"Hello, mistress."
I turned around as I walked with Benjamin. There was a little black girl with beetroot eyes.

"Hey, sweetie. You don't have to call me that."
She tilted her head and nodded.

She wore a cloak and it was a tone lighter than Corin's. She was a high ranker.
"What's your name?"

"Melanthe."
I laughed internally. That was Greek for black. I guess the brothers had a twisted sense of humour.

"Nice to meet you. I am Makayla."
She smiled a cherubic smile.

"Oh, I know that. You won't remember but we've met before."
I felt my spine chill.
"Oh."

Was she dangerous too? And maybe she wasn't a little girl!

"The guards are no longer under house arrest, so to say, so it's not as safe...for you. I am your additional escort as Renata had to return to her duties. I don't think these guys will manage without the extra man power."

She had a friendly face, skin as dark as mine that was a burnt chicory. And big, big doll eyes. She had two puffs on her head.

"You are going to be able to protect me?"
"Yes, and mama always told me it's not the height that counts. Besides I love Marcus, so I'm going to have to keep you safe for him until he returns from his excursion."

Melanthe had confidence way past her four feet and nine inches.
"I guess you can come along but not without Demetri or Benji."

She looked at Benjamin and chuckled at the nickname.
"Don't." he retaliated.
"Never thought of it."

I continued walking to Marcus' quarters and I was passed by more grey cloaks. They bowed and distanced themselves from me.

Then I saw a gargantuan man, who could have been a descendant of Goliath. He had black hair and greedy red eyes. His cloak was pale grey. I tensed and hid behind Benjamin.

He saw us walking and stopped in his tracks.
Oh my goodness. Was he attacking?
I hyperventilated.

"Are you alright mistress," he asked with a bowed head.
Huh?
"I could be better. Mind leaving, you're kinda stressing me out."

He nodded and vanished. Benjamin stared after him.
"Gosh, I've never seen him act that way unless it's the masters. Demetri told me you are now one of the highest ranked members, but I didn't believe it until now.

You have no idea how huge this is! Caius addressed you decently. The wives befriended you and now you have a personal entourage to protect you, but none of the guards would dare hurt you anyway...if they want to live."

I said nothing... just walked.

I discovered that the library I had, the little one I favoured, was not the only one in the castle. There was also one connecting to Aro's room, which served as a personal study and a large one in the Western wing...a public library for guests and guards.

"Are you sure it's ok for me to go in?"
Benjamin nodded.
"I think you'll be ok. In any case interest in reading has shifted recently since the invention of television."

I coughed: "Is that recent?

"Well for you it may seem a long time ago, but when you live as long as we do it's like yesterday.

The television is not that old. It only was conceived in the twenties following World War I and in the the thirties the first commercial televisions were sold by a German company Telefunken.

I think then is when interest in reading wanted in the coven and now with the technology in 2010 why read when you can see a moving picture?"

"Moving picture....you mean movie?" I said.
"Yes, but you know movie is just a shortcut for that."

"There was a time movies were silent....then when sound was added they became talkies."

It was fascinating talking to someone who had lived then and could track the progression in technology.

"So, most of us still call it talkies or moving pictures. Old habits die hard, right?" he smiled.

As he spoke of the past he silently pushed me nearer to the library door. I took a deep breath and opened the pinewood doors. The library was a vast ocean of books. Shelves of varying size and length were lined with books...new ones, old ones...magazines.

There was a spiralling staircase on the right of the library, heading up to the ceiling and down to an invisible floor.
"Wow," I said.

"This library was updated recently by Chelsea's mate Afton. There is now a digital catalogue of all the books here as well as s library map...DVDs, CDs and online resources.
If you're unsure of anything...he would be happy I'm sure to help you."

After a few minutes I had a book in my mind. It was then a five foot man entered. He had small eyes and a triangular face. His hair was really thick. He had a nice beard too.

"Hello, mistress."
I greeted him back. I bumped elbows with my guard.
"Afton?" I mouthed. He nodded.

Melanthe was watching cartoons within the library and Benjamin was texting. I moved away from my escort and went in search of the book.

I wonder if they have Black Beauty. I always wanted to re-read it . My father used to read it to me when I was six.

I scoured the towering shelves. I found the book but I had to stand on my toes to reach. A tan hand withdrew my prize for me. I started and I gazed as Afton took out the book.
"Here, I noticed you needed help."

"Graci."
He nodded at my reply. He returned to the desk and flipped a magazine open.

The copy was a pale blue with black illustrations of the horse. It was a little worn otherwise it was well kept and it was a first edition.

I sat and read.

I was finishing the fifth chapter when Athenodora careened in.
"Kayla, there you are! I thought someone had eaten you!"

