CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

In this moment, Jay's incredibly grateful for two things: one, she grabbed one of Stefan's sweaters when she left the house this morning; and two, she forgot her cellphone while she was with Paul at Harry Clearwater's house.

Since she doesn't have her phone, she hasn't had to avoid any calls from Stefan, Damon, or Paul; she knows that they're all gonna be angry and she doesn't want to deal with it yet. But what exactly was she supposed to do in this situation? Let Bella leave the country with a vampire that she doesn't trust because said vampire already abandoned Bella once? That's a hard no in the teenager's mind.

During any period of time while they've been around large crowds of humans — on planes or in airports — Jay's been trying to hide inside Stefan's dark gray zip-up hoodie. It's too big for her, and she keeps it zipped all the way up with the hood over her head. It's also good for hiding from the sun; Italy isn't overcast like the weather in Forks or like it was during Bonnie's funeral.

Bella glances into the backseat of the yellow Porsche that Alice's driving, and she sees Jay curled up in the middle. Her legs are pulled up with one arm wrapped around them, while her free hand is pressing her knuckles into her lips. The sleeve of the sweater is pulled around her fist, and she's breathing into the material, trying to filter out Bella's scent.

This trip is the first time she's been in such close quarters with a human for so long. Even on the drive back to Forks from Mystic Falls, Damon only drove at night so that he could keep the top of his convertible down.

"When was the last time you fed?" The older girl asks, and Jay lifts her gaze to her as she keeps her head down.

"Right after we got back to Forks."

"That was three days ago."

"This isn't a fun experience for me, Bella, I hate drinking blood... And I was with Paul most of yesterday." She says as her dark eyes narrow.

"How new are you?" Alice asks as she glances in the rearview mirror, and Jay responds with a throaty growl as she buries her face in her knees. "Oh..."

They continue down a mostly deserted road on a hillside as the oldest in the car drives toward a large city. The car jerks, and Bella grabs the dashboard to steady herself. "I'm guessing you didn't rent this car?" She asks as she glances at Alice.

"I figured you wouldn't be opposed to grand theft auto."

"Not today."

Jay tunes them out as she pulls her hood over her face and focuses on breathing through her mouth. Bella looks back at her again, and she doesn't know how the younger girl's staying balanced — there are only two seats in the back, but she doesn't want to be near either of the windows because of the sun that's shining into the car.

"You two have grown close?" Alice asks as she looks at Bella.

"She's my best friend." Bella tells her. "Seeing her like this is..." She shakes her head as she returns her gaze to the front windshield.

They make it into Volterra, and Alice is honking the horn of the car as she swerves around people who are all dressed in red robes. Jay's watching out the window, no longer having to hide from the sun because it's being blocked by the city walls at the moment.

"Why are they all in red?" Bella questions, trying not to freak out as her eyes dart around at their surroundings.

"St. Marcus Day festival." Alice tells her. "They're commemorating the expulsion of vampires from the city."

"Well, they didn't do a good job since they just let two in." Jay mumbles, her sleeved hand still over her mouth.

"It's the perfect setting." She continues. "The Volturi will never let him get far enough to reveal himself." She says, and Bella scoffs as she looks at the clock.

"We have five minutes."

"I know. Bella, just breathe."

"One of us should." Jay says as she turns and looks out the back window.

They're stopped by men in uniforms, and Bella quickly climbs out of the car. Alice tells her that she has to go alone because she's the only one that Edward can't see coming. She then tells her where to go, and Bella takes off running as fast as she can.

"I don't like all the red." The younger girl sinks into her seat.

It's not long before they abandon the Porsche — much to Alice's dismay — and start making their way through the city on foot, sticking to the shadows. Jay's following behind Alice, who soon reaches for the new vampire to offer her something to anchor herself to.

"Why did you come if you knew that you'd have such a hard time around all the people, and in the sun?" The older girl asks; her grip on Jay's hand is firm.

"You left Bella once, so how could I trust you to bring her home safely?" She questions. "I've lost nearly everything. I won't lose her too."

"We left to protect her." She says as they round a corner. "It wasn't an easy decision, and it hasn't been easy to live with since."

"Pro—" She scoffs. "Do you have any idea how accident-prone she is? And that's when she's not intentionally seeking out danger."

They make their way toward a door, and the sun hits Jay's hand. She sucks in a sharp breath as she quickly runs out of the sunlight, and then Alice moves past her and forces the door open, breaking the lock on the inside. Jay runs in, nearly hitting a man who's not currently wearing a shirt, but she stops and steps back.

"Come on, guys." Alice takes off the scarf that's around her head, as well as her sunglasses; they were her shield from the sun. "It's a festival. You wouldn't want to make a scene."

"Are you okay?" Bella asks when she sees Jay cradling her hand to her chest.

"Mhm." The younger girl nods. "Just a little sunburn." She mutters as she looks down at her hand, watching the burned flesh slowly heal.

"Enough." They all look at the blonde girl who just rounded a corner behind the other two men.

"Jane." Edward drops his gaze, and then Alice does as well.

"Aro sent me to see what was taking so long." She looks at each of them and then turns around and walks away.

"Just do as she says." Alice tells the other two girls when Edward starts following after her.

"I don't like their eyes." Jay mutters as she stays close to Alice.

They walk down a hallway and then round a corner, and Jay stops when she sees the light coming in through the window. She groans as she pulls the sleeve of her sweater over her hand again and then pinches the hood to pull it forward to cover her face as she runs past the window.

Soon enough, they take stairs underground, and Jay lets her hood fall. They end up in an elevator, and the youngest takes a deep breath through her mouth. She glances at the shorter of the two Volturi men, thinking that he looks familiar, but she doesn't say anything. They finally step off of the elevator and into an area that doesn't look at all modern.

