03
Twilight
T e s t i n g F a t e
NOVEMBER OF 1663
THE NEXT MORNING, young Adelina Cullen awoke to the smell of freshly baked bread. She smiled to herself – she forgot the weeks previous events. She opened her eyes and crawled out of bed, but when she looked around the room, she realized it wasn't her bedroom. This small room was unfamiliar; the bed and the nightgown she wore wasn't familiar. Everything came rushing back to her and tears welled up in her eyes – she dreamed an amazing dream and when she awoke, she thought it was real. In the dream, she ran downstairs and was greeted by her mother and sister, who were both covered in flour after making dough for bread. Her father was sitting at the table – she should have known, he was never there in the morning – and he smiled at his girls. It wasn't the fact that it was only dream that made her cry – it was the fact that she'd never have that again.
Her older sister, Madeline Cullen, went missing almost two years ago when Adele was about four years old. She went out at dawn to the market to gather food for dinner for their mother, but never returned. Her mother and father always insisted the vampires got a hold of her. Adele still had hope, even if her parents lost all of theirs. Madeline was fourteen at the time she went missing....but after seeing her mother.... all of the hope was drained from her. Nothing would ever be the same.
She lost all of her family to the vampires: they must've been the reason why her sister disappeared, they murdered her mother, her grandfather, and now she lost a piece of her father as he was now a vampire himself. She might've lost a piece of herself to them, too, for she didn't know if she would become one of them in years to come. All of these thoughts overwhelmed the six-year-old girl. She shouldn't have had to think that way. She shouldn't have had to face these problems and yet there she was, sobbing in a stranger's manor.
She left the bedroom and slowly descended the stairs, trying to listen in on the conversation between Liliana and her father. She sat down on a stair and listened in – only she did not realize that they were many rooms away and she could hear them perfectly.
"You have a mother's touch." Carlisle smiled at Lilian. His posture was stiff and proper as all vampires presented themselves.
"I'd hope so, Mr. Cullen. I am going to be a first-time mother in a few short months." she smiled as she sliced the bread. Now that Carlisle paid closer attention, he did, in fact, hear her heartbeat along with the heartbeat of the fetus in her womb.
"Congratulations."
"Thank you."
Adele entered the room quietly but as the floorboards creaked under her weight, their heads snapped to her and smiled warmly at her. Carlisle took his daughter into the living room and Liliana brought in a tray holding a kettle, cups and containers of milk and sugar.
"Would you like a cup of tea, darling?" Adele nodded. Liliana proceeded to pour her a cup, "Milk and sugar?" Adele nodded once again and once Lilian finished, she handed her the tea. Adele murmured a thanks before sipping the warm liquid.
"Oh hope you know you are welcome to stay here for as long as you may like." Liliana looked to Carlisle.
Carlisle looked up from admiring his daughter and shook his head, "Oh, that's quite alright. We'll find shelter elsewhere. We wouldn't want to cause any trouble with your husband."
"It is just me in this manor, Mr. Cullen." she smiled sadly, "My husband was died in the war earlier this year."
"My condolences, Miss Kensington." he frowned.
"Thank you." she nodded. She took a sip of her tea and then smiled, "I'd be happy to have some company. It gets very lonely here. Please, I insist."
Carlisle pondered over the offer for a moment. It wasn't like they had anywhere else to go. He nodded, "Thank you, Miss Kensington."
"I think now that we reside together, we must call each other on a first name basis." she chuckled, "Call me Lily."
"Alright, Lily."
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"So why am I coming along again?" Adele sighed. She was perfectly comfortable at home, in her room, reading a book while everyone else went out hunting. Edward, of course, ran off to stalk Isabella Swan.
Carlisle glanced at her as she turned on the radio and tuned through radios channels, "Waylon Forge was attacked and killed, with three alleged animal bites on his body. They have asked me to go into town and examine his body. I wanted your help."
Adele learned a lot about medicine after staying by her father's side for hundreds of year. She earned a few doctorates in earlier decades but just like Carlisle, people would start to notice they weren't aging and they would have to move. Adele hadn't bothered to earn another valid doctorate in years as they moved so much due to modern technology.
As he drove onto the main road, she played some oldies and Carlisle smiled, chuckling a little at her choice of music. He turned to look at her as she nodded her head to the music. "Really? The eighties?"
"Aye, they're the best songs of the century."
He let out a short laugh that conveyed that he disagreed, "I'd much prefer Ludwig van Beethoven or Mozart. Even Bach."
"I suppose." she grinned, "But you must admit the Beatles and The Rolling Stones are amazing."
"Alright, I'll give you that one."
A few minutes later, Carlisle pulled into the parking lot to the police station. Sheriff Swan leaned against his cruiser car with a grave expression on his face as they parked and emerged from the car. An ambulance was parked by the back entrance and there was no doubt in Adele's mind that the body of Waylon Forge was in it, hidden from the sight of nosy civilians.
Once he exited the car, Carlisle was immediately bombarded by the coroner, a few detectives and the Sheriff. They exchanged a few words upon meeting and Adele learned that Sheriff Swan knew the victim. She moved to follow her father but he discreetly shook his head – the investigation was now top priority. Instead, she made her way onto the front deck of the small police station and crossed her arms, watching from afar. Sheriff Swan was sitting on a bench a little ways to her right and looked up, "You sure you want to be seeing this?" he glanced at the uncovered mutilated body of his old friend and quickly averted his gazed "It's not exactly the best sight for a young person to see."
