HEYYYY! (Screw repetitiveness! It's an amazing greeting :p)

Wow. I'm flabbergasted! (Now that is an awesome word. I command it should be used more frequently :p) The amount of reviews?! 65! Wowzerrs! 477 reviews! YAY! Close to 500! Okay. I'll make a deal. If the review count hits 500, then I shall update extra super duper fast! (But remember, it's the content that's best. No, screw that. It's the act of reviewing that makes me so happy :p) SO THANKS, to EVERYONE who's been reviewing out there! You guys rock! (Yup. Perfectly aware that probably none of you, are in fact guys. But on the off chance?... Okay, I'll rewrite that: You READERS rock!)

Okay. I'm sorry. Late update huh? Well, may I say, I think I officially have THE most valid excuse/s to date, okays? Ready for it? No? Ah well, you've got me started now:

1). Twilight DVD came out. I figured: hmmm… this could give some inspiration! But no. Sadly, it did not. In fact, instead, it just made me laugh a lot. Sorry people, but when Carlisle plays baseball? Now THAT is pure comedy at its best!

2). DOCTOR WHO (cue oo oo oooo music :p) was on. Naturally, I had to devote my attention to that. (Okay. Yeah. Admittedly, it was about a flying bus… and strange fly thingies…that died. Yeah, people should mourn for the strange flies that died, and made.. Strange clicking noises…but hey, it's Doctor Who people! I couldn't miss it :p)

3). Easter. Means. Chocolate. Think about how many Easter eggs I could be eating? But NOOO, instead I was furiously typing away at this chapter (furiously typing away? Wow. That's a new one.)

4). Engineering course. *cough* Okay… lets just say, that I don't think you'll need to worry about me devoting my time to any more of them in the future. I had to 'socialise' as my dearest mother calls it, with one heck of a lot of people who were fascinated about building bridges out of paper. Right. :p

5). Revision: being the amazing student I am, I spend countless hours devoting myself to work and helping lost little ducklings find their way back to the pond… no. Okay. I can't lie. I did not revise a bit. Nor do I think I will have the strength to do so… still, the prospect is scaring me. And when I'm scared I can't write. (I have no idea where the whole 'ducklings' bit came from. Maybe it's something to do with ducklings linking to spring, and spring linking to Easter… No… let's face it… I'm going crazy.)

I'll blame the crazy bit on chocolate. No! (that's sacrilege!) the lack of chocolate ;)

Back to the story. *huff* Well, I'm really, really sorry… but… I'm skipping Lucie's conversation with her father. It won't come to me yet! But I will (I think, tell me your thoughts in the reviews) include it in a later chapter! I can't right now, because it holds lots of detail (meaning I'd have to divide this chapter into like..3..) and stuff that would be too obvious. Lucie's confuzzeled (right that does it! I am officially adding confuzzeled to my dictionary) with all the information she's getting, but you readers might not be.

So yup. It skips that *cowers away from readers who-brandish-all-things pointy.* SORRY! Anyway, if you can't guess by the italics, this chapter starts off as a dream.

Enjoy!

What Happened Last Chapter:

"No, I- I don't feel-" But I choked on the sentence as it died and Bella just smiled ruefully, before closing my door softly behind her.

I fell to the bed again, a headache forming. Because the truth was, I knew how Edward felt; how Jacob felt; how Bella felt.

But how did I feel? I didn't know…

Was Bella right?

Would Edward, break my heart?

Or would it stop beating before he could…

***

Surreal Reality Falls

I was standing in a sort of clearing, when I felt the cold breath against my neck. The smell of rotting corpses was the first thing I registered as I squirmed away in the darkness, now aware of the cool hands groping my face.

I didn't scream though. I couldn't. It was as if my lips had been sown shut. I could see now, the sight of a forest loomed before me, and then the realisation that came with it: that I was not alone. Figures surrounded me, in a circle, stopping any chance of escape, yet even that prospect seemed impossible, especially since I stood frozen. That and the fact that I could still feel the clammy hands binding me, unwilling for my escape. Not permitting speech, let alone movement.

One of the dark figures stood closer, its dark cloak flowing and lifting in the non-existent breeze. It lifted its hood, the blood red eyes raked over me. He reached forward, touching my cheek in a twisted parody of a caress. It was only when I felt the hot flow of blood fall down my cheek and into his palm, that I realised he'd cut me.

"Enough Demetri." Called a musical voice, horribly beautiful, I sought its source.

"Yes, master Aro." the figure - Demetri - moved back, merging once more into the shadows. Now another figure stood out from the circle, his presence seemed more significant, as he moved closer, with ethereal grace, whispering into my ear.

"You must come to us, Luciana. Else your loved ones will not remain… intact." I felt my breath cease at his words, just as the horrible twisted laughter echoed around me. Then another figure was by me, her movements agile and cat like, not as entrancing as Aro's, whilst his had been graceful, hers were feral. Cat-like eyes confronted me; a face twisted in a sadistic grimace, framed by hair the colour of fire, bright against the darkness. She was devoid of a cloak.

"And to think you assumed they wanted Bella."

She was gone then, vanishing in an instant, so quickly I wondered if I'd imagined it. Replacing her, Aro seemed to loom before me again, his cloak trailing behind him like smoke, and he spoke the words softly, a twisted elegy, each word seemed make my fear grip tighter, as I fought the invisible bounds holding me still.

"Desire corrupts,

Temptation powers.

Darkness consumes,

Light devours…"

I screamed, and the cold hands gripping me vanished, as I fell to the hard earth beneath me, then the bottom dropped out of everything, and not even the ground was enough to keep me from falling.

