Chapter 7- Petrified

When I finally woke up, my stomach was urgently announcing its need for nourishment. I hadn't been eating well, and I knew that I was now eating for two. Before I was able to move from my bed, I heard two voices arguing loudly enough for me to hear, which was strange in a house full of creatures with perfect hearing. Of course, I reasoned, they were not used to having human houseguests and probably didn't worry as much about volume levels as my vampires had. As I listened in, I caught up with their conversation and was completely shocked - and confused. They were talking about me, which considering my abrupt arrival, didn't surprise me. However, the subject matter was more concerning. They were trying to decide if they should call the Cullens or not. This meant that they had lied to me the night before and that they actually knew where the Cullens were. The fact that these vampires would consider trying to keep me from speaking to the Cullens told me that I could not trust them. I was glad I had not told them about the baby. I would get the information I needed out of them and, if possible, go somewhere else to get the help I would need to deliver my child. I could not trust people who would not put me in contact with the only ones I knew of that could help set things right again. I was not deluding myself. Edward had made it clear that he did not want me. I just wanted to give him a chance to know his child. I was also going to need Carlisle's help to ensure the health of this child. For all I knew, my baby was the first of its kind. However, no matter their motivations, these vampires had no right to make decisions for me. The only problem I had was trying to figure out where else to go. Maybe if I questioned carefully, without revealing too much, I could find out more and figure out where to go from here.

Finally, when the two vampires, Tanya and Eleazar, had finished their conversation and had moved away from my room I decided to wait ten more minutes and then hop out of bed. They would hear me move and know I was awake. While I laid there waiting, I tried to come up with some questions that might get me the information I needed to know. I formed a mental list, and reviewed it a few times until I knew it would sound like I was merely curious; I couldn't let them get suspicious about my motivations, or give them any clues about my child. Finally, the time limit I had placed on myself passed and I hit the floor with a thud, getting a foot tangled in the sheets as I tried to stand up. In a flash, the door was open and Tanya was helping me to my feet.

Tanya gave me a much-practiced smile and said, "I'm going to bet you are hungry. What would you like for breakfast?"

I thought for a moment. At this point, the only thing I knew I could keep down was steak, but that was going to sound like an odd breakfast request. However, I knew I needed to keep myself healthy for the baby.

After a brief pause to consider my options, I said, "Tanya this is going to sound strange, but we eat a lot of steak at my house, even for breakfast. So steak and eggs would be awesome, but I can make it myself, ok?"

An odd look flashed across Tanya's face however before I could read it, it was replaced with a controlled but polite expression.

"Of course, I am only the master of a few meals myself. I'll let you fend for yourself but if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask," she said. She smiled warmly at me and then headed down the hallway towards her room.

I wandered downstairs slowly, being careful not to trip on the stairs. Pregnancy and my clumsy gene were not going to get along very well. It was a good thing I wouldn't be staying here long. Once I reached the kitchen, I started the eggs and pulled out a fresh steak from the fridge. Behind the steak, I found something else that made me even more excited - labeled medical-style bags of blood. I wasn't sure why they kept any around, but I knew that before I left I would be able to prove my theory one way or another. As I looked at the steak, it seemed like it was a shame to cook it at all, however I knew it would be very strange, and raise many questions if I didn't at least sear the outsides of the meat. Once the eggs were done, I wiped out the skillet and placed the steak in it. Once it was just seared enough that no one would notice, I plopped it on my plate and started to dig in hungrily. The eggs were completely unappetizing and so I moved them around to make it look like I had eaten them. The steak was completely gone in a matter of minutes. It helped to ease my hunger a little bit; however, my body was definitely craving more food. I went back to the fridge guiltily and looked. There were tons of bags of blood in the fridge. I figured that they wouldn't notice if one went missing, however the trick was going to be opening it with them around. The smell of cold animal blood from the steak was one thing but I didn't know how well I would fair with the smell of human blood in the air. If I wasn't careful, I was going to turn on their hunting instincts, which would put both of us at risk.

I knew the best way for this to happen would be if they would go hunting, but I didn't notice anyone with black eyes when I got here, so they might have at least a few more days before needing to hunt. The other option would be to snitch one when I left and try it while I was on the road. After a moment of thought, I realized that this was the better plan.

