Chapter 3 - Marcus

Edward has been relentless in his pursuit of Bella's forgiveness. It is all getting too suffocating. She releases a breath looking at the dozens of white tulips scattered around her bedroom floor. Even Charlie raises his eyebrows at the sight, "He's really desperate, huh?"

"You have no idea."

It's not just the flowers. Every two days, Bella finds a love letter tucked away in her locker and it gets more embarrassing each time. The first letter had Jessica squealing in the middle of the school hallway, attracting curious stares. It makes her feel less forgiving, if she were to be honest. Luckily, Angela is always around to distract Jessica from Edward's love bombardment with the latest gossip, or as much gossip as she could offer in this small town. With a pat on her back, Bella calms down a bit, thankful that she still has friends in her life who understands.

After the whole fiasco with the Volturi, the Cullens immediately returned to school and claimed their usual table spot. To others, it riles up excitement among Forks' teenagers but to Bella, she finds neither relief nor comfort in the situation. In fact, she feels a sense of dread. She knows a heavy conversation with the whole coven is long overdue but if she could, she'd want it delayed as much as she can until she could sort out her mind.

It's one of the rare times that she's grateful for her friends' love of teenage ramblings because she could feel Edward's longing stare on her back, it wears her down. From the corner of her eyes, she could see Jasper and Alice giving Edward the stink eye and she's relieved by Jasper and Alice's gift. She's sure Jasper sensed her discomfort, Alice saw it in her vision and they both ended up telling Edward to leave me be.

She couldn't understand why it's so difficult for Edward to respect her request for space when her pixie friend, who previously couldn't contain her excitement, is able to showcase great self-restraint. It's helpful that Rosalie and Emmett are away on a supposed Brown campus visit. The lack of numbers in their group makes it less suffocating for the human.

As much of a good job she does at school avoiding her vampire ex-boyfriend, it's not enough. She's desperate for a break. With encouragement from her father, Bella decides to pack a bag and stay a few days at the Rez. Of course she's aware Alice could see her making this particular decision so she's not surprised to find Edward at her doorstep, yet again disrespecting her wishes and trying to manipulate her decision. His eyes are black in disapproval but it's not like she cares. He lost any right in her decisions the minute he walked out of her life in the forest.

But Bella Swan has grown smarter after getting her heart broken. She knew this would happen and so she is prepared. Edward almost snarled when he smelled two wolves in the Swan residence.

"Bella, who's at the door?"

Charlie purposely asked, despite having a hunch. He isn't shy to express his displeasure around Edward. Immediately, he appears behind Bella for moral support and opens the door ajar. "Do I need to have a conversation with Carlisle about you harassing my daughter or would you rather I exercise my authority as the Chief Police?" Intentionally, he flashes his gun. And eventhough the gun could never hurt him, Bella knows it still hurts Edward's feelings. Only this time, she doesn't tell Charlie to cool it off and she knows he wouldn't be stupid enough to risk Charlie knowing their existence.

The revving of a car engine surprises them all as Rosalie and Emmett make their appearance in one of Rosalie's sports cars. When she exits the vehicle, the blonde sports a murderous look.

"I apologise for my idiotic brother's behaviour, Chief Swan. We'll be making our way back now."

Emmett isn't gentle when he forcefully drags Edward into the car, almost throwing him in the back seat. Although she can't hear it, she's sure Rosalie is throwing insults her brother's way under her breath. Rosalie has been anything but kind towards her in the past so this action has her confused. The blonde has never backed her up before so she suspects that this could be Esme or Alice's doing.

Thinking everything is done here, Bella and Charlie turn around to get inside. But Rosalie calls out to her, "Bella?"

Curious, she turns back to face the blonde, understanding it isn't the end of the conversation yet.

"We're really sorry. Emmett and I will make sure he respects your boundaries from now on."

It sure sounds a lot like a promise and Bella couldn't help but blurt out her question.

"Why do you care now?"

"A no is a no. And Edward should know this better than anyone," she gritted her teeth.

Somehow, she understands that Rosalie's anger isn't directed at her. Bella suspects this whole thing has a lot to do with her history. Edward never divulged Rosalie's history to her but she got the hint that it was a dark one.

