empathy

SEVENTEEN

„Selene. I see you've met dear Anastasia before," Aro speaks up after a moment during which they have simply stared at each other.

Two people so similar and yet so far apart one wouldn't think they'd know each other. One with hope and warmth building inside of her and one with a bubbling rage inside of her.

"Little moon."

Anastasia's eyes narrow at that, and she looks away, ready to ignore the woman in front of her. The woman who is the root of all her problems, of all the evil in her life.

"Aro," the blonde master, Caius, pulls the kind out of his trance. He was fascinated by the exchange, for whatever reason, it seemed to pull all his attention. Though, Caius is quick to pull him out of it when he notices the blackness creeping up Anastasia's arms.

Mist is snaking around them like fog during a cold autumn day and drops of black are mixing with the red of her eyes, falling towards her pupil like a slow waterfall.

It's the beauty hiding the danger behind. Only, it isn't hiding anything.

Edward pushes Bella behind him in an instant, shielding the human from the view and a possible attack. He's trust Anastasia to go and murder her right here on the spot, and with what's happening even more so. Isabella clings to his arm and quickly pulls Alice toward her as well, desperate for the protection of her best friend.

"Very interesting," Aro mumbles to himself.

"You're angry with me," Selene observes. "Don't," Jasper speaks up, struggling to keep the major at bay himself.

It's the whole situation that has him on edge. That woman, the Volturi, his siblings and the uncomfortableness of his mate.

"Just leave her alone," he adds. His hand is remaining in hers but other than that he doesn't make a move to go near her himself. It wouldn't be of any use either way. It doesn't look like she's recognizing her surroundings.

"Her powers turned on her," Selene watches her daughter through sad eyes before turning to look at Jasper, speaking to him rather than her.

"Please, do explain, dear," Aro encourages her to speak. "It's none of your business," she shakes her head. "It is their business. And it doesn't look like she is very keen on speaking to you."

Selene glances over to her daughter, who is just calming down. Red overpowering black.

"Vampirism isn't natural, especially if it's forced upon one, which I guess was the case with her," she starts talking, hoping to get an answer but they simply just stare, not even blinking in response. "I knew she had them. I didn't know what they were, but it was impossible for to have not inherited them," she says more to herself now. "I guess she got the darkness part of it."

"I don't care," Anastasia finally speaks up. "I don't care," she repeats more viciously. The black is still dancing through her fingers, but it's the only indicator left something was wrong to begin with.

"Can we just get back to Edweirdo and friends?" she adds, looking at Aro. His eyes still slightly narrowed, and lips pressed together, he tilts his head before shaking it. "I find this quite enlightening. Please do continue Selene."

The woman turns back to her daughter, expression once again softening.

"I'm sorry I left," she gets back to what she wanted to say from the time she saw her. "I don't care," Anastasia shakes her head once more. "You do. You wouldn't be angry if you didn't."

"Do you want to know why I'm angry?" Ana asks her mother, her tone getting a little darker. "I'm not angry that you left. I'm pretty good on my own. I am angry that the moment you left my father became an alcoholic, because he couldn't function. I'm angry because he didn't have an inch of self-control when he drank and later even when he didn't drink. I'm angry because whenever I left the house, I had to be scared he'd hurt or even kill my sister. I couldn't care less if you left or not because I didn't have the time to care about that," she rants. "Then again you should know all there is to know about not caring, shouldn't you?"

"I'm sorry about your father," Selene means, not really knowing how else to reply. "I didn't know he'd react like that."

"Of course, you didn't."

"I couldn't stay," Selene shakes her head slightly. "I had responsibilities to return to." "Yeah, like I said," Anastasia shrugs. "I don't care."

"I love a good family reunion," Aro chirms in once more. "But Heidi will be here soon and I'm afraid we need to hurry this along. So, why don't you continue your story about her powers?"

Selene sighs. It doesn't concern the Volturi but he was right earlier, Anastasia most likely won't talk to her again.

"Or we go back to the blood bag and neither of us has to concern themselves with that," Ana offers. Aro scoffs a laugh and sits down on his throne before nodding at Selene to continue.

Anastasia sighs and turns so she can lean against Jasper's chest, intertwining their hands and laying them against her stomach.

"Your appearance should have given it away, you scream darkness," Selene means gently. "Not in a bad way. It's quite fascinating, how you adapted to something you didn't even realise was within you. Confident, aversive, unapproachable, complex..." she trails off. "You're not easy to understand, I suppose. Not many people get along with you, some are afraid, but some are fascinated to the point they are almost obsessed. It's the allure of darkness. It's been spreading through your veins since you were a child. Maybe it was light at first, but eventually it turned... twisted. And when you turned, poison was flooding your veins instead. I'd guess, you didn't have the best control, it was overwhelming, overpowering?"

"Where are they coming from?" Jasper is the one to ask the question Anastasia is too proud to ask. She's exhausted and if she could sleep, she'd probably close her eyes for at least a day straight.

"Maybe I should introduce myself properly," Selene smiles and for the first time since she entered the room, Anastasia recognizes the mother she used to know.

The confidence, the slight mischief, the power.

"My name is Selene. I'm the Titaness of the moon."

--- -- -

My portrayal of Greek Mythology will probably not always follow the actual stories, traits or images and I want you to know that I am fitting these characters into my story rather than adapting my story to them.

But I mean no disrespect to them or anyone who believes in them in any ways!