A/N: Hi, here's another upload. I'm slowly going through and editing these, so I apologize for any mistakes. The dialogue is important in Didyme's visions from here on out so they will be in English, so you won't have to rely on a translator. Think of it this way-if she had lived this through in the past then she knew Ancient Greek, so perhaps she would understand Ancient Greek now. As a disclaimer, I own nothing of Twilight so if you recognize it then it legally belongs to Mrs. Meyer.
This is fine. This is okay, there's absolutely no reason to panic, the Cullens are vampires but that's cool, I mean at least they don't have to dress up for Halloween. But then there's also the teeny tiny fact that my sister is dating a vampire, which is definitely not okay. I mean how are they even okay being around people, why are they going to high school? So many questions but the biggest is what the actual fuck Bella?! She really had to go all out with the teen romance novel fantasy and date a vampire.
Letting out a bitter laugh, I turned and left Bella's room, headed downstairs and collapsed on the sofa, putting on the first moderately interesting movie I could find. Not sure why the universe decided that it wanted to laugh at me, but low and behold it's got to throw in the supernatural. Moving to Forks was a chance to let mom travel with Phil and to maybe reconnect with Charlie, but the supernatural world just had to suck Bella in with me not too far behind.
Just as it couldn't get any worse, in the middle of my self-deprecating thoughts (which I got mad at Bella for–can you say hypocrite) the tv tilted. Though, that's not quite right-the whole room shifted on its axis, I groaned aloud and sank deeper into the cushions. Closing my eyes, I awaited the subtle pull in my stomach that would certify I was indeed having another vision/daydream/whatever the hell these are. Stomach clenching, my gut dropped the same way it does on a rollercoaster, and I did not even have to open my eyes to realize I was no longer in my living room.
The air was warm, and I could distinctly smell lavender and something sweet which I don't believe I've ever smelt before now. Opening my eyes, I was immediately startled, I sat in a familiar field–the one that I had found myself in the first time I ever experienced this phenomenon. Only, it was different now–there were dozens of wildflowers growing in patches throughout the distance, brilliant blends of violet, pinks, oranges. It was almost as if they were reflecting the most breathtaking sunset, glorious in their simple existence, the kind of imagery that exists within the tiny hundreds of brush strokes on a canvas. The sun was bright in the sky, the constant cloud cover that hung over Forks was nowhere in sight. A light breeze drifted past, I could almost picture it alive, dancing in between the low hanging branches in the trees, playfully ruffling the wildflowers and lounging in the tall grass.
I couldn't explain it if I tried, but this was home, here I could breathe and lay out, simply enjoying the air and the sky. There were no Cullens here, no flighty mom or bills to worry about. I had never told Bella, but these visions didn't bother me so much, they provided my safe haven–and even though I wasn't always in this field I always felt safe in these little trips. Suddenly I stood–internally I was alarmed as I physically was unable to stop myself from moving. It was like I had lost control of my body; something had taken over and I was merely a puppet on strings. Still under the control of an unknown source, I turned and dashed toward the small building from before.
The clearing of a throat halted me, turning back around I gazed toward the tree line I had just ran away from. Standing at the edge of the clearing and in the safety of shadows was one of the men from my previous visions and from the painting in Carlisle's study. This was even more evidence of the Cullens' lies, and evidence they knew something about me.
The man was of pretty average height with a lean build and long inky black hair that was currently held back in a low ponytail. I assumed he was of some relation to me in these scenes, as he seemed to appear from within the building many times before. He had a history of offering small hugs as well, and on one occasion he had picked me up and spun me around. He was an active participant in these scenes, though I could tell there was something different about him this time. Not only was he the same age as he'd been when I was younger–perhaps his mid 20's–he seemed to look different than every other time we'd been in this field, paler almost.
"Brother!" I yelled and sprinted to him, still nothing more than a mere spectator in my own body.
Calling him brother seemed to both prove he was related to me and break him out of his chance. He stepped out into the sunny grass of the clearing, and I froze–he was sparkling? Brilliant rays of multicolored light dancing along his revealed arms and face, it was a breathtaking display of colors reflecting from the very surface of his skin. He continued walking toward me, a carefree grin upon his face, seeing him unbothered prompted me forward once more. Scooping me up he held me tight against him. He was cold, freezing cold regardless of the warm sun shining down on us, he was also incredibly hard, the hug felt as though I were embracing a granite statue.
"I have missed you Didyme. You're all grown now, a young woman." He spoke into my hair, though I could hear him clear as day.
Wait. Prior to this these visions only ever consisted of dialogue spoken in a language I did not know. Yet I could suddenly understand him? What had changed to make this so, was it my discovery of the Cullens?
Leaning back, I looked up at him, gasping sharply and stepping back. His eyes were no longer the murky blue that I knew reflected my own, no they were a shocking red. Though I had no clue when or where exactly I was, I knew enough to note that there is no such thing as contacts in this world. He smiled placatingly down at me and took one of my hands at his, staring down at it for a few moments before letting out a small laugh.
