9th chapter
The forest around Minna was silent that morning. She couldn't really understand her feelings, on one hand she was relaxed and felt free, on the other hand she felt somewhat ecstatic and overexcited. About what she wasn't sure. Nothing of her stay there could be exciting in any way. It couldn't be long until the Volturi would finally show up. The nervousness crept into her mind, wondering what would happen. She only heard stories about them. Maybe they were really that fearsome, maybe they could be reasoned with. Minna didn't know, but deep down she never wanted to know.
She knew they were the lawmakers and pretty strict, but they couldn't have their eyes everywhere, otherwise she would have been dead even before she was changed. Knowing about their race as a human was forbidden, unless said human was about to die or changed. Neither was planned for her.
With careful steps she reached the cliff, she stood on the edge letting her eyes wander. She deeply inhaled the fresh and cold air, the wetness of last night's snow still lingering in it. Minna knew she wouldn't be able to see the sun rising that day. To many clouds blocked her view, but that place will hold a special place in her heart as long as she would walk on this earth. If the upcoming confrontation would go well, she might come back just for the view. The Cullens weren't a reason for her to come back, sure, she enjoyed especially Esme's company, but she still wasn't sure if that would be enough to really form a friendship.
Minna left the cliff shortly after, thinking about the members of the Volturi and what she knew about them, their powers and threats. It was the middle of the day when the Cullen's house came back into view. She greeted two shapeshifters who passed her way and entered the house. She noticed Bella, Edward and Renesmee in the living room. They were playing some sort of game at the table.
Minna stopped and leant onto the frame; her arms crossed as she watched the family enjoying their time. She let her mind wander, wondering if she would have been a good mother. Her sister definitely was, an angel like their mother. But Minna wasn't sure if she would have been equally good at that role. For a long time, she didn't want kids, that changed over her last few human years though. Why she couldn't remember. Now that she got that possibility completely robbed from her, a thought of jealousy crossed her mind, but she quickly shut it. It wasn't their fault, they just got lucky, in a way. Minna locked eyes with Bella for a moment, a warm and reassuring smile spread on her face. Bella smiled back at her and nodded before she looked back at her daughter with loving eyes. That was the moment Minna made a decision, even though her life still seemed kind of useless to her, the least she could do was protecting this wonder. Renesmee was a real half breed and Minna would wholeheartedly support them during the confrontation.
The German left the family alone, going back on the porch, leaning on the railing. She watched the others walking around, disappearing into and reappearing out of the forest. Liam joined her some time later; the sun began to sink slowly. He copied her posture and both vampires stood there in silence. When it was getting darker, the Irish poked his friend slightly with his elbow. Minna looked at him, but his eyes were glued to the other vampires. For a moment, Minna was confused, not sure what he wanted to tell her. It took her a bit to realize that the Romanians also were amongst the people he watched. Her eyes switched to them as Liam spoke up again. "Please just be careful", his words were serious and his voice low, something Minna wasn't used to. If someone of her friends was cheeky and happy overall it was Liam. It must mean a lot to him to know his friend is safe. He put a hand on her shoulder and Minna moved a little to look him in the eyes. They showed concern but he smiled as well. Minna smiled back and nodded, "I will." For her, Siobhan and Liam were close to be parents, caring for her but friends enough to joke around. He patted her shoulder and both went inside again.
It was already dark when Minna sat foot into the forest. The presence of so many others nearly drained her again. Once she stepped into the dark, she got calmer. She followed the road which led to the nearby city but she remained behind the trees. Once she saw the first street lamps, she switched direction and walked deeper into the dark. She heard some owls in the trees and mice on the ground, as well as some twigs being broken under her feet. The night was clear, stars shining down on her and a soft wind blew through the foliage.
She must have been walking for an hour at least when she heard footsteps. A shiver went down her spine and she turned around. Minna stared directly into a pair of red eyes. „Your friends seem to be worried about you." As soon as she recognized the voice, she relaxed a little. „They always are," she answered and waited for him to get closer. Once he was next to her, they walked together.
Vladimir couldn't help but notice the several glances the German threw at him. He stopped and turned to her, his gaze intense and almost glowing in the night. „If you want to know something, just ask." If Minna were still human, she would have blushed intensely by now. She looked down on the ground, trying to avoid his eyes because of the burning question she wanted to be answered. She fiddled on her jacket trying to get her mind together. „Well," she started still avoiding his gaze, „Siobhan told me about mates and I was wondering if," she gulped before she continued in an even lower voice, „if you and Stefan lost your mates in those fights long ago."
She still didn't dare to look up, she rather looked everywhere but at him, before he could even react, she continued in a haze. „You don't need to answer, I just," but she was interrupted by him. „Our wives were killed back then." His voice was rather calm, nothing Minna would have expected, though she wondered if by 'wife' he meant 'mate' or not, but she didn't dare to ask any further. Her mind already told her, that she asked too much.
