"So Aro arrived Friday?" Bella asked with trepidation on Monday morning. I chuckled as I bumped my shoulder with hers. It was sunny that day, which meant my siblings had been pulled out and I was left with Bella as my companion. The excuse for leaving me behind was an easy one - I wasn't a very outdoorsy person, and Carlisle let me make my own decisions. No one in the past couple of years had ever questioned it.

"Yeah, but don't worry about it. He only asked about you once, and even then it was simply to ask how you were, I think. Aro can be hard to read sometimes," I mused.

She nodded her agreement. "I got that impression in Volterra."

"He's very sweet, though. He thinks I haven't noticed that he's been letting me win at chess," I said with a laugh. "I don't think I have the heart to tell him."

"I didn't know you play chess," she remarked as we took a seat in our first class of the day. "I've always wanted to learn."

"I can teach you sometime, if you want. How about this weekend? We could have a sleepover at your place - normal folk only," I finished with a wink, knowing that Bella would understand what I meant while also ensuring that no one nearby would overhear and question the statement too much.

She brightened. "Yeah, that would be great! It feels like forever since we've done anything together."

"Rowan!" Jessica said as she entered the classroom, hanging up her jacket and ruffling a hand through her thick, curly hair. "You gotta see this, it's so weird. I saw it and was like, no way! Right? But it's so weird and I thought you'd think it was so funny!"

"Uh, see what?" I prompted, raising my eyebrows at her.

"Hold on, I gotta get it! I printed it out because it the resemblance is just so odd, you know?" Jessica rifled through her backpack and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper, which she smoothed out before handing it to me. It two pages from a news article and just managing to keep my expression school to the right amount of detached surprise.

"Whoa, that is... weird," I said awkwardly. The article was from my hometown in Breckenridge, Colorado and read, City Remembers Rowan Ailes on Four-Year Anniversary of Disappearance, published just this past January. It was complete with my 8th grade school photo and an interview with my father.

"I know, right? Like, there's no way it's you but it's still weird, right?" She rambled on, and I was thankful that she hadn't thought enough into it to connect the dots.

"Totally weird. Do you mind if I keep this? I think my siblings will get a kick out of it," I said.

"Sure!" She said brightly, as the bell rang, forcing her to take her seat. I swallowed roughly before shoving it into my own backpack. I barely paid attention as Mr. Barty droned on about Macbeth, too busy locked in an internal battle with myself to truly listen. Did I read the article and bring back old memories, or simply throw it away at the first opportunity?

"You okay?" Bella asked softly as we packed our English books back into our bags after the bell rang, signaling the end of the period.

"No," I murmured in response. "Not really. But I want to read it."

"Is that a good idea?"

"Probably not," I admitted.

We paused at our lockers to deposit our books. Our lockers were right next to each other's, which was how we had first met in the first place. Bella peeked around her locker's door. "Did you want me to read it with you?"

"No," I said, voice filled with resolve as I slammed my locker shut. "This is something I have to do alone."

She wrapped me in a light, unexpected hug. "Okay. But I'm always here if you need to talk."

"Thanks, Bells," I said, appreciative. I was truly lucky to have Bella as a friend. Fortunately, my next period was study hall, leaving me to read the article in peace. I found a secluded spot outside, just before the woods, and unfolded the paper Jessica had handed me.

As the community of Breckenridge, Colorado remembers the disappearance of fourteen-year-old Rowan Ailes four years ago, they come together in a candlelight vigil for their missing citizen. Rowan Ailes would be nineteen this coming July, and an interview with her father Curtis sheds light on what life is like for the parent of a missing, beloved child.

I scoffed at this and shook my head in disbelief as I continued reading.

"I just can't believe it's been this long. I'd do anything to see my baby girl again, she's all I have left ever since my wife passed away when Rowan was young. I just wish I had the chance to say goodbye." Such were the words of teary-eyed Curtis Ailes.

