Jasper turned back to face Isabella. He leaned down, carefully brushing her hair away from her neck.

"I will see you on the other side," he whispered before baring his fangs and slicing into the girl's throat.

Chapter 30 - Change

Jasper gathered Isabella's limp body into his arms and stood up. The crowd silently parted; moving aside for him as he carried her away from the spot she had fallen in.

Aro turned to Carlisle, his eyes still glued to his niece's form. "Take them to the helicopter. Demetri will bring you to the nearest airport, where you can depart to Volterra by airplane."

"Won't you be joining us?" Carlisle inquired.

Aro let out a deep breath as he shook his head. "We still have a battlefield to clear up."

Carlisle nodded in understanding, before his eyes sought out his mate's. They conversed for a second, but quickly decided it was best if she would come with. Demetri, who had been updated on his master's plan, led them out of the clearing once they had said their goodbyes to the others.

When that all was taken care of, the adrenaline coursing through everyone slowly started to wear off and the gravity of the reality sunk in. Because while they had killed many of their enemies, the battle had also cost the lives of numerous of their own.

At the command of Aro and Caius, the vampires reluctantly split up, each being assigned a part of the field to go through. Their movements were slow as they started to gather the torn up limbs which were scattered all over. The air was heavy with uncertainty and angst; there was no saying as to what they would find.

Cries of outrage and grief were heard not much later, as the vampires found one of their own, torn to pieces, lying between the bodies of the enemy. The venom had long left their systems, and hope for recovery was futile. All the undead could do was burn the remains of their fallen, putting them to rest forevermore.

Aro watched from a distance as the shape-shifters withdrew themselves when they had recovered the bodies of their brothers and sisters. Together the packs mourned the losses they felt so deeply while they waited for the sign that they could return to their families. Back on their home land they would give their pack-mates the burials they deserved.

The Volturi guard processed their losses in silence, working methodically through the field. They had long ago learned to shut their emotions off in situations which asked for diplomacy.

That was, until Renata screamed out.

All eyes shot to her slender figure at the edge of the clearing and within seconds the Volturi guard gathered around her. Renata's hands had flown up to her mouth, her eyes wide with shock. Both Aro and Caius were astonished by her outburst and made their way over. However, all words they had wanted to say left them when they looked down to see a familiar body lying at their guard's feet.

Marcus was dead.

-oOo-

A fierce pain shot through Isabella's neck, forcing all air out of her lungs. Her temperature spiked as flames flowed into her veins, burner hotter and hotter until she was sure that she had been thrown onto a flaming pyre which was burning her to ashes. She did not dare to open her eyes, in fear of seeing her limbs blackening with the burns. Instead, she tried focussing on the noises in her surroundings, but it soon became apparent it was impossible to think of anything but the all-consuming fire.

The black void in the back of her mind she had come from suddenly seemed very welcoming. Isabella felt herself drifting off, but was pulled back when a familiar voice cut through the pain-induced haze.

"Please wake up," the voice mumbled over and over as an icy cold rag pressed against her forehead.

The ice brought some temporary relief of the flames, and the darkness was pushed away when Isabella pried her eyes open. Her gaze flickered to her side and she was met by a worried sister.

"You cannot give in," Aemilia pleaded, hands busy placing bags of ice against her arms and legs. "You have to fight against the fire if you want to survive."

"What-" Isabella managed to croak out before the pain took her voice away.

"Do not try to talk," Aemilia hushed. "It will only make it worse. Didy is preparing a cold bath for you, which should help at least slightly. Please, please, hang on for a little longer."

Isabella whimpered as another wave of pain rushed through her veins. With every minute the fire burned stronger, getting impossibly hotter.

"You were very brave, you know," Aemilia talked on, trying to distract her sister from the agony. "You chose right when you decided to bring us forward. We will miss you, of course, when you are one of them, but at least we will know you are safe and loved."

Didyme entered the room, smiling softly when Isabella looked at her. "The bath is ready."

