Blood Moon [a Twilight Saga FanFiction]

Do You Hear The People Sing?

MONDAY CAME AROUND WITH NOTHING.
     Igor had pretended to be sick to stay home and stay by my side while the kids started letting their faces be seen in Forks.
     It reached noon with no word and that pulsating feeling never leaving my gut.
     Igor grabbed an old cross we kept behind the telephone and he handed it to me. I saw the pain in his eyes but I knew it was for a different reason. His pain was seeing me in pain. Or maybe he did see Carlisle as a brother, he was worried as well.
     And his makers were there.
     I held the cross close to my dead, terrified heart, and sighed.
     "If they get him, Igor, I swear-"
     "Shh. Shh. I know," Igor hushed. "If they get him, we take the war to them. If they get any of them, we take the war to them."
     I rested my head on his chest as my hatred for Aro and Caius bubbled.
     I was surprised when Demetri and Lucy returned home early. I had been expecting them to be out looking and exploring Forks all day.
     Though once they came inside and I saw Demetri's face, fear tore through me like fire. His eyes were sunken, afraid... grief-struck.
     "We had to cancel our sightseeing early," Lucy informed us and held Demetri's hand as she helped him sat down.
     "What is it, Demetri?" Igor asked, refusing to leave my side.
     "I..." He mumbled. "I can't track Renata."
     Soaring joy but still panging fear. They were fighting.
     Then guilt.
     Demetri's friends and people he probably did really care about, were dying.
     I approached him and took his free hand. Igor rested a hand on his shoulder and Demetri's head hung as his lips formed a line. Eyes tight.
     His friends were dying after all.
     "Carlisle won't let them all die," I told him.
     "Won't he?" Demetri choked.
     I pulled my adoptive son into my embrace as I knew he'd slowly feel some of his friends disappear one by one. Being that close I saw his grief in his scent, and how excited he had been to be going to school, to actually be a part of a real family, and by choice. He had realised that his only attachment to the Volturi was Chelsea, but the moment he had something, a cause, or person, or both in his case, to hold on to, it was easy to let go of.
     Like Eleazar.
     I felt it with him, as Gabriele disappeared from Demetri's radar, then William.
     Then my pulsating fear for Carlisle disappeared as I held onto Demeri as we waited for Felix and Santiago to disappear as well.
     Except it didn't come.
     "It's Carlisle," Lucy said as she looked at the phone, which rang almost immediately.
     "Carlisle," Igor said, answering the phone.
     "We won, Igor," Carlisle said, sounding so proud.
     Demetri leant forward, resting his head in his hands.
     "We're all alive and well."
     "We're glad to hear, brother," Igor stated.
     I rested my hand on Demetri's back as his shoulders shook. Chelsea or not, she did make him deeply care for his Volterra family, and now three of them were dead.
     "Igor, is everything alright?" Carlisle asked, very worried suddenly.
     "Demetri, I'm so sorry," I whispered to my son as I rested my head on his shoulder.
     "We're here for you," Lucy added in a whisper, scooting that little bit closer to him and putting her arms around his torso.
     "Chelsea had formed very strong bonds between the guards," Igor stated. "That apparently doesn't immediately wear off once one leaves the Volturi."
     "Is Demetri alright?" Carlisle asked "Do please give him our most sincere condolences. We didn't want to fight them, but they gave us no choice."
     "I'm aware," Demetri said loud enough for even Carlisle to hear.
     "Felix and Santiago escaped, they survived and fled before we could get them. Edward managed to stop Stefan and Vladimir from chasing them."
     "Thank you, Carlisle," Igor stated. "Thank Edward for us as well."
     Igor then looked directly at me briefly before turning his back on us.
     "Carlisle," I could tell by his change of tone he suddenly meant business. "Demetri and Lucy are going to Egypt to talk to Amun. We believe that as Demetri is no longer of the Volturi, and if the odd chance happens where the Volturi do defeat us, they will go for Benjamin, they deserve to have a say in this fight. They leave for Egypt next week."
     "I see your logic," Carlisle stated. "Do you want me to send some of my own? They know Amun and Benjamin is rather fond of-"
     "No, send no one else," Igor stated. "I only wanted to keep your family on the same page as ours."
     "Very well. Does Liz want to talk to him?"
     Igor chuckled and didn't even need to look at me to have my answer.
