IT'S BEEN SIX MONTHS SINCE I ESCAPED MY PERSONAL HELL IN SEATTLE AND THREE SINCE I GOT OFFERED THE INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY OF MY LIFE WITH DOCTOR CARLISLE CULLEN.
I can safely say that there's nowhere I would rather be than the place that my mother constantly told me about as a child. She grew up here, right in the heart of Volterra. Now I can see the festival, enjoy the stories that I can still remember, and make the most of the time off I've been given by Carlisle.
The Saint Marcus Day festival robe clung to my legs due to the Italian heat, but I didn't mind it much. Red painted the seas of people that cheered and booed at the statues made of the infamous vampires that were driven out of the city almost five-hundred years ago. I can picture the images my mother kept from her childhood, the ones she left out in the kitchen around this time every year.
Being here reminds me too much of her. I haven't gone back home to Seattle to see her since he and I broke up. Or since Chrissy left both of us to save herself from his... behaviors. If the city didn't hold so many toxic memories I may have planned a visit. But my mother isn't much of a calling person, and she barely responds to my texts or letters. She hates writing in English, and I don't think she can actually read it. I think papa reads it out to her in Italian when the papers come through.
I ignored the chirp of my phone as the crowds started to screech again in a mix of Italian dialects and what sounded like ancient Roman hymns. Taking down my hood to stop myself from overheating, I glanced over at the pebbled road that led to the clock tower. I hadn't gotten the chance to go in there. I know there's supposed to be a tourist attraction every Saturday for foreigners. The locals refuse to enter the place, though. Bad omens or something along the lines of that. Superstition runs wild in these old coastal cities.
Tampering with the edges of the silky red cloak, I stride over to one of the best views of the parade. Thousands of bodies huddled together to create a single mash pit of crimson sleeves and hoods. They moved as a singular motion, and once again I found myself out of place in what was my mother's old home.
Before I could return to the crowd in an attempt at fitting in and not looking like just another American tourist, I felt my gut almost tug in the pit of my stomach. My vision blurred for a moment, but I realized what I was feeling at once. The panic began to set in, but the impending panic attack didn't occur. Instead, my brown eyes glanced over at a brightly, almost neon colored car pulled into the edges of the crowd.
I'd recognize that face anywhere. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the immortal pixie cut of Alice Cullen. Carlisle hadn't told me that she was coming to Italy during this time of year. Better yet, the girl she was right beside - getting out of the car - I'd only seen her in perhaps one picture at the house. The one that Alice kept in her rooms with her long-time boyfriend Jasper. Bella Swan, the ex-girlfriend of the always depressive Edward.
Whether or not the couple got together didn't really matter much to me. My connections to the family were mostly with Rosalie, Esme, and Carlisle, who liked to invite me over for meals they never ate with me. Kind of like - No, don't think about him right now. He's over. You never need to think about him ever again. Erased from your life. Carlisle made sure of it.
Against my better judgement, I didn't wave at her. She looked terrified, her lips pursed to a thin line and her hair slightly messy from the high speeds she must have been driving at. Bella seemed like this was all-or-nothing right now; a life or death situation. Then again, teenagers can be dramatic like that sometimes. But I couldn't help but be curious.
As the saying goes: curiosity killed the cat.
Beyond being perhaps the nosiest person to ever exist, needing to know what's happening at every moment of every day, I'm also perceptive. Bella running straight through a shit ton of strangers isn't normal, nor is literally charging down... Edward? Yeah, she just rammed him down. I don't think that was her intention, but it looks hilarious from a stranger's point of view. I'm just over here, half minding my own business, and this scrawny and suicidal looking teenager completely shoves a fully grown man to the ground.
Sneaking into the crowd, I find myself able to make my way to the clock tower without being seen by Alice. Checking to make sure that my shoes won't make that terrible squeaky noise, I descend into the area. Right when I was going to turn a corner, I saw three people I didn't recognize leading Edward and Bella further into the tower. Does this place even have employees? They must, but those two look like preteens. Okay, I'll look into that later. Maybe they're just short.
Okay the other one with them has to be on steroids though.
Once the coast was clear I managed to slip through the very little amount of security in the building. Damn, the place was almost bare. The best I could find in terms of lifeforms was the garden in the back. Clearly maintained by professionals, with how vibrant the grass was even in the summer heat. Nevertheless, I found myself entranced by the clock tower. Another place that haunted my mother's life. I get to see it with my own eyes.
I was a complete idiot for deciding to walk in the middle of a walkway. Right when I thought the coast was clear, I managed to ram myself completely into a much taller man. All I could see for a split second was red and pink flower petals that seemed to fall all over my body. I nearly cried out in pain. Scraped knees and flowers all over my body, I scrambled away from whatever unlucky guy was in my previous path.
