Chapter 27 - The Newbie

When I arrive at my first "Vampire History" class I'm surprised to see Marcus standing in the room as my teacher. 

"I never would have expected you to have enough time in your day to teach a newbie," I tell him.

"I typically wouldn't," he smiles, "We've never really had the chance to speak much with one another, so I thought I'd take the opportunity when it presented itself." 

"Why?" I ask, still stunned.

"You're not the average... 'newbie,'" he pauses before the word as if it's his first time using the slang.  I can't help but wonder what Marcus's and Aro's when-I'm-alone style is behind closed doors, or maybe with them it really is what you see is what you get.  I don't have the chance to ask, as the door behind me swings open to reveal a thin, vampire boy behind me.  He looks physically around my age, maybe a bit older; it's hard to tell.  His black hair is gelled into a 1950s style combover, like the hairstyle you see men sporting in all the old black and white films.  He gives off a studious, dark-academia vibe that a pair of large-framed glasses would only enhance, however vampires wouldn't need glasses of course.  Marcus greets him with a nod and gestures for him to take a seat next to me on the leather sofa.  "Anna, this is Rodrick, a new member.  You will both be taking lessons with me together."

"How new are you?" I ask, directing my attention to him.

"I got here last week.  I have been living in Germany for several decades after being turned, but was scouted recently," he explains.

"You must have an ability then?" I assume, looking between him and Marcus.

"Rodrick has proven to be an exceptional tracker," Marcus explains, "He is currently training with, and will officially join the tracking team assigned to Europe when he finishes his initial training."

"Nice," I nod approvingly, thinking back to Antonio guessing that Viktor Krum was also a tracker.  For which region, I don't know... but if he's also a part of the European tracking team maybe Rodrick has met him and could tell me what his deal is.

I don't know what I expected out of a vampire history class, but it was fascinating.  Marcus really seems to have genuine interest in the subject.  I made a joke when class started that I hoped we'd get all the juicy details on Dracula, but as it turns out, the one and only Dracula actually existed as the previous ruler of vampires alongside his coven in, you guessed it, Transylvania, Romania.  Not only that, but in his time he gave no craps if humans knew of his existence.  This meant vampire hunters, and hunters of other supernatural beings were rampant.  When the Volturi came into power they kick-started the Reformation with the cooperation of most supernatural species, leading to the agreement that humans should have their memories wiped of their existence.  Dracula's pre-mind wipe influence was too significant however, so the idea of supernatural beings, stayed imprinted on human's minds in a dream-like way.  The idea of Dracula himself was also too significant to completely wipe from the population of Transylvania, so his story, in a mythological sense, continued to spread until he became the spooky icon he is today. 

I was surprised to learn that the Volturi was behind the spread of even some vampire myths we have today: sharp fangs, sleeping in coffins, turning into bats, death by a stake in the heart, no reflection, all those fake superstitions were spread by the Volturi to throw humans off if they ever did encounter a real vampire.  After all, if humans think vampires have long, sharp fangs, they won't think twice about meeting an actual vampire.  They'll see their normal smile and won't suspect a thing.  It was fascinating to learn about.

"How did you guys beat thee Dracula?" I ask, completely engrossed in the story.

"The Romanian coven relied on brute strength.  Aro, Caius, and I however, strategized the complete opposite.  We formed a coven based on our mix of our special abilities, which proved to be a more powerful offense and defense than their fighting skills.  Any vampire can have strength, after all, but it's our unmatched abilities in the Volturi that give us our power."

After class ends, Marcus has to leave quickly to get to his next commitment, leaving Rodrick and I to pack up our stuff together.  This was my chance to do a little digging on Viktor Krum, but how do I ask about him without seeming suspicious of him?  My Black Widow-ness may have failed with Caius, but I suppose this is a good chance to try again.

"So how does a human come to earn a spot in the Volturi?" Rodrick asks, narrowing his eyes at me.  I can't tell if his tone is accusatory or genuine curiosity.  At least the interest I have in talking to him is mutual.

"I'm their unkillable pet that Aro, Caius, and Marcus had no choice to take in," I grin, "They can't let me run loose with the knowledge of vampires of course.  And I suppose they see potential in me being unkillable."