I decided that getting out of Alaska as soon as possible was my best option, so I went wandering around the house looking for Eleazar. I figured that out of all the vampires in this house, he would be the easiest one to question. I had more questions about the power that I apparently had, which would make opening a line of questioning with him simple. He was also so much different from the rest. He was older than Tanya and her sisters were, plus his skin looked very different than most of the immortals I knew. I knew this could also be a great place to break the ice. I nodded my head to myself in resolve, and determined that I could do this, and had to for the sake of my child. Almost as in response to my decision, my sweet little one decided to remind me what I was fighting so hard for, by moving for the first time of the day. Already, since the first time I had felt the baby move, I could tell that the baby was getting stronger and looking down I knew I wasn't going to be able to hide my pregnancy much longer. I was completely surprised that they could not already hear the baby's heartbeat. However, this pregnancy was anything but normal, so I focused on my plan - because the sooner I left Alaska for somewhere new, the better off I would be.

Finally, out back in a large field I saw Eleazar standing in the snow enjoying the light sparkling off his skin. The differing texture of his skin made a slightly different effect than Edward's did but I could recognize it for what it was. Softly, knowing he could hear me, I said his name. His response was almost comical. He looked shocked, and then ran over towards me as quickly as he could.

"Bella, what can I do for you today?" Eleazar's bell-like voice said with a slight look of concern on his face.

"I was just wondering a few things. Would you mind if I asked you some questions? You are the first vampires I have met besides the Cu-ullens and I was kind of hoping to get a slightly different perspective than the one I already have. Would that be ok with you?" I said quickly with obvious interest in my voice.

Eleazar nodded at me and smiled. I breathed in slowly and deeply to settle myself and then began with, "I am sure you get this all the time, but I was wondering about-"

Eleazar chuckled slightly and finished for me, "- my skin?"

I nodded with an apologetic look on my face. I did not want to offend him. He seemed like a kind person, despite his argument about contacting the Cullens and I desperately needed the information he had for me.

"Well, my dear," he said, "I was once I member of the Volturi. We chose, for a long time, to sit very still. It caused our skin to alter and our eyes to cloud over, creating the difference in texture. In theory, if a vampire were to sit still long enough they would turn to stone. However, no one has ever done it long enough to prove the theory. At least that anyone knows of. It would be hard to tell the difference between a petrified vampire and a marble statue wouldn't it?"

I nodded in agreement with his almost rhetorical question and took a moment to contemplate his answer. I had heard the name of the Volturi before, said with the same kind of respect and almost fear. I also knew that Carlisle had also spent some time with them, however, that was the extent of my knowledge.

Finally, I formed my next question, being careful to manage the tone and speed of my voice and I asked, "Eleazar, I have heard the Volturi mentioned before. I know Carlisle stayed with them for a while. Who exactly are they?"

Eleazar looked at me piercingly for a moment and then, with his lips set in a hard line, he said roughly, "The Volturi are basically the vampire version of royalty. There are currently five members of the family; Aro, Caius and Marcus, along with Caius and Aro's wives. Then there is the guard. Last we knew, there were nine official members but there are usually quite a few others that are more transitory. They are the largest vampire coven in existence."

I thought for a moment, then remembered my first visit to the large white house in Forks and remembered the largest painting in Carlisle's study. He had referred to the other three in the painting as nighttime patrons of the arts, but the three men in the painting and the Volturi were the same. I briefly wondered why no one had told me about them in more detail before. However, I stopped myself after a moment and formulated another question.

"Why are the Volturi considered the vampire version of royalty? I understand that they are a large coven, but what separates them from the others?" Eleazar's eyes darkened at my question, and I held my breath for a moment before remembering that I needed to breathe.

After a longer pause, Eleazar said, with disdain dripping from his voice, "Bella, they are referred to as such because they are the ones who enforce the rules. They will kill those who do not obey. The family rarely leaves their castle in Volterra, Italy, choosing instead to allow their guard to do most of the dirty work for them. However, when they want something or someone specifically, Aro will leave, occasionally accompanied by Caius. See, they are also collectors of sorts. They are constantly on the lookout for the best vampires with the most formidable talents to add to their guard. You would be especially appealing to them with your unique abilities."

Abruptly a look of shock and terror spread across Eleazar's face, and then he attempted to replace it with a more composed look as he swiftly said, "I think that is enough questions for today. We should get you out of the cold Bella; it is not good for a human such as you."

With that, Eleazar had me in his arms and was running towards the house.

