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daystar-by-jacqui-natla · 10 months

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3. AN OFFER

SILENCE.

The unavoidable nothingness that surrounded us. A quiet that was deafening. The silence was the void that could only be broken by a noise which shatters it like glass.

I never thought that a single sentence could change the whole place. The whole atmosphere is from a pleasant family time to a grim reaper approaching to end them. Joseph's words triggered my vision. It felt like it was happening yesterday. I remembered the black fog advancing toward me. The glint of their ruby eyes among the fog and the shine of their sharp teeth as the white gleamed from it.

I wanted to let out my shield and circle it around us and our home, to hide from plain sight, to make us invisible. But I couldn't even move my body. Describing myself as stone may be an overstatement. More like a statue. For the first time in my newborn life, I felt cold.

"All of them?" Alana asked fearfully.

"Not all," Joseph replied, shaking his head. "Just four."

"That doesn't sound bad," Ethan commented, trying to sound relaxed.

Simon rose his hand to him, quietening him. "Who's the four?" he questioned further.

"Jane, Alec, Felix and Demetri," Joseph said.

My gold eyes widened as I slowly turned my head to Ethan. "That doesn't sound bad, right?" I repeated his words, gritting my teeth.

Ethan's face cringed. "I take that back. That does sound bad. Very bad."

"Why?" Alana whispered to himself. "How?"

"When?" Simon whispered.

"Why?" Leah echoed.

"When?" Simon repeated in a voice like splintering ice.

Joseph's eyes didn't blink, but it was as if a veil covered them; they became perfectly blank. Only his mouth held into a thin line.

"Not long," he replied. "Little more than an hour."

"Where's Mum and Dad?" I enquired worriedly. "And Rhona?"

"They're sorting out the upstairs. Trying to get rid of the wet dog smell." Joseph's face quivered as his gaze focused on Leah and rose his right hand to her. "No offence."

"None was taken," Leah grimaced.

"Why would they come to us?" Ethan was the one to ask this time.

Leah answered. "Joseph could be right about me. Maybe it's—."

"This isn't about you," Joseph said hollowly. "However, it might be best if you leave the manor and hide in the woods for now. To hide your scent."

"But..." Leah said softly and looked at Ethan. "You know it's—."

"It's just temporary. They're coming now."

"But why?" Ethan said again. "We've done nothing! And if we had, what could we possibly do that would bring this down on us?"

"We don't know," Joseph said. "But we need to be extra cautious now." He turned his head over to Leah. "Go and hide. I'll tell you when they're gone."

Leah nodded and Joseph, Simon and Alana left the kitchen, getting everything prepared for their arrival. I glanced at them as they stared at each other. I could tell they were in love, and it was more than spending time with each other. It was the way they looked at each other. The glowing golden eyes lock with the dark brown eyes. Leah was smitten by him and Ethan was falling head over heels for her. I recalled Ethan yelling for her when she got hurt and fell on his knees, wrapping his arms around her. He was already prepared to protect her even though she was the one protecting him from any harm.

Ethan's hand caressed her hand and kissed her forehead. "Stay safe out there," he whispered.

"It's you that needs to be safe," Leah replied.

"Hey, I don't mean to be horrible," I interrupted their sweet moment. "But can you hurry up before the vampire mafia comes?!"

Leah gave him a quick kiss on his cheek before leaving the kitchen through the back door. Ethan and I raced silently up to reach the living room. Many thoughts were processed in my mind. Why would they come to us? Did we knowingly or unknowingly break one of their laws? Did one of their uncovered agents spotted me and discovered that I'm the maxima?

This was the one time I hoped none of them would be the reason why.

It might turn into one of the worst nights to have ever happened. For a start, it was raining. Not so long ago, in the little town of Forks, I would have counted rain a delightful luxury, but not now. It pelted down, hammering against the ground like a two-year-old having a temper tantrum, drenching the trees' tossing branches and shining greasily on the paved streets. Thunder prowled the rooftop, stabbing the aerial and isolating the chimney.

The only sound heard in the living area was the ticking of the grandfather clock. The repeated tick-tock disturbed the quietude of the living room as we sat around the table. At any moment, the guards could be standing right outside our door. Hopefully, Leah's scent would be gone by now. There was anxiety among us as we waited for them.

"How far?" Dad asked.

"Not long," Joseph replied. "About three seconds."