"You don't refer to them as the Masters?" he questions. 

"Nah, I'm still too human for that 'Masters' nonsense," I tell him.  Not to mention if I'm really supposed to be with Caius, they shouldn't care, right?

"You have privileges here that others don't seem to have," he infers, his bluntness surprising me. 

"That's a big opinion for someone who just met me an hour ago," I laugh off the awkwardness.  How much has he heard about me exactly?

"It's not an opinion.  What is it that they say these days?  'Privilege is invisible to those who have it'?" At that I return his narrowed gaze.

"I mean, I'm not denying it.  But it's an interesting choice of conversation to break the ice," I tell him.

"I'd rather keep the ice in one piece," he shrugs and walks off with his things.  Dang.  His coldness is absolutely enough to keep the ice frozen, isn't it?  I am having absolutely no luck with the tracker population of the castle as of late.  On my way to my room I text Demetri.  As the head tracker of the castle, hopefully he'll be able to confirm that there's nothing weird tainting the water... blood... in the tracker wing of the castle.

* * *

"Pull DOWN, Anna," Demetri directs sternly, as I once again push the plane's steering wheel thing in the direction that is way more logical for the direction I want to go, up.  Who designed these things anyway?  Why would they make it so that I have to pull down to go up and push up to go down?  Demetri isn't quite panicking yet, but I can see concern in his eyes for the fate of his beloved aircraft.

It's long overdue, but he's finally giving me a lesson on how to fly this thing.  I must say I expected a class on safety or something first, but he decided that was too boring and threw me right into the deep end, aka, the cockpit.  I imagine he's regretting that decision now. 

"Jesus, take the wheel!" I bellow after successfully completing several laps around the property.  "It's a yoke," Demetri says, rolling his eyes amusedly as he scoots into the seat I had been seated at to land the plane. 

"What an egg-celent name," I joke.

"How cheesy," he counters, "the perfect ingredient for your pun omelette."

Demetri lands the plane with ease.  He starts to head toward the exit before I hold my arm out to stop him.

"For some reason I encountered two different trackers today, and both of them didn't seem to like me," I explain to him, "A strong-looking guy with a buzz cut and the new guy I just had class with."  Demetri ponders my descriptions a bit before having a lightbulb moment.

"Alois and Rodrick I assume?" he asks.

"Rodrick yes, and I didn't know the name of the other guy,"

"Alois is the head of the European division," he explains.

"And Rodrick is a part of that same division.  I assume they're smack-talking me as a whole over there then."

"I'll talk to Alois and figure out what's going on," Demetri frowns.  My mind goes back to thinking about what Rodrick told me.  Being as close to Demetri as I am is a privilege, technically.  Using that privilege to tattle-tail on them will surely sour my non-existent relationship with them even more.

"You don't have to do that," I tell him, "Some people aren't going to like me, and that's just life, right?  I have yet to do anything substantial for the Volturi in their eyes anyway.  I'll have a chance to prove myself eventually."

"No," Demetri cuts me off sternly, "Loyalty is the backbone of the Volturi.  A member having an issue with a fellow member, or in this case future member, is a serious issue here."  I nod and we both go our separate ways, which for me means my 2-hour lesson with Felix, the thing I've been dreading all day.

* * *

"You have no idea how excited I am to see how your training as a human translates to when you're changed," Felix grins, after I successfully catch a spear going at a speed that would have dislocated a normal person's shoulder. 

"I'm just ready for this all to be easy," I say with a big exhale.

"Oh, this will be easy.  It's basically level 1 training, but with your potential role, you'll need to get to level 10 as soon as possible." 

I literally cannot imagine what level 10 training could possibly look like.  "You had a chance to put my mind at peace for a second there Felix, and you ruined it."

"I have full confidence that you'll get to level 10 quickly.  After all, you won't need any time outs to reattach any limbs, right?" he laughs, "Vulnerability in that state, and avoiding that state is one of the biggest obstacles that guard members have to train to overcome," he explains.  "All you need to worry about are your skills and techniques.  With the grace and balance you'll have as a vampire, it'll be much more effortless."

