Alice was right. Although the flight attendants cared deeply about Jacob's shirtlessness, no one else seemed that troubled by it. At one point we were actually approached by a modeling agent. I was tempted to stay for a photo or two, but Alice reminded me that we were working with a deadline (no pun intended).
It's unfortunate because Italy is truly beautiful and I wish I could spend more time admiring the gorgeous landscape, the rolling hills lightly painted with sunlight, the small towns dotting the hilltops. I make a note to go sightseeing after saving Edward from himself and stopping the Volturi from devouring innocents.
Alice points out one of the towns in the distance as the Volturi's place of residence, known as Volterra.
"Am I really supposed to be intimidated by villains that name their hideout after themselves?" I ask.
"Don't underestimate them," Alice says. "There's a reason the Volturi have lasted for centuries, and why they are the ones that rule vampires."
"I know we can take them," Jacob says. Alice shakes her head.
"The Volturi will be unlike anything you've ever faced," she says. "Not only are they powerful, severe, and relentless, but they also have an obsession with vampires who possess special gifts, like Edward and myself only much more impressive. The Volturi use these vampires as guards. So we must be careful."
"Now I'm starting to get a little worried," I admit. My eyes widen as I see people in red robes swarming the town. Alice slowly drives through them, parting the Red Sea.
"Looks like we've come just in time for St. Marcus day," Alice says. "It's a celebration of the legendary Christian missionary St. Marcus, who allegedly drove all the vampires out of the city."
"Guess he missed a few," I say. This crowd is impossible to get through. It's too tightly packed. My patience wears thin.
"That's it, I'll just walk to get Edward." I say. "Where did you see him in your vision Alice?"
"At the clock tower, at noon." She says. "You go ahead with Jacob. And hurry."
"Noon?" I exclaim, looking at the stereo which reads 11:51. I slam the car door open, accidentally taking out a pedestrian.
"Sorry!" I yell as I race off towards the clock tower, Jacob following close behind. I weave between people, knocking over a few. Everywhere, sweaty bodies push up against each other. The sun presses down on us all, only increasing the claustrophobia. I'm drowning in my own sweat pooling on my forehead and under my armpits, and suffocating from body odor. In the chaos, I've been separated from Jacob. I spin around, only getting dizzy trying to locate him and losing precious time.
Then I see an oasis in the crowd. A clear, cool pool with shimmering coins relaxing at the bottom. My legs pull me towards it, and I stumble into the water. It engulfs me from head to toe. I close my eyes for a moment and hold my breath under the water. It's invigorating and I'm inspired to jump out and once more run towards the clock tower. Water sprinkles behind me, and I start to shove people out of the way. Most people move anyway because I'm soaking and smell like chlorine.
Then a chime rings out. I pause for just a moment to curse violently. Some parents with small children start to yell at me, but I push past them. I start yelling out Edward's name. Each of my screams is answered with a chime from the bell. Finally, I push through the crowd to see the base of the clock tower.
I'm astonished to see nothing. Just more people clothed in red. Did he change his mind? I scan the area, but my heart sinks when I see a dark alley hidden from my view. My heart jumps into my throat as I sprint forward, the effort piercing my lungs with pain. A shadow emerges. I cry out, but the clash of the bell swallows my words.
As I'm in Edward's view, I start to wave my hands to gain his attention. However, this throws off my balance. He starts to dramatically unbutton his shirt, and I actually think I have a chance of stopping him. That is, until I plunge face first into the pavement. My knees skid across the rough stone, blood trailing behind them. I suck in my breath with a hiss. I lift my hands up, and see minuscule pebbles embedded in them.
The pain is nothing compared with the disappointment I feel seeing Edward standing mere feet away, his chest completely bare and glittering in the bright sunlight. His marble skin and unrealistic body proportions make him look like a Roman statue, albeit a very glittery one. The pain of my failure makes my limbs feel full of lead, but I refuse to stop moving. When I reach Edward, I slam him backwards. We stumble back into the shadows.
"Amazing," he says, "Carlisle was right." His voice sounds loopier than usual. Has Edward been drinking? He smiles at me, slightly bemused. His hand tries to brush against my cheek but I shoo it away. I squint into his eyes and see they're fuzzy as if he's dreaming.
"I can't believe how quick it was. I didn't feel a thing- they're very good," he muses, closing his eyes again and pressing his lips against my hair. "Death, that hath sucked the honey of thy breath, hath had no power yet upon thy beauty."
