38Chapter 2: Lullaby – The Storm
"Why do you think Aro wants her to be in the same wing as Jane and Alec? That's not exactly wise considering their hatred for humans, especially Jane's" Felix commented in an almost silent voice to Heidi as we walked down long corridors. I felt as though I were in a state of shock. I had just witnessed people get murdered by angel-like creatures with red eyes and now I was their… captive or something? And why didn't anyone seem to care about the tourists who lost their lives?
"I never know why Aro do anything. Maybe her potential gift are so special, he wants her to be extra protected" Heidi replied with laughter in her voice, before looking at me and thereby dismissing Felix.
"So, Noel, what did you do to Alec? He looked as though you killed his puppy – if he had one" Heidi asked with humor in her voice - not that I knew who this Alec person was, but if I had offended him in any way, I was truly sorry.
I couldn't even begin to speak. I just kept staring right ahead as I had done since we left the circular room with the thrones and the… bodies. All those dead bodies. So many dead.
"I think she is in shock" oh, yeah, that's right. That's probably why my mind seems so fuzzy and detached. Hmm, fuzzy… that' s such a strange word.
"Well, it's understandable. Her world just completely changed and she will never see anyone she knows and loves ever again" Heidi commented lightly. What? I would never see mom or Trevor again?
"I don't feel so good" I heard myself mutter airily moments before my world went black.
..:-:..
I dreamt of red eyes and death and long corridors. There was nowhere to run, but I couldn't stop. They were hot in my heels – the red eyes – and I knew I couldn't outrun them, but I still ran down those endless corridors. I had had this same dream the past three days I've been here, and when I wasn't having a nightmare, I was just in my bed without saying or seeing anything but my own thoughts – even after learning the truth about the Volturi. It turned out that they weren't Death Angels, but vampires. Heidi had told me everything and apparently the Volturi had plans about turning me sometime, but the date wasn't set. Yes, I admit, I had spent a few hours crying my eyes out after getting my world turned completely upside down, before I finally fell asleep again and later returned to looking paralyzed out into nothing.
"Noel. Noel" a voice echoes through my sleeping mind, but I soon realized it was from the world of the wake. I struggled through the veil of sleep. It doesn't matter to me if I was sleeping or awake. At least when I was awake there was no terrifying nightmares, only a dull pain in my chest.
"Noel, wake up. Noel!" the voice seemed more familiar as I became more awake. Maybe I should wake up and give this place a chance – even if they ripped me from my family and everything I know, but then again, they could just have killed me the first day and here I were. That was always something, wasn't it? I mean, death was so final. Life on the other hand was full of possibilities – even though I couldn't see that far ahead right now.
As soon as I opened my eyes and looked up in Heidi's smiling face, I realized where I was and I felt my eyes grow dazed as I pulled back into myself. Heidi pouted.
"Don't start that again, Noel. You'll get your face chronically looking like a zombie" she wasn't used to comforting others, of that I was certain, but I still tried to look more lifelike, just to make her happy. I knew she wasn't exactly human, that she had killed others, but I couldn't seem to hate or fear her. She seemed to always be happy and smiling. How could I hate someone reminded me of sunshine and spring?
"I'm sorry" I whispered hoarsely and cleared my throat. She smiled happily at me at started tugging at me to get me out of bed. I offered her a weak smile; the shock from my arrival still a ghost in my mind.
"Get up, Noel, I'm not letting you stay in bed any longer. I'm going to dress you before you're to break your fast" she said and ran in a blur into a grand walk-in-closet I hadn't noticed before, but then again I hadn't really looked around in this alien room before – which was quite grandiose when I looked at it closer.
I giggled at her eagerness and stood up to follow her in a much slower pace, but she was already out of the closet, throwing clothes everywhere.
"Heidi, what are you doing?" I giggled forgetting my worries for a moment. It was easy to be swept away in her excitement. She was a bundle of frantic energy.
"Dressing you of course! Now go shower" she rushed me into an adjoined bathroom, turned on the water and closed the door behind her. I sighed and did as told. As soon as I stepped out of the bathroom after my bath wearing nothing but a towel, Heidi threw underwear in my head. I gave her a skeptical look.
"What is this?" I held op the underwear or should I say; laced thong and bra, just as the door opened. Felix and another man walked in. They looked me up and down, and smirked. I blushed slightly. Why were they looking at me like that?
"Was it a nice bath?" the man whose name I didn't know said still wearing that smirk. I looked down at myself and realized I was only wearing a towel that went to the middle of my thigh. On top of that, I was still holding that lacy underwear in the air. I threw it back at Heidi.
"I can't possibly wear that, Heidi. There's barely any fabric" I breathed before rushing into the bathroom. I heard booming laughter from the two young men as I pressed my back against the door and put both my hands on my flaming cheeks.
Gosh, couldn't they have knocked or at least yell or something?!
