A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks for the reviews and questions; hopefully I can clarify some stuff: Alice could not see Bella because her shield is so much stronger now that she is a vamp that she is unintentionally blocking Alice, so Alice cannot see anything about Bella…at least not yet. In addition, as for the second gift, you guys will figure out what that is in this chapter, I kind of purposefully left that on a cliffhanger because Bella does not know that she has a second gift until she meets Alec and Jane. Anyway, here is the next chapter; I hope you guys enjoy it!

-Samba

Chapter Three: Gifted

Bella POV

"They growled at me before straightening up in surprise and recognition- Jane and Alec. The effect was instantaneous the second my golden topaz eyes met their crimson ones. Immense pain coursed through my body and I screamed out, collapsing to the ground in a heap. I flailed struggling to pull my shield up around me, but everything rapidly turned into nothingness."

The black abyss was complete and overwhelmingly silent. I couldn't hear or see anything. I couldn't even feel my body. Was I dead? What had that pain been? Had they killed me without me even noticing? I had no sense of time passing. It could have been five minutes or five days, all I knew was that something was not right. This kind of thing didn't happen to vampires, at least not the vampires that I knew about. I must be dead. How could I have been stupid enough to let my shield down with vampires around? Especially around the sadistic Volturi twins Alec and Jane. I am not sure how long I was lost in the nothingness before I began to get an odd sensation that slowly worked its way through my body. It felt as though the nothingness had turned into a heavy blanket that covered every inch of my existence.

The second I became conscious of this blanket, I began pushing against it. At first, nothing happened, but slowly I began to get my senses back. First, I could hear voices. If I could hear voices, I must not be dead after all. I focused on the voices, listening intently to what they were saying.

"Aro, we didn't do anything to her! She ran into us and then started screaming and then collapsed!" I could practically hear Jane's pout in her voice as she defended herself.

"Enough dear one, go and find Heidi. Alec, make sure that Felix has gone to fetch the tour group for dinner tonight, I am rather thirsty."

I heard footsteps pad lightly on a stone floor as they faded into the distance. Aro? No. Surely, I wasn't in Volterra. As my hearing became stronger, I felt the blanket slide off me altogether. My eyes fluttered open in shock as Aro, Caius and Marcus stood in a semi-circle around the small bed I was laying on. Shocked, I flew off the bed and into a crouch, a feral snarl ripping out of my chest. Aro simply surveyed me with a smile on his lips, waiting for me to adjust to the new scene.

"Hello Bella, how lovely to see you again." He stated politely. Still on my guard, I straightened up out of my crouch warily.

"Aro. What is going on, what am I doing in Volterra, and what the hell did your guard do to me?" I bombarded him with questions furiously, waiting for him to explain why on earth I was on the other side of the world from where I remembered being.

"Well Bella, I must say I am pleased to see you have changed, being a vampire seems to clearly suit you." He glanced up and down me again before continuing, "And I must say, I am pleased and a little shocked at how your powers have developed. As for what happened to you, I think I can explain if you will sit down. Are you thirsty?" I was extremely thirsty, I knew my eyes would be pitch black but there were more important things at hand, and I knew that I wasn't thirsty for their diet. I shook my head no before I registered the first part of what he had said to me.

"Powers? I think you are mistaken, I only have one power Aro, the same power I had when I was human, only stronger."

"Gifts and powers are an interesting thing, Bella. They can manifest at any time in a young vampires life. You seem to have two powers, one of them completely unheard of and unique." I gauged his reaction before my curiosity won over me.

"Explain…everything." I said flatly.

"Well, you know of course that you have your shield, that particular power manifested itself before your change. I am guessing that you rarely let it down, and have not let it down in the presence of other vampires until you ran into Jane and Alec. If I am correct, it would appear that you have absorbed their powers as your own. I believe that your shield stops this 'collection' if you will, of others powers, which is why you were previously unaware of your gift. You felt the nothingness of Alec's power and the pain Jane can create when you absorbed their prodigious skills and it overpowered you until you gained control again."

I stared at him with a dumbfounded expression on my face. I had absorbed their powers? I had never heard of a vampire having that gift, or any gift like that. Aro seemed to find some odd amusement in my disbelief, while Caius and Marcus just looked wary.

"My dearest Bella, we have no desire to harm you, in fact if my theory is correct we hold a great interest in your abilities."

"Oh...well I have no interest in joining your guard Aro, although I am flattered for your offer, I would much prefer to leave Volterra before your dinner time rolls around…" I wasn't sure why I was denying help from the Volturi, I was sure they would be able to teach me about my powers, but from what I learned from Edward, it was kind of hard to leave the Volturi once you joined, and I didn't like their eating habits.

"Ah, I figured you might say that. Well Bella, I wish you well. Should you ever reconsider, please do not hesitate to visit us again. And please pass my regards on to Carlisle." I felt the hole in my chest tug a little at the mention of Carlisle Cullen, but showed no emotion at the mention of his name.

"Ah, Felix, just on time." A huge figure moved swiftly through the shadows and out into the light.

