Hey Guys! Don't worry I'm going to make this authors note brief. I know it's been forever and my updating is extremely spotty but I hope you guys, nevertheless take the time out of your day to read and (possibly)review my story. I hope you know it really means the world to me, you have no idea! Shit's about to go down. Fasten your seatbelts people… you're in for a bumpy ride.
"You can count on me,
Like 1,2,3 and I'll be there.
And I know when I need it,
I can count on you,
Like 4,3,2 and you'll be there.
'Cause that's what friends are supposed to do,
oh yeah…"
Previously on Different
I stared out the window at the tiny lights that were Washington. One of those little lights was the Cullen's house. I wonder if they miss me. A tear dripped off my face and landed with a tiny plop on the window sill.
I really miss them.
Chapter 10: Count On Me
I get jostled awake by someone pulling me into their arms. I blink groggily and squint at the harsh light coming from a window.
"Alice…" I groan in complaint. "We just went shoe shopping!" I stifle a yawn with my hand and look around at my surroundings. We're in the cabin of a plane. It takes a moment but suddenly last night's even some crashing down on me. The Volturi, the Amazons, the Cullens' sad faces… Oh no.
I squirm until I'm facing whoever's holding me. My brown eyes meet lilac purple. Her eyes are a lighter shade than yesterdays, which confirms my suspicion that she wears contacts. Heidi chews on her lip and says nervously,
"Umm, Alice isn't here… just me." She says softly. I try not to let the disappointment show on my face. It doesn't appear to work well because she frowns and even looks a little guilty. I hastily muster up a smile, "That's okay, I remember now." She carries us off the plane and into the airport. The airport is relatively uncrowded except for a few clusters of people. A few peer at us curiously but most don't even notice us. Heidi weaves through the halls at human pace.
"Did you promise them anything?" She whispers to me urgently. I jerk my head up to hers, surprised by her sudden intense tone. Her face is smooth and I almost think I imagined her asking me that.
"Who?" I whisper back. Her expression remains the same but she continues in an urgent voice, "The Volturi."
I think back to our conversations the night before. Had I promised them anything?
"No." I say slowly. "They said they won't stop me if I want to leave" Heidi lets out a sigh of relief.
"That's good." She murmurs.
"Why?" I ask curiously. Heidi opens her mouth to answer me, but we're interrupted by Aro's jovial voice.
"Ah, Heidi! Bella! There you are!" Heidi plasters on a smile while I look at her confusedly. Why was it good that I didn't make them a promise?
"Yes Aro, I was just going to get Bella some human food, since that's what she seems accustom to." Heidi nods her head to the food court I hadn't noticed until now.
"Oh! Good thinking Heidi, we'll teach her how to feed once we get back to Volterra, but until then I suppose she'll have to eat that foul tasting stuff." Aro winks at me and I manage to tilt my lips up in response.
"See you back in Volterra. Heidi, Bella." He nods at us and walks away.
"Where's he going?" I ask tilting my head. Heidi replies, "We're driving from the airport to Volterra in different cars, we won't all fit in one." She explains. "C'mon let's get you some food." Heidi gets me a Krispy Kreme, but not until after much persuasion on my part. She glances at me while she drives the car and I eat my donut.
"That tastes good to you?" She asks her tone dubious. I grin at her, and it feels like the first time I've smiled since I left the Cullen's house.
"Yep." I say licking frosting off my lips. "Most human food human food doesn't taste like much of anything to me. Only things that are either really sweet or really spicy taste good."
"What does Aro think I'm going to eat when I get to Volterra?" I ask, remembering him say something about 'feeding'. Heidi stiffens in her seat, and I start to fear her answer.
"I think… I think he's going to try and get you to feed off of humans." I feel the blood drain from my face.
"As in, drink their blood?" I almost whisper, horrified. She nods stiffly and I blanch. What am I going to do? There's no way I'm killing a human being. Heidi notices my expression and hurries to say, "Don't worry. I'm pretty sure he won't make you. He'll be disappointed for sure, but I don't think he'll go that far." I try to take comfort in her words but it's hard.
"What if he does? What if I don't have any other choice?" I start to panic but Heidi interrupts me.
