Chapter 3

As I entered the room I noticed right away, that the door stood in the middle of a circular room and was a similar shade of gray stone that the castle was built of outside. Only in this case it looked lighter or maybe cleaner. There were pillars of gray stucco surrounding the room in a circle reaching to the ceiling holding up the structure that I assumed was the roof.

In the center was a dome structure filled with colored glass, which reminded me of the community center back home, except the community center's glass was clear where we could see the sky. This structure felt different than anything I have seen before. The room flickered with light from the torches that ran along the walls and on every other pillar.

On the other side of the room sat a stone platform, a daïs if you will, that reached from one side of the wall to the other. In the center stood three well decorated thrones whereon sat two vampires that I suspect were the other two brothers that Caius told me of.

The tall brother with dark silky hair flowing past his shoulders stood out the most. I suspected him to be the leader of the three. He was also the palest and his skin looked almost like tissue paper it was so thin, but I dared not to believe that it was that pliable.

His cheekbones were high, and he had a long slender nose, like Caius's, that came to a slight point at the end. He also had a cleft in his chin that he held high, letting everyone know he feared no one, and should be feared, which was a bit frightening in itself.

He wore the same kind of suit as Caius, and the same type of cloak, and I noticed he too wore a necklet that matched Caius's. I wondered if it meant something, because the other brother wore one as well. Was it a symbol of their family? I wondered.

On his right side sat another man. He looked to be a little older than the other two, and his facial expression held the look of what I considered to be a loss of some kind. He was dressed the same as his brothers. They both watched us as we entered the room.

There were other vampires around the room, but I was distracted away from them when a voice echoed through the room. The dark-haired leader spoke to Caius as we walked towards him. The only words I understood as he spoke in the language of this land were Caius's name and mine when Caius introduced us.

Caius walked up to his brother and placed his hand in his. The dark-haired leader closed his eyes for a minute and shortly thereafter showed a scowl in his expression as he opened his eyes and sadly looked into mine. Caius bowed his head slightly and then did the same to me and then took his seat next to his brothers, leaving me standing alone in front of the three and scared half out of my wits as I wondered what was going on.

"Beautiful Isabella, you must forgive us my child, you must be so frightened. It saddens me to know that you have come into our world in such a manner. My name is Aro and this," he said speaking in English and pointing to the older looking gentleman. "Is Marcus; we rule the vampire world together. I assure you we will help your transition into our world with a little more knowledge, and until then you are welcome to stay with us. Thank the Gods, that Caius got to you before the were-wolves killed you; you're very lucky that he was there just in time."

The way he said I was welcome to stay with them, sounded more like a command than an invitation, and what did he mean… "Were-wolves?" I said audibly not meaning to as what he said last soaked into my mind while the three of them chuckled.

"Yes, the creatures of the night, children of the moon if you will. They only shift into were-wolves when the moon is full, and cause a lot of havoc on our world," Caius explained. I raised my eyebrows, shocked at his admission.

Why should I question it though? Look at me - I'm a damn vampire, confirmed now with Caius's explanation earlier. "I have been hunting them down, killing them every chance I get. I started killing them when they killed Marcus's wife many years ago," he explained as Marcus whined and lowered his head.

I looked over at Marcus with sad eyes. "I'm so sorry," I replied, truly feeling badly for his loss.

"Thank you, child," he said as Aro reached across and patted his forearm lending him his support. Aro's attention turned back to me.

"When was the last time you fed, child?" he asked as my eyes met his once again.

"Oh, it's only been a couple of days, so I'm fine," I told him as he rose from his seat and walked down the two steps holding out his hand for me to take. Once he was in front of me I placed my hand into his as he closed his eyes once again. I felt his hand becoming tighter on mine as once again the spot between his eyes wrinkled into a frown.

He opened his eyes and looked confusingly at me as he quickly glanced over his shoulder to Caius and then back to me. "All will be explained, child; do not fear. You must be exhausted, why don't we show you to your room so you can relax. Someone will come to talk to you, they will tell you of our ways and our laws, and answer any questions you may have; how does that sound?" he asked with a smile.