Reporter Terrence Burn asked him what he missed most about Rowan. "Her fighting spirit, surely," Mr. Ailes told Terrence Burn. "She was so resilient and strong, something she got from her mother. She was the light of my life, and I wish I had more time with her."

He was then asked what he would say if he could talk to his daughter one more time. "Just that I love her so much, and if I could ever find her I'd never let her go again."

I had to pause, running a hand through my hair. He had said similar things to me the first time I had tried to run, but it wasn't quite so loving as the reporters seemed to think. It was a threat, masked under the cover of a loving father's grief towards his only daughter's disappearance.

Mr. Ailes was overcome by emotion and was unable to answer any further questions. The disappearance of Rowan Ailes is the shadow that looms over an otherwise happy community, and no one wishes for her return more than her father, who is pictured (right) with the local church's pastor taking part in Rowan's candlelight vigil.

The article ended, and my eyes were drawn to the photo. He looked almost the same as when I had left, the black-and-white page hiding his light hair and blue eyes the same shade as my own. The eyes that haunted my dreams and stared back at me from the mirror every day. Edward was the only one who knew of my longing to have another color, any color, besides the cerulean blue of my irises.

I likely would have skipped the rest of the day, but Aro was expecting to see me at lunch and questions that I was unwilling to answer as of yet would be raised if I left. Not to mention he'd definitely flip out.

Bella, who seemed to know that I wouldn't be in a very good frame of mind after reading the article, passed me a copy of her English notes when we met up again. "Thanks, Bella."

"Yeah, of course. Are you okay?" she asked, concerned.

"My dad is an asshole, but that's nothing new. You don't know how lucky you are to have a dad like Charlie," I said with a sigh, wanting nothing more than to sleep and forget what I had read this morning.

She grimaced. "I'm sorry."

"We all have our burdens to bear. At least Jessica didn't question it," I said with a shrug. Silently, I was also thankful that Edward wasn't around to eavesdrop on my troubled psyche - not that he could do so now that I had figured out how to successfully cloak my mind.

I headed back to my car once lunch rolled around, thankful that Esme packed me a lunch instead of forcing me to eat the cafeteria food. I stretched out in the driver's side seat as I waited for Aro's arrival, deep in thought as I ate my half-sub.

Not five minutes had passed before Aro arrived, slipping easily into the passenger side quicker than my eyes could register. He seemed to sense almost immediately that something was wrong. "What troubles you, mia cara?"

"It's nothing," I said dismissively, which wasn't the answer he was looking for if the expression on his face was any indication. He looked crestfallen, and I felt a twinge of sympathy. How were we supposed to become closer if I never even tried to open up to him?

Aro, true to his earlier promise, didn't pry. "If you insist. But I am here for you, if you ever want to talk."

I let out a conceding sort of sigh and pulled the folded article out of my back pocket. "It's this. Jessica gave it to me this morning, she thought it was funny because I looked so much like the girl in the picture. It really is me, but I couldn't exactly tell her that. It would raise some awkward questions."

Aro took it from me without a word, but he did shoot me a small smile before unfolding it and reading the article faster than any human ever could. His lips dipped down into a frown as his red eyes darted across the page. He handed it back after several moments, and I gave the picture of my father a contemptuous glance before tossing the pages into the backseat.

"Your father..." Aro started slowly, his voice carefully controlled. I wasn't quite sure if this was to disguise his true feelings or to avoid rousing mine, but I finished the statement for him regardless.

"Is full of shit. The only thing he said in there that was remotely close to the truth was the last line. If he ever found me, he'd never let me go again," I said, disgust in my tone.

Aro let out a low, barely audible growl at this, clearly put on edge. "Your father is a vile man. The thought of him ever harming you again is horrid."

I reached out and squeezed Aro's hand in a soothing gesture, shielding my mind before I did so. While I intended to share everything with him soon, the parking lot of Forks High School was most definitely not the place to do it. "It's okay, Aro. You won't let anything or anyone harm me, just as Marcus and Caius won't."

"We aren't here all the time," he said tightly, his gaze transfixed on our interwoven fingers.