"If it comes down to that, I'll sneak you some human food." She assures me. I feel my heart rate calm and I sink into my seat a little more. I look at Heidi shyly. She's been so completely selfless with helping me.
"Why are you being so nice to me?" Her eyes snap from the road to mine and her purple eyes smile at me just as much as her lips do.
"I'll never be able to have a child." She says softly in a way of explanation.
"Oh…" I murmur unsure of what to say. She smiles sadly and turns her gaze back toward the road.
"Aunt Heidi" I murmur. She looks at me in shock. "What?" She asks.
"Aunt Heidi." I repeat. "You kind of remind me of an Aunt. You take care of me when my parents can't… Is that okay?" I ask shyly. She beams at me. "Yeah that's… perfect actually." We fall into a comfortable silence until we pull up to some gates. The guard peers into our car. He grins, "Hey, Heidi. Come on in." The barrier raises and Heidi pulls our sleek car onto the cobblestone path.
"Well, this is Volterra." Heidi informs me. I gasp as I take in the little medieval looking village.
"That's where we'll be staying." She points to the castle in the middle of the square. I look at it curiously. It's kind of cool in a creepy way. She parks the car in an alley next to the castle. She's on my side of the car before I even blink. She unbuckles me and pulls me into her arms. It unnecessary because I can walk just fine, but I have a feeling she enjoys it so I don't say anything. She carries us quickly to the castle door and opens it. We walk through a long hallway into a ballroom. The inside looks just like the outside except even more extravagant. It's cold and materialistic. Not like Esme's warm, inviting house. In the middle of the ballroom there are three thrones. In each one sat Caius, Marcus, and Aro. There was a guard on either one of the thrones. All eyes are on me and I squirm, not sure of what to do.
"So this is the brat?" Says guard number 1. Heidi glares at him.
"Yes,Felix. This is the child and her name is Bella." Felix grins at me but I'm too intimidated by his size to smile back. This guy was the size of Emmett, but not nearly as innocent and childish looking. Aro clears his throat and everyone's attention snaps back to him.
"Well, first things first, Heidi would you please show Bella to her room. This way she can relax a while. Tomorrow we will sort everything out."
"Of course Aro." Heidi replies. She takes me by the hand and guides me gently down numerous hallways, until finally we stop in front of a door. All the rooms look identical from the outside. Heidi grabs the large handle of the ornate door and pushes it open easily. The room is just like every other room in this entire castle. It's incredibly lavish and looks fit for a king. But it's not what I want. I want my bedroom, at the Cullen's house. I want the Cullens, I want my moms and my dad and brothers and sisters. I feel tears spring to my eyes as homesickness hits me hard. I hold them back because Heidi is still here and I don't want her to worry.
"This is your room… You can personalize it however you want. I mean, we could go shopping… If you want, that is." Heidi looks nervous but hopeful. 'I don't think I'll be staying here long…' is what I want to say. But instead my mouth replies with. "Sure Heidi, I'd love that." Her purple eyes are bright as she replies, "Great! You can settle down, maybe take a nap or something; while I go get you some human food."
"Thank-you Heidi" I say sweetly. Seriously, this girl is so nice. She smiles at me, hesitates for a moment before kissing my forehead and walking out of the room. I smile at her retreating figure. Maybe Volterra won't be so bad after all. I look around the room and sigh. The bed if humongous! I'm so small, why do I need such a huge bed? Suddenly an idea pops into my mind. The bigger the bed…. "The more room to jump on!" I squeal and start jumping around on it. Holy Crow! The bed is so springy! I'm laughing and giggling until I hear a knock at the door.
"Who is it?" I call out.
"It's just me." Heidi replies and walks back in the room, but this time with pizza in her hands.
"Oooh Pizza." I jump off the bed and snatch it out of her hands. Heidi laughs as I gobble down the food. Suddenly I remember something that's been nagging me all day.
"So, why did you say it was good that I didn't make them a promise?" Heidi stiffens and puts her finger to my mouth to quiet me. Oh jeez, why did I say that so loud? Anyone could have heard me. Heidi relaxes and says, "There was nobody close enough to hear that, but you have to be more careful about what you say in here."
"Sorry." I whisper.
