Heartbeat [Alec Volturi]

Chisme

Immortality was deceiving, like the wrong jacket cover on a book. In theory, all the time in the world was the ultimate desire. In practice, it meant an endless stasis of banality, reading an entire library three times over and repeating meaningless goals. A neverending cocktail party as humanity repeats its failures and history in shamelessly pitiful revivals. Which is likely why the vampires of the Volturi crave any gossip they can get their hands on. Making details regarding most interactions between Alec and me a hot commodity. I was unaware of just how much entertainment we provided until today.

I was minding my own business when the stool beside me scraped the floor, followed by the one directly across from me as Felix and Demetri joined me in the kitchen. I had long since traded out a cold bowl of tomato soup for my sketchpad, and their arrival hardly phased me.

"Is that a train?" I shrugged my shoulder, pushing Felix's arm away.

"Don't touch."

Demetri settled across from me and leaned over the island, "what are you drawing?"

I huffed, pushing my hair out of my face and sitting up. "Something I can help you with?"

"Can't we check in with our favourite girl?" Felix threw an arm around me with a shit-eating grin.

"Err...I guess?"

"How'd you ditch bodyguards one and two?" My eyes widened, because, of course, they would notice that Talib and Percy were not standing outside the entryway into the kitchen. As they very well should have been, by Alec's orders. Bossy git. It wasn't as if it mattered. The walls of the castle were practically soundproof, unless you were engaging in an unabashed shouting match -- as Alec and I often were. But even then, vampire hearing still struggled to decipher one word from the next. And since most individuals were not as...involved as Alec and I, it seemed to work for the Volturi.

I swallowed, trying to say as casually as possible, "I told them that Jane and I were practicing."

"And Jane?"

"She said I was too chaotic, so she thinks I'm napping."

"And your boyfriend?"

"Alec doesn't need to know." My pencil found its way to Demetri's forehead. I narrowed my eyes at Felix as he laughed at his friend's expense. "And he's not my boyfriend."

"How'd you know who I was talking about, then?" I grit my teeth at the catch, pointedly ignoring the question and continuing to shade in the bowl in my lazy drawing.

"What do you two want, anyways?"

Demetri and Felix sent each other pointed looks. I pretended not to notice. "We have a question."

Sighing as if it were the greatest inconvenience, I reached for my water and relented. "Hit me." The bastards waited until I took a sip from my glass.

"Rate Alec on a scale of 1-10."

I nearly choked, "excuse me?" My mouth continued for fear of what would follow their request. "I haven't even seen him since he got back."

"Aww," Felix cooed with a smug expression. "Does somebody miss their moody little boy toy?" Before I could go off on him, Demetri refocused us.

"It's only a question."

"Don't worry, Fiya. Demetri is convinced you and Alec have broken the sacred seal of the first kiss." Demetri snorted. "But I know that if such a thing ever did occur, we'd be the first to know."

"And why is this information you two would even want?" Their ulterior motive had driven them from considering the rationale of how ridiculous of a question it was.