Not, yet.

I placed a bookmark in my novel. Benjamin stood and bowed along with Afton.
"Hey, how was the visit?"

She gave me a smirk.
"Caius really loved the outfit." she said in a sing song.

I'm glad she didn't elaborate.But I was glad she was happy.

"Even Sulpicia had more attention then usual because your fashion advice. Aro was pleased."

"Where is she?" I asked.
"They are still together. "
It was the best news I had, had that week.

"By the way Caius wanted you to become acquainted with our laws."

I raised a black brow. My orange braids shook as I raised my shoulders.
"That's why you're back?"

"Partly, you need to finish my nails urgently otherwise my outfit will not match."
I smiled.

"Afton, bring the books."
He nodded and went off to the non-fiction shelves.
Melanthe came.
"Ms Athena!"

She smiled benignly.
"Hello, dear."
Afton came with a hard cover, maroon tome. Athenodora held it as if it were a feather.

"Thank you, Afton. Did you find the illustrated journal written by Didyme?" she asked.

"Not yet, Miss. But I shall continue searching."
She dismissed him and he went back to his books.

"I want you to know how we began; that way you can distinguish an ally from a foe."

She opened the page and on it was printed a fancy, curly script.

"We were not always the big guns we are now. And in some ways it has made us more vulnerable. There were two enormous covens, that numbered to the hundreds I believe. They were the Egyptian coven and the Romanian coven, well at least that is how we refer to them. They had names for themselves in their own mother tongues.

They lived conspicuously . Humans knew what they were and how much of a threat they were to them. If any vampire spoke to them, they would claim their innocence...of how they lived in peace with all creatures.

But they subjugated so many mortals. They held themselves as gods and they forced humans to write great tales of them; build towering monuments for them."

"Wait so you are saying the Egyptian gods were vampires?"
She smiled.

"So, they were. Then at the peak of their empires Marcus was born and soon after Aro was born. Then after their respective transformations they wandered the world until they crossed paths with one another. Those two formed a coven together. Then Aro took a mate for himself and Didyme was transformed roughly the same time Sulpicia was.

My Caius and I joined a hundred years later."

I leaned forward.
"Who transformed you guys?" I said.
Athenodora sighed:
"A nobody...some street urchin who left me to fend for myself...those days vampires were lawless and made followers hither thither.

Caius said he was transformed by a chief who wanted to create a new world with him, the Chief, as leader."

"That backfired." I muttered.
"It did," agreed Dora.

"Anyway Aro never wanted to tell us who was his creator...it may even be Amun, the head of the Egyptian coven or Vladimir, the Romanian."

Afton came with the illustrated book.
"Anyway we are getting away from the topic at hand.

Soon after our joining Caius pushed for the coven to have more conquests. We had gone to wars with both the covens I mentioned to you earlier but nothing came of them.

We already had Chelsea by then and Corin. We remained unsuccessful at thwarting our rivals until the Twins were turned. After ten years of them cohabiting with us we went to war with the Romanians.

They were overconfident and never expected to be thwarted by a bunch of children. Soon we took down the Egyptians as well. And then we finally took up residence in Volterra. We were a roving coven all those years prior."

She opened a ruddy tome and showed me two pale, short vampires with snowy hair and muddy brown hair. They were the Romanians. They also had Roman noses and short, stocky faces. They looked like farming people.

Then there was a man with birch tree skin and mahogany eyes with curly, black hair.

"Who's this?" I said.
"Amun, dear."
"But he's black!"
She laughed.
"Yes, what was he to look like?"

"I don't know Egyptian? So....kinda mixed looking?"

"The first people in Egypt were your race, only after centuries of mingling with the Greek and Arabic people, they looked like that. But you are right...the rest of his coven do look like what you described."

She closed the books and looked at me. It was dark. She waved a hand and the lights were turned on by Melanthe.

"We have made a few laws,which all vampires must follow.

We do not expose ourselves in any way or form.

We do not make immortal children.

We do not make alliances with werewolves.
And here's the most important one,"
she frowned as she paused.

"What is it?"

"We do not let mortals know there is such a thing as vampire."

My heart stilled.

"Anyway, the rest my coven-mates can fill you in on. I explained the gist of the Law. Now, a pressing matter...my nails."

Hey, Wattpad

Thank you for reading my story up until this chapter! The last few have been the same day but a lot has happened to Makayla.

Now, she knows more about the Volturi.
Next week it will take a lighter note.

Also, anyone notice Aro is nowhere near wooing Makayla and he has two days left?🤣

Keep reading...
11/3/21

Zeebeemuks.👩🏾‍💻