Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Stephenie Meyer created it all. All credit goes to her for the lines utilized from her books.
Bella POV
When I awoke, I almost panicked. I was somewhere dark and dank. The rolling feeling alerted me quickly, though; I was on a ship or boat. As my eyes grew accustomed to the darkness, I saw her flaming red hair just a few feet from me. Instinctively, I drew myself as tight as possible against the wall. She snarled at me, and then threw a bag in my direction.
"Eat, I need you alive, at least until we get where we're going."
I sat still, refusing to move.
"What did he ever see in you? Oh, I forgot…nothing…that's why he left. So my killing you won't even make a difference to him," she taunted in her childish voice.
The hole in my chest flared at the reality of her words, and I wondered why she was toying with me instead of killing me immediately. She decided to enlighten me.
"But I think his family means something to him, and don't think I've forgotten your part in James' death. I'll get my revenge one way or the other. Our leaders take it personally when someone breaks the laws. Killing you won't hurt Edward, but seeing his family destroyed before him will. And in the end, you'll be a sweet treat. I hope they allow me to kill you myself … my just reward."
"Eat, or I'll stuff it down your throat," she snarled at me. To emphasize her point she was instantly in my face, her bright red eyes glaring at me.
I grabbed the bag without removing my eyes from her. Charlie had instructed me, if I ever found myself in a dangerous situation, to do whatever it took to gain time. If forcing the food down my throat made her happy, I'd do it. While tearing small pieces off the packaged sandwich, I thought over what Victoria had said. She'd finally realized that I meant nothing to Edward, but I could surmise that she was taking me to someone who would find fault with me knowing about their world. And she believed that this person would punish the Cullens for it.
I could only imagine one type of punishment, and suddenly I was scared. It could only mean that Victoria planned to exact her revenge by having Edward watch as the family was destroyed. The hole flared stronger and I unconsciously wrapped my arm around my chest. They might not love me, but I'd never forget my feelings for them.
Victoria's thirst raged several times during the trip, and I thought at one point I might not make it to the final destination. She'd disappeared after tying me up. Her eyes were vibrant red when she returned from the trips, and she would throw me something to eat that she'd stolen. I used the week it took for the ship to reach our destination to think about what I could do to protect them. I was going to die one way or the other. I'd been nothing but trouble to the Cullens in life, but maybe my death could help save their lives.
She gagged me the day the ship docked, and then when night fell, I was thrown over her shoulder as she ran with me. I felt nauseous from the jarring of my stomach during her run.
One minute we were running, and the next I felt my body being snatched from her, and pulled against a massive wall of vampire flesh. I was so tired of being pulled to and fro that I acted out of impulse and stomped down on the foot of the person holding me. Pain shot up my leg, and I cursed against it. The person holding me, however, gasped. I knew it wasn't from the possibility that my action had felt like anything to them other than a brush of wind, so I had to guess it was from my audacity.
Suddenly, I went still, noticing that we were surrounded. They wore long grey cloaks, and each of them had bright red eyes. These vampires were nothing like my vampires, and I cursed myself then as the pain spiked from my heart. I had to remember that they weren't mine and never would be.
"I'm here to see the Volturi, with news of lawbreakers. The human is my proof," Victoria announced.
"Obtaining an audience with our masters is an honor, not a right," I heard one of them answer, just to the right of me.
Turning, I was shocked to see that it was a girl, maybe even younger than me. She seemed to hold some status as a leader because the others clearly deferred to her. Her cloak was actually darker, more black than grey.
"Their coven is large, and they destroyed my mate. We didn't provoke the attack, and I come to ask for help from the law to serve justice," Victoria stated in outrage. Her hair seemed to shimmer in anger of its own. I attempted to shout back that she was a liar, but it came out as a mumble around the gag.
I saw the other vampires glance at Victoria when she mentioned the word "coven." But I felt the mountain behind me shake unmistakably in mirth, most likely in response to my attempt to communicate.
