This was the first time Bella had been near people when she arrived.

It was an instant thing. Bella faded in to see a man covered in dirt shoving another man into the ground. Behind him a woman screamed, and Bella noticed she wasn't screaming at her, thankfully. None of them had seemed to notice her, yet, but she rushed forward to stop the man from stomping on the throat of the one on the ground.

She made sure not to use her supernatural speed, only moving to shove him away from the man with a slightly more than human strength.

The man on the ground looked at her with a mix of shock and gratitude, but the other man was stumbling back up, staring at her with fury in his eyes. As he opened his mouth, however, more men rushed into what Bella now realized was a garden. Almost all of them were armed in some manner, and upon seeing the man on the ground and Bella standing over him, they rushed over and surrounded her, pointing their spears out toward her.

Bella froze, slowly raising her hands into the air in a placating manner. She was thankful, now, for her decision to not feed for the past few days. Her eyes were not a gleaming red that would have made these people attack her on sight, but instead a darker burgundy. It looked brown in the right lighting.

"Wait!" She heard the man on the ground push himself up, dusting himself off, "She was not the one who attacked me. It was…" He cut off, looking around and not finding a trace of the other man. Bella was a little impressed that he'd gotten away without her sensing it, but she had been a bit preoccupied with the spears in her face.

One of the guards shuffled a bit, "Apologies, sir, but she is trespassing on the master's property, we have to take her away."

"Don't take her to the stocks." The young man almost ordered them, "She may not belong here, but she undoubtedly saved my life. Take her to my father."

The guards glanced at each other, obviously a bit uncomfortable, like they weren't entirely used to receiving orders from him. Bella had noticed that he didn't seem incredibly confident giving the orders, either. After a moment of hesitation, they nodded, and Bella was surrounded by suspicious men, leading her in the direction of a massive looking house.

She knew she could escape. It would be incredibly easy to just blur out of sight, she wouldn't even need to hurt anyone, but they were watching her like a hawk, and Bella didn't know if she should risk exposing herself as something inhuman. The Volturi may not be completely formed at this period in time, but there almost definitely some for of government, and Bella didn't want to meet it.

She let them take her into the house.

Honestly, when Bella heard "the master" and was led around by guards at spearpoint, she expected something a bit more…daunting.

The older, kind looking man she was led in front of didn't exactly give off a menacing vibe. He wasn't so old as to be elderly, but old enough that Bella could see the relaxed confidence and comfortable nature that came with settling into your role in life. This man had been "the master" of this house for a long time. He sat at the head of a long table.

But it wasn't him that caught her attention, it was his wife.

As Bella was led into a large dinning room, she was made to stare into the very familiar, very wide brown eyes of the mother that she had saved twice now; once with a baby in her arms on the street, and the second time in the forest with those bandits. She sat beside the man, the cup she held sloshing a bit from the startled jerk of her hand.

"What is this?" The man asked the guards, gesturing toward Bella with a nod of his head.

The man that had led the group stepped forward, "Master, we found this woman standing above your son in the gardens. He was injured, and we took action."

"Hold on!" the son spoke up, "She saved me!" At the words, the woman sitting next to the 'master' seemed to snap out of her stupor, setting down her glass and training her full attention on the matter. "There was another man in the gardens that tried to kill me, and she showed up just in time to push him off of me. Flavia can attest to that. She witnessed the entire thing."

The man seemed to consider his son for a moment, before turning back to Bella. "And what do you have to say? How did you come to be in my gardens at just the right time to 'save' my son from an attacker?"

Bella stood silent for a moment, glancing from the man to the guards and back again. She floundered as she tried to come up for some plausible reason for being in such a heavily guarded house without anyone noticing her until that point. "I…"

"She is the new attendant I told you about." The woman seated beside the man spoke for the first time, directing her words to him.

"When did you have time to hire her in such short notice, Cassandra? And how did you get her past the guards?" The man questioned her, looking confused.

"I believe," the woman, Cassandra, glanced toward the guards before looking back to the man, "that this conversation would best be held without an armed audience." She gave him a pointed look.

The man sighed, waiting a moment before raising his hand to wave off the guards. "You are dismissed, you may return to your posts." The guards didn't hesitate to march off at his words, leaving the room immediately. "And you as well, Lenius." The son, Lenius looked like he was about to argue, but a stern look from his father had him hightailing it out after the guards.

When the room was finally clear of all but three, he gestured for Cassandra to speak.

"It was a test, Bastian." At his narrowed eyes, she continued. "You are well aware that our children have needed some…extra protection, as of late. And Sulpicia was in need of a new attendant when the most recent one quit. I thought it prudent to hire more…efficiently. This woman will serve as both attendant and guard to our daughter, hidden in plain sight."

"That still doesn't explain why she was in our gardens without the guards knowing."

"When I hired her, I asked her to find any potential holes in our security, and it appears she found a rather large one. She was acting on my orders." She replied, calmly.