„I'm sorry, I keep asking stuff about your past which is none of my business at all. Forgive me, I," Minna started to apologize, what she didn't notice though was how close he actually was. Her head still hung low until she felt his fingers on her chin, lifting it up and forcing her to look at him. Her eyes widened in shock at his touch and she immediately tried to make a step backwards, but she didn't notice a tree directly behind her, which made her attempt to escape fail miserably.
It felt like eternity before he spoke up again. „Do not apologize, frumoasă mea," his voice was soft but held a certain commanding tone in it and his accent was strong. They remained in their positions for some more time, before he let go of her and took a step back. Minna still seemed frozen and took a moment to realize she held her breath, not that she needed it. She finally gulped and looked at him, confusion was written all over her face. Vladimir gestured to continue their walk and Minna followed silently.
Her mind was blank, she couldn't make a clear thought, it was as if she still felt his fingers on her chin and something in her stomach seemed to explode. They walked together in silence until it was almost dawn. That's when Minna finally realized that he led them to her favorite spot. The sun made her way up slowly, sunrays hitting the cliff and Minna was about to step into it, until she heard distant chatter and a well-known smell hit her nose. She stepped back, looking at her companion who had his eyes glued in the direction of said noise. The vampires hid behind trees waiting patiently for the humans to pass them.
„It must be somewhere around this area, we're close, hurry", was the voice of young male, probably somewhere in his teenage years. His companion, a girl around the same age, looked rather bored. „Are you sure, Max. Maybe you saw a ghost or something." The boy quickened his pace as he finally arrived at the cliffside. „Here it is", he exclaimed happily. „Yeah, here is nothing," the girl said monotonous and looked him dead in the eyes. „I saw it right here several times," he hushed her and started to search the place. The girl did the same. „Those sparkles could be anything, maybe a crow carrying a spoon or something." She didn't sound very interested at all, but Max seemed eager to find a clue. „I used my spyglass; it looked definitely like a human!" He held the spyglass in her direction, before he continued his search, which only resulted in a frustrated sigh of the girl.
Minna widened her eyes in shock, that boy saw her on the cliff in the sun. He had no evidence but she still felt caught. Slowly she made a step backward, trying to get away from that scene as far as possible, but as soon as she turned around, she felt an iron grip around her wrist. In sheer panic she looked at Vladimir whose eyes didn't miss a single movement of the humans. His posture seemed the opposite from hers and she wondered if that was, what a born fighter would look like. She was a born runner, ready to escape at the slightest chance of danger. „Please," she whimpered in a low voice, but he didn't comply.
„Come on, Max. There's nothing here, it was probably just your imagination or dirt on your glasses," the girl mumbled the last part more to herself as she sat down on a rock and watched the boy searching for evidence. „This time it was for real; I saw it several times always in the morning. It must be something supernatural." The boy sounded excited and the girl rolled her eyes.
The vampires remained in their positions for almost half an hour. The humans finally decided to move their search to another spot. As soon as they were out of sight, the vampires relaxed slightly and Vladimir let go of her wrist. He slowly regained his normal posture and turned around to the still frightened German. „It's just a dumb human, they have no prove." His words didn't reach her, she seemed frozen once more, her mind raced and the fear was clear in her eyes. She didn't even notice the appearance of another vampire.
Stefan looked at his companion and the woman with concern in his eyes, he witnessed the scene from afar. He exchanged a look with Vladimir without saying a word. The Romanians knew nothing would happen, as long as no one else would hear about it.
„I exposed our kind," Minna stuttered, which made the men switch their attention to her. „If he can find any prove, I'm doomed. I'll be dead." Her eyes wandered around without really looking at something. The Romanians waited patiently for her to come back to reality. She blinked a few times and finally recognized her environment again. She looked at Vladimir, then at Stefan fear still showing in her eyes. „What happens now?" Her voice was shaky, unsure about the answer. „Nothing," Stefan said matter-of-factly. The three vampires started moving slowly through the forest, Minna's mind still racing. With every step she took, she calmed down but she wasn't sure how to act in front of the others. When the Cullen's home came into view, she slowed down, her unneeded breath quickened. The Romanians stopped and looked back the woman. They exchanged a look before going back to her.
„They mustn't know about any of this," Stefan said, his eyes trailing back to the house. Vladimir put a hand on her shoulder, slowly guiding her. „There's no prove, that boy could possibly have. You don't need to fear." Minna looked at the men and nodded thankfully, trying to calm herself once more.
„Thank you," she said and made her way to the house. The Romanians waited for a moment and looked at each other. It's been a very long time, since someone thanked them wholeheartedly. Both of them followed their own train of thoughts, their eyes following the woman.