To be honest, I thought I was going to die from pure embarrassment. My body quivered in fear of yelling and screaming, and all I could get was a glance at the most handsome thing I've ever seen. Blonde hair, black eyes, and paint white skin. If I weren't so terrified of what was to come I might have either asked for his number or begged for forgiveness.
But no. I ran. I ran as fast as my short legs could take me. If he was yelling, I couldn't hear it.
My shoes clattered along the tile floors as I rushed into the closest room I could find. And today isn't my lucky day, so it seems. Beyond the large, heavy dark brown doors were a group of people that I'd never seen before, plus the Cullens and Bella. If I wasn't in shock I might've screamed in terror, but the scene in front of me proved to turn my legs to stone and my gut to a spinning mess.
As I found my presence yet again not exactly fitting into this... scenario... I tried to let myself out of the other door that laid at the other side of the room. I didn't look up, I didn't even speak, but when I was halfway to the door, a group of employees stopped me from getting out. Well, my mother won't even be able to hear from me if these guys call the cops on us. She'll disown me. No. Yeah. Yeah, she would definitely disown me for getting arrested in another country. But does she have to know...?
"Can I please leave?" I asked politely, the little girl in front of me giving that look that absolutely can kill someone. "Like, I'm trying to get out of your hair right now."
"I don't care," she said coolly, her childish face showing a slight age to it. She turned around and asked, "What do you want to do with her, Master?"
"She will be staying here," a voice came from behind. I turned around, just as this girl had, and found myself glancing into the eyes of what could only be described as an angel up top a throne of pure gold. His block cloak flowed around his body as he raised an eyebrow. "You have little to be afraid of," he waved his hand out in front of himself at once before turning to another man just as beautiful as himself. "It seems the day is finally upon us, brother."
"It has indeed, Marcus," the other one said as he pushed his raven-hair.
"Edward, what's going on?" Bella's slightly hoarse voice rang through the chamber. "Who is she?"
"Carlisle's new intern," Edward said quickly before he turned his head to me. "She's been working with him for a few months. Alice," he turned to his sister, "she doesn't know -"
"And it will remain that way," she answered. "She's not supposed to be in here right now. This isn't about her, it's about you and Bella. River doesn't need to get in the middle of all of our issues."
"Yes, your issues," the dark-haired man in the front said with a slight chirp in his voice. Very cheery, almost terrifying. I could get lost in it's timbre. "The trial will continue as planned. Without River, of course. She can stay in extra rooms for now." Wait, wait, wait, is this guy trying to kidnap me or something? Oh hell no. Been there, done that. Not my thing. Not sexy at all.
For the first time I was able to really notice the way they looked. Gorgeous, Greek gods sculpted by the best artists in all of the world. But their skin was so pale, and one of them had eyes almost a reddish color. Just like his. Chrissy pointed that out to me one time, right before bed. The red-colored eyes that gleamed in the light. The white skin that lacked any pigment. But the hair, so vibrant and well-defined.
Edward's face instantly hardened at the arrangements. "Absolutely not. River doesn't need to stay in this place any longer. She already asked you if she could leave! What could you possibly want with Carlisle's intern? She's -" He stopped himself for a second, "not exactly your type of person to keep around, Aro."
To be honest, I don't really care where I go right now. I've already embarrassed myself beyond belief in front of very attractive people. I'd like to go home, but y'know if I stay here that's also fine. Totally fine. Just let me hide in a dark room and cry. I'm mortified.
Before the man, Aro, could react to Edward's defiance, a loud shutting noise from the door that I came through a few minutes prior. Aro sighed deeply. "Welcome back, Caius. Late, but I hope you took your time attending to that errand you were talking about this morning. Do sit down."
And he carried the same features as them as well. I thought he was one in a million. Just a freaky genetic issue he had. But so many people have this type of skin. Carlisle, these people around this room. God, everyone but Bella and I seem to have this lack of... something. They're all lacking something and I can't figure it out.
"W-Well I had places to be and you know I got delayed by-" he stopped and shook his head before sitting down on the last throne. Now they were sitting there like perched birds. The gold surrounding them were their bright feathers. "Get her away from those people. I don't want her near any of those-"
"Caius." Aro sent him a glare, shutting him up. "None of that right now," he said before turning to face one of the employees standing near the Cullens and I.
"Someone take our dear River to a free room. We will be able to meet with her shortly to discuss what occurred today, and make plans for her future here in Volterra."
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Well, this is the start! You may be thinking that it's a little similar to the first chapter of Broken Memories, but fear not, the plot is totally different and there will be no overlap from here on out. What I have planned is quite a wild ride for you, readers, and I hope you'll tune in for the next chapter once it comes out.
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