"Aro, the feast is ready in the other room." Felix addressed him, his long grey cloak masking the rippling muscles that could only be comparable to Emmet.

"Excellent. Felix, would you please escort Bella out the back entrance. Obviously she doesn't eat people as she is with the Cullen's, and we don't want to tempt her instincts when she is so young still."

"Sure thing Aro, save me a bite or two." I walked silently behind the massive Felix as I walked through a narrow stone passageway. We walked in silence until we reached the door.

"Its nightfall already, please don't linger in the city limits…or do." He winked at me flirtatiously before opening a door and allowing me to pass by him. I could feel his eyes tracing up the contours of my body and was sure that if I could have blushed still, I would be scarlet.

I could absorb others powers? I still was not sure whether or not I believed Aro's theory about what had happened, but I needed to find out for myself. Aro had given me a ticket back to the states as well as a passport so that I could return to the 'Cullen's'. What if the Cullen's saw the Volturi and Aro told them of my encounter? It would surely come up particularly if Edward were there. I pushed this thought out of my mind as I boarded the long flight that would take me back to Canada. Canada was good- it had low populations in its Midwest territories and lots of variety of large predators. I frequently came across packs of wolves on my hunting trips, and my heart throbbed for the loss of my friend Jacob. Poor Jacob, he had done so much for me and I couldn't even thank him.

My throat burned with thirst, even though I had hunted right before leaving, I did not trust myself around human blood. If anyone should so much as prick their finger, I knew I would massacre the whole plane. I sat on my hands and held my breath as the plane glided through the night. I couldn't help but thing about what Aro had said…could I really use Alec's power of sensory deprevation and use Jane's power of creating an imitation of pain in one's mind? I shivered at the thought of using such a horrible gift on anyone. However, sensory deprivation would be extremely useful. I looked around the cabin, thinking to myself. Would it be so wrong to try to test my powers in this plane? I didn't even know how I would even start to use Alec's power.

No sooner than I had thought about it, I felt a pressure within my body. I pushed against it, gently at first and then more forcefully until I saw an almost invisible mist extend from my body. I knew it would have been invisible to the human eye but it fascinated me. I watched my thin projection of mist engulf the individual sitting closest to me, and saw a blank, glazed look flit across their eyes. I felt slightly guilty for testing my power on an innocent person, and stopped pushing against the pressure. The instant I stopped pushing against the pressure that I could still feel distantly, the mist disappeared. I could see the life rush back to the man's eyes, before being rapidly replaced by shock and confusion. I smiled to myself at the realization that I had potentially unlimited power. What could ever go wrong in my life now that I couldn't control?

A/N: I wanted to fast forward a bit because otherwise this story will turn into a lot of pointless fillers and I don't want that to happen, I want to keep it interesting.

92 years later…

Edward POV

Ugh. Why couldn't my family just leave me alone to wallow in my grief about my love? Bella. Her name was like a symphony to my ears.

Edward, you are destroying Esme and Jasper. Esme doesn't deserve this, she loves you and she hates seeing you like this. Can you please at least come with us and pretend that you want to come for her sake? And seriously if Jasper has to leave again I am going with him.

Alice's thoughts in my head were an angry rebuke for how I had behaved for the better part of the last century. She was right; I had to go about life at least a little bit normally for my family's sake. I wish I could just go to the Volturi and end this already, but that ship had set sail into the sunset. I rose to my feet feeling the hole in my chest ache a little before moping down the stairs to see my family waiting.

"Edward! You decided to come! I am so happy, son." Carlisle's thoughts were sympathetic as I reached Esme's side.

"Esme, I am sorry." I stated simply. She wrapped her arms around me in an embrace and her thoughts told me plainly that she just wanted me to be happy. Her thoughts were always full of understanding and compassion. I couldn't have asked for a better mother figure in my life.

"Hey everyone let's get going already!" Emmet boomed from across the room. His childlike mentality used to be refreshing but for the past fifty years, it had just been a royal pain in the ass. I was as ready as ever for the shopping trip that was ahead of us. We had just moved again, so naturally Alice insisted there was tons of stuff we needed. I was just being dragged along for the 'enjoyment' of the day. Oh the joy, I thought to myself with bitter sarcasm.

We walked down the street, everyone in my family paired off. I walked slightly behind the rest of the group, watching my four siblings embrace and show each other off to the throngs of people as I walked alone behind them. I certainly was the topic of the dirtiest thoughts as women undressed me with their minds repeatedly. We were walking by a small art gallery when it hit me like a train. Freesia. Strawberry. A soft compliment of lavender. I must have lost my mind, I had gone crazy. I stood frozen my eyes panning around me for the source of the scent. My family had caught on and stopped looking around confused.

"It smells like her," Alice stated in a small confused voice.

Bella? No it couldn't be, it must be someone who smells similar to her though...wow I wonder how this will affect him.

Oh poor Edward, look at him.

That dumb bitch is dead who cares about a stupid scent. Let's go find me some hot cloths.

