You guys, my heart! I so didn't expect such a positive response so quickly. Actually, I didn't expect any response so quickly. A huge thanks as usual to Mel, TheLegitObesePanda and CeliaSingsSongs for being my first three reviewers! See, this is the shit that gets me motivated, you guys! Look at me go, whacking out chapters left and right!

I can't even freaking imagine how hard I'm gonna be ripping myself off during this fic. My portrayal of the Volturi is going to be pretty much EXACTLY the fucking same as it was in TP/TW. My ideas of their backgrounds? EXACTLY the fucking same. I can't quite get my head around the fact that I'm gonna be starting from scratch with the whole character development thing, so forgive me if I appear to be jumping the gun here and there (I'll jump back as soon as I notice). I do wanna change up my generic conflict-guys though, so…we'll see…

It's all gone.

The only world I've ever known,

Sleeps beneath the waves.

But I'm the one who's drowning…

I step out of my brand new shower, into my brand new bathroom, and reach for one of my brand new fluffy lilac towels to swaddle myself in. I throw a yearning glance over my shoulder, at the still-steaming shower. Fuck me, I want back in there. All I want to do is crawl back under the steaming hot water and hunker down for a while – y'know, process stuff. However, Heidi is waiting for me in my brand new living room, ready to doll me up as much as anyone can be dolled, because now it's time to meet my other new masters.

I have to bite back a whimper at the thought. I am not looking forward to this. At all.

I almost wish I'd just dunked my head in the sink instead of caving at the prospect of hot water and relaxation, because that shower managed to soothe me right out of the shocked, numb state I've been in since we left the Cullen house.

I'd been half-dead from the second Aro announced he was whisking me away. It seemed so…ridiculous. It was the kind of spontaneous decision you only really see in movies – not that I've seen too many of those. For several minutes, I actually thought he was joking. That is, until he asked another of his Guard – a girl named Renata – if she wouldn't mind packing me a bag.

Then the shock really settled in. Esme led Renata and I to the room I'd been staying in, they tossed some stuff in a suitcase, reassured me that everything was going to be okay, and that was that. The Cullens and I shared some quick goodbyes. Esme kissed me on the forehead, Carlisle touched my arm and wished me luck, and Emmett threw a jovial punch at my bad shoulder (I'm still convinced this was intentional) and told me to invest in a turtleneck.

I wasn't really taking any of this in. I was pretty much just going through the motions as my brain wheeled and tried to catch up with everyone else's decisions. The only clear thought I remember having was when Aro began saying his goodbyes to Carlisle and I finally understood that we were leaving right that very second:

How are they going to find me if I'm not even in the country anymore?

I couldn't even process this idea properly, as Aro started steering everyone towards the door, offhandedly instructing Felix – the titan – to carry me. At this point Eleazar stepped in and insisted on coming along to help me settle in. This was more than pretty decent of him, considering the fact that during my entire stay I only said about two words to him and I'm pretty sure the first one was "fuck." Aro seemed delighted with this idea – babbled something about "just like old times" – and that, again, was that. Eleazar even carried me, though I wasn't in the state of mind to feel much relief.

I was used to running with vampires, so this didn't reach me either. After arriving in Seattle, Aro hired out a small plane seeing as I wouldn't be able to swim through the ocean. Even this amazingly casual tossing-about of money didn't snap me out of it. I let Eleazar tow me onto the plane with Aro, Chelsea, another male vampire and the twins, while the others bickered about who was going to fill the last seat. Renata won, seeing as she had my suitcase. The others took off again, disgruntled even though they were still likely to reach Italy before us. Which they did.

Aro chattered away the entire journey, cheerfully oblivious to my lack of attention. Eleazar replied to him in my stead. I don't know what the others did. I spent my time peering blankly out the window. I vaguely recall – between the rare gaps in Aro's prattle – Jane's brother complaining that we were losing "the race."

The bit between changing planes in New York and arriving in Italy is muddled. I think I drifted in and out of sleep, because at one point a cloak was placed over me without my noticing. I don't know whose it was or who put it there, but it was gone again when we touched down a second time. Eleazar ran me all the way to Volterra, which I entirely failed to take in. Heidi was waiting for us outside the city walls. Aro told Eleazar to give me to her, and for her to take me to "the apartment" and clean me up before I met Caius and Marcus.

