Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, Stephanie Meyer does.
Author's Note:
This prologue does not directly involve the Volturi, but don't worry, the OC will be introduced to the Volturi in the next chapter.
This story is AU, so I have taken creative liberties. I'm sure you will notice differences in the story as you read.
Let me know if you like the story or have suggestions for future chapters!
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***Note for readers who were following this story prior to 2024: I have revamped this story quite a bit and am now posting new chapters again. I would recommend rereading the original chapters before continuing to the new content.***
Last updated/edited on 03/11/2024.
First Person POV: Astrid
I snatched my phone off the nightstand as it began to vibrate. My lock screen read 11:00pm as I muted Eva's call. I prayed that my parents hadn't been woken by the noise and held my breath, listening for any sounds of them stirring.
Tonight, I was going out of my comfort zone. My two best friends Eva and Becca had convinced me to sneak out with them. It wasn't something I would normally do. I was close with my parents, and they had raised me with a strict hand. Whenever I had considered sneaking out in the past, my anxiety had always gotten the better of me.
My phone began vibrating again, breaking me out of my wandering thoughts. In the quiet of my house, it felt blaringly loud. I knew it was Eva calling again, so I dismissed the call and sent her a text that I was on my way. I made a promise to my friends, and I intended to keep my word. There was no backing out now.
I silently padded across my bedroom floor and slipped out of the door, wincing as the latch clicked back into place. I continued moving silently, using my phone screen as a dim flashlight as I descended to the ground floor. When I finally made it to the front door, I paused again, listening carefully for any noise upstairs. Once I was sure that my family was still asleep, I opened the front door and stepped outside.
The summer night air was crisp as I lightly jogged down the driveway to where I could see Becca's car waiting. The car headlights stood out in stark contrast to my dark, forested neighborhood, so I hurried over to the car and hopped into the back seat.
"Hey Astrid! Are you ready?" Becca greeted me cheerfully. Unfortunately, I was too busy checking out the window to make sure no lights had turned on in my house to give her a proper response.
"Mhmm…" I mumbled. I could feel my anxiety grow as we remained parked on the side of the street near my house.
"Alright then... Let's get out of here before you change your mind." Becca said with a chuckle.
She pulled onto the road and started driving towards Sandy Hill Beach. As I lost sight of my house, my anxiety dissipated and was replaced by nervous excitement.
My friends were aware of how out of character this was for me. I had initially declined to sneak out with them as I always did, but Eva and Becca broke me down over the course of the last week. They reminded me we were graduating high school soon, and this was our last chance to make memories before we left to attend separate colleges out of state.
As I focused my attention forward, away from the window, and noticed that Eva was hugging a drawstring bag to her chest in the passenger seat. My eyes narrowed; I could tell that she had something up her sleeve for tonight.
When Eva noticed me looking, she grinned mischievously. "It's a surprise…" she told me.
The beach was only three minutes away from my house, so we arrived in no time. Since Sandy Hill Beach was public, it was only open during daylight hours. However, Eva and Becca claimed that they had been here multiple times after sunset and had never had any trouble.
Becca pulled into the empty parking lot, and we started towards the beach together. We approached the chain barring the entrance and I cringed at the 'Do Not Enter' sign hanging from the middle.
As we continued down the shore towards the center of the beach, I looked at my friends and felt a wave of dejection. Next week was our graduation ceremony, and once our semesters started in fall, I'd rarely see them anymore. The idea of making new friends was discouraging, I had always been shy. When I moved to the area in elementary school, Eva and Becca had been kind enough to take me under their wings. However, I wasn't sure if I'd have the confidence to make new friends at college. And even if I did, I doubted that they would be as dependable as Eva and Becca.
I shook my head lightly to dispel my thoughts. I needed to focus on enjoying the night, not worrying about the future.
We walked a bit further and then settled ourselves in a circle facing each other.
"So, Eva… what's in the bag?" I asked curiously.
Eva squealed and opened her bag to reveal a liter of vodka which was still mostly full.
"Surprise!" Eva announced, proudly displaying the liquor for us to see.