"Noel, step back from the door, or do you want me to push your panties under it?" Heidi said in a mixture of amusement and exasperation. I had no idea how she knew I stood against the door, but I quickly stepped back and peeked my head out. Felix and that other guy waved at me with teasing smiles and I blushed yet again, before looking at Heidi. She was holding some pink panties and bra. Gosh, why did she have to wave around with those? Then again, I couldn't really complain when she was doing all this for me. I quickly grabbed them and closed the door again, before dropping the towel and putting on the undergarment. It fit perfectly even though the bra pushed my breast up a bit more than usual, but not too much so I guessed it didn't matter. I draped the towel around me once more before opening the door and all but sprinted to the bed where I hid under the covers.
"Come on, Noel, your overdoing it! You don't have to be that shy. Felix and Demitri has been here most nights while you slept and only went out to make sure the cook started making your breakfast" Heidi complained and tugged at the covers. I held it tighter around me and looked out from my hide-out. I remembered when I was little and used to do this when I got upset about something.
"They could've knocked" I mumbled and heard them chuckle.
"Come on. They have to be here to protect you if needed, and they can turn around if you want" Heidi suggested and tugged at the covers a bit harder. I blushed even harder.
"Fine, but stop bugging me! I'll come out on my own" I said shyly and watched as the two men turned around. I reluctantly stood from the bed the towel was somewhere under the covers. Heidi looked me up and down with a much more professional glance than Felix and Demitri had. She went around the room in a blur and flung - what seemed like - random items of clothing at me; some black skinny jeans, a beige, loose top with no sleeves and black leather on the shoulders. When I got it on, I discovered the top showed part of my back, but before I got time to complain – which was highly unlikely, but Heidi just seemed to bring it out in me – she put a pair of black pumps in front of me. I glanced at them in a mixture of reluctance and disbelief, before looking at her with the same expression.
"I can't wear those, Heidi" I said. Felix and Demitri had turned around. When I looked at them for assistance they merely shrugged with an apologetic smile. Geez, thanks guys, here you walk in on me practically naked, and you won't even save me from Heidi's fashion-menace! Ok, I might be exasperating, but what was wrong with regular flats?
"Sure you can, doll face, now chop chop," she said clapping her hands and lifting an eyebrow at me.
"No, Heidi, you don't understand. I'm really clumsy. I've fallen over far less than those" I tried to argue. I really was clumsy, always was and always had been. Trevor had picked me up countless times and not just as a child.
Felix and Demitri chuckled in amusement.
"Don't worry, Noel, we'll be sure to catch you" Felix assured me and I pouted. If they insisted on me breaking my legs, then fine! It would not be a pretty sight.
I slid my feet into the shoes and almost instantly felt uncomfortable. My legs were wobbly and I almost broke an ankle when I tried walking to the bed.
"Well, maybe a little practice…" Heidi muttered more to herself than us. I smiled weakly knowing very well that I would need a lot of practice if I ever had to walk properly in those shoes. The heels were longer than my middle finger for goodness sake! I've never worn anything with heels!
"Heidi, I don't think…" I began shyly, but she cut me off by taking both my hands and walking backwards, forcing me to walk. I looked closely where I put my feet in order not to trip.
"Look at me. It's just like learning to dance. You can't look at your feet" Heidi smiled.
"I've never learned how to dance" I stated with a smile, hoping she would just give it up. The guys laughed good-naturedly.
"Are you mocking me?" Heidi squinted her eyes at me seemingly not sure and I looked at her aghast.
"Of course not! I really have never learned how to dance" I assured her. Why would she think I was mocking her?
"Well, have you never gone to a dance or ball?" we had been walking slowly around the room as we spoke.
"You need dates for those kind of things, don't you?" I smiled and she stopped.
"You've never been asked on a date?!" she seemed truly taken aback and I looked at her in surprise.
"No. Why? Is that weird? I know many girls my age go out all the time, but boys have never been interested in me and I never really cared. Well, there was one guy, but that was before I moved to Italy and he never asked me out. Unless you count taking me out for walks and kissing me a few times, as being asked out" I said suddenly remembering. They all looked at me with expression I couldn't quite read. Heidi had even let go of my hand.
"But you're hot! You know, for a human" Demitri exclaimed and quickly added the last part. I looked at him in confusion. Hot? I didn't feel particularly warm of anything, but somehow I got a feeling, that wasn't what he was talking about. I felt my cheek, but I didn't seem any different than normal.
"I don't have a fever or anything" I muttered and the two men broke down in laughter. Heidi giggled and hugged me.
"Oh, we are going to have so much fun with you, Noel! You're so cute and childlike" she smiled happily and I wasn't sure if I should take offend of her calling me childlike when I was almost 18 years old or if she meant it as a compliment. Beth used to tell me the same thing, but I never knew how she meant it either.
"Her innocence won't last forever, Heidi, you better enjoy it while you can" Felix smiled. I blushed yet again.
..:-:..
After breakfast – the cook had left a delicious meal for me, but was nowhere to be seen – Heidi had to go do something, and I was left with Demitri and Felix. We walked down the corridors of the castle while they told me about everything as we passed. After a few times of me stumbling and almost breaking an ankle or two Felix opened his mouth.
