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TROUBLE IN PARADISE

BILLIE BEGAN WEARING THE NECKLACE ARO GAVE HER WITH A NEWFOUND SENSE OF PRIDE.

And by wearing it every day like everyone else did, she found she began growing closer to each member of the coven— including the lower ranking guard members.

Though, nothing could match her friendship with the blonde Guard member who she'd known for almost an entire year. It seemed like Jane was only waiting for confirmation, for Billie to start wearing the necklace associated with their coven, in order to gravitate towards her even more.

Was that even possible, you might ask? Oh yeah, it sure as hell was.

The first thing Billie noticed was that Jane was incredibly funny when she wanted to be. She'd always known the girl to be this diplomatic sociopath, but deep beneath that icy exterior was a girl with dry sarcasm and witty remarks.

It was rare to see one without the other, these days.

Billie also found that as the weeks passed her by, she was getting a better handle on her hunger. It was still intense, don't get her wrong, but she could now travel into the city at night without fearing she'd lash out like last time. Maybe it was because Aro was a good teacher, or maybe it was because she was scared of getting punished for breaking the law a second (and surely inexcusable) time. Either way, whatever it was, it was surely working.

The blonde girl, however, definitely attributed it to the sense of calm she felt whenever she was around Aro. Ever since their talk in his study the other week, things had... shifted, so to say.

His once light touches became more frequent, more purposeful; he was always finding an excuse to touch her lower back, hold her hand in his, and even brush his thumb along the high point of her cheek. It was an addicting feeling, and Billie found herself reciprocating easily.

The times she felt the most calm, the most at ease with her new identity as a vampire, was when it was just the two of them in his study. He would read whatever book she wanted to her, and Billie would just listen intently. He was the most expressive when he read in Italian to her, and though she was only beginning to understand parts of the language, he always was sure to translate the really hard parts afterward.

Besides, all they had was time now, and despite being the busiest vampire she knew, he always set aside time for her. She was quite literally on top of the world with all of his attention on her— it was a euphoric type of feeling, one she couldn't get even from satiating her hunger.

And boy, had Jane noticed.

"It makes me ill to see you both like this," she gagged one afternoon, the two blondes supervising a duelling session in the grand room. More like it was Jane supervising; but Billie was just glad to be involved somehow.

"I don't know what you mean," Billie shrugged, but the giddy smile on her smile said otherwise.

Jane shook her head, trying to keep her own smirk at bay in front of the sparring coven members before them. "What is that saying... love is in the air?"

Billie laughed, a genuine, sweet-sounding laugh that made a few heads turn her way. "I think I would've moved here ages ago if I knew this would've been the outcome," she said, almost a little quietly. "He's nice."

Jane nose shriveled up. "Just nice?"

"It's hard to put into words," Billie all but grumbled out, arms going to wrap around her torso. "My head's been getting clearer, but I know for a fact I've never had someone the way I have him."

At her statement, Jane turned around so her back was facing the crowd of lower-ranking members. She gestured for Billie to do the same, and when she looked over, she saw Jane with a small smile on her face. A smile that was freely pointed in Billie's direction.

And somehow, Billie knew exactly what she meant by it because that small smile spoke more than a thousand words.

˚ʚ ❀ ɞ˚

Billie's perfect little bubble popped the minute she heard something she shouldn't have.

It was early in the night, and though Aro promised to read one of his books to her in Italian, he had to excuse himself for an impromptu guest.

Billie didn't enjoy eavesdropping, given that she believed everyone had a right to their own private conversations, but with her newborn hearing? It was practically impossible to ignore the voices coming from down the hall.

Especially voices that seemed angered. Frusterated beyond belief.

She made sure her steps were light, indecipherable just incase she'd get caught. She could hear the distinct voices of Caius and Aro the most, but she had an inkling that Marcus was in the blond king's study as well.

"How could this have happened right under our watch?" That was Caius, the talking followed by a grunt of anguish.

"The Cullens have made fools of us, time and time again," and that was Aro; she'd recognize his voice anywhere. "We must make an example of them before others think we've allowed them to create an immortal child."

Cullens. Immortal child. Two things that Billie had no idea about, yet the former made an itch within her brain appear. There was something in there, and she was desperate to know what.

"And what might you... suggest?" Marcus, sounding as pained as ever.

"Our leadership will be put to question if this gets out," Caius explained with heavy disdain, "so we must eliminate them and the child before that happens."

"Consider it done."

For some reason she couldn't decipher, Billie's stomach dropped at that. Perhaps it was all in her head, but she felt a little nauseous when Aro essentially confirmed the death of these Cullens and the so-called immortal child involved. Her hand slapped itself over her mouth to stop a peculiar noise from crawling its way out of her throat.

She was so busy racking her thoughts, sifting through the faces she could see but still had no names nor details for, that she hadn't noticed a sudden lack of their voices anymore.

Nor had she heard footsteps trail into the hallway from Caius' study.

"It seems as though your mate is an inquisitive little thing, brother."

At that, her head snapped up. She could see Caius now standing at the other end of the hallway, just before she could notice Aro's body peak its way into her line of sight. Hell, even Marcus drifted into the hallway.

But all she could see was the tilt of Aro's head, and the somehow amused glint in his eyes.

"Yes, it seems like she is."

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[ wyn's note ]

brief hiatus BUT WE R SO BACK!

thanks for 77k you guys.... thats absolutely insane!! but oh, what will billie do now that the cullens are back on the volturi's radar with a grim fate.... hmmmmm.....

all my love xx