Us Against the World

Tonight was our last night in Paris; tomorrow we do some last minute shopping and then head back tomorrow night. It stood to be a long day and night and yet I couldn’t sleep; all I could think about was Alec and what he could be up to while I was here in Paris.

Paris was the city of love; the girls all loved to shop so it was perfect for them but somehow I
felt out of the loops.

After feeding tonight the girls were going to come and run the purchases back to the castle and I was supposed to be sleeping at this time.

But my mind was occupied and my gut was squirming. I got the feeling something bad was going to happen and I didn’t like the feeling at all.

“Jess, I need you right now” hoping he would feel the pull; I waited staring out the window to my right at the stars and the moon as the sparkled over the Eiffel tower.

“You called,” jumping slightly as Jessie deep voice sounded next to my ear, I squeaked.

“Yes, I did and I really wish you wouldn’t do stuff like that; sneaking up on me,” looking down sheepishly Jessie offered me a soft smile, “I need you to do me a big favor, keep an eye out around Volterra. I may not like it there but there are some people I like,”

“Getting one of those mojo feelings huh?” nodding my head, I glanced back out the window. I knew Jessie wouldn’t say anything, he knew me well enough to know when I didn’t want to talk.

However, I wasn’t expecting him to just disappear; or for Heidi to come running into the room intent written across her beautiful, pale features.

“We have to go now; Aro is on a rampage –“stalking quickly towards me, Heidi started grabbing stuff and throwing it into bags.

“He wants you now – he doesn’t want to wait to be sure you will stay around he wants your power now,” startled as Alice popped up beside me, I snapped my head around to watch the blurs of movement I could only presume was Heidi and Jane. “I want him to be happy with me, accept me completely into the family. This might hurt a little,” snatching my arm, I whimpered as her red eyes trailed down my exposed flesh.

“Please don’t,” whispering in fear I hoped – no prayed that Heidi or Jane would stop her.

Raising my wrist to her face, Alice inhaled as I shook my only reaction to defend myself.

Throwing myself off the bed and at Alice I hoped to distract her long enough to get away from her.

It worked, somewhat. As Alice and I crashed to the floor my eyes stuck on hers, I groaned from the impact as something cracked in my arm.

Whimpering as I was pried away from Alice and supported, I cowered against the body. I wanted to go home – and that was when I realized that I had somehow started to think of Volterra as home.

“Adele – hold on, I got you we’ll get you back.” Shutting my eyes against the pain slithering up my arm, I nodded thumping my head against Heidi’s chest as she pulled me up and tucked me into her before running off, leaving Jane to deal with Alice.

Somehow along the way, from being kidnapped and the truth about myths coming to light I had begun to belong; I had found a home and a family and even though I didn’t want to admit it while in pain but I had found love.

“Heidi?” voices suddenly filled my hearing, to many to fast all speaking at once. I couldn’t understand anything and the cool touch on my skin was all I could focus on; I was burning from the inside out.

**

At some point in my state of delirium, I was coherent enough to listen; listen to the voices around me arguing over me. I wasn’t dead but I was dying.

When I threw myself at Alice, I snapped my wrist and she took advantage of the position and my surprise to bite me. I was becoming one of them, a vampire. I would no longer be fragile and the first thing on my list of things to do was hurt Alice.

I was sicker then I had ever been; I was coughing, wheezing, but it went beyond a cold.

Somehow I had developed the flu and was laid up in bed trying not to move for fear of causing another fit of coughing and vomiting.

Brushing my limp hair back from my eyes, my mother shook her head; her pale eyes flushed with concern.

“If this fever doesn’t break soon Adele I am taking you to the hospital” since my father had abandoned us all those years before, my mother had done her best to raise me and my brother's but it wasn’t easy being a single mom and then John had come into the picture, taken care of us and things got easier.

Sneezing I groaned in pain as my body seized.

“Get some rest Adele; I’ll see you in the morning”

Only I didn’t see her in the morning, I got progressively worse through the night and my mother worried as ever, had piled up all into a car not knowing what lay ahead.