"Why don't you just take them off? They really don't seem comfortable and Heidi is nowhere around"
"Because…" I said as I tried to gain balance after he had caught me.
"… she wanted me to learn how to walk in them and she has done so much for me already, while I had just laid numbly in the bed" it was thanks to her that I wasn't all that scared of what had happened a few days ago. Yes, the memory still haunted me and I feared I might never see my family again, but she had been a good friend to me even though she didn't have to.
"Suit yourself"
I began walking slower after an hour as the shoes was starting to kill my feet, literally. I was pretty sure there was blisters and open wounds. My legs felt like jelly in the most painful way.
"Ok, that's it" Demitri muttered before picking me up bridal-stile, as if I weighed nothing. They brought me to my room in a blur and put me on the stool in front of the vanity before crouching down. They took a shoe off each and Felix cursed before rushing out. He was back in a heartbeat with a first aid kit and I rolled my eyes.
"That's really not necessary, Felix. I am…" I began with a smile. My feet still ached and was apparently bleeding, but it felt good to have the shoes taken off. In a few hours, I wouldn't feel anything unless I put on a pair of shoes. I hoped.
"Not fine. Now stop talking, you pitiful human, so I can take care of your feet" he scolded with a smile. Demitri had gone to get water and towels and was washing my feet. The door banged open and I started in surprise. The blonde girl from the throne room came in looking like a thunderstorm. Heidi had told me all about her and her gift. It was quite intimidating actually – being able to cause others pain without batting your eyes. Jane.
"Why is that human's smell of blood everywhere?! Do you want to have the others come and eat her?! Master Aro specifically asked you to protect her, and spreading her scent isn't protection!" she screeched.
"Careful, Jane, you almost sound like you care" Demitri muttered with a hidden smirk. A boy I hadn't seen before rushed in and put his arms around her waist, whispering words in her ear I couldn't hear, but she seemed to relax a bit, but only a teeny tiny bit. She shook him of and began yelling again.
"I care about Master Aro's orders, not that disgusting human's life! You can cage her in for all I care, just don't spread her scent everywhere, you imbecile!" she raged. I squirmed slightly, not wanting anyone to get in trouble over me.
"I'm sorry, Jane. It was my fault, please don't be angry with them" I pleaded and she turned her eyes at me looking ready to kill. I held her gaze for her to know I meant every word. She almost seemed to deflate a bit. Then someone else glided through the door. It was Jane's twin, Alec. I felt an unfamiliar flutter in the pit of my stomach and I was pretty sure my heart skipped a beat.
"Jane, why are you picking a fight with the human? Tom, can't you keep her in line at all?" he asked almost tiredly, but I still caught myself thinking that his voice was the most beautiful sound in the world. What?! Why did I just think that?!
The boy, Tom, smiled mischievously as if Alec's words were some sort of joke and Jane scowled unhappily.
"I am not picking a fight" she mumbled before storming out with Tom hot in her heels. Alec's gaze followed them before he met my eyes and my breath caught. I looked away blushing deeply. Looking in his eyes felt oddly intimate and I wasn't sure how I felt about that.
"I apologize for my sister's behavior. I'm Alec" oh, he was talking to me! Wait! Noel, what are you thinking?! And why do you keep getting so flustered around him, you don't even know him?!
"I know. Heidi told me. I'm Noel and your sister was no trouble" I assured him. Felix looked at me with a shocked expression while Demitri rolled his eyes. Alec just seemed a bit confused.
"You sure?" what did he mean 'was I sure'?
"Yes, I think she didn't like how my blood smelled or something, but you can tell her not to worry. These two are taken care of it" I smiled wriggling my toes and pointing at Felix and Demitri who was still crouched in front of me. Why they thought I couldn't do it myself was beyond me? And did they really think it was a two-man-job to put a few bandages on my feet? Geez, who would have thought those two could be such mother hens?
Alec seemed amused and it made me strangely happy.
"Yes, I can see they've found their rightful place" he smirked while I just stared at him with what I assumed was a very stupid, nearly-awed expression. What can I say? I never met a boy that… pretty before! If I had my camera at hands, I would have snapped a picture of him, but unfortunately, my Nikon was lying on the bed table a few feet away.
Demitri threw a towel after him, but he easily dogged it; vampire reflexes I guess.
"See you around, Noel" he smiled with an angelic smile before gliding out my room. I was almost in awe, but caught Felix and Demitri staring at me. I blushed. Deeply.
"What?" why were they looking at me like I just found the cure to cancer?
"What are you?" Demitri asked.
"I'm me?" it came out as a question. I didn't quite understand what he meant. They both chuckled while returning to cleaning my bruised feet.
"You survived a confrontation with Jane and she wasn't even close to hurting you, and to top that, you made Alec of all people smile! You, my dear, are truly amazing" Demitri winked at me. I blushed and fidgeted.
"Oh, I am not! Stop making such a big deal out of nothing" I mumbled in embarrassment. They seemed to share a look I didn't fully understood – even though I had seen it in my brother's eyes when he was about to get overprotective -, before finishing up with my feet.