Chapter 6: Mission

Chapter 6: Mission

One thing could be said about Aro; he was a man true to his word. Two days after he made his promise, one of the lower guard members knocked nervously on my door and handed me a blood bag - the kind you get in hospitals for transfusions - and a large silver goblet. The cup had a raised engraving on it of two dragons, curled around each other, with glinting ruby eyes set into the metal. I split the bag open, reeling at the scent that filled the room, and poured it out into the cup. Then I set it on my dresser, sat down, and stared at my reflection.

My eyes had been gold for a good year now. I still wore contacts around Charlie, not wanting to give him too much to cope with, as we were easing him into the idea of Renesmee talking. Thinking of those first few months, the blazing red eyes, then the dull amber, I couldn’t help mentally calculating how long it would take to get my eyes the way they were now. I banished that thought immediately. There was no going back. My old life was behind me. This was the final piece of the puzzle; the final brick in the wall that separated Bella Cullen from Isabella, Volturi soldier.

Summoning up all my courage, I lifted the cup in both hands, closed my eyes... and put it to my lips. The smell, so close to my nose, made my throat burn uncontrollably, and I tried to swallow to calm it. The angle I had the cup at meant that my gulp tipped the first drops onto my tongue.

Oh!

It was exquisite, like nothing I had ever tasted. I instantly wanted more. A very small part of my head, the part still clinging to the person I used to be, screamed, disgusted and horrified.

I ignored that little voice, swallowing greedily, feeling the hot, wet liquid sooth my throat the way nothing had ever soothed it before. Only when I was sure I had swallowed every last drop did I put the cup down and open my eyes.

They blazed crimson. They had never been this bright before. Ever. Not even when I had only just woken up. I felt the power singing through my limbs, humming like electricity, increasing my waning strength tenfold. I flexed my fingers and stretched my arms out, marvelling at the feeling.

A soft tap on my door startled me.

“C-come in!” I called, trying to calm down.

Aro put his head around the door. “Ah! You have fed!” He smiled at me, his face unexpectedly warm. I smiled back.

“Thank you Master. So much. It’s perfect, just what I need.”

His smile grew wider and he entered the room. “How do you feel?”

I considered that for half a second.

“It’s so... different. I’ve never felt so strong before. I feel like...like I can do anything.” I smiled. It was an odd feeling, certainly, but it wasn’t unpleasant.

Aro looked almost smug; satisfaction radiated from him in waves.

“Come,” he said, holding out his hand to me. “It’s time for your first training session.”

***

Training was a fairly simple affair. Each guard member had a different regime, though they sometimes worked in pairs if they were similar. I was paired with Felix and Alec. Felix did the physical side of my sessions, the fighting, building on what little I already knew. I briefly imagined the smug look that would undoubtedly have been on Emmett’s face if he were here, because after my first lesson Felix commented, “Those Cullens are weird, but I have to admit, they gave you a pretty good foundation.” Apparently, the basic knowledge I had picked up in December was just the ground works, but it was good, and that made it easier for Felix to build up to more complicated things. I progressed quickly, and Caius took to watching me practise whenever he could, a mysterious glint in his eyes, almost as if he could imagine the possibilities when I was really good.

With Alec, I worked on my shield. This training was done in the presence of all three ancients, along with ten or so other guard members, including Jane, Demitri, Christiano and Chelsea, who had managed to coax me out of my room. She was my friend, and I spent a lot of time with her.

We started with the basics. My first time, I just stood in the centre of the room, my shield stretched out a few feet, and described the feeling of each of the offensive mental talents to Aro. Then they tested my extension. Alec filled the room with his paralysing mist, and I had to stretch my shield as far and as precisely as I could, covering every person in the room without including Alec or leaving any gaps. This was a bit of a challenge, but after a few weeks I could do it in seconds. I always aimed for the ancients first, because Aro liked to watch the stretch and power of the shield; the way the mist seemed to roll backwards as I pushed for the next person; the reaction of the ones I protected, their eyes blinking as they came back to reality. He came and stood next to me and asked me what it felt like.

“Like elastic Master, stretched out tight. It was hard at first, but I practised a lot, and it’s much easier to stretch now.”

“And the others?”

“I don’t quite understand Master.”

“What do they feel like, the people you shield?”

I thought for a moment before answering.

“Like bright spots of light. They are glowing beacons; extensions of my self, almost. It’s like a... a sixth sense. I can feel the people inside my shield; feel the minds I am protecting.”

Aro smiled, and went back to his seat, looking thoughtful.