I kept my face passive and glanced at Becca to see her reaction. Becca's jaw dropped, but then she smiled widely at Eva.
"No way! Did you steal that from your parents?" Becca asked.
"Nope, I got it from Gavin." Eva replied with a dreamy look in her eyes. Gavin was the college boy she had been "talking to" recently.
Eva unscrewed the lid and took a swig of vodka straight from the bottle. I watched as her face scrunched up afterwards, clearly the stuff didn't taste very good...
She handed the bottle off to Becca who took an even longer swig. Becca cringed at the taste as well and then pretended to gag. I couldn't help but giggle at her theatrics, but now it was the moment of truth…
Becca handed me the bottle and I stared at it for a moment, feeling my stomach twist. My conflict must have been obvious on my face because Becca started in on me.
"Come on little miss goody two shoes, live a little!" Becca told me, brash as ever. Thankfully, Eva was more sympathetic to my inexperience.
"Astrid, I understand that you're nervous, but we're graduating in a week and you're never going to get a chance like this again. You deserve to have fun for once." She encouraged me gently.
"Yeah, I promise we'll take care of you babe!" Becca added.
I sighed; Eva was right. I would regret passing up this opportunity, I should act my age while I still could. I cautiously lifted the bottle to my lips and took a sip. I swallowed the liquid and my face contorted in disgust. I felt nauseous as the liquor burned in my stomach. Luckily, Eva saved the day by handing me a soda to chase, clearly expecting my reaction.
"I can't believe people drink this stuff!" I sputtered and the girls laughed.
"Trust me, take a few more sips and you'll understand why…" Eva replied with a wink.
The next time I was handed the bottle, I knew what to expect but still shivered at the taste. I was immensely glad that Eva had brought a soda for me.
As the night continued, I gradually started to relax. The three of us reminisced about how we met and recalled our favorite memories throughout the past years.
"Do you remember Mr. Albert's face when he caught you on your phone in History class last year? I thought he was going to explode with how red his face got! You're just lucky you're his favorite student, otherwise you would have gotten detention for a month." Eva teased me.
"Oh, like you managed to get for the last four weeks… Is texting your college boyfriend really worth spending all your free time stuck in detention?" I sassed back and Eva looked shocked. Becca cracked up though.
"Damn, Astrid, we're going to have to cut you off!" she said as she snatched the bottle from me. It was out of character for me to speak so bluntly, clearly the alcohol was having more of an effect than I had realized.
As the night continued, I watched my friends chat animatedly back and forth. I was going to miss them so much… My smile faltered, and I felt my eyes start to burn with tears. I tipped my head down and tried to discreetly wipe my eyes, but Becca and Eva noticed.
They pressed me, asking why I was so upset, and I eventually admitted my fears about attending separate colleges. The girls did their best to cheer me up and promised we would schedule visits often. I gave them a small smile in response, but still felt apprehensive. My friends were both extraverts, they wouldn't have any trouble making new friends at college.
Then, Becca brought up the idea of going on a trip outside of the US over the summer, just the three of us. Eva suggested Italy and I agreed immediately; I had always dreamed of visiting there one day. With everyone on board for the trip, my mood lifted. I envisioned us flying to Italy, trying new foods, touring museums, window shopping, and exploring the cities together. The rest of the night flew by as we planned our trip.
Feeling dizzy from the liquor, I laid back onto the soft sand to rest. As my head settled to the side, I saw a beam of light further down the beach. I had a hard time seeing clearly with my vision spinning and squinted to get a better look.
"Shh!" I interrupted them. Eva and Becca went silent and looked at me in confusion.
"There's someone with a flashlight heading down the beach. We need to get out of here! What if it's a cop?" I whisper-yelled.
"Oh shit!" Becca gasped and Eva quickly closed the vodka, shoving the bottle back into her bag. We stumbled up and clumsily ran down the shore in the opposite direction towards Becca's car.
When we made it back to her car, she quickly unlocked the doors, and we clambered back into our original seats. Becca pulled out of the parking lot without any trouble, probably because there were no other cars there and sped down the road in the direction of my house.