"You're a spitfire," the deep voice rumbled softly behind me.
"The Cullens must be brought to justice. They believe they act outside of the law," Victoria continued.
Even I felt the stillness that occurred with that statement.
"Come with us," the girl stated bluntly, and turned walking away.
It was then that I noticed we stood in an alleyway. I'd been so caught up with the drama after being snatched that I hadn't paid attention. A finger nudged my back, and I followed the others. Within a few moments, we were inside a building that looked like a castle.
"Release her from the bonds, Felix," the girl ordered, and I felt hands at my back and neck. The ropes and gag fell at my feet in response.
"Heidi, take the human to a room and make sure she gets clean. I will not allow such filth in the masters' presence. You…" she pointed at Victoria, "… come with me."
A shadow disengaged from the wall, and I saw that it was another female. She was beautiful, as it seemed all vampires were, but the crimson eyes reminded me that I was a meal in a room full of predators. Just before walking through the door, I glanced back. Staring at me was the largest vampire I'd ever seen. He was even bigger than Emmett and very handsome. Ah…so this was the mountain who had held me. I shivered, knowing I was less than a gnat to him. As he continued to look at me, his face a still as a statue, my hopes fell. I was hoping that, if the Cullens ever ran into this group, Emmett's size would be an attribute. It would seem there was no hope at all.
The female vampire all but ignored me, other than to point to the bathroom I should use. At first, I thought to be obstinate and not take a shower, but honestly I did stink having lived in the bowels of a ship for seven days. If I was going to die, at least I could feel clean as I did it, I thought humorlessly. Then I realized I was in shock as my limbs began to shake uncontrollably. It was easy to contemplate your demise intellectually, but to know the moment was quickly coming was another thing entirely.
Once I was dry, I reached for my clothes, and realized they were gone. In replacement, an orderly stack had been provided…a pair of light grey pants, a blouse, the appropriate under things, and shoes. Very understated, but very expensive…even I could recognize that. It was something I would have never purchased, making me feel as if Alice Cullen should be on the other side of the door. These vampires were pushing my buttons in ways that made me think of her. I wished that I could have told her just once how much I'd loved her.
I ran the provided brush through my hair and realized this was as good as it was going to get. I would be in a room with excruciatingly beautiful people. I would look like a drowned rat on my best day in comparison to them. I looked horrible after months of not taking care of myself. Nothing I did was going to make a difference. I swung the door open to see the girl looking at me with faint curiosity.
"This way," she said, pointing out the door and down a long hallway.
We stopped in a small room where a fire was blazing, and I rushed over to the warmth putting my hands out toward the flames. As we waited, I held the strands of my wet hair out to dry, attempting to calm myself. I realized in that moment how stupid I'd been to waste the past two months running away from my problems. I given away time that could have spent with my father, letting him know that I did appreciate his care of me. I hadn't spoken enough with my mother. If I'd known I was going to die, I would have written a note to Jacob, and the Cullens, and…Edward. Perhaps one day he'd come back to the Forks house out of curiosity. I could have left it in his room, and maybe if he'd remembered my handwriting, he might have read it.
Tears began to run down my face at the exact moment that I felt a huge hand on my shoulder. I turned to find the one they'd called Felix behind me. Another man just slightly smaller stood beside him. I quickly brushed the tears from my face and squared my shoulders.
"The masters wish to see you," his deep voice instructed, pointing toward another door.
They flanked me as I walked toward what I was certain would be my death. We entered into a large round room, and I was intimidated by the sheer number of vampires present. They were dazzling…and deadly. But what scared me more were the three very refined looking vampires sitting on what appeared to be thrones at the center of attention. The masters, obviously. The Volturi, I realized.
I remembered Edward speaking of them. A very old, very powerful family of our kind. Anyway, you don't irritate the Volturi. Not unless you want to die… My legs almost collapsed in fear, and I stumbled. I was caught by the two beside me and automatically said, "Thank you."