And as if on cue, there was a knock on the door. Dad rose from his seat, away from Mum and me, and arrived at the door. When the door swung open and his face met the four dark figures, I also knew he had been anxious to see them again. As Dad stood there, I spotted the dark cloaks being drenched with the rain – the suggestion of the red glows betraying its owners.

Jane, Alec, Felix and Demetri, the four most dangerous guards in the Volturi, and the reasons this may be the worst night of my eternal life.

"Hello..." Dad greeted his old acquaintances. "Come in, come in." His gold eyes gleamed, darting up and down the guards as he ushered them inside.

But they were quick to not let him usher them. Jane and Alec were in the black long-sleeved cloak; they pulled down their hoods, revealing their hair (Jane had blonde hair while Alec's hair was dark). Felix and Demetri were in dark grey cloaks with their hoods already down.

"Nice place you've got," Demetri commented, his red eyes scanning the living room, then his nose flared. "Same about the smell."

"Spring cleaning," Dad was quick to respond. "We were in the middle of it."

"Lovely little family you've got, Gabriel," Jane said in her put-on sweet voice.

"I didn't think you would have a coven after what you did," Felix said with a dark chuckle. "I always thought you were living in a cave."

Dad's chalky face grimaced as he turned his back. "I'm just blessed," he whispered but it was loud enough for them to hear him; he grabbed onto Mum's hand and looked back at his former acquaintances.

Felix let out a sneering chuckle. "Why would you introduce your coven members to us?"

And he did. One by one, Dad told them our names but never mentioned our gifts.

I noticed the silence and looked at the guards. Their unawareness of my presence seemed so obvious to me. They didn't talk for a moment while I glared at the guards; the rage slowly rose inside me.

I couldn't help it. The memory seared across my mind, as sharply and clearly as though I was back in the forest and seeing them for the first time.

"Impressive," Jane said. "I've never seen a coven escape an assault of this magnitude intact."

"We were lucky," Carlisle replied.

"I doubt that."

"It appears we missed an entertaining fight," Alec said, standing by his twin sister.

"Yes," she answered him. "It's not often we're rendered unnecessary."

"If you'd arrived a half-hour ago, you would've fulfilled your purpose," Edward said to her.

"Pity." Jane stared at him. Then she saw Bree crouching by the fire and smiled. "You missed one."

"We offered her asylum in exchange for her surrender," stated Carlisle for Bree's current situation.

"That wasn't yours to offer," abruptly said Jane.

As Jane moved to Bree, I saw Esme shoot Carlisle a concerned look. Carlisle subtly shook his head.

"Why did you come?" she asked but before the newborn could answer, Bree screamed in agony and fell to the grass.

Bella flinched but I didn't. I was used to seeing other newborns in pain. Esme quickly stepped up.

"They came to destroy us – to kill Bella," Esme spoke, begging her to stop, but Jane ignored her.

Jane continued her torture, enjoying it. "Who created you?"

Bree screamed at the pain, making me feel this... What was it? Remorse. Pity. Anger.

"You don't need to do that," Esme said. "She'll tell you anything you want to know."

"I know." Jane voiced no care at all.

Jane was hurting her with her mind. She was responsible for her pain. Carlisle puts a hand on Esme's shoulder and Bree's screaming briefly stopped; finally. Jane waited for an answer.

"I don't know," replied Bree. "Riley wouldn't tell us. He said our thoughts weren't safe."

She was right. Jane zapped Bree again. I think Esme was about to say something.

"Her name was Victoria," answered Edward. "Perhaps you knew her."

Bree's pain abruptly ceased. Jane looked at Edward with an innocent smile, that was somehow unnerving. The other three Volturi were suddenly positioned behind Jane. We didn't even see them move. Bella planted herself firmly at Edward's side. The air was tense. This could turn bad, fast. Carlisle interceded with great and purposeful calm.

"Edward," Carlisle said. "If the Volturi knew Victoria, they would've stopped her. Isn't that right, Jane?"

Jane just stared at Carlisle. A long wait. She replied: "Of course. Felix."

Felix moved to Bree.

"She didn't know what she was doing," Esme spoke loudly and Jane stopped Felix from walking forward. "We'll take responsibility for her. Give her a chance."

"The Volturi don't give second chances," said Jane. "Keep that in mind. Caius will be interested to know that she's still human."

"The date is set," Bella spoke.

Jane was ever so slightly taken aback by Bella's confidence. Her look lingered on Bella. Edward stood ready to defend her. But Jane turned back to Felix.