She fought the urge to laugh. She had seen so much worse than that in her many years on their earth. "Oh, it's alright. My dad has brought me to a few of these rodeos – he says it's good preparation for when I follow in his footsteps."
"Oh," Sheriff Swan nodded, running a hand over his face. Adele could see he wanted to keep a conversation going to distract himself from the sight across the lot. "So I assume you have the grades for it?"
"Yes, sir."
He nodded again. It wasn't a surprise to her when she read his thought and saw that while he was impressed, he also expected such prodigal standards for Carlisle Cullen's daughter. She tried not to let a flattering smile grace her lips as he broke the silence again, "You wouldn't happen to know my daughter, Bella, would you?"
"Oh yeah. Bella. I've acquainted myself with her." she thought of the clumsy brunette who was probably with Edward right now. Ever since the school field trip a few days ago, the human and the vampire became fascinated with each other – she feared they would get tangled in the strings of their piquancies. "It's my brother who really knows her, though."
His brow furrowed dubiously and he looked just about ready to perform a background check on the boy spending time with his little girl, "Which brother is that?"
"My younger brother, Edward." Edward was frozen as a seventeen year old, making him the third eldest in the public's eyes as Rosalie was frozen at eighteen. Adele was also frozen at eighteen but it was only apt that she claim she was the oldest.
"Well, I was just about to ask one of my men to go to our house and look for her. I thought she went out with her girl friends." he coughed, "But then maybe you could find out where she is?"
As he said this, Edward's silver Volvo pulled into the lot, "I don't think that's necessary." He followed her gaze to the silver Volvo where his daughter sat in the passenger's seat of Edward Cullen's car. Adele turned back to the Sheriff, "Goodnight, Sheriff. My condolences about Waylon Forge."
He bid her a gloomy goodnight and watched her meet up with the pair as they walked up to her car. After having a quick chat with Sheriff Swan, Carlisle also made his way over. Edward furrowed his eyebrows, glancing at the Coroner's truck as it also pulled into the lot. "Carlisle, what happened?"
Bella looked at him for answers, her gaze flickering to Adele who offered her a small smile and nod. Carlisle sighed, "Waylon Forge was found in the woods out near his place. I just helped to examine the body."
Adele looked at Edward. Another vampire attack, except they went out of their way to tear him up. Edward's features darkened. Bella's eyes followed the body bag as it was transferred from the ambulance to the coroner's truck. A sickening feeling rooted itself in the pit of her stomach; she never heard of anything so foul to happen in Forks. "He died? How?"
"Animal attack."
"The same kind that killed the security guard down in Mason?" The doors to the truck slammed shut and they drove out of the lot. Adele delved into Bella's mind and realized the latter was doing some research of her own after the first animal attack. She suddenly found herself looking through Bella's eyes as the girl picked out a book of the legends of the Quileute Native American tribe. A printed oil painting of a pale man (vampire) and a tan man (tribe chief) stared back at her. Carlisle nodded gravely in response to Bella's question. "So it's getting closer to town."
"Waylon lived all the way down on Queets River – seventy-five miles south." Edward muttered to Adele.
Bella happened to overhear, "But that's–"
Adele kindly cut Bella off so she wouldn't inquire further. She glanced back at Sheriff Swan as he went inside, "Bella, you should go inside. Waylon was your father's friend." So with a last goodbye to the Cullens, she weaved through the parked police cruisers and followed her father into the station.
Edward looked at them, shaking his head, "These attacks are getting out of hand."
"Yes." Carlisle nodded sullenly. A confrontation was that last thing that he wanted, but if there was another attack, it would raise suspicions and put their clan in jeopardy. "We have to make it known that this is our territory."
"That is the least of our troubles at the moment." Adele stared after Bella, the gears in her mind working a mile a second. She was also very good with her mind and anticipating events was a gift of hers.
"What's that?" Carlisle could almost she the tornado of thoughts in her eyes. He was always amazed by how her mind worked and it intrigued him when he learned that only she could push past the bluffed boundaries and read Bella's mind. As for Edward, it was the one thing that drew him to Bella.
"Isabella is very close to figuring out our secret. It's no longer a matter of time anymore – the ship has sailed." she glanced at Edward. His infatuation with her was only speeding up the process. "She has begun to figure out that were are not human."
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Carlisle and Adele returned home a half-an-hour later and were greeted on the front deck by a concerned Esme and a fuming Rosalie – Carlisle called the house when they were leaving to tell them about their predicament concerning Bella Swan. It was a shame Adele couldn't drink because if she had a shot for every single time Rosalie bitched about the human girl, she'd be on the floor drunk.
"Are you sure she knows?" Esme frowned, pushing her auburn hair over her shoulders. Carlisle hung up his coat and joined them in the living room where Emmett, Jasper and Slice patiently waited. "Maybe it's just a theory. And if not, Edward can convince her otherwise?"
"No, She knows." Adele sighed, tying her blonde hair back. "I saw it in her mind. She found a book on the Quileute legends and she's begun to read it. It's only a matter of time." she glanced at Jasper and Emmett, "Am I the only one who finds it hilarious that she found the most unflattering book to read about vampires?"
"If figures it out, we won't be able to convince her otherwise. Not many humans have open minds to think of our existence as a possibility." Carlisle wrapped an arm around Esme, "And no, Rose, killing her is not even a thought."
Rose, who was about to speak, shut her mouth again and sat down, defeated.
