Prologue

Alice dragged me through the crowd of red-dressed people inside the city. I had never been in Volterra before, not in Italy at all to be honest, so I felt a little disappointed that I couldn't stand still and look closer, but I did my best to keep up with Alice's pace anyway.

I didn't want someone to die, not even this Edward Cullen, even if my opinion of him wasn't the warmest after what he had put my twin sister through. But Bella clearly loved him (maybe a little too much) and the fact that he wanted to kill himself when hearing of her supposed death had to mean he still loved her. Even if it was a bit creepy too, to be honest. An image of Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen suddenly popped up into my mind and I would have giggled at that. But I didn't.

The clock on the tower suddenly chimed and I gasped, looking at Alice in panic. She was looking into the crowd without seeing, seemingly far away. Then she blinked and smiled a weak smile toward me.

"She got to him. They're inside."

I let out the breath I didn't even knew I was holding, smiling back at her. Then she suddenly frowned, looking scared again.

"Oh no," she said. "They know. The guards are on their way to him. Come on, we must hurry!"

Less than five minutes later Alice pushed the door to the clock tower open with a powerful shove, making the iron latch on the inside drop to the ground.

Whoa. Yeah, vampire strength.

I quickly followed her inside, leaning against the door as it shut – finally able to catch my breath. Alice said something but I didn't listen as I took in the scene before me.

Bella was there; in the arms of a pale auburn haired boy I assumed was Edward. Good looking, of course, but I didn't find him as 'angelic' as Bella had described him. Tall and lean. Same golden eyes as Alice but the dark shadows beneath his was more prominent. His forehead creased when he looked at me.

"Who's this, Alice? Bella?" he asked in a low voice, throwing a cautious glance over his shoulder.

That made me realize there were two other vampires there. Male, both with eyes red as blood. One actually made me think of the Hulk – bulging muscles and probably over 6'7 in height. The other was shorter and a bit more on the slim side but he didn't intimate me any less because of that. They both inhaled deeply as if tasting the air and I tensed.

Alice put her hand on my arm and looked pointedly at Bella. She awkwardly cleared her throat. "Umm … Edward, this is Claire. My … my twin sister."

"Fraternal twin," I hastily added to explain the differences in our looks - my crystal blue eyes to Bella's chocolate brown ones, her long, mahogny colored locks and my bob-cut black colored hair. Even before I colored my hair I'd had darker brown hair than Bella had.

She had the red highlights after our mother and I had practically nothing of Renee in me, despite the fact that she carried me for nine months.

I woke up from my thoughts as I heard light footsteps and quickly checked Edward's reaction to Bella's secret. Edward looked shocked but he got no chance to say anything else as a tiny, blond figure walked up behind the two red-eyed vampires.

"Enough," a high chimed voice spoke up. "Aro sent me to find out what took you two so long, Felix, Demitri."

My first impression was of a little girl but by the expression in her face and the way she held herself she had to be a lot older and mature. By her eyes I figured she was a vampire too, from the same gang as them – the Volturi. Although she couldn't have been more than thirteen when she was turned – at the most.

"Jane", Edward said, bowing his head down. This was clearly someone of importance. Or very dangerous.

"Follow me," she said in that same high, childish voice that never had gone through the change of adulthood.

I didn't say a word until I realized I had to jump down a drain to continue our little journey. And it freaked me out. Bella had already jumped and the sight of seeing my sister disappear down the black hole nearly had me pee myself. If mom ever finds out about this she will kill me and then spread my remains in the Sahara-desert. That is unless dad hasn't locked me up in one of his jailcells first!

"It's alright, Claire," Alice said from down the drain. "I will catch you."

"Said It when offering the children an adventure of a lifetime…" I muttered under my breath, forgetting about their super hearing.

Both Felix and Demetri apparently found that funny as they snorted. Edward just stared me with his eyebrows drawn tightly together. I didn't know what his problem was but Bella had told me that his power was hearing people's thoughts, but that he never had heard her. Perhaps he couldn't hear me either?

I didn't had more time to ponder about it as Demetri cleared his throat and nodded at me. "Go on, miss Swan. We don't have all day." He sounded polite but I knew he wasn't giving me a choice. So I sat down on the edge of the drain, lowering my legs down into the hole and then let go.

A long walk through a stone corridor had my teeth chattering, while I rubbed my arms. Even though it must have made her freeze Bella clung to Edward as if he was a lifebuoy. To be honest I found it a bit pathetic. He was the one that got you into this mess, sis, remember?

But of course she didn't care about that – I had understood that. Nothing mattered to her more than Edward.

