38 | PARTY MONSTER |

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WITH ONLY A MATTER OF DAYS LEFT IN FORKS, AURORA FOUND HERSELF PREPARING FOR A PARTY. Well, at least helping Bella Swan get ready for the graduation party. To everyone's surprise, Bella had asked the newborn instead of Alice, but the former didn't care. She barely had any time to bond with her undead best friend since Aurora came back nearly a month ago.

"Congratulations, Bella," Aurora said to the human girl. They were in the attic, a precaution in case some enthusiastic guests decided to arrive early. Music already played loudly, the heavy bass reaching the attic.

"Thanks," Bella nodded as Aurora applied some blush to her cheeks, "And thanks for doing my makeup. Alice would've turned me into Barbie 2.0. I trust you to keep it more toned down."

Aurora chuckled lightly. "Hey, I may not remember everything about being human, but my makeup skills will never fail me," she said with a smile.

"So," Bella began after a short pause, "what are you going to do up here all by yourself or..."

"Jasper volunteered to keep me company," the newborn explained nonchalantly while Bella raised her brows. "Don't look at me like that. If my thirst gets too bad he'll be able to help me."

Edward thought it was quite risky to have the entire high school to be in the same vicinity of a newborn vampire, but the others didn't want to kick the girl out of the house for the night either. The compromise landed with Rory staying in the attic with a locked door and her ex boyfriend babysitting her.

"I'm sorry you have to stay up here," Bella said, feeling bad that Aurora couldn't enjoy the party or celebrate with their old friends who'd want nothing more than to see the girl they knew as Rory Aden again.

"Yeah, scaring the town to death with the miraculous appearance of a dead girl might ruin the party." Aurora snorted and shook her head at the thought.

"Maybe." Bella closed her eyes as Rory applied some shadow to the lid, "They miss you a lot. Jessica held a moment of silence for you at graduation."

Aurora placed the brush down, finished with the neutral look. She sat down in her own armchair next to Bella's. "I wish I remembered them. They sound enviously normal."

"After you disappeared, we grew close again. But it didn't make up for you being gone," Bella said quietly. She fiddled with the wrap around her wrist.

Aurora caught the movement with a curious raise of her brow. She wasn't in the house when Bella returned from the rez with a broken wrist. "Why did you punch the werewolf in the face again?"

Bella turned bright red and froze. "Jacob kissed me."

Aurora's jaw dropped in surprise. No wonder Eddie boy has been in a Mood™ since Bella sprained her wrist. "Did you kiss him back?"

"I punched him in the face."

She raised her brow. "That doesn't answer the question."

Bella looked down, avoiding the vampire's sharp stare, "Edward asked me to marry him."

"Oh." Aurora's mouth widened in an interested smile. "What'd you say?"

Aurora felt like she was a normal teenage girl again, and not some amnesiac newborn vampire spying on the people that trusted her.

Bella sucked in her breath and sighed. "He's actually been asking for the past three months actually. He wants to be married to me if he is going to be the one to change me."

"That's a grand stipulation. Marriage." From what vague human memories, Aurora did obtain of her beliefs, marriage wasn't something she particularly cared for after what happened between her parents. She could tell Bella might have shared the same perspective by the human's demeanor. "Well, are you getting anything else out of it?"

"Anything else out of it?" Bella's brow puckered at the boldness of the question, "Besides marrying the love of my life who will be the one to change me into a vampire?"

"Bella, you must have something else on the table if you agree to marriage other than being changed by him. That's like double marriage," Aurora scoffed at the idea. "It's entrapment!"

Of course, Aurora was being dramatic, but it annoyed her that Edward was holding marriage over Bella's head, prolonging the girl's change and making Aurora's job more difficult. The Cullens were already pushing the deadline by having a party instead of changing Bella, but Aurora somewhat understood they needed to wait for a more inconspicuous time that wouldn't connect Bella's disappearance to the Cullens.

However, she wasn't lying either. A vampire and his or her creator are linked to each other for eternity. It wasn't a binding connection where you had no choice but to stick together, but it wasn't something you could forget. It didn't have to be a romantic bond per se such as with Carlisle and Esme or as Bella wanted with Edward. But a strong bond was created nonetheless.