And here we are.

I feel so much better after my ten-minute heavy-breathing session in the shower. Slightly more sane, at least. Sane enough to feel like a complete and undeniable fucking moron.

Clearly, I lost my mind back there. I mean, I can't really blame myself given that I was being kidnapped for the third time in my short and extravagant life, but I also can't imagine what kind of impression I must have given my new slave-drivers. Whimpering, weak, pathetic – at the very least. This will not do. This will not do at fucking all. The one thing I know about these kinds of affairs is that I need to establish control, right now, or they'll take advantage of my standing as the helpless pushover and I'll be paying for it for as long as they feel like keeping me around.

I towel myself dry, trying to be quick about it. I want to get this meeting over with as soon as humanely possible. I don't know squat about Caius and Marcus, but if they're anything like Aro, then I'm in for one long-ass night.

I scrub at my hair, not bothering to try and neaten it out as it will coil back into its mould of haphazard curls no matter what punishment I inflict on it. Anyway, that's Heidi's problem. Aro told her to make me presentable, so let her try.

I peer around the floor of the bathroom, but spot nothing. She must have taken my clothes after I mindlessly started stripping. Casting my eyes God-wards, I shake my head and tighten the towel over my chest, yanking the bathroom door open and striding as confidently as I can into the living room.

I didn't really take it in when we arrived. I'm grudgingly impressed now. It's big and modern, all soft greys and whites and strange shades of blue-green. The only exit is a set of sturdy-looking golden doors with a touch pad. The floor is polished white tile and there's an electric fireplace tucked into a tall stone feature. The TV is hanging above this, almost as big as the one in the Cullens' living room. There are bookshelves and tables clustered with books and ornaments and bowls of pot-pourri and weird stones. There's a huge fur rug in the centre of the room. On this is a sizeable glass coffee table littered with makeup and hair products. It's surrounded by an armchair with no arms and a giant white sofa shaped like an L. On this sofa is Heidi.

Like everything else, it's like I'm seeing her for the first time. And, honestly, seeing her is kind of a punch in the gut.

She's easily the most beautiful person I've ever seen in my life. Her hair is every girl's dream – long and thick and shiny, dark mahogany and perfectly styled. Just looking at it makes me want to duck and hide my own short, light curls under a towel. Her skin is flawless and, in the dim light of the fireplace and the lamps, the colour of rich cream. I can tell even as she's sitting that she's tall. She's changed out of her Volturi uniform and into a light blue silk dress. It clings to her curves and accentuates her breasts – which are also enviably fabulous, by the way. Her lashes are long and curled and her brows are flawlessly shaped. Her eyes have this seductive lidded feature to them, and her lips are a perfect ruby pout.

I realize too late that I'm gawking like a retard. She catches my stare and smiles at me over her shoulder.

"Feeling better?" She asks.

My back stiffens and I straighten up, remembering my whole establishing control plan. Drooling over vampires is not very likely to help me complete that plan, so I do my best to snap myself out of it.

"Much," I reply, my tone clipped.

She doesn't seem bothered by my attitude. "Right, well, come here and I'll get started on your makeup."

I pad across the cool tile, trying not to feel self-conscious. It's a wasted effort. She's even more breathtaking when she's two feet away, and I'm sitting here with no makeup, wet hair and nothing but a towel. Brilliant. Just excellent.

"Now then," Heidi says, reaching for me and cupping my face, trying to get a decent look at me. Her fingers are smooth and cold, and the familiar feeling makes the centre of my chest ache as if my heart is actually breaking.

I want to go home.

It's the first time I've dared think the words. Though, judging by the way Heidi's amiable expression flickers and drops, I've not so much thought them as whispered them aloud. Shit.

Heidi lets her hands curl slowly into her lap. I force my eyes away, unable to look at her. My throat begins to ache as well. After a few beats of silence, Heidi's soft voice murmurs. "How old are you?"

I blink, and my lips part, but it takes me a second to answer her. When I do, it's with a thin, cracking voice. "Fifteen."

