Something Wicked | R. Hale

001

CHAPTER ONE
Decisions, Decisions

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-Volterra, Italy-
-Avery-

Avery hadn't been out of Volterra since she was turned nearly a hundred and fifty years before, but it was time. And it had been a long time coming, Avery's departure from her spot in the Volturi, and when the opportunity came and everyone was distracted with the Cullens, she took it. The Volturi guard had heavy hitters that easily could've stopped her, which is why she had always been too afraid to leave. Alec and Jane were always friendly to her, but it was a cold kindness that told Avery that if she ever crossed them, she would regret it. 

However, Jane was busy trying to give pain to the Cullen boy's human mate, and Alec never left his sister's side. Demetri and Felix were guarding the doors, and just as Avery slipped out the side doors, she saw Felix throwing Cullen to the ground with a loud crack. She used that as cover for the click of the door, cutting off the sounds of the fighting and the yelling so they more and more muffled as she ran down the hall to her quarters. 

The idea of leaving had been on her mind for awhile, so from under her chaise lounge she pulled a small suitcase that she had packed three changes of clothes, her four most recent journals, a couple regular books, and the identification (passport, license, birth certificate) she had managed to procure from a man in Rome.

With a flash, Avery changed from her Volturi robes into street clothes, and then paused as she pushed open her door. She could hear the majority of the guard still in the throne room, so pulling her suitcase close, she took off in the direction of the stairs. Though the majority of the guard used the elevator that Aro had installed about a decade ago, Avery preferred the stairs for that exact reason. She had always been a bit of a loner, mostly because of her gift, everybody liked telling wild tales of their lives pre-Volturi and didn't like her looks of disbelief as she could immediately tell whenever they told a lie or exaggerated a story.

Flashing up the stairs, she paused at the side entrance as she watched the Cullens being hurried towards the front doors by Demetri. The human was being hugged between the boy and the girl as the large, heavy wooden doors were opened. The boy and the human walked through, but the pixie-looking girl paused. She turned, her topaz eyes finding Avery's crimson ones where she hid in the shadows by the door. There was a twinkle in her eye as she grinned, putting a finger to her lips in a shushing gesture, and nodded to the door behind Avery's back. And then with that, she went through the doors after her brother and his human. 

Avery didn't have to breathe, but it felt like her breath caught in her throat as the Cullens left. She didn't know how the girl knew she was there, but she detected no hint of lies, deceit, or falsity from her. She had no idea what it meant, but it solidified the plan in her mind as she slipped out the side door and into the shadows between the buildings. 

Avery knew every inch of the alleys of Volterra. She didn't like being cooped up in the castle so she had snuck out many times and crept her way through alleys and small streets, soaking in the light, whether it was the sun or the moon. She wasn't stupid enough to show herself or cause a scene -- even though she had been with the Volturi for her full a hundred and fifty years of vampirism, the brothers would waste no time in sentencing her to death -- but she did explore and learn the city. 

Hiding amongst the alleys until the sun went down, Avery crept down off the hill and began a run towards Leghorn, Italy which was a port city. She knew exactly where to go, the guy from Rome who had gotten her the ID told her what to do. From Leghorn, she was to get onto a boat that took her over to Valencia, Spain. From there, there was a train that would take her from there into Portugal, and over to Lisbon to catch a ship over to New York.