In Bloom - Felix Volturi

1. The Beginning

"Goddamn, Lucy! Are you ready yet?"

"Calm down. I'm here," I replied to Steve, the bassist, as I took one last swig of my beer. "Where's Roland and Jeff?"

"On stage already. Damn, you're slow," Steve said, running his hand through his dark brown hair, which was already drenched in sweat.

I set my empty bottle on a busted up card table as I passed, strolling toward the stage. I paused by a large, dirty mirror on my way up to check my appearance one last time before I walked out in front of a bar full of strangers and, more importantly, potential fans.

My straight, peroxide blonde hair was messily parted and finger combed to the side, and fell in choppy layers around my face and down my back. My minimal makeup had held up throughout the day, and the white babydoll dress I had on was only somewhat wrinkled.

"Hurry!" Steve prodded as I checked my wide hazel eyes for redness. I'd been up for over thirty hours and I was pretty twisted, but I was still going strong as I strutted past him and onto the stage.

The crowd cheered, although it was more for the entertainment rather than us as a band, but either way, it was a full house, and we had skills - that, and mad stage presence.

The stage lights felt warm on my skin as I took my place up front at the mic. As soon as Jeff took his place to my left, Roland started on the drums and we rolled into our first song of the night.

Yes - it was late 2006; I'd recently dropped out of college for the third time, started a new band, and was ready to take the next year on by storm.

I stamped my dirty sneakers on the stage as the song picked up, and by the end of it I was dancing across the stage, fully immersed in the performance. The crowd grew wilder with each song, and by the end of the night, the bar was a complete wreck. Talk about a job well done.

When the guys and I finally cleared out, it was just past 2 AM, and although the Texas heat prevented us from enjoying any seasonal weather, there was a mildly satisfying chill in the air, hinting at the close of yet another year.

"Great set, guys," Roland said as he finished loading his drum kit in the back of Steve's mom's '97 van. "We killed it tonight."

"It was pretty good, but we could tighten up a bit in a few places," Steve replied.

Jeff and I exchanged glances as he opened another bottle of beer and tried not to laugh. We all knew Steve would never be satisfied with our work; Jeff and I had gotten good at brushing him off, but it still drove Roland nuts.

"Come on, let's get going," Jeff said before Roland could go in on Steve.

"I heard Olivia Brookes is throwing a party at her place," Roland said as we all piled into the van. "We may still be able to catch it."

"What do you think, Lucy?" Steve asked from the driver's seat.

"Sure. Why not?" I shrugged. I could always sleep when I was dead.

When we pulled up to Olivia's house, the place was still packed.

Unwilling to sit around and wait for Steve to find a parking spot, Jeff, Roland, and I hopped out of the van and made our way into the party. Once inside, we went out separate ways, content with unwinding after our show in our own way.

I, for one, went straight to the kitchen to get another drink. I helped myself to a fresh solo cup and haphazardly poured a mix of tequila and diet coke. I didn't bother to pay attention to the ratio of liquor to mixer, but I wasn't drinking for the taste, anyway.

I didn't waste any time downing my drink and making my way back to the living room, where the speakers were pumping music throughout the house. I danced with the crowd for a few songs before going back to the kitchen for a refill, before stepping out on the front porch for a quick smoke.

It wasn't until I had a cigarette hanging from my lips and my hand cupped the flame from my lighter that I realized I was being watched. I kept my cool and lit my cigarette before tucking my lighter away and taking a drag.

"What do you want?" I asked the darkness.

Sure enough, two people, a man and a woman, emerged from the dense shadows that clung to the right side of the house.

The man, a tall, stoic blonde, and the woman, a petite brunette, climbed the porch and approached me cautiously.

I knew what they were, and, based on the way they were staring at me, they knew what I was, too.

"Hello," the woman began, "My name is Alice, and this is my husband, Jasper."

"Hi," I said, taking note of their unusual topaz eyes.

"We need your help," Jasper said. "Perhaps we can speak somewhere more private."

"Here's fine," I said, taking another drag of my cigarette.

"Okay," Alice said, glancing around before beginning, "well. We have a niece who's just like you, instead of like us."

"Huh." I took a sip of my drink and wondered what kind of pervert vampire could've had sex with a human. Again.

"She's my brother's," Alice continued, speeding up her speech, "And his wife's - they're with the rest of our family in Washington."

I found it incredibly strange that the mother survived the birth; mine did not. How could she, after I tore my way into the world through her stomach? My piece of shit father didn't much longer after that, either. I'd made sure of that.

As strange as Alice's story was, I had a feeling it was only downhill from there.

"What do you need me for?" I asked, point blank.

"Are you familiar with the Volturi?" Jasper asked.

"I'm two hundred years old; of course, I've heard of them," I replied. "Although, I'm smart enough not to have had the pleasure of meeting them yet. See, I prefer to stay under the radar."

"I know what we're about to ask you is a lot, but please hear us out," Alice said.

I looked away, turning my eyes to the empty street. I knew what they wanted was going to be no good.

"The Volturi thinks she's a vampire child, and even though we can prove that, we need to be able to prove that she's harmless," Alice said.

"I don't want to be roped into your drama," I said flatly.

"I know, but we've searched everywhere, and you're the only human/vampire mix that we've found. You're our only hope in saving her life."

I looked back at Alice and considered her appeal.

"She's just a baby," Alice pleaded, "She's only three months old!"

I shook my head slowly. I'd never heard of a coven who'd so blatantly provoked the Volturi before. Living quietly, even as a halfling like myself, was possible - I was proof of it. So, why did the Volturi catch wind of this child after only three months?

"Fine," I agreed. I had a bad feeling about every ounce of her story, but the girl wasn't even a year old. Regardless of how old she looked or acted, she was still an infant.

I had to help. It wasn't the girl's fault that her coven was sloppy as hell. I mean, really. It's not hard to stay out of the way of the Volturi. Jesus Christ.

"Really?" Alice asked, brightening up.

"Yeah. When do I need to be there?"

Alice and Jasper exchanged a quick look. "Today," she said. "Seven hours, tops."

"Shit," I muttered into my cup.

"I know," Alice said apologetically.

"We need to get moving," Jasper said firmly.

"Alright," I exhaled before putting out my cigarette and downing the rest of my drink. "Fuck it. Let's go."