Changing someone meant sharing one's essence, the venom, which forever connects the newborn to their creator. It was why newborn armies were so valuable; a horde of loyal newborn vampires with just one bite.

It was why, Aurora had to be honest with herself on this one, she joined the Volturi Guard. She didn't necessarily agree with their decisions and lack of respect for humanity, but she had no other choice. She was loyal to Alec. Her creator. His light.

"Double marriage?" Bella's eyes were as round as the full moon. Deep down, she knew what being changed by Edward meant. But she had never been one for marriage in the first place so Rory's classification was like being a deer caught in headlights.

Aurora mindlessly traced her fingers over where Alec had bitten her. Her skin was unmarred and flawless, but her body knew the truth. "I'm sure you already know, but whoever you're changed by, you'll always have an attachment to," she said quietly. "Your loyalties will tend to lie with him no matter what."

Bella frowned, feeling bad for bringing up the topic that was making Rory look so disheartened. "You're talking about Alec, right? The twin brother of Jane."

She remembered the tiny angelic looking blonde girl who was beyond sadistic with her pain illusion and then her twin brother, the beautiful cherubic boy named Alec, who could take away all senses. Bella had forgotten Aurora was close to them, she had been so glad her dearest friend had returned that she hadn't considered why Aurora stayed with the Volturi for so long.

"Yes, Alec is the one. He saved me from dying." Aurora's face held a sudden softness that wasn't there before. Bella suddenly realized there was another reason why Aurora hadn't rekindled her relationship with Jasper.

The dark haired beauty shrugged, brushing away the emotions she ignored for the most part, "I may have left the Volturi, but our bond will always be there. His venom runs through my veins. That's something that can never be undone."

Bella hesitated to put her words together, being careful not to overstep or accidentally cause Aurora to distance herself more when they were only now growing close again. "If you're...loyal to him, then why did you leave the Volturi?"

"I've been asked that a lot these days," Aurora chuckled lowly, looking like she was somewhere far away. "He thought I should go. He knew I wasn't happy in the guard...Maybe one day he'll join me."

She had been speaking in half truths her entire duration with the Cullen coven, but her last words were pure well wishing. She wondered if Alec would ever leave his sister and his duties in the Volturi, if not for her, then for himself at least. For a moment, she pretended everything was real, that she was free from her duties as a guard and part of the Cullen family. Then she hastily reminded herself she would be returning to Alec and the Volturi in three days. Well wishes indeed.

"And what does Jasper think?"

Aurora was startled by the question. Her eyes snapped to Bella's. "Why would it matter?"

"He loves you."

The vampire looked down. "I know."

Bella knew Rory and even though vice versa wasn't true, Bella could tell Rory felt guilty over something pertaining to do with the fact that Jasper was still in love with her and all she could respond was via Han Solo style.

"Does Alec love you?" she asked curiously, trying to pinpoint why Rory couldn't meet her eye.

It took a second, but Aurora eventually blinked and shrugged forcibly, "Like I said, it doesn't matter."

Bella could see that Rory already knew the answer to her question. She felt bad for bringing up the sensitive topic, knowing if what she suspected was true, it had a small likelihood working out now that Rory had left the Volturi.

Aurora got ahold of herself quickly, placing an easy going smile on her face. "Now stop deflecting and tell me what's worth the whole double marriage to you."

"I, well..." Bella was beyond embarrassed to speak the words aloud, but she owed it to Rory for pushing the vampire to open up more than either of them expected. "I guess...I want to be deflowered before I die." Bella cringed at her wording, but out of the other options, it was her best offer.

Aurora was confused for a brief moment. "Deflowered—oh." A large smile grew on her face at Bella's interesting reveal. "You haven't had sex with Edward yet?"

"It's not that we don't want each other that way," Bella explained flusteredly, "but he's very traditional and he thinks it's too dangerous anyways..."

"He has a point, Bella." Aurora hated to see the human girl's crestfallen expression at her agreement with Edward's view, which was unusual for the newborn. Edward was a pain in her ass when it came to her mission. It didn't help that Edward's wariness and overall general mistrust grew when Aurora prevented him from using his mind reading abilities on her.