Finally we had come to the Volturi's headquarter, or whatever it was. A human secretary, very pretty (by human standards) greeted us in Italian. Then Jane opened two wide double doors to a large circular room, made of stone.

Jane walked inside immediately, greeting a boy in the same age as her by kissing him on both cheeks. I first thought they were a couple but his next words told me something else.

"Sister," he said proudly. "They send you out for one and you come back with two …" then he looked over Bella and me. "And two halves."

I didn't like the description, but I was smart enough to keep my mouth shut.

"Isn't this a happy surprise?" someone asked in a cheery voice, making me turn my gaze away from the siblings.

A raven haired man came gliding toward us, even paler than all the other vampires I had met in the last 24 hours. He was beautiful – gorgeous actually. But so … unreal. His red eyes had another shade than Felix, Demetri's and Jane's. Watery, or milky perhaps. Was it his age?

"Bella is alive after all and Alice is here with her. I love a happy ending … but … I don't believe I know who this is?" he said, seeing me for the first time and looking genuinely surprised.

He quickly looked at Edward that made some kind of shrugging motion and he turned to me again, smiling a charming smile.

"I'm Aro, one of the three leaders of the Volturi. And you, my dear?"

I swallowed quickly to get some support for my voice. "My name's Claire Swan. I'm Bella's twin. Fraternal twin."

There was some whispers here and there in the room but it quickly died down as Aro put his hands together under his chin. "Remarkable," he said in a curious voice. "Felix, be a dear and tell my brothers about our company. I'm sure they wouldn't want to miss this."

"Yes, Master." Felix nodded and disappeared back the way we had come.

"It's so strange …" Aro said, turned to me again. There's nothing of you in Edward's memories."

I frowned, not understanding what he meant. Edward explained though – to all of us. "Aro can hear every thought and every memory I've ever had with a single touch. Our powers are similar, but his are way more powerful since I can only hear what the person in question thinks in that moment."

Aro chuckled lightly. "Yes, but to be able to hear it from a distance … how practical. So, Bella is alive. How did this happen, Alice? Your brother seemed to think you infallible, but apparently there was some mistake."

Alice shook her head, smiling in an ironical way. "As you can see today, I cause problems as often as I cure them. Far from infallible."

"You're too modest," Aro chided. "I must say I've never observed anything like your talent. Wonderful! But now … how come you knew nothing of Claire, Edward? Or have you figured out a way to hide things in your head?" his tone got slightly sharper at the end and Bella gasped.

"He didn't know!" she burst out, quick to come to his defense. "I … I never told any of them about Claire. She has been away in college and …" she got silent, biting her lip.

Yeah, how are you going to explain that you didn't want your new family to know about your sister, I thought bitterly, still disappointed about it.

"Ah!" Aro only said, as if something suddenly became clear to him. His milky eyes found me again, drilling into me, like he was reaching into my soul. I shuddered.

A small noise from the door told us that Felix had returned. Two other male vampires walked toward the three thrones in the middle of the room.

"Marcus, Caius, look!" Aro crooned. "Bella is alive after all and Alice is here with her. But what's even more amazing is that Bella has a twin sister that none of the Cullen's knew anything of! Isn't that extraordinary?"

None of them answered, as if they were all too used to Aro's enthusiasm by now. It was as if they had to have been together a long time to not react to his cheerful voice, given their lack of reaction, though it made me want to roll my eyes. I didn't though, because despite Aro's cheerful enthusiasm, his expression in those milky red eyes gave me the same chills as The Grudge movie once had.

I just saw a brief glance of the tall, dark haired vampire whose face held a bored expression as he went toward Aro, reaching for his hand. My eyes immediately fell on the platinum blonde vampire. His face had the same shade as marble and his hair just a bit darker – more like white gold. Eyes the same red color as the rest of them yet so different for some reason.

I was sure my mouth hung open, yet I couldn't bear myself to look away. It felt like my whole being was filled with electricity – like that one time I had touched the wire to a horse enclosure. Only this time there was no pain. Just a pull – a pull toward the blonde vampire king that was now staring at me, his eyes wide.

He was on his way to one of the thrones that was apparently his, but he had stopped, now gripping the high seat with his hand, making the wood crack.

I took a step toward him which made Bella grab my arm hard and pull me back. A pathetic whimper rose from my throat which made the platinum haired vampire king growl dangerously.

"Oh …" someone said and after a moments confusion I realized it was Aro. "This was something unexpected …!

A/N: Stephanie Meyer own Twilight and it's universe. I'm only borrowing her creation for fun.

What you don't recognize from the books and movies are my ideas.