Till Death (Volturi / Twilight Fanfiction)

28: Glorified Captivity

"I appreciate your offer Athenadora, however, I won't be staying in Volterra after the production ends." Taylor took a bite of one of the small scones she had brought spread on the table, Corin was pouring her tea despite Taylor politely declining the offer (she does not like tea). Taylor had come to the tower of her own volition, knocked timidly on the door and was greeted warmly by the beautiful blonde within. An exclamation of joy, a strangely cold hug, and she was swept into the greenhouse to sit upon a comfortable lounge chair. The room was rather boho, if Taylor had to pick a word to describe it. It wasn't especially a nice day to use the outdoor seating, not very sunny and all. 

It was silent after Taylor's declaration, her whole reason for visiting really. She had to bring the topic up rather abruptly as Athenadora's version of small talk included decorum ideas for Taylor's new room. Athenadora could do whatever she wanted to that spare room, after all, Taylor had no plans on staying in it. She jumped up in surprise as her unwanted teacup began overflowing onto her lightened jeans. Corin stopped pouring then, snapping out of whatever trance she was lost in with a shy smile. 

"I apologize miss." Corin sounded very airy, slightly bored. Honestly, it was as if she had a joint hidden somewhere to take secret hits off of when her charges weren't looking. Her eyelids were heavy, her demeanor was laid back, but she was still incredibly beautiful. And still as 'off' as any of the other employees there. Taylor took the cloth Corin offered and feverishly wiped her pants. 

"It's alright, all good." She patted at the wet spot a few more times for good measure. "Doesn't look like it's gonna stain anyhow." 

"I can find you some new trousers, if you'd like." Corin offered, waved away by Taylor. 

"Oh, don't worry about it. I'm more worried about the furniture-"

"That can be replaced." Athenadora brushed off Taylor's concerns. She had not gone into shock as Corin had, but had been thinking of a proper response since Taylor spoke. Taylor didn't think a tea stain was grounds for replacing a nice chair, but it wasn't her house so...whatever. 

"You're too kind." Corin lightly laughed at Taylor's attempt to also dab up the tea on the chair. Gently she took the cloth out of her hand, then simply moved the chair away. Replacing it with another with no effort whatsoever. Taylor scrunched her brows but shrugged. Athenadora demanded her attention then.

"So you-...you said you are not staying in Volterra?" She asked, genuinely confused. 

"That's right." Taylor nodded, taking another bite of her scone she had set on the table. She was intentionally ignoring the now too-full teacup. Athenadora tilted her head. 

"Where else would you go?" Taylor shrugged. 

"I'm taking a gap year from college, wanted to travel around a bit. Might stick to Europe for a while but I'd love to get back to the states as well. Spend a few weeks camping in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Always wanted to live there ya know, so I figure I'd try it out." Athenadora's face was a bit hard to read, definitely confused, but there was something else there Taylor didn't fully recognize. It was almost doubt, but it was also something a bit darker. 

"I thought you and Marcus were getting along well?" It was almost an accusation, making Taylor laugh once at the ridiculousness of it. 

"Marcus? What's Marcus got to do with that?"

"Well, you're speaking of leaving him-"

"No I'm not." Athenadora furrowed her brows, in response, Taylor pulled out her cell phone. "Long distance is a thing. Or he can come along if he'd like."

"Oh, he couldn't possibly do that." 

"Then we'll find a way. We're two independent souls ya know, capable of still caring for each other when we're apart. I'm not very good at staying in one place. Ever since I was a child I was always moving, and I tend to get anxious if I stay somewhere too long. And I've been super stagnant this past year-well, comparatively to the rest of my life. I was in Greece for a long while, and now here. And you guys got some gnarly ghosts, so I'll need to get away from that for a while anyhow."