***

And I woke up, gasping, my heart hammering painfully against my ribs, like it was going to split them open. The scream fading in my throat, now hoarse and dry, my mouth tasted coppery, metallic, the taste of blood.

My eyes refocused on the room before me, as I shakily sat up, my hand gingerly touching my cheek, as if expecting to find a gash there. Nothing. I stood up quickly, the time on the alarm clock read 4:12am; I closed my eyes briefly, trying to control my breathing. It didn't work. The air continued to escape rapidly out of my lungs. I walked to the door, instantly afraid for my father, half ready to run to him in desperation. The memories of my dream and the night before were merging horribly together. I could still remember his words and now Aro's too. Yet the latter was far more vivid, not to mention sinister.

His poem seemed to emanate darkness and despair within me, pulsing furiously through my veins like poison; I pushed it to the back of my mind. Brooding over that would only mask what needed to be dealt with.

"You must come to us, Luciana. Else your loved ones will not remain… intact." My father, that's what he'd meant. He was in danger now. Despite the fact that it was a dream, it was too coincidental that my father had been acting oddly, trying to conceal something. Just moments before I had experienced it.

I felt my legs beneath me, weak; they would not support my weight much longer. The bed was in sight, but I just clung to the doorframe, my strength previously when confronting my father last night, had vanished. Now I felt broken, empty. A shell. On the outside I was still holding together okay. I looked normal. No one could tell I was falling apart inside, at least, not for the moment.

There was a sound to my left, I turned instinctively, the only movement I was conscious of doing. There was little light emitted from the sky today, the clouds dense and dark, the storm from last night appeared to have subsided, but not, it seemed, for long.

"A-Alice?" I said, my voice shaking slightly. I hoped I wasn't shaking as well. She stood there, feet from me, her petite frame sliding easily through the slightly open window. She smiled at me, darting beside me in a second. Though her smile did not calm my fears; her own evident on her angelic face, twisted in worry.

She wrapped her thin (yet oddly comforting) marble arms around me briefly, and whispered into my ear - her voice wasn't as strained as her smile had been - sounding like wind chimes, restless in the wind.

"I could tell you needed me." She whispered into my ear softly. I nodded, not trusting my voice, and not asking whether she'd had a vision or not. She was right though, I did need her. I wouldn't have held out much longer without her presence, her cold touch was like antiseptic; soothing against my feverish skin. A voice in my mind mocked me.

Weak.

I pushed it away, focusing again on Alice. She was staring at me; her eyes alight in both worry and fear. I had to tell her.

"Alice, I had a dream, the Volturi, they-" She cut me off, retrieving something from a bag I hadn't noticed she'd been carrying. And instead of perusing the information I desperately needed to release, I listened to the sound of Alice's voice, suddenly very unsure to what had just happened.

"Shh, it's okay, we'll talk about it Lucie, just…" She pulled out a paper bag, a small smile curving on her lips. "Eat this for me?"

"What?" I asked, dazed. Alice was brandishing cookies? My mind was slow today; it took me a while to understand. "Oh, I'm really not that hungry-"

"Please? It'll give Esme some piece of mind. And you'll feel better after eating it. Trust me." I gave into Alice's expression, her golden eyes imploring.

"Oh, sure." I mumbled, taking the bag and biting into the food, not really tasting it. My stomach must have shrunk recently, but the moment I tasted the sweet flavour of the soft biscuit, my hunger returned. I'd already finished two by now, and Alice's smile was approving. I had to admit, Esme could cook.

"Now," Alice said, her tone commanding, all previous fear had vanished from it. "Put these on." She shoved another bag into my hands. I grimaced. Even the bag was made of silk. The numb sensation from earlier was fading slightly, I was grateful. Though at the prospect of the contents of the silk bag darkened my mood considerably. It seemed a drastic change in emotions, momentarily, I felt confused, but not before another wave of amity hit me.

"I feel like screaming." I muttered under my breath, realising all too late that Alice could hear.

"Why?" She quirked an eyebrow. That didn't improve my mood.

Because I have to wear the clothes you've chosen, and they're almost certainly not the sort I approve of. Alice grinned widely then.

Wait. I thought only Edward could read minds?

"Honestly Lucie," Alice scolded lightly, "they're not that bad." Not that bad? Right. Sure. "You'll thank me later." She was pushing me into the bathroom now, surprisingly strong, despite her miniscule frame. "Besides, I had a vision about this, and you will like these." Her tone was proud, yet also exceedingly confident, a confidence I mistrusted. Immensely.

"Right." I mumbled, as I closed the bathroom door behind myself. I got changed in a daze, not looking at Alice's choice of clothes. Though I grudgingly noted that the top was made of silk. Like the bag. Honestly though, silk bags? Yeah, the Cullen's were rich, I didn't doubt that, but was there really a need for silk bags? I resisted the urge to huff crossly, knowing I was rambling again.

I was about to re-open the door again when I caught sight of my reflection in the mirror above the sink, and was momentarily startled by what I saw.

My hair was loose (still messed up from restless sleep) a dim gold, framing my face, alight in surprise. My pupils large and wide, surrounded by irises more emerald than caramel, evidently for annoyance at wearing Alice-picked clothes. My lips a cerise colour against cream and alabaster skin. But it was not my face, which had my attention. Now I was wearing a white top, so white in fact, it made my skin seem significantly more toned. It was the incandescent pale colour of the moon. It fit perfectly, not tight or uncomfortable, but light, acting more like a second skin. It was also oddly familiar. Jeans instead of a skirt were around my legs, admittedly they were far too well fitting for my liking, as apposed to what I would normally wear, but I was grateful, and knew Alice was right. I smiled slightly, Alice's vision had been right. This time I did approve.