The two stared at each other for a long moment, Bastion with narrowed eyes and Cassandra with a serene smile, before his eyes closed and his shoulders slumped.

"Next time you see fit to 'test' our guards, do make sure to warn me, love." He pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Of course. The attack, however, was not planned. You should speak with the guards about that." He waved her off, and she stood, making her way toward Bella, passing her by with a nod that indicated that Bella should follow her.

It was a silent walk, Cassandra leading Bella down a few hallways and up a flight of stairs before she stopped at a large door at the end of the hall, stepping inside and holding it open for Bella. As soon as the door shut, Cassandra rounded on her with wide eyes.

Bella waited, feeling uncomfortable in the silence, as Cassandra's eyes roved over her with fear and awe.

"You…you've returned." Cassandra swallowed. Bella, not knowing how to respond, simply nodded.

"I have, but I do not know how long I can stay." Bella watched Cassandra blink owlishly at her smooth voice and decided to try and make it sound rougher and more human when speaking with human beings. It obviously made them uncomfortable.

It was still so weird to think of human beings as something other than herself.

Cassandra remained silent for a moment, and Bella started to worry. She didn't know how to get out of this without the woman finding out what she was, or, at the very least, knowing she isn't human. She'd already seen her move faster than any human could possibly achieve in those woods, and she'd seen her drink blood. Not to mention she'd disappeared in front of her twice.

Bella didn't want to fuck up history by revealing vampires thousands of years before she was even born. While she may not be willing to stand by and watch people die, she didn't entirely think through the consequences of her actions. If she didn't find a way to keep Cassandra quiet about this, things could go badly, and fast.

But, no matter how obvious the solution was, Bella couldn't do it. Bella couldn't kill this woman. While it would ensure her silence, she felt a strange sort of bond with her. It wasn't sexual or romantic, and Bella knew it wasn't like a Singer or anything that the Denalis had told her. It may have resulted from simply saving her twice already, but Bella didn't want all of that to be for nothing.

She would have to find another way to keep her quiet. Maybe she could threaten her? Bella may not feel very terrifying at times, but she knew the effect of a vampire on humans, so she could pull off some kind of intimidation of scare tactic. If she had to resort to it, she might be able to convince people that the woman was simply mistaken. Who would believe that a woman could take on that many men at the same time? Or, maybe she could—

"I did not think the lady Artemis would send you, again."

What.

Bella just barely managed to keep her face carefully blank. "I…" People wrote about having visions from their gods and speaking with messengers from them all of the time, right? That's basically one of the only things Bella knew about Greek Mythology. "cannot stay forever."

"Of course." Cassandra nodded her head deferentially. "I imagine the Lady would miss one of her huntresses after not too long."

Bella tried not to panic, keeping her face stoic.

"What I spoke of earlier," Cassandra spoke haltingly, like she was nervous of Bella's reaction, "I did not mean to offend. I know you are no servant, I merely wished to aid you. It seemed that you did not wish for my husband to know of your origins."

"Our Lady has never appreciated having her affairs interfered with by men." Artemis was the 'no dudes' goddess, right? Right. "And she has instructed me to remain unknown by mortals. I am here for a short time, merely to observe or, as I have demonstrated, protect."

Cassandra's shoulders dropped as she released a heavy sigh of relief, and her eyes closed. "Thank you. I…don't know how to repay you for saving my daughter and me. Again. And now my son." She glanced up at Bella cautiously. "And now I fear I must ask for you to protect my child, once more." Before Bella could so much as blink, Cassandra rushed out, "I know I have nothing to give the Lady other than devotion, and for you I can only offer my thanks, as I know the Hunters don't value wealth, but please hear my plea."

Bella watched with wide eyes as Cassandra dropped to her knees, looking up at her. "My family is in danger. My cousin wants my title, and all that comes with it, and he is willing to go to any lengths to take it. There are always guards on myself and my husband, and more recently we have assigned some to my son, but my daughter is unprotected. We have men guarding her as well, but they cannot follow her everywhere that a servant can. You could protect her, and I promise you would not be known as anything more than a servant, so the Lady would not have to worry. I beg you, please help my daughter." There were tears in her eyes as she put her hands on her knees and bowed her head.

That…would take care of quite a few problems, staying with this family as merely another servant for hire, but it would cause a few more. She would be constantly around this daughter of Cassandra's, if she understood her plea correctly, and Bella had no doubt the daughter would ask questions if she randomly disappeared. She had been gaining a bit more control over her ability, though. She could probably hold it off until she was alone, then fade out.

She wouldn't need to worry about Cassandra revealing her, and she would have a place to stay while she was here. And something to do, though she wasn't too sure how she felt about the whole 'being a servant' thing.

She looked over the woman kneeling on the ground, and Bella couldn't help but feel sorry for her. This woman was just a mother trying to protect her family. She couldn't say no if she wanted to.

