to old readers, this is where major changes will be taking place x
*
Bella tore through the kitchen like a tornado, rifling through the drawers with a hand twisted in her hair. Sophie wasn't exactly sure what her sister was looking for.
Sophie and Jacob stood together, both confused as to why Bella was acting like this. Sophie looked to Alice, who looked just as worried. She furrowed her brows. "Who are the Volturi?"
Alice glanced at her, her amber eyes wide with worry. "They're basically royalty of the vampire world. They oversee all of our kind, making sure that no rules are broken."
"And what happens if you break a rule?" Sophie questioned. She was quickly coming to the conclusion that the vampire world was a lot more complicated than she previously thought.
"You die." Alice said, a visible shiver running down her spine.
Sophie was still unsure why the boy was going to the Volturi. "So, what rule has Edward broke?"
"He hasn't." Alice winced. "He's going to ask them to kill him."
A strangled sob broke through Bella's lips as she slammed a piece of paper and pen onto the kitchen table. Sophie leaned over to read it before turning to Bella like she was crazy. "Bella, you can't just go to Italy!"
"Yes, I can!" She shot back, not bothering to look at Sophie as she turned to Alice. "I have to help him."
Alice and Bella began to head through the door and Sophie rushed behind them, determined to not let her sister go by herself. Jacob was running in front of her, trying to convince Bella not to go. "He left you, Bella!"
"I don't care." She started to open the car door. "I'm not going to let him kill himself out of guilt."
"What about dad?" Sophie asked, nearly breathless as she stared at her sister. "You're going to worry him to death. He doesn't need any more stress!"
"I wrote a note." She said, like it was that simple. "I'll be back soon."
"No." Sophie pushed herself in between Bella and the car. "You're not going. He left you here and you suffered through depression for months because of him! He made you miserable. How can you just go back to him?!"
"He's going to kill himself!" Bella shouted, frustrated that Sophie wouldn't move. "I can't let him do that!"
"If you're going, then I am too." Sophie stood her ground, shooting her sister a fierce glare. She may have been tiny but she would not back down from this. The fierce look on her face had Bella conceding.
Sophie was extremely protective over her family and anyone she said she loved. And if that meant she had to go to the royalty of the vampire world to protect her, then so be it. Alice began to protest behind them.
"I don't think that's a good idea." She stated, looking nervously at Sophie. The vision Alice had had of Sophie ruling beside the kings was not forgotten and she was not ready for it to come to light.
"Are you going to stop me?" Her voice was low, blue eyes darkening ever so slightly. "Your family is the reason you're even in this mess."
"Soph." Jacob interrupted her. "Don't go. Either of you. I - Please, just stay here."
Sophie looked to Bella, who was near tears now. She knew there was no stopping Bella from going but she was not letting her go alone. If her sister was walking into a death trap, Sophie would be right behind her to make sure one of them got home.
She hated leaving Jacob behind though. She hated that this was happening now - she wanted to be home with her dad in order to comfort him through the loss of a friend.
But she couldn't.
"Please tell my dad we'll be home soon." She told her friend before turning to Alice. "I'm going and you have absolutely no say."
She slid into the front seat, forcing Bella into the back. Alice started the car and pressed on the gas, speeding in the direction of the airport. Jacob called out for her, making Sophie feel sick as she stared out the window, wondering what the hell she had just gotten herself into.
The plane ride was long and Sophie had to wonder if vampires had a special power that allowed them to get whatever they wanted, considering Alice had been able to easily convince the airline pilot to let them on the plane.
The three had landed in Italy only an hour ago, now speeding down the country road at an alarming rate. Sophie gripped her arm rest, afraid that Alice was going to flip the car, which she had stolen from the airport.
She glanced at Alice, whose eyes were glazed over like they had been all those months ago. Sophie hoped she could still see the road.
"They refused him." Alice spoke, her dark brows scrunched in concentration. At Bella's questioning, she continued. "He's going to make a scene. Show himself to the humans."
"No!" Bella gasped, twisting her fingers in her hair again. "When?"
"He's going to wait until noon." Sophie glanced at the clock, realizing that Bella only had thirty minutes before he exposed himself. Sophie was beginning to grow nervous herself. Though she didn't like Edward, she worried for her sister's well-being if Edward did die. "When the sun's at its highest point."
"Alice, you've gotta hurry up." Bella was nearing a panic attack now and Sophie reached to grab her sister's hand. Bella gripped it tightly and Sophie wished that things would work out for her sister.
"There's Volterra." Alice pointed the to the left and Sophie's eyes wandered towards the city. Her heart jumped in her chest, almost as if it were tugging her in that direction. She frowned at the feeling, wincing at the discomfort it caused they closer they got.