But then. The familiarity I'd noticed earlier clicked.

A silk dress hung around my slender figure, lightly gripping to me, as if tailor made. The same colour as the moon above, and the light in the distance. I shook my head, and I felt my hair cascade down my back in shower. As if it had been held upon my head with heavy pins.

I could also see the colour of my dress.

The once pale luminescent white was now splattered with drops of dark liquid.

The light provided from the hooded figure, showed the colour of it.

Dark scarlet and crimson against white dashed before my vision, the vampire before me leaned closer, drawing back his hood, revealing a pair of very brooding. Bottomless eyes, the eyes of a vampire. Though they were not golden, proving that the person fed off animals. They were something far more disturbing.

His eyes were a deep crimson.

The exact colour, of my blood stained dress.

The air had left my lungs; I gripped the sink earnestly as reality reformed. My flashback of the dream I'd had the other day still burning on the inside of my retinas. Refusing to go away.

"Lucie?" Alice's voice was anxious, she sounded so close and yet so far away, she was still talking, faster now.

I barely heard her.

The rising sense of fear gripped me momentarily, seemingly making my blood slow and thick. The flashback now made me remember my vision from before re-form vividly: her voice; the figures in cloaks; vampire with hair the colour of fire. I shivered, unaware that Alice had opened the bathroom door, but not surprised when I heard her pearl white fingers prising my own away from the sink. Which I'd unconsciously been gripping to stay upright.

"Lucie," Her voice was still distant, yet I could detect the fear that had been hidden previously. "come on, we have to go, your father will wake up soon." She was right, my father would awake. The thought of him had the fear inside me intensify. The Volturi. What if they found him? What if-

"Jasper!" Alice was pulling me towards the window. "Please, come out now, I think you should be closer to her. She's not responding, I need help." I felt her ice hands against my face. "Lucie," She commanded. "Breathe."

I did, sucking in the air through tight lips. Just as I felt the serenity wash through me like a hot wave undoing the cords of tension that had been holding me together for so long. I didn't need Alice for support now, my sight improved as I focussed on Jasper's figure, emerging out of Alice's Porsche. He, like Alice, almost seemed luminescent, against the twilit sky.

Hang on? Why hadn't I noticed getting outside? Had we climbed through the window? I must be more dazed then I thought. This sent another tumult of panic through me, Jasper countered it. I looked up at him, unable to smile, but trying to force some emotion into my eyes, an emotion other than fear.

"Thank you Jasper." I said finally, he just nodded, his golden eyes calmed me further, Alice took his hand in hers as she motioned for me to get into the car. I climbed warily into the back seat, and to my surprise, Alice joined me. We were already speeding away, the rate at which the trees blurred past the window made my head spin slightly; I turned to Alice, focussing on her rather than the speed at which we were moving.

Alice's golden eyes were alight in anxiety and fear. I regarded her warily, suddenly unsure whether to tell her about my dream or not. I mean, that's all it was right? A dream. It probably wouldn't make sense to her, or anyone for that matter.

"I take it," I said, the calm that Jasper had created, continued to course through me stopped my voice from trembling. "that we're not going to school?"

"Correct." Jasper answered, turning in his seat to face me, I bit down the urge to ask him to concentrate on the road. For all I knew, he probably had it memorised.

"At least I won't have to endure Mike." I muttered, Jasper smiled, amused, but Alice didn't. I was suddenly aware of how she was looking at me, uncertainty plain on her face.

"You can tell her Alice, she needs to know." Jasper said, Alice nodded quickly, speaking in a rush. I listened intently.

"Lucie, things are strange, some of Bella's clothes have gone missing, they hold her scent. It's strange though, I didn't have any visions of it, so whoever took them hadn't consciously thought about doing it, that's the only way I which I can't see the future see. We think it's the Volturi, Demetri - apparently that's who was in your vision-"

"Dream," I cut across her, "Dream Alice, it can't have been a vision, Edward can't see things when I watch people's pasts can he? They're visions right? So that wasn't a vision, not reliable enough. Please don't rely on that as information." My words left my mouth without conscious thought. Though I knew they were true. Edward hadn't seen Jasper's past when he'd been meters away. And yet he could watch my dreams as If he was experiencing them. But I didn't want Alice to trust that, my dream. An over reactive imagination was not the best source of information, however accurate it seemed.

"You doubt yourself too much Lucie." Jasper said quietly, I was glad he'd turned his gaze back to the road now, I don't think my expression agreed with his statement.

"And don't worry," Alice chimed. "we're not relying on your visi-" I gave her a glare, "okay dream, whatever, it's just that's the only thing that makes sense." her tone became more serious as she continued. "The thing is Lucie, now the Volturi have Bella's scent, they'll come to find her. I know they're coming to Forks at some point; I had a vision about that a few months back, but thought nothing of it. Their intentions were unclear then, but it seems they're checking up on Bella now." She continued studying me, I kept my face composed as my mind battled with the news she was giving me.

"Basically Lucie," Jasper summarised. "You're going to have to live with us for a while; it's too risky having you unprotected when they arrive. If Aro found out about your gift…" He trailed off. I didn't react at first, the thought of staying in the same house as the Cullens sent a mixed sensation of exhilaration and horror. I saw Jasper frown, evidently confused at what I was feeling. But he couldn't possibly be as confused as I felt.

