All an Illusion

Jade watched, somewhat bored as the oh so predictable scheme of events began to unfold around her. She had to give her cousin credit, who was somewhat unmoving and unemotional as she was told of her mother’s death. Instead Emma was mostly shocked and demanding to know exactly what had happened.

“You must be kidding!” was the first words that had come from her mouth, which Emma immediately regretted. Who would do such a terrible prank, to dress up as police and come to her house, to tell her that her mother had been murdered? Of course it wasn’t a joke. This was real and happening now. Jade was wrong to think Emma was immune from grief; tears did gather in her eyes, her heart beat did speed as an immense weight of guilt and self disgust began to well up inside her. She couldn’t even remember what the last words she had to said to her mother, but she did remember all the spiteful thoughts she had been thinking, about how much she was annoyed with her. Now her mother would never tell her off, because she was gone…

Jade was tactfully deciding to ignore the change in her cousin’s heartbeat the grief and despair in her eyes, but instead she focused on the appetizing smell of the policeman’s blood, which was surprisingly less painful. Jade noticed how the policeman skillfully danced around the heavy subject of how Emma’s mother had died, but instead spoke about what Emma had to do next. As an only child her Grandmother was already on her way, and would be at the house within an hour. Just as swiftly as they had come, the policeman were gone, giving Jade constant sideway glances as he left. Jade almost missed him, because now she was left alone with Emma.

Jade was silent as Emma shut the door the front door, pausing with the doorknob in her hand. She began to sob, her arms moving around herself, as she held herself tightly as the tears began to fall. She jumped sky high when she turned and saw Jade watching her.

“Oh, Rachel you scared the life out of me!” she sniffed her hand flying to her throat.

Jade looked shamefully away, hating how Emma was always staring at her red eyes.

“I’m so sorry Rachel. I… I… can’t believe this is happening. I don’t know what to say… or do,” she said in a small voice, her eyes watering again as she leaned towards Jade hinting for a hug.

Jade wrinkled her nose, wondering how crazy her cousin was to be wanting a hug from a stranger, especially a stranger who had killed her mother. But then all the same Emma didn’t know that, and Jade gave her a much comforting hug as she could, just remembering to hold her breath in time.

“Look at us,” Rachel sniffed, pointing to the long mirror that hung in the hallway on the wall, “We look so alike. Is it crazy for me to think that I’ve met you somewhere before?”

Jade was too taken by her reflection. Her chalky white skin, blood staring eyes and the worst part was she hadn’t ever looked so pretty before in her life. The Cullens had showed her before how their skin sparkled in the sun. That had freaked Jade out, and she had vowed that she would never step in the sun light to look like some horror freak show. Now she realized like everything else about her, it was just another helpful factor to help her be a killer.

“I’m so sorry, I said you could say, didn’t I? It’s getting late and I haven’t even made the room, or found any sheets..” now Emma was running through her house, like a mad woman, tear streaked. Jade sighed as she ran after her, poor girl was still in shock. She ran slowly after her, trying to stop her. The house doorbell abruptly rung, stopping both girls in mid track.

‘Grandmother,’ they were both thinking, only while Emma was slightly relieved, Jade was suddenly desperate. “Show me your room, Emma?” she grabbed her arm. Emma stared sadly back at her, her eyebrows knotting in confusion, but still she showed Jade the way, completely under her spell now. Once inside, Jade instantly became aware of the smell of another vampire. The room was quite small, and as Emma flicked the light on, she could see it was also empty. But she was sure, so sure that another vampire had been here, and a while ago too…

“How long ago did you leave for Forks, again Emma? I can’t quite remember?” but Emma was gone, down the stairs to open the door for her waiting and impatient Grandmother who was so concerned about her lone daughter. Jade cursed silently under her breath, before vanishing through the window. Outside it was raining and the thunder of the drops made a prefect cover sound as she nimbly thudded to the ground and quickly made her way to the front of the house, just in time, to see her grandmother be invited inside. Before she left, she wanted to see the face of the grandmother who had so cruelly shunned out her mother so many years ago.

Jade didn’t quite know where she was going as she walked through the rain. All she knew was that she needed to clear her head to think what she had to do next. She had her head down when she walked straight into someone on the streets. She would have hurried on, but the shoulder she collided with was too hard to be human.

“Alice?” Jade exclaimed, frustrated that the Cullens had followed her.

“Wait, Jade,” Alice hissed grabbing her arm before she escaped, “It’s just me, and I’ve only come to tell you something, I promise.”

“You know I can make you leave,” Jade warned.

“I know, and it’ll be very easy to find you again,” Alice retaliated. “I’m alone. I’ve come because we feel that you left, without really, well knowing everything there is to know about being a vampire. Before when you were at the first stages of being a newborn, all you had was your thirst on your mind, and well now that’s changed, we worried about where you’re going to go next. Although you may have felt that you didn’t belong with us, our coven, and you may feel that you don’t want to join with one at all. However there are other options for you as a vampire, or should I say rules that you need to know, Jade.”

Jade gritted her teeth and listened to Alice’s speech. She shrugged off her arm, but didn’t run off. “Okay, I’m listening.”

“I want to tell you about the Volturi,” Alice said slowly watching for Jade’s reaction.

Jade only nodded, “Yeah, Edward did mention something about them before.”

Alice relaxed when she saw Jade was going to listen, and then she began to speak.

*

Miles away in Volterra, Tuscany, Italy….

“Home at last,” Alec’s sister Jane smiled her red eyes sweeping round the large marble rooms that made up their ‘home.’ Alec said nothing, but smiled with her. They had taken a very long time in getting back after their unsuccessful trip to the Cullens. They had made so many stops on the way that it was good to be back at last. It was also good to see a smile on his twin sisters face after so long. The Cullen’s had really angered her, Aro and the rest of the Coven. The Cullen’s had really threatened them. It had especially hurt Jane to feel so hopeless with her powers, but not Alec. It was definitely a pain that they would not easily be able to defeat them, but Alec was sure in time, when they were least expecting it, with some careful planning the Volturi would have them.

Though for now, there were other things on his mind. For the umpteenth time he found his thoughts going back to the girl he had hunted in the Forks, only days after the skirmish with the Cullens. He had given up trying to convince himself, that she had been nothing special, but a way to satisfy his thirst. Maybe it was because her blood had tasted particularly good, and had really called to him, in a way that no one’s ever had. Or maybe it was because of the sneaking suspicions he had, that he really hadn’t finished her, that he really only had tasted, and then bit her. The very thought itself, was quite crazy and it bothered him so much that he couldn’t remember. That was why he had checked out her family, found her dead mother and distant relatives who hadn’t given him any extra clues. And he didn’t want to bother any of the other clan with such a small, silly matter. ‘No,’ he told himself, firmly. He had to stop thinking about her, rid her from his mind. But then again what if he was right and he hadn’t fully killed her, and she had been was still out there, a full vampire and completely unaware and confused…