64Summary: Two years have passed since Bella got rid of the Cullens. Now it is time for her to take on her last major challenge, the Volturi. However things are never straight forward. She has to deal with strange dreams, vampires, and emotions as she works to finish what she started. Luckily she still has her group of friends to help her, and when all else fails she can still call her mom for advice. Sequel to Meteor Shower.
poorasdirt: Yes, this is the start of the story you've all been waiting for. I know it was a long time coming and I still have some things to work out but I have enough to start. It will take some time to get chapters out unlike my previous stories, but it will get done. The next chapter will probably be up in a week or so. I didn't really care for editing and I was pressed for some time so if there are mistakes I'm sorry. Anyway hope you like it.
ENJOY!
She was walking through a forest in mid autumn. She could tell from the changing of leaves and the smell of decay around her. The trees were all tall and thick, probably several hundred years old. The ground below her feet had no beaten path and she couldn't see any game trails either. However the earth below her feet was soft and padded with fallen leaves. The sun seemed to be high above hidden by the still thick golden leaves, casting a golden light around the forest. She didn't hear any animals though, which was odd. Usually during this time animals were getting ready for winter to come and were rushing around looking for food and other necessities. She was also a bit surprised to see a lack of bushes and other undergrowth around her.
She walked calmly through the forest, breathing in the calming scents of autumn as she went. She was vaguely reminded of Forks as she walked through the woods. She knew the forest she was walking through wasn't from Europe. Despite some similarities among the forests she had been in, there was just something about the American northwest that was unique to her. She supposed that outside of the deserts of Arizona, the northwest forests were her home. By the time she left Forks she practically could navigate it with her eyes closed, thanks to all her training in the beginning when she first awoke her powers.
The more she walked the calmer she felt.
That was until she heard a twig break and her relaxed stance instantly changed to one of alertness. Her golden eyes scanned the area trying to find the source of the noise. It took her a second, but as she turned around she found herself staring at a large black wolf with deep brown eyes.
The bear like wolf was tall and as she stared into his eyes she was suddenly struck with familiarity. Walking forward she reached out to the wolf with a brown leather clad hand. She was only vaguely aware that she was wearing her Coyote outfit of brown leather jacket, vest, form fitting pants, gloves and boots. Her hair was down and wild as ever and she didn't have her contacts or fake teeth in to hide her mutations. She was aware she didn't have her armor out though.
"Brother wolf, what are you doing here?" She asked as she got close enough to touch him but refrained from doing so. She smiled slightly as the wolf rested his giant head against her leather clad hand. Carefully she petted the large head in her hand with warmth in her eyes. "You remind me of someone you know. A good friend I left behind in a small town in the woods near the coast. I sometimes wish things didn't turn out the way it did back then. I suppose we both had a path to take and follow, wouldn't you agree brother wolf?"
The wolf didn't respond but she didn't care as she fell silent. She didn't bother with any more conversation as she continued to calmly pet the large wolf behind one of his large ears. The two staid like that for what seemed to be years before a breeze swept through. She shielded her eyes as several leaves flew into her face.
Once the breeze died down and she opened her eyes the wolf had vanished into thin air. Blinking at the spot where the large beast had been she sighed. Shaking her head and pulling a few stray golden leaves from her hair, she turned around to continue on her journey.
It was only then that she was gripped with a sense of urgency. Like any icy claw griping her stomach she felt her heart rate increase. Taking a deep breath she started to run in the direction she was going. Hoping she would get to the source of what was causing her adrenaline to start pumping. She felt the need to fix whatever was affecting the calm woods around her.
As she ran she suddenly began to hear the beating of drums. It was low and almost silent at first, but the more she ran the louder they became. It was only when the beats were at their loudest did she suddenly hear the chanting on the wind as well. It sounded like a group of Native Americans singing at a powwow. The voices both gave her strength and filled her with dread as she ran.
Then suddenly at the height of the song, all the noise disappeared making her skid to a sudden stop as well. Her eyes widened as she looked at the glowing silver figure before her. She blinked a few times not believing her eyes as she tried to work the words out of her mouth. "You're dead."
