Disclaimer: I don't won't Twilight
Chapter Fifty-Three
*Lizzy's POV*
Life has thrown me for a curveball in the last twenty four hours- that's for sure. I can only hope my family understands our clues and maybe that'll lead us to our rescue. If not, we're back at square one. Trying to escape here without their help. It's not like we haven't tried it, because we have. Abby, Dru, and I tried to escape a few times but they always fell through. Nothing ever worked and something always held us back.
To make things complicated, our lives here have become normalized. Growing accustomed to our lives behind the castle walls. Not to mention it's been educational since we've been able to get to know the guard from the inside. Maybe one day what's in my safe little head can help my family, but for now we have to wait for a way to break free. We're gonna need help- storming the Volturi castle is a challenge.
Anyway, as of now, my brain was too fried to think about leaving when I still had to get through the rest of the day. I had just finished reading some minds for Aro- they were all witches who reported to him. My job was to make sure they were telling the truth, which they were.
After Contessa died two years ago and Belinda and all his other disposable witches, Aro keeps coming back with more second hand witches. It's Antonio's job, the big baddie who makes me want to vomit, to find these people. He brings these witches and as of now it's Rowena, Selene, and Nyssa. Rowena was the master mind, as for the other two, they were her helpers. Rowena and Aro had become thick as thieves for Aro promised to protect their clan. The Mackenzies were a large family of witches and warlocks in Scotland. A village full of children and families, all begging for protection from the Volturi. The only reason people ever joined this stupid coven or allied with it was because they are scared. Scared they'll lose everything they love in one night, and to be honest...I can't blame them.
As I walked down the hallways I felt a hand grab my arm. I gasped and looked to see it was Felix, a sly grin on his face.
"Don't scare me like that," I hissed, swatting at him.
"Sorry. I just needed to get your attention," he said, bringing me closer to him.
"Oh?" I remarked, my lips quirking into a playful smirk.
"Yeah," he said, pressing a kiss to my forehead.
I looked up at him indifferently, noticing his smile disappearing, "Bad day reading minds?"
"Not really," I confessed, shrugging. "I'm just a bit tired from it. It's mentally and emotionally draining."
"I'm sorry," Felix blurted out. "If I was…If I was being-"
"No, no you weren't," I said, getting frazzled.
"Oh," Felix said, reaching out as he gently began to play with my hair. "Then what is it?"
"It's just…Are you sure we should be doing this?" I asked, tilting my head to look at him. "I feel as if this…I don't know…I know we kissed but we never established this."
"Okay," Felix agreed. "What do you want to establish about this? About us?"
"I…I'm not sure," I squeaked, causing Felix to chuckle.
"You don't have to know, Little Cullen," he said, shrugging. "I mean, do you like when we kiss?"
I blushed while he looked at me with a smirk. "I mean, yeah," I said, shrugging. "What about you?"
"I like it a lot," he replied, a grin forming on his lips.
"So…Do you just want to kiss or you want more?" I asked curiously.
"No, I'm not," Felix said, wrapping his arms around my waist. "Unless you're comfortable. Whatever this is, we'll work it out, like a team. For now I just like this, whatever this is."
"Okay," I agreed, even though the heavy weight in my stomach told me I shouldn't. I thought of Seth briefly. His chocolate brown eyes staring at me and his laugh. But, suddenly, I found myself drawn again in Felix.
I pressed my lips to Felix's and felt a sense of warmth overcome me. It rushed through me as the two of us kissed in the darkened corridor. My hands gripping to his black locks. He picked me up so I had my legs wrapped around his waist. He placed me on the window ledge as we continued to kiss.
The two of us gently broke apart and, suddenly, I found myself looking into his eyes again. The red pooling like the warmth flooding within me.
"What color were your previous eyes?" I asked quietly as I stroked my thumb against his marble cheek ever so slightly.
"My previous eyes?" he repeated, chuckling.
"Yeah," I answered, sheepishly. "Were they brown? Blue? Green? Gray? I'm just curious, that's all."
"Well," Felix said, biting his lip. "They were hazel. I had my mother's eyes, but looked just like my dad."
"Do you think about your human family a lot?" I asked curiously.
Felix shrugged, running his hand up and down my back. "Sometimes. It was so long ago sometimes I just forget…It was another time, another life."
"Really?" I questioned.
"Yeah. I mean, most of my memories became blurry after the transformation but I remember the basics," Felix told me. "I was the second oldest of eight children. I had a lot of siblings, technically eleven, but not all of them survived. Two of my siblings didn't make it to five, and one died when he was about thirteen from a fever that broke out in my village. When I was changed, I would check on the surviving ones once and awhile, but I was dedicated to Aro. Dedicated to the guard- then one day I just stopped and I think it was for the best. I don't think I could bring myself to watching any of them die."