"What?! No!" I shrieked, their wounded faces made me instantly regret the words. "I mean, thank you, for being so… caring, but I can't." What about Edward? I pushed the thought stubbornly to the back of my mind where it continues to burn, hoping Jasper didn't understand my hectic emotions. "What about my father? He'll be in danger. Not to mention the fact that he'll worry out of his mind!" My voice was bordering on the verge of hysteria now, the thought of them, near my father…

"He'll be okay, and safe, don't worry." Alice murmured.

"Okay? He won't Alice, you don't understand…" I mumbled, remembering his words the night before, his expression. The very one that had haunted me for so many years.

"Try us." Jasper's voice seemed far too calm. Too unperturbed when chaos that was crashing around us. The very chaos that made me want to scream. His powers didn't seem to be able to reach me now, the calm and serenity was depleting. I could feel the last of it drain from my system, my voice shook slightly when I next spoke.

"H-he… needs me." I whispered quietly, "I don't understand, he talked to me last night; I think he's hiding something, a façade of some sort, trying to protect me… I think something happened. Something to do with my mother, it doesn't make sense…" I trailed off, Alice's expression of disbelief made me realise how crazy I sounded. The car had stopped, but no-one made any movement to get out of it. Alice's next words took me aback.

"What? Your father? What did he say?" She said her questions rapidly, her eyes darting from me to Jasper. I frowned; Jasper's lips were set in a tight line, unwilling suddenly. What did they know?

"Just…." I trailed off, trying to read both Alice's and Jasper's expressions. "He told me, last night, that he didn't want to stay here. That he thinks it's too dangerous."

"Your father said that?" Jasper asked shock unmistakable on his face. "Tell me, has he lived in Forks before?" I stared, unsure. My father did seem to know everyone, yet we had lived in England all my childhood, he'd never even spoken about Forks before then…

"Do you think he knows something?" Alice asked Jasper.

"I'm almost certain of it." Jasper murmured grimly, it was such a quiet sound, I was unsure to whether it was for just Alice's ears, or mine. Their confusion did nothing to help my heart rate. Jasper was out the car then, faster than I could blink, reacting to the terribly tempting tempo of my pulse. I grimaced.

"Sorry." I muttered, knowing how Jasper's thirst was constantly an issue, and how I took for granted they way he acted around me. Trying his best to ignore the aching desire, the thing nearly all the Cullens coveted. Human blood.

I pushed the thought from my mind as we walked swiftly to the front of the Cullens' house. Thinking about vampire's diet was not going to help with the situation.

The sky over the horizon was an indigo darkness, flecked with dim streams of light, filtering through the dense clouds. Only when Alice was practically towing me forward, did I realise that I'd been standing still, awed by the sky; the sun was still below the horizon, not yet dawn.

"What's she doing here?" Someone exclaimed in evident exasperation, I abruptly froze. The strained voice (one that I knew all too well) snapped my mind awake from the ambient light emitting from the sky. "Alice, you can't be serious…" Edward was staring at me; his golden eyes alight in two emotions. Shock and fury. Leaning casually against the front door. A casual stance, a façade. One that I knew was fake, only about as casual as the tension in the bitter morning air. In other words, not causal at all. He was far from pleased about my entrance, that was for sure. Alice muttered something low under her breath, too low for my ears to catch, yet nevertheless, Jasper grinned, while Edward's glare became stony. I looked at my feet, unable to hide my hurt at the anger my arrival had caused. Why did he seem so angry?

Alice began towing me again, a fast motion that led us into the dining room in minutes. Dining room? Why on earth did they need a dining room? Once more, I averted my thoughts from that. I knew of course, that it was only a decoration. I had seen Jasper's past, I knew why they had a dining room, but merely perplexed at the concept.

Jasper's power was still coursing calm through me. It made it hard to think. We were in danger, Bella was in danger. My dream… The Volturi…

"Ugh!" I finally let out, everyone in the room turned to face me, each one raising a single eyebrow in unison. I resisted the urge to scream. They were lucky they had Jasper. Carlisle was standing by Esme, Alice at my side, Jasper by hers. The only people absent were Rosalie and Edward. I knew why the latter wasn't here, he it seemed, couldn't stand to be in my presence. "Jasper… please stop that. I can't think." Jasper continued to look bemused. Alice huffed impatiently.

"Jazz-" Alice said endearingly, but Emmett cut across her, his tone still seemed amused. Did he ever take things seriously?

"Jazzy, quit zapping her with your freaky calm waves!"

"Only I can call him Jazzy," Alice threatened, her golden eyes menacing. It was the look I commonly associated with shopping-related-torture.

"Oh yeah? Bring it midget!" Emmett grinned widely, flexing his muscles.

"As you wish," Alice danced behind him and in a movement so fast, she was on his back, her teeth poised, she smirked triumphantly. "Emmy."

Emmett glared at her.

"No. You're never going to call me that." Alice raised her eyebrows and Emmet sighed in defeat. "Fine. Jasper. Not Jazzy. And Alice, not midget."

"That's what I thought." Alice smiled, and I realised I had been too. I looked to Jasper, suddenly aware of how the incident had occurred. Still, light heartened as it might be, and far better than the fear I dreaded. This would not help, I stared into Jasper's eyes, this was important. No amount of ecstasy he could conjure would fix this. It needed to be dealt with.