Once their car is out of sight, she could finally breathe freely.

In the back of her mind, mysterious crimson eyes live in her mind, rent-free. But she shoves it down, prioritising getting to Rez so she'll finally have time to herself. No one knows about this and until she manages to figure out what it all means, it'll stay that way.

She's been running on low sleep these past few days and her new best friend, Leah, offered for her to crash at their residence. It was an offer she couldn't refuse. Losing Harry had been hard enough on the family and Bella wants nothing more than to return the favour they had kindly offered her during the Cullens' absence. Leah had actually been supportive towards her, in Leah Clearwater's way, of course. But, it was still helpful in Bella's self-healing journey. Plus, it gives her the space she craves away from vampires.

Jacob Black.

That's another issue. She could handle Jake's pouting much more than Edward's brooding and pleas for forgiveness. Both boys are annoying her to no end but despite Jake's cold shoulders, the Rez was still a haven with the presence of Leah and Seth. It's also helpful that Sam ordered Jake to stay away from her so he could cool off.

"You've only got yourself to blame, Swan," Leah grumbled as she set down the hot tea on the kitchen island. She would have offered Bella some beers but she knows it'll get back to Charlie and getting an earful from the Chief Police is the last thing she wants for both of them.

The scent of chamomile instantly soothes her soul and paints a small smile on her face. It's the beverage they shared when their friendship first rekindled. She feels Seth throwing her a shrugged look, agreeing with his sister. "I mean, you have got to stop kissing these boys. Blergh!"

The kisses she shared with Edward and Jake had been nice. But had she known those kisses would have brought upon her the sticky situations she is currently in, she would have refrained. For the first time in a long time, she actually regrets those kisses and shudders at the memory. Both siblings snicker at her realisation.

"I won't be making that same mistake again, that's for sure," Bella grumbled as the warm liquid danced in her throat, quelling her need for warmth. She'd normally try to steal Leah's warmth away by gripping at her forearms but she's far too annoyed with her best friend to do that today. It's the time of the month for Bella and the siblings know better than to poke the bear.

Leah's hazel eyes study her carefully, as if trying to peer into the human's mind. Sensing her best friend's line of thoughts, Bella huffs and shrugs. "I don't even want to think about dating."

Everytime she closes her eyes, Bella could feel the haunted gaze staring into her naked soul. Somehow, it feels wrong to think about dating at this time. All she wants is to move on and avoid getting romantically involved with any other supernaturals, if it's possible.

"You say that now but what if you meet the love of your life tomorrow?" Leah snorted.

"I'm only 18. High school relationships rarely end with weddings."

"Your lives have always been intertwined with the supernatural, Bella. Somehow, I doubt you're destined for a normal boring life like other humans." Seth immediately raises his hand to second it, despite having his eyes glued to the tv.

She thinks about all of the college's brochures scattered in her bedroom. Before meeting the Cullens, Bella always felt like college was the next course of action for her. Her parents had wanted that for her too. It all changed when she and Edward started dating. How could she even think about anything else when she was planning to lead a vampiric life? But now that she feels a lot more hopeful about her future, college is back on the table. And she's seriously considering her options.

Leah may have a point but she wouldn't want anything to get in the way of a potential dream. For the first time in a long time she wants to do what's best for her. After everything she went through, she wants to actually feel proud of herself.

"Maybe. But I've been thinking about college though…"

Suddenly the tv noise quiets down and even Seth has his head turned in their direction, "You serious about this, Bella?"

He glances nervously in Leah's way. Seth is very aware of his sister's grief. The rekindling of Leah and Bella's friendship has made their loss somehwat less painful. He notices how they both bring each other out of their own shells. Bella grieved over the loss of the Cullens while Leah grieved over their father. Sam's imprint on Emily also made things more difficult that they can now add abandonment issues to Leah's scars.

He's worried Leah would take it the wrong way and think of Bella as abandoning her too. Leah has grown quiet and is staring out the window. But all is okay when Leah flashes a small smile, "College does sound fun. If I could go, I would."

