Chapter Six: The Power of Izzy

A/N: BEFORE READING THIS CHAPTER, I RECOMMEND RE-READING CHAPTERS 1-5. It has been such a long time since I posted, things will have been forgotten and re-freshing your memory of the story will really help with this chapter. Chapters five and six reveal a lot and so hints in previous chapters will be easier to understand.

Okay so this includes an explanation of Izzy's gift and should answer some questions. Let me know if there's something you're not clear on. Enjoy and Review…

Previously…

'Jasper spoke up then. He seemed both curious and concerned as he asked, "you said you are too powerful for the Volturi to have kept hold of you, that you could eliminate them all. Just what power do you have?"

I sighed and figured I'd have to let them know just how dangerous it was for them to be around me sooner rather than later.

"Control, Jasper. My gift is the power to control. To control everything and everyone."'

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IzzyPOV

Silence. Scepticism. Shock.

The members of the Cullen family stared back at me, one of them occasionally opening their mouths to say something but then looking confused by their own thoughts and slamming their lips together without speaking a word.

Jasper leaned forward in his seat, placing his elbows on his knees and crossing his hands. He tilted his head to the side, scrunched up his brow and spoke to me in an anxiously curious voice.

"You're going to have to explain that to us a little please, Darlin'."

I had known I would have to provide the play-by-play concerning my gift's development but I didn't delight in doing so. I had been through all this with others before, a select few that I had encountered through the years and befriended, and so I decided to re-tell the facts to the Cullens the way I had told them previously.

"When I awoke in my vampire life I noticed the enhancement of every one of my senses. Everything was clearer, more intricate, more precise. Just how I imagine all of you did. But, that, is exactly were the similarities in our newborn experiences end.

I was aware of Aro, Caius and Marcus standing at the end of my bed, with their backs pressed against the wall behind them. I looked at them questioningly, wondering why they all look so confused and slightly afraid. Aro explained. He told about the oddness of my transformation - the silence, the elongation. Caius took over and bluntly asked why the hell I wasn't currently attempting to tear Volterra apart in order to consume every human I found.

I wasn't thirsting. My bloodlust was miniscule and pushed to a back corner of my brain without me even realising. I explained to the three of them how I currently did not wish for blood. Marcus was dumbfounded, Caius disbelieving and Aro was, as usual, intrigued.

Aro conceded and dropped the subject of me feeding. He decided my shield should be tested. As always, the vampires attempting to use my mind had no success. While they went through their testing of me, I began to hear random snippets of different people's thoughts. I was confused and didn't understand. I didn't, as yet, have my mind under complete control.

When Aro was bored and wanting to know what I was capable of at full capacity, he demanded I feed. I agreed to, as long as it was animal blood. They laughed and said I would only be able to 'achieve my real greatness' if I was living off humans. When I continued to refuse, they got aggravated and attempted to force humans upon me.

They brought a middle-aged man in to my room. They cut his forearm, exposing his blood to me. I may have had little lust for blood but I was still a newborn vampire and I was enticed. I got angry. Very angry. At them for trying to make me take a human life. At myself for being even slightly tempted to drain that man. He had a fatherly look to him. I could not kill him. I could not take away someone's father or husband.

They advanced, dragging his frozen-in-terror body towards me. My anger, towards the three, increased. I felt my eyes blaze as I looked up at Felix, the vampire acting as a waiter. He was leering at me and shoving the human's arm under my nose. I straightened my posture, held my head high and commanded Felix to 'stop'. I don't know why or how I knew to do it, but I had known it would work. It did. Felix's body froze in it's movements, he ceased wafting the man's arm and let it drop.

Everyone in the room was deeply confused, myself included. Aro began pacing, trying to figure out how it all connected. My lack of bloodlust, my shielding against mind powers, my controlling of Felix. As Aro spent the next two days testing me, trying to understand what exactly my gift was, I began to gain more control of myself, others and my surroundings. The dangerous acts I could achieve where vast and it scared me. I didn't want to be this powerful. I didn't want to be used for evil. I could not stay.

I decided my best option of escape from the Volturi would be to threaten their existence. I could sense fear and excitement warring with each other within Aro and Caius. Marcus was more concerned, if anything. Controlling another's mind appeared to be at the forefront of my power and so it was clear to the three and myself that I could easily turn the Volturi against each other, bringing them down with a simple command.

And so, two days after waking from my transformation I left, with no attempt from any vampire to stop me. I had yet to feed and decided that though my control was strong, it would be pigheaded of me not to hunt before immersing myself within a human occupied area. So I fed, taking to the hunt with surprising ease. Once the animal blood was in my system, my ability to control certain objects increased.

Before I'd fed I could do simple stuff like light levitation but when my strength had increased my abilities expanded. I had to learn how to 'turn off' my mind. The different aspects of my gift began to overwhelm me and I needed to be able to think. So I sat myself in a secluded meadow for five days - learning and developing my power, hunting every few hours to keep up the strength I needed to experiment with my control of objects. Once I knew all I could of my possibilities, I left and started my new life.