"Sex should definitely be more meaningful to you and Edward because you are in love with each other, and not just something you want to knock off the bucket list. Love isn't something you negotiate over. Sometimes, you just have to let go and let love decide when the time is right." Aurora wondered when she got so wise, considering she was like a literal newborn in the social aspect.

Bella nodded slowly, taking in Aurora's words. The attic was quiet as the two young women gathered their thoughts, reflecting on the conversation that revealed too much of the doubts they had.

"Just so you know," Aurora spoke up just as Bella got up to head towards the door, knowing it was time for her to appear at the party, which meant Jasper would be coming up any moment. Bella tilted her head as Aurora smiled at her pityingly, "even if you did kiss Jacob back, it's okay to love more than one person, Bella."

"Are you speaking from experience?"

Their eyes met—dark brown on topaz—sharing a look of understanding between them. Neither had to say another word to know the truth of each other's answer to that question.

➖

a few months ago

"Alec, you don't need to follow my every move you know!"

Aurora marched through the door of her quarters. In the east tower, scant of other vampires which made it easier to shout and scream without much fear of disturbing anyone else. Only a few steps behind her, Alec walked into the warm room with a nonchalant expression.

"I do whatever I want," he said teasingly, tugging at a tendril of hair practically floating in the air at the fast speed Aurora walked at.

Aurora whipped around, coming to an abrupt stop, her crimson eyes blazing with fire. "Yes, we both know that for damn sure!"

"You're angry," he stated simply, his brow raised in question to her ire. For a two month old vampire, Aurora was decently controlling of her hypersensitive emotions so it was surprisingly and almost amusing in a way to see the beautiful vampire so crossed.

"You know I could've handled myself out there! Telling people what to do is my literal job!" Aurora snarled, clenching her hands into tight fists of frustration. "You didn't need to have a fit at me trying to get more information from the conspirator and just take over! You tore his head off in the middle of my sentence!"

The languid expression on the taller vampire's angelic face dropped. His eyes narrowed into stormy pools of crimson fire. "Not when the savage was being inappropriate towards you," Alec sneered, his own control slipping at thought of why he ripped some prisoner's head off. "It was sickening. And besides, he didn't know anything else."

"Get over it!" Aurora was tired of Alec thinking he had absolute say in who she interacted with. Just because he was her creator did not mean he was her father—not that she remembered her biological human father in the first place, but that was besides the point!

Alec scoffed, "You don't even care why I killed him only that I did so in the first place."

"It's the principle of it all! If you were in the midst of an interrogation, I wouldn't have interfered even if I knew I could get the answer out with a single word."

He backed her against the ancient stone wall of the tower. She hadn't realized they had crossed the room in their discourse. Alec had a dark expression as he towered over her, his wavy chestnut colored hair brushed the muscles of his shoulders

"You talk too much, luce mia," he said quietly, his sweet breath fanning across her face. Darkness filled his eyes that bared into hers steadily. "I killed him because I'm entirely too possessive over you." His long fingers danced across the smooth flawless skin of her cheek. Sometimes he missed when she was human, her flawed, uneven skin and crimson blush.

Aurora tilted her chin up challengingly, "Then do something about it."

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In Seattle, four dark hooded cloaked beings watched a horde of newborns destroy a crashed vehicle uncontrollably. The newborns leader attempted to berate the ten bloodthirsty vampires to no avail, eventually giving up and allowing the chaos to ensue.

"They've already drawn too much attention," Felix gritted his teeth, looking away from the scene below. He had spent his last month in the city, tracking and watching the newborn army develop.

Demetri scoffed, agreeing with the broader vampire. "So has our inaction. Others may begin to question the Volturi's effectiveness."

The two men looked at the tiny, almost slip of a girl yet someone not to be ignored with her piercing ruby eyes, standing beside her twin brother, watching the newborns with an angelic beam. "Let them."

"What would you rather us do, Felix?" Alec asked languidly, his voice playful and uncaring as always yet not to be challenged. "Slaughter the lot and wait for more newborns to be turned?"

