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Chapter 2: The Volturi and Edward

"Someone must go to them. Tell them, why they cannot be here," Aro said, looking at everyone that surrounded him. His coven - or at least he thought it was his.

"Aro, I've seen it. They're just here on vacation. They bought a hotel just to stay hidden. They won't go out in sunlight... unless of course no one can see them. And no one will see them because they have their own hotel! No one is trying to expose us. I promise you that." I tried to reason with him. This wasn't about being exposed. This was about his pride and thirst for power. I would not let him hurt Jasper's family. I had grown attached.

"Maybe Alice is right" Sulpicia, Aro's wife, said. "If they mean no harm, well, Aro sweetheart, why cause the trouble?" she questioned.

"They will hunt on our land. People will notice people drained of blood, dead in the streets," Santiago hissed. "The marks on their necks."

"No." I shook my head. "They're vegetarians. They eat animals," I said calmly, returning my voice to the lifeless state that Aro preferred. "They all fed before they left for Italy. I can assure you they will not feel the need to feed for quite some time." I folded my hands together and let them hang in front of me.

"What if they like to shop?" Jane questioned, her voice as dead as her red eyes.

"Aren't stores open almost all night?" I asked in return. "They can shop then."

"Alice, if I didn't know you so well, I would say you were protecting another coven," Marcus said slyly.

Everyone was looking at me now; if my heart was still beating it would be racing by now.

"I am not," I snapped, trying to defend myself. I turned my focus back to Aro. "But there is no sense in killing our own kind. They have done nothing wrong. I have watched them for weeks just like you asked and all they wish to do is lead a quiet existence. With the occasional luxury and trip, is that worth killing them over?"

"They came on out turf," Alec said, pointing at the perfectly polished marble floor and taking a half step towards the space I occupied.

"Oh please Alec, if we killed everyone that stepped onto 'our turf'" I air quoted, "Half the world would be dead by now!" I yelled.

Caius sighed, "Alice, let's not shout, shall we?"

I rolled my eyes and sighed.

"Aro, I could find them and kill them," Demetri spoke up.

I turned to glare at him. He didn't notice.

Aro must have nodded because Demetri got up to go.

"NO!" I screamed, leaping over the table to pounce on him. He was too fast and moved so I hit the ground. I was back up in a second. Felix was now over in the fight too, trying to restrain me, but I flipped him and blocked the door.

I turned my attention towards Aro. "Please master; I implore you to see reason."

Everyone looked shocked at what I had done, the scene I had made - everyone but Jane and Aro. Jane looked at me with no emotion and Aro with a smile that told me that something horrible was about to happen.

"Alice, they came on our land unannounced and their intention may be to expose us. They may know we are watching and they are pretending." He turned his head to the side and he continued, his voice soft and whimsical, almost like a lullaby. "And although I have known Carlisle for quite a long time, it does not mean he is above the law."

"This has nothing to do with the law. This is about your pride and the size of their coven." I pointed at him, yelling again. I quickly gathered my composure knowing that I was going to be punished for this.

Aro continued to look at me, smiling as he clasped his hands together "Jane?" Aro questioned.

"Yes, master?" her childish voice replied as the smallest smile assaulted her lips. She looked at me, her blood red eyes glaring deep into mine. "Pain." I could have sworn I heard cheerfulness in her voice when she said the word.

The pain was too much. I couldn't handle it. I felt like a thousand knives were digging into my body as Demetri and Felix tore me apart, but no one was touching me. And there was also a ringing noise, a high pitched ringing.

"ARO!" I screamed, holding my head. "ARO PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!" He came over and took one of my hands and scanned my mind. He stopped. I'd obviously thought something I shouldn't have.

He smiled at me. "You have affections for one person in the family?" He said affections like it was a dirty word.

I couldn't answer. The pain wouldn't go away. I stammered and stuttered trying to get the words out hoping this would make him stop Jane.

It worked. "Stop, Jane."

The pain stopped altogether and I collapsed while Aro's grip remained tight on my hand. I was so weak and I couldn't hide them… him.

"The blonde one," Aro said. "You are protecting that coven because you have affections for a Jasper Whitlock?" He looked away from me and then back again, his grin impossibly bigger. "No, Whitlock was his human name. He goes by Hale now? Am I right?" His voice was so calm, so smooth.

I let my head drop shaking it back and forth. No, no, no, I was repeating in my head over and over.

"Answer me," he said, even though he already knew the answer.

"Yes," I said in a small voice.

"Splendid!" he said, letting go of my hand and walked back to his throne. "Alice, go take a car and bring them back here. Make yourself look a little less…" He trailed off and looked at everyone still grinning. "Gothic." Everyone giggled.