"I have much to share with you Didyme, so much to share. All will be okay soon, I swear." Turning my hand over, he lifted my wrist up to his face, biting down suddenly.
I shrieked, the burning fire rushing through my wrist immediately, terrified I pushed my hand against his chest trying to get away. Stumbling back, I started to fall, seeing him reach for me I instinctively crossed my arms over my face. The drag in my stomach signifying the end of this vision was enough to relax me, only to note that upon opening my eyes I wasn't home. I had landed on a cold stone floor, I was in some sort of antechamber, a large drain stood in the middle of the floor and at the center of the room on a dais stood three throne-like chairs. Firm hands grabbed my middle suddenly and easily lifted me to my feet, turning I found the other man that featured most in my visions.
"Marcus," I breathed out softly, smiling up at the man. I was unsure whether to find the new developments within these episodes as alarming, as unexpected as they were.
Marcus stood taller than my 'brother' had, towering over me with ease. He seemed less lean as well, with more of a muscular build much like an athlete would have. He was roughly 18-20, with long silky looking brown hair and a gentle smile–yet he had the same striking red eyes as the other man. He wasn't cold though, looking down I realized I was the same in terms of skin, I was incredibly pale. Turning over my arm revealed a healed bite mark–was this meant as a sign I was a vampire? That's how they were created, no?
A set of large brown doors slammed open on the other side of the room, and the other two men strode through. The third man, though appearing less often, was equally familiar. He reminded me of an elf or a nymph, in the sense that his hair was so fair it seemed white, and he too stood taller than both me and the black-haired man. He was the oldest of the three, maybe middle aged, though I'd have to wager he was late 20s to early 30s. It really was frustrating referring to them in numbers or by their hair color. Before they had just been the three men, but now I knew one name and not the others.
The raven-haired man clapped his hands with a brief laugh, gazing at the two of us still standing together while the third man huffed at his actions.
"Really Aro, it is not as if this is an uncommon occurrence," he turned on his heel and sank gracefully into the throne on the right.
So, the man that posed as my brother was named Aro. Somehow that wasn't as surprising, it did not feel as though this was new knowledge to me–merely something which had slipped my mind.
"Come now Caius, need I not be happy for my born sister and our brother to be in love? Is that not a joyous thing to celebrate?" Hands clasped; he started toward us with a brief glance at Caius.
In scrambling to comprehend where I was now, I had neglected to realize that none of the parties in this room donned the togas I had come to expect–instead something resembling a tunic was to be seen on all parties. How much time had passed between the current scene and the last, television often depicted vampires as immortal so was that true in reality?
"Are the Romanians making trouble again brother? You seem to be slightly on edge this evening?" Whatever weird voodoo was going on right now was really getting on my nerves. Is it too much to ask to have my own bodily autonomy?
Aro turned to me and smiled lightly, then gestured toward the thrones, following us up once we ascended the dais. This was seemingly the most complex vision I've had, the others never lasted quite as long nor were as thorough as this. Something told me it wasn't quite over yet.
_Line Break_
It seemed I was correct, though I hadn't quite expected it to play out as long as it had–nor did I plan to have multiple visions. Every time someone entered the large room we were in, it triggered a flood of new visions, quick as they were, it slowly pieced together a story of existence. There were still large gaps of time and information, but I was able to piece together that I and Marcus were together. Both Aro and Caius had wives; two vampires named Athenodora and Sulpicia, and it was clear that the three men held some sort of importance in the world of the supernatural. Those that did enter the sprawling chamber were all dressed in varying colors of cloaks–shades of grays and even black.
I stayed in this vision for days, spending most of my time with Marcus, reading books in the largest library I'd ever seen, or simply relaxing in the antechamber I'd mysteriously shown up in. Everything seemed perfect, however nice this situation was I had a slight twinge of fear, when would I return home? These people knew me, loved me even but this was not my life, my life was with Bella and Charlie. Fishing on Sundays, cooking with my sister, laughing at Mike Newton trying to win her heart.
Aro was a splendid brother, we spent time recalling our youth, that beautiful field with its array of flowers. Each time he mentioned something I had not experienced; it would yank at this part of me; launching me into a set of visions to match what he said. I knew that he and I were years apart in age, and not the only siblings in our family though we were the only one the other cared for. I had bits of images like those I had known for years, building my relationships with the three men I cared for–Aro and Caius as brothers and Marcus as my love. God, I sounded like Bella.
Bella. What was she doing? Did her and Charlie miss me, what had been happening in Forks while I was here living a second life? My issue, this curse was ruining my real life with my family, these delusions were threatening my sanity. I paused in the book I had been reading, why was I trying to exist here at all? Shouldn't I be trying to find a way home?
Looking around the library and over at Marcus a few feet away, I was resolved to put this behind me. Even if they were real, these vampires were most certainly dead in my time, separated by hundreds, possibly even thousands of years. As soon as I made my mind up to abandon this hallucination, the room spun; colors molding in a familiar way. Letting out a sigh of relief I took a step forward and closed my eyes, embracing the way the world gave way and bent around me.