"That sounds fine sir, thank you," I replied. He smiled, and looked to the end of the platform where two young vampires stood. One was a boy and one a girl, both with blond hair though one was blonder than the other. The girl was petite but held a peculiar smirk on her lips, where the boy was tall and muscular and had a confidence about him.

"Jane dear, will you see our guest to one of the guest rooms and make sure she has everything she needs," he said sweetly. The girl nodded and bowed and then walked over to my side as she spoke.

"Yes Master," she answered. Master? They call them master. Oh hell no! This frightened me even further, I felt almost trapped. It was then that I remembered what I thought of this place with just a look earlier, before I found out who lived here.

A prison, but Caius was so gentle and kind, well, at least to me, and the other brothers seemed to care as well. I didn't know what was going on with Aro after touching my hand, but I was sure I'd be finding out sooner rather than later. I would leave my worries about this place for a more appropriate time.

I followed the girl named Jane down a long hallway and up some curvy stairs and then down another long hallway. She stopped in front of another wooden door just like the rest I'd seen in the place and opened the door motioning me to step in. I walked into the room. It was nice, nicer than I expected.

It had a huge bed and floor length mirror, a side table with a large candle that she walked over and lit to brighten the room more. There also stood another table where a bowl and pitcher sat full of water with a towel laid out for when I wanted to freshen up a bit, which I was in dire need of at the moment.

"Here is your closet, we keep all the closets in the castle stocked with clothing; one side is filled for a man and the other is for a woman, if you feel the need to change your clothing. Can I get you anything else?" she asked as she closed the closet door and turned to me.

"No, thank you, I think I have everything I need," I told her. She nodded her head and started for the door.

"If you need anything just pull this banner," she said pointing to the red banner like rope that hung on the wall next to the door. "Someone will be up to talk to you later this evening."

"Thank you again," I told her. She nodded once again and then walked out the door, closing it as she left.

I walked around the room taking in its entire splendor, and all of what I thought before of this place being like a prison was lost to memory. It was truly a palace. The red velvet curtains and matching bedspreads were extravagant, and the rugs look to be woven from the finest fabrics. I've never seen such a truly beautiful place in all of my life.

There was even a bookshelf filled with books and manuscripts. Of what, I had no idea, but resigned myself to check them out later. I walked over to the table that held the pitcher filled with water. I picked it up and poured some of it into the bowl. Sitting the pitcher back into it allotted place. I dipped my hands into the water and picked up the bar of soap that sat next to the bowl.

I lathered it up and a lovely smell wafted up from the soap. I put it to my nose and inhaled its most wonderful scent. It smelled of roses, and I moaned at its splendid scent for it was wonderful. I finished cleaning up and walked to the closet and opened it.

The girl called Jane was right, for one side was indeed clothing for a male and the other was for a female. I sifted through the clothing and pulled out a dress. It was made of blue velvet and was trimmed with a thick cord of gold.

It held a twirling design on its bodice made from the same thick cord. I laid it on the bed and quickly slipped out of my dirty torn dress, pulling the blue dress on and throwing the old one in a pile in the corner of the room in case I would not be allowed to keep any of these beautiful gowns if I was made to leave.

I walked to the same table that held the pitcher and bowl and found a brush. I picked it up and brushed through my hair. I found a ribbon to match my dress in one of the drawers of the closet and pulled my hair back away from my face, tying the ribbon around my head and into a bow on top of my head.

I slipped on the gold slippers I found at the bottom of the closet and looked at myself in the full length mirror. Thinking myself dressed as a princess, I smiled and went to sit on the edge of the bed and waited for someone to come speak to me as promised.

It wasn't long before a knock came to the door. I walked to the door and opened it to find another tall extraordinary handsome vampire with light brown hair styled nicely. He had sparkling red eyes and a smile that if faced by a human would be blinded by its brightness. He too had the body of a man who worked hard and had the muscles to prove it. He was dressed just like the brothers who welcomed me minus the cape.

"Hello Isabella, my name is Demetri. Welcome to our home," he said sweetly as he entered and closed the door behind him. He walked up to me and took my hand and pulled it over my head and twirled me around once and stopped me to face him. "Wow, you look incredible," he said as he pulled my hand into the crook of his elbow and led me to one of two chairs with red velvet padding that sat on the other side of the room.

