When delivering unpleasant news to strangers it is generally best to lay out the situation in a calm and factual manner while still showing just a small amount of sympathy. Too much coddling tended to get the point across poorly and open the door for willful blindness and denial. Too harsh and people tended to lash out in anger. Still sometimes no matter how you presented it people were still going to react poorly… especially when you happened to be perceived as the one culpable for their ill fortune.
Young Miss Swan looked at Tanya, her eyes full of apprehension and lingering pain from the conversation that had just played out moments before. Looking at the young Miss Swan the elder vampire found to her surprise that she had quickly taken a liking to young Omega girl sitting just a few feet across from her. She was unique… interesting in so many little ways. Her scent. Her unusual fearlessness towards vampires. Her rather naïve and transparent way of presenting herself to the world. Perhaps Tanya was beginning to understand the reluctance of the Cullens to killing the girl.
Not that any of that would stop Tanya if it came to it. Though she wasn't a remorseless killer any longer she remembered well enough how to be one… and she would not allow anything to threaten her family. Not while she had any power to say otherwise.
"Tell me Miss Swan," Tanya began, "do you know anything about our laws?"
Confusion showed in the girl's features before she shook her head.
"As I thought," Tanya said, aggravation tinting her tone, though the aggravation was directed more at the Cullens than at the girl in front of her. "Then again I don't suppose they would have told you anything about it, would they? They seemed quite content to keep you in the dark." Tanya paused for a long thoughtful moment before continuing.
"There is one large, powerful coven that makes and enforces the laws for all our kind…," she began, "and believe me when I say they are strong enough to enforce their rule across the entire world. They have few laws but only one of them is really relevant in this case. No human may know of the existence of vampires. Secrecy their most sacrosanct law. The penalty for breaking this law is death for all those involved."
Tanya looked at the girl as she blinked in confusion before her eyes slowly widened as she began to realize the implications. She looked absolutely blindsided and horrified, momentarily stunned speechless. Tanya decided to continue and get everything out there as quickly as possible.
"Allowing you to become aware of the existence of vampires Miss Swan was… acceptable, so long as there was an understanding that you would soon be turned into a vampire yourself," Tanya continued. "In fact when I first learned of your existence I naturally assumed that is what would happen eventually. However in an… extremely foolish move the Olympic Coven decided to simply leave you behind. By doing this all of them have willfully and deliberately broken the law… meaning that in the eyes of the Volturi – the powerful coven I spoke of – all their lives are forfeit. Should the Volturi ever learn about their dealings with you Miss Swan the most likely outcome is that all the Cullens will be killed."
The look on Isabella's face was one of shock, disbelief and horror. Her mouth opened and closed a few times before she finally managed to speak. "That… you mean, all their lives are in danger… because of me?" she asked in a strangled whisper, as if somehow saying it too loudly might bring the Volturi swooping down upon them.
"I prefer to think – and it is infinitely more accurate to say – that they are in danger because of their own stupidity," replied Tanya. "I will be blunt Miss Swan. Despite their mistakes and flaws the Cullens are like family to me, and your continued existence poses a clear and present danger to their lives. I am here to ensure that after today, one way or the other, you will no longer be a threat to their continued existence."
Isabella looked like she might be sick, looking at Tanya with an extremely pained and… almost resigned expression. "You're here to kill me, aren't you?" she asked with a slight tremble in her voice. The young Miss Swan however didn't seem like she was about to descend into a blind panic. Overall Tanya was moderately impressed with how well she seemed to be taking this, all things considered.
"That is one possibility," admitted Tanya easily, "though if that were all there was to it I would hardly have taken the time to speak to you, now would I?"
"Um… I-I suppose not," Isabella stammered, her pretty brown eyes wide and frightened looking. The very stimulating scent of her fear was thick in the air now, so much so that Tanya's eyelids half closed for a moment due to the tantalizing assault on her senses. The girl gasped when she saw the vampire's already darkened eyes turn completely black.
"I won't lie, it is very tempting to kill you Miss Swan. It would have certainly been the… easiest route for me to take. I'm sure I don't need to tell you how very tempting you smell to my kind," said Tanya. The smell of Isabella's fear thickened even further and the vampire had to restrain herself from purposefully scaring the girl further just to get a little bit more of that scent. In fact she had already frightened young Isabella more than was necessary… such a slip in control was sobering for a being who prided herself on her control. With a titanic effort of will Tanya began to reign in her desires and slowly her eyes changed from black back to the color of dark honey.
"So… yo-you're not going to kill me?" the girl asked in a small, uncertain voice, almost as if she thought asking might somehow cause the vampire to change her mind.
"That is entirely up to you dear, and why I took the time to bring you out here to talk to you," said Tanya, feeling a bit better after having forcefully regained some measure of control. "There are two ways I can protect my cousins. Which way I do so will be up to you."
"Up to me?" Isabella asked, sounding incredulous.
"Yes," confirmed Tanya in a voice that was almost a purr. "As I stated the simplest solution would be your death. The second option is turning you into one of us… turning you into a vampire. If that were to happen then the Cullens would be safe from the law."
"T-turning me into a vampire?" Isabella gasped incredulously. Somehow the concept seemed to completely shock her, which Tanya found somewhat odd. Surely it was something the girl had thought about before?
