Something Sweeter - Alec Volturi

V. Solid Ground

I lurched forward as I snapped out of my nightmare. I blinked a few times while my eyes adjusted to the sunlight that streamed through the massive window across the room. The whole wall was made out of glass, which gave me an idyllic view of a large well manicured lawn, a babbling brook, and the forest that surrounded the perimeter of the property.

The room I was in was a gorgeous master bedroom that was decorated with an array of off white and soft taupe. The king size bed I was in was minimalistic and modern and had an unbelievably comfortable mattress. It felt like I was laying on a cloud. The furniture around the room mirrored the bed's tasteful simplicity.

Based on how thick the forest was I immediately knew that escaping would be difficult, if not impossible. I remembered how fast the monsters - vampires - could move. I shook my head. Using the term 'vampire' was going to take some getting used to.

I reluctantly eased off of the bed and walked gingerly over to the vanity against the right wall where my backpack was located. The plush cream rug muted my footsteps. I unzipped my bag quietly and rooted around to see if anything was missing. To my dismay, all three envelopes from Alec were nowhere to be found.

I checked and rechecked my bag, becoming more frantic by the second. The lingering dread from my nightmare was replaced with festering panic. The letters kept me tethered to Alec. As terrified as I was of him, he was still the one who showed me mercy. I felt an absurd connection with him and those letters were the only proof I had that he wasn't a figment of my imagination.

I sat down in front of the vanity and rested my elbows on the surface while I cradled my face in my hands. I took a long, deep breath. I knew panicking would only make my situation worse. I looked up into the mirror and noticed how messy I looked. I finger combed my long black curls and tried to smile. It looked wrong. Unnatural. I smoothed out my Bridget Bardot bangs and stood up. I couldn't stay cooped up in that bedroom until my inevitable death. I needed to get up and find a way to survive.

I was still wearing the clothes I was given in Italy, which I was grateful for. All of the layers that didn't make sense in Italy made perfect sense in the Pacific Northwest. I pulled my backpack on and slipped on my shoes before quietly entering the hallway.

I moved deliberately as I made my way down the hall. I slowed down to a stop when I heard voices drifting from one of the doors. I stood as close to the door as possible without touching it and peered through the crack in an attempt to see who was saying what.

"She's not our responsibility," a tall blonde woman said.

"I'm with Rosalie. This isn't going to end well for any of us," Edward said. "The Volturi are always looking for an excuse to exterminate us. This could be a trap."

"She's human. She's innocent. She didn't ask for any of this," Bella said.

"She's a liability. Think about Renesmee," Rosalie said.

"I am thinking about her! Abandoning this poor girl is not how we are," Bella insisted.

"We can help her. It's not too late," a woman with soft caramel curls said.

"I'm not going to babysit Aro's newest recruit," said a large brunette man.

"It doesn't seem like Aro knows about her," Alice said quietly.

"Yet," a tall blonde man who stood very close to Alice added. They seemed to be a couple.

"We can't stop them if they want to take her," Edward said.

"This is true, Edward, but we can teach her about our way of life while we have her. We can provide her with that choice," a particularly handsome blonde man said. He looked like the oldest of the bunch.

"What if she doesn't want to turn at all?" Alice asked.

"Do you really believe they'll give her a choice?" Edward sneered.

"She despises them. We can help her," Alice said.

"Are we seriously going to endanger our family over a human? Again?" Rosalie huffed.

Someone made a low, guttural growl.

"We are going to give her a choice. She didn't ask for any of this. She deserves a say in the matter," the older blonde man said.

"Whatever you think is best, Carlisle," Edward said, smoothing out his face.

"I wouldn't be able to live with myself if we didn't at least try to protect her," the caramel haired woman said.

An uneasy silence followed.

"Hello," a soft, musical voice said behind me.

For a moment my heart stopped. I spun around and was face to face with a beautiful girl with long copper ringlets and warm brown eyes. She looked like a vampire, but he lips were pink and her cheeks had a healthy flush to them.

"Did you sleep well?" she asked sweetly. The voices in the room still hadn't resumed.

"I did," I stammered. My heart was racing in my chest.

"Are you hungry?" she asked.

"No. Not really." Eating was the last thing on my mind.

"When was the last time you ate?" she asked, her forehead wrinkled faintly with concern.

"Um," I muttered just as my stomach growled loudly. "I don't know, to be honest."

"Come with me," the girl gently took my hand and led downstairs. We walked through a massive, open living room and into a stunning, well stocked kitchen.

"What do you like to eat?" she asked kindly.

"Uh, nothing. I'm really not in the mood to eat."

"You've been through a lot the past couple of days," she observed sympathetically. "It's important for you to regain your strength."

"Couple of days? How long have I been out?"

"Umm...," the girl tilted her head and studied the ceiling while she thought. "Twenty hours, I think?"

"Oh, my God."

"You were exhausted, I don't blame you. Now would you please eat something?"

"Okay," I sighed.

"What's your name?" the girl asked as she began to putter around the kitchen.

"Violet Forsythe. What about you?" I asked as I sank into one of the three chairs that were lined up against the wide island.

"Renesmee Cullen." She smiled angelically at me as she tore open a sleeve of Ritz crackers and placed it in front of me on a plate.

"Oh," I breathed.

"Something tells me you've heard of me already," she chuckled.

"Kind of. I've taken in a lot of information over the past few days. I'm still not entirely sure what's real and what isn't," I admitted.

"That makes sense," she said as she leaned over the island, plucked a cracker off of my plate and popped it into her mouth.

"You can do that?"

"Half human," she reminded me.

"Right. So that's not a dream."

"Be patient with yourself. It's a lot to process."

"I'm under the impression that my situation is a bit...unique," I grimaced.

"We'll figure it out," she assured me. "You're not alone anymore."