Amazing response for the last chapter. Thanks so much, all of you!
Sorry for the wait, I've actually been writing another story, got a bit wrapped up in that one so keep your eyes out for it!
New information will be revealed. We're back to Bella's POV in this Chapter.
This is mostly filler and I know many of you will get to certain parts and think "WTF?!"...don't question my methods, just trust in my madness.
Everything is Stephenie Meyer's.
Read, review, enjoy.

Chapter Ten

"Carlisle, thank you for returning our daughter to us. You and your family are free to leave." Aro's voice was crisp and firm. An order disguised as a pleasantry. I didn't turn around as I heard Alice and Edward being pulled to their feet and dragged from the room. I tensed my shoulders as Alice screamed my name over and over again. I didn't waiver.

A movement off to the side caught my eye; it was a beautiful young woman, the same woman who had adorned my shoulders with the black cloak. My eyes swept over her body, she was shorter than I was, around the same height as Alice but a little more womanly. Her hair was shockingly blonde and barely reached her chin. The back of her hair though was protruding from her scalp in an array of spikes that darted in every direction imaginable. I had to do a double take when I got to her eyes. Those crimson eyes seemed to burn and swirl with flames of red. She took a few small steps towards me and placed her hands firmly against my cheeks. Before I even realised what was happening, she'd pressed her lips against my own. I felt my eyes widen momentarily before I lazily allowed them to drift to a close. I surrendered myself to the kiss and allowed this woman to take the lead. Alice's screams stopped then, and a second later I heard the heavy door to the chamber slam to a close. The woman before me eventually pulled away; I could feel her cold breath against my moist lips.

"I missed you." Her voice was soft and sweet with an English accent. She was smiling widely at me; I returned her smile as Aro clapped his hands together loudly.

"Delightful! It is so good to have you here at last Bella!" Aro walked towards me, his hands out-stretched. I turned away from the woman and placed my hands into his skeletal fingers allowing him to close them loosely around my warm flesh. He was smiling at me but I thought I saw something hidden in the corner of his eyes, some emotion that I couldn't quite fathom. It lasted barely a heartbeat and then it vanished.

"I'm glad you have returned to us Bella, however one cannot help but to question why?" Aro cocked his head to the left slightly and increased the pressure minutely around my fingers.

"You are my family, this is where I belong." I bowed my head in a show of respect. Aro took a second to absorb my words and nodded to himself.

"So we are, you are as a daughter to me Bella, such as Jane and Lesley are," Aro swept his arm around him, indicating the people he spoke of. So that was her name. Lesley. I recognised Jane from the drawings and stories Alice had told me of her; the sadistic Volturi with the angelic face. I bowed my head again to him. He finally released my hands and I lowered them to my sides. Lesley moved to stand next to me, rubbing her shoulder reassuringly against mine.

"Aro, must we continue this?" The one I knew to be Caius looked annoyed, as if my very presence in this chamber was not worth his time.

"My friend Caius, I believe that you're failing to understand that you are in the presence of a marvellous being!" Aro's smile widened.

"She is a human Aro. I can hear her heart beating and see the blood pumping through her body." He sneered at me viciously. I could tell I was nothing more than a morsel to him.

"Well perhaps Bella would be kind enough to offer us a demonstration." Without waiting for my reply, the other occupants of the chamber moved to the side. Lesley smiled reassuringly at me as she took her place besides Jane and Alec. I stepped back into the centre of the chamber and shrugged the black cloak off my shoulders, allowing it to fall in ripples around my feet. I shook my shoulders to loosen them and prepared for whatever test Aro might have me undertake.

"As you wish Aro." Caius waved his hand dismissively for us to proceed. Aro re-took his seat in between the annoyed Caius and the silent and un-interested Marcus.

"Good, good. Felix," Aro motioned to a man who dwarfed even Emmett, "if you please." Felix removed his cloak and rested it on an ornate table, one of many that rested against the walls of the chamber. He took a few large strides and was soon standing a couple of feet away from me.

