size. Marcus sat looking into the woods with Eleazar talking quietly next to him on his own grey speckled steed, Grusha. Her dark gray mane fluttered as she shook her neck.

Hurriedly, he ran up to them and stopped next to Grusha, out of breath. When he noticed Eleazar turning around to look at him, he motioned with his fingers for him to be quiet but it was to no avail.

"Look Marcus, your son arrives." Eleazar said loudly with laughter in his voice. A strand of his wavy dark brown hair fell across his forehead.

"I heard him from a mile away Eleazar." Marcus said not looking away from the woods. His deep voice was not loud but held command and strength. He had a faded scar across the bridge of his nose that he had gained during his human life and black shoulder length hair. Edward had never been truly scared of his father but he had also never trained with his father or seen him fight. "Edward, you'll be riding with Eleazar." Marcus said turning to look at him. His exterior was controlled, but Edward knew that his mother had fallen in love with a soft man, or so she says.

"Why do I have to ride with the human" came Eleazar's teasing reply as he got off his horse. Reluctantly Edward was hoisted up onto Grusha. The gentle mare stayed still for the new inexperienced rider. Eleazar got on after him and grabbed the leather reins. Edward looked back to see that the rest were ready and they were off.

oOo

The group slowed as they neared a clearing near the center of the forest. There were no clouds in the midnight sky and the moon shown brightly overhead making the clearing as bright as day for the vampyres. Thankfully, it was also bright enough for his sight to adjust. How embarrassing would it have been if he had stumbled or fallen over later when he had to get off Grusha. They sat silently in waiting with only the breathing of the horses to fill the silence. This gave Edward time to remember the basics of the Volturi structure he learned last year.

The head figure or leader was Aro. His right and left hand men are his father and Caius. His father was in charge of the offense and defense branch of the Volturi and the members of his branch where characterized mainly by their incredible stamina and abilities to fight. They were warriors in a sense and like warriors they had ranks. After being inducted, trainee's wore the four point star. Full soldiers were then given the five point star and warriors had tattoos of the eight point star.

Caius on the other hand was in charge of the information and networking system of the organization. His members were called the Sleipnir. Swift, sly and constantly adapting, the eight-legged horse that is one of the offsprings of Loki seemed a fitting symbol for men who were meant to never be seen when conducting business.

Eight seemed an oddly reoccurring number because the simplified symbol of the Volturi was an eight with a circle on each side. Eleazar had told him it was called the double infinity, but Edward had argued that the double infinity looked different in history books. Eleazar had muttered under his breath that if Caius got what he wanted, the Volturi would be history in the making.

Edward heard nothing, but he looked into the woods on the other side of the clearing when he saw Grusha's ears twitched.

Watching Renata move always reminded Edward of a elf wading through water. Her long limbs swayed slowly at her sides. She had on the usual clothes of the Sleipnir, a black cloak. She raised the a hand to pull the large hood off, revealing in the process a sharp almond shape face. Only one expression graced that face. Just calm, all the time. Emotionless. The way his mother had tried to explain it was that her soul had been eroded by time and what was left of her was as deep as the canyons of the west. And Edward had wondered that if she really was so empty, how could she still bear to live?

But even now after who knows when she was turned, she served obediently in the shadow by Caius' side. She inclined her head slightly to show Marcus her respects before leaving as silently as she came. Her job was done, the commons were here. As if to confirm his thoughts, the loud rustling of leaves came from where Renata had emerged.

"Are we suppose to go out?" Came a burly voice.

"I don't know. She didn't speak to us even once." Came a slightly higher voice.

"Ow, get off of me." Exclaimed the softer voice of a female. Suddenly a little boy flew out of the bushes. From where Edward was seated, he could see that it was a very small boy with curly ginger hair. A very incredibly small boy who looked as if he was about to be sick. Eleazar whispered to Edward.

"Poor fella. He's trembling so hard it looks like there's two of him." The humor left his voice, "If the rest don't come out soon they'll be seen as cowards. There are no positions for cowards." Edward felt the severity of his words down in that place on the right bottom side of his stomach. It seemed like a reminder for him too. Unknowingly, Edward let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding as the first of 27 made their way out of the trees.

After being ordered to form two horizontal lines, older in the back and younger in the front. Four were taken off to the side after being unable to find their place. As they were pulled off to the side Edward caught a short sturdy man walking out from the corner of his eye from the left side of his father. The man's steps were very steady and swift; despite his wide shoulders and thick arms. His hair was a short dark brown puff at the back of his head. His eye brows were very thick as was his mustache and beard.

Let it now be known that most vampires are not inhumanly beautiful, ethereal. They are just pronouncements of their former selves.

"My name is Dino," came the steady voice of the the short man. "Let me offer a word of comfort to you bunch of worthless pussies." The last word was emphasized with much fervor and spit. "If you cannot find yourselves capable of FORMING HORIZONTAL LINES." Eleazar's soft chuckling could be heard by trained ears in the background. "YOU WILL NOT LIVE LONG ENOUGH FOR HAIR TO GROW MORNING STUBBLES ON YOUR WORTHLESS PUSSY FACES!"

From one of the boys to the left came a murmur. "That wasn't comforting." Some of the others froze as Dino began to walk slowly towards the voice. He stopped in front of twins and spoke to the one of the right.

"What did you say?" He said quietly putting his ear closer to the boys face.

"Nothing sir." The boy stuttered.

"What did you say boy." Dino pressed.

"That wasn't comforting sir." the boy muttered.

"Louder!" Dino exclaimed.

"That WASN"T COMFORTING SIR!" The boy yelled a gleam of sweat visible where Edward was sitting.

" What is your name boy?"

"Cicero sir."

"Let me make it clear now Cicero and to all others here to be selected. Comfort is a luxury. The Volturi life style is most definitely not luxurious." Dino turned to walk back and there were some gasps from the two lines. By turning they could see what Edward had seen just a moment before, the bumpy stub that was left of Dino's left ear. "Leave if that was what you came here for. Also while my hearing remains perfect I and all trained soldiers here believe that resulting to whispering for normal communication is a sign of sloth." By the time he finished Dino was back standing in front of the two lines.

"Now let's begin."

I need reviews to encourage me to continue. Thank You and until next time!

-Liane