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Chapter 37
The Volturi
Bella
The car in front of us deviated from the wide road towards Volterra and took a side road.
We drove in the shadow of the city walls to the right side and then stopped.
When Carlisle, Esmé and Edward got out, we also went to join them and followed them.
Carlisle ran towards the wall and confidently pushed one of the stones further in. This opened a small entrance.
When we were all in the narrow dark hallway, the door closed behind us, and it became pitch black.
Emmett took my hand and led me. It went straight for a while, then the cave became wider and brighter ... because of the torches on the walls.
"What do you want and who are you?", asked a man in a gray cloak at the end of the corridor.
He stood in front of a large wooden door.
"I am an old friend of Aro, Caius and Marcus. My name is Carlisle. Let them know we're here," Carlisle said.
"Wait here," the guard said and walked through the door.
Emmett took me in his arms, and I saw Edward staring at us.
A little later the guard came again, this time with a petite girl in a black cloak, her blond hair strictly pinned up and with big red eyes.
"It's really you, Carlisle. Nice to see you again," she purred.
But it sounded like she was so not happy about Carlisle's presence.
"Jane," Carlisle said, nodding politely at her.
She turned and walked through the door with a quick step and the rest of us followed.
"I would have found my way without you, Jane," Carlisle said.
"Aro wanted me to accompany you guys, just so you wouldn't get the wrong ideas," she said arrogantly, quickening her steps even more.
I slowly started to gasp as it seemed to be steadily going uphill a bit.
After a few minutes, Emmett took me in his arms because I just couldn't keep up with Jane's increasingly fast pace.
No one spoke.
After a while, the corridors became more beautiful. The walls were plastered and hung with Renaissance paintings, and the stony floor was replaced by stairs. Now that I was being carried by Emmett, they all walked a little faster.
After ten minutes we arrived in a large entrance hall
"Buongiorno! Benvenuti a Volterra!"(1), said a petite Italian woman behind a counter.
The first thing I noticed was that she had brown eyes. She was a human being.
Jane ignored her and walked past her through a door.
Behind it was another corridor. But this one was completely made of marble. There were more doors to the left and right and I wondered how much longer we would be straying around.
That's when we stopped in front of one of the largest doors and Emmett lowered me back down, but stayed close to me, holding my hand, and putting his other on my shoulder.
Jane opened the door and walked quickly down the great hall toward a brown-haired boy whose face was as angelic as hers.
Next to the door stood two men with dark gray capes. One took a deep breath, looked at me with his blood-red eyes, and suddenly jumped toward me.
Before I knew it, I was in Alice's arms.
Emmett lay on top of the vampire, pinning him to the ground and growling at him.
"Felix! Behave yourself," said a voice from the middle of the room.
On a small platform were three thrones. On the side of the platform sat two women in Greek robes with long curly hair. I recognized the three men on the thrones immediately. Of course, they hadn't changed a bit since the picture that hung in Carlisle's study was painted.
"Emmett, let him go and go to Bella," Carlisle said when the vampire named Felix had calmed down under Emmett's grip.
When I was back in Emmett's arms, I shivered and took his hand.
Aro, who was sitting in the middle, stood up with a friendly smile and spread his arms.
"Carlisle, what a pleasure to see you again ... and your family! You'll have to excuse Felix. We're all a little thirsty."
He approached him and took Carlisle's hand in his.
Carlisle told us on the plane about Aro's gift of knowing a person's every thought ... through a single touch.
So he remained for a moment.
He probably wasn't really happy to see us, because we just ruined his plan.
He let go of Carlisle's hand.
"Ah ... dear Bella. I've heard so much about her in Rosalie's mind. Alice and Edward ... you two are here too. What a joy! And Emmett ... I see you have quickly forgotten dear Rosalie, and yet you are here to save her? Esmé, you look beautiful as ever," he said, extremely pleased, while looking at each of us.
"I'm glad to see you again, too, old friend. Only I would have preferred our meeting to have taken place under more pleasant circumstances," Carlisle said gravely.
"So you're here to bring Rosalie back? And to prevent Edward from joining us? I thought they were no longer part of your family. What do you care? After all, I know exactly what those two did to you."
His gaze rested on Emmett and me as he spoke of what they had done to us.