"Greetings Bella, such a pleasure." He made a strange twirling gesture with his hand that I took for a greeting. He had a wide and cheeky smile and reminded me more than a little of Emmett.

"Felix, I hope you're ready." I could hear the arrogance in my voice and his grin widened. I crouched slightly and dug my toes into the ground beneath my feet, ready to spring into any kind of action that I might need to.

"Felix, allow Bella to attack you please." Aro had his hands folded beneath his chin. Felix nodded his understanding to his master and folded his hands loosely behind his back.

"Come on little one. Let's see if I can feel it." His own arrogance was comical. I slid my right leg back behind my body, ready to snap it into action.

"Bella dear, please don't hurt him too much." Aro's voice was sweet and fatherly. He looked eager for the demonstration.

"Yes Aro." I took a breath, focusing on what I wanted to do. I shuffled forward slightly and rested my weight on my back leg, twisting my front foot out slightly to increase my balance. I centred myself and focused on my target. Felix was standing before me, a mammoth of a man. He could have easily had two hundred pounds on me. It wouldn't make a difference. He smiled at me as if he were egging me on. I grinned up at him and swung me back leg viciously forward. My foot caught him square in the chest. I felt the energy transferred from my leg, through my foot and into his body. His eyes widened as he went sailing through the air. His arms were waving about him as he crashed into the stone wall, a cloud of dust enveloping him in milliseconds. It was all I had to do, all I had to prove. It was all I planned to do anyway. However a growl erupted from the dust cloud and barely a heartbeat later, an enraged Felix was storming over to me at top-speed. Barely a second had passed since the kick and he was before me again, his teeth gritted into a snarl. He swung a large fist at my head, I ducked under it easily. He swung another and another. They were easy to dodge. He was slow and clumsy. A powerful and accomplished fighter obviously, he never used the same move twice, but he was slower, a fraction slower than I was, and a fraction was all I needed.

In the Institute we were taught that you never have to be stronger than your opponent to beat them. It helps, but it isn't necessary. All you need to do is create an opportunity to strike and make sure that strike counts. So that is what I did. As Felix swiped at my face and swung for my ribs I ducked and dodged him. I left just enough space between us for him to try and hit me, but not enough for him to be able to hit me. As I saw the frustration piling on him, I closed the distance between us by an inch. He saw this chance and he tried to take it. He pulled his right arm back and swung it straight for my left temple. I twisted my body in the direction of his punch; I moved my head at the last second and followed his fist around. When his arm was fully extended I grabbed his wrist for leverage. He'd widened his gait to put more power into the punch; this was what I had been counting on. The back of his right knee was exposed to me. I slammed my foot into the delicate area behind the knee. With a yelp of pain Felix's leg gave way and he fell to his knees. He was seething and hissing with anger. The moment his knees touched the floor I yanked his wrist up and over his shoulder; pulling his arm down the centre of his back, straining his shoulder muscles and causing his head to be forced into an awkward position leaning against his shoulder. He tried to claw at my face with his free hand however I was safely out of his reach. With my own free hand I placed it against his throat, and took a firm hold of his jaw. At that moment, Aro rose from his seat clapping delightedly.

"Excellent, excellent! That was most entertaining!" I released my grip on Felix and stood to the side, standing almost to attention as Aro, Caius and Marcus absorbed what they had just witnessed. Felix heaved himself to his feet, rubbing his shoulder slightly.

"My dear Felix; beaten by a human." Aro goaded Felix playfully; I felt a twinge of pity for him.

"I'm sure had he been aware of his opponents abilities, Felix would have beaten me, he is an excellent fighter." Felix nodded his head in respect to me. I returned the gesture. His smile was back in place now.

"You see Caius, a magnificent being and gracious too!" Aro moved to a position behind me and placed both hands on my shoulders, presenting me to his brethren.