Over the years I have found more and more uses for my control. Every decade or so the Volturi come pay me a visit, asking me to join them. I say no every time but they have yet to give up. I have not 'ordered' them to leave me alone because I hate using my power to control people. I could easily do it but I am so independent myself that to manipulate someone is criminal to me. I use my power when necessary or if no harm will come from it, otherwise I am simply too dangerous and I don't like it.

I have developed my shield to now protect the whole of me, as well as the minds and bodies of others."

I knew they would have questions, I was quite brief with what I told them of my abilities but there was still that part of me that wanted to hold back some information, they'd hurt me before and I would not let them do it again. Self preservation and I had become best friends over the years.

During my explanation, the rapid and extreme changes in expressions on the Cullen's faces had gotten annoying and so I'd stopped paying attention to them and concentrated on what I was saying. Now that I'd finished speaking, I took them all in.

Emmett and Rosalie looked impressed, Alice was proud, Carlisle and Esme seemed concerned, Edward was swallowing continuously and looking at me with unsure eyes. Jasper was… confusing. I could feel desire and admiration running between us and I didn't know how to interpret it.

"One question. Carlisle has always explained a vampire's gift as being created from an aspect of their human tendencies, or whatever. Alice was a nut case having premonitions; Edward was a nosey asshole that wanted to know what everyone was thinking and Jasper's favourite hobby was charming the underwear off every human female in sight. So, how'd you end up with yours?" Ah, Emmett, he may not have asked very eloquently but he was the one to ask the question that took the longest for us to find an answer.

"It took about 15 years for myself and a few friends of mine to figure that out ourselves. We broke down my human personality and factored in my vampire gift. The power I have all stems from the strength of my mind.

In the 20 years before my change, I went through a lot of trauma. I experienced pain that most humans don't come close to throughout their lives. All the hardship I encountered near the end of my life enhanced the way I thought, matured me, changed the way I lived my life and strengthened my mind. Instead of crumbling like I did age 18, I lived on and stayed in control of myself.

And so there is your answer. My mind was very strong as a 20 year old human, the change strengthened it. The brain is a complex organism, it is capable of a vast amount. To get inside someone's head, to manipulate them, read their thoughts, send them images, talk to them inaudibly, command them to do and say things takes a lot of strength and being able to control myself, contributed to being able to control others.

Controlling an object or animal - including humans - is a lot easier than a vampire because a vampire's brain is so much more intense and able. But I can do it. Because it's all centred around my mind strength, it can exhaust me if I'm using my power to control something particularly resistant. That hasn't happened more than a few times though.

Don't be impressed. Being so powerful is a huge responsibility and not something to be desired. Yes it can be helpful and I am grateful for having as it got me away from the Volturi, however most the time it is quite the burden. I am aware that most would use my gift for wrong doing and selfish gain. I'm not the most trusting person anymore, as a human I was very naïve and I paid a price for that trait."

I did not wish to talk of the topic anymore. I was revealing too much. My weaknesses were being laid bare.

So of course I used humour to put their minds on something else.

"Who'd like a demonstration?" I grinned evilly as I spoke.

Then I sent every Cullen member a picture-perfect image of me throwing Emmett up into the 20ft oak tree in their garden, catching him mid air and perching him on the very top branch, dressed as a blue tit bird.

Laughter erupted and the room shook with the bark of Emmett's guffaw.

"Wow, that was exactly like a vision. You created that well Izzy." Alice smiled at me and gave me a thumbs up.

"Yes well it was obviously not a vision little sis, because there is no fucking way she could do that to me. All Powerful Vampire or not." Emmett crossed his arms and sat up straight as he smugly smiled at me.

"Think so, huh?" I replied, as innocently as possible, showing only curiosity at the 'hypothetical' situation.

"I know so, Izzle Sizzle. In fact I'd bet high on you not even being able to catch me to put me in that tree." His chest puffed out even more as he continued, completely unaware that he was reacting exactly the way I wanted him to.

"That confident, eh? Would you bet on… your Jeep?" If you give a little…

"Woman, I'd bet on sex." …you can take away a lot. BINGO!

"I'll take that bet. If you beat me you can pick your reward." I replied confidently now.

Emmett faltered at my mention of free reign on his winning choice, but then the smug exterior returned and he was on his feet heading for the back window door.

"Come on then Bella-Two-Point-Oh, show me what you got." He called as he carried on walking with his back to the rest of us.

I stood from my seat, grinning. The rest of the family stood also, looking amused and walking behind me as I followed Emmett out.

"Oh, Emmett," I called. He stopped and turned around to look at me, questioning my teasing tone. "I should warn you, my newborn strength and speed has not worn off one bit since my change…" I trailed off with a giggle as I walked past Emmett's stunned body.

I heard raucous laughter coming from the other Cullens as Emmett muttered, "oh shit!"

A/N: Now that most of her history is out there, we can move on with the story! Wahay! I needed to end this on a more playful note, to move on from all the depressive. Let me know your thoughts as usual. Love, Kerrie xx