The sound of her voice, though soft, hurt Isabella's head. Even the soft breeze blowing through the open window was becoming more of a pain than a relief.

Aemilia nodded and sighed, before turning towards Isabella. "I know it will be very uncomfortable to move right now, we need to get you out of these clothes."

Isabella had no idea what she was talking about until Aemilia's warm hands were on her body, taking off her bloody shirt. As soon as her sister's flesh came in contact with hers, she groaned and tried to move her limbs away from the bruising pain.

Luckily Aemilia finished the task quickly and Didyme picked their youngest sister up, moving her to the bathroom. This time Isabella was prepared and she gritted her teeth until she was lowered into the tub.

Once she lay in the ice, the fire in her veins sparked once again, this time taking the temporary sanity with it. She closed her eyes, unable to utter a word, but feeling reassured with the knowledge she would be taken care of.

What followed were hours upon hours of pure agony. Both Didyme and Aemilia took turns in hauling bags of ice from the freezer to throw in the tub. The internal fire did not actually burn Isabella's skin, but the heat radiated from her in waves, melting the ice within minutes.

When the cold finally managed to calm her temperature for a while, Isabella's head cleared up slightly and she was able to open her mouth without screaming.

"This is worse than anything I'd imagined," she croaked out. "No one told me it would be like this. Why am I even here?"

"No one, except for us, knew your Change would be different," Aemilia softly spoke as she perched herself on the edge of the tub.

Didyme appeared next to her. "Jasper's venom now courses through your body like a fire. However, you, little one, are quite literally a fire bird, a phoenix, and your heritage is fighting against the poison which has entered your system."

"The question is which one will win," Aemilia added.

"It sucks," Isabella groaned, as the fire in her veins raged up once more, raising her temperature.

"I know it does," Didyme whispered, before disappearing out of the room to get more ice.

The next several hours creeped by even slower than the ones before. The pain was all-consuming and it was impossible to focus on anything else. It took everything Isabella had not to give herself over to the darkness and her sisters had to shake her awake several times as she was about to slip into unconsciousness.

If she was to lose focus for even a second, it could be fatal.

Now the flames licked at her fingers, which twitched at the change in sensation. Although the fire had ignited in her neck, it had slowly but steadily been spreading throughout her body. Isabella let out a groan when the flames reached her toes as well. With horror she came to the realisation that the time she had spent in agony, was not even half of what was still to come.

She was right, as usual.

Just seconds after her realisation, the fire turned up a notch. Keeping her screams contained was no longer an option, no matter how much she tried to clench her teeth. Once she had started, there was no way to stop anymore.

Isabella screamed and screamed, until her voice was rough and nothing more than a pitiful sound left her mouth. Her throat was raw, but the discomfort of that was nothing compared to the lava in her veins. Even the blissful darkness, which had been near until then, had disappeared, offering her no choice but to continue.

It was that moment she started begging for death. To whom she was talking, or where she was, she no longer knew. All she did know was that the only escape from the pain was to die, and she wanted it desperately.

However, her pleas remained unanswered, leaving her on her own to fight against the fire. With every second that passed the flames blazed up. She understood now, from the comforting murmurs, that her sisters must be talking to her, but she was unable to concentrate on their voices.

All she knew was fire.

After spending hours upon hours in pain, it took her a while to realise when the fire was slowly retreating. She was able to cease her screams and at last heard what the voices were telling her.

"Bella," Didyme sighed. "I'm sorry to see you in so much pain, but you are so brave, little one."

Her sisters talked on and on as the fire retreated further, but they fell silent when Isabella finally pried her eyes open. The girl looked up at Didyme, who was at her side, before flickering her gaze around the room. She was about to close her eyes again when her mind registered the doorway was not empty. Isabella's heart skipped a beat as her eyes shot to the door, only to be met with a very familiar face.

Isabella's eyes widened in shock and she opened her mouth. "How-"

"Do not try to speak," Marcus hurriedly said, stepping into the room. "It will not help."

