Oblivion | Alec Volturi |

Part 0: 05

"Chelsea is trying to break our bindings," Edward whispered. "But she can't find them. She can't feel us here. . . ." He looked at Bella, "Are you doing that?"

Annalise cocked her head slightly to the side, she'd like to see Chelsea try and break her family's bond, she half sneered.

Bella smiled grimly, "I'm all over this," she said and Annalise grinned slightly.

Edward lurched towards Carlisle, "Carlisle? Are you all right?" Edward gasped frantically.

"Yes. Why?"

"Jane," Edward answered and then looked at Bella, "Incredible."

Annalise took a slight breath, will she be able to block Alec, though? As soon as she thought the name, she grimaced, feeling a horrible tug in her stomach that pleaded for her to just go to him already. She ignored it, but it took nearly all of her willpower.

"Why aren't they waiting for the decision?" Tanya hissed.

"Normal procedure," Edward answered. "They usually incapacitate those on trial so they can't escape."

Annalise watched the ancients with rapt fascination, wishing for a moment that she had Edward's ability to read minds. 

Jane suddenly let out a high-pitched scream of a snarl and Annalise jumped, looking at her with wide-eyes and then at Bella, who looked incredibly smug.

The Romanians started chuckling with dark anticipation.

"I told you this was our time," Vladimir said to Stefan.

"Just look at the witch's face," Stefan chortled.

Annalise watched Alec pat his sister's shoulder before turning towards them, his eyes met Annalise's briefly and pain crossed his face before he forced it off of his face and looked away from her.

"He's trying," Annalise said quietly, "His gift is slower than Jane's. It creeps. It will touch us in a few seconds."

She looked at Edward who briefly shook his head, "Wait to see if Bella can block it," he told her and Annalise would never admit it, but she was very relieved.

Her eyes followed the strange clear haze moving towards them. The ground underneath them trembled and a gust of wind blew the snow into flurries between them and the Volturi's. Benjamin was attempting to stop it.

The mist didn't react in any way. It was like air blowing harmlessly through a shadow: the shadow was immune.

The ground beneath them let out a deep groan and a narrow fissure opened in a long zigzag across the middle of the clearing.

The mist skipped right across it.

Annalise watched in slight awe, that's incredible and slightly terrifying, she thought to herself as she watched the mist draw near, half-impressed with her mate and half-terrified for their lives.

Alec smirked and Jane began smiling.

Aro and Caius watched the opening earth with wide eyes. Marcus looked in the same direction without emotion.

They didn't speak; they waited, too, as the mist approached the Cullens and their witnesses.

Annalise inhaled and her eyes fell on Alec, his own fears drifting into her mind: losing Jane, failing the Masters, burning alive... She prepared to unleash a short, but painful blast of her gift that would make him lose his concentration, but then the mist hit a wall.

Annalise let out a breath and immediately pulled out of Alec's head, letting the surge she was powering up dissipate as she focused on Bella's shield.