➖
FORKS
➖
"SHE'S MISSING, NOT DEAD," Stella Black insisted as she paced worriedly in Charlie Swan's living room.
The recently married woman was at her wit's end with the lack of help of both the Italian and American government in finding her daughter. Exactly two days before Stella and Billy Black's wedding, the Florence University had gone up in flames in the middle of the night. Majority of the inhabitants were able to escape the carnage that was the dormitory building, where the fire apparently began right outside Rory's quarters.
Officials had not been able to uncover any remains from the burned down room, but they were adamant Aurora Reyes had been in her room by the time the fire began as surviving witnesses agreed. But without a body to show, Stella refused to believe her daughter was dead even if the whole town put up a memorial for Rory Aden.
"I can't imagine how painful this is, Stella," Charlie shook his head sadly, "but the news said the authorities haven't been able to clear out all the debris and there was a large chance there are some bodies trapped underneath still."
She flung out a long string of curses in spanish. Billy and Charlie exchanged looks.
Billy reached out to grab her hand, stopping her from pacing and forcing her to look at him. Her expression softened as her new husband spoke to her. "Stella, even if Rory was able to escape, don't you think she would've found a way to contact us? It's been three weeks since the fire."
"I need to go to Italy, I need to find my baby," Stella said pacing again while looking up available flights.
"We all want nothing more than Rory to be alive and safe, but the Italian police have done all they could, going to Florence right now might not be the best move," Charlie advised her warily.
Most had accepted Rory's death because it was the only way the town could continue a semblance of normality—there was no possible way Rory could have survived the fire. To continue a feckless search in a country an ocean away would be insane. It was much healthier to accept the truth.
"I'm the only one still looking for her!" Stella blurted out with wild, puffy eyes filled with stubborn denial. "If my Rory...was dead, I'd feel it. I know in my heart, my daughter is out there. She needs me." Billy grabbed her hand to sooth her the best way he could.
"Dad?"
"We're in here, Bells," Charlie called out as the two teenagers entered the house.
Stella cleared her throat and wiped under her eyes as Billy rubbed her back. The three adults gathered themselves.
Bella walked into the living room with a deep frown. Jacob Black trailed in behind her, the towering, russet skinned boy carrying just as solemn an expression as Bella. They were visiting the memorial the town had put up of Rory in the woods next to her home she liked to frequent despite warnings of danger.
"How was the rest of it?" Stella asked in a tight voice. She couldn't bare to have stayed longer than the first five minutes which was why the three adults were in Charlie's house.
"It's almost as if Rory was actually raised in Forks and not have lived here for less than a year by the looks of the memorial," Jake described the gift laden, numerous cards and letters and banner filled shrine surrounding a blown up photograph of Aurora Aden.
"It's nothing less than what she deserved, although unnecessary because my daughter will be returning home as soon as I find her," Stella declared vehemently, the sadness and determination on her face telling those around her everything she kept unsaid.
"Oh, Stella," Bella hugged the older woman tightly. The two had definitely gotten closer since Rory had left Forks for Italy and now that Rory had disappeared, they were each other's pillars of strength. Bella nodded into Stella's shoulder, "I'll do everything I can to help the search, emailing and calling hospitals, survivors, you name it. We'll find Rory soon enough."
Dead or alive, Bella thought to herself.
➖
Bella Swan was not having a good week at all. Not only was her best friend missing slash most likely dead in a foreign city, but because the vampire Victoria was after her, another innocent was dead. Harry Clearwater. Even though Jacob had told her it was more his fault for not attacking Victoria until she had pushed Harry, Bella still felt at fault. If it wasn't for Bella, Victoria wouldn't have been in the woods anyways. She felt herself spiraling out of control once again, which led to the cliff diving accident.
And now there was a vampire in her house.
"How do you know?" Bella asked Jacob anxiously. Both were worried that it was Victoria.
"I can smell it," Jacob flared his nostrils as he changed the gears of the truck, "I'm getting you out."
Bella frowned as she squinted at the darkness. She realized something about the strange car parked between her house and Rory's. "That's Carlisle's car! They're here!"
"Bella, it's a trick. Stop!"
Bella's heart pounded out of both excitement and anxiety. She looked at Jacob pleadingly. "You gotta come with me. They won't hurt me."
Jacob exhaled harshly. "If a Cullen is back here, this is their territory. The treaty says we can only defend our own lands. I can't protect you here."
Bella shook her head, "Okay, it's okay. You don't have to."
"You're about to cross a line."
