Ballad of the Bruised [ j.v ]

02

>Mystery Mate<

JANE VOLTURI SIGHED as she stared out at the desolate seen before her. Volterra, Italy. Though the sun was shining and the streets were crowded with delicious smelling humans, the vampire couldn't bring herself to eat, or even have an appetite.

That was why while the others were feasting upon naive tourists in the thrown room, Jane sat on the balcony of her bed chamber, swinging her feet off the ledge. She was tempted to lean forward, to let herself freefall to the cobblestone streets below, but she knew it would be futile.

Vampires could not die.

And Jane knew better than anybody.

It was 800 A.D. when Jane and her brother were accused of being witches and sentenced to burn at the stake. It wasn't until the fire was set and began to burn the children alive that Aro had come to the rescue.

After Aro had changed her, Jane had awoken, immediately asking what had happened to her twin brother, Alec. Then, with a sad shake of the head, the three Volturi Kings explained how though they had tried changing Alec, the venom hadn't worked. If anything, it had made his injuries worse, and he had died days before. Now, the body of her brother lay in a grave out in the Volturi gardens at the base of a weeping willow tree, Alec's favorite.

At the news of her brother's passing, Jane was overcome with grief, and had attempted to kill herself many times, for she had nobody left. The angry mob that had taken Jane and Alec away to be burned had slaughtered their mother, leaving them to fend for themselves.

And now, there was only Jane.

Jane was welcomed into the Volturi with open arms, and was immediately placed as one of the higher ranking guards due to her discovered ability.

Jane held the power of pain.

What she felt as she was burned, as she was turned, and when she found out her beloved brother was dead mixed with her anger to produce a gift many feared. Jane could look at somebody, and make them feel pain. But not just any pain; her pain.

The same pain she'd felt so many times before. Every time she released it on others, it was as if a part of her became numb. Numb to her own agony and inner turmoil. Maybe that was why the youngest Volturi member used her gift so often. It seemed that every time she used her gift, she felt a small sense of relief. Of peace.

Peace she so desperately needed.

But, using her gift wasn't enough to take away the pain inside of her completely. Jane often covered up her feelings with a mask of indifference, acting like she was perfectly fine when she clearly was not.