"Take care of that, Felix," commanded Jane. "I'd like to go home."

Felix marched forward to the newborn and, with his enormous strength, easily tore Bree from limb to limb. Her scream quickly ceased, though the metallic screeching sound continued. My heart ached as I watched Bree die. Felix picked up the limbs and threw them into the flames.

"Thank you, Felix. Until next time."

Bree's death welled from my shattered mind, and I felt the self-mastery I had begun to reclaim vibrating like a bowstring drawn beyond safe tension.

"Enough talk," Joseph said, folding his arms. "Why are you really here for? It's not for a little get-together."

Felix's mouth twitched. He was about to take a step forward until Jane stretched her slim right arm out, blocking him. He retreated into his still-standing position as the little vampire girl looked back at Dad.

"To help us, Gabriel. I need you and your coven to do something for us."

"Go on."

"We've been struggling to find the vampire named Joham," Alec said, joining in the conversation. "No sign of him anywhere. And with the human females mysteriously disappearing, we believe that they're connected."

Joham? Women vanishing from the world?

I recalled the confrontation. Thanks to Alice and Jasper, Nahuel and his aunt came forward and informed them of his father's works. But they had nothing to do with Dad, or us. It took all my willpower to stay in my chair, my mask firmly in place. "Why should we care?"

"Because this is unlike anything that has ever happened before!" Dimitri's voice rose yet composed, gesturing out of the window as a flash of lightning threw his shadow into bold relief. "Humans have been spreading the news about their disappearances. Like what happened with—."

Like the newborn army from Seattle. That was what he was going to say until Demetri stopped himself.

"You've dealt with worse, yet you can't handle this!" I nearly spat the words, rising to my feet.

"Violet," Dad hushed.

"Are you questioning our effectiveness?" Felix asked, releasing a small growl at me.

He was trying to scare me, which didn't work.

"She's not questioning anything, Felix," Dad answered, stepping in front of him but Felix was still towering over him. "She's just wondering what you all want us to do exactly."

"We want you to find Joham and destroy him," Jane finally explained. "You can do whatever you want to the halfbreeds."

Halfbreeds. The horrible way to call a hybrid.

"And that's all?" Dad asked, considering it (actually considering it).

"That's all," Jane nodded.

Dad stood absolutely still and then lowered his head. He must be thinking about this offer they gave.

"He is," I heard Joseph whispering behind me. "He might agree to do it."

Then, Dad nodded.

Continue to 4. NEWS ITEMS

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daystar-by-jacqui-natla · 9 months

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6. HAMPSTEAD HEATH

ETHAN GRABBED HER HAND, WITH HARDLY ANY STRENGTH TO HOLD ON, and slowly dragged her away from Rebecca as Leah gave her a hostile glare. We trotted through the alleyway and Rebecca disappeared from our view. A racing heartbeat was thumping in my ears, but there was no human near us. I turned my head and Leah's fists clenched by her side, her knuckles white, and her breathing became rapid. I sensed her blood rushing through her veins and it didn't sound happy.

"Stupid leech," Leah muttered under her breath, causing us to stop on our track.

Ethan looked at her, his lips pursed into a thin line together. Seeing him like that - hurt and vulnerable - had made me think about forbidden love a lot more. Making think about Romeo and Juliet. Two people from different families who are alike in dignity. Their ancient grudge breaks into new mutiny. A pair of star-crossed lovers before us. We've heard this kind of story before, and I didn't like the ending.

"Who are you calling a stupid leech, stinky mutt?" Alana asked bitterly.

"Mum!" Ethan replied loudly with anger in his tone.

"You're not helping," Simon whispered.

"Didn't you hear what she just say?" she yelled, throwing her arms in the air. "Who the hell is she referring a stupid leech to? Better not be us."

"If that's the case, then why am I staying with you all?" Leah shouted her question out. Her arms began to quiver. "I was talking about that Rebecca girl if you're interested."

"Thanks for clearing that up," Joseph said quietly.

"Okay," Alana responded. "But she was right though."

"Mum, stop, please!" Ethan shouted back, stung by his mother's criticism.

A shudder rippled through Leah, along her shoulders and down her spine.

"Leah...?" I asked calmly.

Leah shook her head back and forth, not in defiance, but as though she was trying to concentrate.

"Leah, I don't think this is the place to... let it out," Rhona joined in, trying to defuse the situation; Joseph gently pulled her to him.