"Oh." Jasper said, finally realising. And it stopped. The calm that had washed through me before and sweet but brief contentment, ceased. Letting all the over emotions plague me. It was lucky the sofa was near by, I sat down on it wearily, noticing that Alice joined me, despite the fact I knew she could stand for hours. The atmosphere in the room changed noticeably, Esme stiffened slightly when Carlisle left her side, unwilling to be separated.

"Lucie," Carlisle was speaking to me intently, his voice had a different type of calm when compared to Jasper's. Professional, practiced. Still, it helped with the situation at hand. If everyone was as panicked as I felt then the rising sense of chaos would be tangible. "Alice had a vision this morning, the Volturi have changed there arrival date." this news shocked me, I looked at Alice, she nodded somberly, her eyes trained on my reaction. "They're planning on checking on Bella sooner, we think in two days-"

"What?" The air had left my lungs. I had to tell them.

"Two days," Carlisle repeated. "The Volturi, they have Demetri, he's not to be underestimated. Bella's already being tracked, we'd hate it if you were too. The Volturi may be the elite, but they're not always trustworthy. We think it would be best if you stayed here, at least until they've left… " He looked at Esme then, she smiled warmly, talking to me as if soothing a frightened child.

"It'll be okay Lucie, please, just relax."

But how on earth could one relax when inside they were screaming?

"No," I said shakily, I could sense they were going to cut across me, I carried on, my voice was rising, but at least it remained intact, the shaking could not be helped not, at least the words were audible.. "It's not okay…"

"Luce…" Oh crud. Emmett actually sounded worried now. This was bad.

"I-I had a dream about them." I placed my head in my hands, willing myself to remember the details of the dream I'd just spent the last few moments trying to forget. "The Volturi… it's not them, they aren't trying to get Bella. Their motive is different," They want me. I added silently, not speaking my thought allowed. This was weird enough as it was. "I saw someone else…" I took in a shaky breath, looking up into the golden eyes of the vampires before me. Hating the fact that my information, not even that. My theory could change everything. And that they might rely on it as fact.

"Tell us." Alice said encouragingly.

I just breathed one word in response. It would answer their questions.

"Victoria."

***

I needed to escape their questions, fighting inwardly to remain conscious. Slowly focusing as surreal reality falls.

"Me and Jazz are going hunting." Alice announced, standing up. I took my chance.

"C-can I just go to the bathroom?" I asked timidly, I was replied to by several curt nods, as I quickly left the room. Letting out a shaky breath as I did so, no longer needing to hide my fear, like I had done so for the previous hour. I leaned against the wall nearest me, trying to clear my mind enough to think. I could do so properly now, devoid of Jasper's presence. Still, without him presence, the immediate fear was hard to fight off.

I'd spent the last hour or so talking with them. Listened intently, ready to sap up information as quickly as possible, trying to find a way to cure the chaos I'd formed. It was hard though. Yes, I'd listened, but no amount of listening, no matter how intent, could decipher what Alice said when her voice was so high. The Cullens could hear fine. 'Super-vampire-hearing' however, was not something I possessed. Half their conversations had been like this. Spoken either too quickly, or lowly (well, not in Alice's case) for my weak human ears to catch.

I knew of course, why they did this.

They didn't want me to hear some of the things they were saying.

I didn't know how to react to this news. It could have been due to lack of trust, in which case, I should be angry. But I wasn't. Part of me knew why they did this, concealed the darker information, the stuff normal people never even dreamed of. They didn't want me to be afraid, to worry. It was a valid reason too. I mean, there was enough fear already; I didn't need to be overloaded with more! Still, I couldn't help but feel deflated in light of my discovery. My mind continued to mock me cruelly, unwilling to let my suffering stay minimal.

They think you're weak.

But weren't they right? I mean, it wasn't as if I was exactly the strongest person they knew, god knows how many times I'd fainted around them. That wasn't exactly a trait for the strong or brave. Fainting was the sort of thing people did in movies, girls fluttering their fans at an arrival of a prince. Feeling faint from a too tight corset.

Not me.

I fainted from overwhelming information; from experiencing a life worth of memories in a matter of minutes; from lack of sleep corrupted with nightmares. No. The Cullens were right to keep information from me; I did not want to be weak again. I couldn't afford to be weak. Not with the prospect of sadistic vampires coming.

Sadistic vampires? Wow. This was practically Christmas coming early.

"Lucie?" Her voice broke me out of sarcastic thoughts, Bella stood opposite me, her brunette hair framing her face matching her brown eyes, evidently tired, still beautiful though. I hadn't expected her to be here, though the more I thought about it, the more sense it made. Her expression was culpable when I approached.

"Yeah?" I asked, my voice lacked emotion.

"Listen, I'm sorry about Edward." She said in a rush.

Well, I hadn't expected this.

"Why?" I asked. Great. I had an emotion in my voice now: confusion. Has to be my favourite feeling yet.

"Look, it's my fault he's angry at you-" I didn't listen to the rest of her sentence.

"Hardly Bella," I muttered coldly, the ice in my tone not directed at her. "I doubt the fact he's angry is due to you. Trust me; I'm used to it by now. I've experienced Edward's mood swings before." It wasn't a lie. Every moment with Edward was different. But anger was an emotion he had right to feel, it was only ever anger he felt around me anyway. He couldn't feel anything else.

"No!" Bella sounded exasperated, pulling me to the stairs with surprising strength. "He came to me last night Lucie, I was stupid," She frowned, then amended herself "well, I was unconscious. And I apparently muttered something about the Volturi in my sleep. Edward now thinks you've told me, he was muttering something about a broken promise," I felt my stomach twist. Great. Another thing to make me feel guilty about. I'd betrayed Edward; lied to him.