She was suddenly hit with a rush of awareness as her hand shot up and grabbed the wrist reaching out towards her shoulder. Her eyes flew open and she sat up suddenly looking around at her surroundings. She took a few deep breaths as she saw herself sitting on the guest bed her werewolf friend Richard gave her to stay in while she was at the Blue Moon Pub. In fact she was suddenly aware she was holding the very wrist of the owner of the pub. Looking up into his concerned gray eyes she raised an eyebrow curiously.
"You look like you've just seen a ghost." He commented shaking his head as she let go of his wrist. She was happy to see she had kept her claws from unsheathing and possibly harming her friend.
"I think I just did." She commented still hyperventilating a little. She felt the bed dip as he sat down behind her and wrapped his strong arms around her slim waist.
"Want to tell me about it?" He asked curiously pulling her back against him and resting his head on top of hers. "You seem very unsettled."
"I'm fine; it was just a strange dream. I've had a few in the past so it's no big deal. I just haven't ever been able to get used to the realness of them. Sometimes I swear I'm physically there, like I can reach out and actually touch the things in my dreams." She said with a sigh.
"Really? When was the last time you had a dream like that?" Richard asked curiously.
"It was just before I met Grant. I kept dreaming that I was in a mansion and I could hear a little boy crying. I kept looking for him but no matter how many doors I looked in or rooms I explored I couldn't find the boy. After I rescued Grant I had one last dream of finding him in a closet in the mansion, then the dreams stopped. The ones before that one all led up to me awaking my mutation. They ranged from running into Madison, to my dad's death, to choosing my mutation over the men in my life." Bella said melting into his embrace for a few minutes. "So what is happening?"
"It seems Hiro has finished whatever he was doing the past few days. Madison told me to wake you up since the others are busy. You've slept almost until lunch actually." Richard said getting a nod from Bella. He was amused to note the woman in his arms didn't move just yet, seeming content where she was at the moment.
"I probably should get moving then. Where's Grant?" Bella asked looking around the room she was occupying. It didn't matter that Grant was rooming with Hiro; their room was right next to hers. She couldn't hear either of them in the room so she figured they were both up.
"He's down helping Kent around the pub." Richard answered with a chuckle at her sudden alertness. "Don't worry he's not causing any trouble."
"I should hope not." Bella said wiggling out of her friend's embrace and getting off the bed. "What are you still doing here? Out!" She said pulling him off the bed and pushing him out the door. "I need to get ready for the day." She said still hearing his low laugh beyond the closed door.
Huffing she looked down at her night clothes. She refused to blush but that didn't mean she could control the slight pink tint to her cheeks. She couldn't believe she had been sitting there in just a black sports bra and black short shorts. While she admitted her clothes weren't exactly conservative unless she was dressed up as Susan Meadows, but at least she was much more covered. Shaking her head and pushing her discomfort away, she turned and went to her clothes to get ready for the day.
Walking into the living room of the apartment over the pub, she spotted the newest members of her group, Rayna and Crystal Greene. The group picked them up shortly after they left Forks, in the Smokey Mountains. Rayna was living with a Wiccan coven the joined when she was a teenager with Crystal, her adopted daughter. Crystal's family had actually been part of the coven as well but had died when she was younger.
Rayna, or Ray as they called her, was taller than Bella by a few inches with a slim fit body. Despite being from African American decent she had pale almost paper white skin. Her long hair was naturally forest green and her eyes a stunning purple. As always she was wearing clothes that looked and probably did come from the thrift shop a few blocks away. Bella was amazed Ray always had flowing gypsy like clothes and often wondered where exactly they came from.
Crystal, or Chris, on the other hand was only a year younger than Grant. Her tan skin contrasted beautifully with her long pale blonde hair and completely white eyes. At first they thought she was blind since it seemed she didn't have any irises or pupils but she could see better than anyone they knew. Unlike Ray with her slightly hippie gypsy like clothes, Chris wore simple clothes, jeans and t-shirts mostly.
"Hey you two." Bella greeted going over to her two friends who smiled at her.
"Morning Bella had a good night sleep I hope." Ray greeted with the slight southern drawl she grew up with. It didn't help she spent her childhood in Georgia.
"I can't complain." Bella said with a shrug. Briefly she saw a flash of silver and heard the beat of drums, before she pushed the image from her mind. "So have you seen Hiro?"
