I tried to decelerate my breathing as the plan descended to land in Veneto, Italy.

Now, this town had nothing significant except the fact that it was only 10 minutes from Volterra, home of the Volturi.

The very vampires that we had worked so hard to keep me secret from. I wasn't ready to meet them, to show them that I was the one in charge and not them.

That they weren't the rulers of the universe anymore.

I just wasn't ready for that.

But I had a feeling I was going to have to be ready.

With Volterra only 10 minutes from Veneto, one of them was bound to show up.

Angela was my roommate for the weeklong trip and for that I was glad.

I had pulled her aside after confirming we would be roommates and explained to her that she might have to cover for me a couple times. She asked why of course and so I had to explain…kinda.

"Well, remember the crazy lady that captured us both?" She nodded. "Well, turns out there are a lot of people like her and for some reason none of them like me. Well the head of their organization thing is only 10 minutes away from Veneto in a town called Volterra. They're stronger than everyone else. Steroids, serious weight lifting. They do it all. So I have to be careful and lead them on trails. They can't know where I'm staying and if I can help it, that I'm there at all."

She understood the seriousness of it and grasped that I couldn't say more.

But she would cover for me.

The place we were staying in wasn't like a regular hotel. We were too young for that.

It was almost like our own bording house or something. It was in the center of town and all the doors locked at 9PM. There was a bathroom in each room where everyone was paired up in twos and there were little mini-fridges to store snacks.

Only the teachers and parents had keys to unlock the room after 9PM and before 8AM.

The place was gorgeous and had an indoor and outdoor pool. Part of me wondered how we had managed to raise this much money and another part didn't care.

We got there at night so we had to go to 'sleep' right away.

Yeah, right.

This was 10 year olds you were talking to. Get real.

Angela and I unpacked and I quickly fished out the cell phone that Aaron had given me for the trip.

Angela looked at me questing but didn't ask questions as I retreated to the other side of the room and lowered my voice as I rang Aaron up.

The phone only rang once. "Any trouble?"

If I weren't so tense myself, I would have laughed at him. "No, we've only just landed and no one has approached us to go visit the castle."

"Good. You'll be able to spot them easy without looking into their eyes. They usually wear long dark hooded cloaks that they usually have pulled up to keep the sun off of their skin."

"Okay. I'll be on the lookout."

"Bella, be careful. I'm hopping on a plane tomorrow and should hopefully be there around midday."

"I'll be waiting."

"Try not to run into anyone or anything by then."

"I'll try."

"That's all I can ask."

"Hurry."

"Be careful."

I hung up and shuffled over to the bed I shared with Angela.

"Everything okay?" She asked concerned.

I smiled at her as convicingly as I could.

She saw through it and frowned at me.

I sighed. "Yes, everything is good."

She shot me a look.

"For now."

The next day we were up and ready to go by 10AM.

We were off to see a couple different places and have lunch. We had three groups and were in rotations and timed as to how long we were in each place.

One of the places was called Marostica where a human chess game was played.

I slipped on a tank and some shorts but opted to wear tennis shoes versus the flip-flops everyone else seemed to wear.

I had a knife stored on the inside of my shorts and my weapon in my skin.

Both ready to use at a moments notice.

Angela had the camera and she seemed to notice that I was on guard but she didn't say anything but willingly took pictures of things I wanted to have memories of or simply things I wanted to study later.

Not that I told her that last part.

We were watching the human chess game with Angela taking pictures when I felt a certain shift in the air.

A certain type of stillness.

I forced my muscles not to freeze and not to drop into an automatic crouch.

I waited a few moments and when the stillness didn't leave, I shifted like I was bored.

And there in the shadows was a member of the guard.

I didn't look at them long, just long enough to scrunch my face at them in fake confusion before turning back to the no longer interesting game.

The guard member had looked exactly as Aaron had said. Long cloak and absolute stillness.

I couldn't quite make out the crest in my brief examination.

Angela looked at me and opened her mouth to ask a question, but I put a finger to my lips and then pretended to wipe my mouth to avoid suspicion from the Guard.

She shrugged as if I had said something and I gave a soft laugh. She was good at acting on the go. I turned back to the game, but I never relaxed completely until the Guard moved away.

Then I could breath easy again.

But I kept my guard up for the rest of the day.

Nothing happened the rest of the day and for that I was grateful. It was dark now and we were all headed up to our rooms.

It was almost a relief to be inside a building where following me would be not only crazy but very conspicuous.

I went to sleep quickly.

