Second Time Around (Volturi Tales)

10

"Holly child, we can hear your stomach churning, please eat." Aro commanded, it wasn't that Holly didn't want to eat, she simply found it hard too. Not that the food wasn't delicious, the smell alone was making her mouth water. What was making it hard to eat was being watched and right now she was being observed by everyone in the room not counting her unconscious brother. The six red eyes seemed to be trained on her every move, their stillness was by far the most unsettling thing of all. The only movement in the room was the lady that delivered the tray of food. She, unlike the three vampires, fidgeted, tucking her hair behind her ear, shifting her weight from foot to foot but she too was just staring at Holly but unlike the three vampires that observed her with curiosity this lady's eyes radiated jealousy. Holly didn't understand why this lady didn't like her but if looks could kill the most dangerous person in the room to her would be that woman not the three blood sucking vampires. Sulpicia was the first to notice this tension between them and she quickly dismissed the human with an annoyed hiss and gracefully flick of her wrist. Causing the woman to fearfully flee the room, not sparing Holly a second glance. After she left the room was filled with a deafening silence, the ticking of Max's wrist watch could be clearly heard so well that Holly could count each second. Holly's stomach grumbles with hunger again.

"Eat my Sun. Your body is so fragile you must take care of it. Do you need me to feed you?" Marcus pleaded moving forward but Holly hastily shoves a strawberry in her mouth, halting him. The last thing she needed was to be force fed by the man. Her arms and legs still ache from the previous night's unwanted embrace and beside she is perfectly capable of feeding herself! Her eyes wandered over to Max as she slowly chewed her food still under the vampire's watchful gaze. Her poor brother the doctor fixed his arm but what about what that girl did, was he going to be ok? "When will the doctor be back to check on Max?" God what did they do with the doctor. Unknown to Holly, Aro has decided to keep the old doctor around, he could be useful until Holly is changed.

"The doctor will be close by but don't fret, Jane's gift though painful at the time has never permanently damaged her victims. I assure you Max will be right as rain when he wakes, other than his arm of course. Which I would like to remind you wasn't the twins." Marcus murmured angrily at Aro but too lowly for Holly to hear. "Brother she needs to trust us all, not only you. Holly we are all your family now, we will even add your brother to our coven if it will make you happy." Aro wasn't making Holly feel any better about the situation.

"She hasn't eaten any more. Marcus should feed her or we will be here all day. I want to give her a tour of the castle and to be sure no more accidents happen shouldn't she be introduced to the coven this evening?" The musical voice of the lady vampire said Holly had forgotten her name. It was something weird. Holly didn't know what her deal was but she was proving to be a major pain, her comment now had Marcus smiling standing next to Holly and despite the protest Holly was now lifted from the chair and being seated in Marcus's lap like a toddler. He was now holding a fork full of food to her mouth patiently waiting for her to open. It was patronizing and made Holly feel uncomfortable all she could do was through a dirty look at the lady vampire cause this was all her fault, well reluctantly opening her mouth accepting the food. 

"My beloved you are so right, the sooner she is introduced to the coven the better. So eat up, child." Aro said, smiling happily before he turned his attention to sleeping Max. "It is truly fascinating to me that it will take weeks for your brother's bones to mend. Such a slow healing process. The things I have forgotten over time about humans." Aro has now moved over to the sleeping Max, looking at his bandaged arm with curiosity. This made Holly nervous she didn't want any of them to hurt Max again. It also made her angry......in fact in between every folk full of egg Holly was getting angrier. So all because she looked like Marcus's dead wife that somehow makes it ok for them to keep her here and hurt Max! Thinking about it now she found Aro always has had a bit of a condescending air about him. At first she had thought it was simply because he was a prince but now that she knows what he really is, she now realizes that he clearly thinks vampires are just superior to humans. Which just ticks her off all the more. Even Aro calling her child, which at first hadn't bothered her now, seems to sound arrogant rather than the enduring pet name that she originally first took it for.