"That's okay but to answer your question." She lets out a deep sigh. "The Volturi like to capture you with your promises. They don't like it when people leave so they'll do almost anything to keep you here. They make it sound like they're doing you a huge favor at first but, they'll find a way to make you pay off your debt. The Volturi don't proposition you unless they can get something out of it."
"Oh." I say quietly. Maybe this was a mistake. I mean, sure I want to know if my real mom is alive, but the Cullens are my family and I'd rather go my life without knowing who my mom is than leave the Cullens. There's an awkward silence until Heidi says. "May I braid you hair?" "Sure." I reply and she sits down behind me on the bed. I relax as she fusses with my hair. It's not my favorite thing, but it's familiar. Alice would fuss over my hair every morning. Right before Heidi is almost finished with my hair we hear a knock. "Come in." Both Heidi and I chime at the same time. Felix enters the room and sees Heidi playing with my hair. He pretends to jump up and down excitedly "Can I join the play-date!" I laugh and Heidi rolls her eyes.
"What do you want Felix?" He grins before replying, "Aro, Marcus, and Caius would like to speak with Isabella now." I instantly sober. "Done." Heidi says softly as her hands drift down from my hair. I get off the bed and Felix motions for me to follow him. We walk through the hallways in silence.
"You know, it's really not as bad here as you might think." "Hmmm." Is all I can think of to say. It's not as terrible as I imagined but, I still want to get this over with so I can go home. We enter the ballroom where Aro, Marcus, and Caius are sitting at a large table in the corner of the room. I sit at the other end. Aro starts,
"So Isabella, how do you like Volterra so far?" I struggle to find the right words.
"It's…nice." I reply. Aro's smile falters and Cauis snorts something that sounds like 'spoiled' but I couldn't quite tell.
"Well, the Amazons are ready to talk to you whenever you are. But I would suggest waiting until tomorrow. You seem a little tired." I nod. Now that he mentioned it, I am feeling a little sleepy.
"Heidi tells us that you don't want to feed from humans?" Caius sneers. I shrink back in my chair a little. My eyes widen and I shake my head 'no'. Aro's face falls but he perks up again.
"All right, we won't force you, but you don't know what you're missing." I cringe. No I don't know, and I never want to know.
"May I be excused?"
"Of course darling, Get some sleep." Aro says politely. I follow Felix back to my room and flop on my bed. I reach to my right and encounter something soft and fluffy. I peek at it and realize it's my LOVE blanket. I grin, 'Thank-you Heidi' I think in my head. I pull it over me and slowly drift off to a dreamless sleep.
I wake in the morning by Heidi shaking me softly.
"Bella, it's time for breakfast." She has a whole assortment of pancakes and waffles and bacon on a tray. I chow down while Heidi does my hair again.
"I unpacked your things in the closet." I thank her and get up to get dressed. I refuse to feel bad as I pull out an outfit that Alice especially picked out for me. I'm a girl on a mission today and I can't afford to get distracted. I wear a little blue dress with white legging and walk back into the hallway. Heidi is waiting for me in the hallway and she takes my hand and guides me to a living room. There are a couple sofas and a TV. I sit down on one and Heidi sits next to me.
"Are you going to stay?" I ask her quietly.
"Of course. As long as you want me to." I nod my head shyly. I was going to need the support. Guard number 2 from the other day walks into the room.
"The Amazons will be here in a few moments."
"Thank you Demetri." Heidi replies. Demetri nods his head and leans against a wall. A few moments later I hear footsteps approaching. I feel my heart beat faster and Heidi squeezes my hand in reassurance. Several people walk into the room. My face falls as I notice they look nothing like my mom. They are short and very dark skinned with jet black hair. There are 2 girls and one boy. They look to be in their early 20's or late teens. They sit down on the couch across from Heidi and me. They speak in a different language. "Spanish." Heidi whispered to me. I nod my head. The boy Amazon spoke first, but I couldn't understand a word he said. Demetri looks and me and says, "I'll be translating you conversations. He said 'Hello, child. I am Salvador, these are my sisters, Mia and Allegra'." "Nice to meet you, my name is Bella." I smile at them as best as I can. Felix repeats my reply in Spanish. The girl on Salvador's right, Mia, says something and Felix repeats it to me.
"They said 'What do you wish to ask us? We are the same species, you know.'"