Once we reached the house and Eleazar had put me down, I walked back up to the guest room that Tanya had prepared for me to give myself some time to think things over. Just as I got settled on the bed, I heard a light knock on the door and someone softly say my name. Reluctantly, I pulled myself back off the bed and opened the door.

Standing on the other side was Tanya's sister, Kate. She was looking at me with a concerned and worried expression.

"Bella, may I talk with you alone for a few moments?" Kate hurried out almost so fast that I had trouble understanding her at first.

I nodded and said, "Where are we going? Right now I know the rest of them can hear us."

Kate gave one short, hard laugh and said in a normal tone, "Can you guys clear out for a little bit? I need to talk to Bella on my own."

Apparently, they all had agreed in voices too low and soft for me to hear, because I heard the door open and close a few times before the house went silent again. At the sound of the door closing for the last time, Kate turned to me and motioned for me to sit down on the bed with her.

Then, she began with, "Bella, I need to know. Why do you want to get in contact with the Cullens so badly? We know all about you and Edward, and that he left you. Jasper and Alice were here for a couple days after your birthday party. I am trying to figure out if you are trying to go against Edward's wishes or if there is something more here."

I looked at her for a moment, trying to judge her character. I didn't know what to say or do. I was fairly certain that there was no way I could really trust them with the truth. After overhearing Tanya and Eleazar's conversation, I didn't want to risk the truth and then have them still refuse to contact the Cullens. I needed help with my pregnancy. I knew if I could reach the Cullens, they would come to help me. They owed me that much, however, I didn't know what would happen if I trusted Kate.

I decided to err on the side of caution, revealing only a little of my story, "Kate I can assure you that this is more than me going after them. There is something much bigger going on here, but I am not sure how much I can trust your family. I heard Tanya and Eleazar this morning. I know that you know where the Cullens are and that you are refusing to contact them. Kate, I can tell you that they will desperately want to know what is going on here, but that is all I am going to tell people who would lie to me."

I looked at her defiantly with obvious challenge. She wasn't going to get the truth out of me if she refused to tell me the truth. The expression on Kate's face went slowly from shock to sadness and regret and the rest of her body sat there, frozen in place.

Finally, after an extremely long pause, especially for an immortal, Kate stammered out, "Bella we- we are just trying to do the right thing here. We just aren't sure what that is. We didn't want to mention it to you because we thought you might do something drastic and they would never forgive us if something were to happen to you. They all care about you very much; they are just trying to respect Edward's decision. I wish I knew what the right thing to do was. If my mother were here she would be able to advise us wisely."

Kate paused, pain evident on her face. I looked at her questioningly, waiting for her to explain her mother's absence.

She sighed and said, "My mother was executed by the Volturi for the creation of an immortal child. Immortal children are created when a vampire bites a human infant or small child. They are completely uncontrollable and therefore illegal. However, the temptation for some to create them is high because there is no way that a vampire can conceive a child period. There are some ancient rumors of human females getting pregnant with the children of male vampires, however, there is nothing about those pregnancies ever having a final result of a child. Those stories are really just ways to justify infidelity. The incubus and succubus do not leave survivors, with three very notable female exceptions and they are all in this house. "

With her last statement, Kate gave me a comical villain's grin and resumed, "However, back to the topic at hand. Bella, we need to sit down and discuss this. If I go get the rest of my family, will you at least discuss this with us?"

I nodded and Kate ran out of the room quickly.

I knew I only had moments before the whole clan would arrive back at the house if Kate were moving at top speed. I was hoping that she wouldn't rush, due to my agreement to wait for them. I knew I had to leave now, before they all started questioning me and I was stuck with no help for my situation. Kate's comments about using vampire pregnancies to justify infidelity told me that there was no way they were going to believe a word I had to say about Edward being the father of my baby. Quickly, I grabbed my bag and shoved all of my things that I could reach into it. Then, I moved as quickly as I could down the stairs, only tripping up once. I ran to the kitchen, grabbed a few bags of blood, and threw them in the top of my bag. Moving as fast as I could, I ran out the door for my PT, and sped out of the Denali wilderness towards Fairbanks. I knew now that my only chance to save my baby was in a city called Volterra. I hoped that their desire for power would work in my favor, allowing me to get the assistance I required. As I cleared the trees and hit the main highway, crowded with traffic, I thought I saw a faint glitter in the trees. When I looked again, it was gone.