Fools Game (The Volturi)

19

Volterra, Italy

"What's America like?" Juliette asks Elizabeth.

"I've heard it's particularly uncultured," Raphael sniffs, his chin held high.

"Says the guy who's only fourteen years old and hasn't left a small Italian town once in his entire life!" Juliette growls at him.

"It's difficult to summarise as a whole, each state is very different, like lots of countries woven together - like a patchwork blanket," Elizabeth says. "But I quite like it."

"I desperately want to travel, anywhere really, Volterra has gotten a little dull recently – I'm glad you've come to stay with us, new blood makes the party more exciting!"

"Oh, well, thanks for welcoming me so warmly."

"It's not like Aro is bribing us or anything," Raphael smirks. "That was a joke, c'mon!"

Juliette recovers her hand from slapping the back of Raphael's head. "Ignore Raffi, nobody is bribing us, but you may have to bribe Jane to be nice, she takes a little while to come round. So anyway, what brings you to Volterra, we've heard about you and your sister, but we didn't think we'd be meeting you any time soon."

Elizabeth thought about Jane for a second, she wondered if she would like her any better if she sought her out to ask her to use her gift? Elizabeth doubted many people asked for her pain illusions often.

"Aro and I have been penpals for...a while, I thought I was overdue for a visit."

"You and Aro are penpals?" Raphael frowns. "What, you write cheesy letters and send fridge magnets?"

"Ugh, no we never sent each other fridge magnets. But yes, we wrote letters."

"That's...different," Juliette shrugs. "But it does sound like Master Aro...did you ever write to Marcus or Caius?"

Elizabeth shakes her head.

"Could you imagine a letter from either of them?" Raphael says in a slightly hushed voice. "Suicide note and declaration of murder!"

"Raffi, really...!" Juliette rolls her eyes.

Elizabeth couldn't completely disagree with Raphael's sarcastic comment. When she'd met Marcus and Caius earlier under Aro's cheerful introduction they were the exact first thoughts she'd had of the two other Volturi leaders.

Marcus had looked...suicidal. Elizabeth knew his wife had died, Carlisle had told her the harrowing story of the eldest yet most youthful of the three Volturi rulers. Carlisle hadn't known Didyme personally, but he had been told enough by Aro to know that Marcus had been a completely different man before his dearest wife had died. Now he was a shell, had been near catatonic for the past two thousand years, and that made Elizabeth feel very sorry for him.

Caius was the opposite, almost too much emotion showed on his face, he exuded pure and utter anger. As if he had never seen anything quite as provoking before in his entire existence until Elizabeth had been ushered into the shared study. She wasn't sure if that was his usual reaction to new or uninvited guests but Aro, nor Marcus – although that may not have been unusual – seemed put off by his very obvious displeasure.

Elizabeth's memory of Caius was at the forefront of her mind, he looked identical through her eyes now as he did in the clearing all those years ago. His glare was just as piercing and terrifying as it had been, causing her legs to feel shaky beneath her weight and her breath to feel heavy in her lungs. She had once practiced the glare she would give Caius, naïvely thinking that she would somehow be able to flip the table and become the intimidator...alas, Caius would never be relieved of that title.

"You'll have to come and meet the rest of the guard informally," Juliette says.

"We've really modernised the guard rec-room, and everyone will be super chill away from the Masters."

"Yeh that sounds great," Elizabeth says, thinking of her strange first meeting with Felix and Demetri.

"Aro did ask us to show you the grounds, we have a feeding party arriving in a few days, but I imagine you'll want to find a bunny or something?" Raphael asks.

"Oh, thanks, but I should be alright for a bit, I fed before the flight."

"A tin can full of humans, jeez, some self control! Your eyes are a weird colour, I though animal drinkers had golden eyes or something?"

Elizabeth flicked her view between the two fellow hybrids eyes. Both pairs were a very dark red nearly black, she guessed that was due to not having fed in a while.

"Yeh I think it's because I have a fairly mixed diet," Elizabeth admits.

"Mixed? You don't eat food do you?" Juliette scrunches her nose and the thought.

"Every now and again...but I've had a mix of animal and human blood."

"Oh! Master Aro gave the impression you were a vegetarian?"

"I am," Elizabeth says firmly. "I mean, I won't be killing anyone, I only drink bagged blood."

Raphael pretended to pick his jaw up from the table. "Bagged blood? Please elaborate – what on earth is bagged blood?"

"Humans donate blood to help save each other if they've been in accidents that involve a lot of blood loose or for illness that requires transfusions..." Elizabeth starts to explain. "They collect it in bags...hence bagged blood."

"And the human, donating? Doesn't die?"

"No, they tend to only take a pint every several months, perfectly safe for the humans and they naturally replace what they lost after a few days."

"How bizarre," Raphael says with a faint look of awe. "I honestly never knew they did that!"

"I'm not sure how a request for bagged blood will go?" Juliette says.

"Honestly I'll be fine for now," Elizabeth forces a smile.

Raphael shrugs and pushes himself up from the table. "I think the room you're in is next to mine, would you like a short tour before we head up?"