"Okay, that makes me feel a little better," I say with a sip of my water.  Felix gives me an approving pat on the back before dismissing me.

And with that I FINALLY have time to eat and shower all this glitter off of me before Caius comes at eight.  As I walk back to my room I open up my food delivery app and find a burger place that looks pretty good.  Hopefully by the time I finish showering it'll be waiting right outside my bedroom door.

I hop in for my typical 10 minute shower, but the universe said not today.  I spend close to 20 minutes trying to get all the glitter off that's been stuck in my sweat all day, yet when I get out of the shower I still don't feel confident that I was able to get it all.  Regardless, I throw on a crisp black tank top with an oversized black sweatshirt over it, some flare bottomed, black yoga pants, and a pair of bright white sneakers.  I look like I'm about to go on a jog, but I figure I've been around Caius enough at this point that I don't need to hide behind my more restrictive everyday clothes.  We both know this isn't going to be a business meeting, I think with a smile.  I get started with the curling iron next, and then gently brush out the curls into soft waves with my fingers. 

By that time I hear a knock on the door.  It's only a few minutes before seven, so it must be my food!  I grab the bag that was left outside and open everything up on my coffee table in front of the TV, where I switch on the news and try to decipher what's going on in the world.  Overall, the meal is pretty disappointing.  The burger looks great, nice and juicy, and the fries are crispy and full of seasoning, but there's a slight bitterness to it all that almost makes me wonder if the expiration date has passed or something.  Or maybe being spoiled by the freshness of Antonio's food has made me pickier.  I don't know, but I wrap everything up again and set it in my mini fridge.  I figure I'll save it for the hunger emergency that's bound to happen with how busy and on the go I've been lately.

Another knock on the door: 7:30, so still not Caius.  I open the door and am surprised to see Viktor Krumm, or Alois, the head tracker in front of me.

"I hope I'm not disturbing your meal," he says apologetically, "I regret that I didn't formally introduce myself earlier.  I'm Alois, the head tracker for the European tracking team."

My mind goes back to Demetri saying he'd have a talk with him and my face immediately flushes red with embarrassment, but I wait for him to continue.

"Ever since the other guard members' trip to Forks, Washington, everyone in the castle realized your transition is approaching faster than we thought.  I was given orders to keep an eye on you, since there is still some restlessness in the castle," he smiles wearily.  He doesn't go into more detail, but I assume he's talking about the lower level guard members Jane mentioned who suspect I'm here to help overthrow everyone.  "Typically those behind that restlessness would be... put to rest... but the Masters are still trying to figure out who exactly is involved, so no loose ends are scared into silence." 

My eyes widen, "You mean..."

He ignores my inference and continues.  "I have been following you around since your first day here undetected.  I think it's time you know that now."

"So you're like my body guard then?  Do the other guard members have body guards?" As the question escapes my mouth, I mentally face-palm at how dumb that question sounds.  Of course the guard doesn't have body guards.  It's literally their job. 

"No.  It's only because of your weakness as a human.  This wouldn't typically be my role in the castle, in fact I'm not typically in the castle, but I was asked to stay for your protection."  Dang, I'm really a "celebrity" here aren't I...  "Rodrick was jealous, and naïve.  He was put in his place.  On behalf of the tracking team I apologize for any discomfort he caused you."

I shake my head, "No, no, don't worry about it.  I never meant to get him, or you in trouble, I was just telling Demetri about my day and he took the situation more seriously than I expected."

Alois gives a curt nod, "You did the right thing.  The Volturi needs to be completely in sync with each other for our own safety.  There's no room for such senseless confrontation against you, or anyone else." 

"Thank you for explaining all this to me, Alois.  It puts my mind at ease about a lot of things."

"My pleasure, and have a good night," he says before departing.

After a bit more waiting around, the last knock of the night happens at 8:00 on the dot.  A rush of adrenaline forces me up and to the door faster than my mind is ready for.

"Are you ready?" Caius asks, holding his arm out to me.  I answer with a smile. 

We get to Caius's corner of the castle where I see he has snacks and a movie waiting.  "I was thinking you could sleep here again tonight," he suggests, leading me to the sofa. 