"But you hate going to school!" Seth scoffed. He makes fun of her but seeing his sister's ability to smile dissipates his worry.

Leah's phasing has been the least expected by the tribe. Initially, it had everyone worried but Leah's wolf has been one of the reasons she's been feeling better. Sure, her wolf comes with a temper, but it's almost like something finally made sense to her and she's beginning to understand and accept her identity. It makes her a far better company than before. Seth suspects her wolf has been the one to keep Leah strong in their grief as well. Not to mention they get a free pass now on skipping school, so that's a perk that they both enjoy.

Feeling the wind in between her fur has been liberating for Leah. While her wolf gives her a sense of purpose in life, deep inside, she couldn't help but feel like she's missing out on her youth. She's envious of Bella's freedom of choice. At the same time, she couldn't help but feel a sense of pride trickling inside her to witness how far the girl had come.

Leah was the first one to find Bella crying and sobbing in the middle of the woods after Edward had dumped her. But look at her now. The girl seems visibly annoyed at the thought of her ex-boyfriend.

"That's because school sucks. College is different. You get to choose your major and professors," Bella chimed in, coming to Leah's defence, earning a grateful smile.

Both of them actually find pleasure in learning. It's just that there are other components to school that make the whole experience unpleasant. The teachers always underestimate Leah while Bella gets branded as the poor girl who got dumped by Edward Cullen. They hate those views with a passion because despite what they could offer, those labels keep shadowing them around. Even among friends, they are the odd ones out; Leah's the only girl in the pack while Bella's the socially awkward one in her group. Somehow together, they can feel comfortable enough in their own skin; with no expectations and no labels.

"What do you plan to do about that vampire though?" Leah's head tilted, a disturbing thought just occurred to her.

Bella's breath hitches and her heart stomps in the way that is unusual. Does Leah know about the Volturi Queen? But she's sure she's been careful enough to not let it slip that those mysterious velvet eyes have been making a frequent appearance in her dreams.

Leah looks worried, but she doesn't look alarmed. From her composed breathing, Bella's brain finally understands that her friend was referring to Edward. So she tries her best to calm down her erratic heartbeat and answer her friend as nonchalantly as she can.

The wolves hate the Cullens with a passion, but Leah's hatred towards Edward seems to run deeper due to the damage the boy had inflicted upon her friend. Sam and Edward's betrayal towards both girls may be different in nature but the scars left on both girls are deep. Her eyes burn at the memory.

"Better to be done with it soon," Leah took the chair opposite of Bella, her eyes full of cautions and warnings. "Or are you still contemplating?"

Her eyes grow sharp with accusation. Her vampire knowledge may be limited in comparison to Bella but as mortal enemies, she knows vampires have the ability to allure humans. It's one of the things that made them so dangerous. They've come so far to help Bella nurture her broken heart. She'd hate it if Bella would easily forgive that guy and get back together with him. Even if he wasn't a vampire, in Leah's book, he's still a manipulative and controlling asshole. At this point, Seth gave up on pretending to be distracted and turned his body to their conversation.

"He kissed me."

Leah tightens her grip around her cup, anger seeping in. "And you kissed him back?"

Bella ducks her head in shame and nods.

"It was stupid, I know. But… things have changed."

"In what way?"

"Being with him feels wrong."

Leah finally relaxes her grip and sighs in relief. It feels like there's more to the story than what Bella is letting on but Leah isn't the type to push. She knows when her friend is ready, she'll talk to her. At least Bella's senses haven't gone out of the window, that's a relief.

Bella wishes this is something she could share with Leah but as of now, her thoughts and her heart are in shambles. Something inside her rattled that day in the Volturi castle when her line of sighting caught Queen Volturi's eyes. It was for a few seconds but Bella's sure the Queen was giving her a look that she couldn't decipher. Eventhough she couldn't understand it, but she knows it has a deeper meaning. When she went for a second glance, those eyes were no longer on her because Aro and Caius wanted her killed.

Athenodora warily looks at the file laid out on the grand mahogany desk in the middle of the room. Heidi points to the document with a tilt of her head, "For you, my Queen."