Bella gave him one last glance as she opened her door and jumped out of the truck. "Then don't draw one."
"Please." Jacob begged her as she nearly ran to the front door.
She walked into the dark house without a care. Bella had hope on her mind as she flicked the house lights on to find—"Alice! Jasper!"
"You're dead!" Alice's eyes were as big as tennis balls as they set upon the human girl who was definitely alive.
"Bella?" Jasper was just as confused by the brunette's presence as she was by theirs. He backed away, not expecting to see the human he nearly attacked alive.
The teenager flung her arms around Alice and hugged her tightly, "What are you guys...? I'm sorry, I just...I can't believe you guys are here." Bella stepped back and looked around the empty room, "Is... Is...?"
Alice stared at her with piercing eyes. "Would you like to explain to us how you're alive?"
"What?"
"I saw a vision of you. You jumped off a cliff. Why in the hell would you try and kill yourself?" Alice asked a little angrily. "I mean, what about Charlie? What about Rory...?"
Bella shook her head, realizing the misunderstanding, "I didn't try to kill myself. I was cliff jumping. Recreationally! I needed to get my mind off of some things. It was fun."
"I have never met anyone more prone
to life-threatening idiocy," Alice huffed.
"Did you—did you tell him?"
Alice shook her head swiftly. "No."
"He only calls once in a few months. He said he wants to be alone," Jasper added from his self-imposed silence. He had come with Alice to Forks to pay respects to Bella and to reunite with Rory. He found it odd how he couldn't smell any trace of Rory yet.
Alice glanced at Jasper's forlorn expression as he stared out the window where Rory's house was. "Bella? Where is Rory? She's supposed to be here already, right?"
Jasper looked at Bella, waiting for her to reveal Rory's location so he could find her and beg her to forgive him for everything.
Bella froze. "Wait, you don't know..."
"Know what? Where is she? Alice, I knew I should've went with you when you checked on her," Jasper stepped closer to Bella, which surprised them both. He was more concerned about the love of his life though and by how Bella's emotions were going down a path he didn't want to follow.
Bella frowned, a little hurt, but also more pitying. "You checked on Rory?"
"A few weeks ago I had a vision of her being caught by a Volturi member. Emmett, Rosalie and I went to check on her nearly two months ago, in January," Alice explained, crossing her arms in worry, "He let her go because she convinced him she didn't actually know anything. Rory said she would be coming back here...three weeks ago...I haven't had a vision of her since..." Alice was growing more concerned by the second. She was so surprised by the amount of coldness from Rory, she didn't think that maybe something was very wrong.
Jasper felt panicked as he felt Bella's strong emotions. "What happened to Rory? Why do you feel so filled with dread and despondence?"
Bella looked away, feeling horrible for what she was about to reveal to the unsuspecting vampires. The look in Jasper's eyes was heartbreaking, reminding Bella of her own pain. She sighed, "There was a fire in the dormitory she was staying at the night of her flight home. Her room took the brunt of the worst of the fire—everything was ashes."
They were stunned into silence.
Alice's face was crestfallen. "Rory is...dead?"
"She can't be!" Jasper denied hotly.
Bella fiddled with her fingers. She didn't want to mislead them, but she couldn't deny them of any hope for Rory. "Well, she's missing. They haven't exactly found her remains." Yet.
"We came here thinking you were the one that was dead, but...Rory?" Alice was heartbroken. She had thought Jasper would have his chance to begin getting Rory back. Her best friend was already a mess without her, but now...Jasper looked like he was about to lose his mind.
Bella stared at the ground, feeling terrible she was the bearer of bad news. "I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault," Alice patted Bella's back lightly. Alice kept her eye on Jasper though, making sure he wasn't about to do anything drastic or lose control again despite swearing he had learned control. "We should've made sure she made it home. She was just so...cold to us, she wanted us to leave immediately. So we left her."
Jasper was filled with desperation. "We have to find her."
Alive or...dead, Jasper thought to himself.
➖
THREE WEEKS AGO, ITALY
➖
"Victoria."
Rory backed away from the broken window until her back thudded against the door she should've left. There was no point in trying to run—Victoria was a thousand times faster, stronger, and pissed.
"I've been waiting for this day for months," the vicious redhead said with a snarl. She stepped closer to Rory, her hands raised dangerously.
"How did you find me?" Rory asked with terror in her eyes.
She should've known Victoria would avenge James's death. The agony of losing your other half was enough to push a girl off the edge—Rory knew better than most, but she wasn't a vampire with heightened emotions.
