Nora slumped lazily, leaning her head against the window mesmerised by the Tuscan countryside as it flew by them. Childishly she was ignoring Bella and Alice, left to her own devices to admire the vineyards and lush green hills. It was glorious, like nothing she'd ever seen before. Of course she'd travelled to many places in the States but it didn't hold a candle to the rustic beauty of Italy.

They had explained vaguely why they were here- something about Edgar? Edward. Whatever his name was.

From what she cared to remember about the parasite that was her sisters ex—boyfriend, they were here to stop him committing suicide, which he was only dramatically doing because he thought Bella had died from her little cliff diving incident.

What was baffling Nora was how he and Alice for that matter knew about it. She was sure no one in Forks liked the two siblings enough to go out of their way to tell them, and in any case the timing didn't add up whatsoever. Bella had only just done it before she got home, so how the hell did Edward know?

She was getting off track, there were other issues at present; like Edward apparently having a flare for the dramatics, something Nora didn't like or appreciate one bit. What right did he have to react so drastically over something so tedious?

She was only so angry because he hadn't cared about Bella this whole time, he didn't even check in on her at all but still, he played the facade of devotion for Bella so perfectly he was willing to do something like this. No, she didn't buy it.

It was so wrong and so disgusting. Bella had been almost chronically depressed, left lonely and heartbroken when he had up and abandoned her and though she brushed it off, Nora had a sneaking suspicion that her cliff jump had been something along the lines of a suicide attempt and that made Nora despise him all the more.

Yet here they were. Off to save Edward the minute he's in trouble. It was so aggravating that Nora fumed to herself over the matter, knowing she was the only one of the three women in the stolen car who felt this way.

'What a load of bullshit. I don't want him to do something that drastic but he deserves to feel the hurt he's caused Bella, even if it's just a fraction of her pain.'

To make things worse for her delicate mind, when they'd landed Alice had disappeared only to turn up in a presumably stolen bright Yellow porsche. It was the most conspicuous thing Nora had ever seen and any level of discreteness vanished when Alice pulled up in front of them, honking the horn so loudly Nora was sure the whole of Italy could hear it.

The two girls in the front were talking in hushed voices making it obvious that they didn't want her to hear what they were saying. She didn't care anyway, she was only here to make sure Bella was safe. She caught bits and pieces of what they were saying and it made no sense at all-her mind was too tired to even try and understand.

It was a mystery to her why she was so extremely exhausted; on a more positive note her head only ached dully now, no longer feeling like it was going to burst and the aching loneliness that had been living unwantedly in her chest had faded slightly. Now that they were here in Italy, the pain and hollow feeling were spiking haphazardly, like every atom in her body was tearing itself apart and then mending back together. She was puzzled but refused to let her mind linger on it, she needed to be focused on helping Bella.

"Alice, you've got to hurry up." Bella's frantic voice rang in her ears, her hands gripping the dashboard like her life depended on it.

"There's Volterra."

The city they now approached was stunning; every house and building was old and the streets they frantically drove down were cobbled. Almost everywhere you looked the place was covered with red. It hung from the traditional wooden windows, flags stationed at every door. Even the people were dressed in extravagant thin cloaks that varied from blood red to maroon.

The crowd parted like the literal Red Sea when Alice honked her horn and drove madly through the accumulating mass of people.

"Are you fucking insane?!" Nora screeched, digging her nails into the leather seat to stop her body from flying all over the place.

A snarl stretched her lips unattractively when she was ignored by the two other women. 'I wish I hadn't come now.'

She pressed her knees into the seat and sank down so she was barely visible, content to ignore them both again as they were doing to her.

They screeched to a halt so suddenly that her head banged harshly against the window, her head splitting migraine returning full force. Gasping in pain she leant forward to stop the sudden bout of nausea that hit her. When she finally focused she saw Bella rushing off, consumed in the sea of red.

Pushing her head through the gap in between the front seats, she went to question Alice only to see her talking hurriedly to a police officer in perfect italian. They appeared to come to some agreement and they were off again, though this time she noticed they were going much slower.

It took minutes for them to reach their destination, a surprisingly desolate street that was much less decorated then the rest of the town. Alice breaked quickly and this time Nora braced herself, expecting the impact that came with Alice's questionable driving skills.

"Hurry Nora!" The pale, unnatural woman was a blur—jumping out too quickly for Nora's eyes to catch, going so far as to bite her lip in irritation when Nora exited the car too slowly for her liking.

'God I feel so sick.' Nora despaired to herself silently, her hand placed over her stomach.

Clearly reaching the end of her patience, Alice grabbed Nora's hand in her gloved one, dragging her along to some unknown destination.

Nora questioned her sanity when she only just noticed that Alice now wore a floral head scarf and a pair of black sunglasses, her whole body covered from head to toe. Miraculously she looked stunning, like some glamorous movie star from the 40's or 50's.

They barged through the crowds of hooded people, their angry stares burrowing into the two girls' backs. Alice could care less apparently, only staring straight and moving even faster when the sun shone dully through the gray clouds. Nora noticed that the crowds were getting bigger and bigger the closer they got to the town center, chanting and cheering meeting her ears.

By the time they reached the clock tower she had seen barely peeking over the buildings, the apparent festival seemed to be coming to an anticlimactic end and the people began to disperse. Alice pushed on determinedly, striding with purpose and confidence towards the looming clock tower.

Nora's entire being felt like it was being physically pulled and she gasped in shock, rubbing her chest where the pain was most prominent to alleviate some of the stabbing sensation. Alice looked back sympathetically with a knowing glint in her now amber eyes but didn't stop.