The air is heavy with the scent of aged parchment and sandalwood, while stained glass windows filter streams of sunlight onto polished wooden floors. Sulpicia stands guard at the door, blocking the only exit in the room as her eyes inspect Heidi's calculated move.

"What is this?"

"A trade."

The Queen flips through the file and her eyes widen in excitement. There lies all the photos and information of her human mate, Isabella Swan. Her heart longs for her true mate. There is so much she needs to learn. The only information she has on her is her age, her brief history with the Cullen coven and the name of the town she currently resides in.

It's not enough.

Athenodora wishes to learn everything there is to know about Isabella Swan. What makes her smile, what irritates her, what are her dreams and how to win her heart. For a moment she becomes distracted with these thoughts, almost breaking to form a smile but then her instincts kicked in. The only person that knows of her mating bond is Sulpicia and it should remain that way if she intends to keep her mate alive.

Tring to conceal the fear of her mate's safety , she slips on a mask, "And why would I need this?"

"Because Aro has made it my mission to keep her under my watch. He is intrigued by her power."

Too stunned to speak as her mate's life now is under scrutiny, Sulpicia beats Athenodora to it. "Is that a threat?" She appears right behind Heidi with her hand grasping the back of the guard's neck. It's a dangerous move, she has anticipated this. One wrong word and Sulpicia could end her life. "No." Clearing her throat, she gently shakes her head to dispel any threat she may have unintentionally brought forward. "A trade. I offer you my loyalty in exchange for my freedom."

Silently, Athenodora and Sulpicia exchange a knowing look.

Heidi would be a valuable asset in this war they're about to launch on the Volturi Kings. The wonder twins share the same as Aro and Caius, they'll never betray them. They need others to be on their side to have that edge. Heidi's offer comes at the right time. While her powers aren't as fatal as Jane's, she is well-connected and resourceful.

They also need a vampire that possesses a great control of their bloodthirst. Among the elite guards, Heidi has shown the greatest restraints. In comparison, she holds the most frequent and longest interactions with humans, without ever losing control.

And the manner of Volturi's recruitment also plays a vital role for the Queens to secure her loyalty. Just like them, Heidi too, had been under the influence of Corin and Chelsea's powers. And after what Aro had done to her former covenmates, they wonder just how much she remembers of her past.

However the idea may sound, both Queens are still on high alert, suspicious of Heidi's sudden offering. In the past, they've had little interactions to warrant her knowledge of Athenodora's mating bond to the human. They're still unsure if she could be trusted. How did Heidi possibly discover their plan?

Sensing their wariness, she decides to be forward with it, "You are not alone in the path of vengeance." There are a few possible names that pop in Athenodora's mind but without concrete proof or substantial details, she couldn't be too sure of who this person is. Sulpicia shares the same sentiment as her eyes wildly search for any memories that could give her a hint.

"See for yourself."

Stepping out of the shadow with that expressionless face is none other than Marcus. The Queens both gasp and take a step back by the revelation. A look of sheer panic flashes across Sulpicia's face but her grip on Heidi tightens in warnings. Heidi may not have sentimental values upon Marcus' undead heart but at least Sulpicia knows Athenodora could focus her attention on him while she keeps the elite guard busy.

Athenodora crouches down to prepare for an incoming attack.

Like the Grim Reaper, Marcus' steps are steady and at a human pace. His hands are firmly clutched behind his back and he has a thinking face on. Anyone could have mistaken him for a grouchy old professor lost in his thoughts.

"This room lacks safety and privacy," he hummed. His gaze falls upon Athenodora first before flitting to Sulpicia. "I know of a better place."

"No one moves," Athenodora warned with a low growl.

They haven't done assessing Heidi's offer and to be bombarded by Marcus' sudden appearance only puts them on the edge. Who's to say there won't be a trap waiting for them at the secondary location?

"Humour us. What reason could you have for wanting to turn your back on your brothers?" Sulpicia sneered.

With a gaze that speaks of a thousand memories, Marcus' eyes on the Queens never waver. "Didyme's death was no accident and everyone in this room knows it."

A/N: I'll be slower in updating so I could improve the quality of my writings. Maybe once a month? Thanks for being patient with me!