My words brought attention to me from around the room. I saw the younger female vampire that had brought us to this building turn to us.
She said, "Good, you're here, and the human looks marginally better after the bath."
"Food always tastes better clean," I mumbled softly in response to her insensitive comment.
Heads snapped toward me, and I chastised myself for forgetting that they would be able to hear everything. I'd fallen out of practice.
The one in the middle, the obvious leader, steepled his fingers in front of his face and gazed at me in response to my statement. I felt mesmerized by him. He and his companions' appearances were as different from the other vampires as I was from them. They seemed paler. The leader's skin was in startling contrast to the jet black hair that hung past his shoulders, but was tied back away from his face. My eyes jerked to the other two. One was as dark headed as he; the other had startling white hair.
"Come forward," he ordered.
I forced myself to walk to within a few feet of him. It was all overwhelming, the grandeur of the room, the beauty of the individuals around me, the realization that I was facing a roomful of otherworldly creatures, and it caught up to me. I felt dizzy for a moment and took a deep breath to calm myself. During the time I'd spent with the Cullens, I'd become adept at reading the fine nuances of their faces. Little twitches that would have gone unseen by others but that I now knew were all a part of their communication. When the leader's lip lifted slightly, I looked at the other two to see which one he was communicating with. My observation did not go unnoticed, and he graced me with a smile.
"I am Aro. On my left is Caius, and Marcus is to the right. And you are?"
I was not ignorant enough to believe that I could be less than formal with royalty.
"Isabella Swan, sir."
My respect seemed to please him.
"Your accuser states that you are familiar with our kind."
He said it in a way that that made it come out more as a question.
Respect had worked, and I would give it again.
"Yes, sir."
He continued to look at me, utilizing silence. I was being tested.
"Sir, do you wish for me to continue?"
"Yes, Isabella, I do."
I saw the white headed vampire turn to look at him from my side view. I locked down my body, knowing I was about to burn. But it would be worth it. I'd cut my wrist myself for this man to drain me, if I could do anything to save Carlisle and his family.
"I met a family of your kind …"
At this, a chorus of quiet, rumbling growls echoed throughout the room, and I wondered at the reaction. Then I remembered what I'd been told. Vampires rarely existed in any form other than pairs. This group itself was an anomaly. I didn't remove my eyes from Aro, knowing that he would consider it disrespectful.
"…in my hometown." I finished, when the noise died down.
"However, they don't reside there anymore. They moved on." My voice cracked on the last sentence, and he noticed.
He narrowed in on the one thing I hoped he wouldn't. "Tell me about this family, Isabella, and why they told you about our existence."
"They didn't tell me; I guessed," I answered his last question first.
He stood in reaction. "You guessed," he responded in an incredulous tone.
"Yes, it is a long story, sir, but, suffice it to say, I can be too inquisitive and stubborn at times. The Cullens aren't responsible for my knowledge; I am."
"The Cullens?"
"Carlisle, his wife and children."
I attempted to keep from moving as he glided close to me. He was tall, perhaps Edward and Carlisle's height. Thinking their names ripped at me, and I closed my eyes for a few moments. When I opened my eyes, he stood close to me. His eyes were dark, and I assumed it was from the smell of my blood.
"Tell me of Carlisle, Isabella, and this wife and children you speak of."
"Carlisle works as a doctor, and he is brilliant. Esme is his wife, and mothers them all. Emmett is married to Rosalie, and Jasper and Alice are husband and wife as well."
I looked down at the floor and tears began to fall against my will. "Ed…" I cleared my throat, and forced out the next words. "Edward is Carlisle's first child. Carlisle changed him when he found him dying in a hospital. He hasn't married or fallen in love yet."
I felt an ice cold finger lift my chin and jerked in reaction, not at the temperature, but at the emotions the contact dredged up. My eyes overflowed, but it almost seemed that through the haze, he looked startled as well. I heard the one called Caius say his name, and I was suddenly alone as Aro returned to his seat. He stared at me again with a perplexed look on his face for at least a minute.
