Words: 1396

Insomnia – by The Veronicas

"Isabella Marie Swan," she grinned, supposedly glad to see me. "It's been a long time."

"Angela," I muttered, "this is new, and unexpected."

Her amber eyes lightened up, "I'd surely hope so. It's been fifty years, but you haven't changed a bit."

I shrugged at her, answering the unspoken question vaguely, "it happens, I guess. You, however, look older..."

"Oh yes! I'll tell you later, once we meet up with the others. How are we getting-?" She stopped at the Mini I'd driven to the airport and raised an eyebrow at me. "A mini?" I ignored her and got in.

"What's your relationship with the Volturi then?" She slid in the car and shut the door carefully, not putting on the seatbelt.

"I work for them."

"Really? That's cool. Since when?"

"Since I left; well, soon after."

"Oh, interesting."

"Indeed," I said curtly, ending the inane small talk. The rest of the short drive was spent in silence, and I went slightly over the speed limit, eager to get there as soon as possible.

Waiting by the door, under the shade, was Jane. I could make out the shape of Alec's body further in the shadows, but I ignored it. I simply left Angela to Jane and walked inside, straight to Aro, where I announced I was back.

In a large group, the already present Denali's approached the main doors as Angela entered the large room. They greeted each other as if they hadn't seen one another for years or decades, instead of a few hours.

I caught the eye of Dimitri, who grinned at me. I rolled my eyes at him and looked away. However, as annoying as he was, I saw Angela and Tanya were coming towards me, so I subtly inched my way towards Dimitri – he was definitely the lesser of the two evils.

"How was the reunion?" He smirked tauntingly.

"You're an idiot, you know?"

"I know."

There was a short silence while he waited for her to talk.

"There was no reunion, and I have no desire to reconcile with her, regardless of the fact that we were 'good friends', as you'd call it." I told him truthfully, shifting my weight almost unconsciously.

"I'd say 'best friends', not 'good'. Or so I've been told." Dimitri let out, before groaning, "dammit", under his breath.

I rounded on him, scowling darkly, "what do you mean you've been told? What have you done?" When he hesitated, I kicked him in the stomach and he flew against the wall.

"I forgot about your short temper. Shit."

"I'm waiting," I pulled him up by his neck, ignoring how the Denali's were watching me and how, I guessed, Aro was looking slightly amused.

"Well, a couple – okay, almost a decade ago I went to Forks. I was curious about you, so I went there and asked around subtly about you. I met this old guy, Newton, who was all obsessed with you and this other girl, Jessica, who kind of badmouthed you a bit. And other people and I saw your father's grave, and other stuff. Please don't kill me."

I let him go suddenly and laughed, "after years and years he's still hung up over me. Stupid boy. Jessica was just jealous. Bitch." I muttered things like that for a couple of minutes, while Dimitri tried to escape me. "You! Subtle? Any less subtle and you're a fluorescently coloured elephant."

"Newton's still infatuated with you?!" A loud laugh originated from Angela, who found that extremely funny.

I ran to her and stared her down, my extra inches being an advantage over her. "Shut up." I fought the urge to harm her and went to my quarters.

"Stupid 'vegetarians'."

"So I told Tanya I didn't believe her, but she insisted on it. So I gave up and asked her who it was, because, she always liked Edward, you know, and guess what she said?" Angela chattered happily, pausing in her interesting tale so I could ask her.

"What?" I half groaned in exasperation, wishing, not for the first nor last time, I could just fall asleep to avoid her incessant talking.

"She said it was EDWARD!" She screamed the name with a squeal, waiting for my reaction.

Not showing I'd reacted the slightest bit to that damned name, I rolled over in my bed so I was facing her, "Hooray. I'll just go over to them and give them a 'Congrats' and a box of chocolates, shall I?"

She looked at me weirdly for a second before starting up again, "so I didn't believe her – it was only a few years after you, well, left," she gave me a false sympathetic look, "but when he visited the next month they were all lovey-dovey and I could almost see the attraction between the two."

"Uhh," I buried my face in my pillow, hoping to suffocate and escape her gossip.

"Oh, I'm sorry." She winced, "I should've guessed hearing this would be hard for you still, even after all this time."

That got a reaction out of me. "No! Are you joking? I'm fine with it; I just don't particularly care."

Doubtful of my words, she spoke cheerily, "well, that's good. He's visiting in a few days anyways."

I fell off my bed with a curse. I didn't need this.

"Fuck."

"Are you sure?"

"Angela, if you don't shut the hell up right now, I swear I'll pull your legs out and set them on fire. And I'm not joking." I glared at her, angry at her unnecessary worry, as well as her presence. It was metaphorically killing me to be nice to our guests. But Aro insisted, as he knew how cold – or rude – I could be.

As we, again, all waited in the main room for our next guest, I slunk back into the shadows avoiding bumping into Alec, who was doing the same. This time Dimitri had gone to the airport, and I futilely hoped he wouldn't start saying lies about me missing the damn boy.

"He probably will say something embarrassing." Alec said with a straight face.

"Yeah, thank you Alec." I retorted rudely, dreading it.

"Just ignore him, he'll give up soon enough."

"I know."

I felt disgusted as they all clamoured around the Cullen, greeting him as if it'd been decades – like they had with Angela. Would I have been like that if I were made part of the Cullen family? Somehow, the heartbreak seemed worth avoiding that fate. And for that, I was immensely glad.

"Edward Cullen," Aro spoke up when they quietened down, "welcome. Any news from Carlisle and the others?"

The Cullen stepped forward, "yes. He sends his regards and he hopes to visit in the next decade, or sooner. The others are fine as well."

"Excellent," his eyes glinted with something. Edward frowned at him and I suddenly was curious but worried as his amber eyes flickered to me.

"My new member of the guard," he declared as I emerged from the shadows, "Isabella Swan-Volturi. A formidable member, and valuable."

I nodded at Edward as in greeting, and looked to Aro for instructions, although I knew what I had to do. "Lead him to his quarters; next to the Denali's."

"This way." I called to Edward, who walked next to me.

I could feel him trying to talk, but he shut his mouth every time. I let myself grin at his lack of speech my presence caused, but I knew it wouldn't last.

"B- Bella?" He finally stammered as I lead him through the hallways. It was a fault of Aro's to have designed the guest quarters so far away from the main room. The only upside was that the guards quarters were also far from the guests'.

"I'd rather Isabella, or Miss Volturi."

"Bella," he insisted, "why are you here?"

I sighed, "Because I decided to take a walk around Volterra while on holiday here half a century ago but I got lost and bitten, suddenly finding myself imprisoned in this large castle-like building."

Naturally, and annoyingly, he took me seriously, so, before he could start saying crap about saving me, we arrived at his room. Without another word, just a frightening glare, I ran to my own room, glad I had privacy and quiet.

"Isabella?" Chelsea knocked at the door, "Aro wishes to see you."

I fear she seems not emotionless enough. The anger is one thing, because Edward, I guess, has to provoke some reaction from her. Anger seems logical to me, at least.

Short, long overdue, and not really interesting. Angela will have a part to play, but I'm unsure whether it'll be a large or minor part. We'll see.

Edward... Well, I'll try and make it as interesting as possible, shall I?

Chapter title has got nothing to go with the chapter itself, it was just the song I was listening to while writing this author's note. [But Bella also talks about wanting to sleep, so I'll use that as another excuse. HeeHee.]