"Aro what is this?!" Caius waved his skeletal fingers in my direction. He was seeing me in a new light and I wasn't entirely sure if that was a good thing.

"This is my proudest creation!" Aro squeezed my shoulders slightly. "This is my daughter. This is my innovation. Of those children in the programme, Bella is the one I am most proud of. She is the only one who deserved to join our precious family!" Caius considered Aro's words carefully.

"Is she not the one who fled the facility?" Caius voice was full of contempt, I got the feeling he was looking for any excuse to tear me limb from limb.

"She is. She was most impressive during that particular exercise." Exercise? I glanced quickly at Aro. What did he mean by exercise?

"Another one of your games dear Aro?" I was stunned by Marcus' voice for the first time. He was barely audible and the words I could hear sounded more like a yawn than speech.

"Indeed brother. The American government are so...paranoid. Always believing someone is out to steal their secrets. Why steal what will come to you willingly?" At that moment the chamber door swung open again. I spun round to view the new entrant and my heart almost stopped.

Charlie.

Charlie, in his jeans and checked shirt was striding purposefully over to us. He stopped a few feet short of Aro and gave a small nod of his head.

"Master Aro." His voice was flat, no emotion, no inflection, nothing- just words.

"Ah, Charlie, right on schedule. How has she done these last few years?" Charlie gave a quick glance to me before clearing his throat.

"Assimilation into society was good. There was some reduction in strength which was to be expected. This could be countered by reapplication of the serum. No deterioration in intelligence or speed. Eyesight has maintained however night vision is some-what diminished and healing capabilities have also decreased." Charlie rambled off my many physical attributes and how the lack of drugs had affected me. Aro listened and nodded intently. When Charlie had finished Aro clapped his hands together enthusiastically.

"You see Caius that impressive display we just witnessed was not even an accurate depiction of Bella's full potential!" Aro's face was distorted with a gleeful smile. It was eerie. I tried my hardest not to show my confusion. I forced myself to remain calm, forced my body not to shake and my heart to keep a steady rhythm. Inside I was screaming, outside I was placid.

"Very well Aro, you have made your point." With that Caius rose to his feet and swept out of the chamber, followed lazily by Marcus. Aro turned to me and offered an enthusiastic smile to Charlie.

"You have done us proud Charlie. You and Bella must be in need of rest now. Felix will show you to your chambers and Bella, Lesley will show you to yours." Charlie and I gave a curt nod to Aro as he flashed out of the chamber. Felix flicked his head in the direction Charlie should follow and without so much as a back-wards glance to me, he left. I turned to where Lesley was standing next to Jane and Alec, they both wore smug grins and I could tell they were sizing me up.

"This way Bella." Lesley motioned for me to head towards a small door in the far corner of the room. I bowed my head in respect to Jane and Alec and followed Lesley out of the room. The door led to a well lit hallway. Candelabras adorned the wall every few feet and the smoke rose to the stone ceiling. The whole place smelled of smoke. It wasn't over powering though. It was mostly comforting, reassuring. The only way I could explain it was that it made the place seem warm.

The hallway led onto a spiral staircase, Lesley and I climbed the stone steps in silence. It was narrow and claustrophobic. I had to place my hands on either side of the wall as the steps were so steep. We reached a small landing with two doors on either side of the stair-well. Both were solid oak and both looked as if they were a few hundred years old at least.

"This is your room Bella." Lesley stood by the door on the left. She turned the brass handle and allowed the door to swing open for me. Everything inside of the room was plush and velvety. Red curtains, cushions, a large bed covered in a duvet and more pillows than I could count, armoires, book-shelves, an ornate writing desk. It was...it was like a scene from Dickens. It was so elegant and warm; a sharp contrast to the cold stone walls of the hallway. I stepped into the room and marvelled at the elegance of my surroundings. Lesley followed me into the room, closing the door silently behind her.