      "Nicholas hasn't done enough to regain Elizabeth's trust in him," Igor stated. "I know he's under the impression that if he helped you, she'd forgive him, but this is Elizabeth we're talking about. She won't soon forgive everything he has done."
     "Very well. I cannot say that I blame her. I do wish she had told me though."
     "She wanted to tell you, Carlisle, she just had other things to focus on. We're sorry."
     "I better let you go. You have a son to comfort."
     "That we do. Thank you for your call, Carlisle, we are glad to know you and your family are safe."
     Igor and Carlisle hung up and Igor returned to us.
     Demetri began turning over the cross in my hand.
     "Aro has to pay," he growled. "Too many people have died. He has to pay."
     "And pay he will," Igor stated. "But we must wait for him to come to us."
     "And how long will that be?" Demetri yelled, standing now and staring daggers at Igor. "How many more people will die for Aro's lust for power? How many friends?"
     "We're the only family they haven't come for yet," I said softly. "We're next, so not long at all. I know Carlisle, they attacked him, they'll keep the fight at their home. They come here? If they threaten our lives here? The wolves can have them. We take it to Volterra."
     "It's time vampires stood up to Aro's white rule," Igor chimed then laughed. "Ah, if only Stefan and Vladimir heard me say that, they'd have a field day."
     "Oh! I just thought of the perfect song to play in this situation!" Lucy cried and jumped up to her violin.
     Before she played any notes, she almost drummed on her violin. It wasn't specific drumming, but it made me curious where she was going with it.
     "Do you hear the people sing?" she sang and I laughed with Igor. "Singing the song of angry men? Is it the music of a people who will not be slaves again..."
      I joined in for Lucy's little song from Les Miserables.  During the first verse, Lucy started playing her violin.
     "Will you join in our crusade? Who will be strong and stand with me? Beyond the barricade is there a world you long to see?"
     I laughed harder when Igor joined in. His voice was surprisingly sexy but still hilarious.
     Even Demetri surprised us when he joined in for the final line of the final chorus. We all had a good laugh after we finished the song.
     "I didn't realise we had such a musical family," Lucy stated.
     "I'm going to have that tune in my head all week now," Demetri said and laughed.
     "Me too," I stated with a chuckle.
     Lucy had definitely managed to lighten the mood with her song choice, Demetri was smiling, we all were laughing.
     I went back to my art for the remainder of the day but joined them downstairs while Demetri and Igor read, and Lucy played her new song 'Confession' again.
     I wasn't drawing anything in particular, or so I thought until I realised I was drawing France during the days of the Battle of the Barricade. I hadn't been there during those years, but I had been in the area.
     "Were you there?" Igor asked as he peered at my art.
     "Not quite," I answered. "Nearby though, but not there. Were you?"
     "I avoided those human battles, things like rebellion, civil war. Especially back in those days, I would rather someone not stab me to find that I broke their sword."
     Demetri looked up.
     "Are you two talking about the Battle of the Barricade?" he asked.
     "Yes."
     "Were you there, Demetri?" I asked.
     "It was too close for Aro's enjoyment," Demetri nodded.
     "But France is the other side of the continent," Igor stated.
    "Still too close for Aro's liking. Did you two fight any wars?" Demetri asked. "The Great War? World War two?"
     "I kept to my asylum during the Great War, I had my reasons," Igor admitted and rested his hands on my shoulders. I took them quickly. I had been plaguing is mind back then.
     "I hid," I answered. "I mean I wish I did more, but there's only so much one can do when they're bulletproof and can't show it."
     "As for the second," Igor muttered, gripping my shoulders.
     "We hid with the Denali's," I answered. "I didn't go to work in fear I'd be drafted for being a Doctor, I made Igor stay hidden with Eleazar as they were both men. It was fine though, we got good things out of it."
     "You two got married during World War II?" Lucy laughed.
     Igor and I laughed at how interesting it sounded, such a horrible war between the mortals, and such a happy time it had been for us.
     "Did the Volturi have any impact on those wars?" Igor asked.
     "Only if other vampires were involving themselves in the human affairs," Demetri shrugged. "Than it was none of the Volturi's business."
      "Someone's coming," Lucy said suddenly, putting her violin down.
     "Dangerous?" Igor asked as we all prepared.
     "No."
     We heard the advance and all walked outside. Igor actually off the patio, Lucy and Demetri on the steps in front of me. I knew we all tensed when we saw the familiar black cloak and golden 'v' pendant.
     "Who are you?" Demetri asked quickly.