It continued like this for about a week. Then, one day, Aro asked me to stay behind after my session with Alec.

“I was wondering Isabella,” he said, eyeing me speculatively. “Have you ever done anything else with your shield? It seems so powerful; you must be able to do more than stretch it.”

“I don’t know Master,” I answered honestly, “I haven’t really had that much practise. I know I can make it thicker, but that’s about it.”

He pursed his white lips. “I don’t know. Something tells me you can do more.”

I gnawed on my lip for a moment. Then I bowed my head. “I am sorry Master. I have not been truthful.”

Suddenly, he was right there, lifting my chin to look me in the eye. “What have you kept, child?” he asked, his voice sounding just as pleasant as before.

“I can do something else with my shield, though I haven’t had much practise, and I’m not very good at it.”

He looked fascinated. “What is it?”

I took a deep breath. “Well, when I was working on it last December, Zafrina tried teaching me how to push it away altogether, to strengthen me. I didn’t do very well until after our encounter in the clearing, because that was when I really came to understand my shield properly. I haven’t done it much, and it’s much more difficult than just stretching out and protecting other people.”

Aro was staring at me, an eager glint in his eyes. “Can you try it now?”

I bit my lip again. “I can try. It takes a lot of concentration. The only time I ever do it right is with E-Edward.” I stuttered a little on his name.

Aro held his hand out to me. “Just try. That’s all I ask.”

I hesitated for a moment, and then put my hand in his. He held it tightly, gripping it with both hands so our palms touched. I could feel every detail of his powdery skin. As a human I had thought it like shale. Now it felt like wet sand that had dried out and stuck in the shape of a man; grainy, but solid.

I closed my eyes and focused. This was harder than usual, because I didn’t have the motivation of trying to show Edward how much I loved him. But I made a very great effort and pushed my shield away. I heard Aro sigh, but I ignored it. I could already feel the elastic pull, the resistance trying to snap the shield back. I had to be totally focused if I wanted to hold it for any length of time.

I don’t know how long we stood there, but, out of nowhere, a loud bang broke my concentration. My shield snapped back and my eyes opened wide. Aro dropped my hand as Caius came in, his face a mask of pure fury, with a frightened looking Christiano trailing behind him.

“Why, brother, what has you so angry?” Aro asked, his tone polite. I folded my hands in front of me and went to stand beside Christiano, letting Caius take my place beside Aro.

Caius seemed too furious to speak. He just stuck his hand out for Aro to take. After a moment, Aro released him. His face looked troubled.

“Is this true Christiano?” he asked. “Is this what you saw?”

“Yes Master,” Christiano answered.

“Then we have a very serious problem.” He eyed me for a moment, and then seemed to make up his mind about something. “Christiano, you, Isabella, and Demitri will deal with this. Fill them in on the way there. Go, now.”

Christiano and I bowed, before he pulled me hurriedly from the room.

***

“So, what are we dealing with here?” Demitri asked, his tone all business, like we were discussing a change in the stock market, or a new investor in a large company.

The three of us were racing through the dark countryside, heading for a little tourist town in Oregon, right on the west coast.

Christiano looked very serious. “Fairly straightforward, on the surface. Vampire woman, human partner, she’s told him everything.”

“Why does that take three to deal with?” I wondered idly. My stomach was churning at the thought of enforcing the law. I would much rather have stayed in Volterra.

“Because it doesn’t end there.” Christiano replied, frowning. “The man wanted a child; a son to be his heir. When he found out his ‘angel’ couldn’t give him one, he demanded she do something about it. Her idea of solving the problem was to create an immortal child.”

Demitri hissed. I couldn’t speak.

Immortal children were taboo. No one made them any more. If people in the town had seen this child, if it had hurt people... I didn’t even want to think about it.

“What do we do?” I whispered.

It was Demitri who answered. “We go in, we get rid of the woman, the child, and any humans who have seen them. We do it quickly, without unnecessary violence. Can we assume she is a lone wanderer?” He turned to Christiano, who nodded.

“If she had a coven, they’re long gone by now.”

I listened to them with only half my concentration. The other half was trying to prepare itself for what was about to happen. Because this was going to involve death, in some form, and it was very likely humans who were going to pay most of the price. In the back of my head, I was trying to come up with ways to avoid a slaughter.

When we reached the house where the vampire woman lived, we slowed down to barely human speed, keeping as quiet as possible. We all listened.

There was the sound of a human heart beat on the second floor, slow with peaceful sleep.