"They are no longer part of our family, but they are still part of the Cullen clan. So I hope you can give Rose back to us and we can return home peacefully," Carlisle replied.
Aro's gaze roamed over us and lingered on me.
"You break our very highest law and think you can make demands, dearest friend?"
His tone was still friendly.
"Just as you intend to do with the people who work for you, we also intend to transform Bella. I'm sure you've already seen that in my mind, too. And if you don't believe me, ask Alice. You know her gift as well as I do."
As agreed in the plan, Alice took a few steps forward and held out her hand to Aro.
He took it and held it longer than he did with Carlisle.
"Fascinating," he said, lost in thought, nodding. "She'll make a fabulous immortal."
And again his gaze wandered to me.
Emmett held me tighter to him.
Edward froze when he heard what Alice had seen in the future. He never wanted me to become a vampire. The reasons were a mystery to me.
Caius stood up from his throne.
"Transform her ... now! You know the law and yet you take them to us? Impudent!", he said impatiently.
I froze.
I wasn't ready, not yet. I had to say goodbye to Charlie and the wolves, to Mom and Angela.
Aro raised his hand to silence Caius. He went to Marcus and held out his hand to him.
"And you my friend, what do you think about dear Bella?" he asked. Marcus looked bored and wearily put his hand in Aros'. "Yes, you're right," he said with a thoughtful look at him.
I wondered what Marcus had communicated to Aro.
"Well, we will wait and demand that you visit us again soon, Isabella," he said to me.
Edward stepped forward.
"Give Rose back!" he said impatiently and angrily.
It was the first time in a long time that I heard his voice.
"That means you want to join us so she can be free?", Aro asked and walked towards Edward.
"Aro, as I said before, we will not let you force anyone from our coven to join you," Carlisle said, standing in front of Aro.
"Dear old friend, I don't want a fight with you. Where do you get the right to talk like that?"
He was still smiling openly, but a cold shiver ran down my spine.
"Do I really need to remind you of that time, Aro? When I saved Sulpicia and Athenodora from the fire?", Carlisle said calmly, looking from Aro to Caius to the two women in the Greek dresses.
One had light blond hair and had the same arrogant expression as Caius. The other had dark blond hair and looked worriedly at Aro.
"Aro, he's right. Carlisle is a good friend. We must not harm his family. Corin, bring Rosalie to us," she ordered the black-haired woman who was standing very close to Sulpicia and Athenodora.
For a second, Aro's mask fell, and I could see frustration and anger. But as quickly as the mask fell, it was back again, and he smiled.
Corin came back out of a side door - with Rose at her side, smiling overjoyed and seemingly at ease in Corin's presence.
Edward was with her within a second and kissing her. I turned to Emmett's chest because I couldn't stand to see her like that. Emmett also tensed up slightly.
Even though we were happy together and loved each other, it was hard to see the two of them. It reminded me too much of the day I found out everything, when I imagined Edward kissing and touching Rose like he never did with me.
"Good, now go," said Aro, no longer quite so friendly.
It was clearly hard for him to let Edward, and presumably Alice, go just like that.
"And what about the werewolves you saw in the blonde's mind?", said Caius, who was clearly not satisfied with the outcome of the situation.
My breath caught in my throat.
I had not thought about them at all. Actually, they were also human people who knew about their secret.
"The shapeshifters may be more in need of secrecy than we are. I'm sure these dogs pose no danger," Aro said somewhat mockingly.
If he had seen my thoughts, he would know what these dogs were capable of. But I was glad that he did not see them as a danger.
"Thank you for your hospitality, Aro. We can find our way out on our own," Carlisle said, turning around.
We all followed him briskly.
As soon as we came out of the reception hall back into the long hallways, Emmett took me in his arms again and we were down to the cars within three minutes.
As hospitable as Aro was, everyone just wanted to get out of there quickly.
"Thank you," Rose said with her head down when we got to the cars.
Esmé hugged them both.
Of course she had missed them. After all, they were like her children.
Alice demonstratively turned away and walked to the car. Jasper, Emmett and I followed her.
Alice had not yet forgiven him for the story either, and after the two of them were rescued, she ignored them again.
(1) "Good day! Welcome to Volterra!"