"Felix, bring the accuser in please."
The large vampire moved quickly to the door, and before I could even blink, Victoria followed him back into the room. Finally tearing his gaze from me, Aro turned to my personal nemesis.
"State your complaint."
"James, my mate, and I met them by accident as they were playing baseball, of all things. We had another vampire traveling with us at that time. They provoked us and attacked James later. They destroyed him. He was attempting to kill this human to protect the secret, and the Cullens took offense at this."
I stared at her in outrage. If I thought I wouldn't break my hand, I would have hit her for the lies she told.
"Why, then, didn't you just exact your revenge on Ms. Swan?" This question came from the one Aro had indicated was Caius.
I turned to look at him and saw that Aro was still staring directly at me.
"They all deserve to be destroyed for what they did, and I couldn't accomplish that by myself. I brought the human here as proof of their disobedience."
"Disobedience?" I barked, and anger boiled from within me, blocking out the fear. "Liar! You and James went looking for trouble and found it, and now you're here whining like a baby because he bit off more than he could chew!"
The room went silent, and shock that I'd spoken to Victoria in such a manner was clearly written on their faces.
Victoria snarled and tensed, as if to lunge at me, but was restrained by Felix's massive hand on her shoulder.
Caius curled his lip at my lack of decorum, but miraculously answered my question anyway. "Disobedience, young human, in that we survive by keeping our existence a secret."
"A fact the Cullens didn't care about when they allowed this girl to live. They also attacked another of our kind without provocation," Victoria lied through her teeth.
I turned back to Aro. His expression held a curious mixture of astonishment and satisfaction. The look confused me for a moment but then I decided to stare into his eyes in the hope that he would understand my plea. For some reason, I believed that he, clearly a powerful man, might want to know that one of his subjects was lying to him. I wasn't going to offer unless I was asked, but I could beg. Perhaps he would pity me enough to inquire.
"The resolution you seek?" Caius asked of Victoria, while Aro and I continued to stare at each other.
"I want the Volturi to destroy the Cullens. I'll take care of the girl myself."
I was trembling at the request. To imagine no more Carlisle…no more Esme…no more…it was unthinkable.
"Aro." Caius intoned, capturing his attention.
"Yes, yes," the raven haired man responded. He stood and came back to me.
"Isabella, would you like to state your side of the story?"
"We were playing baseball, as she aid. Well, really, the Cullens were playing baseball, and I was watching. I wouldn't have stood a chance against them if they'd been human, much less as vampires."
I heard Felix chuckle, and it must have been an unusual event because the others in the room looked over at him in shock. But I couldn't waste my time worrying about it. For now, I had their attention.
"Victoria, James, and Laurent heard them playing and came to investigate. We found out later that James was a tracker, and a very good one. James sensed the relationship between…" I paused for a moment, and realized I had to be as truthful as possible, "or at least he thought he sensed a relationship between Edward and me. I can't say for sure why he became so interested, but he wanted to kill me as a challenge to Edward. Some of the Cullens ran with me, attempting to hide me while the others searched for James. He eluded them, and then lured me to him with the story that he had my mother and almost killed me. The Cullens arrived just in time to save me. Edward sucked the venom out of my arm, while Carlisle treated my wounds and saved me from bleeding to death. The others destroyed James in response."
I noticed that the room had gone curiously silent, and looked up to find Aro once again staring at me with a shocked look.
"Where were you bitten?" he rasped out.
I held my arm out to him. James' scar was plainly evident just above my wrist. Aro glared at my wrist and then came forward to examine the other arm. His lips thinned at what he saw.
"And Carlisle's son sucked the venom out of your arm without feeding off you?"
"Yes."
He turned, putting his back to me. I thought that possibly he was communicating with his fellows in some way. Just as quickly, though, he walked to Victoria, as he questioned me again.
"Isabella, it seems that you spent a great amount of time with the Cullens. Why didn't they allow the venom to spread?"
