ALEC POV
"I still don't understand." I tell Aro blankly.
He sighs in frustration. "There is not much to understand, son. We simply go for the Cullens and attack without hesitation. None of our powers will work on them, but their yellow eyes make them weak. All we must do is kill them, especially Renesmee."
Renesmee's name causes my no longer beating heart to flutter. I swallow back the smile that comes to my lips at just the thought of the girl I can't remember ever meeting. "But why must we kill them? Kill her?" I question, queasy at just the thought. From everything I have heard of the Cullens, about the torture they put me through before finally deciding to kill me, I should hate them. But I don't. Hate is the farthest thing I feel when I think of them.
"Because your master says so, that's why." Aro snaps. He glares at me, and then walks theatrically out of the room. "Be ready in an hour." He turns to me with a glint in his eyes, and then continues on. I roll my eyes. Drama-queen.
I drift out of the throne room and up into my golden and burgundy room. I sit on the couch, pondering the absolute terror that comes with the thought of annihilating the Cullens.
Someone raps at my door. I know it's Daphne instantly. I open the door and she walks in, looking worried and fired-up. "What's wrong, babe?" I ask her as she begins to pace my room.
"I can't believe Aro is making us go for the Cullens." She raves, looking terrified.
"Are you scared?" I ask in confusion. Aro made things sound like a piece of cake.
"Scared of losing against them? No. I just don't want to be around the Cullens." She growls.
"We'll be around them for two seconds before killing them." I assure her, trying to talk of the slaughter as casually as everyone else.
"Two seconds is long enough for you to get a good look at her." Daph mutters.
"Who?" I ask, eyebrows knitting together. She stares at me a long time, and then sighs.
"I wish you had never met her. You are the best thing that has happened to me in three years. I've been slimy and wicked going about earning your affections, and the worst part of it is that because of her you'll never be able to love me like I love you. And I hate it here. I hate everyone here, except you. I've even thought of joining the Cullens... But I just.. I don't.. I can't explain. But you deserve the truth. You're an amazing person who had an amazing life that you could be returning to.." Her eyes glimmer with tears and her whole body trembles.
"What are you talking about Daph? I've fallen for you on my own. You didn't force me into it. Why would you think that? And joining the Cullens? Are you mad? Why would you forfeit living like royalty to go join some low life, mutant creating lawbreakers?" I ask her incredulously, unable to believe my own ears.
She collapses into a chair, head buried in her hands. She begins to sob. "Daphne, you're scaring me. Why are you crying? C'mon, babe, stop it." I kneel in front of her, trying to pry her hands from her face. She pushes me away.
"Don't call me babe. Don't even touch me. I don't deserve someone like you. I'm awful. I never wanted this. You know what I was before this? I was on the top of the honor roll and head cheerleader. I had the best life. And it was stripped from me because I had the privilege to take a damn vacation to Italy!" She shrieks. I scoot back, more than a little frightened. I've never seen her like this.
"But we have each other now. We're going to be okay." I assure her from a distance.
"No, we don't have each other. You have Renesmee. I have myself, a monster." She sobs.
"What do you mean, I have Renesmee? I thought you said you saved me from Renesmee who was trying to kill me?" My eyes are wide, my stomach churning.
"I lied, Alec! I lied, lied, lied! Half the words out of my mouth are lies! And you fell for them because...because.." She trails off, suddenly sitting up. My mind is swirling with this new information. Daphne lied about my history with Renesmee Cullen? Who is Renesmee really? My brain pounds, something at the back of my mind trying to push forward to no avail.
Suddenly, Daphne pounces on me, sending us rolling over each other. She lands on top, straddling me, pinning my elbows down with her knees.
"Stay still Alec. Please. We don't have much time." She begs. I can hear the sound of footsteps heading up the stairs from the bottom floor. We're on the sixth floor. I lay motionless, trapped in her red gaze. Her hands press against my temples, massaging gently. Her eyes close, and half a second later mine are forced shut also.
I can feel electricity building in my body. It burns. I begin to moan. I can feel Daphne's fingers still on my head, but that's about all I feel. My body is going on lock down.
I hear a door slam open with a sharp crack. Daphne gasps, her fingers moving faster. A split second of a buzz of electricity rockets through my body, causing me to twitch a few times.
"No!" Daphne screams. I want to go to her, to help her, but I can't move. I can't do anything. I slip off into cold, silent darkness.
DAPHNE POV
Demetri and Felix drag me out of Alec's room kicking and screaming. Alec lays limp on the floor, eyes closed, brain still on lock down and trying to cope. I don't know how many memories got through. I wanted to restore them all, but I didn't have time. Aro knew what I was doing and sent them for me. I tried to focus on only memories of him and Renesmee and a few of the Cullens and his human family.
I did it because I love him. He could be living the most amazing life right now with a loving family and adoring mate. Yet I have ensured that he is trapped in this hell hole along with me.
Demetri and Felix throw me at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the thrones. Aro, Marcus, and Caius stare down at me in disdain.
"Disappointing, Daphne. So very disappointing." Aro clucks his tongue. I glare at him.
"It's not like whatever I managed to do wouldn't have happened anyways. You know my power isn't full-proof. It doesn't erase the memories, only stores them away. If he sees people he was closest to from his former life, they'll resurface. Especially once he sees Renesmee." I tell him in a voice that implies he is the stupidest person in the world, which I'm nearly positive he is.
