All an Illusion

“Jade? What’s wrong? Did you see one of them?” Fred demanded, taking her by the shoulders. He was trying not to think about the little boy who had just brushed past him with blood so sweet it made his mouth pool with venom. He was dying to drink again, but this wasn’t the time, he needed to focus on Jade. Jade. A newborn, just like him, only he had met her how many hours ago? Still, he already felt protective over her, like a little sister. Maybe this was his second chance to get it right? Bree’s wild and desperate face still haunted his thoughts. The last time he’d seen her was when she had been off to save her friend but had promised to find him afterwards. That was the last time he’s seen her. Countless times Fred had told himself that it wasn’t his fault that they’d been playing with unknown forces, vampires greater and more powerful than them. He knew probably just as much about the Volturi as Jade did, except secretly he knew the Volturi had to have something to do with Bree’s ‘disappearance.’

Now Jade was pushing past him, muttering to herself as she probed deeper into the throng of tourists.

“Jade, wait,” he hissed grabbing her arm with a little too much force than intended.

“I saw them,” Jade said slowly back, her eyes a thousand miles away. He was losing her…

“What did you see?”

“What do you think, the last dodo? It was them,” Jade hissed back, rubbing her temples, which was a very unusual thing for a Vampire to do. Fred couldn’t help marveling at her perfect black hair and pale clear skin. He would have thought bright red eyes would only make someone like Jade appear more like the stereotypical image of a vampire. Yet for Jade it made her look like anything but. She looked scared, and vulnerable - like a child almost, as she stood rather hunched, with downcast eyes that never stopped to look nervously around her. On edge, would be a better description, like a little child who had grown up to quickly.

With one last look around her, Jade was off again. Fred immediately felt a rush of conflicting feelings. He wanted to see them and find out what had happened to Bree, but he couldn’t help the heavy sense of foreboding that surrounded the idea of the ‘Volturi’ in his mind. Something bad was going to happen, he could just feel it. “….my mind misgives some consequence, yet hanging in the stars, shall bitterly begin this fearful date…” he whispered to himself only loud enough for him to hear. It almost made him chuckle, quoting Shakespeare at a time like this. It never failed to surprise him how much of his old life he could remember.

Without a second thought he quickly hurried after Jade. He didn’t know if he was doing the right thing, but he knew that this time he wasn’t going to let Jade out of his sight.

*

Jade had made her way to the town hall. It was a large, ancient looking building, much like the rest of the buildings in Italy. The outside was plastered with paper signs of the themed St Marcus day ball, yet she still felt surprised as she pushed open the heavy doors. The hall had been cleared and was full of couples dancing to loud classical music. Jade allowed herself a couple seconds to drink in the absurdity of the situation she was in. All of a sudden it all felt so surreal; the dress, the dreamy music, the high and beautifully engraved ceiling and the dancers just kept spinning round and round…

“Could I perhaps have the next dance, Miss?” came a voice behind her. Jade didn’t jump, she’d half heard him coming up behind her. The noticeable silent footsteps, the voice that was as smooth as honey, it only meant one thing.

Jade tried not to panick as she swiveled around and found herself face to face with the vampire she had seen earlier. He had quite short brown hair and all of the impeccable features that made a vampire. He was only slightly taller than her and would have appeared to anyone else nowhere over the age of fourteen. But Jade knew better, he could have been hundreds of years old, and now she was staring at him, she hadn’t even answer his question… Jade quickly looked away. She was confused by the way he kept staring at her. No one had ever looked at her like that, with such an intense gaze that it made her feel stripped and naked before them. He had looked at her without blinking or hesitating until Jade was seeing past his red blazing eyes and back to a moment she never wanted to remember…. that day in the meadow.. Her head was spinning again.

Then almost as if he could sense her discomfort he turned and began to walk away. If Jade could find her voice she would have screamed, yelled for him to come back, so she could look into his eyes some more. Instead, she found her hand had magically made its way to his and he was leading her, leading her to the centre of the dance floor… Now Jade was begging herself to speak. She couldn’t, she couldn’t, she couldn’t…

“I can’t,” she finally blurted out, glad to burst the surreal bubble that had somehow managed to engulf them.

He only smiled and shook his head in the most… endearing way that made Jade want to punch him for being so perfect. She didn’t have time to really panick, yes of all the things she couldn’t do, she could dance, but not now, not here, not in this dress. Jade was somewhere between star struck and plain mortified when he drew her close and placed his hand in the small of her back. She opened her mouth in one last attempt to protest before she undecidedly gave up. For what reason? Jade didn’t know.

She didn’t hear the music start, or Fred calling her name from the entrance or the hushed whispers of the jealous crowd that where somewhat dazzled by the romantic partners that were quickly overtaking the dance floor. All Jade knew was that he was looking at her again, and his eyes were promising to never leave hers. For the next blissful couple minutes, Jade forgot to not breath, she forgot about her burning throat or the constant ache in the place where her heart should have been. She forgot about her dead mother and her Auntie who she had so ruthlessly murdered. She even forgot about her yearning longing to die. Instead she let herself slip away and be spun round and round in the arms of someone who with only his intense gaze, was promising to let her go…

As the music died, the couple finally came to a slow halt. In the temporary silence of the hall Jade abruptly tried to step back, suddenly to overwhelmed by what had just happened. The quiet but definite loud ripping sound of her dress soon halted her mid step. This could not be happening.

He looked half embarrassed himself, grabbing the thin fabric before it could rip further in a too eager move to want to help. Only now his hand was touching her leg and she wasn’t moving to stop him…

“There you are Alec,” came yet another singsong voice behind Jade. This time she was shocked as two pairs of arms gripped her shoulders. She tried to move away but her struggling only made it worse. Alec, was that his name? Was he smiling, laughing at her or frowning?

She wanted to tell them no, that this wasn’t what she wanted anymore. That despite the fact she was technically dead, Jade had never felt more alive in her life.

“Hush, baby,” one of the voices teased behind her, “Your friend, Fred wants to see you.”

Jade immediately stopped struggling, resisting the urge to use her power. She looked hopefully at Alec but for the first time, he had turned away. If he had looked scared before, he looked plain horrified now.