"I'm sorry to hear that," I murmured.
"It's okay," Felix said, running a hand through my hair. "It's been centuries. They've been long dead and I've had my time to grieve. Anyway, I'm sure they have tons of descendants."
"Felix Volturi, looking on the bright side," I remarked, chuckling. "Never thought I'd see that day."
"Oh shut up," Felix said before pressing his lips firmly against mine again. I grinned, letting our kisses grow more passionate.
"Lizzy!" I heard Iris cry out. I then broke away from Felix and ran towards a frazzled Iris, who was running down the corridor clearly looking for me.
"Iris! What happened!?" I exclaimed.
"It's Abby," Iris explained to me breathlessly. "Aro challenged her, and she's unconscious. Aro's angry."
"Oh god," I whispered. "I'll meet you in Abby's room- Where are the boys?"
"Dru's checking on them now. I was going to meet her over there," Iris told me, running a hand through her hair. "I have a bad feeling, Lizzy. A very bad feeling."
"It's going to be okay, Ris," I said, grabbing both of her hands. "Now, go to Dru. I'm sure she needs you. I'll go check on Abby and meet you there."
"Alright. Be careful," Iris whispered to me, cupping my cheek. "Something isn't right around here. I think Aro knows we did something." She told me via her head.
I silently nodded before speaking, "I will, and you too," I told the blonde before she rushed down the corridors after her mate. I then turned to Felix who looked scared.
"I'll walk you to Abby's," Felix told me in a low voice, grabbing my arm in a brash manner.
"What the heck?" I asked him via my power.
"I'm sorry about that. If Aro's on to us, he can't know I'm involved too," Felix told me through his mind. "We need to lie low. Hopefully he doesn't suspect too much."
"I hope so too," I told him mentally.
"Felix!" a voice boomed. I froze while Felix whipped around, bringing me with him. I wanted to hit him, but the moment I saw it was Antonio my blood ran cold. He was walking down the hallways towards us with Renata.
"Antonio, what is it?" Felix asked bitterly. No one was a fan of Antonio except for the brothers. Not even the twins liked him because he took away attention from their precious masters. Antonio didn't have a power like Jane or Alec, so he wasn't very special. Well, except, he was very big, almost as big as Felix. Aro especially likes Antonio for his loyalty.
"Aro needs us in the throne room," Renata said, clearly not in the mood to deal with Antonio's brash behavior.
I have to say, Renata wasn't terrible. She could care less about the Volturi or her masters. She just existed. I met members of her vampire coven- Charles and Makenna when they came to visit her. They are loyal, but they were just normal vampires who did their own thing.
"I'll be there once I'm done walking Elizabelle back to her bedroom," Felix announced to them in his serious guard voice.
"Why don't I do that for you, Felix?" Antonio inquired, his red eyes looking at the two of us curiously.
"I was assigned to watch Elizabelle, and I'll do just that. It's what the masters ordered," Felix said.
"Well, I think the masters would appreciate it if I shut Young Miss Cullen in for the night," Antonio pressured.
"Let Felix do his job, Antonio," Chelsea chimed in as she came trotting down the hallway. She didn't look very amused. "We are going to be late. Come."
Felix nodded at his fellow guards before dragging me forcefully down the hallway. "Sorry," he told me again via his mind.
"It's fine. It's all an act," I summarized as we reached Abby's door.
"I'll see you later," Felix told me.
"Alright," I added through my mind. Before he walked away, I pressed a quick kiss to his lips, reaching up on my tip toes since he was still a good two feet taller than me. He smirked before rushing down the hall. I then headed into Abby's room with a heavy feeling in my gut. Things were changing and I couldn't tell if they were for the better.
*Abby's POV*
All I remember was sending Aro back before the pain consumed my body. My head was pounding as I struggled to open my eyes up, but when I finally did I woke up with a start. Before I could even process what was going on, I immediately saw Lucas and Lizzy starring at me with concerned glances. I blinked, breathing heavily as I tried to take in my surroundings.
"Woah, slow down there Sparks," Lucas said, pushing me back gently into the pillows.
"What the hell happened?" I groaned, rubbing my head. The pounding consistant like someone took a mallet to my head and kept bashing my brain.
"Jane got both of us twice in the same week," Lizzy explained, brushing the hair away from my face.
"Oh no," I mumbled, rubbing the bridge of my nose. "Aro knows about my power…Doesn't he?"
Lizzy and Lucas both shared looks of concern with one another before nodding. "He knows, Sparky. He knows."