"Which is why the guard is here, and they won't allow anything to happen to me, if only for your sakes," I pointed out softly.

"Of course you are right, bellissima," he murmured, pressing a kiss to my knuckles without releasing my hand. He seemed significantly calmer now. "Let us talk about something more cheerful, perhaps?"

"How about my plans for after graduation?" I suggested, taking a swig out of my water bottle.

His expression was full of curiosity. "You made plans?"

"Well, there's nothing definite yet," I said with a nonchalant shrug, "but I'm considering visiting Volterra for a while. If that's okay with you."

Aro looked gleeful, a wide smile covering his face. "That would be magnifico, we would be thrilled to have you stay with us! How long were you thinking of staying with us?"

"I'm not sure," I said honestly. "A month, at least?"

"However long you'd like," he promised, still beaming.

I checked the time, startled to see that I would very nearly be late to my next class. "On that note, I have to run. I'll be late otherwise."

"Very well, carissima. I shall see you after school," Aro said, pressing another kiss to my hand before disappearing from the car as quickly as he had arrived.

Feeling marginally better, I gathered my trash and slung my backpack over my shoulder, heading back towards the school where I met up with Bella as she left the cafeteria. "You seem like you're feeling a little better."

"I am," I told her as we approached biology. "I talked with Aro, I told him about the article. I'm getting tired of hiding my past from him, it just seems... wrong."

"That's good, isn't it? I mean, you're bonding," Bella said slowly.

"It is good. I'm going to stay with them in Volterra for a month or so after we graduate," I said, taking my seat. By a stroke of luck, my biology partner was absent, and with Edward gone as well Bella and I were paired together and allowed to continue our conversation while we worked.

"Edward mentioned the whole shielding your mind thing - are you still going through with it?" she asked as we took turns with the microscope.

"Yeah, but I think I'll show him everything soon. It's just, it was hard enough for me to live through it, and for him to essentially do the same..." I trailed off, glancing out the window. It had clouded up again, obscuring the sun, and I knew rain wasn't far behind.

"I think he'll appreciate you letting him see. It's your decision, but you can't shield your memories from him forever, and you never know if it'll be a good thing or not. Edward has seen a lot and the two of you get on really well," Bella pointed out. "It's not so different, I don't think."

"Maybe not," I conceded to this without question. "I'll do it soon, I'm just concerned with how he'll react. My past, it isn't- it isn't pretty."

"I'm sure it'll turn out okay. You're meant for each other," she said, her voice dropping to a lower murmur as Mr. Banner passed our desk.

"You're probably right," I admitted, filling in the last blank of our worksheet. The two of us together finished it easily. Science as a subject was never difficult for me between Carlisle and Edward's extensive knowledge in the subject.

The bell rang shortly thereafter, and we had barely set foot back into the hallway when my phone rang. I let out a soft chuckle at the caller ID before answering. "Hey, Caius."

"You're coming to Volterra?" he demanded, though I could detect the excitement in his voice.

"We just heard from Aro," Marcus inputted, and I realized that Caius must have his phone on speaker.

I laughed. "Yes, over the summer. News travels fast, it seems."

The Volturi weren't quite as old-fashioned as I had assumed - I had regular contact with both Marcus and Caius after they had left, and now I would also be able to talk often with Aro since I had his phone number, too.

"Who is it?" Bella asked me quietly.

"Marcus and Caius," I told her, not bothering to move the phone - they'd hear either way. "I'm visiting Volterra over the summer, Aro just told them."

"Oh." It was clear that she had more questions, but she abstained from asking them.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Caius asked, pout clear in his voice, and I smiled amusedly as I spun in the combination for my locker.

"I just decided a couple days ago, don't sound so offended. Alice and Edward are the only ones who knew, and that's because of their talents. I'm surprised Aro didn't find out sooner from them," I said.

Caius seemed satisfied with such an answer. "Fair enough, I suppose."

"We'll let you get back to school," Marcus said. "We can talk later, if you'd like."