The streets of the city were flooded by people in red cloaks. Alice had to slam on her breaks to avoid hitting anyone and yelled at Bella to get out of the car. Her sister stalled. "Where do I go?"
"The clock tower." Alice said, leaning over Sophie to give Bella directions. "Run!"
Bella took off then, pushing her way through the crowd of people. Alice exited the car, waiting for Sophie to do the same before walking. More and more people emerged as the two walked, every single one of them in red clothes. Sophie turned to Alice. "What's going on?"
"It's the San Marco's Day festival." She said, as she pulled her hood over her head. She glanced at Sophie for a moment before sighing. "Our skin can't show in the sun without us being exposed. You'll see why if he gets to that point. Anyway, this festival celebrates the expulsion of vampires from the city."
Sophie snorted. "How ironic."
"The perfect setting. The Volturi will never let Edward get far enough to show himself." Alice led the way, easily pushing through the people to get to the clock tower. She glanced at Sophie over her shoulder, who was looking around the city in wonder. "When we get inside, stay behind me, no matter what happens. And don't let Aro touch you."
Sophie narrowed her eyes, feeling a sense of danger wash over her. "What can Aro do?"
"He can see your every thought through just one touch." Alice said, glancing over Sophie's figure. "I figure you'd like to keep your thoughts private."
She smiled softly at Alice, thankful that she had mentioned it. Her leggings and sweatshirt hid her figure well, but it was still obvious that Sophie was underweight. The rest of the walk was quiet, until Alice finally pushed her way through the crowd. She led Sophie up a pair of steps and pushed her body against the heavy doors.
"Come on guys." Alice said aloud when the door opened, revealing three vampires and Bella. Alice pulled the hood off of her head. "We wouldn't want to make a scene, right?"
In the building, Edward and Bella stood in each other's arms. Edward has a red cloak around his shirtless frame, much like the people outside. Beside the two stood two other men. Both had unnerving red eyes, which sent shivers down Sophie's spine when she looked at them.
One was taller than the other, obviously more muscular than the shorter blonde beside him. Nonetheless, both looked like they could snap her in half. They were dressed in black cloaks and pants, a 'V' shaped crest sitting on both of their chests.
"We wouldn't." The taller man spoke as he glared daggers at Edward. His voice was deep when he spoke. "If he would just follow us, there would be no need for a scene."
"Enough!" Sophie glanced around Alice just in time to see another girl join them. She looked ten times more terrifying than the men, though she couldn't be older than fourteen. "Aro sent me to see what was taking so long."
Her tone left no room for arguing and soon, the group was following behind the vampires without another sound. Sophie trailed closely behind Alice, looking around the castle as she did. While Sophie didn't know much about architecture or design, she could appreciate the beauty of the castle.
They all loaded into an elevator, standing in awkward silence as it went down. They started down another hallway, darker than the one they were first in and passed a secretary as they went. Sophie could hear Bella and Edward talking beside her and strained to listen to them.
The blonde girl and short man shared a laugh together, causing Sophie to grip Alice's arm. They came upon a set of oak doors and the tall man pressed them open, leading them all into a large room. Sophie looked around with wide eyes, appreciating the architecture and marble decor. It was a beautiful room and, as Sophie looked toward the raised dais, she noted that there were beautiful men here as well.
On the far right sat a man, maybe in his late twenties, with chin-length platinum hair. His sharp features were pulled into a scowl, hands gripping the stone chair as he glared ahead. Next to him was a slightly older man, with shoulder-length black hair. His red eyes were full of wonder, calculating as he observed. And finally, a man with short, curly brunette hair stared ahead, his eyes sad, lips drawn into a frown.
They were all beautiful and Sophie felt her cheeks heat. The discomfort that sat in her chest only grew.
"Aro is in the middle." Alice leaned close to Sophie. "Caius on the right, Marcus on the left. The three kings."
"Sister!" Sophie looked over to a boy around the girl's age. "Sent you out to get one and you bring back two. And a half."
She was thankful that Alice had hid her so well. Sophie looked to Aro, who was beginning to descend down the dais. "What a happy surprise! Bella is alive after all! Isn't that wonderful?"
He reached for Edward's hand, pulling it out of Bella's grasp. "I do love happy endings. They are so rare."
Aro pulled Edward close, his head bowing as his other hand gripped Edward's. He hummed after a moment, peeking his eyes open to grin at Edward and Bella. "La tua cantante. Her blood appeals to you so much... How can you stand to be so close to her?"
"It's not without difficulty." Edward mumbled and Sophie wrinkled her nose at him. Why would her sister want to stay with someone who had to refrain himself from drinking her blood. He didn't sound like much of a soulmate.
Edward uttered a quick explanation of Aro's powers to Bella, leaving the raven-haired king looking shocked. Sophie had a feeling that humans weren't meant to know much about vampires and Edward was spilling secrets directly in front of vampire royalty.