"Don't get me wrong, I don't want to kill her, but if it comes down to the Volturi," she spat the name and Carlisle opened his mouth the disagree, "And they will find out, they'll either give us the choice to turn her into one of us or they'll kill her themselves." Carlisle pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. When he transitioned into a vampire, he swore an oath to use his newfound abilities for good – he would become a doctor with centuries of medical knowledge in his pocket and he would only turn those on the brink of death.
"Edward won't let the human die." Rosalie mumbled. Edward waited for Bella in the lot after Carlisle and Adele left and an hour had passed since then. He should've been back by now. Jasper squirmed in his seat as they sat in a tense silence – he could feel the resentment boiling inside of Rosalie, the sense of dread bubbling inside of Adele, and the anticipation growing within Carlisle and Esme as they awaited the outburst to come.
"He should've known better." Rosalie muttered, "His mistake now affects us all."
"We've established that, Rose." Adele huffed.
"What could he do?" Alice chimed in, "She's his mate even if she is human. Besides, he could always turn her on his own." This didn't earn many good points with Carlisle.
"It takes a lot of self control and restraint to turn another into one of our kind." Carlisle recalled the time a little over a century ago when he turned Edward and Esme after they nearly lost their battles against the influenza. And Rosalie, who he changed when she was left for dead in the streets after she was brutally attacked and sexually assaulted. "Besides, that is not what we do. We do not change humans into one of us unless they're terminally ill or dying."
"Or if they're going to face a fate worse than death." Adele muttered with a far away look in her eyes. She thought of her late lover who suffered a horrible fate before his untimely death – but he was already a vampire when he died.
"Yes, but we wouldn't wish this life upon anyone unless they wanted it." Esme vividly remembered how she first felt when she transitioned; scared, confused...but thankfully never lonely.
The front door opened and Edward entered the house with a faraway look in his eyes as he shut it behind him. To their relief, he was alone – and free to receive a hell of a lot of fury from his family.
"Edward, what's happened?" Carlisle questioned him immediately, standing up with Adele.
Edward recalled what happened from the very beginning: he followed Bella from the police station in his car as she had decided to walk home since her father was staying late. When she made a wrong turn into an alley, he saved her from a group of thugs who tried to assault her. In a very tense car ride to return Bella to her human friends, their hands touched as they reached for the button to turn on the heat – she felt his porcelain skin; as cold and hard as stone that sent a shiver through her body. "You're so cold," she had said and then she figured it out. Speed, agility, remaining dormant on sunny days – "I know what you are," she had said, balling her fists as they stood in the woods some time later, "A vampire." And Edward didn't deny her accusations. – in fact, he hoped she would've gotten it sooner. Through intimidation tactics and multiples displays of strength, she feared him not.
Adele reeled out of his mind and tuned into Rosalie and Edward's shouting match, "Do you have any idea what you've done? You've put us all in danger!"
"Don't you think I know that?!"
"Oh, I very well know that you knew of the consequences to your actions – yet, you still proceeded without a plan or any thought as to what could happen to us or her!" Adele growled. Rosalie seemed relieved that someone had joined her side, at last.
"I expected a scolding from Rose, but you Adele?" He felt betrayed. She knew more than anyone how long he wanted to feel some kind of love like this.
"What you did was selfish, Edward!"
"Really? You think it was selfish?" For over s hundred years, he ruined himself and damned his soul in his misery of being what he was. All he ever had to hang onto was Carlisle and Adele, who constantly promised him he would live to see the day where he wouldn't regret being what he was. That day is today, he thought, I've finally found someone who makes this long life worth living.
Adele heard his defensive thoughts and she understood more than anyone, but his selfishness was going to get the girl killed and he would be left in his melancholy once more. "Yes it was selfish, you idiot! Don't you dare say you did it for that girl's sake, because not only have you put our entire family in danger, you have condemned that innocent human to death by the Volturi's hand!" Her anger was growing like a wildfire and Edward's indenial was stoking it – Jasper couldn't be of any help to them now.
He grabbed his hair in his frustration, fuming, "She will not die at the Volturi's hand!"
"You know damn well what they're capable of! They won't hesitate!"
"Then we'll turn her!" Maybe he was being selfish and hell, maybe he didn't deserve to be, but he had to know this girl. He had to have Bella Swan and he was ready to pay any price.
"So she can spend her life watching the people she cares about die, while she's frozen in time forever? So she can face the immense suffering as we do when we haven't had blood in days or weeks?!" she argued. Esme pulled Rosalie away from the pair as the situation became more heated. "You really wish to condemn her to that life?!"
"No – I don't know!" he seethed.
"Do you hear yourself? You are indecisive, you are stuck – all because you acted impulsively!" he balled his fists and counted to ten in his head. Adele turned around and calmed her voice to a gravely tone, "You don't take the concept of the consequences the human will face seriously, Edward."
The rest of the family really shouldn't have been in there, but they couldn't decide whether to pull the two apart or let it play out. They all hoped Adele would get through to Edward. The pair were always so close, usually she was capable of doing such a thing, so if she couldn't, no one could.
Edward shook with rage and when he turned back to her, he looked at her and spoke in an alarmingly quiet tone, "Who are you to say that when your every word oozes with hypocrisy?"
Everyone was horrified by his insensitive remark. Carlisle stepped up to intervene and Rosalie brought her hand to her mouth. Adele stared at him; all she ever tried to do for her family was protect them and there she was, trying to protect Edward from a inexplainable agony that she once endured herself.
"Edward! Ho–" Esme gaped at his outburst but her words faded as Adele stepped up and looked Edward right in the eyes.
