"What do you mean when you say that you’re going to be here for a while?" I was seated on the bed and starred down at my hands. Alec was leaned against the wall and I could feel his cold gaze. Even though his eyes were so fiery red, the emotion in them was cold as ice. When I shyly looked up and met his gaze I saw a little smile on his lips. The smile was very innocent but at the same time it reminded me of Felix’s mischievous grin.
"It's standard for every new Volturi member, really. I'm here to train you in self-defense and in manners, for example; looking someone in the eye when you're having a conversation.” I winced at his words but looked up and held his gaze. It was hard not to tremble at the sight of him, but I refused to show myself weak. Alec was silent for a while and I realized that he was waiting for me to speak.
"Um, self-defense?" I asked and gave him a questioning look. Alec nodded once and took a step forward. He threw a punch in the air to show his point. I winced once more and automatically leaned back. The little smile on his lips grew bigger and in the blink of an eye he was at my bedside. His speed didn't scare me - I'd grown up with vampires and werewolves – speed was normal to me.
"But first, a surprise", Alec did a sweeping gesture against the door at the same time as it opened. The first thing I saw was Felix’s black mop of hair. For a second or two I thought he was alone, but then I heard the beating of someones heart. A girl who couldn't be older than fifteen walked through the door with trembling legs. Her eyes were almost popping out of her head and she looked absolutely terrified.
"Who's that?" I said nodding in the girl's direction. Both Alec and Felix smiled a little and Felix pushed the girl in my direction.
"Your dinner", Felix answered and his smile turned into a grin. Now it was my eyes that almost popped out of my head.
"My dinner?" I hissed and automatically crossed my arms over my chest. Alec grabbed the girl and dragged her across the room until she was standing right in front of me.
"No member of the Volturi is allowed to drink anything other than human blood. It's either the girl or the tourists in the tower." The ultimatum made me sick and I shook my head.
"I rather starve." Alec's eyes narrowed and he baled his fists. Felix mostly looked shocked by my refuse. Before, I'd just been scared but now I was furious. Did they really expect me to change my diet and my view of life?

No one said a word for a few minutes, the only sound in the room came from the human girl who was sobbing loudly. As the time passed Alec lost his poker face and you could see his anger more clearly for every second. My anger increased as well and I copied Alec by balling my fists so hard that my knuckles lost all its color, still with my arms crossed over my chest. I thought Felix looked uncomfortable but I wasn't quite sure, though I refused to look away from Alec's fiery gaze. It was like a contest; the one who looked away first lost. And I was not going to lose this game.
"Fine", Alec said and broke the silence. First I thought that he was going to let the girl go and we'd all forget this, but I should have known that Alec never lost a game. In less than a second he moved the girl so she stood in front of him. She let out a terrified gasp that developed in to a horrified scream when Alec sank his teeth into her pale skin. The dark red blood poured out of the wound and colored both her skin and her clothes. Alec looked me in the eye the whole time as he drained her of blood. When there was no blood left in her system he dropped her on the floor and took a step back. Now it was my turn to scream. I stared horrified at the drained corps and started to hyperventilate.
"What did you do?" I gasped and fell down on my knees. The young girl's eyes stared emptily into the cold air. Even though I didn't want to touch her, I leaned forward and closed her eyes. Her skin was already cold and I could smell the death lingering around her.
“She didn’t deserve to die”, I whispered. Salty tears started streaming down my face and I covered it in my hands so they wouldn’t see my sorrow. The floor creaked as Felix took a step forward. I believe that Alec stopped him from getting closer though no more steps were heard.
“She would have died sooner or later, this time it just came sooner”, Alec said and I could hear him shrug. His words made me furious and I looked up at him with as much hate as I could presume. Once again he met my gaze and the contest started. This time I looked away first, biting my lip to hold back the words who tickled my tongue. But my teeth could not hold back my anger for long.
“You disgust me.” I quickly got on my feet and ran against the bathroom. I didn’t want to face either Alec or Felix right now. But before I reached the door, Alec grabbed my arm and threw across the room. I landed softly on the bed but was a little chocked by the quick turn of event. Alec made a hand gesture at Felix and he grabbed the corps and was gone in the blink of an eye. The only evidence of that the body had been there in the first place was a pile of dark blood.
“Now it’s time for the first self-defense class; always be prepared.” The shadow of a smile played on Alec’s lips and he leaned forward, ready to attack. My uncle Emmett and my Jacob had taught me the basics of fighting and self-defense, but I was pretty sure Alec knew more than me. Normally the thought of my family would make me weak of sorrow and heart ache, but now my self-preservation was stronger. In the blink of an eye I was on my feet, ready to face the danger ahead. I knew I was slower and weaker than any vampire but I wouldn’t let my doubt get in the way.

Alec lunged forward and tried to grab me. I answered with moving slightly to the left and then I ran towards the bathroom door once more. Just like before, Alec catched up with me and grabbed my waist. His cold arms pressed me tight against his chest and my heart started to beat faster. Sadly, it didn’t race just because of the fear I felt, the butterflies in my stomach was back and they were the biggest reason of my hearts quick pounding. For a split second we both froze, and I could feel his grip changing from an aggressive grip to a soft embrace. I relaxed and leaned against him, feeling safe, until I remembered what he’d just done and who he was. Quickly, I took advantage of the situation and crawled out of his arms and raced for the bathroom door. He didn’t catch me this time. I could see him standing at the exact same spot – frozen – gazing into emptiness with his arms in the air, like he was still holding me. He didn’t seem to move as I shut the door behind me and locked it quickly. For a few seconds I stood close to the door, listening for his footsteps, but I couldn’t hear them. Slowly I walked backwards until I hit the wall. When I felt the cool tiles pressing against my back and I fell down on my knees and closed my eyes. I leaned my head against the wall and sighed loudly. What had just happened? One second he was attacking me - forcing me to fight - and the next he had me in his arms, making my already fluttering heart beat even faster. The butterflies still haunted my stomach and I hated it. The feelings that started to grow in my heart shouldn’t be there, they belonged to someone else. They belonged to my Jacob. Except Jacob had left me, and Alec was right here. I tried not to think about anything, I just let my thoughts drift away. They drifted to Forks, the green, wet forest and the big Cullen House with the grand piano where my father and my aunt Rosalie used to play. I could play a bit as well, but I was more interested in the violin. When my thoughts drifted to close to my family I changed course and thought about the feeling of swimming fast in the river a sunny afternoon. The water that embraced my body and made me light as a feather, my muscles working hard as I swim against the stream, the sun giving my skin a light glow, that’s what I focused on. Somewhere in the middle of it all, I fell asleep.