"You're quite the soul-reader yourself, Edward." Aro mused, red eyes flittering between Edward and Bella. "Though you can't read Bella's thoughts."
Sophie's breath hitched at Aro's words. She wasn't aware that Edward could read her thoughts and she suddenly felt so exposed. He had likely heard some insanely private and difficult thoughts and that was not okay with her.
Alice's hand tightened around Sophie's, probably in hopes to keep her calm.
"I would love to see if you're an exception to my gifts as well." Sophie focused on Aro, hoping to keep her growing anxiety at bay. He held a pale hand out to Bella, tilting his head towards her sister. "Would you do me the honors?"
Bella hesitated for a moment before cautiously sticking her hand out to the king. Sophie watched with bated breath as he pulled her in to him, gripping her hand much like he did Edward's. "I see nothing."
Edward pulled her back in an instant, tucking her in close to his side. Aro turned his back to the pair, walking slowly towards the steps of the dais. "I wonder if she is immune to all our powers. Shall we, Jane?"
He looked to the teenage looking vampire, who set her wild gaze on Bella. Sophie watched as Edward stepped in front of Bella, falling to his knees as he did. Alice pushed back into Sophie, a clear warning, as Edward writhed on the floor.
Bella was shouting at Aro and Jane, begging them to make it stop. Aro hummed before ordering Jane to stop. Edward sagged on the floor just as Aro nodded. "Go ahead."
Jane smirked. "This may just hurt a little."
If Jane's powers touched Bella, Sophie was going to lose her mind. Her nails dug into Alice's skin as they waited and when Aro's laugh cut through the room, Sophie felt as if she could breathe again. "Remarkable!"
"She confounds us all." Aro grinned, bringing his hands in front of his mouth. He looked like a little kid in a candy store at the realization. "What do we do with you now?"
"You already know what you're going to do, Aro." Sophie's eyes flicked to the king on the left - Marcus - who was staring at the group with disinterested eyes.
"She knows too much." The other man - Caius - mentioned. He looked just as bored as Marcus did. "She's a liability."
"That's true." Aro agreed and a flash of panic hit Sophie in the stomach as Aro tilted his head towards the big man. "Felix."
Sophie knew she was making a mistake the moment she decided to do it. But she didn't try to stop herself when she stepped out from behind Alice, yanking her arm out of the girl's grasp. "No!"
Time seemed to freeze in the room as Alice scrambled to get in front of Sophie. The blonde man from earlier had grabbed her, his hand wrapped tight around her throat, keeping her from Sophie.
Edward and Bella were held by Felix and another guard, who Sophie believed to be Jane's brother. Aro stood still, his face covered in shock as he looked at Sophie. Caius and Marcus were both standing from their thrones, eyes locked on the girl as well.
She glared angrily back at them, hoping she didn't lose her nerve. Her heart was racing in her chest, the discomfort finally at peace now that she was in front of Aro. Bella was near tears in front of her while Edward looked nervous. "Leave my sister alone."
"How extraordinary." Aro breathed, ignoring Sophie's pleas.
She paused, wondering what the king was doing as he approached her. His expression was full of wonder and excitement, much like it had been when they first walked in, but this looked gentler.
Sophie flinched back when Aro stopped mere steps from her. His hand was outstretched to her, causing Sophie to place her own behind her back. Aro smiled. "There is no need to be afraid, mia cara."
She kept the glare on her face. "I beg to differ."
"Aro." Edward choked out, wincing when Felix's grip tightened around him. "Keep her out of this."
The king bared his teeth at the boy. He suddenly looked deadly as he turned his attention back to Edward. "You planned on hiding her from us then, I assume?"
Caius grumbled angrily from his spot on the dais. Edward looked paler than normal, which Sophie didn't think was physically possible. She wasn't worried too much about him though, instead her mind was trying to catch up with what was happening.
What had Aro meant when he accused Edward of keeping her from them? She didn't understand the sudden stillness of the room or the way the kings looked at her or the way her heart seemed to be reaching out towards them.
Aro turned back to Sophie. "I assume you're Sophie Swan, then? Bella's older sister."
She gave him a sharp nod in answer. She wished someone would tell her what was going on instead of just staring at her like she was some miracle that fell from the sky.
"Aro." This time it was Caius who spoke up and he descended from the dais to stand beside the king. Aro's face lit up when he touched the blonde's hand and Sophie assumed something in Caius' thoughts excited him.
Aro dropped Caius' hand before waving towards his three guards. "Let them go. I believe they'll be no harm to Sophie."
"I find that hard to believe." Caius scoffed as he looked over Sophie's small body. She felt more self-conscious suddenly and crossed her arms over her stomach. "They clearly haven't been taking care of her."