It was the same question I'd asked myself so many times. Well, I'd finally learned the answer, and now I had to admit it before a group of strangers…baring my worst humiliation, just before dying. But I didn't feel that I'd done enough to help the ones I loved, so I forced myself to do it.
"The Cullens are a group of unusual, talented, and wonderful people. They live quietly, attempting to avoid attention. I forced myself upon them, trying to become a part of their world. They are innocent of what she accuses them of, and don't deserve to be punished just because I attempted to stay where I was not welcome. They left only after I promised to avoid trouble. I've never breathed a word to anyone that didn't already know."
I looked down at my wrists and saw the tattoos Aro had viewed. Elegant script for blunt truths: Unloved on one, Unwanted on the other. I had done this to remind me, so that the nights I wanted to dream…I could just look down at my hands and instead face the harsh truth. It was stupid, really; I'd wasted too much money on them. It had been a rash decision after a horrible night of crying. It didn't matter now.
Here came the pain. "They stopped the venom from spreading because they didn't want me."
Aro quirked his eyebrow in what seemed to almost be disbelief, and I thought I heard something that sounded like, "I seriously doubt that."
He reached out to clasp Victoria's shoulder in what seemed to be a comforting manner. In just a moment, he released her and said, "You have given me much to consider."
He walked back to his seat and sat. I was terrified at the look on his face.
"What you did not understand when you brought these accusations to us, young Victoria, is that Carlisle Cullen was a member of our assemblage here for many years. I know the character of the man you have accused, and find it impossible to reconcile your description with what I know of him."
"The Volturi have ruled our kind for over two thousand years. Do you really think we do not know when we are being lied to? It takes more than an errant child to deceive us. Your own thoughts have betrayed you."
"Felix, Demetri…take care of her," came the command.
Knowing that he was referring to me, I put my head down, hoping I'd given enough. I held onto the hope his words had given. He had listened. It would have to be enough. I waited for the moment of contact and when I felt myself being pushed hard to the floor, I knew it was almost over. I crashed into the hard marble surface and felt ribs being crushed and a sharp pain. It felt as if something punctured my lung. Even through the overwhelming agony, I was somewhat confused by the sound of Victoria's furious hissing.
I felt a cold hand touch my cheek and instinctively turned into it with a groan.
"Isabella…" a melodic voice called from my side. I recognized it as Aro's.
In that moment, I knew that I was dying, and I forced out in a wheezing voice, "Cullens…not…guilty."
A warm trickle of blood eased out of my mouth and nose as I spoke, and I knew it would certainly cause this group to pounce.
"She's dying!" a voice I didn't recognized shouted from the other side.
Pain seemed to come from all directions then. My neck, my arms, my legs…as teeth began to bite into me in frenzy.
And then I was burning in Hell, condemned for the sin of letting go of life. I wanted to curse when I realized I'd never see Edward again. He'd never come here. As my heart lurched from the pain of my death, I knew in that second that Bella Swan would never exist again.
I would love to know what you think! Unlike my other story where I couldn't ask for reviews, I'm soliciting your thoughts here. Please!.
As always, I want to thank my Betas – please check out their stories here on FF – they are incredible:
hopeforastalemate – A better name for this woman would be Volturi Girl. I'd started this story months ago, during short breaks from Harvest Moon. So… in response to her love of the 'Italian scum' and her personal invitation for me to write something a little darker, my planned sweet, angsty story between Bella, Edward, and Jacob took a dramatic turn. Hence the ten other chapters now residing in my recycle bin. I hope I make you proud. See the link to her profile below:
.net/u/2173996/
Crmcneill – For his patience with me (contrary to how he presents himself on his FF profile) and his incomparable editing skills. Male twilight fans are not a myth – they do exist, and I am so glad I was able to connect with him. I've called many men friends, but I've never called one master until now. "Strong is the power of the comma. Mind what you have learned. Save you it can." See the link to his profile below:
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