"You accuse me of being a hypocrite when not once have I said I ever did otherwise. Can't you see I'm trying to get through to you?" she set her jaw. She was only a foot away from him now and while Edward felt an urge to back away, he rooted his feet into the floor. "I know what it feels like to lose a mate, my one true love, and I could not bare to see you – any of you – go through that endless agony."
Realization sucker-punched Edward in the face and he bowed his head in shame. He never thought of it like that. Adele was only trying to help him and he utilized her emotional weakness to hurt her. Jasper could feel the remorse and shame rolling off of Edward in waves. "Adele, I'm s–"
She held her hand up for him to stop, "–Do what you will, Edward." she grabbed her jacket from the back of the sofa and sighed, "I just truly hope that you make the right decision because if you don't, everything the human cares about and everything you care about will vanish before your eyes."
He didn't meet her eyes as she muttered a "Goodnight" and left the living room. He looked up at the others and saw their shared looks of disappointment. Rosalie scowled st him, shaking his head in disbelief – how did have have the nerve to say that to her? She stalked off and Emmett shrugged, following after his mate. Alice met his eyes but the deep frown on her face made Edward wish she hadn't. She walked off to her own room and Jasper clapped his brother on the back before following.
"I'm sorry." He looked at Carlisle and Esme. He loved Bella Swan. He barely knew her, but he loved her. He loved watching her sleep, watching her recover from her clumsiness, he loved the way her nose crinkled when he smiled at her for too long. "But she's my mate...I can't ignore that."
"We're not asking you to, Edward." said Carlisle, "We're just asking you to think this through."
With a nod, he departed from the living room and quietly sped up to his bedroom. Adele shut her door seconds after entering her own bedroom and swallowed the lump forming in her throat as she heard everyone head off to their own respective rooms. Adele's room was secluded from the others – she was on the third floor, where Edward's bedroom and one empty bedroom were located. Alice and Jasper's room was next to Emmett and Rosalie's room on the second floor; separated by two connected bathrooms. Carlisle and Esme had the master bedroom on the ground level floor as it was the most spacious. Adele liked that her room was on the topmost floor, because it allowed her a beautiful view of the trees surrounding the modern home.
She grabbed a blanket from the end of her Queen-sized bed and settled down in her armchair right next to the glass. She turned her back to the rest of her room and pulled the blanket over her. Her room was very plain because she put all of her personal items and memorable tokens away on dark wooden shelves which covered the entire wall her bed was posted again. There were oil paintings of Adele with friends in the late eight and ninth centuries, black and white framed photographs of Adele with friends from the roaring twenties to the humble fifties and the hippie sixties – there were no photographs of her in the seventies....disco was not her thing. Anyone who walked into her room and took the time to examine the shelves would see several lifetimes and era represented by each photograph and memento.
As the exhaustion from the day's events and Edward's drama washed over her, she admired the clouded night sky and the leaves as the ruffled in the cool breeze. The moon peeked from behind a cloud, awakening from its nocturnal slumber and shone its delicate beams on the tree tops. In the distance, she heard the hoots of owls and the pattering of wildlife as they roamed the woods. It was all so peaceful – peaceful enough to send her right to sleep.
THE WINTER OF 1671
Eight years passed after Carlisle and young Adelina had obliged to reside with Lilliana Kensington. She delivered her child many years before – she mothered a baby boy named Charles Kensington. He grew to be almost eight years old when Carlisle and Adelina finally parted ways with them. Carlisle insisted they start a new life elsewhere. Of course, he grew to fancy Lily but he knew that one day she would die of old age and he'd remain frozen in time. Liliana wept for many days after they bid her a final farewell and thank her endlessly for her love, care, and hospitality.
During the years that the two stayed with Liliana, Carlisle began to study medicine with the hopes that he could somehow help Adele before the venom reached her heart. She began to show many signs of budding vampirism as she grew older but yet, she remained human. She grew to be fourteen-years-old when they left the Liliana's manor. Carlisle found that he was really intrigued by the art of medicine despite the pressure of helping his daughter and so they decided to move to Italy, where the finest doctors were located.
When they settled there in a small cottage much like their first, they came across another vampire coven. The coven was large enough to be noticed by others of their kind, but they caught really Carlisle's attention when he noticed how civilized they were – at least, in comparison to others they came across before. This almighty coven called themselves the Volturi and they were very old; their leaders – Aro, Caius and Marcus – dated back to before the Common Era – and they always sought to expand their numbers with gifted vampires. It would only be a few years after moving to Italy, after Aro had his spies watch the father and daughter, that he would ask them to join his coven. Why? Because he saw something in Adelina, he saw a vessel waiting for her extraordinary gift to bloom. So they accepted – and it would prove to be the worst mistake of their long lives.
In the beginning, Carlisle was happy with the Volturi. He and Aro became the best of friends and he became a trusted advisor to the kings. They were dressed in the finest silks and were treated like nobles, but Adele was always skeptical and weary of them – she learned to read people from a young age. Aro and Caius noticed this and decided to hold a ball where she could meet dozens of worthy suitors for herself. The plan worked like a charm. She was soon blinded to the ways of the mad kings when a band of blond brothers, the Rosewoods, were recruited. She found her mate in the youngest brother, Jace Rosewood, who transitioned into a vampire when he was only nineteen – and it took place a decade after Carlisle was.
They met at the ball in Volterra castle.