I let out a sigh, closing my eyes in defeat. My thoughts, so often mocking, interrupted the silence

Today is not your day.

And for the first time, I was strongly inclined to agree.

Bella was looking very guilty now, "I'm sorry Lucie," She admitted. "I don't want him to be angry. He's just always convinced that being ignorant is safest."

"He's wrong," I said, smiling weakly, trying to soothe her guilt. She needn't be. I understood how Bella was feeling; I mean, her troubles was akin to my own. I thought about what she'd said though, she was correct. Edward did assume that ignorance was safest. He was mistaken though, I knew all about being ignorant, despite rarely being so. Ignorance was overrated.

My father's words hit me hard. "Ignorance is easy Lucie; it blinds you from fear, but doesn't protect you." I still didn't understand those words, but the thought of my father brought moisture to my eyes. Again, I felt like I was going to burst into tears, but didn't. The familiar sensation of my eyes drying instantly happened. My mother had soothed me once when I was eight. I'd lost something, and cried in frustration, then confessed how awful it was to cry.

"Crying is a luxury Luciana," She had said whilst cradling me, "never feel ashamed to do it."

"Lucie?" I looked up. Bella's eyes were wide and open, moisture clung to her thick eyelashes, she hadn't restrained the tears. "are you sure you're okay? She whispered.

"Okay as in: 'being possibly tracked and hunted by a bunch of sadistic vampires'?" I joked, she smiled, "Yeah, I'm great."

"Sounds about right." Bella murmured.

"Where is Edward by the way?" I asked.

"Oh," Bella smiled as if admitting to a secret, "he's in his room, I think-" But she didn't get to finish the end of her sentence, my question was answered soon enough.

"You two," Edward's voice floated from above us. Strained despite his attempt at sounding light, he looked at Bella though, when he spoke. Not meeting my eyes. I knew Alice had said something to him about me, probably not to be so rude. Still, it didn't seem to have had much effect.

"Honestly, you both attract danger." At this cold tone, Bella slipped from the stairs beside me, her grip on the railing wasn't enough to support her fall. It happened so quickly, and I was reminded of when I was seven again. Dropping a vase my mother had bought at a faire, when this happened, the air seemed to thicken. I had frozen, and watched the vase in its fall. Only this time, Bella (unlike my mother's vase) did not shatter. She was caught by Edward in one swift motion. Had he jumped down the stairs?

Bella was staring at Edward now; it took a while for her to compose her shocked expression. Slowly, she grinned "I think I'm best at the danger bit. Being such a klutz and all." Edward's back was facing me, did he realise I was getting squashed? I thought about how close he was. And regret the thought almost immediately. This only conjures another fiery blush to my cheeks. It won't cool. Ugh. Screw danger. Humiliation seems to be something I attract better.

"Yeah," Edward agreed almost ruefully, "you're lucky I'm always around to catch you." He was speaking only to Bella now. They seem so close together, so happy. I edged away slightly, they didn't notice. Not tripping like Bella. I used to think I was clumsy, but since I'd met Bella. I look practically graceful.

There was a sound then, and the sight that followed heavily contradicted my previous thoughts.

I turned to face the window, Alice was outside it, her and Jasper evidently having returned from their brief hunting trip (assuming they hadn't been lying earlier for my benefit.)

She was running - her hair with black spikes lifting lithely in the wind - and then jumped with such agile grace that she seemed to defy gravity.

I just found myself scowling.

It appeared that the laws of physics didn't apply to vampires.

And to think, for a moment, I considered myself graceful.

Dream on.

Great. Now my mocking mind was back.

***

The day pasted in a blur. Mainly composed of me eating various dished Esme served for Bella and myself, convincing her I was not drastically underweight. Still, the nauseous fear that would return whenever Jasper left the room made me feel like I wanted to throw it all up.

Edward had been ignoring me all day. Furious at the fact that I had told Bella about the Volturi. I'd overheard Alice talking to him crossly, but this made me feel the opposite of happy. I hated the fact that Edward and Alice were arguing because of me. Bella had been the most human since I'd met her. I could see why both Edward and Jacob loved her. Without the hostility she'd tried to thrust at me, (hostility designed to repel me from the Cullens and all danger that followed) she was lovely. Albeit clumsy and easily frustrated. But nice all the same. She didn't speak about Jacob, for fear of people overhearing. But I knew when she thought of him. Her expression would turn troubled.

Now, I was facing the gilded mirror in the bathroom. I'd managed to escape the conversation of battle tactics. Not being able to contribute to it, at all. Rosalie and Esme seemed wary, Emmett had regained his enthusiasm, Carlisle; his professional serene calm, and Alice her chirpiness, having had a vision which placated her somewhat. (A prospect of new designer shoes she thought that would look good on Bella had appeared in the future market.) And Edward… was back to his cool calculated self.

In short. Everyone was back to normal, seemingly unperturbed. There were only two exceptions to this rule. Bella and I.

I knew she wanted to see Jacob. It was clear, in light of hearing Victoria was after her, she wanted to see him. I knew she was going to ask Alice to take her; she was probably doing so now. She wanted to warn him, but also not to tell him. It was confusing, but I could understand why.

Jacob was like Emmett. He revelled the prospect of a fight. And would do anything to be part of it.

And Bella didn't want him to get hurt. She didn't want anyone to get hurt, and was as torn up about getting undivided attention as I was.

I sighed then. Postponing the thought of why I wasn't myself. And slowly looking up into my reflection, seeing the quizzical scowl placed on my face.

