These people were delusional if they thought I would just let them keep me here. I just needed to figure out how I was going to make my escape.

As if hearing my plea, a timid knock sounded from the other side of my door.

Demetri poked his head in. "I know you told us to go away. But Felix and I thought it would be way more fun if we didn't" I bit my lip carefully, watching the man, his friend standing sheepishly behind him. "Look, we know you're probably really scared right now, but the way I see it - you're stuck here. Might as well make the most of it."

Felix, likely too eager to stand aside anymore, pushed the door open to join the conversation. The longer they stood there, the more I relaxed. They weren't exactly attacking or threatening me.

"So, you in?"

"A tour. I'd like a tour." They both looked at me. "Please."

Felix's face lit up and he grabbed my hand. I winced at the sudden contact and he released me, checking his excitement. It seemed an odd personality trait for such a large man, but it was somehow endearing. "Let's go!"

"Err...do you think you could help me put the bed back. Apparently lifting it back up is more difficult than pushing it off." Felix let out a booming laugh and the two started walking down the hall. I jogged to catch up with them before falling into step.

"Don't worry about it. Heidi's probably already redecorating."

"But it's my mess, I wouldn't want—"

Felix held out a hand. "Trust me kid, you'd only get in the way." I gave him a puzzled look.

"Super strength, 'member?" Demetri chimed in with a grin.

"Right."

They led me through the halls, pointing out their rooms which were a floor below mine. They couldn't tell me much about the paintings on the wall, but I recognised a few and made them stop occasionally. One of them however, caught my full attention.

"Is this...it can't be." Demetri and Felix flanked my sides to look over my shoulder at the painting I had pointed out. "This is En Canot. This is supposed to have been destroyed by the Nazi's."

Demetri seemed to laugh it off, "is that the story they came up with?"

"It's a forgery, right?" I wished at the moment I had my father's eye for art. He'd posed as a forgery expert so many times but I'd never paid much attention past the types of paint and how to mix them so that it could be used to fool even the best of experts.

Felix shook his head. "Nuh-uh — real deal."

"That's impossible..." I trailed off, staring at the painting. I was never one for Metzinger, but I couldn't help but be in awe of the rare opportunity that I was being presented with. "This is over 2 million dollars."

Demetri eyed me. "you really know your art for a kid in the 21st century."

"Between education with the nuns and my father's work with forgeries, it was hard not to." I paused as we continued, wondering if I should admit the rest of my background or not. "And I may have forged a Degas or two."

"So you're like, a criminal."

"I was a kid. I barely knew what I was doing." 'Monkey see, monkey do', my father would say when he had a heist that required such a skillset. Now that I'm older I see the impossibility in such a talent. It was highly unlikely and easily discredited. Which is exactly why we pulled it off. Most of the time. "I was just a good copycat."

A few floors down, another painting made me pause and I hesitated to stop at it. Two people were standing side by side in a portrait style. Though it was more elegant and flattering than most old portraits you'd see of kings and queens.

Demetri seemed unsure of himself, "that's Jane and Alec, the twins."

"They look..." I tilted my head, trying to find the right word. "Unhappy."

"That's one word for it."

"Sadistic is another."

I frowned, tearing my gaze away from Alec's eyes as even through a painting, they seemed to bore into mine. "What are you talking about?"

"Come on, don't tell me you haven't noticed it?"

I shook my head, "what?"

"Felix, slow down." Demetri shoved Felix aside, deciding he was the best to give me a little history lesson. "Some vampires have...gifts in addition to the rest of the vamp stuff. Remember how Aro touched your hand?"

"Yes."

Felix cut in again, "he can read every thought you've ever had with just a touch. Demetri can track stuff—"

"It's a little more complicated than that," Demetri mumbled.

"What does this have to do with Jane and Alec?" The two men exchanged glances, as if unsure if they should tell me or not.

I raised my eyebrows expectantly and Demetri continued, "the twins have opposite gifts. Jane can cause pain, unimaginable extreme pain with just one look. It's like being burned alive." The pin pricks...was that what it was? Had she been able to make me feel pain? It wasn't possible. Supernatural element aside, nothing in the world was able to make that happen. Pain didn't exist for me. And yet...

"And well, you experienced Alec's gift." I shivered, remembering the emptiness of the world that must have been the effects of Alec's power. "Yeah," they nodded at my response to the memory. "That's the general consensus."

"It's why they are the most respected and highest level of the guard."

"Level?"

"Some of us are more valuable than others. An easy way to tell is the darker the cloak, the higher up." I recognised the dark grey of their cloaks, lighter than Alec and Jane's but by less than a shade.

I frowned in response to his comment, "your worth is placed on whether you're telekinetic or not? That seems impractical." They didn't bother to correct the random superpower I threw out, which made me think such a thing might actually be possible. "Wait...what are you guarding?"

"Aro, Marcus, Caius. The Volturi and all that it stands for."

Scoffing disrespectfully, I demanded, "exactly what do you stand for?"

"We maintain order within the vampire world. Those that threaten our existence or lack control threaten that order." He checked to see if I was still listening, "our main purpose is to — "

I cut in, "maintain secrecy." The overflow of information was swimming around in my head, little bits and pieces beginning to make sense. Though the whole thing only seemed to present me with more questions.

"Correct."

"So, you're basically the vampire mafia."

Felix shrugged, "I'd say we're more like royalty but close enough."

"Long live the Monarchy." I whispered in a plummy tone, looking back up at the painting of the twins.

We continued on through the halls, the men pointing out various rooms until we finally reached the destination I'd been waiting for. "These are the kitchens, where you will have most of your meals."

"You don't eat?" Demetri flashed me another grin. How could I forget. "Right, stupid question."

