I was used to being on my own, it wasn't always fun but I had to make it work at times. The first few months of my time in London was awful, I didn't exactly have anyone to rely on and my classmates were skeptical since I joined halfway through the first year. I had many thoughts during that time period, most surrounding the topic of not having friends or anyone to rely on. Eventually I got the courage to walk up to a pretty intimidating group of people one day during lunch and despite their cold appearances, they were actually sweethearts underneath. They honestly had such a big impact on me whether it was the way I dressed or the way I communicated with people. If I was being picked on, they didn't have to say anything or use violence as one look from them was enough to send any bully running in the opposite direction. Looking back at it, I wonder if they belonged to a clan of vampires as they didn't seem to age throughout the time I was there. If it's true then I'm one hundred percent begging Aro to either invite them over or to actually go and visit them in person.

The Volturi reminded me a lot like the old friendship group I had in London, they may look intimidating and dress in all black but they were actual softies once you get to know them. The first instance I got of this was when they defended me and my actions when Bella and the Cullens tried to talk me out of staying in Volterra. I knew that one of their rules revolves around not trusting humans yet it was shocked to see how quickly Aro came to my aid. It did hurt, I'll admit, seeing that defeated look on Bella's face once I confirmed my decision to stay. She deserved nothing more than the perfect life with Edward and his family even if it meant me not being a part of it.

"I know you lot don't exactly feel any aches and pains but I do so if you don't mind I'm just gonna.." I whispered to Alec who turned his head to look at me with confusion as I sat down cross legged on the rather cold floor. He sighed and shook his head but didn't move from my side. We were watching in silence as Aro spoke with Edward regarding Bella and her potentially spilling the secrets of the vampire world. The mention of giving Bella immortality made me raise a brow, personally I think she would suit it but I don't think her clumsiness would ever disappear along with the way she keeps finding herself in all sorts of trouble.

"Don't think about it for too long, she will need to be changed soon and you of all people should know that we don't give second chances." Caius spoke, his voice ice cold as he glared at the couple a few feet in front of him.

"If that's all you have to say then you are free to leave, but don't forget to pay us a visit. I'll be curious to see how young Isabella turns out." Aro drawled, an eager look on his face as he looked directly at Bella who seemed to tighten her grip on Edward as if she was frightened.

"We'll also visit you soon, don't delay." Caius threatened before turning around and wandering back over to his seat. His eyes found where I was sat on the floor and he shook his head, a slight smirk on his face.

"See you soon Bella!" I cheered and waved to her from where I was sat on the floor, it was then that they realised that I wasn't coming with them and is it bad that I didn't feel any remorse whatsoever for my actions? I watched as the Cullens and Bella were led out of the room and it was like a weight was lifted off of my chest as I let out a sigh of relief. However it seemed it wasn't just me as numerous other immortals also sighed before continuing their conversations in hushed whispers. Alec looked around the room and decided to join me on the floor, my head immediately found his shoulder to rest on.

"So what happens now?" My voice barely above a whisper but I was sure he heard it crystal clear.

"We are due to feed in a few minutes and I don't want you to see that just yet Charlotte so a guard will take you to your room. We'll reconvene afterwards." From the time I first looked at him to now, the shade of his eyes had grown darker and I had a suspicion that his thirst was growing which explains why he looked so tense.

"On a scale of 1 to 10, how hard is it for you to be around me right now?" I asked.

"Infinite, it's taking a lot of restraint to keep myself from biting you and drinking your blood right here right now." He closed his eyes as I lifted my head from his shoulder to study his expression. It was like his face was made by the gods themselves, his skin was smooth and I wanted to sweep the hair away from his eyes. I am rather curious as to when they're gonna change me but I guess I have to wait a bit longer.

"Promise me something?" I spoke softly, my heart drumming rapidly against my chest.

"Anything." He replied.

"Please don't leave me." My voice rang out, almost pleading.

"I wouldn't dream of it, tesoro." He reassured as his hand found mine and gently squeezed it. Despite the coldness of his skin, there was a certain warmth that spread throughout and it was something I craved.

A man in a light grey cloak glided over to where we were sat and looked down at us, his stature seemed strained as his eyes bore in Alec's. They began to speak pretty quickly and in a language I couldn't understand but Alec nodded and stood up, his hand reaching out to also help me up.

"Heidi is on her way back and I think it'll be best if you leave now, I'll come and get you once we're done. I promise." His other hand cupped my face, his thumb ran over my cheek as he gently smiled at me. The action may not mean a lot to some people but it meant so much to me that it made my heart beat a bit quicker and he must have heard this as he chuckled to himself.