"He just went to the kitchen." Ray said with a smile.
"Mind getting him out here? I want to see what he figured out and to see what we're doing next." Bella said getting a nod from Ray.
"I'll go get uncle Dante and aunty Mad." Chris volunteered making Bella smile.
"Sounds like a plan, I'll go save Kent from Grant." Bella said getting a laugh from Ray as she walked off in the direction of the kitchen.
Bella made her way down to the pub on the ground floor. She was glad the stairs to the apartment above was in the back. It let her simply slip downstairs without any of the paying customers seeing her. That didn't mean the staff in the kitchen didn't see her though. She was slightly amused by the scene she walked in on though.
Richard's extra help, Kent Marshall, was currently covered from head to toe in flour with Grant standing off to the side sheepishly with a mop and bucket. The young werewolf apparently was in a rush and slipped on the wet ground, sliding into a shelving unit that held the baking goods. His everything on his tall wiry build was covered in the fine white powder. His normally short dark brown hair looked dusty, his tan skin looked white, and he would probably have to wash his uniform several times to get it clean. She did notice his brown eyes were looking up at Grant with a glare though.
"Not getting into trouble, right." Bella drawled making Grant stand on attention and Kent sit up quickly.
"M-Ms. Bella, i-i-it's not his fault. I-I shouldn't h-have been running i-in the k-kitchen." Kent said looking down with his shoulders slumped slightly making Bella smile.
"It's alright; at least someone around here can get Grant to do chores." Bella said eyeing the thirteen year old she adopted several years ago. "Don't worry about the mess, I think he'll enjoy helping you clean up after he comes back down."
"What? Mère, I didn't do anything though." Grant protested putting the mop in the bucket of water he was using and leaning the handle against a wall.
"I know, but I do hope I've raised you to help others when they need it." Bella said getting a pout from the young teen who nodded.
"Whatever you say mère." Grant conceded before blinking. "What do you mean after I come back down?"
"We're going to have a meeting, want to join?" Bella asked getting a nod from Grant.
"What's this meeting about?" Grant asked as the two made their way back up to the apartment.
"I don't really know but Hiro's found something. It could mean we've finally figured out where all the vampires have gone." Bella said getting a nod from Grant.
Both knew that vampires seemed to have hidden themselves somewhere to get away from Bella's group. They managed to catch a fleeing coven but the coven didn't say where they had been going. All they knew were vampires were disappearing and it seemed that they were all going to one spot. Bella knew if they found the spot where the vampires were headed it would be just that much easier to take them out. She wanted to move quickly simply because it would give the vampires less of a chance of making thousands of newborns. One thing moving in their favor, however, was the vampires valued their secrecy and wouldn't jeopardize it without good enough reason.
When the two got to the living room they found the rest of their group sitting there with Richard. Hiro had a map spread out on the coffee table, the same map they had been using to map out where the rest of the vampires were. Bella raised an eyebrow at Richard but he simply smirked at her, making her roll her eyes. She also noted Dolph was wringing his hands on a rag, suggesting he was in the middle of making lunch or cleaning the kitchen. Mad was currently yawning as she balanced on an armrest of the couch. Dante didn't seem much more awake and even had a cup of Colombian coffee in his hand. Really the only thing that changed about her friends in the past two years was that they aged two years.
"So what's all this about?" Madison asked looking down at the map.
"Well thanks to the locating spells Ray-san used, and our other resources, I've narrowed down where the vampires have been going." Hiro said getting a nod from Bella. "It seems they have settled in Italy."
"Italy? But why?" Ray asked with a frown.
"The Volturi." Bella answered getting a few looks from her friends. "They are considered the police of the vampire community. They make the rules and enforce the rules. I've been saving them for last since their coven is said to be the largest and they have very powerful vampires working for them."
"How do you know about them?" Richard asked curiously getting a slight grimace from Bella.
"Edward." Bella muttered an undistinguishable glint flashing through her eyes.
"In any case what are we going to do about this information?" Madison asked glancing at the others in the group who all thought.
"Well we could go to Italy and hunt them down." Dante suggested before taking a sip of his coffee.