"Oh no," I repeated, shaking my head. I suddenly could feel a lump forming in my throat and I wanted to get away from Lizzy and Lucas. I wanted to let a cry rip out into the air. I just wanted it all to go away. I wanted my mother and my father, so badly. In that moment more than anything, I wanted them back. I just wanted my mother to make me smile or my father to brush my hair, just like when I was young.
"Abbs," Lizzy whispered, trying to reach out to me. "Don't…Don't shut us out."
"I messed up," I croaked, my voice wobbly. "I…I messed up, Liz. I can't do this. We're never going to leave…"
"Don't say that," Lizzy whispered, grabbing my hand, but I pushed it away. I wanted her and Lucas gone.
I felt bad as I noticed Lizzy's eyes beginning to tear up. I then buried my face into my hands, feeling the tears leave my eyes and onto my palms.
"Little Red, do me a favor and get some extra blankets," Lucas said, looking towards Lizzy. I think the two of them were having a silent conversation because Lizzy just nodded her head and headed out of the room quietly.
I didn't move, but I could sense that Lucas had taken a seat on the bed. I curled away from him as I felt a hand touch my forearm.
"Abby, this isn't your fault," he told me softly.
"Yes, it is," I sobbed, desperately tried to hide from Lucas, even though it was feasibly impossible. I didn't like showing anyone my weak side, especially Rider. I don't know why, but I hated that he was seeing me like this.
"It is not," Lucas stressed.
"But it is," I wailed. Without even realizing it, Lucas Rider brought me into his arms. I cried harder as he held me tighter to him. The tears getting soaked up by his black t-shirt. Suddenly I found myself crying in his arms two years ago when we were first brought here.
"Look at me Abrianna Cullen," Lucas instructed, causing me to lift my head up gently. I could see his eyes were also red-rimmed and teary-eyed. "This isn't your fault. None of this is. I know you're in pain, I'm in pain too. I miss Ethan. I miss Robert and Cordelia. I miss little Lucia. I wonder if she's giving her parents a hard time and I think about the Cullen's. I think about my parents too…I know it hurts and this whole thing is unfair, but what matters right now is the fact you have me, you have Lizzy, Dru, Iris, the boys…We're here and we're not going anywhere. I know you're scared about what your father will do, but don't worry because we're all right here and we're by your side. I promise."
The tears still fell from my eyes, but I felt a sense of warmth overcome me as I cupped Lucas's cheek, "Pretty wise words there, Rider."
"There may be tighter restrictions and Aro might want to understand your power better, but you have a whole army behind you. Don't you worry," Lucas told me softly.
"Thanks," I replied with a watery smile.
"One day this is all going to be a distant memory," Lucas whispered to me, running a hand through my hair.
"You sure about that?" I asked.
Lucas nodded, "I am. I just know things…Now, come on. Don't worry, Squeaks. I don't like seeing you get worked up like this."
"I'm fine," I insisted now, leaning my head against Lucas's shoulder. "Just…Thanks for being there."
"Always. I promised your family I'd watch out for you and that's what I'm doing," Lucas said.
"Yeah, yeah," I replied, chuckling. I lifted my head up and smiled at Lucas Rider. "And I like to think I promised Ethan I'd watch out for you."
"You two never established anything, but I think he knows someone's looking out for me," Lucas responded with a smirk. "And when he finds out he'll be grateful."
I chuckled before wrapping my arms tightly around Lucas. The two of us hugged until I could hear Lizzy's footsteps. I look up to see her in the doorway with a couple of blankets.
"Dru and Iris brought the boys into their room tonight," Lizzy told us via her mind. "They're too scared to sleep alone. They don't want Aro to know."
"Okay," I said quietly.
"I was talking to Felix. He went downstairs to the throne room, he was telling me some information while I was up here," Lizzy explained through her power. "Aro is increasing security. Tomorrow, we might be all separated. However, he is leaving again for Greece. Luckily he doesn't seem to know about our connection to Felix."
"Good," I answered. Lucas, who had no clue what was happening, accepted it. Without another word, Lizzy crawled into the bed on my free side. I gave my cousin a watery smile as I curled into her. Lucas laid beside us, taking my hand while I rested my head on Lizzy's chest. She ran her fingers through my hair, suddenly transforming into my older cousin once again and just letting me forget this as much as I could.
"Happy birthday, cuz," Lizzy said, pressing a kiss to my head.
"Yeah, what a birthday," I muttered before shutting my eyes for some sleep.
A/N: Hey guys, it's been awhile but ya know- life and it's crazy. Anyway, thanks for reading, please review, and keep a look out for the next update :)
