Wonderland(Alice Cullen)

The Volturi/Judgement is Passed

The hallway we were in was brightly lit, and pretty plain. Everything there reminded me of an office building, from the fluorescent lights to the gray carpet. Edward looked ready to kill, as we marched down the hallway to an elevator. As we walked, the door slammed shut behind us, and locked. Jane stood by the elevator, holding the doors open, looking neither happy or upset, but calm. When we were all inside the elevator, Jane and the other two threw back their hoods. I asked Alice,"Who are those two?" She whispered,"Felix and Demetri...Two members of the Guard. Demetri is a tracker like James..." I shuddered at that statement. Felix had short black hair while Demetri had hair to his shoulders. They all had red eyes, and wore modern clothes. Edward never once took his eyes off Jane, and Alice carefully stepped halfway in front of me, as Felix glared in my direction. The ride was short, and we found ourselves in what looked like a fancy office waiting area. I would describe it, but I wasn't paying much attention to the decor, as my eyes landed on the receptionist, who had dark skin and green eyes, and was very, very human. I swallowed hard, as I could smell her, and Alice's hand tightly gripped mine, and she gave me a sympathetic look. The receptionist smiled, and said,"Good afternoon, Jane." Jane nodded, and replied,"Gianna." We followed Jane to some double doors in the back of the room, and were greeting by who I was certain was Jane's twin brother. He reached for her, smiling, and said,"Jane." Jane responded,"Alec", and hugged him, and they kissed each other's cheeks. Then, Alec looked at us.

Alec said,"They send you out for one, and you come back with two...and a half...And some trash as well. Nice work." Jane laughed, and Alec told Edward,"Welcome back, Edward. You seem in a better mood." Edward answered,"Marginally." Alec turned his gaze on Bella, and I tensed. He asked,"And this is the cause of all the trouble?" Edward smiled, then froze. Felix said,"Dibs", and Edward snarled, and I was beside my sister in an instant. Felix taunted Edward, and Alice told her brother,"Patience." Alice and Edward exchanged looks, and Edward finally took a deep breath, his attention once again on Alec. Alec said,"Aro will be so pleased to see you again." Jane said,"Let's not keep him waiting." Edward nodded, and Jane and Alec, holding hands, led us down yet another hallway, stopping halfway down the hall, and opened what seemed to be a secret door, Alec holding it open for Jane. We went into a small antechamber, which soon opened into a large, bright room that was roundly shaped. The light came from wide windows two stories up, and large thrones stood against the wall. There were a handful of inconspicuously dressed people inside, and they all stared at us as we entered...A man with long, flowing black hair seemed to drift over, and excitedly said in a soft voice,"Jane, dear one, you've returned!" He had red eyes, but the color was dulled...He lightly kissed Jane on the lips, then took a step back. Jane said,"Yes, Master. I brought him back alive, just as you wished." The man said,"Ah, Jane. You are such a comfort to me." He turned his eyes on us, and his smile widened. "And Alice and Bella too! And their...Little friend! This is a happy surprise! Wonderful!" Bella looked shocked, and I felt the same way. He turned to Felix, and said,"Felix, be a dear and tell my brothers about our company. I'm sure they wouldn't want to miss this." Felix nodded, said,"Yes, Master", and disappeared...

The man turned and looked at Edward, and said,"You see, Edward? What did I tell you? Aren't you glad that I didn't give you what you wanted yesterday?" Edward replied,"Yes, Aro, I am." I almost choked...This was the leader of the Volturi...Aro sighed, and said,"I love a happy ending. They are so rare. But I want the whole story. How did this happen? Alice?" He looked at Alice, and I tensed up, fighting the urge to jump in front of her. Aro said,"Your brother seemed to think you infallible, but apparently there was some mistake." Alice replied,"Oh, I'm far from infallible. As you can see today, I cause problems as often as I cure them." She smiled a heart melting smile, but it was cold and I could tell she was scared and angry. Aro said,"You're too modest. I've seen some of your more amazing exploits, and I must admit I've never observed anything like your talent. Wonderful!" Alice looked over at Edward, and I kept my eyes locked on Aro. He told Alice, "I'm sorry, we haven't been introduced properly at all, have we? It's just that I feel like I know you already, and I tend to get ahold of myself. Your brother introduced us yesterday, in a peculiar way. You see, I share some of your brother's talent, only I am limited in a way that he is not." If I wasn't mistaken, he sounded...Jealous. Edward rolled his eyes, and said,"And also exponentially more powerful." His eyes flickered between me and Alice, and he told us,"Aro needs physical contact to hear your thoughts, but he hears much more than I do. You know I can only hear what's passing through your head in the moment. Aro hears every thought your mind has ever had."