CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Despite it all, Eleanora Hadley soon found herself on her first international flight to Italy to save her best friend's idiotic, suicidal ex-boyfriend. She firmly believed that all the proof that the two of them were meant for each other lied within their similar degrees of stupidity when it came to their decision-making.

Although Ellie didn't know much about the Volturi literally speaking, knowing very well she was potentially walking into a lion's den. She only had her limited knowledge thanks to her hindsight to include it within her million different questions she had asked Jasper when she had first found out about vampires. 

With the question of 'did they abide by human laws and government or did they have their own set of rules?', Jasper had explained the Volturi to the brunette. They were based in Italy and were looked to as practically vampire royalty. They made the rules and if anyone tried to break them,  they were met with extreme force. All in all, they sounded extremely dangerous and the last type of people Ellie wanted to end up with. 

But as she found herself speeding down the mountainside road leading straight to the city of Volterra. The countryside blurring past her window, as Ellie leaned against it, her usual narcoleptic daily fatigue on top of the usual jet lag creating a perfect storm of fatigue but she wasn't going to let it stop her. 

"I'm guessing you didn't rent this car?" Ellie began dryly from her spot in the backseat. 

"I figured you wouldn't be opposed to Grand Theft Auto." Alice chorused back. 

"Not today," Bella replied. 

"So I'm assuming there's no time to stop for real Italian gelato? The States equivalent is shit." Ellie joked only to receive silence from the car. Bella briefly glanced back at her from the rearview mirror of the bright yellow Porsche Alice had stolen, it was almost so outlandish and gaudy that it reminded her of her brother's own insanely coloured car. Bella too concerned and panicky about Edward to give her a proper response, while Alice drifted into vision, her hands tightly gripping the wheel.

 If it wasn't the Volturi that Ellie was going to end up getting killed by it would be Alice driving while having visions. She would have offered to drive, convinced that she could win over any Italian authorities despite her lack of driver's license but the plan had the biggest fatal flaw of all. She didn't even know how to drive anyway. 

"They refused him," Alice interrupted, panic rising in her voice. "He's gonna make a scene. . . Show himself to the humans."

"When?" Bella demanded as Ellie's eyes widened as Alice took a sharp turn down a street, her head banging roughly against the glass window. 

"Sorry, El." Alice apologised before looking back to Bella. "He's gonna wait until noon when the sun's at it's highest." She informed, turning down another street and all they could see was red. 

"Why are they all in red?" Ellie curiously asked, before looking down to her clothes, the same ones she had worn all day hiking before getting straight on a plane. She really needed to buy some clothes at the airport on the way back through. "And should we be also?"

"San Marcos Day Festival. They're commemorating the expulsion of the vampires from the city." Alice informed, honking at pedestrians as they crowded around the car. 

"How ironic," Ellie muttered. 

"It's the perfect setting. The Volturi will never let him get far enough to reveal himself."

"Five minutes," Bella muttered her dark eyes glued to the clock in the centre of town. 

"Just breathe, Bells," Ellie assured, leaning forward. "We'll get you there."

The car was soon blocked by policemen, one knocking on the window, motioning for Alice to lower it as Bella hopped out of the car, looking around frantically. "Bella, you're the only one he can't see coming," Alice warned. "If Ellie or I go, he will read our thoughts. He'll think we are lying and rush into it."

"Where do I go?" Bella asked frantically. 

"He'll be under the clock tower. Go!" Alice shouted before turning back to the officers. 

Bella broke off into a gangly sprint, pushing past people widely, resembling that of a newborn giraffe on its first run. Alice speaking to the officers in fluent Italian, Ellie raised an eyebrow at it although quickly dismissed it as yet another one of the strange talents or information the Cullen family had picked up over the years. After all, if you were going to live forever you might as well learn something new. 

Soon after they were informed that they would have to walk to avoid running over any unsuspecting pedestrians because of the festival, Alice and Ellie started towards the clock tower, Alice seamlessly blending in with the rest of the humans, while Ellie only looked slightly out of place with her lack of red garments. 

The two of them soon reached the clock tower, Alice easily breaking off the lock as the two of them stepped inside, Ellie's eyebrow-raising once more as the scene in front of her, but shooting a small smile at Bella at the sight of Bella and Edward's seamless reunion. 

"Come on, guys," Alice started. "It's a festival. We wouldn't want to make a scene."

"We wouldn't," Agreed another one of the vampires gathered in the corridor with them. 

"Enough," A petite blonde demanded, walking down the corridor to them. "Aro sent me to see what was taking so long." 

That had to be Jane. One of the few Volturi guard members that Alice had told her about on the flight over between sleep, and one of the high-ranking guards. 

"Just do as she says," Alice whispered to Ellie and Bella, the former looking around shiftily. 

The vampires with the addition of Ellie and Bella followed the blonde through the hallways before reaching a stairwell, and finally an elevator. If it wasn't the worry with a tinge of fear running through her veins, Ellie would have stopped to admire the architecture. Within the small space of the elevator, Bella pushed herself between Ellie and Edward, the other four vampires crowding around them. Ellie bit back a smile at the choice of elevator music but knew very well that is was far from the time. 

As the doors open, a receptionist greeted them in Italian, a wide, pleasant smile on her lips. "Is she human?" Bella asked Edward, as Ellie listened in curiously.

"Yes," Edward replied shortly. 

Two large doors stood proud and tall at the end of the dark hallway, Jane strutted forward pushing them open and revealing an extravagant, white marble room ahead. At the furthest end from Ellie were three vampires sitting in thrones, Aro, Marcus and Caius, with more guards scattered around the room.

"Sister," A voice called greeting Jane. "We send you out to get one and you back and you bring back four. Such a clever girl."

"What a happy surprise! Bella is alive after all. Isn't that wonderful?" Aro stood up, greeting the newcomers with a wide smile. "I love a happy ending. They are so rare. La tua cantante." He approached the group, glancing at Bella. "Her blood appeals to you so much. . . it makes me thirsty. How can you stand to be so close to her?"

"It is not without difficulty," Edward curtly replied, as Ellie felt her eyelids droop. 

"Ah, shit. Please not now." Ellie begged in her mind before as always she never seemed to get her way. "Bella." She murmured, sagging against Bella's frame, the Swan wrapping an arm around her figure. 

"I've got you, El." She returned as Ellie fell into the ill-timed episode. 

Narcolepsy had always made her feel vulnerable but not as vulnerable as she felt falling asleep metres away from her potential predator in a lion's den.