"After the day I've had, that would be perfect," I smile, noticing his darkening crimson eyes.

"You're sure spending the night with the vampire who thirsts for your blood more than anyone else's would be the perfect end to your day?" he chuckles, but his grin turns intimidatingly dark "What if I get through and can't stop myself?"  In a moment of boldness I scoot closer to him, throwing my legs over his and wrapping my arms around his neck.

"Try," I dare.

Caius picks me up and carries me through the door to the bedroom, which is softly illuminated by the candles on the mantle of the fireplace.  The light of the flames dance around the room, inspiring me to hop out of Caius's arms and spin myself back into them.

"You dance?" he asks, amused.

"Well, you might have to teach me," I smile.  In response, he pulls me close to his chest and guides me around the room to an a cappella rhythm until he's able to flip the switch on his music player. "I can't believe I'm dancing," I grin.

He slowly closes the remaining distance between us as his fingers graze the side of my face.  "If I ever have the chance to bite you, do I have your permission to do so?" he asks suddenly.

"You're asking for my permission?" I smirk. 

"I want you to be comfortable with it," he explains, "The last thing I want is for you to feel betrayed by something I've done."  I think for a minute.

"As long as it's after Marie's baby shower.  I really want to go to that without being a bloodthirsty 'newborn', as you call them."

"Deal," he says, trailing off a bit.  "Hopefully this question doesn't come across as invasive...  But while we're on the topic, is having a child something you have ever wanted?"

"Oh," my eyes widen. I think for a bit, "I've never really had the mental space to think about that before," I tell him truthfully.  "I expected to be tormented by vampires my entire life, so I was always careful about not having any close relationships that could be used against me, so I really never even thought about marriage and relationships, let alone kids."

"Now that you're safe, is a child something you'd regret not having?" he asks. 

"I mean, unless you guys kick me out onto the street, who would I even have kids with?" I laugh.

"It's possible... for a human woman to be pregnant by a vampire," he explains cautiously.

"What?" I ask incredulously, "I think I need to take a seat for this shocker of a story you're going to tell me right now." I break away from Caius and opt to listen to this on the edge of his bed.  I pat the spot next to me so he gets the hint.  He sits down, looking more uncomfortable than I've ever seen him look before, but I appreciate that he's willing to have uncomfortable conversations.  It makes me feel like our relationship getting more and more real.

"The couple we visited in Washington, Edward and Bella Cullen, actually had a child before Bella was turned into a vampire.  It was something none of us knew was possible, and Bella almost died from it.  We expected the child to act similarly to immortal children, which would have been an issue, but the child was born with a mature mind.  She grew extremely fast and after around seven years, her growth steadied and she is now frozen at the physical age of a young adult," he explains.  I take a second to absorb this.

"Having a child like that honestly doesn't appeal to me.  If I were to have a kid, I'd barely feel ready to be the mom of a baby let alone a fully grown adult after only seven years.  I feel like half the fun of raising a kid would be to experience all the milestones. Besides, if I want to hang out with a kid, I still have my sister.  Would the other Volturi members even be okay with me having a half-vampire kid here?" I ask.

"Aro would jump at the opportunity to observe a half-vampire child's development first hand," he laughed.  "The child we met a couple years ago, Renesmee, fascinated him." 

"How did the woman, Bella, almost die?" I ask.

"Most humans are not strong enough to give birth to a half-vampire child.  Your body however, thanks to your ability, might be.  If it was something you wanted we would run tests to make sure, of course." 

"Have you ever wanted kids?" I ask.  I'm not convinced, but it if I'm in this with Caius I at least want to know where he stands.

"No.  I've been a vampire for long enough that those desires are long gone.  But I wouldn't be opposed to it if it's what you want.  Like Aro I'd be somewhat curious about seeing a half-vampire child's potential."

Look at us.  Having a conversation about kids before we're even in an official relationship.  But anyway, I shake my head.  "No, given the circumstances, it's not something I can imagine for myself either, but I appreciate that you told me about it."

This Cullen family is the only other group of vampires I've been hearing about extensively since arriving here.  I kind of hope one day I'll have the chance to meet them so I can see the faces behind all these wild stories they've been the center of.