[BamaFan121s]

I had to admit, Aro had definitely chosen the right vampire for this position. Heidi exuded friendliness and confidence on top of her obvious sex appeal. She was very likeable and did not act in the same arrogant manner as many of the other Volturi members. Once inside, she positioned herself in front of us and continued on as our guide. “This is not a portion of the museum that is included on my normal tours, obviously. These rooms house a collection of some of our more…unusual artifacts more specifically related to our own history—more of a private collection. Feel free to look around at your own pace. I’ll be happy to answer any question you have.”
The members of our group slit into smaller pairings and strolled around taking in the vast collection of artifacts. Heidi accompanied Rosalie and Alice who were enviously admiring an expansive collection of extravagant gowns once worn by various crowned heads of Europe. Renesmee shadowed them, eagerly pressing her face to the glass displays and animatedly commenting on the heavily beaded garments. Esme and the wives were examining a collection of jewelry and tools that lay in a massive oak display case. Even from across the room, I could hear Sulpicia’s explanation that they were all artifacts extracted from the ruins of the ancient city of Pompeii, covered decades ago by a volcanic eruption. Esme lingered eagerly near a diagram of the destroyed, once great city.
I stepped forward to a pedestal closest to me. Atop it sat an empty glass case coving a cushion of deepest blue, crushed velvet. The cushion, however, held nothing. I read the placard that identified the would-be contents as the Crown of Sovranita. I wondered… “Heidi…” I called. “Is this…?”
She looked up at me and grinned widely as she answered my question. “Yes…the very same one that Aro sent to your home by Carlisle on his last visit.” Now I knew just what Esme had meant when she jokingly commented that Aro would have cleaned out the museum. Looking around, I noticed there were several similar cases that had been similarly robbed of their contents.
The voices of my family members faded as Edward gently pulled my hand leading me to the opposite wall. It was lined with countless pieces of artwork. He pulled my hand to his mouth and gently kissed my palm before whispering in his velvet voice, “Are you enjoying yourself now, love?”
“Surprisingly, yes. I’ve never really had much of an interest for this sort of thing, but the pieces Aro has collected…” my voice trailed off in astonishment and awe. “I mean….wow! How could anyone not be amazed by it all?”
He chuckled lightly. “Yes, it is quite impressive. And I am very glad that you are finding in entertaining.” As he spoke, he lightly traced a line from my temple down to my jaw and smiled my favorite crooked smile before turning his attention back to the wall before us. His eyes swept over the pieces in front of him. As far as I was concerned, nothing the wall had to offer could have remotely compared to the perfection of the man in front of me. Try as I might, I couldn’t bring my eyes to leave his face. I deeply inhaled his intoxicating honey-sun scent as I continued to watch him.
Suddenly, his eyes came to rest on something in front of him. “Well now, that I wasn’t expecting to see!” He exclaimed quietly. He turned and met my gaze with his own liquid golden eyes. “Recognize anything?” he asked, motioning towards the wall with a slight jerk of his head. Unwillingly I tore my eyes from his face and searched the wall for the masterpiece that had surprisingly captured his attention. It only took a fraction of a second for me to locate it.
Hanging on the wall was a very familiar piece. Identical in size and even surrounded by the same mahogany frame was the picture from Carlisle’s office depicting the same ancient Italian scene. Painted in the same vivid colors, four God-like men looked down from a balcony upon the crowd below as three statuesque women hovered in the background. “There’s more than one painting,” I noted, surprised.
“Yes,” Edward confirmed. “Originally there were two—Carlisle’s and one other….this one. The last known whereabouts of this one were the walls of the Bastille where it adorned the wall of a very high ranking French official. It was always assumed that it was destroyed long ago. Hmmmm…apparently not. It’s a wonder how Aro managed to locate and retrieve it…”
I noted the sense of awe in his voice and turned to examine the other pieces hanging on the wall, occasionally commenting on those that particularly captured my interest. I was amazed at how many of the artists I was able to recognize==Van Gogh, Dali and quite a few by Divinci even! After we’d had out fill of the paintings, we turned and casually made our way around the large room to observe all that Aro’s collection had to offer.
Halfway across the room, I spied Renesmee perched atop an empty display case. Her eyes met min as Heidi clasped an enormous, diamond encrusted necklace around her neck. Her head bobbed down from the sheer weight of it. She flashed a wide smile in my direction as Heidi, Rosalie, and Alice showered her with compliments. I waved at her and playfully blew her a kiss as Edward and I continued to make our way around the room.
In the far corner, we found an entrance to a smaller, speared e room. It was depressed a few feet below the larger main area and more dimly lit. I stepped down into the smaller alcove and immediately noticed that the floor in this room was not the same dull marble that we’d been walking on. Peering close, I noticed that we were actually standing on a massive rug, woven from a bristly gray fiber of a very unusual, yet familiar texture. My eyes traced the contours of the rug narrowed until they came to rest on a spot a few feet away where the rug narrowed slightly before coming to an abrupt end with an enormous, clawed paw. I realize that I was not standing on any ordinary rug, but on the hide of an enormous creature. I audibly gasped and staggered back a few feet, causing Edward to grab me around my waist with lightning speed to steady me. Old habits die hard, I suppose.
Suddenly, Heidi’s voice, dripping with distaste, rang out from the doorway behind me. Ah, I see you’ve found our Siberian werewolf exhibit. This rug is actually one of Caius’s more prized possessions. Rest assured Bella—you are not the first to underestimate the sheer size of these beasts only to be shocked when you actually see it for yourself. From what I understand, the wreaked quite a bit of havoc throughout the Soviet lands long ago…”
If she continued speaking, I was unaware. My mind had traveled back to a day that seemed like it had played out a lifetime ago…which I suppose was true, more or less. Edward’s taunting words came rushing back to me with a clarity so piercing I would swear he were speaking them aloud now. “Look more closely Victoria…is he really so much like the monster James tracked across Siberia? Her eyes burned with black thirst and her flame red hair danced wildly around her face as she took in Seth’s huge form. Then, she returned her vengeful gaze to me….”