"Thank you," I said as we made our way to the chairs.

"Please sit," he said as he helped me into the chair and took a seat in the other one facing me. He smiled once again and began to speak.

"First you are very welcome, but I only speak the truth. You are very lovely and we are very happy to have you with us. Master Aro has asked me to come speak to you. He wants to know how much you know of our world and he wants me to explain our laws to you. He also says he would love to have you stay with us and join our coven if you are so inclined," he explained.

"Oh, well, I guess I could stay for a while, but do you think he would give me a little time to think about his offer?" I asked. He smiled and nodded his head.

"Of course, I'm sure he would give you as much time as you need especially since you know next to nothing of our world. He is very upset that one of our kind would turn you and leave you to fend for yourself. Which is another thing I need to ask you. Where were you attacked? By this I need to know what town you hail from," he said.

Oh…um…it was called Maidensville, It's in England around fifty miles north of London, sire," I told him. He furrowed his brow and I worried that I might have said the wrong thing.

"Please Isabella, I am no sire. I am the head of what we call the guard, and you may call me Demetri," he said.

"Oh…sorry. Okay Demetri," I said and he smiled again and bowed his head slightly.

"Now when you were attacked did anyone else see this vampire or did anyone see you?" he asked.

"Um…well, there was this man; he was the son of a preacher that hunts demons. We had stumbled across one another," I told him, not wanting to tell him that I was following the man. "It was then that we discovered the creature and within seconds the creature bit me. The man with his desire to help me called out to the creature and drew the vampire to him giving me time to scurry away and hide. But I think the vampire killed him for when I woke from my transformation he was nowhere to be found.

"And what was his name, do you remember?" he asked. I shook my head.

"No, we only had time for me to give him my name when we were attacked; there was no time for me to learn his," I told him.

"Okay, that's fine. Now did anyone see you?" he asked. I bowed my head as I fought not to cry in front of this handsome man…or I mean…vampire. "So you were seen?" he asked.

"Yes, well not exactly. Um…I didn't know what had happened to me and I was such a mess afterwards. I didn't want to walk through town, so I kept to the woods until I got home. It was dark and there was a candle burning in the window. I thought my mother had put it there for me, you know, to help me find my way home. When I got to the house I smelled what I know now was her blood and I had to have it and when I went into the house my mother ran to me…and…and," was all I got out as I sobbed tearless. Demetri stood up and walked over to me and stooped down in front of me and took my hand in his.

"It's all right Isabella, I understand what happened and I'm very sorry that had to happen to you, but it's only natural for a newborn to act in such a manner. I know it hurts, but this is not your fault," he said comfortingly. I nodded my head and sat back up straight. He stood up and returned to his chair.

"I'm sorry Isabella, but I must ask if you left your mother in the house or did you bury her?" he asked.

"Oh, no I buried her about a couple of miles from our home. I even put boulders on her grave sort of as a marker in case I needed to find her again," I told him.

"Good, that's very good Isabella," he said. "You have good instincts that have helped you get as far as you have. So no one else has seen you since your transformation?" he asked. I shook my head.

"No, no one," I said, and he smiled. "I have been very careful. I didn't want anyone to find me. I heard that man's father say he wanted his son to kill demons and that frightened me. I was so afraid that someone would come searching for me, so I stayed in hiding during the day and hunted only evil people during the night," I told him. He nodded.

"That's very good, Isabella. It shows that you have very good instincts," he said again.

"Do you know the date you were attacked?" he asked.

"Um…it was the day of the spring festival at the community center, so it was July the twenty-second, sixteen hundred and ninety-seven," I told him. When I told him this, his eyebrows shot up onto his forehead, and once again I thought I had said something wrong.

"Do you know what year it is now?" he asked. I shook my head to his question. "It is April the twenty-sixth, Seventeen hundred and twenty-three," he said. I gasped at what he had revealed, not understanding how so many years had passed so quickly.