Alice, Jasper and Rosalie's thoughts did not even register in my mind as I stepped forward following the scent and getting closer to it. I was standing outside the gallery, and it was obvious that the scent was inside. I waited silently, anticipating the source of the nearly irresistible smell. It was taking all my self-control to not rush in the gallery and seek out the source myself. I did not have to wait long, the door swung open and the smell was suddenly overpowering. I gazed, transfixed at golden topaz eyes that were locked on mine. No it couldn't be. Bella was dead. Clearly she was dead, she was not human, but how did this happen?

"Bella…" I asked uncertainly.

My beautiful starred at me with an unreadable expression, before she turned swiftly and ran at a pace that was impressive even for a vampire.

Bella POV

I had stopped in this little art gallery in the heart of Chicago to see if there was anything I wanted to buy for my room, I had been getting pretty tired of the artwork I had in there. I glanced around at all of the pieces finding that I didn't really care for them. Most of them were minimalist pieces and I found them too plain. Stepping outside and letting the soft waves of my dark brown hair cascade gently over my shoulders, I flicked my eyes up to look around me. My eyes immediately locked on him. I froze, transfixed as I saw seven pairs of topaz eyes staring at me in shock. I did the only thing I could think to do in that instant- I ran for it.

I streaked off down the street, away from the Cullen's before they even realized what happened. I was very fast, maybe even faster than Edward was. I was about fifteen blocks away when I realized that Edward was tailing me. I was faster than him, but not by much. I knew I wouldn't be able to shake him off really. I ran for miles until I reached an empty field on the outskirts of Chicago. I knew he wasn't going to just give up, so I turned on the spot and faced him. He was shocked at my sudden stop and had to loop around to meet me.

"Bella..." he stood gazing at me with an astonished, anguish etched into his expression. I waited for him to say something other than my name, staring up at the man who had left me to die-the man who did not love me anymore.

"Bella, how-what-how did this happen?" Edward was speechless; his golden eyes tormented as he looked up and down my body.

"Don't worry about it Edward, I'll leave tomorrow." I said flatly. I certainly was not going to stick around the family that did not want me. He did not love me anymore. As much as it tore at the hole in my chest, I was not going to force myself on the him.

"No Bella please don't go, how could you think I want that? Please just talk to me."

I felt a soft poke at my shield and suddenly felt a wave of anger wash over me as I realized what he was trying to do.

"Stay out of my head Edward." I glared up at him from beneath my long lashes, daring him to try again.

"Bella, please you don't understand. Let me explain."

"Explain?" I nearly shrieked. "Explain how you left me? How I have been alone for practically a century, left to figure everything else out for myself? I do not need to hear you tell me that you do not love me Edward; I accepted that a long time ago. I don't need your pity or for you to lie to try and make me feel better about it, I get it." I turned to leave, but he grabbed me above my elbow and spun me around into a vice tight hug. I tried to push him away but he was stronger than I was.

I felt numb. I just wanted to disappear. No sooner than I wished it, my body began to become invisible in his arms. It was a gift I had picked up while traveling in Africa. Edward froze in shock and released me. I pushed him away before letting him see me again.

"Don't you dare touch me Edward, you have no right to touch me. You gave up that right when you left."

"Bella, please." Edward's body looked like it was trembling with grief. "I love you." He pleaded.

That did it. I could not stand him saying the words I knew were lies. A feral snarl ripped from my chest and I lunged at him, throwing him back. He did not fight me back, he let me abuse him. No sooner than I tackled him to the ground, Alice, Carlisle, Esme, Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmet appeared, looking shocked to see me attacking Edward. Rosalie growled at me, glaring daggers in my direction.

I slid off Edward, who was still laying on the ground in shock.

"Bella," Carlisle interjected in a polite tone. "We are very curious and concerned about how this happened, please would you tell us what happened?" Carlisle was difficult to say no to.

"Bella, why didn't I see this happening? Why wouldn't you find me? I thought we were best friends." Alice had a genuinely hurt expression on her face.

"I wasn't about to force myself on the people that didn't want to keep me, and I'm not going to now Alice, I'm sorry. You can't see me because my shield blocks all types of powers, even powers that affect the body. That's why Jasper can't sense my emotions and you can't see my future. As for how I changed, Laurent changed me in the meadow."

"But surely the pack wouldn't have left you alive?" Carlisle seemed shocked that they would leave me to change.

"They didn't want to, but Jacob pleaded with Sam and took me far into Canada and left me there to change away from people. I was told never to return or I would be killed."

The Cullen's looked shocked. Edward stared up at me from the ground, speechless.

"Bella, please don't leave. If we had known, we would have found you. Are family has never been the same without you.

I shook my head slowly trying to clear the thoughts out of my head.

"I'm sorry," I said slowly. "Just let me go please."

With that, I turned my back slowly on the devastated and disappointed faces, I sped off again towards my home.

A/N: So there you have it. Will Bella go back to Edward? What trouble lies down the road for her if she does? What is Edward thinking during this, and how is he going to convince Bella of his love? Many answers to come! Read & review, thanks for reading!

-Samba