The Origin Series

The Ballet Dancer (Part 3)

The city that never sleeps was a nest of vampires. New-York never lacked in tourists or strays whose disappearances wouldn't be noticed or seemed as 'abnormal'. Humans always found realistic explanations for unrealistic events, because they knew what their kind was capable of. Kidnapping, murder, human trafficking... Who would ever think that someone's disappearance was due to a vampire? Not someone in their right mind, that's for sure.

Vampires knew how to make themselves invisible. For the Volturi, being invisible was the most important thing. But even though New-York was a big city, it wasn't easy to wander around in dark robes without being noticed. Fortunately, the 'Kings' were smart enough to keep up with modern technology. And so, they made sure that their private plane would arrive at night, and that a car with tinted windows would be waiting for them there.

A sect. That's usually what the humans they encountered thought. The pilots, the flight attendants and the driver were all meant to believe that their customers were part of a sect. Of course, they couldn't die, that would attract unwanted attention.

The car drove to a hotel which was known to have been there forever. No one ever saw anyone enter, but it always seemed busy. The lights were on at night, people passing by could often hear music coming from the old building, as if it were a normal establishment, even though rumors had it, for those still paying attention, that the customers were all ghosts forever stuck there.

The hotel was a huge building trapped between a restaurant and a bar. It looked like it had been built two centuries ago, but there was no sign of it aging, as if, it too, were frozen in time.

People would walk pass it, without even looking at it, as if it weren't even there. As if it were so old, its refusal to live in the present had erased its existence, had made it invisible. People would go in the restaurant to its right, then walk out to go in the bar to its left without giving the hotel another look.

The car stopped right in front of the building. It was early dawn. One by one, the six passengers got out of the car. They were all wearing black cloaks, and their faces were concealed in their black hoods. Of course, no one noticed them.

The six vampires entered the big bright hall. The first thing they saw was the huge chandelier which almost blinded them. The wallpaper was a dark red which matched the huge rug covering almost the entirety of the white marble floor. The luxurious furniture of the room was white and red. The stairs where made of white stone, the rugs covering the stairs were dark red, the curtains which covered the windows were red velvet, the entire hotel was white and red.

As expected, the owner of the hotel was waiting for them at the reception.

"Aro." She took a step forward as she spoke. Her voice was soft, and even though she was a vampire, one could still hear her age in it. She wasn't old, she looked like she was in her mid-forties. She had brown hair that she had pulled back in a bun, and she was wearing a red dress and red heels.

"Ellen," Aro smiled at his old friend, "what a pleasure to see you again after all this time."

"It's a pleasure to receive you here," she smiled. Aro knew that smile well. "It's an honor to have you as our guests for the first time this century."

"Have our friends arrived?" Aro queried.

"They have," she nodded. "They've been there for a few hours. Patiently waiting. I offered them sustenance but, as I feared by the color of their eyes, nothing in the menu was appealing to them."

"Yes, I'm afraid there was no time to warn you of their... particular diet," Aro said with a fake apologetic tone.

"Your rooms are ready, of course," she told them.

"Thank you, Ellen. Again, I apologize for the short notice."

"Oh, no," Ellen smiled, "it was such a pleasure to receive your call. You are always welcome here, of course."

Aro smiled, then nodded, before he walked away without giving his old friend another look. Ellen smiled at her guests as they walked past her.

"Caius," she smiled politely, but the blond vampire didn't even look at her.

"Ellen," Marcus stopped before her. "How have you been?" he asked with a small smile.

"Perfect," she replied. "How is Italy?"

"Always the same," Marcus sighed.

"Maybe it was time for a change of scenery," she said.

"Perhaps," Marcus sadly smiled, then nodded, before he followed his brothers up the stairs.

When Ellen turned to watch him leave, she noticed that the small blonde had been waiting for her master, like a faithful servant. Ellen would never say it aloud, of course, but the twins always made her uneasy.

"Lady Jane," she smiled. "How have you been?"

"Good," Jane merely replied before turning around.

The Cullens had been waiting nervously for the Volturi to arrive. Alice had seen that Aro would be traveling with only Jane, Alec and Felix, which should have reassured her family, but the presence of the twins didn't reassure anyone.

Aro was the first to step into the room that had been given to the Cullens. He saw, to his surprise, that not all of them had come. Only Carlisle, Alice, Jasper, Edward, Bella and Emmett had made the trip.

The yellow eyed vampires watched as Caius, Marcus and their three guards appeared one by one behind Aro.

Caius's anger was obvious on his face. Jane's eyes immediately found Bella, the only creature on the planet who was immune to her abilities. Bella ignored the girl's stare.

"Carlisle." Aro said his name even though he was looking at Alice. "Thank you for coming," he said, his eyes finally landing on the blond vampire.

"Of course," the doctor nodded. "I'm happy we meet again under much lighter conditions."

"As am I," Aro said. Of course, nobody was fooled by his smile.

"Enough," Caius interrupted. "Lead us to our mate," as he said the word it was clear that he didn't believe the story they were telling him, "so we can go on with this."

"Patience, brother," Marcus sighed. "Let them speak."

Caius rolled his eyes as Aro held his hand out, gesturing Alice to approach. The small vampire slowly made her way to the dark-haired Volturi. The last time she showed him one of her visions, it was a death threat she knew he hadn't appreciated.

Aro took her hand, impatient to see what she had seen.

"What do you see, brother?" Marcus broke the silence with his eternal sad voice.

Alice watched carefully as Aro's face first showed fascination, then surprise, worry and, finally, horror. He backed away quickly, letting go of Alice's hand.

"They didn't lie, brothers."

"She's yours?" Caius asked. He tried to conceal his surprise, but failed.

"Yes, it appears so," Aro whispered thoughtfully. "Why did you think she was ours?" he asked Alice.

"I don't know. I just... know."

"Is she right?" Marcus asked, hopeful.

"It is not impossible," Aro replied.

"Full moon is tonight," Carlisle said. "Alice will take you to her."

"Well, we are... forever grateful to you, dear Alice," Aro said.

"I suppose there's no convincing you of letting the man live," Carlisle asked.

"Indeed, Carlisle," Aro said with a cold tone. "That man's fate has already been decided."