"Oh god, are you quoting Romeo and Juliet?" I ask, trying to direct him towards Alice's car. "First off, that book is not a romance! It's Shakespeare criticizing young love. Second, now is not the time. And third, WE'RE NOT DEAD AND I'D LIKE TO KEEP IT THAT WAY, SO LET'S SKIDDADDLE. Although technically you are dead, or undead? I don't know but we need to go!"
Edward doesn't even seem to hear me. I groan and glance around in hopes of seeing Jacob. When I look back something has shifted on Edward's face. His clarity has returned but with it chilled irritation, like being woken up with a bucket of cold water. Just as I make this observation, he spins me so I'm pinned between the wall of the alley and his back, and I'm not sure which is colder to the touch. His body hunches over like a lion protecting its cub. My scowl falls away when two shadows step forward.
"Greetings, gentlemen," Edward says. "I don't think I'll be requiring your services today. I would appreciate it very much, however, if you would send my thanks to your masters."
"Shall we take this conversation to a more appropriate venue?" A smooth voice whispers menacingly.
"I don't believe that will be necessary." Edward's voice was harder now. I stand on my tiptoes to peer over his shoulders. "I know your instructions, Felix. I haven't broken any rules."
"Felix merely meant to point out the proximity of the sun," the other shadow said in a soothing tone. I could see now that they resembled shadows because they were wearing smoky gray cloaks that undulated with rhythm like shadows. "Let us seek better cover."
"I'll be right behind you," Edward says dryly. "Bella, why don't you go back to the square and enjoy the festival?"
Typical, five seconds together again and he's already telling me what to do.
"No, bring the girl," the "Felix" shadow says. If I had a quarter for every time a villain referred to me as "the girl" or "you girl". Edward's weight shifts, and it's clear he's about to retort. I put my hand on his shoulder.
"Can I introduce myself before we start fighting? It's only polite," I say, trying to be subtle about scanning the crowd beyond. "My name's Bella Swan. (I'm sure this guy has told you all about me)." I joke, motioning towards Edward. It's clear from his sour face that he's uncomfortable. I put my hand out for them to shake. Their lips curl as they gaze at my bloodstained hand.
"Bella!" A little voice chimes. My heart leaps to see Alice, and the distraction lets me pull back my hand to avoid further embarrassment. "I see you've met Felix and Demetri."
The two vampires, Felix and Demetri, glance at each other. They're slightly irritated expressions change to ones of horror and confusion when Jacob steps up from behind Alice. Their mouths drop, and Felix asks angrily, "You brought a werewolf with you?"
Edward's equally as surprised and angry. "You brought a werewolf with you?" He echoes.
"I did!" I say. "To help save you, even though you're overbearing and overly dramatic."
"Are you two breaking up?" Jacob asks, eagerness slipping into his voice.
"Not the time," I growl. Edward and Jacob glare at each other.
"Enough," A little girl's voice says behind us. Felix and Demetri let go of their defensive positions. Identical looks of defeat wash over Alice and Edward.
"Jane," Edward says, narrowing his eyes. I've only ever seen him look at Jacob like that.
Before us stands a girl, even shorter than me, wearing the same black robe as Felix and Demetri. Her face is pretty but her eyes are striking. Like Felix and Demetri, her irises are deep crimson and fade into black. However, within her eyes is a disconcerting sadism. I hate to judge people on sight, but I don't like her.
"Follow me," Jane says. None of us want to, but even I'm intimidated by those piercing eyes. She leads us to a door that's honestly little more than a hole in the ground. Beyond the door is a series of dark tunnels. Edward stays close to me, holding his hands out in case I fall. The sentiment bothers me because why would he just assume that I'm going to fall on my face? Although, maybe it's because I did only a moment earlier.
Either way, I decide not to say anything about it. No says anything. There's a silence as stony as Jane's apathetic expression. The water soaked in my cloths makes me shiver in the cold air. I hate the way these tunnels are too similar to catacombs. If I'm not careful, they could become my eternal resting place. I'd really hate to be stuck in Twilight forever.
We emerge from the tunnels into a reception area. There's a human woman sitting behind a desk. She smiles politely at us. I gape at the out-of-place room. The woman greets Jane, who nods back at her. I politely ask her for a towel, seeing as I'm soaking wet, but she ignores me. Edward pulls me along as Jane walks past the desk to a set of double doors. As we walk through them a boy in a gray suit meets us.
