Gabby Cullen

41| Shots have been fired

Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns all rights to twilight except for Gabby because she is my character and her basic plot line.

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The tension in the air was thick as our two lines stared each other down, daring one another to make the first move. I felt something warm and protective slide over me and realized that Bella had expanded her shield over our forces. 

Her eyes were shut tight in concentration and once the shield settled, leaving no holes she opened her eyes meeting mine. I gave her a grateful smile and she responded by a quick nod. We were by no means the best of friends nor mother and daughter but we seemed to have settled for allies.

Aro clicked his fingers, the sound sounding around the courtyard as a couple servants rushed forward to light the braziers that were placed around the courtyard in intervals. For a while nobody dared to speak. Everyone seemed to realize this battle was really happening, that some vampires who had been alive for hundreds of years would be in there last moments of life.

I was willing to bet that some of them wished they had spent their long lives batter. That's the funny thing bout immortality, you don't realize the value of life until it might be taken away from you.

"Aro...please can't we discuss this civilly?" asked Roger. Kaito shook his head fearfully as Aro took his eyes off our ranks to face Roger who gulped, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat.

"No" he said curtly and spun around. It was Alice who spoke up next.

"Please everyone...this is not wise! My visions...the future is not good. Can't we just talk this through?" she asked gripping Jasper's hand tightly, fear etched plainly on her face. Jasper attempted to comfort her but Alice remained distressed.

"We tried to discuss things last time and yet look where we are now" said Marcus sweeping out his hands grandly around the courtyard. "Back on the battlefield merely a year later".

"We never had problems with you before. Until you started meddling with humans" spat Caius staring daggers at Bella. It was the truth, Bella and Edward had started all this but that didn't mean it was right to point it out.

"If you had never been so authoritative, this never would have happened" I countered, surprising myself that I, of all the people here, was standing up for Bella. She shot me a grateful glance as I looked back at her.

Aro's lips curled into a menacing smile. "The rules exist for a reason. Had they not been put in place by the Volturi throughout the centuries, we would have been discovered, hunted, and killed by the humans. We would have blood thirsty vampire children causing havoc everywhere they went. Killing thousands of humans" he argued. 

"I agree with the rules that keep us safe. I don't agree with the power of the Volturi. Is it not possible to have a vampire council  discuss every decision. If we took one vampire from each coven and discussed everything it would be much more fair" I said warming to the idea as I talked.

Many of the Volturi's lips curled. They had been used their power and weren't about to give it up anytime soon. "We are some of the oldest vampires. We have a right to the power" snapped Caius. He was the most violent of the three leaders and was nearly always angry or annoyed. Marcus was the wisest and Aro the most authoritative. 

They all claimed that they ruled equally but in all honesty it was Aro who held the real power. He was the most steady and seemed to make decisions without considering the others opinion. Whatever Aro wanted, Aro got. 

I didn't mind that we were still standing around chatting, and discussing things. I needed it to continue. We needed to continue to stall the battle until the wolves arrived, if they even would. I only hope that the Seth boy and his friend Jake had convinced their leader and the pack to come to our aid.

"Times are changing, we must adjust" said Carlisle in his level, calming voice. He was one of the  vampires with the most amount of control. Dylan had told me he was a doctor. I didn't understand how he could be around all that blood and not lose control of himself.

I had no idea what had happened but one second I had been in the courtyard and the next I was dancing in a meadow with a tan boy at my side. We were smiling and laughing, running up a hill to meet to people who became clear as Dylan and Harris. We were al twirling in the sun and then-

I was back in the courtyard, again dazed. Everyone around me was shaking their heads in shock and Bella was struggling to matain the protection of her shield.

"She lost control and you were all faced with visions of your greatest desire or wish" whispered Dylan in my ear. I supposed that he hadn't been affected and watched as we all experienced our greatest desires. 

Everything was moving in slow motion as we turned back to face the Volturi. They had made the first move and now it was our time to strike. As I was thinking of tactics, out of the corner of my eye I noticed Harris having a silent conversation with someone across. He saw me looking and winked before speeding out of our group a giant blur. He popped back into our ranks with Kaito and Roger by his side. They grinned at me and at the shocked faces of the Volturi across form them.

"Traitors" boomed Alec, smiling viciously. "Do you know what happens to traitors? They get killed" he snarled and we all broke ranks as the battle truly began.

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omg my wrists hurt so much from typing up all these chapter, editing them and typing up the next two. I'm really tired so there still may be some mistakes. Next update comes tomorrow!

_ellexx