That night my sleep was plagued by a nightmare but it didn't involve me, it seemed that Marissa was the main focus but the events that played out were enough to mentally scar me. Marissa was one of my best friends from my time in London, she was the same age as me but had a different personality to me. I was more introverted and quiet whereas she was extroverted and quiet, trust me if she had an opinion she made it well known. Looking back Marissa was the only person that seemed to actually age out of our entire friendship group which made my nightmare even worse. She was classed as the leader of the group and would happily fight anyone who picked on us, besides Marissa was the one who gave me the confidence to stand up for myself and to dress like they did.

We had lost contact in the last month of school and the group stopped coming to school, which was pretty catastrophic for me as they were like my rock at times. They were unique individuals I could lean on and actually be myself without worrying about being judged. The nightmare showed Marissa standing outside my home back in Forks, her raven hair was pulled up in a ponytail that was blown around by the wind. She was talking to Charlie who had a worried expression on his face, I couldn't hear what they were saying but he gave her a piece of paper with an address scrawled in blue ink. Without looking at the address I knew where she was heading and it made my skin crawl with unease.

The Cullens residence stood in front of Marissa and she took a deep breath before climbing the steps. She didn't get a chance to knock as the door flung open to reveal Alice, a wide smile on her face as her wide eyes took in Marissa. Things didn't seem to go well once Alice let her inside, Marissa must have known about vampires considering the rest of the friend group were vampires yet she looked petrified as Edward and Jasper entered the scene. Things must have been said and it must have involved Bella since Edward wasted no time in lunging towards Marissa, a dark look of hatred in his eyes.

It would've been fine if either Jasper or Alice stepped in to stop him but none of them moved from their positions. They didn't look horrified, in fact Alice looked almost smug as she knew this would happen and she must have told Jasper to not intervene. Marissa's screams and cries of anguish were enough for me to wake up in a cold sweat, a scream erupted from my throat as I hyperventilated under the covers of my bed. It was just a nightmare, it wasn't true. It won't happen.

Right?

The alarm on my phone blared as I groaned loudly, 6am and I already wanted the day to be over with. It didn't matter how many times I hit snooze, the familiar shrill kept going off and I ended up throwing my phone at the carpeted floor which eventually shut the alarm off. Silence at last but for how long? It may be quiet in my room but Marissa's screams from my nightmare seemed to play on repeat like a broken record in my mind, it was enough to haunt me for the next few decades or so. I had to try and reconnect with her, I know the nightmare was just a figment of my imagination but I wasn't going to let it go considering the gift I had. Marissa had to be alive and I just hope I can get to her before it is too late.

Wasting no time, I dressed for the day in a simple plaid skirt and black shirt paired with my beloved Converse. It didn't take long for me to brush my teeth but it was clear that my hair wasn't being nice to me as it was knotty from the obvious tossing and turning from my nightmare. A knock sounded throughout the room as soon as I was finished tying a red bow into my hair to keep it out of my face. The weather here was pretty nice temperature wise but it was rather cold within the castle walls and so I grabbed my jacket on the way to my door. Whoever was on the other side knocked again and I inwardly groaned out of annoyance.

"Geez leave my door on its hinges." I muttered knowing whoever was on the other side heard my comment and opened the door to reveal Alec, suddenly my frown disappeared and my cheeks flushed out of embarrassment.

"Good morning to you too." He smirked and I wanted to shut the door in his face, not wanting to face him this early in the morning. I merely nodded but he must have sensed something was wrong as he pushed past me and stepped into my room, his eyes scanned the interior whilst I shut the door.

"Did you scream earlier?" His question made me falter as I picked my bag up, here goes nothing.

"It was nothing Alec, just thought I saw something." I'll admit my lying skills weren't the best and he could clearly see through my excuse. He sat down on the edge of my bed but his piercing gaze studied my every move as I gathered the necessities I needed for the day.

"It was something, I don't know what it was but it was as though I felt your terror at that moment. If there's anything worrying you, you can talk to me about it." I bit my lip as I faced him, contemplating telling him about the nightmare.