They were preparing to see the smallish grey wolf bursting out of her. And this would not be ideal. The Volturi guards might still be lurking around here. If there was one thing every vampire reminded me was that they can be sneaky. Real sneaky. I thought of a plan that could help Leah contain her she-wolf. I looked over at the imprintee.

"Ethan, try and calm her down," I said to him.

"But I don't know how, especially when this is happening," he replied, his arms waving back and forth.

I sighed. "You're her boyfriend. You know what calms her down."

As if a lightbulb had switched on in his head, Ethan looked at the shaken woman. He walked towards her and his pale hands gripped onto Leah's arms. He tried to lock his gold eyes on her brown eyes but her eyes were shut and her face was wincing. Then he pressed his lips against hers.

My eyes bulged from my sockets and my mouth fell open. I threw my hands out to them and then shouted, without thinking. "I said calm her down, not turn her on!"

Immediately, I slapped my hands over my mouth to stifle the short scream. Mum and Dad looked at me as did Simon and Alana, with a frozen look of horror on their pale faces. I heard Joseph snickering, along with Rhona's giggling. Ethan removed his lips from Leah's face and they slowly moved their gazes to me. It was as if their eyes were saying 'seriously' to me.

"Alana," Leah said, her tone suddenly turned soft. "You know when I said that what you said was the weirdest thing I've ever heard?"

"Aye?" Alana replied.

"I take that back, that's the weirdest thing I've ever heard." Leah pointed to me.

I smiled, cringed at what I said. "It was the slip of the tongue," I tried to defend whatever dignity I had left and I folded my arms. "Hey, um... Leah, are you calm now?" I asked her, trying to change the subject.

"Yes," Leah replied, a huge smile on her copper face.

"Although I prefer turning her on in private," Ethan replied, smirking.

"Okay!" Alana bellowed, covering her ears; her voice emphasised the 'o'. "I don't want to hear it!"

Joseph's and Rhona's waves of laughter burst louder than before.

"It was the slip of the tongue!" I repeated myself loudly. "Rhona, please get rid of this part of my memory!" I soon begged.

"N-No..." Rhona said through her laughter. "That's something I don't want to forget."

"No fair!" I yelled.

"Let's just go to Hampstead Heath," Dad declared and we all followed him.

A chill wind shook new growth on the park trees as I walked past, smelling of spring and optimism, but the contrast with London's human population could not have been starker.

Hampstead Heath wasn't hard to find, and even harder to miss once found. The heath was rambling and hilly, surrounded by embracing ponds, recent and ancient woodlands, a lido, playgrounds, and a training track. The ominous clouds loomed menacingly in the sky, their dark and brooding presence signalling the arrival of an impending storm. The darkness was engulfing and seemed to fully consume any spec of light. Any last hope was gone.

There was no one in the park but an old gent who appeared to be reading a newspaper. The laughter of the children in the park died along with the light of the day. In the darkness, the grass was left to recover from the happy frenetic footsteps, footballs and picnics. The trees swayed, visible against a pale grey sky. Leaves scurried along the path and the breeze became more keen, my body immune to the cold. The park became ever more silvery between the shadows that stretch out as if yawning. Surprisingly the warmth of the spring day was almost nonexistent in London.

Lovely weather for a vampire.

A tall and slender man stood by a withering tree, his dark blond hair scruffily on his head and a beard surrounding his chin and cheek. His red eyes were glaring at the park's dark nature and then at the sky. He was wearing the same clothes he had on when I first met him: a black leather trench coat with worn-out furs on the collar and armhole; a worn-out dark grey hoodie with dark jeans and boots and fingerless woolly black gloves.

Alistair didn't see us entering the park. I first met him at the Cullens residence where the Volturi were heading to them. He was hiding in their attic when I heard footsteps from above. At first, I thought he was one of the Volturi guards that was sent to kill us. And we did have a fight, which I won by the way, and Simon stopped us.

"Alistair!" Simon was the first to speak up, causing Alistair to shoot his red eyes at us. "You've missed out on a great battle."

Alistair placed his hands in his pockets and rotated his body, facing us.

"Siobhan told me what happened," he began. "No war, no conflict whatsoever. The Cullens really had saved the day."

"Actually you saved yourself," I reminded him.

"It's better to be safe than sorry. What are you all doing here anyway? If it's about the confrontation, like I said, Siobhan beat you to it. And you know I hate having company around."

