A F T E R D A R K | PAUL LAHOTE - 1

39

Everyone will make at least one mistake in their life. Maybe you'll make more than one, maybe you'll make two, three or even four.. but when you've made that mistake you know about it because it fills you with such a sense of dread. You don't know you're about to make a mistake until you've done it, it's almost as if you're tricked into it because you know as soon as you've done it that it's a mistake.

I've made a few mistakes in life; smashing my moms favourite vase when I was a kid and lying about it was the first mistake I'd ever made in my life. Jumping off a cliff thinking everything would be all right was another, walking into a forest knowing fine well there was a revenge seeking vampire hanging around, keeping secrets from Paul.. but my biggest and latest mistake was made three weeks ago and that was leaving Esme and Carlisle in Seattle thinking everything would be all right.

I was so damn naive.

I was absolutely thick headed for thinking I could go to Italy, meet Aro and be on my way. That he would just let me go and not make me stay, try to induct me into his ranks within the Italian coven. I wasn't even sure why they called themselves an Italian coven when they were all American.

Regardless though, I left Forks three and a half weeks ago thinking I'd be fine but I'm reality I was still stuck in fucking Italy on the biggest downwards spiral of my life.

The first few hours had been all right. I'd picked up on Alec's ability to randomly produce a blinding black mist from my hands— Alec who I later found out was Jane's twin. I'd managed to mimic Aro's gift of tactile telepathy, similar to Edward except I could read memories as well as thoughts by a single touch.

The few days after that was where everything started to become hazy. It was like I'd been drunk and I couldn't remember what had happened. Aro wouldn't let me hunt on my own and he wouldn't let me out to hunt animals either. Instead he was constantly telling me of how human blood was the most satisfying meal a vampire could have. He was just digging the words deeper into my brain while he fed in front of me, offering me the blood of the tourist he drank from. He was testing my temptation thinking I was a newborn when I was only half vampire. My thirst wasn't as bad as a newborn's would be but I was finding it inexplicably hard to resist.

And that's how I came to be where I was now.. burning every article of clothing I had brought with me in a small bin. I was wiping blood away from my hands and face desperately, falling quickly down a sheer drop to what I knew as rock bottom.

The note was written, what little clothing I hadn't burnt was packed and I was ready to run and never come back.

Paul was right, the Volturi destroyed me.

When my cellphone buzzed in my hand I accepted the call immediately, pressing the device to my ear. I had to keep it on silent and hidden for every day I had spent here because if Aro or Caius or Marcus — who rarely gave a shit about anything — found it I'd be looking at my death. Especially if they found out who I was communicating with. They thought they had a claim over me now and they didn't. I was my own person first and foremost but I belonged to Carlisle's coven, not this one.

"We're outside of Volterra, you have to leave now before you miss your chance."

I looked out of the window anxiously watching the townspeople going about their business. I shook my head to myself even though he couldn't see me, "I don't think I can do this Carlisle.. there are people—"

"—Jump and I'll come to find you but now is your chance to leave Sophia." He told me. Carlisle's voice was authoritative and it was what I needed to hear, "If they catch you trying to leave they'll draw you back in with blood. You'll never be able to resist the urge."