"It's all right Isabella. Time is very different for us in the vampire world. Twenty-six years is a drop in the bucket for us, but it seems that you are far from being a newborn, you just need to learn our laws and keep to them so you should be just fine," he said.

"Okay, and they are?" I asked. He smiled and lowered his head.

"They aren't many, Isabella, so it is very simple really. Our first and most important law is to never draw our attention to any human. If you are seen doing anything supernatural or they see you doing anything they would think of as different that draws their attention, you are to kill that human or turn them. If you choose the second, they are your responsibility until they are well out of the newborn stage which usually takes a year to sometimes ten years depending on the human."

"Another one of our laws is once a vampire takes a mate you are to never try to break that bond or take a mate from another. Breaking that law as well as the other one will get you killed."

"The rest are trivial, depending on how severe they are will determine how the brothers set sentence for the crime. These are simple as well," he said, unnecessarily clearing his throat before he began.

"Never ever hunt on the grounds of another vampire's marked territory. That is if you're out in the world and come upon the scent of another vampire, you must ask their permission to hunt on their land. You must make yourself known to them anyway for if you are caught in another vampire's territory it can and will probably get you killed. Not by the brothers, but by the landowners themselves. Now here it's different, we never hunt in our own town. We go out to neighboring towns. Usually farther if we have the time, but most of the time we have someone who brings them to us, we call her our fisher, but lately it's been only for the brothers. I myself like to hunt my own prey," he says. I nod in understanding of what he just said.

"Okay," I said again, taking in all he was telling me.

"So you understand all I have told you? There are other laws but mostly they are for the guard and I will explain more of them to you if you decide to join us."

"You keep talking about the guard; who are they exactly?" I asked. He smiled and began.

"The guard are those of us who keep the law for our Kings and keep our coven safe from those who try to overtake us, and as I said I am the leader of these guards.

"Are they like an army? Are there many of you?" I asked.

"Not many, but some of us have gifts that make us much stronger," he explained. It was my turn to furrow my brow, confused at what he meant. He chuckled.

"Ah…I almost forgot to explain that to you as well," he said still chuckling. "There are some of us who carry gifts. As for me I am a tracker. I am the best of our kind as of now," he explained. "There are so many different ones; for instance, we have one who can bind ourselves and others together. There is one who can make your mind believe that it is feeling the worst pain imaginable, and one that can blind you of all your senses, such as smell, eye-sight, touch, etcetera," he said.

"Wow," I said, shocked at hearing this.

"Yes, it is amazing. Master Aro believes that you too might have a gift."

"Me? I haven't seen any evidence of this as of yet," I told him. "Maybe he is mistaken," I said. He shook his head.

"No, Isabella, Master Aro has his own gift. With one touch he can see every thought you've ever had, everything you've ever done since you were born, and when he held your hand earlier you were blank to him. Also Jane tried her gift on you as well; she is the one who can administer pain, and her gift didn't work on you either," he explained.

"How can I find out what kind of gifts I have?" I asked.

"Well, if you decide to join us we can work with you and see what we come up with. As far as we know now, you have the gift of what we call a mind shield, if there is more to this gift," he shrugged his broad shoulders and continued. "Well, only time will tell," he said.

"If I join your coven can I sometime in the future leave if I want?" I asked shyly. Demetri laughed loudly at my question.

"You are adorable, little one, and the answer to your question is the brothers would not keep you here if you wish to leave. Their only concern is that you follow our laws. As long as you do that you may go anywhere you wish," he said. I sat and thought about what he'd said and after a few minutes I looked back up at him.

"Well, I guess I could stay here; after all, I have nowhere else to go. I mean, I have no one any longer, and I tire of being lonely," I told him. He smiled and stood up, pulling me to my feet, and kissed me on my forehead.

"Then welcome to the Volturi, sweet child," he said. "I will notify the brothers immediately. There will be a small initiation and then you will officially be one of us. Now would you like me to show you around so you'll know where to go when the time comes?" he asked.

"I would love that Demetri, thank you," I told him.

"It would be my honor little one. Shall we?" he said holding out his arm for me to take. I smiled and took his arm as we walked out of the room arm in arm.

A/N: Let me know what you think...thanks, huggs.