He made his way over to her side and knelt down as his hand came forward to brush a strand of hair away from her forehead.

"Thank you," he whispered. "Your actions have brought me more than I could have ever wished for. I am so grateful for all you have given me. Now you have to hold on and fight for a little longer. You are needed with the others; your time has not come yet. Fight, little one."

And fight she did.

As the fire retreated from her limbs, it gathered and made its way to the centre of her system. Isabella could feel her heart pumping faster and faster, pushing her body to its limits and over them until the beat was nothing more than a consistent hum.

She registered the kisses on her forehead right before the pain in her heart exploded. She was falling now, her chest arching up in pain. All air was pushed from her lungs, choking her as her heart reached its inferno.

And it stopped.

Her body went limp as gravity pulled her back down. The pain, which had been killing her just seconds ago, vanished into nothing. It did not take her long to realise that killing was exactly what the pain had done. She was one of the undead now.

Isabella lay still as she explored the unfamiliar sensations this new life brought with it. Her fingertips twitched and her hands clamped down into soft satin, her ears adjusting to all the sounds she could hear. The consistent ticking of the clock in the room. Shouting voices on the plaza. The rumbling of the cars on the highway outside of the city. She faintly recognised all of them, but her memories were too fuzzy to be able to decipher where she knew them from.

Taking a deep breath in, she opened her eyes.

The first thing she noticed was that she was not the only one in the room. Before she had even consciously made the decision, she was up from the bed and crouched in the corner. A deep growl sounded, but stopped just as quickly when Isabella realised she had been the one to emit that sound. The heightened senses were confusing and she was astonished by the speed at which her brain worked to process the new experiences.

"Bella?"

Isabella's head shot up, eyes wide as she took in the man at the other side of the room. Though his voice could not have been much louder than a whisper, the sound was stronger than she remembered.

She took in the non-threatening stance the man held; hands up, palms facing her and his eyes cast to the ground. He seemed somewhat familiar, but she did not think on it for too long; she was too busy taking in every little detail of him. The sharp image she was looking at was nothing compared to the vague pictures of people she could remember.

The man called her name once more and Isabella realised with a start that he was addressing her. The name he called, was hers. Slowly the fuzzy memories started to unwind and when she looked at the man, a name ghosted through her mind.

"Jasper?" she asked hesitantly. Her eyes widened as soon as the words had left her mouth. She did not recognise the voice that had sounded, though there was no question as to whose it was.

Jasper nodded, looking up, but remaining his stance otherwise. "How do you feel? What do you remember?"

"I feel… confused," Isabella slowly answered. "I am so different, yet the same."

"That is understandable," Jasper told her. "It will take a while for you to adapt to this new form."

Isabella grimaced and straightened up from her crouch as she examined her smooth hands. Next she looked down at her body, scanning over the subtle changes she had gone through. Someone must have cleaned her up at some point as there was no evidence of the battle on her skin. A blue summer dress now reached down to her knees, her feet left bare on the wooden floor of the bedroom.

Glancing up at Jasper, she saw he was still watching her, though the uncertainty from before had left his eyes. It had been replaced with adoration and a shimmer of lust. However, when she took a breath to speak up, she noticed the uncomfortable burn flare up and she put her hand to her throat.

Of course Jasper saw, and he held out his hand for Isabella take. "Let's take care of that thirst first, shall we?"

Isabella nodded, grasping his hand carefully before he led her out of the room.

-oOo-

Being a newborn vampire was more difficult than she had imagined.

Next to the nearly insatiable thirst, Isabella was in a constant state of restlessness and she felt like all of her control had disappeared with her Change. No matter how hard she tried to reign in her strength and speed, it never was enough. Every time she broke another piece of furniture, or punched through another wall, it felt like a failure, even though the others told her it was completely normal.

She despised not being in control.

Jasper was an absolute saint. Although he denied all her praise, Isabella was sure she would have never made it this far without him. During her first few weeks, he was constantly around, and even when she was ready for others to be reintroduced into her life, he stayed nearby.

