With a sad smile on her lips, she curled her arms around her father's figure one last time. They were leaving for Alaska, the three days they'd spent together flying by like someone had sped up the time. She tried to remember everything about her mother, the hard feeling of her skin and the sweet smell of her perfume, before releasing her again.
The tears were burning Cecilia's eyes and a smothered sob left her mouth as she focused her eyes on her parent's faces. Both were smiling calmly, but she knew that if they had any tears left to cry, their cheeks would be stained.
She put a step back, leaning into Demetri's strong embrace as she waved at her parents. "Have a save journey."
"Good luck, honey," her mother said. "Be strong."
Cecilia nodded, biting down hard on her lip to keep her emotions in check. She didn't dare to speak, afraid that her voice would crack and she would break down sobbing. It would only make it harder on her parents, who were quietly leaving the castle through some back doors. She forced a smile on her face as her father turned around to look over his shoulder one last time, before the doors closed after them.
Not being able to contain all her emotions a second longer, Cecilia broke down in tears, loud sobs escaping her mouth. She let herself be pulled in Demetri's embrace, curling her arms around his waist as she cried in his chest. The feeling of homesickness, the one that disappeared once she had all of her loved ones around her, crashed over her in tenfold, making her only cry harder and more pathetically.
"Hey, it's alright, cara mia," Demetri said, his voice soft and gentle. He leaned his head on hers, one of his hands brushing her hair soothingly, while the other stroked her back. "It's alright."
"I'm missing them already," she whimpered, squeezing her eyes shut. She felt pathetic, not for missing her family, but for having a full breakdown in a castle full of vampires, all of whom could hear her. She let out a sigh, trying to focus on her breathing. Breathing was the key to everything, she believed, and it proved her right once again as her sobbing slowly turned into shaky breaths.
She forced herself to pull away from Demetri, and looking in his red eyes, she felt some of her sadness ebb away. A feeling of warmth settled in her stomach as she felt his cold fingers remove the tears from her cheeks, gently, as if she was made of china. At least she still had him, when the rest of her family was thousands of miles away.
Grabbing his hand, she pulled him in the direction of the gardens, a place that somehow always managed to calm her down. Maybe it was the peace and calm it offered, something so in contrast with the things going on inside of the Volturi. Cecilia felt him squeezing her hand, ever so lightly, and she looked up, still amazed at the way his skin shattered in reflection of the sun. He looked like a war hero from Homerus's stories.
"Have you already settled on a day?" Demetri asked, as he focused his eyes on the path they were walking. He was talking about the day he bite her, turning her into the creature she was surrounded with.
"As soon as possible," she said, nodding to herself. With her free hand, she brushed a strand of hair out of her face. She had been preparing for the moment for over a month now and she simply couldn't wait any longer. She knew it was going to be excruciating for three days and she'd rather have it over with. "If Aro will allow it, tomorrow will be the day."
"Tomorrow?" he repeated, a look of shock crossing his face. He pulled on her hand, their eyes meeting not a second later. "Are you sure that's not a little rushed?"
"No," she said determinedly, shaking her head with a convincing smile. "I've been waiting for this moment my entire life, Demetri. Especially the last five weeks I've had a tremendous amount of time to consider it. I'm ready."
"In that case, we better announce it to the masters," he said, changing his course back to the castle instead of deeper in the gardens. He looked over his shoulder with a sly smile. "While you think about what you want to eat. You know, just in case it doesn't taste the same anymore."
She rolled her eyes and gave him a little shove, the gesture not moving him an inch. "You're a jerk."
➻
"So, your wish is to be turned tomorrow?" Aro asked, his eyes twinkling with excitement.
Cecilia was standing in the middle of the throne room, the place making her skin crawl with discomfort as memories flooded her mind. Pushing the thoughts about Aurelia away, she focused her eyes on the ancient vampire in front of her. She reckoned he looked something like a child on the night before Christmas. She was not his present to unwrap, though, she wouldn't allow it.
"Actually," she said, coughing softly. She shared a quick glance with Demetri, who was standing next to her, giving her a nod of encouragement. "I was wondering if it was possible for it to happen after Demetri and I return from dinner later tonight?"