Aro is down next to me in a millisecond, grabbing a fistful of my hair. "Which is the only reason I'm keeping you alive, you worthless traitor. You're going to give him an extra dose of memory blocking in front of the Cullens. And then they'll try to move in to save him which will give us grounds to attack." Aro snarls. I cry out as he returns to his throne, taking a chunk of my stark black hair with him.
"You're mad if you think I would do that to Alec! I love him!" I cry, blinking away the tears in my eyes that will never spill over.
"Either you repress the memories of Alec, someone who will never love you back, or you and your human family die." Aro stares at me evenly, filmy red eyes malicious and evil.
"You promised you wouldn't hurt them as long as I stay here.." My voice quavers.
"I think by now you should have noticed I'm not one for sticking to my promises." Aro grins. I begin to scream and curse at him in Dutch, my native tongue. He merely laughs.
"You will only tucker yourself out, Daphne. I expect you'll be going to take back the memories you gave Alec now." Aro lifts one dark brow.
"I can't do that if you expect me to do it again in front of the Cullens. Three times will completely fry his brain!" I exclaim.
"Fine. Just keep him in line. Run along now." He waves his hand dismissively at me. I glower at him a moment longer, and then run off to cry in my room.
ALEC POV
My eyes flutter open. The first thing that rushes to my head is an onslaught of muggy memories. Dancing with a girl with long copper curls and big brown eyes wearing a violet ball gown in the middle of someones living room.
In a nice house with eight vampires and the same curly-haired girl. The vampires are smiling friendly at me, and when I see them all, I feel a sense of comfort and of family.
At a dining room table, eating human food with an Italian woman and a young girl with wispy blonde curls and innocent blue eyes. I love them both so much for unknown reasons.
Laying in a mound of snow with the curly-haired girl, holding hands with her, staring at her as if she is the best damn thing to have ever happened to me.
I see my own relationship unfold with this girl in glimpses. Our dates, our kissing, our break up, and our make up. I see myself laughing and joking around with the clan of vampires as if they're my closest pals.
Then I find myself in a memory of me having sex with her. The passion is intense and I almost feel like I'm spying on someone else;s life. I want to break away, but I can't. I'm trapped here, in this memory, making love to the girl I was in love with in this distant past life. Oh, hell, who am I kidding? I'm still in love with her. Just seeing her face through these foggy memories makes butterflies swarm my stomach and my head light.
I have to watch as the girl runs away from me one day in a park. I watch myself exploring her house for clues, and then crying my heart out when I have to accept that she is gone. A blur of time passes, and then I feel myself be roused awake. My bleary human eyes zone in on the face of Heidi, and then the memories stop.
I sit in the middle of my room, head throbbing. What is all of this? I lived an entirely different life.. A better life filled with love and happiness and true family.. A life where I was in love with a gorgeous girl and had a mother and a little sister and even a second family of vampires. I was brought to the Volturi the same way as everyone else. I was a potential food supply, and then Lucas sifted me out of the pack because of my power. Daphne isn't my savior, she is my destroyer.
I never even knew Daphne had a power. It must be some kind of memory suppressing and releasing. She hid my memories of my human life. And now pieces are floating back, but they don't flow correctly. I can't figure out exactly who I was or what I was. I don't know who those people are and I don't know how long ago all of this took place. What happened to those people? Are they still alive? Would they even remember me?
I lay down in my bed, mulling things over. I decide I must not confront Aro about this. He would kill me. I have to avoid contact with him at all costs. And I can't confront Daphne either because that would lead to Aro becoming involved.
I play the memories over and over in my head. I watch the girl's face, loving her smile and the way she laughs. Her innocent brown eyes, her long russet curls. She is flawless. I am in love with even just a memory of her. I am dying to know her name, but as I play through the conversations we have, listening to the musical symphony of her voice, I never once hear anyone address her specifically.
A knock on my door scares me out of my wits. I trip out of my bed and hurry to the door, trying to pretend to be normal. I know it's Daphne by the familiar scent.
"Hey, babe." I smile as I open the door, all the time thinking I hate you, you life-ruining bitch, I hate you, hate you, hate you, you could never compare to the girl I'm actually in love with.
"Hi.." She seems a little confused, staring at me warily. She is wearing her cloak, which is a shade of black lighter than mine, and Votluri necklace. The hood of her cloak is up.
"What happened earlier? One minute you rolled on top of me, and the next I was standing in the middle of this." I wave towards the broken chairs and table.
"Uhhh... I don't know.." She gulps, looking confused.
"Oh well." I shrug. "So is it time to go?" I ask, looking back at my room. My cloak is sprawled across my room. It is made of dense black fabric that conceals my face entirely when the hood is up. I grab the cloak and tie it on around my neck and strap on the black-leather signature Volturi bracelet.
"Yeah.." She looks so puzzled it's almost funny. I wrap my arm around her waist, sickened just by touching her, and we walk downstairs.
"What's up with the hood?" I tease, yanking the hood down. She grabs it and holds it onto her head.
"Don't." She shoots me a deadly look. Now it's my turn to be confused. I shrug it off though, and prepare to leave. At least my first mission will take my mind off things.