Rhona hummed. "Rebecca did say you're not a social type," she recalled the conversation. "Plus, she said we might find you here."

"Rebecca?!" Alistair sounded shocked as his back leaned away from the tree. "Why was she talking to you all? Why did she tell you about me?"

"Hey, take it easy," Joseph jumped in.

"Look, all I'm saying is that she shouldn't have given my name out like that," Alistair's back straightened, somehow making him taller, and folded his arms. "What do you want?"

"We're trying to find someone," Dad replied.

Alistair shook his head. "Can't help you. Never of him, whoever it is."

"That's odd," Alana said. "Rebecca said you have a distaste for him."

"You mean... No, not him."

Rebecca was surely right about Alistair.

"He may know what's been happening recently," Simon explained.

"Forget it," Alistair replied. "He doesn't like time wasters."

"Neither do I," I replied sternly. "So where is he?"

"In hiding, at the moment. And you're all running errands no doubt?" He chuckled.

"If need be. And they pay well enough." I added laconically.

"Hmm... what sort of problems?"

"What sort of problems do you have?" Leah broached, emphasising the you, wondering if he would ever catch on. "Any situations need clearing up? Difficulties removed?"

"In exchange for information on Astaroth," he mused, shoving the last box out of sight and leaning thoughtfully on the bar. "Hmm... That's dangerous information—"

"I'm a dangerous girl, and right now I'm losing patience!" I snapped, not bothering to hide my irritation.

He scratched his unshaven cheek, not meeting my eyes or my family, not even Leah. I suddenly got the impression he had lost all connection with humanity since his transformation. Except when it was feeding time.

"Well... I do have a situation that needs tidying up," he hazarded. "A retrieval job. Something I ah, forgot to pick up from the cult when I left. It's mine, and I want it back."

"Why don't you just pick it up yourself?" Mum questioned.

A smirk. "Two guesses."

"Astaroth? The Dark Angel?" I quizzed.

"Don't joke about the Dark Angel!" he said, surprising me with his vehemence. "Astaroth ran a lot of operations there. The place has been abandoned and—"

"Just tell me where the item is at the cult," I interrupted.

Alistair glanced about and sauntered closer to us. "It's small," he whispered, "Small enough to fit inside one of the stage lights. The one that doesn't work."

"That's it?" I exclaimed, disbelieving.

Dad took a deep breath. "Okay, we can work with that... How do we get into the cult?"

"With this," he pulled a key from a chain around his neck, dropping it into my hand. "This'll get you in behind the stage area at the back. Return what's mine to me here, and I'll tell the whereabouts of Astaroth."

"I'm sure he'll be glad to hear from you again," Simon commented as Dad pocketed the key.

Alistair grimaced. "He isn't going to. I'll just tell you where to find him. Then it's up to you."

"Okay." I met his eye, smiling sweetly. "And if this doesn't work out, we know where to find you. Don't we, Alistair?"

His Adam's apple bobbed, and he might have tried a witty comeback until a breeze came through his jacket.

They began to walk away from Alistair while keeping their pace as humanly possible. my body froze in place as I turned to face the darkest corner of the park. There stood a man, thin as a rail, who had been lurking in the shadows the entire time. He wasn't trying to hide, but he was unassuming, blending into the darkness effortlessly.

As I furtively checked my pockets, my eyes were drawn to him like a moth to a flame. His black leather jacket seemed to be torn and worn in all the right places. His dark grey jeans hugged his muscular frame, and his black boots completed his ensemble. But it was his blonde hair that caught my attention, and it seemed to be so familiar to me somehow. His pale face was smooth and youthful, but it was his eyes that held me captive. They glowed an intense red in the darkness, making them stand out against his otherwise monochromatic appearance. He appeared to be in his teens, but the muscles concealed by his shirt suggested otherwise.

I couldn't deny it - he was breathtakingly handsome. And then, he looked at me. Our eyes locked, and I felt a chill run down my spine. My heart would have skipped a beat if I was human. His presence was alluring, but in a frightening way. It was like a Venus flytrap, luring in its prey before crushing it to a pulp. He must have known that I was a vampire, or perhaps he was something else entirely. I had no idea who he was, but he knew me. It was like he was a stalker, or a predator, and I was his prey.

Just as quickly as he had appeared, he sighed and stepped back into the darkness. I turned my head and sprinted out of the park, my mind racing with fear and excitement. Who was that mysterious stranger, and what did he want?

Continue to 7. THE CULT

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