I freeze for a moment, convinced I'm seeing double. The boy is the exact likeness of Jane, and it's clear they're close from the intimacy with which they interact. She calls him Alec. They have to be siblings.
"Welcome back, Edward," Alec says, taking pleasure in teasing him. "You seem in a better mood."
"Marginally," Edward agrees in a flat voice. Alec chuckles and examines me. I cross my arms.
"And this is the cause of all the trouble?" he asks, skeptical. "And soaking wet?"
I narrow my eyes.
"Wow. Being condescending, dehumanization and talking as if I'm not standing right here. I bet you make lots of friends," I snap. Alec doesn't seem put off.
"Dibs," Felix calls casually from behind. Edward turns, a low snarl building deep in his chest. He's like a dog! Just use your words. I rub my temples. This is going to be very painful.
Alice calms Edward down, as the vampires lead us further down the hall. My mouth drops when I see the doors entirely sheathed in gold. I'm not ashamed to admit I start to drool a bit. However, the Volturi vampires ignore the doors and instead pull a piece of paneling away to reveal a plain wooden door.
Within the room is a handful of people. All of them have matching carved cheekbones, hair that's unnaturally shiny and pristine, and large piercing eyes the color of blood. Probably because you are what you eat. One vampire sticks out from the rest of them though. He is wearing a pitch-black robe that brushes the floor and has long black hair to match the robe. Most unusually, an amused smile is plastered across his face.
"Jane, dear one, you've returned!" he cries in evident delight. His voice is little more than a sigh. He drifts forward smoothly like a dancer. He takes Jane's face in his hands, and kisses her lightly on the lips, then floats back a step. I glance around but no one else seems to find this out of the ordinary, except for Jacob but he's had that bewildered look on his face since the tunnels.
"Yes, Master." Jane smiles, making her look like an angelic child. A sick, twisted, demented angelic child that probably tortures puppies for fun. "I brought him back alive, just as you wished."
"Ah, Jane." He says, still smiling. (I think that's his only facial expression). "You're such a comfort to me."
His eyes catch sight of me and Alice.
"And Alice and Bella, too!" he says, clapping his thin hands together. It makes me uncomfortable that he knows my name. "This is a happy surprise! Wonderful!"
Then he sees Jacob, and his smile twitches.
"And who is this?" he asks, examining Jacob. "A werewolf? How interesting."
The vampire pushes the thought away and his light mood returns. He prances over to Edward.
"You see, Edward?" He says. "What did I tell you? Aren't you glad that I didn't give you what you wanted yesterday?"
"Yes, Aro, I am," he agrees. He starts to put his arm around my waist and I take a step back.
"I love a happy ending." Aro sighs. "They are so rare. But I want the whole story. How did this happen? Alice? Your brother seemed to think you infallible, but apparently there was some mistake."
"Oh, I'm far from infallible," Alice says. "As you can see today, I cause problems as often as I cure them."
"You're too modest," Aro chides. "I've seen some of your more amazing exploits and I must admit I've never observed anything like your talent. Wonderful!"
"Alice, have you met this guy before?" I whisper to her. She gives a quick shake of her head.
"I'm sorry, we haven't been introduced properly at all, have we? It's just that I feel like I know you already, and I tend to get ahead of myself. Your brother introduced us yesterday, in a peculiar way. You see, I share some of your brother's talent, only I am limited in a way that he is not," Aro shakes his head enviously.
"And also exponentially more powerful," Edward adds. "Aro needs physical contact to hear your thoughts, but he hears much more than I do. You know I can only hear what's passing through your head in the moment. Aro hears every thought your mind has ever had."
"Oh my god," I gasp in horror. "Please don't touch me."
"What a shame, I was hoping to know the whole story of what's happened today!" Aro says with the tone that's he's still going to get what he wants. A disinterested white-haired ancient vampire drifts forward, apparently sensing that Aro wants him for something. He lightly touches Aro's palm. Aro nods thoughtfully as he read his thoughts.
"Thank you, Marcus," Aro says. "That's amazing. Absolutely amazing."
"What is?" I ask worriedly. Edward leans into me and explains, "Marcus sees relationships. He's surprised by the intensity of ours."
"Intense is certainly a good word for it," I growl.
"How can you stand so close to her like that?" Aro asks.
"Hey," I say, very offended. "I took a shower today! Well, I fell into a fountain. But it's essentially the same thing."