The man known as Santiago led me out of the room and I noticed how Jane soon flocked to Alec's side, I couldn't tell what they were saying but it was most definitely about me. I noticed a tall woman at the front of a group of tourists who were being led to the room I was just in, her crimson eyes met mine and her perfectly shaped brows raised in surprise.

"Heidi, they look rather nice." Santiago commented and the woman smiled proudly.

"Will you not be joining us, Santiago?" Her gaze flickered from the humans behind her to me.

"I will in a minute, I need to escort this one." His head motioned towards me and I pulled my jacket closer under her watchful stare.

"Fair enough, be quick. I already have a few reserved for Demetri and Felix." She winked at him and continued to lead the group towards the doors, mentioning random history facts to draw them in.

"Are they.." I trailed off, trying to keep up with Santiago as he walked through the doors we came through but split off down the other end of the hallway, an intricately carved wooden door was hidden around a corner out of sight of anyone passing by.

"They are what is classed as dinner for us." The mention of dinner made my stomach grumble pretty loudly and my cheeks flushed in embarrassment. The vampire chuckled besides me as we ascended a few flights of stairs, he pushed open another door and I gasped at the hallway we were now in. At the end was coloured glass painting that let actual sun light through, a few doors lined the hall along with historic pictures of Volterra.

"These are the guest rooms that aren't used anymore but they're cleaned everyday so you don't have to worry about bed bugs." He winked and twisted the handle to the room at the end of the hallway.

"We know you humans need to sleep which is why this part of the castle is more secluded." He explained and my jaw dropped at the interior. I dropped my backpack at the end of the bed, the big bookshelf on the main wall stealing my attention. There was all sorts of books ranging from romance to poetry to even thrillers, my hand skimmed over the spines as I pulled out a few books that I hadn't read before.

"I advise that you don't leave this room until you hear two knocks on your door, we anticipated you were going to stay so we decided to get you a few things until you're settled." He gestured over to a small hamper filled with snacks and drinks, damn I wasn't expecting them to know what I liked but there was something I wanted to ask later. Some things were starting to match up and I have a suspicion that the vampire that was stalking me after the Seattle incident was probably from the Volturi.

"I'm grateful for the hospitality, you can go now." I noticed how he edged towards the door within the short time span of being around me. It was probably an order from Alec earlier on to literally not bite me.

He nodded and swiftly left, the door shutting quietly behind him. I sighed as I finally thought about my current situation. I left Bella and the Cullens to stay with the Volturi in Italy which didn't seem like a bad idea to me at the time, plus I get to actually learn about my gift and the world of immortality which was something I was curious about. Carlisle didn't tell me much from our few encounters but I noticed the drastic difference in eye colours. I remembered Alice saying how her and the rest of the family hunted animals which is why their eyes were golden and had what was known as a 'vegetarian diet' whereas those who hunted humans had red eyes. The thought of being surrounded by vampires that could easily kill me and drain my blood wasn't all that terrifying since I knew I would be turned eventually. If the circumstances were different then maybe I would be scared.

I just hoped it was soon.

There were so many books to choose from and I had no idea how long I was stood simply staring at the wall of books, but reading was the last thing I wanted. It was tempting to pull my phone out and text either Bella or Alice to see how they were doing but decided against it as it would be best if I cut all ties I had to them. Instead of reading, I flopped face first onto the rather soft bed, the velvet comforter felt like heaven to me and the adrenaline from earlier today began to wear off. I wanted to sleep and deal with this mess tomorrow but it seemed like time didn't want to wait as two loud knocks resounded on my door.

"It's open!" I exclaimed, words muffled as I didn't raise my head to answer.

"The fun hasn't even started and you're already tired." Felix's voice boomed from the doorway as he looked inside the room.

"The masters have called you for a meeting." He chided in a sing song manner. I groaned and got up before quickly fixing my hair. He chuckled at my glare and stepped aside to let me through, the door shutting quietly behind us. Luckily Felix seemed to understand that I couldn't walk as quick as he could so decided to slow down a bit. It was silent as we walked but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence, I could feel him staring at me every now and then and I really wanted to try to get to know him but we soon arrived at the room we were in earlier. Felix pushed open both doors and I noticed that a lot of people had left, it was only Jane, Alec, Demetri and the three masters left in the room. I'll admit it was less anxiety inducing.

Aro seemed to be the first one to notice our entrance as he literally jumped off of his throne and glided over to me, I held my hand out as I could tell he was eager to see my thoughts.