"What do you think?" She asked sheepishly. I turned to look at her. She was scuffing her toe against the carpet and looking everywhere except at me.

"It's beautiful." I smiled my appreciation to her and she looked thoroughly relieved.

"Good, I hoped you'd like it." She walked over to the bed and sat on the edge of it, folding her hands neatly in her lap. I moved to sit next to her on the bed. It had to have been the comfiest bed I had ever been on. The mattress was like a cloud, it was perfect. Soft enough to be comfortable and firm enough to support every bone, joint and muscle.

"So..." Lesley sounded like a cross between anxious and bored.

"So..." I wasn't particularly in the mood for games right now.

"Who are you?" I just blurted it out. It had been bugging me since I first saw her in the main chamber.

"You heard Aro. I'm Lesley." I shook my head, slightly frustrated by her words.

"That didn't answer my question." Lesley tilted her head to the side and smiled playfully at me.

"I know it didn't. Who I am is not important. You are safe with me Bella, I can promise you that." I scowled at her. I hated, absolutely detested, cryptic answers.

"Lesley, just answer my question please." She looked at me ruefully, weighing my words against her better judgement probably.

"OK Bella, if you want to know." I nodded my head slowly.

"I've been working with the Volturi for a number of years now. In my human life, I was a very talented geneticist. I developed tests and treatments for many inherited conditions and diseases." Her eyes glazed over slightly, as if she were remembering her human years fondly.

"I was, for lack of a better word, brilliant. I'd gained my doctorate at seventeen. I loved to learn, loved to discover new problems to solve. My parents hardly knew what to do with me." She laughed loudly and I couldn't help but smile along with her.

"We used to have a family joke that the first book I ever read was the encyclopaedia! Anyway, I was head-hunted right out of Uni. The private sector in the States, they offered me everything I could ever dream of; state of the art facilities, an army of assistants, almost unlimited funding. It was a dream-come-true, a dream I couldn't possibly walk away from. So I packed my bags and away I went. It was...amazing. The work I was doing could jump man-kind forward centuries! It was leading to break-throughs in cancer treatments, new medical equipment; there was even the possibility of curing Alzheimer's, dementia, senility! Imagine that; growing old without the fear of ever losing yourself to your own mind!" She was so animated while she was talking. She'd moved to the edge of the bed and was staring at me with wide eyes, one of her feet tucked beneath her.

"Anyway, I was asked to work on a formula to develop a serum. The company I worked for provided me with various substances. Their own creations they said. They wanted me to find a way to bind the compounds together in a way in which they would complement and enhance the properties of each other. It took weeks of trials but I managed to do it. I succeeded where everybody else had failed! The serum was so elegant and simple. It was designed to accelerate muscle regeneration, to enhance strength in the subject. I was told it was a cure for paralysis! I was young and naive and I believed them." Her smile had turned mournful and her voice had lowered to almost a whisper.

"What was it really for?" I asked her softly, not wanting to push her too hard. I wanted answers.

"It was for you." She looked at me then, her eyes boring deep into my own. Her words floated around my mind. They were meaningless for a few moments until I absorbed and understood them.

"For me?" She nodded slowly at my words, never breaking eye contact.

"Yes Bella. Aro may have 'built' you, but my work made you what you are." I couldn't read the emotion in her voice. My mind was beginning to reel with this new information. I pushed it all down.

"You...you developed the drugs they gave us at the Institute." She nodded again at my statement, still looking deep into my eyes. I was the first to break eye contact. I shifted in my seat, stretching my legs out in front of me for a moment.

"The venom?" A flash of sadness shot across her face for just a moment.

"They never told us Bella. I didn't find out until later." She looked so miserable telling me all of this. "You know, I got to see you a few times. When I found out what my work was being used for, I managed to get a few glimpses. There you were, surrounded by those boys. All of them bigger than you, but none of them measured up." She was smiling again. She'd reached over and placed her hand on my knee now, squeezing it gently.