Adele could remember that night perfectly. She wore a wine-purple gown, black heeled shoes and her hair was held together in a neat updo by a amethyst brooch – an ensemble that greatly annoyed Jane Volturi, who was always jealous of her. Her lips were rouged, her cheeks had a natural human blush, but her eyes remained untouched for her piercing blue irises were a marvel even to the insanely beautiful vampires among her.
At the time, she was still considered human due to her beating heart and the blood pumping through her veins. She aged very slowly over the years and on that day, she looked eighteen-years old.
She stood alone on the steps of the royal platform, sipping a sweet wine from her glass when the Volturi's newest member noticed her. He stood with his older brother and younger brother, chatting with a few nobles of the city. He admired her natural beauty, the way her lips quirked into smirk as a cupbearer poured her more wine, and he immediately sensed a difference between the other vampires in the room and her. They were small and insignificant compared to her, an angel made flesh. When he excused himself from the conversation and weaved through the dancing groups toward her, he heard the sound of her beating heart and the saw the natural flush of pink in her cheeks. He was only more intrigued.
Aro recognized his intentions and discreetly intervened, approaching him with a smile.
"Excuse me, Master, but who is that fair maiden over there?"
He pretended to skim the crowd for her, "Ahh, Miss Adelina Cullen – a true beauty, isn't she?" Jace nodded, "She is the daughter of Carlisle Cullen, over there. They are wo of our most faithful members."
"Is she human or vampire?"
"Why ask me when you can ask her yourself? She appeared to be lonely over there, after all." Aro left him to join another conversation. Jace straightened out his suit, put on a smile and made his way over to her. With her enhanced hearing, she heard him approaching and met his golden eyes. It was comical to say that she was intrigued by him – she never saw golden eyes on a vampire before.
"Hello, Miss." he greeted warmly, "How are you tonight?"
"Bored out of my wits." she giggled, " And yourself?"
He smiled charmingly, "I also found myself becoming quite bored, but that was until my eyes rested upon you."
"I see you are quite the charmer." she smiled, "What might your name be?"
"Jace." he replied, dodging a particularly scandalous pair of dancers as they paraded around the room, "Jace of House Rosewood."
"Well, Jace, it's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Adelina Cullen."
"A beautiful name for a beautiful girl."
"It will require much more than a few compliments to soften my heart, Mr. Rosewood." she laughed and handed him her glass, "And more wine."
He stopped a passing cupbearer and filledher glass again. When he handed it to her, he said, "Please, call me Jace." He chuckled, "So, may I ask something of you?" she sipped her wine and nodded. He tried to find the best way to phrase his question, "I was pondering over it from the other end of the room – I noticed you seem both a human and a cold one. How is that....possible?"
"Maybe if you accompany me on a walk in the garden I will consider answering your question, hmm?" she smiled. The corners of the mouth quirked up; he was always used to having to be the one to flirt.
"Ooh, you won't be easy." he laughed and offered her his arm, "Alright, shall we?"
She looped her arm into his, "We shall."
They laughed it off and talked the entire night and they even danced when the musicians stopped playing. Snow began to fall but that didn't stop the pair. Jace draped his dress coat over her shoulder and she smiled. From the northern tower which overlooked the courtyard and gardens, Aro smiled to himself, appraising himself for pushing Jace and Adele together. He knew they would fall in love and that would mean Adele would stay with the Volturi. She already began to show signs of a marvelous gift – possibly one that could be even better than the twins – and he could not lose it. He would keep her there at any cost.
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Adele finished the last page of her novel just as Edward entered the house after spending the morning with Bella. The family was scattered around the house but Edward knew that they would head him when he told them. She turned to face him as he entered the living room where she sat in a comfortable silence with her dad and Esme. She wasn't angry with Edward any longer – he came up to her room and apologized around dawn when she awoke. Before Edward even opened his mouth, Adele knew what he planned to say.
"I've invited Bella over to meet you all." he announced awkwardly. Esme and Carlisle smiled as normal parents do when their son decides to bring a girl home to meet the family. Adele heard Alice squeal with excitement from her bedroom, but she also heard Jasper's screaming thoughts – he was worried. He was the newest vegetarian in the family, therefore he was very susceptible to losing control – especially considering Bella's intoxicating scent.
Adele didn't need to listen for Rosalie or read her mind to know a scowl was growing on her beautiful face. She hated the fact that a clumsy, naive human girl knew their secret and now that her one escape from the human world was going to be infiltrated by a human....her dismay only grew. Adele wondered how Emmett could deal with her, sometimes. "The good outweighs the bad, you know? Everyone has their flaws." he once told her.
"Please don't embarrass me." He pleaded and turned to Emmett with serious eyes, "And no vampire jokes." Emmett chuckled and held his hands out in surrender.
"When will she be coming, Edward?" Esme queried with a sweet smile. When Adele forgave Edward, so did Esme. She was never one to whold a grudge.
"Tomorrow afternoon."
"Alright, well then I'll see you all later." Adele placed her book back on the neat bookshelf and grabbed her coat from the rack by the entrance.
Carlisle looked up from his paperwork, "Where are you going?"
"I just need some air, is all." She exited the house and walked straight into the woods. When the house was only a dot in the distance, Adele leapt into the trees and ran amok. Her mind was drowning in thoughts and memories she had long ago tried to suppress. She tried reading books, watching television, spending time with her family – anything but sleeping – and it didn't work. Every time Edward walked into the house with a lovestruck smile on his face, she was reminded of the star-crossed love making him happy in the first place. But she was afraid that Edward would suffer the same onslaught of calamities as she had. After all, her love was star-crossed too, once upon a time...