"I hope you like your room, but don't worry you can get a tour of the castle tomorrow. I know you're exhausted but we wanted to get this over with whilst it's still fresh." His tone was softer compared to before and I simply nodded.

"Where would you like me to start?" He already knew my past but it was probably best to tell the others as they don't have a gift like Aro has.

"From whenever you're comfortable." He let go of my hand but didn't back away from me, his hand gesturing me to start.

"Uh right okay well I don't remember much from my childhood but I knew I wasn't liked much by others. Other children at school would bully me for being alone all of the time but I tried to not let it get to me." I recalled as my gaze focused on a random pattern of marble on the floor.

"I think I was around 8 maybe 9 when I discovered my gift, it wasn't anything dramatic in fact it was a rather silly way of discovering it. It was a random day during the summer and it was pretty warm and I wanted to cool down but I was rather lazy at the time. Instead of getting up and turning it on, I simply imagined itself turning on and to my surprise it did." I heard a sharp exhale from Jane but I kept talking.

"I was starting to get too much to handle for my parents and they couldn't raise both me and Bella at the same time so they sent me to a school in London when I was fourteen. It was there where I learned how to actually survive on my own and I even gained a small friendship group in the process. I may have also used my gift a few times but only when it was deemed necessary, for example when a man refused to leave a school girl alone and kept trying to touch her.." I trailed off as a shiver ran down my spine, it was as though the temperature had rapidly dropped in the room and I was regretting my choice of leaving my jacket behind.

My teeth chattered but I shook it off, wanting to continue my story than potentially annoy them due me simply being cold.

"I went to a party one night, it was a week before I came home and I somehow bumped into a warlock. I thought it was fake and that he was just trying to scam money from people but he commented on my gift and that I 'will soon need to work on it'. It was scary since no one knew about it until that point and without asking he seemed to know everything about me as if I was an open book."

"How does your power work if you don't mind me asking?" I was surprised to see Caius had stood up along with Marcus as the duo walked over to Aro's side.

"I just have to imagine it happening.. um here." I pulled my phone out of my pocket and handed it over to Aro who was watching with keen eyes. I took a deep breath before closing my eyes and imagined the device sitting in the palm of my hand and suddenly I felt my arm outstretch and soon my phone was back in my possession. Aro clapped gleefully as he observed the small test, and Caius seemed to raise his eyebrows in surprise.

"If she can do that as a human, imagine when she becomes one of us." Marcus pointed out and it was the first time I had heard him speak.

"On the topic of vampires, was it Demetri who literally watched me continuously for a week straight?" It was a bit of an abrupt question but said vampire began to laugh.

"I'm surprised you uncovered that really quickly, Alec here actually ordered him to observe you after that little stunt you pulled in Seattle." My eyes immediately flickered over to Alec and I noticed how his eyes were slightly brighter. He smiled at me and sent me a small encouraging nod.

"When these four came back that night with reports of a human taking down three grown men, I was rather intrigued. They had watched the entire thing go down and were surprised when you managed to spot them at the end." That was the night I felt a new emotion that I had never felt before which was desire. The desire to know more about what I could do and the desire to look for Alec at the time.

"You guys have the rule of no second chances so I would genuinely love to know when you are planning on changing me?" I spoke up as Alec moved to my side from where he was stood, he silently pulled me closer to him and the masters didn't even blink an eye at his behaviour.

"You're an exception to the rules we typically use for normal humans, you have the potential to be a great asset to us and so we would rather wait for you to be comfortable around us first." Aro spoke and Marcus nodded behind him.

"We want you to be sure about this decision as there's no backing out once you say you're ready." The way they were talking to me felt as though I was being spoken to by a father figure than leaders, Marcus must have suddenly sensed it as he confirmed my thoughts.

"It seems you have ties to a lot of the coven, it seems like your tie to us three is more of a parental tie. I can't see the other bonds you have but I'm sure they will manifest soon." Well that made a lot of sense.

"I'm officially eighteen and my nineteenth birthday will be coming around soon so I would like to be turned before then. What about in a week?" I suggested and received a few nods and murmurs in return.

"That seems like a reasonable request and we will follow through with it. I look forward to seeing how you fare with immortality." Aro spoke and it seemed like that was the end of the meeting as Caius and Marcus soon hurried out of the doors. The raven haired leader smiled at me before kissing me on the cheek, and soon followed the other leaders. Before I could say anything, Jane had rushed over to the other side of me and latched onto my arm, Alec simply sighed and rolled his eyes.

"If you don't mind I would like to steal you away from my brother for a bit." Jane spoke as she glared at Alec.