"…While I remain here, I will protect your daughter to the best of my abilities." Cassandra's head whipped up to stare at her, and Bella continued, "But, to be clear, I must leave some nights to hunt." She didn't clarify that she'd be hunting humans, but Cassandra had called her a Huntress, it was as good a cover as any. Cover, oh shit. "And, when I am outdoors during the day, I must be covered from head to toe." She received a very confused look at that, so she clarified. "I…look a bit less mortal when I am in direct sunlight, and I need to remain hidden."

"Of course, Huntress, thank you."

"Bella." Cassandra looked startled, and Bella barely stopped herself from rolling her eyes. Why did people always freak out when she told them her name?

"Bella." Cassandra nodded before rising to one knee. Bella reached down to help her up, and practically placed her on her feet after forgetting how strong she was and picking her up a bit. Cassandra's eyes were wide, but she swallowed and thanked her. "Please, follow me and I will show you to where you will be staying, at least for the night."

Cassandra led her out of the room, up another staircase, until she was on the top floor of the large house. This level was seemingly separated from the rest, as the staircase had a door that could shut it out, and it only had three doors. One was on the far-right end, and Cassandra led her toward that. When she opened it, it showed three beds all next to each other with various shelves and chests that contained personal items from those who lived in this room.

"Is this where I will be staying?" Bella asked, eyeing the three beds that looked like they had all been recently occupied.

"No," Cassandra responded, "This is where Sulpicia's other attendants sleep. You will meet with them in the morning, and I will inform them of your…unique position." Bella glanced at her out of the corner of her eye. "Not everything, just that you will be my daughter's attendant, as well as a bit of protection. But these girls have been working for our family for as long my youngest child has been alive. They know far greater secrets than that. I will not be telling them of your origin."

With that, she closed the doors and led her toward the other end of the hall. On this side there were two doors. One was on the far end, and it looked like that room took up the majority of the floor. The door for it was a bit grandiose as well, looking hand carved. The other door was on the wall opposite the staircase, and that's the one Cassandra led her to.

"This will be your room." She opened the door, allowing Bella inside and following behind her, shutting the door. The room was a bit larger than the one she had at Charlie's house. It had a bed, an actual bed, that looked bigger than a twin, but not quite a queen, and a large chest at the foot of it. There was a window on the far side, and when Bella inspected it, it opened up to look into the gardens and the vast sweeping hills of land beyond.

It was breathtaking.

"This is the room that belonged to my daughter's main attendant, Luna. She passed away a few years back, and ever since there has been a new attendant in this room every few months. The last one lasted only 12 days before Sulpicia drove her away." Cassandra looked both put out and slightly amused at the statement, before her eyes cleared and she focused on Bella. "The reason I put you here is more for security, though. And convenience."

She walked up to the wall opposite the bed. It was covered by a large tapestry, beautifully woven and depicting a large owl held aloft on the arm of a beautiful woman with a bow on her back. It had the same inscription along its borders that the necklace that still hung around Bella's neck had. With a nearly shy looked toward Bella after motioning toward the tapestry, Cassandra pushed it aside to reveal the wall behind.

Except, the wall looked a bit off.

To the normal eye, it would have looked like a regular wall, but Bella's enhanced vision made out some kind of strange crack, nearly invisible, that ran a ways up from the ground, across the wall at one point, and then back down the other side. The crack faded seamlessly along the indent in the wall that made up the strange pattern the rest of the room's walls bore.

Cassandra's hand ran along the seam, and Bella watched as her hand stopped a bit above her head and pushed in. Then, Bella heard the strangest grating sound as she watched the wall open.

"This is the main reason I wanted you to stay in this room." Cassandra gestured with her head toward the dark hallway that expanded maybe 10 feet forward before it came to a stop at another door, this one with a handle. "This room connects with my daughter's through this passage way. She has a similar tapestry that hides the same mechanism in her room."

She pulled Bella over to see how she activated the small push button on the wall, and the door slid closed. "This will allow you to access my daughter's room if there is an emergency, or if you need to do so unnoticed. We don't know how skilled my cousin's men are, but we took precautions in case of assassins of a higher caliber. He has grown more desperate the older Bastien gets. He knows that when Bastien dies, it solidifies Lenius as heir to the fortune and head of the house." She looked lost in thought for a moment before she smiled half heartedly at Bella. "And that concludes our tour. The girls will show you more in the morning, and I will have clothes delivered to you immediately. For now, get some rest. Tomorrow you will meet my daughter." She gave Bella a concerned look, and Bella was starting to worry that maybe this daughter of Cassandra's might be a bit more than she bargained for.

With one final look at Bella, her eyes still filled with awe and a hint of fear, Cassandra left the room, closing the door behind her, and Bella let herself flop down on the bed.

What has she gotten herself into, now?

I might not be able to update nearly as frequently for a while. Senior classes are hugely stressful, and i don't get much free time. I'll try to keep writing, but i'm sorry if you have to wait a bit. Please leave reviews and let me know what you think is going to happen next!