"He's referring to your blood," Edward says.
"Quite. If I hadn't smelled her through your memories, I wouldn't have believed the call of anyone's blood could be so strong." Aro says, somehow making me even more uncomfortable than I already was. "I've never felt anything like it myself. Most of us would trade much for such a gift, and yet you…"
"Waste it," Edward finishes, his voice sarcastic.
"Yes," Aro says. "What self-control! I did not know such strength was possible. To inure yourself against such a siren call, not just once but again and again- if I had not felt it myself, I would not have believed."
"Just remembering how she appeals to you…" Aro chuckles. "It makes me thirsty."
"Okkaaaayyy. I feel physically and spiritually unclean now." I say, desperate to change the subject. "What if we got back to us leaving Italy and going home in one piece and not dead?"
"Ah yes," Aro says, as if that was where he meant for the conversation to go the entire time. "But first…I am curious, about one thing in particular."
He eyes me with bright interest. I fight the urge to jump back into that fountain to wash off this uncleanliness. "May I?" he asks eagerly, reaching for my hand.
"Ask her," Edward suggests.
"Yeah, ask her," I agree.
"Of course, how rude of me!" Aro exclaims. He addresses me directly, "Bella, I'm fascinated that you are the one exception to Edward's impressive talent-so very interesting that such a thing should occur! And I was wondering, since our talents are similar in many ways, if you would be so kind as to allow me to try- to see if you are an exception for me, as well."
"No thanks," I say, slowly pulling back my hand. Not only does he make me beyond uncomfortable but I can't take the chance of him seeing my entire history, seeing the truth. Last time I let a mind reader into my head, in The Mortal Instruments, he could see my entire past. Aro is the last person I'd want to know about my situation. A darkness flashes across Aro's eyes, before being overshadowed by a hazy mist. Meanwhile Edward is staring at me in horror. He's clearly concerned and he didn't even see the unhinged power behind Aro's eyes.
"I understand your hesitance, it can be very scary indeed." Aro says, still smiling. "But I promise I will be gentle."
"Still no," I say. "My hands are gross anyway, I haven't moisturized in days."
The displeasure is clear on Aro's face, as if he'd eaten a lemon but was trying to keep his composure. The other Volturi seem either scared by what Aro might do, or entertained by what he'll do to me. On second thought, my refusal may get me killed. That doesn't change the fact that I'm not letting that guy touch me.
"Bella, perhaps-" Edward begins, reaching his hand out to me. I turn on him.
"What happened to ask her? My decision not good enough for you?" I ask. Some vampires behind us snicker.
"Looks like Edward hasn't tamed his human very well," one of the vampires says. I spin around any try to pinpoint who it was.
"Really, my dear. I must ask you to reconsider," Aro says, a smug smile on his face. "We wouldn't want anything drastic to occur."
"No. That is my final answer." I say. There's a moment of deadly silence before Aro says, "Jane, perhaps you can help convince her?"
"Gladly," Jane says. I raise my eyebrow at the little girl. Sure, she has horrifying blood-red eyes but she's also, like, twelve. What's she gonna do? Kick my shins?
She glares at me. I wait for something to happen, but before anything can happen, Edward jumps in front of me. Alice yells and tries to run forward, but Jacob holds her back. I'm confused until Edward falls within Jane's gaze. Immediately, he begins to writhe in pain. He bites his lip in agony, and draws blood. I stare down at him in horror for a moment, while the vampires watch on gleefully. Then I look up at Jane, anger turning my vision red.
"Stop it!" I yell, but she ignores me. Her lips curl into a smile.
"Stop it!" I say, ignored again. The sensible thing would be to stop being so stubborn and just let Aro touch my hand. Unfortunately I'm not a sensible person.
"I said, stop it!" I yell, directing all my fury into shoving Jane to the ground. There's a look of surprise as she tumbles backwards. The room is silent, the other vampires looking equally shocked. Aro just looks amused. I'm pretty sure that's his only expression.
"Bella…" Edward moans from the ground. He's still, but at least not dead.
"Y-you pushed me," Jane says, glaring up at me.
"You were torturing him!" I say, trying to understand why I even have to defend myself.
"I'll show you torture," she threatens, her monotone broken. She stands up, but even as she glares at me, we both know that it's not doing anything. Her nostrils flail in frustration.