"I do mind actually, we also have some stuff to figure out." His tone dropped an octave and it was almost like a low growl.

"Fine but I get to spend time with the human first thing tomorrow." She declared and left the room, her heels clicking in the distance.

It was just me and Alec left in the room, he must have noticed my shivering form as he shrugged his cloak off and wrapped it around me. I noticed the V shaped emblem that hung from his neck and immediately knew it stood for Volturi. I'll admit that he looked rather handsome without his cloak and my thoughts went down a path that I didn't intend of going to.

"There is a place I want to show you, come on." He gently took my hand and led us out of the room. Now that we were alone, I noticed how relaxed he seemed now as though he could finally be himself. It was a drastic change as his posture and expression was rather different in front of the masters and I found it kind of adorable.

"This might be asking for a lot but is there a kitchen anywhere? I have been dying for a cup of coffee since the plane ride." I asked almost hesitantly and Alec seemed to understand. With the fact that almost everyone here was a vampire, it made sense that they didn't have much in the way of human food but it surprised me when he showed me the kitchen. I wasted no time in leaving his side and I soon brewed a hot cup of coffee, not just any coffee but Italian coffee and it seemed to make it feel fancier than it actually was. I was expecting him to complain about the detour but he simply said that 'if I needed something then I shall have it, no matter the cost' and I wanted to kiss him right there and then.

After a few minutes of walking down multiple hallways, we arrived at two wooden doors and my jaw dropped once I saw the inside. It was a library but it wasn't just any old library as Alec informed me that it contained the history of vampires and other supernatural beings which was a green flag in my eyes. I felt like a child in a candy store as I left his side to explore the numerous shelves of literature, my hands pulling out numerous titles I didn't know but were rather intriguing. In the time I spent gawking at the shelves, Alec had made himself comfortable on a three seater velvet sofa. He had a book open and I ended up joining him on the sofa, my eyes peering over his shoulder and I scowled as the text was in Italian.

"Do you know what a blood singer is?" His question sliced through the silence like a hot knife slicing through butter.

"I heard Edward mention that term to Bella when I was in forks but no one told me what it meant.." My answer seemed to satisfy him as he turned his attention to me.

"A blood singer is typically human and the blood of that human is rather potent and strong. Now that it's confirmed that we are indeed mates, I can see the appeal in your blood. It's almost intoxicating to me, I'll be honest when I say that I would've done anything to have a taste back in Seattle." Alec confessed, his eyes closed as I stared at him in shock which faded to understanding.

"Mates on the other hand are different. Once a vampire finds their true love, they're mated for life even after death. The relationships is usually between vampires but it's not rare for a vampire to find their mate in a human like you. However if one mate was killed in battle, no matter how strong or weak the bond was the other lover will avenge their mate no matter the cost." He explained and I listened to every word he spoke.

"Now that you're actually here, the urges seemed to have faded and a feeling of want has taken their place." I stayed silent but scooted closer to him until I was right beside him.

"It's strange, I used to think that I was fated to never fall in love and seeing all of the happy couples around me made me sick. However that night changed my outlook on love, that mental pull I felt to you then gave me hope. I didn't mention it to anyone but it was all I could think of, I wanted to try and find you again to see if it was true." I whispered to him and I felt him shift besides me, he turned so he was facing me and I felt myself fall in love all over again.

"It seems that fate has brought us together, people say stuff happens for a reason and that night proved it. I became restless after that I'll admit and it was me who sent Demetri to watch over you since he is our best tracker and I needed to know that you were actually out there and not just a figment of my imagination. Aro found out about my sudden change of feelings and kept telling me that it'll happen when I was least expecting it." Alec was pouring all of his feelings out and it was as though our bond seemed to strengthen.

"Well you have me now and I have no intentions of leaving you." It seemed as though our heads seemed to grow closer and closer until our noses were literally touching. My heart was beating faster now and him cupping my cheek was enough to send me over the edge. A dark scarlet blush spread across my cheeks and it was dark enough to rival the shade of his crimson eyes. Our eyes met and a low rumble erupted from his chest almost in a protective manner.

"You're mine and mine only, amore mio caro." His eyes scanned my face and stopped on my lips, it was as though he was hesitating. I decided that enough was enough. I closed the gap between us and kissed him directly on the lips, and it seemed like he got the message and kissed me back. It wasn't a passionate kiss but it was more soft and gentle, there was enough emotion in the kiss to show that he had been craving this moment for a while.

If it was possible, I would happily stay in that moment forever. Just me and Alec against the world.