"And across from the kitchens, this is one way to get to the throne room." We walked down a flight of stairs, across from which was a woman sitting at a receptionist desk. The men ignored her as she stood in respectful greeting. I turned my head and tugged on Felix's arm.

"What's that way?"

"Oh, that leads to the town center." He dismissed the words even as he spoke them, "big clock tower, fountain, nothing special."

We skipped the throne room and turned down another dark corridor. "This way to the dungeons!"

I had grown to appreciate the two men's company. They spoke with a more modern tongue than Aro or Alec had, though I doubted they were younger than the last hundred years. Their banter and wit was as human as could be. An unexpected behaviour if I'd based all my knowledge on only my first interaction with them.

"Demetri, I'm cold. May I borrow your cloak?" Without a second thought, Demetri handed it over. And as much as I appreciated their hospitality, my objective for this tour had been achieved. I knew my way out.

Therefore, as we made our way down the steep steps to the dungeon, I decided this was as good a chance as any to end the tour. With both the men in front of me, I did my best to fake a fall and they froze as they turned in time to see me land on the stone steps. I moved my hand to grip my ankle and for a second I thought that they wouldn't believe my performance.

"You're pretty clumsy for a human, aren't you?" Felix chimed with a giggle. I merely shrugged as his arms slipped behind my back and under my legs, easily lifting me and speeding off to my room.

He set me down in front of the double doors, where a man with a buzzcut and short eyebrows stood waiting for us. "Tour was almost over anyways. Demetri and I have guard duty, but this is Prosper. He'll be your guard for the night."

"Keeping me in or others out?"

Felix grinned to Prosper. "She doesn't miss a beat, this one."

I nodded my head to Prosper, "pleasure." I said to him. He shifted his head down once before looking forward again.

Felix muttered to me, "he doesn't say much."

"Perhaps he's afraid of you." It was an actual suggestion, but there was a teasing tone to my words. I had certainly become more comfortable with him.

Felix didn't answer me though, instead lightly shuffling me into my room. "Off you go then."

Was it my room? The bed, the glass from the vase and every little detail that I had spent time destroying was back in its place. Right down to the three flowers beside the bed. The place was immaculate. It seemed no one had redecorated because the only difference was my bag on the corner of the bedpost. I'd completely forgotten about it.

The door closed behind me and I assumed that was my goodbye for the night. Which meant it was time for operation get the heck out of here.

Demetri had forgotten to take his cloak back from me, as was my intention. I opened my backpack and walked into the bathroom, scavenging through my bag. I turned on the faucet just in case Prosper was listening to me. His presence outside my door was a bit of a snag in my plans, but it was easily amended.

Shifting my backpack onto my shoulder, I opened the door and Prosper turned to me. "Prosper, I'm sorry to bother you, but could I get a cup of tea?"

"I am not to leave my post, miss."

"Please? It's just that I can't sleep." I relaxed my face into a distressed, mopey sort of expression. He hesitated slightly, his eyes softening with pity before agreeing and walking down the hall.

Once he'd disappeared from the corridor, I quickly slipped the cloak back over my body to cover my backpack and headed in the opposite direction.

Right, left, left... "shoot." I froze at the top of a staircase. Had I missed a turn? I was running out of time. No doubt with vampire speed, Prosper had already noticed my absence and had gone to tell Aro. I knew they might find me, but I hoped to achieve my mission before then. Without the time to waste, I headed down the stairs.

Wrong decision. I came face to face with two members of the guard I hadn't met yet. Their cloaks were light grey — so lower on the chain than Demetri and Felix.

"Oh...hey..."

"Are you lost, human?"

"Actually, I was heading to the kitchens. For tea." I could tell they didn't believe me.

One of them gruffly offered, "we'll escort you."

While I'm sure it was more of a statement than an offer, I pretended it was. "That's fine, actually. Felix and Demetri gave me a tour and said it was alright if I ever wanted to just get some." They still didn't look fully convinced, but were unsure whether to challenge what actually could have been Felix and Demetri's instructions. "Plus, it is helping me...become acquainted with the castle." I used Aro's words and their eyes flinched with recognition of the phrase and they stepped aside, allowing me to pass.

"Down the hall and to your left."

I gave them a smile with fake cheer, "thank you."

When I was no longer in their sight, I turned right. Up another flight of stairs and I saw the receptionist's desk. She was sitting with her back to me, typing. I quickly threw Demetri's hood up over my head and walked as quietly as I could towards the entrance.

I breathed in and out, attempting to slow the pace of my heart. I refused to get caught because of some petty physiological reaction.

I turned in the hallway and spotted two doors. Praying that these were the right ones, I pushed them open. I was greeted with the night sky. Unlike earlier, it was a dark blue and more stars than I had ever seen twinkled on its canvas. This was late enough to be considered' tonight.' Now, all I had to do was find that pub.

I couldn't help the nerves that rattled my stomach as I took my first step onto the cobblestone street. I should have just run away. Escaped the city and looked for clues elsewhere. But I'd already looked everywhere I could think. If I was going to find my father — that pub was my only chance. If only I could remember what it was called.

I headed down the slanted street, picking the path that seemed to lead most directly towards the road that led into the city. After several winding turns and hills so steep that the people living in those houses must have been lopsided, I found the familiar flag. The bench only steps away from the entrance confirmed it. It was easier than I expected. Easier than it should have been, really. Not that it mattered because I had found it.

With a sigh of relief, I swung the door open.

The bartender noticed me, but paid me no mind as she went back to her customers. The place was much busier than it had been in the afternoon. Italian words hummed through the air, along with boisterous laughter and clinking of glasses. I had believed the Italian to be slightly more refined than this before I heard the distinct strident tones of German and English cut into the romance language.

I'd barely become fully acclimated to my surroundings before a honeyed voice tickled my ear. "Silly girl...I will always find you."