RED MIDNIGHT • Twilight •

9 ≻ Yes

Yes

I got dressed after my bath and laid in the bed until dinner time, paying attention to every single detail of the room the Vulturi had arranged for me, like if they had foreseen I would come. As weird as it may sound, I somehow began picturing myself living there. Of course that was impossible. The Vulturi had no idea about the favour I wanted to ask them, so maybe they just said no to me.

While I was still fantasizing there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," I said, sitting straight in the bed.

"Miss Swan," Melissa said entering the room, "Aro asked me to tell you that dinner is in thirty minutes."

"Ok, great."

"And," she told me handing me a black box, "he sends you this."

"Oh, thank you. But what is it?" I asked her, but just when I lifted my head from the box to look at her, she was closing the door and leaving me alone.

I sat in the bed again and anxiously opened the box. My eyes widened in surprise when I saw what was inside. Very carefully I lifted the most beautiful dress I had ever seen in my life. It was black, short and tight, but mainly elegant. Definitely nothing that I would wear in my everyday life. But it was not the only thing in the box. There was a pair of black shoes and jewels that matched.

I frowned when I found a note at the bottom of the box and unconsciously, I read it out loud.

"Ciao, Bella.

We are really looking forward for dinner. I personally hope you delight us all with your presence. Please, accept this welcoming gift from us.

Aro"

That gift reminded me how intimidating they all were. We were having dinner together, well, only me actually, and they were politely telling me how to dress.

I tried to convince myself that it was a nice gesture from them and nothing else, but I could not totally disregard the idea of how powerful they were.

When I realized I only had half an hour to get ready I hurried to the bathroom and did my best to apply some makeup. It was quite simple since I never used much of it. Alice would not be proud of me for sure. I let my hair lose as it, surprisingly, looked just well and finally changed into the fancy dress.

I stood in front of a big mirror and stared at my reflection. The black dress highlighted my white skin and the precious jewels I had been given. I timidly smiled to myself since I was satisfied with my look, but there was still something missing. I searched into my bag until I found what I wanted. A dark red lipstick was the final touch I needed.

When it was dinnertime I left my room and began walking through the barely lit corridors until I came across a covered figure.

"Hurry up." She ordered me. "I don't want to wait for you any longer."

"Hi, Jane." I replied coldly.

"Follow me."

We walked silently but I almost had to run behind her since she was almost walking at her natural speed. My high-heeled shoes were not a good ally but at least I managed not to fall down.