I glance up long enough to spot Heidi grimace. "Fifteen," she parrots. One silky curl falls over her shoulder as she sighs. "You're the youngest we've had in…quite a while."

I don't reply. What do I say to that? 'Sorry for lowering your quality of life, I tend to have that effect'? Not likely. To my mild alarm, she reaches for my hands.

"I'm sorry," she says, smoothing her thumbs over my knuckles just like Esme did. "You can't go home."

I stare at her in horror. Then, it's as if all the emotions that I'd managed to keep chained down in the last seventy two hours burst free all at once. I yank my hands from hers and lurch up from the sofa, tears of fury burning behind my eyes.

"Why?" I bark at her, clutching at the towel just for something to hold, bunching it around my chest. "Who are you to decide that?"

Heidi stays seated, keeps her expression neutral. She doesn't know what to say. My head is spinning. Fuck. Fuck! I haven't gone this long without some kind of drug for quite a while. I can feel my blood brewing, thin and weak, wondering why. One hand comes up and grabs at my throbbing frontal lobe. No. Focus. Fucking focus. I need to find out what's going to happen to Anton and the others. I need to fucking help them!

"Are you okay?" Heidi asks, sounding anxious. I grit my teeth together. I hadn't realised I'd been stumbling. I take a second to right myself before turning on Heidi.

"My-my family, my coven – what's going to happen to them?"

Heidi stiffens and drops her gaze away. "I don't really know."

"Yes you do!" I lash back.

Heidi looks down and away again before gathering her resolve and meeting my frantic eyes. "Demetri will find them."

"He won't. They'll run."

"No one can outrun Demetri." Heidi's voice is firm, letting me know that this is how it is. I take as deep a breath as my lungs will allow, trying to steady myself. I asked for the truth and this is it.

"And?" I croak.

"Demetri will bring them before Aro, Caius and Marcus. They'll decide whether or not their infraction was worth…punishment."

Ice cold terror passes down my spine so forcefully that it hurts. I know exactly what punishment means.

"Why?" I mouth.

"They broke the law."

"No!" I protest sinking back down onto the sofa. "No! Th-that's why they brought me in – so I could hunt for them, so they could stay under the radar!"

Heidi's face is creased with sympathy. "You're human," she replies gently. "It's against the law for any human to know about vampires."

"But they were going to change me!" I choke. "They were! When I turned eighteen, they were going to make me a vampire. They were going to uphold the law! I swear! I promise!"

I don't comprehend why my face is so hot until Heidi reaches out and sweeps a tear off my cheek. I can't even care. I retch up a sob, feeling like exactly what I wanted to avoid coming across as, but unable to help it. Heidi shushes me, dashing away my tears as they fall.

"There, now," she murmurs. "None of that. Caius won't like it if he sees you've been crying."

I delve past the overwhelming sorrow for my temper, trying to feel irked at myself and snap myself out of it. It takes longer than I care to admit, but after a while I gulp back the last of my tears and forcibly steel myself against the grief. I'm successful. I can feel the determined anger setting into my bones like armour. Sniffing one last time, I lift my chin.

"Believe it or not, I'm finding it hard to give a flying fuck what Caius likes."

My voice is reassuringly clear. Heidi's lips twitch upwards.

"You want to help your coven?"

My armour trembles. "Yes."

Heidi grins. "Then give a fuck. Do your job. Bow and scrape, if that's what it takes. I won't pretend to know what Aro's thinking, but he didn't spare you for nothing. I'm willing to bet that if you live up to his expectations, he'll be willing to listen when the time comes that you need to be heard."

I blink at this, trying my best to hold on to my strength. It's not easy. It feels like all my insides are trembling. "Okay."

Heidi's answering smile is blinding. "Okay," she echoes. She reaches for a brush and powder and holds them out as if she's wielding weapons. "Now, let's get down to business."

vVv

I hold my head high as I follow Heidi down the cold stone hallway. The sound of my heels clacking echoes all around me like a heart beating. I'm so hugely glad that I've got so much practice in heels, because these ones are merciless – Louis Vuitton's finest stilettos that squeeze my feet in all the wrong places. Still, props to me, because I haven't faltered once since Heidi and I left my new digs.