The thirst was always present, and the smell of blood still made her lose her mind. Isabella quickly learned to celebrate the smaller victories, and she gradually started to accept that learning how to cope with these new abilities would take months, if not years. With that acceptance also came a newfound determination, and she now thrived in the small progresses she made.

Over the course of several weeks, more than a month after her 'rebirth', the members of the Volturi and several others came back into her life. That was, the ones who were already mated. After a meeting with Irina ended up with a shocked Jasper and a very embarrassed Isabella, they collectively decided it was better if the unmated kept their distance for a little longer.

Isabella had never known vampires were such territorial creatures.

The kings and their wives were overjoyed to be able to welcome their niece back. The sudden need to Change her, and the uncertainty as to whether she would survive, had scared them all. They were very happy to be able to spend time with her again. However, as they talked with her, the fact that they had yet to tell her about Marcus's passing weighed down on them. In the end Aro and Caius sat Isabella down and they explained to her what had happened after she had lost consciousness on the day of the battle.

When she did not respond, they took her silence as sadness and shock. Thus they were surprised when instead of the proverbial tears, a smile crossed her face. This time it was Isabella's turn to explain what she had experienced during her Change. With a few questions from her uncles, she slowly unravelled the dreams of her human life and pieced the entire story back together.

The conversation, which had started off sad, ended on a positive note as they talked about the memories they had created together. Of course Marcus's absence was still felt, as it would always be, but Aro and Caius were able to move on, now that they knew their brother was happy and back with his mate.

And so it came that, nearly a year after her Change, Isabella found herself in the courtyard of the castle. A warm breeze had blown through her hair as soon as she had stepped out of the doors. It was completely silent, and she welcomed the calm after spending quite a bit of time with her family. Though she loved them, it was always chaotic and she was in need of some time to order her thoughts.

The courtyard had always been Marcus's sanctuary when he had still been amongst them. It was here Isabella most felt his presence and she had made it a habit to visit quite often, sometimes simply for the peace, but other times bringing gifts. Today she held a bouquet of gladioli Jasper had gotten her from the city's florist, as she leisurely made her way over to the centre of the yard.

Right there, in the middle, stood a marble statue, glowing in the sunlight. It portrayed an angel - her wings spread out wide as if she would fly away. At the base of the statue the name 'Didyme' was engraved, and a few inches below 'Marcus' had been added.

Isabella smiled as she stopped in front of the statue. To her it symbolised so much more than a simple memory. It reminded her of the sisterhood she belonged to, the line of powerful women she stemmed from. But above all it illustrated what she had been before the Change; and made her remember that she was the last of the fenice, phoenix, as she was immortal now.

Isabella reached out, letting her fingers dance along the engravings before whispering a soft "thank you."

Her hand returned to her side when she took a step back and knelt down on the ground. The colourful bouquet replaced the withered flowers she had brought a while ago, and she sat in silence for a minute, lost in thoughts and memories.

A familiar hand on her shoulder brought her back to reality. Isabella did not need to look up to know who it was, and she smiled, placing her hand on top of his.

"Hi."

Jasper took her hand, pulling her up and around to face him. "Are you alright?"

She turned back to the statue, looking down at the flowers. Jasper mirrored her movements, slipping his arm around her waist and pulling her into his side. Isabella sighed, letting her head fall to his shoulder.

"I think so, yes."

The End

A/N: Here it finally is: the last chapter of The Girl :) I never thought I would make it this far and it feels awesome to finally complete this story. It took me a few tries to get the last chapter right, and my time was severely limited due to a few issues in Real Life, but I am happy with how it turned out in the end. I hope you enjoyed it and a big thanks to all of you who have read, reviewed and followed this story!

- Laura

P.S: I have started writing a story called Touching Souls (it's very different from this one; supernatural, romance-y A/B) and hope to upload another (all human, E/B) story somewhere within the next few months. If you are interested, take a look at my profile page:)