My hair had been brushed since I'd awoken. Alice had done it, though at the time I'd been too captivated by Jasper's gift to notice, or feel annoyed by it. Now it fell in cascades down my shoulders. I was very fair, though my skin was devoid of freckles. Just pasty, with mauve coloured bruises forming under my eyes from my lack of sleep each night. I didn't linger on my eyes, instead concentrating on my attire.

The top was indeed, a luminescent white, that was what had caused my flashback from earlier to appear. It was, like so many of the clothes Alice bought, practically tailor fitted to my figure, cut low enough to expose my collar bones. It made my skin look more cream coloured then alabaster.

I drew my eyes away from my reflection, turning off the tap I'd put on for no reason. And stepped out the bathroom.

I wasn't sure what I wanted. A splitting headache had formed, I wanted to lie down somewhere, but discarded the thought. Knowing that with rest, my nightmares would inevitably follow. Instead, I did the next best thing possible.

I ran outside, needing fresh air to clear my mind.

The sky above me was darker now, a sunset was forming, hidden by the clouds, ones I knew were carrying rain. I shivered. But did not go back inside, instead walking to the forest, for some reason, oddly intrigued by the sheer beauty of it.

"What," Said an unmistakable voice, cold and enraged, behind me. "do you think you're doing, Luciana?" I jumped, swivelling round so fast I nearly tripped. Edward was before me, he had an odd expression on his face; it had switched in a matter of seconds, first from fury, then to fear. I righted myself, proud that I hadn't fallen to the earth and glared back at him, refusing to let his beauty overcome me.

"Getting some fresh air." I said lightly. "Is that such a crime these days?"

"It is," He moved closer, the sky above seemed to darken. "considering what could be out there…" His tone was so dark, so serious, it took me aback. I moved away from the forest, almost self consciously. But instantly regretted the movement, I was closer to him now.

What a great way to help me concentrate.

I looked at his face, unable to mask my hurt at his anger and rage.

"Edward. I'm sorry." I said truthfully, he didn't answer. His expression was pained, and for some obscure reason, I suddenly had the sensation he was suppressing something. And that his rage was not directed at myself.

Eventually, he spoke, his tone crisp and formal.

"Luciana. Get inside-"

"Stop calling me that!" I snapped, my anger subsiding as quickly as it had flared as I was walking away from him, closer to the woods again. I tried to summon it again. Why should I feel anything different to him? If he hated me, then I should mirror the emotion.

"Why? It's your name."

"No," I disagreed. "I'm Lucie." I didn't notice he'd moved closer, his steps barely audible against the earth.

"Lucie," The way he spoke it made me want to shiver, it seemed too meaning, too intimate, the way he spoke. His flawless tune of a voice wrapping round it like a caress, I shook my head slightly. Trying to clear my mind. Trying to think.

I cut across whatever he was going to say, my voice had lost all its previous anger, it sounded close to a plea.

"I-I just need to think, I don't want to go inside yet." I whispered to him, my eyes imploring. I didn't wait for his reaction, instead, leaned back against the tree, closing my eyes briefly, welcoming the scent that overwhelmed me. The damp moss of the air, woody scent of the bark, and horribly intoxicating aroma of Edward. I tried to distract my thoughts from this, and failed.

Instead, I thought about the turmoil of the situation I seemed constantly stuck in. Time seemed to move oddly in Forks, I'd been here less then 2 weeks, and I felt as If I knew everything about the place. It was probably quite an accurate assumption too. Moving here had changed my life. I did not regret it. Because standing here, with the quiet forest, and supernatural air, I finally felt at home.

There was a sound then, eerily perfect, I'd already forgotten were I was, unwilling to open my eyes. But then I remembered what it reminded me of. Aro's voice, his chilling perfection and grace. I gasped in shock as I opened my eyes. Momentarily sure he was beside me.

Edward's hands cupped my face; I felt the soothing ice against my numb cheeks; I knew I ought to pull away but I just stood there frozen, staring up at him.

"Sometimes," He breathed, his breath caressing over my skin, making my eyelids flutter, our faces so close now. "you just seem to do that."

"Do what?" I asked curiously, my voice was steady. It did not waver; my heart however, was another story entirely.

"Vanish off into your own little world, forget everything else around you."

I thought about his presence, his lean frame ever closer to my own.

"I don't forget." I whispered quietly.

"Still, you seem to escape the chaos, even if only for a moment." He mused softly, not removing his cool slender fingers, fingers that I had seen just yesterday caress piano keys, now touching my skin, ice cold, contrasting so oddly with my rapidly blushing cheeks. In another sense, standing here, I should have been cold. Yet I felt the opposite, an ardent fire seemed to be flaring inside me, fuelled by Edward's fingertips.

His voice took a while to reach me. I looked up, suddenly aware that I had done it again; a crooked smile was placed on his perfect lips. He spoke his words quietly. But the fervour was too powerful to be masked completely. A fervour that I must have imagined. One that I despised for feeling myself, His whispered words sent a terrible heat through me.

"I wish I could go there with you."

But you do. You always do. What do you think I think about? I didn't reply, too awed to make my parted lips form words. They seemed so insignificant. He studied my frozen expression, and breathed words again, the longing so sincere it was almost tangible."I don't hate you Lucie. I wish I could see your mind, access your thoughts. Understand."

"You'll just have to wait till I'm unconscious." I'd meant it as a joke, but my uneven heart rate made my speech breathless. Our eyes met, his were the gold of distant sunlight, my own a brilliant shade of emerald, my anger and frustration plain through my gaze. Though his expression made it melt away, fading into nothing.