I jumped in surprise as the air around me shifted.

I quick scan around assured me there was no one unnatural or unusual in the building.

"Bella?" came Angela's sleepy voice. Her arm had been draped over my stomach and my jump had woken her.

"Just go back to sleep, Ang." I murmured quietly as I got up and changed into jeans and a tee shirt.

"Is it the crazy people?" She asked sitting up.

I contemplated lying but this was Angela we were talking about.

"Yeah, it is Ang. Don't worry, I'll be fine."

I headed towards the door.

"What are you going to do about the cameras?"

I stopped dead. "What Cameras?"

"You must have been spaced during that. There are cameras in the hallways in case of one us manage to get or someone manages to get it. Alarms will go off if it sees you."

I could always get around that, but I think Angela would freak if she saw me dissolve into thin air. Instead, I headed to the window.

"Anything I need to know about the windows."

She stared at me open mouthed. "Are you insane? You'll drop to your death!"

"No, I won't. I promise. Is there anything with the windows Angela?" I asked urgently.

She shook her head in disagreement. "They're barred."

I groaned softly and threw the window open. Luckily they were spaced far enough away I could slip through them with only a slight bit of manipulation and Angela wouldn't be any wiser.

I slipped through easily enough and held onto the bars and closed the window mostly.

"Don't' close the window all the way, but close the curtains. I'll knock before I come in. Assuming your going to stay up and wait for me?"

She looked at me like I was crazy. Maybe I was. "Of course, I'm going to wait for you. Bella, be careful."

I smiled at her though she probably couldn't see me. "I'll come back Angela. I promise. Now come close the curtains and don't watch."

She looked at me wistfully before doing what I asked.

I looked around for the first time; the only supernatural was the one that was intent on the kill right now.

The one I was out here to stop.

It was a bit high, but I pushed off the window and dropped to the ground and landed lightly on my feet.

Something fluttered on the edge of my senses but I didn't have time to analyze it for the vampire was moving in for the kill.

The girl couldn't have been more than 16.

I broke out into a full out run down the street, but they were on the other side and I didn't think I would make it.

She was backed into the wall, muttering, "help, help, help…" but made no move to run.

Which was probably smart. It would just make him pounce sooner.

I had only gone through the air once, but I had to try.

I had to be there, I had to be there, I had to be there…

I slammed into the vampire as his teeth were but an inch from her throat.

As he went flying I swung and knocked the girl out.

I caught her and gently laid her down. "Sorry." I murmured before I turned back to the snarling vampire.

"Who the hell are you?" he snarled at me.

I smirked. "You're worst nightmare."

I lunged at him but he moved out of the way.

"You're fast for a human." He noted.

"Who said I was human?" I asked swinging and catching him in the jaw.

"You smell like one."

"Maybe I'm half vampire, half human." He swung at me but I caught his punch, and gutted him.

He grunted. "Those don't exist."

"Myths right? Kinda like you?"

With a blur of movement, he kicked me back into the building. "Point taken, girly."

I rolled to my feet and hissed at him.

"What do they call you girl?" He said as we continued to exchange blows.

No point in hiding who I was. "Bella."

He swung low and that was his mistake.

I flipped over him and just like I had done with Jason a month before, grabbed him mid flip, and slammed him down in an arch in front of me.

Before he had a chance to move, a grabbed his head, planted my foot on his shoulder and pulled.

His head came off and with a burst of anger and fire, he became ash.

I turned to write a note to the girl, but there was movement in the hotel I was staying in.

"Crap," I murmured and quickly ran back to the base of it where my window was above.

I could feel Angela pacing and muttering, "hurry, Bella."

Teachers were just a door down.

Mustering all the power I had, I traveled through the air and through the window and came right in behind her.

I clasped my hand over her mouth to keep her from screaming and said, "It's me. Stall them as I change."

A knock sounded on the door and Angela yelled out, "Coming!" as I raced to get my socks and shoes back in place and throw on my pajamas.

Angela looked back at me and then opened the door. "Did you hear the crashes?" she asked them anxiously.

I mentally winced as I starred at the window. I hadn't meant to be loud.

"Yes, are you girls all right?"

I looked at him for the first time and nodded.

"Good. Try to get some sleep. The police have been called. Everything will be fine."

He shut the door and Angela raced over to me.

"Are you alright? Are you hurt? How did you just appear? What-"

"Angela! Everything is fine, I'm not hurt, and I'm not allowed to tell you how I appeared. Trust me, you're better off not knowing. But everything is fine now."

