Forget Me Knot (Marcus Volturi)

Chapter 1: Strange Coincidences

          I sat on the balcony of my hotel room, taking the final bite of my breakfast. I was enjoying the view of the city when a sudden ring blared from inside my room. I raced inside to answer the phone.

"Hello?" I held the hotel's phone close to my ear.

"Good morning, Miss Wen. I was just calling to remind you of your schedule, as you have requested." A woman spoke cheerfully on the other end. Her Italian accent thick, but her words were clear and understandable.

"Oh yes...thank you. Would I be able to request a taxi to arrive in an hour?"

"Of course, Miss Wen. Is there anything else I can assist you with?" The concierge chirped.

"No, that will be everything. Thank you." After a brief goodbye, I placed the phone back onto its resting place.

A year ago, I was in Canada, organizing my father's funeral. He had died unexpectedly in a car crash, caused by a drunk driver. My father was the only family I had left, since he was an orphan and my mother abandoned us to be with another man. My life may sound like a shit fest—and maybe it was...but I have never been unhappy. That was all thanks to my father. After his passing, I was finding it hard to move on. I tried to escape the sadness with different hobbies...none of them stuck. I tried to date and fill my loneliness with someone else...modern men have proved to be disappointing. After many attempts at soul searching, I was beginning to fall back into the depressive thoughts of losing my father. I had held myself up in my empty apartment, just watching the days pass me by...until I was graced with an unexpected visit from a colleague. My college friend, Bella Cullen.

"Carena...you haven't been attending lectures. I just wanted to see if you were alright." Bella spoke softly. She placed her hand atop mine in comfort, but I flinched at the coolness of her touch. "Ah...sorry." Bella quickly retracted her hand.

"No, don't be! I was just shocked. I didn't realize it was so cold out...but I mean, your hands have always been on the chilly side." I waved off her apology.

"Must be the warm heart." She shrugged awkwardly, but it made me chuckle. "So, how have you been holding up? I mean...you look..." Bella shifted awkwardly in her seat.

"I've been...holding up, I guess." I answered quietly. I could tell that Bella was staring at me—assessing me. She always had this hard stare, sometimes I would try to recall if she even blinked through the long minutes of her focused gaze. "How is Eddie boy?" I tried to replace the silence with a new topic.

"Same as always. He has his board exams coming up." Bella combed her fingers through her hair.

"That's great! Another doctor in the family. I'm sure Carlisle is proud." I nudged Bella softly with my elbow, and she only managed a small grin.

My friend Bella comes from a very unique family. Her mother and father are Esme and Carlisle Cullen. However, they are not her biological parents. The Cullen couple unfortunately couldn't bear any children, so they ended up adopting a whole lot of them. Though, that isn't what is unique about their situation...they all seem to be dating each other—but hey, I'm not one to judge. Bella and her sister, Rasputin—I mean, Renesmee were the last to be adopted by the Cullens and that is how Bella met her boyfriend slash stepbrother, Edward. Please stay with me, I know that this information may be hard to digest.

"So, have you only come to check if I'm alive?" I quirked a brow at my friend.

"Sort of? I know that you're going through a rough time...so, I brought you a little gift." Bella placed a long envelope in my hand.