"I shall." He whispered quietly, I must have misheard him. I averted my gaze, knowing that if I saw his eyes now - the terrible shade of gold - that my resolve would falter and then shatter completely. The lid that had kept my emotions bottled up for so long would burst. And its contents were deadly.

We stood there for a while, complete in silence, his cold fingers not leaving my burning skin, I wanted to stay like this forever. In a serene state of mind. Contempt. But naturally, didn't. Aro's milky red eyes loomed before me again; I couldn't compose my face in time. And Edward, who had been staring at me, noticed the change.

"Lucie, your dream, what else happened?"

It was at times like this, that I doubted whether my mind was immune to his gift. How did he know then, that I'd been thinking off that?

"Nothing." I lied. He raised his eyebrows. Not believing me "I-I don't remember it." Another lie. I stuttered though, by the intensity of his gaze. Trying to cover up, I looked promptly at my feet, it didn't exactly prove how truthful I was. Not looking him in the eye.

"Lucie," His voice was strained, "the rose blood has left your cheeks; you're as white as fresh snow; and you're stuttering," I thought about his smouldering eyes, and the incoherency in speech that they caused.

"Yeah, well that's hardly my fault…" I muttered, the sentence left my lips without thought, I felt myself blush. Well there you go! The Rosy blush is back… He raised an eyebrow, but otherwise ignored the outburst. And sudden change in my complexion.

"I know something happened." He breathed quietly, his voice sounded like velvet, but no fabric could hold so much emotion. "Tell me." It was a command I did not want to follow, but I'd already looked into his eyes. Now it was too late. The words left my mouth in a gush.

"Okay, Aro said something to me; at least, I think it was him. First he mentioned about my father, saying they'd hurt him, not let him remain intact or something horribly creepy like that, but…" I stopped to draw breath, as I concentrated hard on remembering Aro's exact words "Then, well, he sort of recited a chant or elegy of some sort…'Desire corrupts, temptation powers. Darkness consumes, light devours…' And-" But I didn't say anymore. Edward had stiffened, the hand he'd placed against my cheek fell, a remote look had formed in his eyes.

And I was nothing short of terrified.

In one swift motion, he pulled my body closer to him, his smouldering eyes boring into my own, a whole new kind of intensity burned din them. One that I feared. My heart was beating furiously, half in fear, and half in whatever Edward's presence seemed to so to my pulse. My back was placed against the tree; Edward refused to loosen his stance, as if preparing for an attack.

"What?" I asked, confused and terrified by his expression and posture. "Have you heard it before?"

He spoke through tight lips.

"Oh, I've heard it alright…"

***

Dun dun dun…

Was that action? No… oh poop. Well, could it be classified as dream action? No…? double poop. Sorry *grins sheepishly* it shall arrive… eventually…

Now. We have 1 genius reviewer amongst us! Someone finally worked out my silly comments regarding the chapters '1,6,12,18' (and now 24) having something in common! Well… if you look, normally, each one starts with 'The…' (example: last chapter was; 'The Initiation Of Turmoil') HOWEVER, these chapters start differently! And… if you take every first letter of these titles… (okay… Right, I understand now why no-one got this fully. Complicated or what?)… well… look what it spells:

Curiosity killed the Cat;

Hiding the Hidden Truth;

Another Despised Interruption;

Ominous Truths Revealed …and finally…

Surreal Reality Falls.

C.H.A.O.S

Hehe! Cool eh? Not cool? Ah well. I thought it was cool… :p

Okay. Anyone learn German out there? I don't… but hey, if you do, this will tell you the title for the next chapter, I've got a cryptic Easter Enigma for you: Götterdämmerung. Right... Translate that into English, and you have your chapter title, you'll see why… :p (well no, you probably won't! *sigh* only one person got my easy little riddle. None of you will get this!)

But hey, on the off chance that someone is a genius out there, I mean, if you can speak German, you've gotta be a genius. (I took the easy option. Spanish and French. German's too darn difficult. WAIT! I do know one sentence in German, but alas, in English it translates to: 'I am a doughnut.' still… that's a pretty useful phrase eh?) Ugh. I'm getting off track, big surprise there…

Anyway. So yeah. If, you translate that correctly, then you'll get a sneak peak of next chapter. (In other words, no-one will receive a sneak peak! mwhaha!) But, remember. If this hits 500 reviews, then everyone gets a whole chapter, as apposed to a measly sneak peak!

Poor Lucie… she seems to be getting awfully vivid dreams/vision thingies, doesn't she? Ugh, I'm sorry if they seem too detailed, and therefore not-at-all-dreamlike! (This chapter, believe it not, was based on another freaky dream if mine, I have lots of detail in my freaky dreams, so that's why Lucie does too, okays? If you think detail seems fake. Then hey, so are my scary dreams!)But the detail is needed! And you readers like detail right? (Seeing as my story seems to be practically completely complied of that and not much else) then if you don't like detail…then, well…crud. ;)

Ich bin ein Berliner! (yup. I am a doughnut :p)

HAPPY EASTER! *hands out Easter eggs to all who review! Oooh, and I'll give out hilarious baseball Carlisles this chapter for the best reviews!* Who can resist? (Apart from me. A personal Carlisle playing baseball will make me laugh too much.) PLEASE REVIEW! C'mon, this was a long chapter? Reward me please?

Lily- has babbled exceedingly and shan't apologise because it's Easter, she is also, now very cross at Mouse, who has just EATEN one of her Malteasers, Oh and she'd really appreciate some reviews….