"Just a nightmare. I don't get them that often but I need to ask a favor from Aro before I tell you more." Technically I wasn't lying to him, just leaving a few details out until I got more information regarding the situation. A look of hurt crossed his features but it soon disappeared as he simply nodded.

An awkward tension filled the room as I searched for my phone that I yeeted earlier whilst he sat quietly. It was a situation I was used to by now and I'm sure Alec was too, I cleared my throat and turned to him after gathering everything.

"I'm ready to head out but I would like to have some breakfast beforehand." I spoke loud enough for him to get up and walk over to where I was standing. He reached for my hand and closed the gap between us, I noticed he was maybe an inch or two taller than me but the difference was enough for him to gently kiss the top of my head.

"Jane kept pestering me that she is to spend the majority of the day with you, and I can't exactly say no to her." My brows raised and I'll admit I was excited to get some time with Jane.

I nodded and we made our way out of the room, the hallways of the castle were cold and bitter like usual and the thought of not feeling the cold once I essentially died gave me something to look forward to. Alec moved his hand from his side and placed it on the middle of my back once we were in some of the busier hallways. Heidi was stood in the kitchen, her slim figure was hunched over the oven and she immediately turned to greet us as soon as we entered.

"Looks like you survived your first night in the castle, well done." She commented and I wondered if she had said this before considering the majority of the humans that enter end up as a snack for the Volturi. The way she was speaking made it sound like I was going to be fighting for my life against the other vampires that resided in the castle, like I knew how to fight but I doubt I would actually survive an attack considering how strong and quick they are compared to me.

"Are those pancakes I can smell?" I stepped away from Alec and advanced towards Heidi who smiled in return, I will admit I was hungry and they smelt heavenly. She delicately served them on a plate and handed it to me within seconds, my stomach growled loudly and I shoveled the food into my mouth as quickly as I humanly could. Alec chuckled softly from behind me and Heidi smiled endearingly, she reminded me so much of Renee and that thought made me still. It had been years since I saw my own mother and we still keep in touch but it's not as constant as it was, the last time I spoke to her was the day I traveled back to Forks. She probably had no idea that I dropped my mundane life in Forks for an immortal life in Volterra, Bella might tell her and honestly I'm not too bothered if she did. Out of me and Bella, it was clear that Bella was the family favorite as she never got scolded as much as I did and did as she was told all of the time. Honestly the move to London was disguised as a one way ticket to freedom and I'm grateful for that experience.

I must have gotten lost in my thoughts as Alec cleared his throat behind me and his hand found my shoulder, his touch broke me out of my daze and I saw how concerned he looked.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about my past.." I trailed off and noticed how Heidi seemed to tense up out of the corner of my eye, her eyes dart between me and Alec as she cleared up the dirty dishes.

"Remember what I said before, just know you can tell me anything and I won't judge." He offered me a small smile and it was genuinely adorable.

I glanced down at my watch and Alec seemed to understand what I was getting at and motioned for me to follow him out of the kitchen, Heidi noticed this and waved with a small smile as we left.

"So what's my surprise for the day?" I enquired, quickening my pace to catch up with him.

"If I told you then there would be no point in calling it a surprise." Alec stopped in front of a door, intricate spirals and patterns were engraved into the wood and the dark mahogany finish made it stand out among the other doors that littered the corridor. He swiftly turned the handle and held the door open for me before it shut behind us. We had entered another hallway except it was very short and there were only two doors, one on each side of the hallway and dark clouds were visible through the stained glass window at the end.

I furrowed my brows and turned to Alec who left my side to knock on a door, a few seconds pass and Jane's head peeks out from the doorframe. It looked as though she wanted to say something but stopped as Alec motioned towards me, her stoic expression softened as she gazed at me.

"Don't break her, okay?" Alec whispered to Jane, who raised her brows at him.

"Yeah yeah I know, now shoo." Jane opened the door wider and grabbed my wrist with a bit of force. I looked over to Alec for help but he simply shook his head and offered me a sympathetic smile before disappearing into the door opposite us. From the looks of it, these must be where their rooms are and I marveled at the interior of Jane's room. It was pretty minimalistic but the ruby coloured record player on her desk captured my attention, a rack of records sat neatly organized next to it and I made a beeline to it once Jane shut the door.