Victoria took another step closer to Rory. "Mm, actually, weren't you were the one searching for me? Clever girl, sending the Volturi my way. Fortunately, it led me straight to you." She tilted her head sideways as she stared at Rory hatefully. "You Cullens are a slippery bunch."
"I'm not with the Cullens anymore."
Victoria cackled melodically. "So you've upgraded from weak, human sympathizing Cullens to the big league. If I wasn't about to kill you, I would applaud you. Too bad the witch twin isn't here to protect you either. He's long gone, just like everyone else."
It was certainly interesting for the vengeful vampire to find Rory Reyes alive and in the company of the powerful Alec Volturi.
Evidently, Victoria had been keeping tabs on Rory's life. With the werewolves in Forks keeping Bella Swan safe, Rory was supposed to be an easy target.
One of Victoria's old acquaintances had alerted her that a Volturi guard member was told Victoria had allegedly told a human girl their secret—it didn't take long to figure out who the only other human Victoria had met and lived was Aurora "Rory" Aden. Another search revealed an American teenager under the name "Rory Reyes" had been accepted to some human art internship in Florence—the biggest city closest to Volterra.
Rory rolled her eyes. "By the look in your eyes—and I mean you look like a crazy, deranged bitch who's completely lost her mind—I'm the only one you've managed to get close to." She was glad Bella was still safe at least, Rory wondered if her best friend knew Victoria was coming for her.
"Isabella Swan is only lucky she has a pack of rabid watchdogs around your stupid town," Victoria snarled much to Rory's confusion. The redhead smirked sinisterly. "No matter. She will be taken care of soon enough."
"Killing me won't stop the pain, Victoria. Trust me," Rory said, trying to empathize with the furious vampire. "I'm sorry James was killed if it means anything. I don't pity him, but I pity you. I know how painful it is for the one you love to be ripped away from your life."
Victoria was having none of it. Her red lips curled up into a sneer, "Oh, poor little human, stop trying to delay the inevitable—no one is coming to save you. Not the Cullens, not Alec Volturi. You're dead. Haven't you realized that by now?"
Victoria had her by her throat—literally. But Rory was also insane enough to keep talking—it usually got her out of most things. But maybe this time, this was it. Rory would finally fall into the abyss, but there would be no coming back. She would be dead. Maybe it was better that way.
"I'm not waiting for anyone to save me. I don't need a hero. I'm asking you to forgive me," Rory said quietly.
Pain made you do crazy things. What else did she expect? In some way, Victoria hunting her, Bella, and the Cullens down made sense. If it were the other way around and Jasper was dead, Rory wouldn't have hesitated to hunt Victoria til the ends of the earth.
"Are you begging me for mercy?" Victoria's hand tightened around the human's throat.
Rory saw her vision disappearing around the edges as she was deprived of oxygen. "No. I'm hoping you will find peace with yourself."
Victoria barked out a cold, empty laugh that sent chills down Rory's spine. "No. I think it's time you met your fate, pathetic human."
The redhead watched sadistically as Rory struggled to breath.
"No," Rory choked out, spots appearing in her vision.
"Any last words? I'll pass it along to your precious Cullens when I destroy them soon enough!" she snarled, lifting her up again by the throat.
"Victoria...there's more to life than heartbreak," she rasped out, trying one last time to appeal to the vampire's pain.
"Hmm. I guess I'll find out for myself after I kill the rest of the Cullens." Victoria smirked as she threw the human girl into the stone wall the bed had been pushed against, breaking the wooden frame into pieces as well as a few bones.
Rory screamed in agony as pain blossomed in every nerve she had in her broken body. "Changed...my mind," she gasped out, rolling over to lie on her back over the splinters that dug into her skin.
Victoria arched her brow.
"Suck..my...dick...pendeja," she breathed out, clutching her broken ribs in agony.
Victoria smirked once more as she pulled out a lighter from her leather jacket pocket. A fire would send a message to the Cullens.
She laughed as she picked up an unopened can of turpentine Rory had left with the room's other art supplies. Victoria punctured the aluminum with her nail and splashed it onto the door, pouring it to ensure no one could burst in to save the human, the liquid spilled out into the dormitory hallway.
Then Victoria leaped to the open window, she flicked the lighter until a flame appeared and threw it expertly at the door. A fire began immediately. No one would be able to save Rory from true peril.
"Burn, bitch, burn."
Then Victoria jumped out and disappeared into the night as flames and smoke filled the building that housed hundreds of students.
