My cliché life as Renesmee's twin

Something Tense In The Air

A woman was measuring two watermelons at the street market in Volterra. She wants to buy a smaller one but sweet as well. She thinks: My poor Pablo would know which one is the best. He always had good eyes for these things. She sighed. She thought about her only son. He will bring his family to visit her. The children are old enough to enjoy the taste of melon. Only if grandpa Pablo could meet them… 

“Sweetheart, are you sure you don't want to play?” A light woman’s voice called me.

“No, thank you…” I answered quietly without lifting my eyes from the window.

From here I could oversee a good part of the city. It was Saturday and in every good mediterranean town, there was a market at the main square. 

“Maybe you would like this one.” The sweet woman sat next to me at the soft window seat with a beautiful porcelain doll in her hands. 

She had a mahogany colored hair that fell lightly on her shoulders. She possessed a frail, pale skin, like the ancients do. It lost its marble-like look a long time ago. Her eyes were a milky red too. A bit dreamlike, like she isn't awake fully or sober. 

She was Sulpicia. The wife of master Aro. I stayed with her and with Athenodora, Caius's wife, over the past two days in the Red Tower. At first it was a big deal since the Red Tower, as I got to know, was the home of the masters and their wifes. A few selected guards were allowed to enter with permission, like Jane, Alec, Corin, and Chelsie. Basically those who wore the darkest shade of gray. The simple vampire who was just visiting the coven couldn't even dream about entering.

And yet I am here. Sharing the precious rooms of the most influential and adored creatures in the immortal world. The reason was that it is the safest spot in the whole globe. Almost literally, in the heart of the largest coven in existence. Some might say a child like me could never comprehend the honor that I received. Shame on them my adult mind fully grasped what surrounded me and as expected it was quite depressing.

The walls were faded, the curtains and fabrics were heavy and although every single furniture had marvelous decoration on them from gemstones and gold, everything had an eerie burnt smell. Like incense but stinkier. Sweet but death-like. I felt this aroma on Afton too. It made me think. Is this the scent of the dead?

Is this because of how many vampires were executed here that the walls took in the smells? 

I took the porcelain doll from Sulpicia. It was old of course but in good condition. I am no historian, I never was in my previous life either, but from the clothes that were on the doll I guess it is from the 18th century. Its eyes were a glassy green and its blond hair were braided into two. It was meant to be a childs toy for an aristocrat. I found it pretty.

I touched its hair. It was still soft. It had a chubby cheek despite that it was porcelain. I had to poke it just for fun. I thought I was gentle but my index finger broke through the surface like it was a thin layer and not a hard material. I stared down at the broken face of the doll. Its emerald eye slowly slipped into the hole. Shit.

Carefully I glanced up at Sulpicia. She isn’t angry because I broke an expensive toy, right? She stared back at me worriedly. She took in my every move. Will I cry? Throw a tantrum like every child would? I relaxed. She didn't care about something silly like earthly goods, I noted.

“Sorry.” I muttered and pressed my temple back to the old glass.

“No harm done.” She smiled at me kindly and took the wrecked doll from my light hold. 

She was worried that I didn't act like a child. My emotionless numbness was unbearable in her eyes. She counted back every second getting ready when I would finally lose it and start to cry after my parents. I didn't plan to do that. I knew they would come. Edward promised and they are not the ones who break a promise like this.