"I'm actually kind of jealous of your collection, yours is more put together than mine." My fingers flicked through the collection of records and I stopped on a Green Day record, I turned to her with a puzzled expression considering the majority of her collection was classical. She had sat down at her vanity and I actually took in her appearance, her blonde hair fell in waves just below her shoulders and the way her V shaped emblem sat around her neck accentuated her sharp jawline. I watched her reflection in the vanity mirror as she seemed to grow embarrassed that I found that record but I personally thought her taste in music was pretty similar to mine.

"I get a bit bored of classical music from time to time and Felix recommended it to me, it kinda helps me let out some of my emotions." She avoided eye contact with me as she began to run a brush through her hair.

"Well I can recommend a few records since we have similar tastes in music." That got her attention as she turned around to face me, a look of delight on her features as she thought about what I said.

"Well since it's my turn to hang out with you today we can go vinyl shopping, I don't really like shopping with the boys. Besides, I don't have any duties to do today." I nodded in agreement as I watched her tie her hair up into a bun.

As she moved around her room, I noticed that we were dressed in an identical outfit and it made me smile slightly knowing we had similar tastes in not just music but also fashion. Instead of a skirt she wore a dark red plaid dress with a pair of black heels, I'll admit she had more clothes than me and I wanted to ask if we could stop by a few shops to stock up on some outfits. Jane made quick work of her makeup and I couldn't help but feel the need to bond with her, not because she is Alec's sister but because of how similar we are.

Within seconds she was ready and Jane grabbed my wrist but her grip was much gentler this time compared to a few minutes ago. She turned to me and I had to do a double take as I stared at her now green eyes, of course she had to wear contact lenses since she couldn't exactly walk around with her usual bright red eyes. I took a quick glance at Alec's door as we left but shook my head at the thoughts of him, he would be fine and I'll most likely see him later. We were given a few looks as we made our way through the winding hallways of the castle and it was apparent that a lot of the other members of the coven had the same idea as a lot were heading in the same direction as us. It seemed that luck was on our side for once as dark clouds gathered in the murky skies above, it looked as though it was going to rain any minute and there were no traces of the sun.

Jane linked her arms with mine as she led us down a dark hallway and I soon realized that this was the same hallway we entered after the stunt Edward had pulled. From what I can remember there wasn't exactly a door that we came through and Jane confirmed my suspicions as we reached the manhole that we had dropped down from. To be honest I was skeptical about getting back up there but she nodded at me as the cover was pulled away, and there was a dark ladder that I didn't notice before. We wasted no time and climbed out of the hole, the familiar streets of Volterra came into view once above ground. Both me and Jane dusted off any dirt from our clothes and continued walking towards the shops in the distance.

Don't get me wrong, Alice was nice but she was way too pushy with her ideals on shopping and fashion which is why I'm glad I wasn't invited on any of her and Bella's trips. However Jane on the other hand was the complete opposite of Alice, she actually asked me what I wanted to do and didn't force me to try on hundreds of outfits for her. Hours had passed and numerous bags were hanging off of our arms as we reached our last destination which happened to be a small cafe. Jane insisted that I needed something to eat even though I protested about how I was fine but the rumble of my stomach gave me away.

It was a pretty cute cafe, it wasn't too big but the smell of vanilla and coffee along with the floral accessories that were scattered throughout made the place feel like home. As per usual Jane didn't order anything but I felt her gaze on me as she watched me eat part of the lemon muffin I ordered.

"Do you get to do this sort of thing often?" I asked after taking another bite of the sweet treat. Jane had opened up slightly on our trip, she confessed that she didn't really have friends and that she liked being around me which made my cheeks blush in what felt like affection.

"Not really, Heidi isn't around when I want to go out and I can't exactly ask Alec to come shopping with me. I know that he would hate it." Jane rolled her eyes at the thought of taking her brother shopping and I could see her point. I suddenly remembered Alice telling me about the twins and how I couldn't trust them but here I was casually chatting about music with one of the Volturi's prized possessions. Over the time we spent together I had learnt about some of Jane's past but I also told her about my own past and it seemed she was eager to know more.