Rory Reyes would die alone.
When Alec Volturi smelled smoke coming from the direction of the Florence University dorms from across the city, he increased his speed tenfold. He ran across the city in less than half a minute to discover the intensifying heat and heavy black smoke pouring out from Rory's dorm window.
For the first time in hundreds of years, Alec was terrified of fire.
The intense feeling of panic increased at what he found as he jumped up into the burning room four stories from the ground.
The fire was spreading quickly with all the paint chemicals Victoria had spilled on the door. Alec could hear students screaming as they realized there was a fire spilling into the hallway.
Lying against the furthest wall from the flaming door, was the human girl who had wormed her way into his dead heart. He sped to her side, the only thing keeping her safe from the flames was the stone floor, but that didn't stop the fire from devouring the wooden walls. Her blood painted the floor but it didn't deter him from kneeling by her side. He could barely hear her heart beat, but she was somehow still conscious.
"Aurora!"
She managed to look at him. "Alec..."
There was no time for explanations.
Alec lifted her broken body into his arms and jumped out the window, running at vampire speed until they were far away from the fiery dormitory building. He reached the roof of some art museum—the very same one Alec had first spotted the human girl in a month ago.
She was his prey, his little human pet once, and now she was...something more.
But she was dying now.
Life had it's ironies.
"Put me down," Rory demanded woozily.
Alec held her in his arms, laying her head in his lap. "Who did this to you?" he snarled in anger at who would dare to harm her. He looked over her broken and soot-covered body.
Rory coughed heavily, spitting out blood and black-smoky saliva to the side. "Victoria was angry."
He felt sickened as he realized it was his own fault. He shouldn't have spread the word to his connections in America. He didn't think it would actually produce any information—he had known Rory was lying about what or who she knew in the supernatural world, but he didn't know Victoria was actually a real vampire.
He concentrated on taking away Rory's nerve senses so she wouldn't feel anymore of the blistering, internal bleeding agony she had to be in.
Rory grabbed his hand, pushing it away but not letting go, keeping their intertwined hands resting on her chest. "It's...okay. I don't...feel anything, Alec," Rory smiled faintly. She looked up at the night sky filled with millions of twinkling stars. "I'm...finally...numb."
Alec glowered as her heartbeat weakened even more. He pushed away the sweat-soaked black hair away from her bruised neck. He bent his head forward.
Her eyes widened at once, realizing what Alec was about to do. "Don't...turn me, please...please don't—"
"Shut up!" Alec growled as the nearly invisible wisps of paralyzing mist emanated from his hands, taking away all her sense of touch immediately to ensure she would truly be in no pain.
Like all vampires, everything about him was enhanced, speed, strength, sight, and especially the ability to take it all away from someone else.
He was damned from the moment he laid eyes on her—she was different, strong and rare. Her blood had smelled divine, but he was old enough to control his thirst, he wasn't some rapid mutt.
Alec was untouchable. He was fearsome and well-respected with the ability to stop an entire army charging at him with a raise of his brow. For hundreds of years he had remained unchanged from that pathetic powerless boy he had once been. His powers were his crutch—his reminder that humans were beneath him—the world was beneath him. He didn't care for anything else. He didn't need to. He had his sister and they had the world at their feet.
Until Alec found himself on his knees for a girl he could never have.
He had been dead for so long he had forgotten what it felt like to feel alive.
Aurora Reyes was too good for the world she lived in. Alec thought about how she confided in him her immense sufferings in America in vague detail but enough to explain why she was in Italy to get away from everything. He had once thought she was weak, pathetic human, but he couldn't have been more wrong. Aurora was the most demanding, stubborn, hard-headed woman he had ever met—and that included his own sister—but she also had the purest heart in the world, full of light stronger than the darkness of her life.
She was the strongest person he had ever met.
However, Alec was incredibly selfish.
He caressed her far too pale face that stared at him with wide, pleading eyes.
"Let someone else save you for once."
"...Alec," she said his name with realization in her hazel eyes he adored.
He bent over to press a kiss to her forehead as he took away the rest of Rory's senses until she was completely and utterly numb.
"I've made my choice. Sei tutto per me, luce mia."
Rory's silent screams filled the night.
➖
a.n this is so sad...alexa play despacito
fuck victoria amiright!!! alec's inner soliloquy about rory's effect on his life made me cry hes so precious and he turned rory! against her wishes!! yikes but now she's immortal oof!!!
btw he told her : "you are everything to me, my light."
and
also jasper is coming for his girl kthxbye