I didn't mention the unconscious girl as we slipped back in bed and I quickly fell asleep.

Unbeknownst to me, someone…. someone dark…was watching.

Up on the building across from the hotel

"Who is she?" a petite girl asked her partners as they starred down through the window she had forgotten to close.

"I heard her say her name was Bella. She gave no last name." A man responded with a think British accent.

"And the other girl. Does she know?"

"No," a different man answered. "She's completely oblivious to our world."

"Good. One of them is enough."

"They are headed to Accademia dei Concordi tomorrow. It suits us well if we are to bring her in tomorrow for the Masters."

"Yes, very close and very little room to escape. We will have to cage her in. She will sense us I am sure of it. I'm surprised she did not sense you…" the girl said turning to look at the first man.

"I believe she was preoccupied."

"Let us hope she is tomorrow as well. Though somehow I doubt it. Come, we must prepare the masters for this strange half human half vampire. Good thing she is not as strong as us."

Back with Bella

We were going to the Accademia dei Concordi today. It was some kind of museum I think.

But I was tense; something had been on the edge of my senses all night and I had not slept well.

And then I woke up to find we had left the curtains open and I had panicked.

Angela gave me some space. I think I had scared her.

So it was around noon and we were headed to some boring museum that any other time I probably would have been fascinated by.

We got to a certain point and then had to go on foot.

We were halfway there-building surrounding us-when I froze.

My head snapped to my right and there in the shade with his hood pulled off, was Felix.

And he was looking straight at me.

They were what I had felt last night.

They had seen me fight and then watched me all night.

I looked around frantically and saw that Jane, Demetri, and another one who's name i couldn't remember had boxed me in.

I gripped Angela's arm so hard that she gave off a little cry of pain.

I hissed in her ear, "you thought I was up front."

And then I took off running.

I didn't bother pretending to be normal and run normal and neither did they.

I was in a full out sprint with Felix and the other I didn't remember behind me.

The other two were going down different roads trying to cut me off.

I felt the roads the other two were going down then flipped over the two behind me to run down a different road.

I thanked my stars that I had chosen to get fit.

But I was running out of options. I couldn't run forever, I didn't know where Aaron was, and even if he was here we couldn't very well fight four of the best members of the guard even with my powers.

It was high pitched and only vampires would be able to hear it but I called out for him anyways. "AARON!"

I put on a burst of speed as I felt Felix and the other one gaining.

"Why aren't you using your gift?" Felix snarled at him.

"I am!" he snarled back as a mist surrounded my head.

I coughed and waved it away.

"See?" The other one said. "She's immune."

I could remember him now. The other one was Alec.

I leaped over a car and slammed into something hard.

I automatically kicked at it and felt teeth graze me ankle.

I yelped as I started a roll to land.

I hadn't been paying enough attention and they now had me boxed in.

I rolled to my feet and hissed at them.

"We're not here to hurt you," Felix said.

My response was a hiss.

"Oh shut up and stop hissing," Jane said. "We just want to talk."

I gave her a look. "Give me a break. You exist to acquire or destroy. You won't be doing either with me so go play with someone else bitch."

She growled at me and I turned my hands into claws.

Alec suddenly leaped at me and I twisted out of the way just to be grabbed by Felix.

He had my arms locked and lifted me up but I threw me legs behind his and knocked his knees and as he fell forward but I flipped us over at the last second and he slammed into the pavement.

I rolled off him and kicked Jane away from me but Demetri kicked my knees in, locked my arms through one of this, and slammed my head down onto the pavement. I cushioned the slam with the air, but it still took a moment before the stars stopped dancing before my eyes and I could see again.

Felix was in my eyesight and I could feel Jane and Alec on either side of me while Demetri held me down.

I hissed.

"You're coming with us."

I was yanked up and led into a passage that would lead me to their castle.

As we dropped into the shade, the others pulled back their hoods to reveal their faces.

Jane came up to me and snapped her teeth at me.

I was unimpressed.

It didn't sound as menacing as when she did it, but I snapped my own teeth back at her.

She laughed. "Girl's got spunk. I like it."

She turned and walked down the passageway.

Right before we walked in the doors she turned to me.

"Oh, and Bella?"

I glared at her and she smiled back angelically.

"Welcome to Italy."

Well, what do you think?

Thanks to bella234171819, the pixie-like vampire, crimson-goth-girl, and motherduckatschool for reviewing the last chapter!

Please review this one!

Next chapter will be out about 1pm USA pacific time on thursday!