When she found a tree branch thick enough to withstand her weight, she sat down and sighed. For days, she argued with herself about telling her dad about her night terrors and the memories she relived within them. He thought she would barely remember the death of her mother or how she was first bitten since she was so young. Truth was, she could never forget – she could recall every vivid detail: her mother's broken neck, the blood drying on her little hands, the agonizing heat that rushed through her veins when the vampire venom entered her system.
Adele didn't think she should burden Carlisle with the torments of her past when he was so happy in the present. And after her excruciating transformation in the early 1930s when the venom finally reached her heart...it lasted a week....and Carlisle blamed himself for years. He wouldn't hunt, he wouldn't talk, he would just sit in the dark and wallow in his failure – until Esme helped Adele pulled him out of it. No, she thought, I can't do that to him again. She couldn't let him know, she had to be strong for him – for all of them.
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The next morning, Esme sent Emmett and Adele out to the grocery store where they were to get food for an Italian dinner, so naturally, they bought half of the store's contents. They returned an hour later with a dozen grocery bags and Emmett was immediately whisked into the tornado that was chef Esme. Carlisle obliged to help while Rosalie participated reluctantly. Alice and Jasper were off hunting so they would be fully content with their cravings before Bella and Edward arrived.
"Edward is going to make up some lame excuse, you know." Adele put the grocery bags away in one of the many empty kitchen cabinets. The kitchen looked like it came from a catalog: black wooden finishes with solid quarts countertops and a farmhouse sink to accent it all out. She hopped onto a stool at the island and watched the four of them maneuver around each other. Rosalie took charge of the salad, Carlisle tended to the garlic bread, Esme prepared the chicken Parmesan and Emmett...well, Emmett struggled to start the dishwasher.
"Maybe," said Esme, "But it's the thought that counts."
"Trust me, he's going to trample all over your thoughts as soon as he gets within reach. Just a heads up."
Carlisle chuckled, "Thank you for the heads up."
Adele gave him a thumbs up and watched Esme make the chicken. Carlisle put a smile on his wife's face when he turned on the sound system and played Italian songs. All was peaceful and well until Rosalie's thoughts pushed their way into her head. She's a naive and selfish human – inviting her into our home like she's one of us – the bitch hasn't even known about us for two days – and why are we cooking a meal that could feed the entire town? – this is bulls-
As they heard Edward's car pull into the driveway, Esme beamed and placed the chicken in the oven. As she took off the oven mitts to help Emmett – who still hadn't figured out the dishwasher – Rosalie's thought became louder and more foul. Rose, play nicely. The Swan girl hasn't done anything to you – don't start out on the wrong foot. It was probably too late seeing as Rosalie never really left a good first impression.
"Let the awkwardness begin." said Adele and with that, she disappeared in a blur. She watched from the roof as Edward sped around his car to open the door for Bella, who grinned awkwardly at him.
"Did we miss anything?" inquired Alice as she and Jasper sped up from behind her.
"Nope." After she admired the modern structure that was the Cullen house, he led her into the house. She was in awe; everything was so plain but so pretty. The living room had three modern sofas which faced a large flat screen television and surrounded a large glass coffee table. Pushed up against the walls on either side of the television stand, large bookshelves held new books and old books. Everything was open and coordinated – she expected moats and coffins and dark rooms.
She gaped, "It's so light and open."
"Thanks to tinted windows, it's the one place we never have to hide." he said.
Edward shook his head after they heard the clanging of dishes being loaded into the dishwasher in the kitchen and the soft Italian music. Bells furrowed her eyes brows and looked at him questioningly. He shook his head, "I told them not to do this."
"I suppose that's our cue." said Adele. The three of them leapt down from the roof.
Edward and Bella entered the kitchen to as most of the family finished preparing different plates of food. From the time that Adele left, Esme turned on a cooking show as she helped Emmett load the dishwasher. Rosalie didn't bother to hide her annoyance as she tossed the salad. Esme saw Bella first and looked up from what she was doing. She gave the shy girl a warm maternal smile, "Bella, we're making Italiano for you."
"This is Esme," Edward introduced Esme, "My mother for all intents and purposes."
"Bon giorno?" Bella attempted to speak in Italian.
"Molto bene!" Very good, said an angelic voice in Bella's head. She furrowed her eyes brows – she knew that voice. Bella looked over to the island to see Adele leaning on the doorframe beside Edward, "Do you know the language?" before Bella could sputter a reply, Adele sped over to a stool at the island and crossed her legs. How could something so casual be so graceful? Her eminent beauty was even more stupefying than Rosalie's and with a simple outfit consisting of skinny jeans and a low-neck top, she fit in naturally.
Bella noticed an odd pendant resting on her collarbone; the crest depicted a lion with a hand over its head and a trefoil at the bottom. As she looked at Esme and Rosalie and then to the men, she noticed they all wore the pendant – whether it was as a ring, a cuff, a necklace or a choker. It's our family crest. The lion stands for strength, the hand for faith and sincerity and the trefoil for perpetuity. Bella nodded and Edward discreetly hid his smile.
Bella could tell she was one of the oldest among them all by the way she spoke and the way she carried herself – but then again, she was said to be the oldest sibling anyway. She had to admit: although Edward said her special power was enhanced beauty, Adele was prettier in a proper and rebellious sort of way. Now that she saw Carlisle and Adele within proximity of each other, she could definitely see the resemblance between them: the light blonde hair, sharp cheekbones and delicate facial features.