"That's not a bad idea, just how many vampires are left though?" Dolph asked turning to Hiro who was looking at something on his lap top.
"From what I can figure, all we have left are the vampires in Italy. Bella-san has done well in not letting us go there. So it seems to have become a sort of sanctuary for them." Hiro said rather impressed by that fact.
"So that's it then, we're going to Italy." Grant said getting agreements all around.
"I think we should prepare to go there soon. Richard is there any werewolves in Italy that you know of?" Bella asked curiously.
"Yes actually, they are very underground though because of the vampires' interest in killing them. My Alpha knows the Naples Alpha rather well though. I'm sure I can talk him into getting in contact with her for you." Richard responded getting a nod from Bella.
"That would be nice." Bella said before turning to her friends.
"How are we going to keep the vampires from leaving the country when we get there though?" Madison asked with a frown. "They're very big in self-preservation if you haven't noticed."
"That's a good question, any ideas?" Bella asked with a frown.
"I know of a warding technique, a sort of supernatural shield if you will. It'll keep the vampires from leaving once they are inside the barrier." Ray offered getting a nod from Bella.
"Can you perform it here or do you have to be in Italy to perform it?" Bella asked curiously.
"I'll need in Italy and there are a few things I need that I can't find here." Ray said getting a nod from Bella.
"Okay, Richard, talk with your alpha. I'll make the travel arrangements. Dolph make a list of the things we need. When do you think we should leave?" Bella asked curiously.
"We should be ready in two weeks if everything runs smoothly Ms. Bella." Dolph answered getting a nod from the woman.
"Two and a half weeks it is, anything not finished we can do when we get there." Bella said getting agreements from her friends. "Now Grant go help Kent, I'm sure he's waiting for you."
"Oui mère." Grant muttered before going off back to the pub below. The others drifted off to start getting things ready for when they would leave.
It was the next day around lunch time that Richard approached Bella. "So what did you find out?" Bella asked looking up from her lap top.
"Well he is all for you getting in contact with the Naples werewolves. She just requested that someone from the pack here in England go with you. You know in good faith or something like that." Richard said leaning against the kitchen table where Bella was working.
"That's fine, who's coming with us?" Bella asked only knowing a few werewolves in Richard's pack. In fact despite only knowing a few there were mostly all the werewolves she knew. She only met Richard's alpha once and she liked the man well enough. However, Richard was more or less their go between for the werewolf pack.
"He wants me to go." Richard said making Bella raise both her eyebrows at him.
"Really? Who's going to take care of the pub then?" Bella asked curiously knowing the pub ran smoothly only because Richard was there.
"Kent can take care of himself and the staff. He needs to learn some more responsibility anyway. After I retire he'll be the one to take over, he's young enough." Richard said with a smirk.
"He just got his liquor license not too long ago though." Bella pointed out getting a chuckle from Richard.
"True but he knows a lot. He's been working here since he was legally allowed to, first as a busboy now as an assistant manager. He'll do fine." Richard reassured a still disbelieving Bella. "What makes you think he wouldn't?"
"I don't know. He just seems real jumpy to me." Bella offered with a shrug.
"That is because he is. Well, slightly, he's just intimidated by you." Richard said with a chuckle.
"If you say so, and you're lucky you told me that now. I was just about to start booking our tickets." Bella said getting a grin from Richard.
"I guess I just have good timing. Now if you don't mind I have a pub to run." He said making her snort as he left.
The next few days was filled with activity. Despite that, everyone was filled with a sort of anticipation for what was to come. Bella could practically taste the last battle on the tip of her tongue. While it probably would be weeks before she was facing down the Volturi she couldn't help but anticipate it. Something told her that the last battle would be important, she didn't know why but she learned a long time ago to trust her instincts. She just hoped at the end of this tour through Italy, she and her friends would finally reach the end of this long journey. She did know one thing though, the last hunt was just beginning and it would perhaps be even more dangerous than the last seven years of her life.
YAY! They are off, not a lot happened and I didn't want to split this up since the chapters would be short and drawn out so I did this in one go. Anyway, hope it meets the standards I've already set myself and I hope you don't mind the wait for the next chapter. In the mean time don't forget to urge me to continue.
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