"I'm sorry Nora but we have to keep going."

Nora stumbled and an almost inaudible groan passed her lips, feeling like her heart was being literally ripped from her chest; regaining her footing she tried to ignore the now dull ache of her body and the stabbing pain in her legs. They reached the intimidating mahogany doors, Alice wasting no time bursting through them dramatically.

"Come on guys, it's a festival. You wouldn't want to make a scene." She sang patronisingly, shielding Nora behind her slightly. Her hazy, agony filled eyes fell on Bella clinging to a shirtless boy who could only be Edward, grasping his arm like she was afraid he'd disappear. That wasn't too far-fetched considering he had actually done that.

He was exceptionally beautiful, sharing the same concerning pale skin and gold eyes as his sister but that was their only similarity.

To distract herself from her torment Nora glared fiercely, releasing all the hate and disdain she felt for him in her gaze. His strange eyes met her unremarkable ones, and he stared at her with a lost look about him, obviously quite disturbed by something.

"We wouldn't." She was made aware of the two other people in the room as a smooth, cold voice filled the air. Two men stood before them dressed in all black from head to toe. One was especially tall and towered over them all, with burly muscles and a hard set glare on his face that was accentuated by his neat brown hair.

The other was shorter and unlike his stony companion he oozed charm. He stood so gracefully that he reminded her of a marble statue, with sandy blond hair that was styled wildly on top of his head but somehow managed to look perfect.

Their unnatural beauty was not enough to distract her from their abnormal crimson eyes and she shivered in fear but also in exhaustion when they found her behind Alice. Her heart beat faster the longer she looked into the blood red pools.

"Another human? Aro will not be pleased." The charming one chuckled politely but they could all hear the underlying danger promised. Nora could have sworn in that moment her heart actually stopped beating in fear. 'Another human? What the fuck is going on? I knew I shouldn't have come, I should have trusted my gut when it told me Bella was in deep shit. This is too weird for me.'

They were interrupted by the harsh bang of a door further down the hall; a girl no older than 12 approached them, dressed like a gothic doll with her blonde hair pulled into a perfect twisted bun. Nora would have thought her cute but again she was met with piercing red eyes that were glazed with malice.

"Enough. Aro sent me to see what was taking so long." Her voice was so innocent and childlike but her harsh and militant demeanour made you forget that. She carried herself with authority like she was wise beyond her years, even Alice and Edward were refusing to look her in the eyes out of apparent respect.

Obeying her the group began to move with Nora unwillingly taking up the rear. Bella hadn't even looked at her since her arrival, too enamoured with her precious boyfriend and Nora couldn't help but feel like she'd been left for the wolves to slaughter.

In front of her were the odd pair, looking back and sending her hungry looks. Their eyes almost glowed in the darkness of the stone hallway. A loud gasp tore from her sore throat when Alice came to her side, grabbing her hand and smiling reassuringly. She sneered at the two intimidating men and they chuckled snidely, turning forward.

Returning her golden eyes to Nora, Alice became concerned. The petite girl was almost shivering from the amount of pain she was in. The reason was readily apparent to Alice and it killed her inside to not be able to share it with the fragile human-there was no point though. She'd learn the reason to her misery shortly.

They came to an elevator that clashed with the medieval decor, squeezing in with her fortunately ending up between Alice and Bella; she shuffled uncomfortably feeling the unrelenting stares of the creepy men on her the whole ride, her tension not helped by the loud opera music that was on a loop and made her feel extremely agitated. 'I wonder if they have that on purpose to annoy guests?'

The doors opened to reveal an out of place reception area and Nora began to feel like she was in Pan's Labyrinth-nothing in this place made sense and it apparently had an endless amount of levels.

"Buon pomeriggio." A pretty Italian woman sat behind the desk, jumping up in fright at the sight of the three black shadows that led the odd entourage, greeting them with a nervous lilt to her falsely cheerful voice. Her beauty paled in comparison to the unearthly people just like Nora thought hers did.

They approached a set of double doors, the little girl pushing them open with a strange ease that would be difficult for anyone else with her small stature. A young boy greeted them immediately, every bit the girls double save for his shaggy brown hair. The two embraced each other with a familiarity that made it clear they were siblings and when they separated he regarded the newcomers playfully.

"Welcome Edward, you seem to be feeling better."

"Marginally." Edward intoned, his face set into a hard frown.

"Aro will be pleased to see you again. We mustn't keep him waiting." Edward nodded his agreement albeit reluctantly and pleased, the boy grabbed the girl's hand and led the party down another terrifyingly dark hallway. Nora began to wonder if they would ever actually reach the end. The doll-like girl seemed happy, nearly skipping along next to him and swinging their joined hands. 'How can a child be so scary but adorable.'

They came to another set of wooden doors with the angelic boy holding them open so they could enter. She was unnerved when he actually sniffed Bella as she passed, closing his eyes and shivering like he was smelling a delicious cake.

The room was like all the others, cold and mostly devoid of furniture. However, It was brighter and the ceiling stretched into a large dome shape, the top illuminated by small windows. More strange people with alabaster skin filled the room, standing stiffly and unmoving next to the carved marble columns.

A large drain took up a third of the space, confusing Nora about its purpose. 'Who has a huge drain as part of their floor? Maybe they have sprinklers. Or they could be the mafia, but what would they need a huge drain for though? Shit Nora, focus!' The only furniture she could make out were three thrones placed proudly in the center, each with a different material decorating the top. She was pulled abruptly from her examination by a high pitched but pleasant voice.

"Jane, dear one, you've returned!"