Mia Cara

Chapter 3 Volturi

Three days earlier

I had my sketchpad opened before me and a pencil ready in my hand but I found myself staring blankly into space.

All day. It had happened to me all day. I was partly irritated with myself for my inability to do much except space out. After all the times that I'd mercilessly teased my twin for doing the same over a boy she just met... maybe we were alike after all. Because all I could think about the entire day was the strange run in with the mysterious man in the dark, his striking features even in the lack of light, his velvety voice and most of all the sincerity that had reverberated throughout his words.

'Come on, Mia. Snap out of it!' I scolded myself the way I had often done with my twin. 'Focus - you're here for a reason and you're forgetting that.'

But still my pencil remained mostly unmoving as my brain refused to do as it was told. I'd attempt to sketch the beautiful arches in front of me but then my mind would slide to how perfectly sculpted the strange man's jaw and cheek bones had been. Because of my treacherous mind, I'd barely sketched out the shape of the arches by the time the sun had set; that had been about an hour ago.

I sighed and I was debating just giving up and going to find dinner when I was broken out of my thoughts.

"Good evening."

I almost jumped out of my skin when the soft voice sounded from beside me. As it was, I did fall a little out of my chair as I swivelled around so fast my neck cracked. I didn't really mind, however, as I found myself staring up at the same man from the night before. He looked highly entertained as he peered down at me, his face partially hidden in the shadows although I could definitely see enough to notice he was barely containing his mirth.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." He smiled and I melted just a little bit.

I was not so far gone, however, that I wasn't struck by the obvious.

"How did you find me here?" I asked suspiciously. It seemed more than a little coincidental that this stranger had found me at my hotel the day after I had told him where I was staying and I was beginning to re-evaluate how I felt about him.

He chuckled lightly.

"You told me you were staying at the Rosa della vita." He reminded me.

"Yeah but what are you doing here?" I asked, still confused and suspicious. He grinned at me.

"I am staying here as well." He explained. "You just never asked me."

I frowned at that. "You could have said so yesterday."

"I thought it would be more entertaining if I could find you and surprise you." His grin widened. "I was right."

I tried not to let his smiles distract me. I almost succeeded.

"Well, that was presumptuous of you. What if I had left by now? Or if you just weren't able to find me again?" I asked challengingly.

He laughed heartily - something about what I'd said was apparently extremely funny. I momentarily forgot to ask what however as the sound of his laughter struck me numb; it was like listening to an angel or to chiming bells. For a dazed moment, I again briefly wondered if it was possible that he was a... but then I shook my head against it. There was no way he could have bumped into me the other night if he was like the Cullens.

"What's so funny?" I finally asked after I finally managed to latch onto my sanity again.

"You are." He smirked as he walked a little bit closer. "You are quite amusing."