"Of course. I'll talk to you both later. Oh, Caius, I've been practicing drawing portraits, I'm going to text you a picture of my latest one once I get home," I added as an afterthought. "Anyway, I have to go."

"Okay. We miss you, amore," Caius said.

"Very much," Marcus added.

"I miss you guys too. Talk to you later," I said, before ending the call and slipping my phone into my pocket.

Bella was staring at me with raised eyebrows. "You're going to Volterra over the summer?"

"I just decided a couple of days ago, like I told Caius," I defended as we headed to our last class of the day.

"I'm being changed after graduation, when am I supposed to see you?" Bella asked with a frown.

I laughed, glancing around to ensure no one was paying attention before responding. "Bella, I'm going to be changed too, remember? Even if we're apart it won't be for too long."

"I didn't think of that," she admitted, and I chuckled again as we entered the classroom.

"You know Caius and Marcus called me right after biology to ask about me visiting Volterra," I said with a lazy grin, reclined on my bed.

Aro, who laid beside me, offered me an unapologetic shrug. "I couldn't wait to tell them."

"I'm not mad, just amused. Caius thought I had held out on him even though I just decided."

"That sounds like my brother," he said with a chuckle.

I covered my mouth to hide my yawn, checking the time. "I should get to bed. School tomorrow."

Aro seemed about as pleased about this as I was, not that I blamed him. Regardless, he pressed a kiss to the crown of my head before smoothly standing. "Goodnight, mia cara. I will see you in the morning. Sleep well."

I nodded, thanking him for turning off the light before he slipped out. Aro didn't have the same privilege as Caius to stay while I slept, as I hadn't explicitly asked him to do so yet. There was something holding me back, preventing me from entirely trusting him, and until I placed my finger on exactly what it was Aro would spend the night socializing with the Cullens.

I fell asleep rather quickly, lulled by the sound of rain on the roof, and for the first time since Aro's arrival my sleep was broken up by nightmares that played behind my eyelids.

"There's dust on the mantle." I cowered from my father, who came towards me with alcohol wafting off his breath, furious over the small oversight.

"I'm sorry, it won't happen again," I squeaked, letting out a strangled yelp as I was grabbed around the midsection and tossed away, back into the wall.

"Damn right it won't. Look at me when I talk to you!" he roared, grabbing my face in a too-tight grip and jerking my head up to meet his eyes.

I let out a cry when my eyes met his - no longer blue but a glowing, burning red. He chuckled darkly and the sound seemed to echo around from all sides. "I'm never going to let you go. You're mine, and even those kings of yours can't save you."

There was a sharp pain in my arm, and I screamed as fire spread up my veins. He laughed again at my pain. "Forever, Rowan! We'll be together forever!"

I jerked upwards with a cry, tangled hopelessly within my blankets and covered in a sheen of sweat. I jerked away as someone took my arms gently, still half-asleep, inadvertently falling off the bed and onto the floor. The impact woke me fully, and my chest heaved as I stared up with round eyes at Aro, who must have been trying to shake me carefully awake.

"You're safe, mia cara, it's just me. You're safe," he soothed.

I managed to wriggle myself out of the tangled blankets and launched myself into his arms. He scooped me up, leaning against the headboard and holding me close to his chest. "I'm sorry," I gasped between sobs, unsure of what I was even apologizing about. "I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for. Shh, it's alright, you are safe," he said, rubbing my back gently. He was being very careful to not touch my skin, I realized, which I was thankful for considering I was in no shape to even think about concealing my mind from him. My mind was much too tumultuous for that.

"What was your dream of? Talk to me, please," Aro said, once my crying had ebbed.

"You won't understand," I said slowly, between sniffles, not finished my statement before Aro replied.

"At least let me try," he pleaded.

"No, you won't understand unless I show you. You have to know," I said.

He was silent for a long moment. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," I whispered with a small nod.

"Okay," he said, and for the first time he saw my mind as my fingers curled around his own.

Edited 4/16/2021