The True History of the Cullen Family

Red Skies at Night

Camille Von Meliskold's life had not been the same since the day that Carlisle Cullen died.

She had gone to Germany and lived there since the botched trial; the judge and mayor had put a huge bounty on her head for killing Carlisle and causing his father to die of grief. Elizabeth Hamilton, her rival (and the woman who should have married Carlisle) married a son of Dagbert Trublood and they had several children. Camille had nearly succeeded in destroying her, had that foolish Englishman not betrayed HER at the courthouse.

She sat by the door listening for the sounds that would end her hours of loneliness and pain. That would be Caroline Von Meliskold, who would be on her way home from school.

After hiding from authorities at her grandmother's house for several years, Camille married a sorcerer named Leopold Darkmoon and had her daughter, Caroline. She also bargained for immortality so that she could continue living even after everyone in her time period was dead.

Caroline walked into the house. Camille ignored her only daughter as she walked by, preferring to devise ways of returning to England without anyone figuring out her crimes. There was still the bounty that was on her head and there were rumors about the murder of Carlisle Cullen that survived 3 centuries after his death. Camille had been a great beauty in her time, with a waterfall of chestnut hair and eyes of scintillating forest-green. She had been blessed with nearly pure white skin, dainty feet, flawless skin, and the ability to charm anyone into doing whatever she wished. Caroline, however, was not so lucky; not with her frizzy blonde hair and blue eyes, her rodent-like face, her large hooked nose, her overlarge ears, and her brutish personality.

Camille knew it was trouble when Caroline had questioned her about why they were living in Germany. For many years, Caroline had wondered why she wasn't beautiful like the other girls and why she never exactly aged like everyone else. Camille said to her, "They did not want us living in England; they had sided with the woman who killed my true love in cold blood and got away with it." She neglected to tell Caroline that SHE had caused Carlisle's death and tried to frame Elizabeth, but that failed when she was forced to flee from her home in England. Camille refused to tell Caroline that she looked almost like her former rival as well.

She stood up and walked to the window of their huge castle. Once again, Camille was searching for a sign that signaled that it was safe for her to return to England. For many years, Camille had grown bored with living in Darkmoon castle; she had no other children with her but Caroline; Leopold refused to let her have any other children after Caroline's birth nearly 300 years earlier. He also had no interest in fatherhood, preferring to keep to his alchemy lab. He had agreed to marry Camille as long as she stayed inside the castle.

Just then, the sky turned red. A red sky was not a good thing, as that meant danger. Camille noticed that there was no moon, stars, or even clouds to block the red sky. That was a sure sign that danger was coming.

There would be no returning to England for her.

*****

Aro noticed the red sky and said, "This is not good. Did you know that under a red sky, the dead crawl from their graves and torture the living?"

"Indeed," said Marcus. "Those who died before their time are returning to bring pain to us all."

Caius frowned, saying, "It is only for those damned superstitious mortals; not that we care about any of this. Why should we? We're vampires, we're immortal, and we're above humans! I'm not worried about that at all!"

Aro said, "Or what if this is a sign that something isn't right and we need to fix it before we are all destroyed?"

"Maybe," said Marcus as he left the throne room.

*****

Sam found himself looking at the red sky. "This is bad," he said.

"Will the dead show up like they do in those movies?" Paul asked.

"I don't know," said Sam, "but what I do know is that something is going to happen. What it is, I don't know."

Old Quil said, "The dead, they rise up and torture us! It is those who died before their time that return to taunt those who outlived them. We will see that happen."

Sam nodded and then said, "Still no word on Billy and Emily?"

"No," said the old man, "but take heart; neither are badly hurt. But our ancestor is still angry and he demands something from us. Something that should have happened that did not happen. That is what Taha Aki seeks."

Paul frowned, wondering why their greatest ancestor was seeking something that was not there. But then again, something needed to be done to save their tribe; they might not survive past the red skies.

Also, some lives were at stake.

*****

Jacquelyn and the snakes were fast asleep in Jasper's room, not knowing that the skies above Volterra had turned red and the air was fraught with the smell of blood. Jacquelyn was still trying to recover from her ordeal and with her trying to help Gus and Minerva, she could not be bothered with the sky changing colors at all.

But she would be the one to get what she truly wanted, if she looked past the red sky.

*****

Camille frowned as she searched the skies, but so far, nothing had changed. She began to wonder what it would have been like had Carlisle lived and she married him. There would have been no need to hide in a sorcerer's castle in the woods. She would have gotten rid of Elizabeth for good. She would have gotten the family she had desired rather than the family that she had now.

Just then, the smoke coming over the horizon was spotted. The time had come for judgment and changes...

*****

(We just can't have a Twilight fanfic without the Annoying Nomads, or can we?)

James, Laurent, and Victoria were in the streets of Venice, Italy, having eaten several hours before. They were not too concerned with the red skies, only about having fun and causing trouble for the poor humans.

Laurent said, "Maybe we should head to the next town; there's scores of humans there who won't be missed if they were to disappear."

"I agree," said Victoria. "We need a challenge."

James said, "I say we head off to Volterra; there's lots of people for us to eat there."

So as all three (annoying) nomads made their way to Volterra, they had no idea that their lives were about to be changed forever...