As we drove to my house, it occurred to me that Becca had been drinking just as much as Eva and I had and probably shouldn't be driving. I tried to put the thought out of my mind, I could already see my house down the road.
"That was close guys…" I said.
"Oh, come on! Are you telling me you didn't have fun tonight?" Becca countered, clearly far past worrying.
"Hell yeah! That was one for the books!" Eva cheered but I stayed silent. Becca looked back at me with concern. However, my eyes flickered ahead as we veered off the road towards a tree.
My heart froze and I felt time slow… In the moment, I felt completely sober.
I felt ice in my veins as adrenaline flooded my system.
I wish I were back in my room; I wish I never snuck out.
I shut my eyes and braced for impact.
Third Person POV: Catalina
Catalina had traveled to the Romanian castle to begin negotiations for the release of one her new coven members, Diego. She had originally sent Diego to the Romanian coven as an ambassador of sorts. Ironically enough, the reason she selected him for the task was also the reason he was now being held prisoner.
Diego had a gift which allowed him to place an idea in an individual's mind. This allowed him to subtly sway others to his will. Although his gift sounded immensely powerful, it wasn't foolproof. His gift required sustained eye contact for varying durations depending on the mental fortitude of the individual targeted. Manipulating a human's mind took far less time and effort than manipulating a vampire's mind; and an ancient vampire may not even be affected at all. Diego's influence was also less effective on individuals with especially clear or logical minds. Despite its limitations, the subtlety of his gift had made him the perfect candidate for garnering favor with the Romanian coven.
When Diego began his visit to the Romanian castle, his work had been immaculate. He used his power in the most lucrative situations and was careful not to overdo it. Unfortunately, given his early success, he soon grew overconfident and started overusing his power.
The Romanian leaders, a pair of brothers by the names of Vladimir and Stefan, were very ancient vampires and therefore not susceptible to Diego's gift. They quickly realized their underlings were being manipulated and narrowed the suspects down to Diego before he even realized he was in trouble. They correctly presumed that his gift required eye contact and by simply blindfolding him, they were able to keep him imprisoned without risk of escape.
Sure, Diego was young and headstrong, but Catalina would not abandon him. She believed that with a couple more years, or maybe decades, of practice, Diego's gift would make him a formidable member of her coven. It was uncommon for vampires to develop gifts, and it was even more uncommon for those gifts to be as useful as Diego's was.
Diego had served her coven loyally for the last decade of his immortal life since he was turned, along with his blood-sister, Isabel, who had also manifested a useful gift. Catalina would not risk losing both of her gifted coven members at once. And, if she wanted to keep Isabel loyal, then she would need to successfully retrieve Diego.
"If you can provide an adequate replacement, then we will consider releasing your fledgling." Vladimir proposed.
Catalina internally rolled her eyes. Vladimir and Stefan were the oldest vampires in existence, only they would consider Diego a fledgling at a decade into his immortal life.
Catalina's coven was officially allies with the Volturi royal coven, who had been ruling over vampire-kind for the last two millennia. Her coven's relationship with the Volturi was not as friendly as it could have been, however, it was most beneficial to support the current ruling party. In fact, her coven was due for a visit to the Volturi castle soon…
She fought a smirk; she was willing to bet that the Romanian brothers would be very appreciative if Diego's replacement came from the Volturi guard.
She mulled over the idea; if she traded a Volturi guard to the Romanian brothers, it would earn her more than just Diego's safe release, however, that was assuming she could manage to do so discreetly. She knew that kidnapping a Volturi guard without witnesses would be challenging, but with Isabel's gift at her disposal, it was doable. And she was sure that Isabel would be more than willing to aid her if it guaranteed her brother's safe return.
The Romanian leaders and Volturi family were long standing enemies and constantly skirting around engaging in full-scale war. But if the Romanian brothers were serious about overthrowing the Volturi, then she intended ride their coattails to the top.
"Understood, I will contact you once I've found a suitable candidate for the exchange." She replied.