The last month was torture having to tidy up after the amateur behind this rising newborn army all whilst being unable to actually find the creator. Whoever it was was clever and quick, both an impressive feat and an annoyance for the four Volturi guard members. Alec considered going against his sister and his masters to check on Aurora in Forks, but this mission proved to be more tricky than any of them thought. He glanced at his dear twin, wondering why Jane was deliberately taking her time to make a move.

Felix stepped away from the railing, "Maybe we should consult with Aro. Or at least retrieve Aurora back so she could put a stop to all this madness with one word. All she's doing is playing house with the Cullens. Spare us from an even bigger mess."

"Aurora will not do your dirty work for you," Alec drawled, regarding the towering bulky vampire with disdain at the suggestion. "Regardless, she will meet us here in three days anyways."

"You just don't want your little putanna to get hurt," Felix sneered brazenly whilst Demetri took a large, obvious step away from him. "Or are you not so sure that she will return?"

The lanky and seemingly weaker vampire turned to Felix with unmasked darkness in his crimson eyes. Demetri and Jane looked more than glad that they were not in the way of the silent but deadly twin. Felix finally had the sense to look terrified as Alec swept towards him.

Without a snarl or a cacophonous physical assault, Felix fell to the concrete flooring of the roof they were on. Alec may not be the brawniest vampire or the twin that inflicts agony with one stare, but he was able to take those nuances away all in one glare. His paralyzing mist shrouded Felix, who without his senses felt nothing but fear of the unknown. That was the worst aspect of Alec's dark gift—he took away what bounded you to earth and chained you to his malevolent will.

Jane rolled her eyes at the display and gently laid her hand on her brother's tensed shoulder placatingly until slowly, Alec unleashed Felix from his power. Demetri helped Felix up without a word. Alec turned away in utter disgust.

"Aro's decisions are being watched," Jane continued cooly as if the altercation never occurred. "We must decide."

Alec smirked, running on the dark thrill of using his gift. "Then decide, sister. It's time."

"Yes, it is. Either we let them do what they were created for...or we end them. Decisions, decisions..."

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The party had been raging on for a few hours when Aurora sat directly next to Jasper on the black leather couch in the attic. They had exchanged some small talk, but generally had enjoyed the comfortable quietness as each vampire read through countless books stored in the room. Jasper set his book on war strategies down on the side table, giving her his full attention.

"So, the other day..." She began almost hesitantly, as if she had wrestled over bringing the topic up for the last two hours and finally said 'fuck it' and plopped next to the blond. Jasper raised his brow, encouraging her to continue. "Alice was talking about this movie I apparently had a love/hate relationship with, it intrigued me so I watched it and it's just that...."

"What?" he asked, prodding the girl he loved. Her emotions were a little all over the place, it was difficult to pin down her exact emotions but Jasper wasn't worried. He knew her true feelings.

She bit her bottom lip and faced him, her topaz eyes wide and naive like a wild doe. "Can I try something?"

"It's not like I can stop you," Jasper chuckled, gesturing her to go ahead and interested in finding out what Aurora wanted.

At the look in her eyes, his casual jokiness faded to seriousness. He recognized the deep, curious stare that he used to receive from her just a year prior. He gulped, suddenly nervous of what was to come.

"Don't move..."

Aurora leaned in slightly, their gazes locked onto each other. Her hand hesitantly placed itself on Jasper's jaw. He closed his eyes languidly as their noses brushed against each other. They both relished in the moment, their breaths intermingling with each other like a greeting between two old friends.

This felt familiar, Aurora thought happily. She enjoyed the feeling of familiarity, used to being in the dark about things most people who knew her as a human expected her to recognize. She proceeded in her quest, now certain it would work, having her hope bloom as their rosebud lips neared.

An angel's touch of a kiss.

A pleasant, summer breeze and the warmth of the sun shining on her.

She waited.

Then she pulled away, her heart dropped down to her stomach.

Jasper smiled, his eyes had been closed, but as they opened to the panicked and confused expression on his love's face, it dropped.

"What's wrong?"