"Yes. More specifically you would become a vampire of my coven. You would be under my… jurisdiction you could say for at least the first few decades. That means you live under my law, you follow my rules and you do as you are told. After that time you would be free to leave the coven should you so choose… though of course you would be allowed to stay if that is what you desired," Tanya said in even, soothing tones that somehow seemed to help Isabella calm down a little.
The young Miss Swan looked to be brimming with questions, hardly knowing where to start. Eventually she began hesitantly with, "So… you're the coven leader then? Like Carlisle?"
"Well, I run things quite a bit differently than he does," said Tanya, a little bit amused at the comparison. Their leadership style and their age difference was so large it almost felt disingenuous to present them as being the same thing. "But we do hold the same position of leadership in our respective covens, yes."
Isabella seemed to mull that over, biting her lip in thoughtful silence with a frown on her face. Thus far she is taking this surprisingly well. Wiping her hands on her jeans nervously she asked, "So… you're saying my choices are joining your coven or… ugh… death?" The last word came out in a squeak.
Tanya had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. "That is what I said, yes."
"Could I… uh is it possible…" Isabella said, stammering, "… could I… maybe join the Cullens… or talk to them… if I become a vampire… maybe…?"
Tanya tried not to feel a spike of anger and annoyance at that with… mixed success. "They abandoned you and yet you still pine for them so?" Tanya asked, a hint of derision in her tone. "I'll assume that you are simply ignorant and not attempting to be insulting." Tanya paused and took a breath, not sure why the girl's butchered question had bothered her so much. The vampire locked eyes with the girl, practically nailing her place, to make sure she understood how serious the next words from the coven leader were. "You would be my vampire, in my coven, and you would not be free to go until I released you. Understand that very clearly. However after those few decades that I talked about passed, and if you wished to leave, and if the Cullens would have you, then you would be perfectly free to go to them if that is what you chose. However," Tanya added, her tone softening, "our covens are close and in the past the Cullens have visited often. I'm sure you would get the chance to speak to them and sort out any issues that still linger between you… eventually."
The girl nodded slightly and looked away from Tanya's intimidating gaze, hugging her arms to herself. Miss Swan seemed to retreat into her thoughts and Tanya let her, knowing that anyone would need at least some time to process. The sun was beginning to set and the woods around them were quickly becoming dark with the incoming night. They sat in silence for a few minutes until the steadily lowering temperature caused Isabella to start shivering slightly.
"I wanted to be turned you know," the girl said quietly, breaking the silence that had fallen between them. "I wanted to be with… him forever. Part of me hopes that if I become a vampire he might get over his hang-ups and we can be together. But… he left me once already." She threw her head back and made a frustrated sound somewhere between a groan and a cry of pain. "Would he even still want me? Would it even still be the same? Could I really trust him again? … I'm just so confused."
A few moments of silence passed between them before Tanya spoke up in a surprisingly gentle voice. "Becoming a vampire means giving up your whole life. Friends, family, home, all these things you will have to give up. If you main motivation is the hope of love… well, as your much more experienced elder I would advise against it. Edward is often… fickle and volatile, in his own way. This is a decision you should make for yourself and not for anyone else."
Isabella huffed in laughter at that. "Well my only other option is letting you kill me," she said, bitterness and anger lacing her tone as she suddenly turned a glare towards Tanya. "It doesn't sound like I have much of a choice."
"You always have a choice," said Tanya, meeting the girl's eyes unflinchingly but not unkindly. "In some ways our life truly is a cursed existence Isabella. This is doubly true for you as an Omega. You will retain your mating instincts that come with your heat, only enhanced and amplified many fold as a vampire. Coupled with the bloodlust it can often feel like we are nothing but beasts driven and ruled by our appetites and desires. It is a constant battle to retain our humanity and it is a battle that never, ever ends. Many find death a preferable alternative."
Isabella blushed suddenly, breaking eye contact and looking off to the side. "I've never experienced going fully into heat. I've always been on the pill since I hit puberty," she admitted quietly.
"It's not something you'll be able to escape as a vampire. Hormone suppressing drugs don't work on us," informed Tanya. For some reason this seemed to unsettle Isabella as she sent Tanya a brief uncomfortable look. It was understandable really. Tanya was an Alpha and when an Omega went into heat near them… well, throughout history much had been made of the nearly irresistible pull an Alpha feels towards an Omega that is signaling she is ready to breed.
"I won't take advantage of you, nor will I allow anyone in my coven to do so. You have my word," Tanya promised solemnly. A bit surprisingly this actually seemed to put Isabella more at ease, though she still seemed nervous at the prospect of having uncontrolled heats. No Omega wanted to risk mating with someone they would regret in an uncontrolled hormonal haze.
"I, I don't want to die," said Isabella quietly before braving to meet Tanya's eyes. Miss Swan licked her lips nervously Tanya couldn't help but let her gaze linger briefly on the girl's full mouth. "And I don't believe that you… vampires… are cursed and don't have a soul." The girl took a deep shuddering breath. "I guess if the only choices you're giving me are death or vampire… then… I'm going to choose vampire."
At her words a weight that Tanya hadn't realized had settled on her chest suddenly lifted. Yes, she had suspected this outcome but one could never tell for sure. A slightly wicked smile spread across Tanya's lips. She felt much more pleased with this outcome than she had ever imagined she would back when she had first been presented with the problem of one Isabella Swan.
"Excellent," said Tanya. Going with an impulse she reached over and gently cupped the girl's chin in one hand. The girl froze, wide eyed, as Tanya leaned over and planted a chaste, tender kiss on her forehead.
"Welcome to the family."