"I know. I want to know if you know anything about my mother. She looks just like me but older." I say. Felix, once again, repeats it to them in Spanish. They look at each other quizzically before shaking their heads and saying something else.
"They say, 'We know nothing of a woman who looks like you. All the women in our tribe are dark skinned. Besides, we've never had a woman who survived giving birth to a hybrid." I feel my business façade crumble and tears prick my eyes. The Amazon's give me sympathetic looks. I bury my face into Heidi's stomach and cry silently. She rubs my back in a calming gesture. I don't know why I'm being such a big baby. Part of me knew there was no way she survived but, a part of me had still hoped she was out there somewhere. I sniffed and calmed down a little. I peeked through my hair and realized everyone was looking at me. I felt my face heat up in embarrassment. The other woman, Allegra, said something quickly to Felix.
"She says, 'Is there anything we can do for you? Perhaps we know your father.'" My father? The man who left my mother to die? No thank-you. I want nothing to do with him. I shake my head, but smile at them.
"Thank-you for talking to me." I say appreciatively. They nod their heads smiling after Felix repeats it to them. Salvador says something else.
"He says, 'Sorry we couldn't be of anymore help.'"
"No you were great, thank-you." We smile at each other, and they each take turns giving me warm hugs. Heidi and I head back toward my room.
"Are you okay?" She asks me softly.
"Yeah," I say "That just made me realize even more that I belong with the Cullens. Even if they knew where my mother was, I would still go back to them. They're my real family." She lets out a big sigh.
"So, I guess you want to go home now?" She seems a little e sad.
"Yeah, I liked visiting here, kind of. But I miss my family." She tries to hide it, but I see her face fall.
"But don't worry Aunt Heidi, I'll definitely be coming to visit you again." She smiles and hugs me tightly.
"I'll miss you." She whispers in my ear.
"I'll miss you too." I whisper back.
"I'll go pack your things; while you go talk to Aro. They'll need to schedule you flights and stuff." I nod and change direction to go back to the ballroom. Once there, I find Aro sitting at the table, appearing to be reading something. He spots me and waves me over to the table.
"How did you meeting with the Amazons go, Isabella?" I smile back at him.
"It was okay, but they don't know anything about my mother and they say it's doubtful she's alive. So, I think it's about time for me to go home." He looks at me confused.
"So soon?" I nod my head slowly.
"Umm, yeah. How long did you think I was going to stay?" Aro looks at me surprised.
"A few years at the least!" I gape at him.
"Well, I'm sorry but, I would like to go home. You have the Amazon's, you don't need me."
"Yes, but the Amazon's are already done developing, you are still growing. It's fascinating!" I feel bile rise in my throat. Was that all I am to him? A freak science project? I want to be home more than ever.
"You said you wouldn't stop me if I wanted to leave." I shoot back at him. He lets out a large sigh, but I see a menacing glimmer in his eyes.
"That's right. I did." I nod triumphantly, but give him a confused look when he doesn't do anything. He notices my confusion and grins.
"I said I wouldn't stop you, but I never said that I would help you either." He smirks at me. I feel color drain from my face. A thought comes to my mind.
"Alice will-" Aro cuts me off.
"I know all about your little Alice's abilities, and I know just how to hide things from her. She'll never figure it out." He smirks at me once more before turning on his heel and leaving. I stand there with my mouth open and gaping. I'm stuck like a prisoner in this castle. Tears pour down my cheeks as my knees give out and I fall on the cold marble floor.
Will I ever see my family again?
"If you ever find yourself lost in the middle of the sea,
I'll sail the world, to find you.
And if you ever find yourself lost in the dark and you can't see,
I'll be the light to guide you…"
-Count On Me by Bruno Mars
Ruh-Ro Raggy! Trouble's a brewin' and this is only the beginning. Don't worry she'll find a way to get back to the Cullen's… eventually. JK. SO what did you guys think of 'Aunt Heidi'? She was fun to write with. I made this chapter extra long cuz' I feel super bad about the wait. Thank you so much for reading my story, I love you all! Please drop a review if you like the chapter. They make my tummy all warm and fuzzy. That rhymed. Okay, I 'm going now XD. I'll update ASAP, hopefully soon!
Love,
Jacky