Turns out I didn't get a glimpse of the city. I must have really zoned out not to notice that Heidi took me to the apartment from underground. Another thing I failed to notice was the elevator right in my own living room. It took us all the way down, past the basement, into the city's underground labyrinth of tunnels. Apparently one measly human using the castle's front door would be way too much of an inconvenience for the Volturi to handle, so I, like every other past secretary, will have to brave the horrible, dank tunnels every day in order to access my new workplace. Whoop de fucking do.

Too bad some of the few things I happen to be deathly afraid of are a) the dark and b) being underground.

I'm really, really, really starting to hate the Volturi.

In spite of my newfound bravado, my heart kicks it up a gear as we approach a pair of humongous double doors. This is it, no doubt.

I glance down at myself, trying to soothe the sudden bout of anxiety. Heidi gave me back the pencil skirt that Alice put me in and the clingy red sweater I arrived it, because Esme washed it and I've got nothing else. Apparently there'll be a whole wardrobe full of clothes in my size waiting for me in the morning. I await with baited breath. Not.

Heidi also managed to fix my cry-face. My eyes are rimmed with dark grey liner and shadow, my lashes slicked to their fullest. My lips have a touch of gloss to them, "to make me appear more lifelike." Not at all insulting. She also succeeded in smoothing my curls down a little. All in all, considering the trying few days I've had, I don't look bad.

The doors swing open as if by themselves, and Heidi strides through. I follow without breaking pace, keeping my chin high and my face smooth. Establish control.

I'm able to keep in-character as Heidi leads me towards a trio of thrones, in which sit a trio of high-and-mighty vampires.

Aro is in the middle, as I expected. To his right is the deadest looking creature I have ever come across in my life. He's slouched over, staring at nothing, looking like a prop that somebody tossed aside. From my distance, I think I see his eyes flicker towards me. If he does see me, clearly I'm not all that interesting, because he doesn't so much as twitch. I try not to let it perturb me. I cast a quick glance back at Aro, trying to silently communicate that he should get that guy checked out. Like, soon.

Aro is smiling at me, looking pleased. "I must say, Veronica, you are looking much better."

Fighting an almightiful cringe at the use of my full name, I decide to take the compliment and roll with it. "Thank you."

Aro seems thrilled. "Excellent work, Heidi," he enthuses. "You are dismissed."

I blink, trying to conceal my horror as Heidi bends forward slightly in a kind of bow, says thank you, shoots me an encouraging look, then turns around and leaves.

I clasp my hands together in front of me, my freshly-clipped nails digging into my skin. Awesome, just fantastic. This is great.

I decide to distract myself from this badly-timed abandonment by checking out the last of the three leaders. I nearly stagger backwards under the force of his glare.

I shoot a panicked glance down over myself again, trying to figure out what the fuck about me has offended him so thoroughly. It's been a long time since anyone looked at me with that level of evils, and I'd be lying if I said it's not shaking me. I stare back, morbidly entranced by his evident aggravation. After a moment, Aro decides to intervene, likely for the sake of my mental health and this guy's clenched-up eyeballs.

"Veronica," he says. "There are Caius, and Marcus." He gestures to the one in need of anger management, then the one in need of a respirator. "Brothers, this is Veronica."

For lack of anything else to do, I say "hello" as confidently as I can. Just then, I notice something in the sides of my vision. Felix and Demetri pace up towards the thrones, hovering about five meters away at either side of me. Neither of them look very welcoming. Dread coils in my stomach. For one insane second, I want to bolt – kick these stupid shoes off and run for my life – but I stop myself.

Give a fuck. Do your job. Bow and scrape, if that's what it takes.

I'm pretty sure they recognise the fear in my face, because Felix smirks menacingly. Abruptly, I wish I had the balls to say that the last man that looked at me that way died shrieking, sobbing, begging for his life. But I don't. I will do my job. I'll be the best fucking secretary that every secretaried. So I clench my teeth, straighten my back and turn my attention back to the thrones. Caius is still boring holes in my skin, but now he looks more affronted than murderous.