I woke to a steady beeping sound close to my right ear; I could feel a needle in my skin and the scratchy blankets on my flesh.

I felt worse than I had the night before and as the Doctor and nurse explained to me what had happened all I could feel was skip of my heartbeat before everything blacked out.

Sitting upright, I let out a piercing scream as I clawed at where the needle should have been until a hand came to rest on mine, pulling me into a warm chest as I fought their grasp.

“Adele, it’s going to be okay; your okay” chest heaving as I recognized the soft tones, I relaxed my grip on his arm as reality caved in on me.

“I-“clearing my throat I tried to push back the burning feeling but only seemed to make it worse.

“You’re hungry; I can take care of that.” Shifting me so I could look up at him, Alec smiled running his hand down my check in an affectionate manner.

I wasn’t human anymore, I wasn’t fragile and I could really feel his touch on my skin.

“We’ll feed quickly but then Aro wants to see you,”

Nodding I dropped my hands from his shoulders and stood on shaky feet before steadying myself and moving to what I knew now as my closet.

Heidi must have put my clothes away for me, because when I pulled open the wooden doors I could see the expanse of all my new clothes.

Quickly grabbing something old, I slipped it on before glancing at my feet. If I was a vampire now I wouldn’t need shoes.

Taking his outstretched hand I slipped myself under his arm before following him out of the room.

We didn’t leave the vast cathedral like castle like I had expected, instead we followed the same path we took my first day here in Volterra to the stables.

I was confused until Alec opened a door off to the side and pushed me in. Turning sharply to stare at him as he shut the door, I caught a scent I hadn’t really smelled before but I wanted it and I wanted it badly so I took it.

I didn’t waste time in pouncing on my unsuspecting victim and I wasn’t gentle; I realized afterwards that in my haste to feed I had torn out the poor girl’s throat completely.

But Alec wasn’t going to let me dwell on that; as soon as I had finished he had rushed me back to my room and headed to my closet.

“You need to look good, not that you don’t on any other occasion it’s just very important that you look exceptionally good,”

Having never seen Alec really in a rush or a panic, I found myself curious as to why he always seemed so calm.

“Why,” pushing his hands away from my closet I quickly reopened it and pulled out one of the dresses Jane had insisted I get, “is there something I should know about Alec?”

“Just get ready, I’ll be outside –“ pausing in uncertainty, I realized just how much he did like me as something flashed through his ruby eyes. Maybe I had been wrong in assuming he and I couldn’t be. I was one of them now and if I stayed here in Volterra there would be no reason we couldn’t – remembering suddenly I was supposed to be getting dressed, I quickly pulled my nightgown over my head dropping it on the floor before grabbing the dress and pulling it on in a flash.

I didn’t care that I had just flashed Alec and I am sure if he could he would blush. That thought alone made me giggle.

Slipping past Alec, I turned back at the door and winked to Jessie “Are you coming oh might panicked one?”

Grabbing his hand as he followed me down the darkening halls, I smiled up at him when he looked down confused by my actions. With a shrug, I pushed open the atrium doors and moved to stand beside Felix.

No one present had really seen me in a dress and I had to admit that Jane had good taste; maybe her and I could get along, if not be friends.

“Lady –“standing abruptly from his chair, Aro moved aside as a small dark haired female entered the room.

“Marissa?” blinking I looked around the room as Alec jerked me slightly behind him.

“Oh please boys – Adele honey how are you?” pulling me between a very stiff Felix and Alec, I was instantly engulfed in her arms.

“Fine – what are you doing here? I thought you had to go home to France”
Gesturing at my hair, Marissa clicked her tongue, pushing her sunglasses up to her head.

“It’s why I am here, I have a message for you Aro and I don’t think you are going to like it,” slipping her arm in mine she turned back to Aro, pulling me with her.

If I hadn’t known better, I would have assumed the looks I got were hatred not surprise. But I still couldn’t put my finger on Marissa; why was she here and why did I get the impression that everything was going to change again?