"When Aro turned me, the intuition that enabled me to pick the right formula, go down the right path, choose the right equation; that intuition evolved into something unimaginable." She piqued my interest now. I tilted my head slightly, nodding for her to continue. I'd begun absent-mindedly playing with a corner of the duvet I was sitting on.

"I could see everything! Everything and anything that was happening everywhere and everything that hadn't happened yet. Everything I shouldn't know, I did. Everything I couldn't see, I saw."

"Like Alice?" My voice was barely a whisper. It was more of a musing than a question.

"Along similar lines, yes. I saw everything that was going to happen. I saw you. I saw your first few months away from the Institute. I saw how strong you were. I saw how you learnt to survive. I saw how your moulded yourself into everything I hoped you would be. Then...after about five months, I saw you less and less. You disappeared. Just this last month or two I've started to see you again. I could only see you through others experiences of you though. I could never see just you. I only ever got the part you played in the lives of others. It tormented me. The vivid images I used to get and then I was reduced to snippets. It was infuriating. You were...are, my enigma. My unanswered question. My impossible riddle." I noticed her eyes flick momentarily to my lips. She began leaning into me ever so slowly. I didn't move away. I could feel her sweet breath against my lips. I felt myself freeze. I was watching her as she moved in closer.

"You are mine." With that she closed the distance and slowly pressed her marble lips against my own. Her lips moved rhythmically against my own and I felt my body responding to her touch. She deepened the kiss and I moaned involuntarily against her mouth as she pushed me down onto the soft mattress. She lowered herself over me, never breaking contact with my lips. Her body was pinning mine to the bed, her lips were dancing with my own and her hand was entangled in my hair. Eventually she broke away and trailed kisses down my jaw-line towards my neck. Without my consent, my head angled away allowing her better access. I was gripping the bed beneath me. I was losing control of my body and I couldn't trust my hands to comply with my demands. Lesley was focusing her attention on my pulse-point now. Lapping her tongue across it lazily, eliciting quiet gasps from my treacherous mouth. My gasps turned into a short scream as her felt her teeth stab into my flesh.

Her hand that had wrapped its way into my hair was now pinning my head to one side. Her body had become a dead-weight atop my own. I froze for a moment. I could feel my blood starting to evacuate my veins. I could feel the throbbing as it pulsed its way out of my body. And then I felt the burn. A liquid fire spreading up my neck and along the left side of my face, encapsulating my ear, my eye, my mind. I shrieked from the pain and with all my might I clamped my hands onto Lesley's stony shoulders and heaved her away from me. She flew vertically in the air, not stopping until she had crashed into the ceiling above me. Dust rained down around my face, tickling my nose and settling on my eyelashes. I clamped a hand to my gaping wound and sped to the other side of the room, making sure the door was near enough should I require it.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" I seethed at her. My teeth gritted in anger and voice harsh from pain. Now that she was not at my neck anymore, the burning had subsided slightly. Only slightly. Lesley picked herself up from off the ground and dusted herself off. Licking my blood from her lips slowly, savouring the taste of me on her tongue.

"I apologise Bella. I was momentarily overcome." She held her hands up innocently, trying to placate me. Her eyes kept darting to the wound at my neck. I knew I didn't smell like food to her but blood was blood.

"I believe it's best that you leave." Still holding onto my neck; I could feel the capillaries under my skin begin to stitch themselves together again, healing the damage that was done by the vampire before me, I turned slightly and held the door to my room open for her. She bowed her head in silence and began to walk towards the door. I turned my head in disgust and winced as a surge of pain shot from my wound towards my skull. I clamped my eyes shut as the pain momentarily washed over me. I could feel Lesley beside me now; she would be gone in a moment. I opened my eyes just as she passed me and in that second she glanced my way and frowned. I turned away from her and her hand darted out and grabbed my wrist, she spun me towards her and clamped her hands on either side of my face.