"You know, dress, shoes, gloves, make up... whatever." He looked at me and his red eyes clouded. "Just. Go. Get. Them." He pronounced every word and spat out the word them.

I nodded. "Yes, master."

I ran to my room. It was small and had the same granite marble floors the whole castle had. It housed one large bed with the finest Italian linens on it, and it took up most of the room. I had one desk, bookshelf, a large mirror and a closet, filled with my clothes.

My wardrobe was split into two. On the right were my cloaks and everyday wear and to the left were my 'fishing clothes', or clothes I wore to fit in with the public. I didn't like 'fishing', but I was good at it. Heidi and I went out a lot. Most of my clothes were pink and black, my favorite colors. They also seemed to attract humans.

I walked to the closet and opened the doors. I pulled out a Junior strapless glitter bubble dress that was none other than black and hot pink. I put on some organza satin black platforms that made my 4' 10'' frame look at least 5' 1''. And to complete my little outfit, a shimmery sequined hobo handbag. After all that was on I went to the mirror.

I brushed my short pixie hair down instead of in its usual disarray. I grabbed my Porsche keys and zoomed to my car.

I got in and raced to the hotel. Crazy as it seemed, I needed to get them out of here. I didn't actually know the Cullen's but I knew I needed to risk everything to get them out of there. I felt like it was my destiny… my fate.

I made it to the hotel and parked the Porsche in the shade. I was lucky because there was a way to get around the entire building without the sun ever touching my skin. I raced up to the door and walked in.

I was about to open the door when I saw him.

Not Jasper.

Edward. In my head, he was standing on the other side of the door.

He opened the door and stared at me with the topaz eyes that I had come so accustomed to seeing over the past month.

"Who are you?" He asked, his brow knitted together.

I remembered quickly that this was the Cullen that could read minds. So I hid my thoughts by singing the Italian National Anthem in Japanese, backwards and once I was sure everything was hidden, I lied. "Oh, I'm sorry, I made a wrong turn and thought this was my hotel. My mistake," I said, taking a step backward at human speed; which was excruciatingly slow.

His eyes narrowed and he looked me up and down. "It happens, I suppose."

"Again, I'm sorry." I backed away.

"That's alright." He said as he slowly starting to close the door, still looking at me suspiciously.

I wasn't paying attention to where I was walking. I was so focused on keeping Edward out of my head that I stepped out into the sunlight for only a second. It was just my elbow that was exposed but it sparkled and I knew that Edward saw it.

"The sun is hot this time of day, no?" His eyes were no longer uncertain. He knew what I was and what group I belonged to even though I was hiding it from him in every way I could.

"It is." I smiled weakly. "Goodbye."

I turned and started running to my Porsche.

I hoped that this was enough to make them go home. Edward knew something was up and he would convince his family to leave. I searched my mind for their future but no decisions had been made.

I raced back to the castle and sprinted inside. I entered Aro's chambers and stood confidently in front of him.

Aro stood with a smile on his face. "Alice, that was fast." He looked around me and his smile faded. "Where are they?"

"They weren't there," I said, lying as best as I could.

"Weren't there?" he murmured as he leisurely walked from where he was standing and slowly approached me. I took a deep breath in and closed my eyes preparing myself for this.

Aro took my hand and scanned my mind.

I knew this would not end well for me.

"Alice, Alice, Alice," he said, tsking me with his tongue. "Why must you insist on protecting them?"

"They just don't deserve to die," I whispered, hanging my head.

He sighed and motioned for me to sit down. I did and he took his place behind his desk.

"Alice, sweetheart, I know you love him, this Hale boy," he said, waving his hand like he was dismissing him. "But you are a woman of reason, are you not? How could you possibly love someone you don't know?" I looked up at him. His mouth was drawn into a straight line; he was waiting for an answer.

I had no grand answer. No declaration of endless love. I said the only words that felt right. "I just do. I love all of them." I hung my head again.

"You are truly remarkable, you know that Alice?" I looked up once more and he was smiling lovingly at me, but the evil was still in his eyes and I felt no safer than before.

He breathed in quickly and sat up very straight. "Well I still don't trust them and you are so set on keeping them alive, I would like you to spy on them." He organized some things on his desk. "You will return here every other night and I will check up on them. I want you to see and hear everything. Do you understand Alice?"

I nodded and stood. "Yes master."

"Now run along, get to know Jasper. You never know - he might end up loving you back." He smiled at me again. "But of course you would know that even before he would." He laughed; it was hollow and cold. I exited his chambers.

I ran to my room, closed the door and shut my eyes as I looked for Jasper.