Carlisle smiled at Bella, trying to ease her discomfort, "You've given us an excuse to use the kitchen for the first time. "
"I hope you're hungry." said Esme.
Bella nodded but Adele knew she was lying, "Oh, absolutely–"
"–She already ate." Edward coughed.
Bella shot him a look but as she did a loud crash echoed in the room and while Bella jumped in alarm, the vampires sighed and turned to Rosalie. She smashed the glass salad bowl with her own iron grip. I didn't want to help in the first place – I was doing this was Esme – waste of my time! – fuck all of this –
"Perfect." she spat through gritted teeth. Carlisle and Esme were appalled by her attitude and Edward was hiding his anger, but the shocked look on Bella's face made the drama worth it – Adele grinned.
Bella spluttered, "I just assumed...because you don't eat, you know..." I didn't want to make you guys uncomfortable.
Adele laughed aloud at this, "You didn't want to make us uncomfortable." she hopped down from the stool, grabbed a broom and dustpan from the closet in the hallway and returned to thrust the items into Rosalie's hands. Bella thought this was adding fuel to the fire – if only she knew Adele was the only one who could do such a thing and not her her head ripped off. "You're a human, entering a house full of vampires whom you've never met and you're afraid to make us uncomfortable?"
"Of course." Esme cut in, offering Bella some reassurance, "That was very considerate of you."
Edward muttered into Bella's ear,regarding Rose, "Ignore her. I do."
Adele subtly counted down with her fingers, anticipating the outburst before it was about the happen. Despite the constant presence in her head, Bella continued to forget that the blonde had power over the mind. Talk about freaky.
"YES!" Rosalie snarled, still clutching the broom and dustpan, "Let's keep pretending this isn't dangerous for all of us!"
"We aren't pretending, Rose." Adele cut in before Bella, "We are simply being proper hosts for our guest – despite her human status – because that's not only what we do for the ones we care about, but it's the right thing to do." Grumbling to herself, thinking of colorful words Adele had rather not dig into her mind to hear, she bent down and cleaned up the mess she made in a blur.
"I would never ever tell anyone." Bella swore honestly, looking at all of them.
"She knows that." said Carlisle, glancing at Rose. For reasons that most of the family couldn't understand, he let Rose get by with her snooty attitude because it all roorted
Emmett finally spoke up, "The problem is, you two have gone public now, so..."
"Emmett." Esme warned.
"No, she should know." Rosalie said, and then turned to Bella, "The entire family will be implicated if this ends badly."
Bella licked her chapped lips, "Badly?" An uncomfortable silence fell among them – clearly this wasn't a nice subject to touch. Adele was trying her hardest to suppress her laughter as Bella realized what Rose was implying. "Oh. Badly." she glanced at Edward, who spared her an awkward glance, "Like...where I become a meal."
Emmett suppressed a throaty laugh and Edward grinned slightly despite Bella's discomfort. Carlisle tried to pull his chuckle off as a cough and even Esme chuckled a bit. Rosalie stormed out of the room in exasperation and Emmett shrugged, following after her.
"As entertaining as your discomfort is, I reassure you that they are joking." Adele chuckled and Esme nodded, "It's really only funny because you, as a humanx, know it's the only way the situation would end badly – and your fear in a room full of vampires is kind of cute."
"Yes, Adele, that doesn't sound scary for her at all." Edward remarked sarcastically. Adele shrugged, I think I'm freaking adorable. She knew that Bella was filled in on the vegetarian vampire situation. Before another uncomfortable silence could fall upon them, Alice and Jasper jumped down onto the open balcony.
"Hi, Bella!" Alice greeted cheerily. She leapt gracefully over the railing and approached Bella with a smile and a bouquet of flowers, which Bella awkwardly accepted. Carlisle and Esme chuckled and Adele shook her head – only Alice would pick a bouquet of flowers. Jasper kept a safe distance away from Bella and offered her a polite nod of his head and a smile. She returned it. "I'm Alice." she chirped and paused, inhaling her scent, "You do smell good."
"Alice." Edward warned.
"It's alright, Edward," she gave Edward a stern look, "Bella and I are going to be great friends."
Bella looked to Jasper and slightly extended her hand, "And you're Jasper, right?"
"Pleasure to meet you." He forced a smile and shied away from her outstretched hand. He knew how much Edward cared about Bella and he was also very adamant on sticking to his vegetarian diet. He didn't want to risk it.
"You won't hurt her, Jasper." Alice encouraged. He was visibly unsure of himself and offered Bella an apologetic look – she returned it with a nod of comprehension.
Edward took Bella's hand instead in his feeble attempts to diffuse the tension, "I'll give you a tour of the rest of the house."
"Maybe if you stay long enough, you'll be able to eat something they prepared later. Trust me, you don't want to miss out on Esme's cooking – she watches cooking shows too much for it not to be good." Adele suggested to Bella. Smile and nod. Bella nodded and smiled.
Alice smiled genuinely at Bella, "I'll see you soon." Bella nodded shyly and followed Edward out of the kitchen.
Adele let out a short laugh, "Alright, we've officially made her uncomfortable. Literally – she has the creeps."
Jasper laughed and kissed Alice's head. She smiled at and they exchanged an Eskimo kiss, to which Adele subtly turned away from – it seemed as thought she was letting them have their moment but really, she couldn't bare to watch. She didn't know why, she'd witnessed more mushier scenes than that....her recollection of memories was really starting to affect her. And some part of her, a small part deep in the pit of her stomach, was jealous of Edward and his newfound love. She was the odd-one-out now; the only member of her clan without a lover.