"There is something in my past that I need to confirm and I was hoping to speak to the masters once we get back." That got her attention as she turned her head to properly stare at me as I spoke. I was determined to try and locate my old friends no matter the cost and it seemed that Jane was willing to help me out.

"How did you do it?" Her voice almost whispered as we exited the cafe and began to head back to the castle.

"Do what?" Now it was my turn to be confused.

"Block my gift from reaching you at first." Flashbacks of yesterday hit me like a truck and I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. It looked as though she was going to say something else but I quickly raised a hand to silence her, something was wrong. The feeling of being watched was something I was very much used to by now and I felt it as soon as we stepped foot outside the cafe.

"Just keep walking and don't look back." I spoke quietly and I watched the happy expression drain from Jane's face as a look of menace and coldness flooded her features. The sound of footsteps behind us grew louder as Jane pulled me down a secluded alley and I was hit with a wave of deja vu. However this alley sloped down and led to a small courtyard surrounded by houses with a fountain of water in the middle, and luckily for us it seemed that there were no other humans in sight, If the circumstances were different I would've stopped and properly looked at the fountain but the person or vampire on our trail wasn't going to give me that opportunity.

A woman's laughter echoed throughout the courtyard as Jane took a rather protective stance in front of me, her eyes narrowed as she scanned the area.

"Come now, I mean no harm. Just simply passing by." The woman was perched on the balcony of a house, her black hair stood out like a sore thumb against the cream coloured houses around her. My suspicions were confirmed as I noticed her ruby eyes which seemed to darken slightly as we made eye contact, my heart was hammering in my chest but I tried to remain calm on the outside. All I had to do was blink and she was suddenly sat on the edge of the fountain, her head resting in the palm of her hand as she studied both me and Jane.

"Then get lost before I make you." Jane threatened but the woman simply laughed. A snarl sounded throughout the courtyard as Jane pushed me to the side in time to block an attack from the woman. She obviously wasn't expecting that as she huffed in what looked like annoyance.

"Looks like they were right, Aro not only let his pet out of the castle but also got a new one." Her gaze flickered over to me and a chill ran down my spine, I wanted to speak up but her screams filled the air as she fell to the ground. Jane was glaring at the woman and happily used her gift to weaken the other vampire which gave her the perfect opportunity to get behind her and grab her neck.

To be honest I felt helpless at that moment, I wasn't doubting Jane's ability but she was a lot smaller than the other woman and I didn't know how well she fought in physical combat. I relaxed as I focused on calming my breathing as the woman slithered out of Jane's hold and lunged at her, breaking her concentration and knocking her on the ground.

"No!" Instinctively I shot my hand out and the rogue vampire was sent flying over to the other side of the courtyard. My chest heaved as I stared over at the spot where the vampire had landed and then down at my hand which trembled like a leaf in the wind. Out of the corner of my eye Jane had gotten up and made quick work of dismembering the woman whilst she was recovering from my attack, she rummaged through her bag and pulled out a lighter before setting the limbs of the woman on fire.

I watched the fire burn and I clearly must have been out of it for some time as Jane ended up shaking my shoulder roughly to gain my attention. She genuinely looked worried as she examined me closely before hugging me tightly, if vampires could cry then she would definitely be sobbing right now.

"Come on, let's head home." She spoke as if she was talking to a child but I automatically began to walk down the empty streets of Volterra beside her. The trip back was quiet and I respect her for not bombarding me with questions that I didn't know the answers to. Within minutes we were back in the castle and Jane walked back with me to drop both her bags and my bags of shopping in her room. It was tempting to see if Alec was in his room but my mission of speaking with the masters was a top priority, especially now since we got attacked out of nowhere.

Jane led me down a different hallway that was lined with ornate paintings before stopping at two golden doors at the end. She knocked in a certain pattern and she must have been given the clearance to enter as she pushed open the doors, to reveal Aro sitting at a desk with a document in hand. On the other side sat Caius who seemed to be reading a book whilst Marcus stood away from the duo longingly gazing out of the window. Our entrance caused them to halt their conversation as three pairs of red eyes settled on our figures. Jane took a few steps forward and I followed, Aro seemed to frown as he noticed my slightly distraught state.

"We got attacked and we don't know who it was."