     "Aro told me about you, sir," the boy said stiffly. "Master said not to answer any of your questions."
     "Yes, well, I'm asking," Igor stated.
     The young boy was no older than sixteen. A bright head of red hair and his red eyes piercing. There was no way he was more than a year old.
     "My name is Christopher," the boy answered, staring at Igor.
     "What brings you here, Christopher?" Igor asked.
     "Aro chose me specifically to perform a job for him."
     "And what job is that?" Igor groaned, having to coach the words out of the boy was even getting agitating to me.
     "To deliver these letters to each coven and nomad of our kind."
     "How do you find them all?" Igor asked as he took the letter from the newborn.
     "Master says I have a gift, he also says that there was one with a gift greater than mine, less restricted. I am a tracker, but alas, I can only track vampires which is why the tracker before me was greater than I."
     Demetri burst out laughing.
     "This tiny pest is my replacement!" Demetri said.
     "I am no one's replacement!" the newborn shrieked.
     The newborn rage sent Christopher charging, but thankfully with Igor in the way he was able to flip the child onto his back and wind the poor boy without taking his eyes off the letter now in his hand.
     "Better finish your job, Christopher," Igor stated. "I imagine you have many vampires to get too."
     Christopher groaned as he stood then ran off without another word.
     "I have a bad feeling about that letter," Lucy grumbled. "Like, sick off."
     "Not death off?" Demetri asked.
     I watched Igor open it and begin to read.
     "No, just sick off."
     "What would Aro want or need that involved sending a letter to every vampire in existence?" I asked.
     "I don't know," Demetri answered.
     "Gifts," Igor answered.
     "What?"
     Igor had frozen up, his face permanently stuck on reading the letter. I ran up to him, pushing through the kids to get there, and had to pry the letter out of his frozen shocked hands.
     I read aloud for Demetri and Lucy.
     "Greetings Farkas Clan. From this day forth, it will forevermore be customary to register each gifted member of your coven to the Volturi," I read.
     "What?" Lucy gasped.
     "This change has been brought necessary by the growing threat humans begin to possess against us," I continued to read. "It has become necessary for our kind to know how many we have that can protect us from the forces we cannot protect ourselves from. The gifted members of the covens are requested to make their way to Volterra, without the remainder of their covens. Any coven and or vampire resisting this new law will be killed for treason, and their resistance against the protection of vampire kind. Registration is in exactly 7 days, the twenty-seventh of July. Kind regards, Aro."

     "What happens then to the gifts he doesn't like?" Lucy asked. "The gifts that aren't helpful to the protection of vampire kind?"
     "This get us back in Volterra," Demetri said sounding strained. "Jane, Alec, Lilly and I, this gets us back in Volterra."
     "Yeah, and with Jane, Alec, Alice, and Lilly, I'm worthless!" Lucy yelled.
     "You won't be alone in the pool of talents Aro will have no use for," Igor said through his teeth.
     He sounded as terrified as I felt. Pure, hollowing, terror.
     "I'm the only one on this coven without a gift," Igor stated. "You three... Demetri, can you guess what Aro will do to the gifted he doesn't find useful?"
     "I haven't been much good at predicting the Volturi's actions lately," Demetri sighed. "But, I know what Caius would want to do. Lead them to a room of false freedom and then burn the room alive like the chambers of the second war-"
     Lucy squealed in fear and covered her mouth.
     "Aro won't hurt you, Lucy," Demetri stated.
     "And why not? I'm not much use, with those other four there he's got better than me," Lucy argued.
     "Because then he'd have me hunting him down for the rest of eternity. And he can't hide from me."
     "It's the same reason he won't touch Edward, he needs Bella," I sighed. "There's no one without the other. Or maybe this is just a registration?" I hoped. "Maybe after all of this, we will get to come home?"
     "Let's pray."
     "I'm joining you three to Volterra," Igor claimed suddenly.
     "You can't!" I gasped. "Aro stated-"
     "I don't give a damn what that man says," Igor growled. "You're going into a potential war zone. I will be a breath away if you need me. You are not going alone."
     "I have a feeling that you won't be the only one," Lucy muttered and we all looked at her. "What? Something tells me that a lot of vampires are going to get pissed off by this, and a lot of us without gifts are going to be in Volterra on the same day."
     "Mary Alice's vision," I gasped. "Mary saw a large fight with a lot of vampires, some she didn't even recognise."