"That went well, considering." Esme picked up a remaking shard of glass from the floor and tossed it in the garbage. They all nodded in agreement – but it would've gone so much better if Rosalie hadn't had her outburst. The fact that she was right was beside the point; she didn't have to approach the truth in such a harsh way. Besides, even if Bella knowing their secrets was a risk, it wasn't a risk when it concerned Bella. Adele was in her mind and her thoughts were genuine. She wouldn't tell. Their secret was safe.
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LATE NOVEMBER OF 1663
"How have you been liking your new residence thus far?" inquired Adele. She and Jace walked along the garden path just a little ways down from the castle. A fortnight passed since they first met at the gala and Aro was simply delighted by how smitten they were with each other.
"It is definitely lavish – especially in comparison to the little hut I used to live in back home." He chuckled. His parents had their hands full with three boys to contain in a little hut. "And you?"
"Well, my father and I have resided here for almost a year now and I've learned to be very observant.." Adele began and he nodded along, "So I've come to notice something peculiar about the Volturi."
"Oh?"
"You see, from the outside, Volterra seems like a place of luxury and vampire galore. Once you are on the inside, however, there are those who open their eyes enough to see that in reality, it is a place of fear and tyranny...those people have yet to make it out alive."
He was astonished by the words that willingly left her lips. He knew they were out of hearing distance of other vampires but regardless, what she just said was dangerous to even think of. She accused the Volturi of being tyrants – which they undoubtedly were – but to call them such could mean her death or possibly worse. He took a moment to let her words sink in with him and noticed the defiant expression on her beautiful face; he couldn't fathom how unafraid she was. She was intellectual and wise, that he already knew – but bold? That was a right smack in the face.
"You really are extraordinary." he let out a breathy laugh.
"How so?"
"Do you know of the consequences if you were to say such a thing in front of anyone else?"
"I do." she nodded once, pausing in their stroll, "But you are not anyone else. You are Jace Rosewood, a righteous and courageous man." he flushed at this, "I trust my abilities and I have read your thoughts–"
"You have a gift?" he exclaimed in a whisper, "But Aro–"
"Aro is a fool. He knows nothing of it, not yet, anyway." she replied, "Either way, my gift has never failed me, so I know you would not utter a word of my confidences to another soul."
"Was that a compliment of some sort?" he teased.
She scoffed, "Aha, in your most precious dreams, Rosewood!"
He laughed and started to run after her. She lifted her skirts and ran away from him as he chased her around the garden – many squashes and beans became the victims of their finely polished shoes in the process. Carlisle watched from the balcony attached to his chambers in the east tower. He smiled down at the pair. He fondly remembered looking at Rosaline the same way Jace looked at Adele. His daughter was in love and he was inexplainable happy for her. She deserved more love and happiness in her life. Now he only hoped Jace could help her heal the emotional wounds she had gotten so long ago.
Aro walked up behind Carisle and smiled – he entered the room stealthily. "Beautiful, isn't it – young love?"
"Quite." He nodded in response, turning back to view the pair in the garden below.
"Of course, they are destined for each other."
"I wouldn't go as far as to say it was fate that brought them together, Aro." Carlisle replied shortsightedly and Aro smiled.
His young vampire friend still had much to learn about the vampire world and their soulmates. "Don't you see it, Carlisle, my friend? They are mates."
Adele snapped out of her world of memories as she gazed down at Edward and Bella in the woods from Carlisle's study. The two lovebirds were laughing and talking with each other; Bella was on his back as he leapt through the trees. She suppressed a longing sigh as she watched them. They were a great match, and he was happy for his brother who was alone for so long after his transformation – he never really liked to talk about his human life, even with her, but she didn't think he ever had a real relationship before....
Esme and Carlisle stood beside her, watching them as well, except they were smiling. Edward's laughter rung out through the woods and it was hearty enough that they didn't strain to hear it, even through the glass walls.
Esme smiled at the rare sound, "She's brought him to life."
Esme was turned only weeks after Edward. She watched him struggle through vampirism and loneliness, having only Adele to console him and keep him company. They had always been the best of friends, those two. Adele was able to relate with him on level that Carlisle and Esme never could.
"He's been alone too long..." a troubled expression replaced Carlisle's smile, "But how can it end well?"
"Alice has been wrong before." Esme reasoned half-heartedly. Alice had a vision that she saw Edward turning Bella into a vampire, surrounded by fire and chaos, and he seemed unable to control himself. The vision cut off before Alice could determine how it was likely to end, leaving everyone with a million questions.
"Not often."
Esme looked to her husband, placing her hand on his chest. She gently approached the words, but said them firmly, "Carlisle, Bella is what he wants. It will work out. Somehow." It has to.
"I agree." Adele sighed and they turned to her, "Alice's visions are never wrong but they are not always definite either. They are subjective to the future."
"So what do you think it evidently means?" queried Carlisle.
She crossed her arms and leaned against the glass wall, "Her vision already says it all. Bella's fate is to be turned into a vampire and that is inevitable. It won't matter if it's as Alice saw it or if it's entirely different – it could be years from now instead of weeks." she pursed her lips, "She will be turned."
The couple exchanged furtive glances and nodded in agreement. Bella and Edward disappeared in the trees and a small smile bloomed on Adele's lips as her brother laughed with a genuinely lively smile on his face. All the twinges of jealousy and confusion aside, she was happy for him and only hoped that his happiness would not waver in the eye of war and woes.