On the first floor, a soft, syrupy voice was singing softly; a lullaby, so sweet it made my still heart ache. Behind the singing, a baby cooed softly.

Demitri knocked lightly on the door.

“Come in!” the voice called, before returning to her singing.

Demitri glanced at Christiano as he opened the door. I saw Christiano mouth “Sarah,” and realised that Demitri had been silently asking the woman’s name.

We walked down the short hallway to the living room. The boys looked at me. Apparently, I would be the leader. I took a deep breath to compose myself, and then nodded. They moved to take my flanks, and we rounded the corner.

Sarah sat in a rocking chair by an open fire facing us, a blanket wrapped bundle in her arms. She looked up as we entered, and froze instantly.

“Who are you?” she asked, her voice hard; but she was obviously terrified.

“I am Isabella,” I said, putting on a sugary sweet voice and imagining how Jane would do this. “And this is Christiano and Demitri.”

“What do you want?” Sarah hissed, her hands tightening around the bundle.

“I think you know what we want.” I sneered. The boys chuckled. “You have been a very bad girl Sarah. A very bad girl indeed.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” she said, expression defensive, eyes afraid.

“Don’t play dumb with us,” Demitri hissed menacingly, taking a step forward. “We know what you’ve done.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” Sarah repeated, eyes suddenly on the floor, tone dead.

“Where did the baby come from Sarah?” I asked, sounding innocent and threatening at the same time. Christiano snickered. Sarah began to shake.

“And the man upstairs? The one who knows all about us? What did you think, that we were just going to ignore this? That we wouldn’t find out? That was very silly of you.” I smirked. “We always find out.”

The boys moved so they were in front of me. “And we never give second chances,” they hissed in unison.

Sarah began to sob, clutching the little vampire to her chest so tightly it began to howl. Christiano and Demitri moved steadily forward, hiding her from my view.

Then the screams began.

The metallic screeching of Sarah and the baby filled my ears and my mind. It bounced off the walls and brought the human racing down the stairs. I turned and smirked at him, watching his horrified expression as he took in the huddle in the living room.

He raced past me, not even seeming to care that I was there. I let him go. The boys would take care of him.

I didn’t turn, but his scream joined the others. The smell of incense filled the house as the vampires burned, mixed with the man’s blood in an intoxicating horrific mist.

That scent brought the gravity of the situation crashing down on me. I whirled, just in time to see the mangled remains of the baby crumble into ash.

I had to get out of there.

I didn’t think, I just turned and ran; through the kitchen, out the back door and into the trees at the edge of the lawn.

I was paying so little attention to my surroundings, I didn’t see the blur of white skin and black hair until it smacked into me, knocking us both to the ground with a resounding BOOM. I sprang up, intending to continue on my path, but I was stopped in my tracks by a horribly familiar voice.

“Bella?” Alice asked, her voice no more than a whisper.

I didn’t move. I didn’t turn. I just stood still as I listened to Alice picking herself up off the forest floor.

“Bella, is that you?” Her hand grasped my wrist, but I shook it off.

“No.” I said coldly.

Alice took a deep breath and grabbed my wrist again.

“Yes it is. You’re Bella. You’re my sister. You’re-”

“NO!” I yelled, cutting her off. “Bella Cullen is dead; she doesn’t exist any more.”

I turned to face her, my eyes boring into hers. “I am Isabella.”

Alice gasped, releasing my wrist, just as Demitri and Christiano barrelled into the little clearing.

“Shorty here bothering you Isabella?” Christiano asked.

I turned my nose up, still staring at Alice.

“No,” I said, my voice dead. “She just got in my way.”

Demitri sneered. “She had better apologise then.” He stepped towards her. “Well Cullen? We’re waiting.”

Alice looked at the ground. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, “I should have been looking where I was going.”

“Apology accepted.” I replied, my voice still cold and dead.

I turned to Demitri. “Are you finished?”

He nodded.

“Then we must be on our way.”

I turned for the trees.

“Bella, wait!” Alice choked.

I paused, looking at her from the corner of my eye. She took it as permission to speak.

“Please come home Bella. Nothing’s the same since you left. No one smiles any more; Nessie cries all the time, and Edward won’t leave his room. We miss you Bella. Please... please come back.”

I turned to face her fully.

“Goodbye Alice.” I said, my voice ringing with unspoken words, my eyes pleading for her understanding.

And then I darted into the trees with Demitri and Christiano on either side of me, trying to ignore the choked sobs coming from behind me, and stop my own from breaking loose.