Sorry about the confusion. Ffn was complete fail yesterday. Here's the newest chapter to those who have not seen it. Reuploading so everyone can get a notification. Thanks babes.

ii

The sun was beginning to rise, just over the horizon.

Half the sky pink and the other pitch black, the colors mixing in the middle.

I watched it, motionless, as I sat in the passenger seat of Peter's Jaguar.

He tried to engage in conversation, but I said nothing, my body still as I continued to watch the sky, the tips of Aro's castle just hovering above the mountain tops.

When we arrived, I stepped out of the car without a word.

I knew something was wrong. Something was going to happen that would alter my life and possibly others, including an innocent girl who still slept in her bed back at Edward Masen's home.

A young boy opened the front door for me, his eyes gleaming as I passed. He was new. I could tell by the way his breath was quick and his lips were salivated with venom.

I smelled like human, given the circumstances that I was nearly beside one twenty four hours everyday. I looked at him pointedly and growled.

Whether she was here or not, I would tear his head off before he could finish the thought of her blood touching his tongue.

Jane, one of Aro's mistresses, led me to his dining room.

It did not surprise me in the least that Mr. Edward Masen himself was standing off to the side as Aro sipped on the goblet of blood in his hand. Edward glanced at me for a second, his eyes readable as I guessed that this news was going to be dire.

"Alec." Aro smiled acidly as he gestured to a chair. I sat down across the table, watching as a young woman lifted a silver platter with a goblet towards me.

"No thank you." I said coldly. She nodded and left my side.

"You don't want a sip?" He asked, gesturing to the blood. I shook my head. "Are you sure? It's rather… appetizing. Still warm with life. It's a woman…" He smacked his lips. "Seventeen or so…" He trailed off, baiting me.

"I've had my dosage today already." I said simply.

"Yes, I've been meaning to ask you about that." He inquired, raising a finger. "The girl has been with you for how long?"

"Eleven years."

"Eleven years. And yet… Her scars do not show. Why is that?" He asked, setting his cup down to lace his fingers together. Edward watched us from the side. His hands hung low in his pockets as he tried to seem uninterested.

"I did not bite her when she was young. I took it out." I sighed, this conversation getting the better of me.

"Took it out?"

"With a needle. And as she grew up, I didn't see the use as to start biting. It would only confuse her." I shrugged.

"You do not have to explain yourself to a donor, Alec. There is no logic when it comes to them." Aro said lowly.

"Is there a point to this meeting? I have other things to attend to." I snarled.

"You may leave when I say so. Right now, I have news for you." He said.

"News?"

"Yes. There has been an offer for the girl." Aro said plainly, as if he knew I was to be affected by it. I stayed focused, my fingers only twitching to move towards him and snap his head off.

Edward still said nothing.

"She is not for sale." I hissed.

"I'm afraid that is not up to you. You see, Vladimir Netura," Aro began, glancing over to Vladimir who stood still on the side. I had noticed him when I first walked in, but had given him no thought until now, "…has offered me a deal I just cannot refuse. For the girl, I get more than fifty new donors in exchange. He seems to have a… liking to her. Her blood sings to him." Aro smiled widely.

"Any woman's blood sings to that excuse of a man." Edward finally spoke up, emitting a snarl from Vladimir.

"That may be so, but I am running low on donors and the demands are high. I need anything I can get. So the trade will start tomorrow. He will get the girl and I will get the new donors. You can even be first pick." He smiled thinly at me.

"Bella is not for sale, Aro." I told him.

"It has been eleven years, Alec. Aren't you tired of her yet?" He chuckled, sending a surge of rage through me. "Surely her blood is not satisfying still?"

"It's not about the blood."

"It's always about the blood, Alec. The blood is why we have them in the first place. It is how we survive." He growled, his fingers digging into the mahogany of the table. "I am afraid this is not up for negotiation. The trade will be tomorrow at dawn. Bring her presentable."

"Sir?" Jane stepped in, bowing her head. "Carlisle Cullen is here to see you."

"Oh, Carlisle! Bring him in, my dear Jane!" Aro said excitedly, dabbing his mouth with the napkin. Carlisle, a man I had seen numerous of times, walked in and greeted Aro with a shake and kiss of the hand.

I wondered for a moment, how I would get out of this.

Could I run with Bella?

Hide her until he came and found us.

I side eyed Edward who sat still, watching Carlisle and Aro exchange words.

Aro would find us first. And he would kill us.

I was running out of hope.

"What brings you here, my dearest friend?"

"I have a bid." Carlisle said, setting down a sack of gold coins on the table.

"Oh, Carlisle, gold will not get you far in this world." Aro chuckled.

"This is only half. There is more. I have over forty new donors coming in from Spain."

"And what is so valuable that you would like in return?" Aro asked.

"Isabella Swan."

The two words made me fly up.

"She is not for sale!" I growled, snapping the table beneath me like a twig.

"Alec." Aro said flatly before directing his attention back to Carlisle. "She seems to be quite popular; I have an offer for her already."

"I will double it."

"The donors?" He asked.

"I'll have new ones coming in for the next few months. You will have the biggest share." Carlisle nodded. Aro gasped, rubbing his hands together.

"Marvelous!"

"I will double as well!" Vladimir stepped in protectively.

"Oh. I see we have some kind of competition." Aro smirked, "Edward, how would we settle this?"

Edward did not miss a beat.

"Death." He said.

"To the death." Aro nodded. "Whoever wins gets the girl."

The two men glared at each other until they both jumped. It wasn't long until Vladimir's limbs were scattered across the floor. Carlisle Cullen had won.

I would have to give up my doe.