She couldn't help the wince that escaped her and stepped back towards the safety of Alice. The vampire wrapped an arm around Sophie's shoulders. Sophie shook her head towards Caius. "That's not their fault. It's mine."
Caius still looked angry while Aro looked confused. Marcus was beginning to approach the two other kings and Sophie took the time to look at all three of them. Marcus was the tallest of the three, his body built with lean muscle. Aro was the shortest and any muscle he had was hidden under his suit jacket. Caius looked strong and he stood taller than Sophie just as the other two did.
"What should we do with the others?" Marcus' voice was quiet compared to Aro's and Caius'.
"I'm not sure." Aro hummed. "We can't kill our mate's sister and I'm sure no one would be happy about the other two dying."
Sophie's mind had stopped working. This was some weird joke that her sister had set up and she was now waiting for everyone to start laughing. But the longer the kings spoke, the more Sophie doubted that this was a prank.
"What did you just say?" She spoke up, causing the kings to look back to her.
"They're your mates." Edward was the one who answered her, his face twisted now. "Alice saw it a few months ago but we weren't sure how to tell you."
"Instead you tried to hide her from us." Caius snarled at Edward. "We should punish you for that alone."
"No." Sophie interrupted. This wasn't happening. This was a joke, it had to be. "You've got it wrong. I'm not the mate to any of you, let alone all three."
She laughed then, spinning to face her sister. Bella looked apologetic. "Did you know? Are you playing a prank on me?"
"I'm so sorry, Sophie." Bella whispered.
"My dear, are you alright?" Marcus was the one to approach her, his red eyes wary as he did. She watched him cautiously, not allowing him to get too close. Maybe this was why her heart had been yearning for this place and why she felt so at peace when she arrived. Maybe some part of her knew what was waiting for her in Volterra.
"Do I have to stay in Italy?" She asked him, trying not to feel to upset when his own face fell. "I can't - my entire life is back in Forks."
Aro and Marcus exchanged worried glances while Caius continued to stare at Sophie. His expression was tight, not allowing any indicators show that he was upset as well.
"Sophie." Alice squeezed her shoulders to get her attention. She looked towards the vampire, frowning when Alice turned them away from the kings. She leaned forward to whisper in her ear, talking so quietly that Sophie almost couldn't hear her. "In my vision, I also saw that you were recovered."
Sophie shot back, her blue eyes wide in shock. Caius growled behind them but she ignored him, leaning forward again for Alice to continue talking.
She wondered if Alice had had any more visions of Sophie being recovered and if she was with the kings in each of them. Recovery was something that she had been fighting for for three years but was this really how she wanted to do it?
She had barely let anyone new into her life since her eating disorder started, knowing what kind of toll it took on each of her friends and family members. Sophie didn't want to subject three more men to her thoughts and healing, even if they were supposedly soulmates.
"I'm sure there are other ways that that can happen besides staying here." Sophie told Alice. "I have to go home to my dad."
"Perhaps that would be okay." Aro interrupted the pair of them and Sophie turned to look at him. "As long as we visit and you have some sort of protection, I don't see why that would be a problem."
"I've been safe in my town for the past twenty years." Sophie told him, not crazy about having eyes on her twenty-four-seven. The thought reminded her of an inpatient stay. "But visits would... be nice."
He smiled brightly at her and Sophie felt her cheeks flush. Marcus cleared his throat. "What should we do about the others?"
At this, Aro sighed looking as if he had forgot about the real reason they were there. "It's a shame that Edward doesn't plan on turning Bella in the future. She could surely make for an intriguing vampire."
"She will be turned." Alice told him, ignoring the huff she received from Edward. She held her hand out to Aro. "I've seen it."
Aro reached for her hand eagerly. He was silent for a moment, his brows dipping slightly before he pulled away, his eyes finding Sophie's instantly. He looked hurt, like he had seen something that was hard to him to believe.
Sophie realized that Alice had probably had thoughts of Sophie and hoped that they weren't too revealing.
Aro nodded again. "Sophie will return home with her family for now. We will keep in touch, mia cara."
Sophie could only nod at him, which seemed to be enough for Aro. Caius didn't look satisfied, his face twisted into a scowl as he eyed her friends and sister. "If any type of harm comes to her, I'll kill each of you myself."
"She'll be well taken care of." Alice assured, sounding more confident than Sophie felt.
"Felix can lead you out." Aro looked regretful as he spoke. Sophie nodded towards him, hoping she looked as thankful as she felt as Alice turned to lead her out of the castle.
The feeling of yearning was back in her chest now and she wondered if she was making the right choice to walk away from her mates. She had a feeling that she wasn't.
***
F.I.N.A.L.L.Y
pleuvoirx
edited 6.21.2021