"What the..." My words were cut off by the stern expression on her face.

"Bella, look at your eyes!" I shook myself free from her vice-like grip and headed towards one of the armoires with an ornate mirror adorning the top of it. I braced myself against the wooden surface and leant as close to the mirror as I could without fogging the glass with my breath. My heart almost stopped. My eyes were different. I was...was I changing? I wasn't overcome by the burning terror that vampirism brought. I couldn't feel any cellular changes. The burning had almost subsided but there, staring at me from the mirror was irrefutable evidence that something was changing within me.

My warm, chocolaty-brown eyes had changed. They still contained their traditional shade of brown but now they were wreathed in a new colour. A devilish shade of red had snaked its way around my irises. Two crimson halos stared back at me from the antique mirror. I pulled at my cheeks, pulling my eye-lids down, trying to see my full eye ball. There were no other changes. I did a quick inventory. I didn't feel my body changing. But then another shooting pain bolted towards my brain. I clamped my hand to my temple and hissed in pain. I heard Lesley take a step towards me and I spun to face.

"What have you done to me?!" Right then another blinding pain shot through my skull. My vision disappeared, replaced by whiteness, nothingness. I couldn't see shapes, I couldn't tell if I was still on my feet or not. A rushing noise filled my ears and my breath was knocked viciously from my body. I sucked at the air desperately trying to fill my lungs. I felt something grip my wrists; it was icy cold and clamped down hard around me, holding me steady. From that grip I could tell I was swaying on the spot. I felt gravity trying to pull me down and I fought against it. The pain came in searing waves, burning into my mind. I couldn't hear my screams but I could feel them ripping along my vocal chords. I felt my knees give way. I dropped to the ground gasping for breath; the whiteness was shifting before my eyes. I was seeing shapes, silhouettes, I was hearing more than the terrible rushing noise. I could just about make out voices. They sounded familiar but distorted. I couldn't make out any of the words though. Just noise! The silhouettes were beginning to take shape, one of them I recognised instantly. Her hair, her honey eyes, the shape of her body standing in the light. She was surrounded by others. The way her head was bobbing every now and then it looked as though she was deep in conversation.

"Alice!" I felt the word break free from my lips. As soon as it was free, Alice turned. She stared straight into my eyes; her beautiful golden orbs staring straight into my soul, a look of deep confusion marring her perfect features. My heart stopped for a moment. I wrenched my hands free from the icy grip that held them tight and reached out tentatively. I just wanted to see if it was real. But the image disappeared. The world came flooding back. I blinked and it had dissolved entirely. I was back in the room with Lesley. She was kneeling before me, staring at me anxiously. Her mouth was forming my name but I couldn't hear her voice.

I realised I'd been holding my breath; my lungs were burning with the need for oxygen. I gasped and felt the air flood into my mouth and slide down my throat. A tear escaped my eye and slid gracefully down the contours of my cheek, clinging to my chin for just a second before falling through the air and landing in a droplet on my leg. I was gasping for air, trying to focus and ground myself. The pain had dissipated; all that remained was the throbbing beneath my skull and in my ears.

"...Bella...Bella...BELLA!" Lesley's voice dripped with worry, she clamped her hands on either side of my face and forced me to look at her, into those eyes, so different from the pools of honey I had just seen a moment ago.

"Bella what's wrong, are you OK?" I gulped down the pool of spit that had formed under my tongue and nodded my head slowly. Movement hurt.

"What happened?" She was leaning in close, pulling my eyelids apart, examining me. I felt her fingers at my neck and knew she was checking my pulse. Her finger-tips grazed the fresh wound and I winced slightly in pain.

"I think...I think I had a vision." Lesley froze for a moment before sitting back on her heels, an absent expression on her face. Just then a soft voice from the doorway drew my attention.

"Most interesting."