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━━━━━━━━☆★☆━━━━━━━━
Lights glow from inside the beautiful Cullen residence. They're currently at Carslie's room, looking at an 18th century oil painting.
"The Volturi are a very old, very powerful family..."
Depicting Grecian figures in swirling robes writhing among pillars and balconies. In a high balcony, Four calm figures look down upon the bacchanal; two black-haired, one snowy white, one golden-haired.
"The closest thing my world has to royalty…" Esdras explains as Shelley studies the painting - the largest on a wall crowded with pictures. The other walls are towering bookshelves.
"Francesco Solimena painted this. He often depicted the Volturi as Gods."
She examines the golden-haired God. "Is that… Carlisle?"
"Yes. He lived with them for a few decades. He describes them as very refined - for killers." Esdras further explains. "The Volturi are also what you might call enforcers."
"Of what?"
"The only rule they have. To keep secret the existence of our kind. We don't make spectacles of ourselves, or kill conspicuously unless we want to die."
She spins on Esdras. "Don't even talk about that. You can't let anyone hurt you. The Volturi or anyone else."
He chuckles. "No one's gonna hurt me."
"Good." She pats on his cheek.
"Come on, it's time for the party." He says, dragging her out of the room to the living room where hundreds of pink candles and rose-filled crystal bowls.
Rosalie, Esme, Emmett, Carlisle, Jasper and Alice look up at her, all of them stunningly beautiful. Edward and Bella turn into the living room with wide smiles on their faces as well when Esme and Carlisle hug me and Bella warmly.
"Sorry about all this. We tried to rein Alice in." Carslie apologises to the Swan twins.
"Like that's even possible. Happy birthday, Bella and Shelley."
"FLASH!" Alice has snapped a picture of Bella and Shelley with them. "Found it in your bag. Mind?"
Emmett moves to Edward's side. Nudges him. "Dating an older woman. Hot."
Shelley laughs when Bella catches that and Edward elbows him sharply to shut up.
"What?" Emmett asks.
Rosalie steps up. Shoves a silver package at Bella. "It's a necklace. Alice picked it out."
Then she turns to the human blonde and gives a bag. "It's a dress. Hope you like it." She then walks away, bored. Bella smiles and sees Jasper across the room. They wave to each other.
