Change of Pace (Twilight: Demetri Volturi/OC)

Chapter 3

4 Years Later

Nadia slept soundly with her family in their home beside her sister Jane snuggled up to her side underneath the blankets on their shared bed. The two sisters and Alec had become inseparable and their relationship only grew stronger over the years.

Nadia woke with a start when she heard shouting outside. She sat up and outside could see the silhouettes of torches. Suddenly there was banging on the door and a muffled voice yelling "Open up."

Jane jumped up from the sound and looked at her sister fearfully.

"I promised you once to never lie to you Jane. I am keeping this promise now by saying I don't know if it will be alright but I will try my hardest to protect you and Alec." Nadia said looking deeply into her sisters eyes before pulling her in for a tight hug.

Nadia let go of her sister and went over to their mother who was still sleeping. "Mother. Wake up." Nadia whispered shaking her mother who jumped up from being disturbed.

"What is it Nadia?" Her mother Mary asked her eldest daughter.

"It's the villagers. They have finally come for us." Nadia whispered looking to the doorway where Alec had just walked in.

"Come here." Nadia said gesturing to her brother who hurriedly came towards them. "Quickly we need to dress." Nadia said opening the wardrobe and pulling out clothing for her mother, sister and herself. She spared a glance at Alec who had thought to dress already as he was a very smart. She nodded her head to him and he turned around from his family as Nadia helped Jane lace up her dress who then returned the favor as Nadia helped there mother. "Come. Let's try and sneak out the back." Nadia said going over to the window and pulling the shutters of the window as silent as she could.

"Mother, you go first." Nadia said helping her mother out the window. "Jane." Nadia called helping her sister."Alec." She said hugging her brother and then helping him out the window before going out the window herself.

Nadia landed silently on the ground and joined her family as they ran into the forest.

After running for a few minutes the sounds of the pursuing villagers could be heard. "Hurry!" Nadia shouted taking hold of her brother and sisters hands.

"There they are!" They all heard a shout and looked over their shoulders to see some of the men carrying torches and pitch forks after them. Nadia pulled her brother and sister along with their mother right behind them running as fast as they could go without falling as they couldn't see where they were going except from the faint light of the full moon and the torches behind them that weren't so distant anymore.

With burning lungs and scheming bones Nadia came to a stop when she heard her mother's scream.

"Keep running and don't stop for anything!" Nadia yelled pushing her younger siblings forward and turning back to help her mother who was being dragged off roughly by a man.

Nadia liked around for something to use as a weapon and found a fairly large rock at the base of a tree. Nadia grabbed the rock and then ran towards the struggling pair knock the rock against the man's head making him let go of her mother. Nadia was just about to grab her hand when she felt arms wrap around her from behind. She struggled against them as more people came towards them and grabbed her mother.

Jane and Alec listened to their sister Nadia and continued inning until Jane heard the yells of her sister and mother and couldn't bear to leave them. Nadia had never left Jane and she wasn't going to leave her either.

"I have to help them Alec. Keep going well catch up to you!" Jane said stopping and running back in the direction of her Mother and Sister.

"I won't let you go alone! I want to help them too" Alec said following Jane back to their Mother and Sister.

When they arrived at the space where they last saw them they saw Nadia and their mother fighting against 7 men tying them up. Jane having a sudden urge to protect them spotted the rock that Nadia had previously used and picked up ignoring the wet substance on it thinking it water from the rain ignorant that it hadn't rained in 3 days. Alec following his twins lead ran behind her into the fight attacking the man that was holding his mother.

After Jane and Alec ran into the. Fight trying to help them Nadia started to fight to get away harder than before. "Jane! Alec! Run away! Please!" She yelled but it was too late as they were already being grabbed by two men.

Nadia squirmed further as the people tied rope around her wrists and ankles while they pulled the family back into the village and down into the cells. They were all thrown hard onto the cold damp floor separated from each other so they couldn't use their 'magic' together and break free. They would be kept here until tomorrow's sunset as was the tradition for burning someone who was charged with the crime of being a witch.

Nadia struggled to push herself off the floor and moved to the wall to sit up; she looked across from her and saw Alec sitting in the middle of his cell with his legs up against his chest and his forehead resting on his knees.

"Alec." She spoke her voice hoarse from yelling."Alec." She tried again a little louder.

Nadia got no reaction from Alec and wondered if he was already feeling numb the way she was starting to feel. She then looked to her left at the empty cell then to her right where she saw Jane's still form laying on the floor.

"Jane." Nadia called out moving towards the metal of the cell that separated her from her sister. "Jane." Finally she got a reaction from her when Jane sat up as best she could with her wrists and ankles still tied together and dragged herself across the floor to her sister grabbing each other's fingers through the metal. Nadia gave her hands a gentle squeeze and rested her head against the metal her blonde hair contrasting against the cool iron, it was uncomfortable but they both wanted to be as close to each other as they could be.

"Is mother alright?" Jane asked tiredly and looking at the still form of their mother in the cell across from her.

Nadia followed her sisters gaze to their mother Mary lying still on the floor, Nadia sighed and then took a deep breath to be strong for her siblings. "I don't know Jane. We can only hope. Try and get some sleep there's nothing we can do now."

Jane quickly looked at her sister. "You're not giving up are you?"

"Of course not, I'm just saying we can't do anything when we are too exhausted to fight them." Nadia said and inside she knew she would fight not for her but for her siblings until she died, for they were the only things she truly loved in this world. She did love their mother also but knew if it came down to it she would want her children safe, with that last thought Nadia watched Jane close her eyes and then did the same as exhaustion finally caught up with them as they fell into sleep.