Aurora got to her feet. "I shouldn't have done that," she whispered, her fingers lingering on her full lips.

Jasper eyed the way she stared hopelessly at the ground, knowing her mind was racing with anxious worries and panicked thoughts. "Rory, if I may ask...what were you trying to accomplish by kissing me?"

He hoped it was the answer of his dreams, that she had decided to take him back despite her lack of memories and their heavy past, but judging by the look on her face, the truth was nothing close to that fantasy.

Her eyes glimmered with tears that would never shed. She was despaired at her own actions. "I thought...in the movie they kissed and then she woke up...maybe it would've worked because you love me." Jasper instantly understood what she was talking about and what she had tried to do. Aurora inhaled sharply, "A true love's kiss is supposed to break the spell, why can't I remember anything myself?"

Jasper was surprised at his own sudden grit as he followed her movements. He stood tall and open, his eyes full of exhaustion and pain, "Why are you so concerned with recovering your memories anyways?"

Aurora looked up at him with a helpless shrug, "I don't have anything else. Not the Volturi, not Alec, not your family. I want to remember my own story before it's too late." She didn't care that her carefully constructed story was slipping by the minute. She was just so tired and confused about everything in her life. She genuinely wanted to recover everything, maybe on the off chance that her human memories could help her choose in the end.

"You have me," Jasper insisted, his voice rough, "Don't tell me you don't love me when I know you do, even without memories. I can feel everything you are feeling. You're just scared." He didn't give her a chance to respond or dissuade him from his selfish disclosure. "I know I wasn't there for you when I should've been. If I could go back in time and stop me from making the worst decision in my life that I thought it would be the best for you, I would because maybe then I would've been the one. The one to change you when you wanted, not because you were dying and had no choice in the matter. The one your heart belongs to. The one you choose."

Aurora backed away from it all, her mind and heart conflicted more than ever. "I'm sorry, Jasper," she apologized heatedly, shaking her head, "No matter what lingers, it's just not...enough."

Jasper scoffed in disbelief at Rory's insistence to hurt both of them when it could be simple if she let it be. "Enough for what?"

"To stay!"

"What?"

She froze, not meaning to lose control over herself. She had blurted out what she had been desperately trying to keep in. Her uncertainty about her presence in the Cullen's home, about returning to the Volturi, about who her heart was churning over, about it all erupted.

She said nothing. What could she say? Admit she was still part of the Volturi, that she was considering staying with the Cullens, or admit that part of her wanted to throw everything away and go somewhere far from Forks and Volterra.

"Are you leaving?" Jasper asked quietly.

"I don't know."

Jasper just looked at her tiredly. He knew Rory, in some way more than she did herself, and he knew that if there was one thing about Rory that remained the same, was her penchant to make decisions and stick with them, even if she chose unconsciously.

"Yes you do," he said gently, "You just don't want to admit it to yourself."

"I—"

Despite four floors separating them from the party, they turned away from each other as they tuned into something else happening. The sound of someone almost falling down the stairs was distinctive. It was easy to distinguish the concerned voice of Bella on the staircase, "Alice, what did you see?"

The stumble must have been Alice having a vision in the midst of climbing the stairs, Aurora concluded. Jasper seemed to instinctively know what Alice's vision was about. He had been Alice's confidant for over fifty years, they were almost like twins who shared the womb in the way they understood each other.

"The decision's been made," Alice said numbly, her voice as clear to the vampires all the way up in the attic, which meant the other Cullens should have been listening in on the conversation as well.

"What's going on? You're not going to Seattle?" Bella asked, trying to clarify the situation.

"No..." The pause was brief, but even Jasper and Aurora knew what the decision was and why Alice's vision was so strong. "They're coming here."

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next chapter: 50 likes, 20 comments?

soooo a jaory kiss did NOT "break the curse" after all....

some angst and rory being messy bc our girl is a whole mess rn. sorry if yall are tired of her falling back on her amnesia bc i am too tbh, tryna get her memories back so she can stfu already lmaooo jkjk. there is a purpose in all this, just trust in me ok

who else is left for our aurora to kiss and break the curse? or will the curse never be broken??

comment ur bets