Finding My Brother

Chapter 9

Jasper's POV

As soon as I heard her scream, I bolted from the house. I was the first one out, and I had pushed Peter and Charlotte out of my way to be so. I caught Bella's scent, and raced after it. It led me to a clearing, the same clearing where Edward had tried to kiss Bella. Once I got there, I stopped immediately, surprised by what I saw.

Bella was looking into the eyes of Aro, Carlisle right behind her. Aro was staring at Bella with one of his sly smiles, and Bella looked terrified, yet defiant. Aro's right-hand men, Marcus and Caius, were on either side of him; Marcus looking bored, Caius looking annoyed.

Shaking my head, I stepped to Carlisle's side, just behind my sister, as everyone else arrived in the clearing. They stopped short, just as I had. Then, when the shock and surprise had sunk in, they joined us as well.

"Aro," Carlisle spoke calmly. "Why are you here?"

Aro only smiled wider, his eyes gleaming. "To speak with dear Isabella, of course."

My eyes flicked to Bella's face; it was suddenly blank, expressionless. "I have questions for you, Aro," Bella told him.

Aro cocked his head to the right a bit. "Do you? And what might those questions be?"

"When you turned me, why did you suddenly disappear right after?" she said.

"My dear Isabella," Aro smiled at her. "I couldn't risk the humans seeing us. We had to leave."

Bella's look darkened a bit. "But yet you left me where humans could quite possibly find me. Why is that?" she nearly glared at him. "If your one rule for vampires is to keep their existence a secret, why turn me, then leave me where I could be found by humans?"

Aro lowered his head and smiled some more at Bella. "Dear Isabella, don't you understand?"

Bella's face immediately switched to a Dark Look. "Stop calling me 'Isabella'," The Volturi immediately looked frightened. I felt a smirk tug at my lips. "And no, Aro, I don't understand. But I'm guessing, and correct me if I'm wrong, that you wanted me to be found, so that when people started talking about me, trying to figure out what I was, you could kill me."

Aro shook his head, the smile still in place, the fear evident in his eyes. "No, Bella, we would not kill you. We would have simply given you a pardon for your crime had you agreed to join us."

Bella glared fiercely at the Volturi, Aro especially. "I'm not joining anybody."

Bella's POV

"Especially not you," I nearly spat the words in his face.

Now Aro looked angry. "One way or another, Isabella, you will join us. You are quite special."

I snorted. "Why, cause I'm human?"

Aro looked at me fully. "Yes. That is why."

I stepped closer to him, the darkest look ever on my face. "You're wrong. I'm not just human."

Aro pulled back, confused. "What are you talking about? Of course you're human, you have a heart beat."

I smirked. "That's where you're wrong."

Aro's POV

I watched as Bella closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It surprised me to see her skin pale and her features perfect themselves. When she opened her eyes, they were red. An obvious smirk played at her lips.

I stuttered something out. "You're-you're a v-vampire?"

Bella's smirk deepened. "Yes and no. I'm a vampire and a human, at the same time. I can change between human and vampire form at will."

"How is this possible?" Caius hissed out.

Bella turned her eyes on him. "I've been able to do it since the day I was turned."

"What is your diet like?" I asked her, curious.

"I have been living off human food ever since," she responded.

This puzzled me. "But you're a vampire. Vampires need blood to survive."

Bella only shook her head. "I don't. I can survive on either, but I've never had blood."

"Why not?" Caius questioned her.

"I could never bring myself to kill a human or an animal." Bella explained.

"Fascinating," I whispered. "So when you are a vampire, do your senses heighten like other vampire's senses have?"

"Yes, but if I choose to be human for a while, then they return to normal," Bella stated.

Caius took a step forward. "Do you still age?"

Bella nodded. "Yes. If I'm human. But if I am a vampire, my aging stops. I figure, if I so desired, that if I wanted to permanently be a vampire, all I would have to do is will myself to permanently be one. Or the same with my human form. I'm not sure if that is possible, though, as I have never tried it," She looked at me, a dark expression on her face. "I'm not ready to give up being human."

I raised my chin ever so slightly. "You must choose, dear Bella. You cannot be both."

"Says who?" she fired back.

"We do," Caius stated. "We rule over all vampires."

"But if I am in my human form, you have no control over me," Bella stated.

This caught us all at a loss for words. "Fine," I said. "Have it your way. But you must make a decision soon, dear Bella. Or your life, human or vampire, will no longer be available to you, and your existence will come to an abrupt end."

With that, my brothers and I took off for Volterra, our home and safe haven.