"What's wrong? You can't do anything worthwhile without your powers?" I ask. As soon as the words leave my lips, she snarls and lunges at me. Her fist slams into my nose. My ears ring and the room spins as I find my balance. I see little blood droplets splatter to the floor. I wipe the blood away from my nose. Then I cough and a tooth comes out. My jaw drops and my hand reaches to the gooey gap in my mouth where a tooth should be.
"It is on," I say with a slight lisp and throw the tooth to the ground. I run forward, Jane moves to dodge, but I anticipate it and drive my fist into her cheek. Her head jerks backward. She stumbles a bit before regaining her footing and attacking. She fakes to the right and punches me. Even as I feel my right eye swelling up, I knee her in the gut. Vampires don't breath, but it seems to do something because she falls back.
In the moment, I have a chance to rest. Someone yells my name, and as I turn to see who, I realize the entire room has burst into chaos. I don't know who shot first, but Alice, Jacob, and Edward are all fighting various Volturi. Then I see a number of Volturi looking on as if it was their favorite football team in the playoffs. Among them is Aro.
I begin to march towards the group, when fingernails tear into my hair and drag me backwards. Jane growls viciously as she claws at my face. I grab her hand and twist her arm away from myself. But with her free hand, she smacks me across the face. I let go of her arm and she pounces on me. Her hands wrap around my throat and start to squeeze.
"How are you so strong?" She asks, her hair tumbling across her face. "You can't be human. That's the only explanation."
It sounds like she can't accept that a normal human being was able to land a punch on her. To be fair, she's correct because after everything I've been through I doubt I'd be considered a "normal human being", but I don't really care about that much right now because my vision is becoming hazy. I rake her arms with my nails, trying desperately to find air. She just smiles down at me, and for a moment her face morphs into Clove's from the Hunger Games. They have the same bloodlust in their eyes.
But unlike the Hunger Games, I don't think I can get out of this one. The edges of my vision begin to fade to black. The energy in my arms is slowly draining and I know I can't hold on for much longer. The worst part is that deep down, I know it's my own fault for going too far, pushing the story, and myself I suppose, too far.
"I will enjoy feasting on your blood," Jane muses, "and sucking out your puny little life."
She bares her fangs, and I feel like an idiot as I suddenly remember what she just said. I'm not a normal human. My eyebrows press together as I use my remaining energy to unfurl my wings. It's just enough force to throw Jane off, although her bewilderment helps a bit too. She scrambles back in confusion and horror.
"What are you?" She gasps.
"An angel," Edward whispers, somehow finding a moment in the middle of a fight to gawk at the wings and give me a weird compliment.
"I'm actually not," I say. "But…thanks?"
"Please don't hurt me," Jane begs, her eyes round with fear. I pause and look around. The Volturi are waiting expectantly for me to kill her. And in a way, I suppose that would be the "right thing" to do. But somehow, just seeing her so powerless and remorseful, that feels wrong. I shake my head.
"I'll do it for you, Bella." Edward offers. I frown at him.
"No, I don't think we should at all." I say. "She was once human, and maybe…if she wants to, she could be like you."
"She'd never be like me," Edward hisses. "She's Volturi, bloodthirsty, and look what's she's done to your face!"
It's true, the swelling on my face makes it impossible to see out of my right eye. Even so, I know I can't do it.
"I believe she can change," I say. "She doesn't have to be trapped within the author's storyline!"
"What?" Edward asks, honestly confused. Jane looks between us, equally confused
"That was a…metaphor." I say. "For the human condition?"
Edward tilts his head at me, still lost. He narrows his eyes as if that would give him focus to understand. I open my mouth to explain further, when I notice that he's looking beyond me. My muscles freeze and I suck my breath in quickly. Still holding my breath, I whip around to meet face-to-face with an Editor who's smiling a wolfish grin.
As I bend my knees to spring into flight, he stabs me with the staff in his hand. It sends a shock of electricity through my body, starting from my chest and causing my hair to stand up. My muscles seize painfully. They feel so tight, I'm sure they're about to snap. My wings twitch as I tilt backwards. I'm unable to stop myself because my muscles are frozen.
I hear a sickening crack as my head meets the ground. From some far-off place, I can hear laughter but I don't know if it's the Volturi or the Editors or both, just mocking my helplessness. My head feels like it's filled with Jell-O though. I can't think straight enough to care.
As blackness folds over my vision, I think I faintly hear Edward or Alice yelling something but their words fade before my injured brain can process them.