"She looks alright," he comments. Before I can react, he turns on me. "What are your qualifications?"

Oh, fucking fuck.

My tone deadpans in unison with my heart. "My what?"

Caius is severely unimpressed. I turn to Aro, sending him my best psychic vibes. You got me into this, you asshole, fucking help me! But he does nothing.

"Your qualifications," Caius spits.

My first thoughts are I can walk damn well in high heels, but somehow I doubt these are the kind of skills Caius is concerned with. As for anything else, I'm at nothing.

"Dear God, girl! Did you even finish school?"

He's shouting and sneering at me all in one go. He doesn't dream that the answer is no. He's glaring at me with those superior, disgusted eyes, trying to stare me down. Anyone else would feel small and ashamed by this, but I don't. I've never felt shame in my life, and the likes of him aren't going to inspire it in me. So I square my shoulders, meet him eye to eye, and say "no."

Caius chokes.

Aro finally decides to come to my rescue. "I told you, Caius, she was taken from her home to become a lure at a very young age."

Caius is thunderstruck. Again, he turns on me. "So you finished elementary school, then?"

This is a dig at my expense, and everyone here knows it. My nails dig deeper into the flesh of my hands. Temper roils in the pit of my stomach, but I can't react. This isn't home. A light swat isn't what the Volturi consider fitting punishment for a smart mouth. But I won't fold - not to this asshole. I decide not to play along.

"No," I reply lightly.

Caius gapes at me as if I've just insulted his mother, his grandmother and his every single belief in one fell swoop. "What did you bring us, Aro?" He demands, so incredulous that he's not even breathing. "Some wanton whore off the streets with barely a cell in her brain?"

Before Aro can reply or my temper can get the best of me, Caius throws his arm out as if he can barely believe he has to give the order. "Kill her!"

A single, stunned breath shudders from my throat. Felix and Demetri move.

"Do not."

The gravelly, ancient voice takes us all by surprise. Demetri stops with his fingers flexed around my throat. My heart hammers against my chest. My whole running for my life scenario ends before it even begins. I can't move - I scarcely dare to breathe. My bulging eyes find the source of my saviour. Unbelievably, the dead vampire has straightened in his seat.

"The child has made her decision," he continues. His tone and the speed of his voice don't change. He sounds as if he's speaking from the inside of his own grave. "She will do right by us. She is willing to learn if we are willing to teach her. She will prove her worth, given time."

And he falls completely still and silent again, like a clockwork ornament set to go off at certain intervals. Felix and Demetri shoot glances between the three leaders, clearly not sure who to listen to. My pulse thrums against Demetri's fingertips, sweat beading against my hairline.

"Well," Aro says, inappropriately chipper given the fact that Demetri is a finger's flex away from crushing my trachea. "I'm glad we got that out of the way!"

To my intense relief, Felix and Demetri slither back into the shadows. I gulp in a lungful of air, my chest heaving. Caius looks completely incensed.

"You know, Caius, you are right," Aro says suddenly.

What?

I tense up immediately, at a loss for what to do. No. No way. I gape at him in open terror, my tough façade long-vanquished.

"Veronica does need to be educated," he muses. "So I expect you'll want to get started right away."

I'm not sure whether or not Caius or I has the most bewildered expression. His head whips around, Aro's words shocking him right out of his stewing anger.

"What?"

"Well, yes, it only seems fair." Aro nods along with his own train of thought, clearly pleased with himself. "You want her educated – so you can educate her!"

"No." Caius snaps crossly. "Have someone else do it!"

"What's the old phrase?" Aro ponders, smiling. "Ah, yes. If you want something done right, brother, do it yourself!"

Aro clasps his hands together with a flourish while Caius is still flabbergasted.

"You're dismissed, Veronica. Go and get some rest. Return to us at seven o'clock tomorrow morning."

Caius is still spluttering and protesting as I turn around and finally allow myself to flee for my life.

vVv

I breathe hard as I stare at myself in my new work get-up. I wonder how many girls have stared into a mirror similar to this one, anxiously anticipating their first day working for the vampires. At least they must have had more of a leg up than I do.

