Heartbeat [Alec Volturi]

Willkómmen

The subtle rumble of the car engine guaranteed a smooth ride through the streets of Berlin, but the ambiance in the front seat was miserable. We may as well have been driving a boat on land or some stupid metaphor like that. I didn't have the energy for metaphors right now. Not when everything seemed to be falling apart.

The glow from the dashboard was dim in the early evening light, not yet ready to acknowledge the soon to be setting sun. I ignored the urge to risk a side glance at Alec.

He had yet to spare me a look since we left Volterra. Nor during the entire hour and a half plane ride, where he stayed on the opposite end of the aircraft discussing god knows what with the others. His outburst in the throne room had set everybody on edge, but other than a few check-ins with me, none of Alec's team dared to acknowledge the dreary awkwardness of the situation.

Which Alec had only made worse by pointedly ignoring me. Not even Felix chipped in to try and break the ice. In the oddest formation, he, Jane, and Demetri spent the flight whispering – undoubtedly about Alec and I. I would have chastised myself for overanalyzing and thinking so vainly if Alec had not confirmed my suspicions and called them out. 

No one seemed to be on his good side. At one point, he demanded Jane and Prosper in the back of the plane. The curtain only gave the illusion of privacy, as I was the only one without heightened hearing, but when they returned, none of the guards would acknowledge Prosper. He passed me with glazed eyes and opted for the most secluded seat on the plane. It wasn't until we were on the tarmac that I learned he had been relegated to remain with the plane. Judging from his failed attempt to disguise the dazed stare and delayed shudders, undeniable side effects of Alec's gift, he didn't take the news well.

"What else are you willing to sacrifice for a man who never cared if you lived or died?"

It wasn't true, and now, hours later, I still couldn't fathom what prompted Alec to say such a thing. My father spent hours upon hours in dozens of hospital waiting rooms throughout my childhood. If I so much as tripped, he would rush me off to the nearest emergency room. He almost cared too much, but parents always worried in excess. The only good part about these visits was to use them as 'documentation' for our insurance fraud schemes.

A suffocating silence had escorted Alec's words. No one seemed willing to call him out on the baseless attack. Thankfully, Demetri stepped in before Alec could continue his nonsense, sending me off with Heidi to get ready.

Alec's poor mood had persisted for the majority of our travel, only acknowledging my existence to insist that he would drive us alone to Bastian's club. Demetri seemed reluctant, but Alec forced the others to follow in separate vehicles, thus condemning me to the most uncomfortable car ride of my life.

I plucked at the crepe fabric of my almost floor-length fancy dress before reaching down to pull one side of the slit over the other. The cut in the noir attire was much too high for my liking, stopping mid-thigh, though it did make me feel more mobile than other cocktail dresses might have. I'm sure it would be normal for a teenager's formal or prom. Not that I would know. Heidi had picked it out before we left, and I wasn't given a choice. Which dress I wore was low on the list of priorities. She didn't push, and I didn't complain.

The fabric fell on either side of my thigh as soon as I released it, so I gave up and used my left foot to push the heel on my right off, doing the same so I could rid myself of the damn shoes, if only temporarily. I folded my legs under me, no longer caring about how much of my skin the dress did or did not cover.

I still lacked the nerve to look at Alec, and his brooding didn't make me feel any better. It was suffocating in the small space. Instead, I took in the industrial buildings as we drove through the city, which was just as dull.