Aro pretended to consider the words for a while, sharing his own looks. Cecilia let her eyes wander to Caius, who looked like grumpy ice princess he usually was. That she would ever admit that alive, not if she had any value left for her own life. She couldn't help but wonder what made him so bitter, or perhaps he just hated her, because she was a Cullen. Her eyes shifted to Marcus next. He was already looking at her, a little jolt of shock passing through her body. Staring at somebody was one thing, but to be caught was a whole other thing. Fortunately for her, Marcus didn't appear angry, but rather... amused. As if he knew something she didn't.
"Well, who am I to stand in the way of a wish of immortality?" Aro all of a sudden said, clapping his hands together loudly. Snapping out of her thoughts, Cecilia looked at him again, a smile on her face so sweet it burned the muscles in her cheeks. "Tonight it will be then."
"Thank you," Cecilia said, curtseying slightly.
She felt Demetri's hand find hers and she intertwined their fingers, giving the masters one seemingly grateful smile, before turning her back on them and leaving the throne room with her soulmate. Her heart was racing slightly, the way it always did in the presence of the highest of the vampire world.
"So, where do you want to eat?" Demetri asked as soon as they were an appropriate distance away from the throne room.
"Hmm, that's a difficult decision," she said absentmindedly. She wondered what she wanted to be the last thing she ever ate, before switching to a diet that was completely different altogether. The images of pasta, sushi, pizza and steaks crossed her mind, all of them causing her stomach to rumble loudly. "I love everything."
"Sad thing you can't eat everything," he countered, a bemused expression on his face.
She raised a daring eyebrow. "Are you challenging me?"
Demetri let out a sigh and rolled his eyes. Without any warning, his arms locked themselves around her middle, pulling her flush against his body. Instantly, her heart started hammering again and breathlessly, she stared into his eyes. He smirked, probably at the sound of her heart pumping and her blood flushing. "Must you turn everything I say into a challenge?"
"I'm not the one making such bold statements," Cecilia mused, her eyes twinkling with joy. Standing in his strong arms like this, she could almost make her forget the horrible circumstances they were in.
"Since when is the truth bold?"
"Isn't it always?"
"Maybe."
She stared into his eyes, not missing the way his flicked from her lips to her eyes and back. Feeling giddy, she went to stand on her tiptoes, pressing her lips to his cheek, annoying close to his mouth. Cecilia freed herself from his arms, running away from him as a chuckle escaped her mouth.
"Now, that's rude," Demetri called after her and as she looked over her shoulder, she saw he'd started running as well. Though it was at human speed, it was still a lot faster than her legs could manage.
On the last possible moment, she side-stepped into one of the many corridors before continuing her way deeper inside the castle. She was running to one of the only places she had memorized the way to, which also happened to be the place Demetri had kissed her first.
Appreciating the way he kept just enough distance so that he wasn't able to reach her, Cecilia moved between two shelves, holding her breath. She heard his footsteps slow down as well, and bending slightly so she was able to see in between the books, she realised he was walking along two shelves away from her. Taking off her shoes as quietly as possible, she crossed the path in between the two aisles, hiding behind another shelf.
"Ooh Cecilia," she heard Demetri sing. "Where are you?"
He could locate her within a second, as he only had to listen to her quick breathing and the hammering of her heart, but a smile came to her lips nevertheless. She could only imagine how she could beat him at his tracking games once she was a vampire. Then she would be able to move without making a single sound.
"Found you," she all of sudden heard him whisper in her ear, as his arms caught her body.
She let out a loud and very unladylike shriek, one that made the vampire holding her burst out in laugher. She grabbed for her heart, willing it to slow down while a fake angry expression came to her face. "You scared me half to death."
"It's not my fault you scare so easily," Demetri countered. "I think it's rather amusing."
She scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Of course you do."
His red eyes caught hers and she stared in them, her breath taken away. Her hands found the fabric of his shirt, pulling him closer still, while his hand cradled her cheek gently. Then he bend down while she lifted herself up ever so slightly, their lips meeting halfway. They kept on standing there, not bothered by the world surrounding them. Just Cecilia, Demetri and a whole lot of books.