Caius was not wrong. To say I am unqualified for this job is a vast understatement. I cannot secretary. At all. I barely attended elementary school, for Christ sakes. I was eleven when Anton and Co. took me away to be their lure. I didn't have a chance to learn any valuable life skills before life skills became irrelevant to me. The only reason I can even speak like a halfway literate adult is because the boys are all from oldie times and their vocab is literally out of this world. My penmanship is so shameful that having me put pen to paper should be considered a grievous sin. How am I supposed to organize and run the goings-on of an entire castle when I can barely read plain English?

Bile rises in my throat as fresh panic causes my palms to sweat. I'm worryingly pale as I unbutton my fancy blouse all over again so I can apply another liberal spray of deodorant. I'm unqualified – I don't need to smell on top of that.

What the ever loving fuck was Aro thinking? What broke in that guys mind for him to think that hiring me to do his paperwork was a stand up idea? Do the Volturi not value professionalism, good work ethics and functioning brainpower at all? Maybe not. Maybe all they want is something nice-looking to bring them their messages and answer their calls.

Self-conscious, I button my shirt back up and tuck it into my tight skirt. It's very tight. Heidi had me measured down to a T. Suspicious, I turn and glance back at my rear, accented by the constricting fabric. Huh. It's looking oddly perky and round today, if I do say so myself. That can't be a coincidence. Neither can the fact that I've actually got cleavage in this abominable ruffled shirt.

That must be it. The Volturi want something pretty to look at while they play their I-Rule-The-World game. Go figure. Looks have always been the only thing I have going for me. If there's one thing I can say about little ol' me, it's that I don't have any illusions about myself. I'm not stupid enough to believe that people want me around for my trashy behaviour and disastrously loose moral code. I'm not clever or quick-witted – I can barely read and write. I'm not kind or sweet or generous or charming. I'm a bitter, sharp-tongued teenager with a bad attitude and a problem with narcotics. There are track marks on my arm from just last week. I don't have any real interests. Chess and South Park don't really count. I can't play any instruments. I don't read books or listen to music. I couldn't keep up a conversation with a regular person if you paid me.

I'm pretty. That's all.

It's why they picked me. Anton took one look at my plump pink lips and wild blonde curls and decided there was nothing better to bait his meals with. My clear, creamy skin stayed with me through adolescence. I kept my hair to my collarbones, mainly because I don't have the slightest clue about maintenance past basic shampooing. My eyes stayed the same light grey-blue, but my lashes thickened and I learned to make myself look older with liner and mascara. I have the kind of face that can pass for thirteen or twenty depending on how I do my makeup.

There's always something flattering about the attention I get from men, but whether I really enjoy it or not is ambiguous. I'm doing my job – being flirty or playfully innocent as the situation demands in order to lead strangers to their deaths. Sometimes it's hard to break character.

Nobody ever comments on things I say or do beyond my skills as a lure. It's always about the way my hair shines or how pretty my eyes are or how my body looks in my most enticing clothes.

I allow a flash of melancholy to dampen my expression for a second before I straighten up, lifting my chin and smirking at myself in the mirror. Whimpering about my life isn't going to get my boys anywhere. Sucking in a steady breath, I tuck a stray kink of hair behind my ear and smile my most convincing smile. Time to go to work.

I have no idea what I'm doing. None. Zilch. Not a clue. I know how it's gonna end, and I know the middle has smut, but THAT. IS. IT. I am 100% literally making this up as I go along, so if it's making fuck all sense to you guys, dooooon't worry, because it's making LESS sense to me!

*cries*

NOTE:

I got a lot of comments during TP about people really liking not hearing about Nyx's looks all the time, which always stuck with me. I noticed that in fanfics too, it's like the author's description of their characters wasn't complete without them reassuring us that yeah, they had a lot going on, but they were also smokin' hot. Yeah, it got annoying. How and ever, I decided to change shit up a little. How about a character with nothing going for them, literally nothing, BUT their looks? Huh? Huh? Yeah, thought I'd give that one a swing. Though I have to admit, the very first time I wrote about her calling herself pretty I was like "ooh, that sounds bad." But I kept it in, because persistence and shit.