"Buon pomeriggio." A woman greets from behind a desk.

"Is she human?" Bella whispers as she looks up at Edward.

"Yes." He answers without looking at her.

"Does she know?"

"Yes."

"Then why would..." She pauses. "She wants to be."

"And so she will be." One of the men behind them says, and Jay grinds her teeth.

"Or dessert." Jane adds before opening a door and leading the way into a large room with stone walls and a high dome ceiling.

"Sister." A brunette boy greets. "They send you out to get one, and you bring back two...and a half. Such a clever girl."

"Three." The taller of the men behind them corrects as he moves Jay's hair, and she jumps as she turns to face him.

"What a happy surprise!" Another man exclaims as Alice reaches out to pull Jay to her, and the one who touched her hair moves away from their small group. "Bella is alive after all. Isn't that wonderful? I love a happy ending." He has a smile on his face as he walks over them, and then he pulls Edward's hand from Bella's. "They are so rare."

Jay looks from him to Alice, a confused look on her face. "Wha..." The little brunette's voice is barely a whisper, and Alice shakes her head, telling her to stay quiet.

"La tua cantante." Aro says as he looks from Edward to Bella. "Her blood appeals to you so much. It makes me thirsty... How can you stand to be so close to her?"

"It's not without difficulty." Edward tells him.

"Yes, I can see that." He chuckles, still holding onto his hand.

"Aro can read every thought I've ever had with one touch." He explains to the two confused teenage girls. "And now you know everything. So get on with it."

"You are quite a soul reader yourself, Edward." Aro says, clearly not liking the way that he spoke to him. "Though you can't read Bella's thoughts. Fascinating..." He takes a step back, looking at the human. "I would love to see...if you are an exception to my gifts as well. Would you do me the honor?" He asks as he holds his hand out to her.

Bella hesitates before stepping out from behind Edward, then she moves forward and places her hand over his palm. He tries, and seems to be further irritated when he can't see anything inside of her head either. He turns then, and walks a few steps away.

"I wonder... Let us see if she is immune to all our powers." He then looks over at the little blonde vampire. "Shall we, Jane?"

"No." Edward moves away from Bella, and starts toward the blonde.

"Pain." She mutters, and his body freezes. He then collapses to the ground, wracked in excruciating pain.

"Stop." Bella tries to move forward, but Jay reaches out and pulls her back as Alice kneels down beside her brother. "Stop. Please, stop! Just stop hurting him. Please! Please!"

"Jane." Aro looks at the blonde.

A moment passes, and then she looks at him as if coming out of a trance. "Master?"

"Go ahead, my dear." He tells her, and she looks at Bella.

"This may hurt just a little." She tells her, and Bella nods as she squeezes Jay's hand. Jane stares at her, a smile on her face, but nothing happens. The smile disappears, and Aro starts laughing.

"Remarkable." He claps his hands together once. "She confounds us all... So, what do we do with you now?"

"You already know what you're going to do, Aro." One of the men behind him says, and it's the first time that Jay even notices the two men sitting in the chairs on either side of the one in the center — they had been so quiet and so still before now.

The one who just spoke has long, dark hair, and is sitting with his chin up. He's an odd contrast to Aro, despite the multiple physical similarities that they share. The man in the other chair looks paler — if that's even possible — and he has pale blond hair.

"She knows too much." The blond man speaks up then. "She's a liability."

Jay knows what that means to them. After all, she's heard Damon's multiple murder speeches about when people learn too much about them in Mystic Falls. And she's seen first hand when either Klaus or Katherine clean up their loose ends. They want to kill Bella.

"What if I turn her?" The little brunette blurts out, gaining everyone's attention. "Then she wouldn't be a liability to any of you... Please."

"It's been a long time since I've come across one of your kind." Aro says as he walks over to the two brunette's. He watches as the younger girl has Bella move behind her, so she's now standing between the two of them. "What is your name?"

"Judith."

"Lovely." He glances between the girls. "And what is Bella to you?"

"She's the closest thing that I have to a sister anymore, she's my family." Jay tells him. "Please... I've already lost so much."

"How old are you, Judith?"

"Fifteen." She tells him. "And I've lost my entire family."

"Are you aware that it has never been Edward's intention to give her immortality?" He asks as he glances back at the two Cullens.

"I don't care what Edward wants, I'm not here for him." Jay says. "I came here for Bella...to protect her. If this is how I can keep alive, then so be it."

"Bella will be a vampire." Alice says, and Aro then turns to her. "I've seen it."

He holds his hand out to her, and the petite vampire straightens up as she pulls her elbow-length red glove off and walks toward him. He takes her hand in his own, and her mind shows him two alternate possibilities for Bella's future — both where she's a vampire.

In the first possible future, Bella and Edward are running through the woods with golden eyes, their skin shining in the daylight, and then the image suddenly morphs. The woods stay the same, but now Jay's wrestling with a muscular man that Aro doesn't recognize. Bella intervenes in their antics, tackling the much larger vampire, and Aro can see the blue ring on her finger as her hand slides through the dirt and tries to gain traction.

"Mesmerizing. To see what you have seen...before it has happened." Aro says as he looks down at Alice, then his gaze turns to Bella. "Your gifts will make for an intriguing immortal. Go now." He says as Edward makes his way over to the two teenage girls. "Make your preparations."

"Let us be done with this." The other dark-haired vampire says as he gets to his feet. "Heidi will arrive any moment. Thank you for your visit."

"Jay." Alice reaches toward the younger girl, and she leaves Bella with Edward.

"We will return the favor." The blond man says. "I would advise that you follow through on your promise soon. We do not offer second chances."

"Goodbye, my young friends." Aro says as the four of them head for the door to leave the marble room.