Chapter 114: Into the red Sunset

Jane simply could not bring herself to hit Alec, no matter how exasperated she was. In the end, she could only watch helplessly as her usually gentle brother displayed an uncharacteristically firm resolve. The stone door of the Black Room slid open once more, and the guards entering for the shift change moved with their usual flawless discipline. 

For days, Jane had shouldered every duty within the prison, easing a tremendous burden on the Volturi Guard. Now, at last, it was time for her to lay that burden aside and think about herself.

The entrance sealed shut behind them with a heavy rumble as Alec carried Jane down the tunnel toward a bend in the passageway. A girl who had clearly been waiting for some time greeted them with a radiant smile, raising her hand in cheerful welcome. 

"Good afternoon, Jane!" Several days apart had restored much of the vitality to Sophie' face. There was color in her expression again, making her seem far more alive than when they had last met.

Jane glared at the two conspirators with obvious annoyance. "You two..." she demanded. "For the sake of some ridiculous fairy tale, where exactly are you planning to drag me?" 

Neither Alec nor Sophie answered. As though they had rehearsed it beforehand, both chose to keep their mouths firmly shut, guarding their shared secret with remarkable unity.

Sophie stepped forward, already reaching out to receive Jane into her arms, yet at the final moment Alec hesitated. The plan Sophie had proposed bordered on outrageous. Had Jane not sunk so deeply into despair that she was practically imprisoning herself, Alec would never have agreed to become her accomplice. 

"Alec?" Sophie quietly withdrew her hands and took a respectful step back, patiently waiting for his final decision instead of rushing him.

"Sophie." Alec spoke her name with solemn sincerity, as though making a sacred vow. At last, he abandoned his final opportunity to change his mind. Looking directly into her eyes, he said, "Promise me you'll take good care of Jane." Sophie met his gaze without hesitation and nodded firmly. "I promise."

The moment they emerged from the labyrinthine tunnels beneath the mountain, the abandoned chapel behind the palace greeted them beneath a sea of red evening light. The red glow stretched across the floor from beneath their feet all the way to the weathered doorway like an elegant carpet laid out just for them. 

Several stained-glass windows high in the dome had long since shattered, allowing fractured rays of sunset to spill through in scattered patches that stamped brilliant marks upon their bodies. Dust drifted lazily through the air, interrupting the beams and constantly reshaping the light.

As Sophie stepped onto the path of red sunlight, she suddenly found herself imagining she was walking across a ceremonial red carpet.

For this private outing, Jane had exchanged the black cloak that symbolized her authority for a sleek modern skirt suit. Even so, she stubbornly insisted on keeping the Volturi's signature black and red color scheme. Her loyalty to the Volturi had long since become inseparable from her very identity. A brown beret shaded most of her face, yet the descending sunlight still touched the exposed skin along her hands, neck, and chin, causing it to sparkle brilliantly.

"I love that," Sophie murmured, unable to hide her admiration. "It's even more beautiful than diamonds."

Jane gave a dismissive snort. "If you like diamonds so much, go stand under the sun yourself."

As she spoke, she casually lifted the matching beret from Sophie' head. Instantly, golden sunlight flooded across Sophie' face, transforming her into a dazzling spectacle of shimmering light. Jane looked up and found herself staring into a pair of blood-red eyes made even richer after feeding, gemstones more breathtaking than the finest rubies money could buy. 

For a brief moment, she found herself speechless. Perhaps... next time I design a necklace, I should combine diamonds with rubies.

"Put your arms around my neck," Sophie said, repeating the very same request she had made the first time she'd tried to carry Jane away. "I'm going to start moving faster."

"You're certain?"

"Completely."

For reasons even she couldn't explain, Jane slowly lifted her arms and wrapped them around Sophie' neck.

Waiting outside the chapel sat a bright yellow convertible sports car. Without slowing, Sophie carried Jane straight to the passenger side and carefully settled her into the seat through the open roof. Jane recognized the owner immediately, and before she could ask, Sophie hurried to explain,

"Felix loaned it to us. He even filled the gas tank. It should manage at least three hundred miles on a single tank."

Sophie circled to the driver's side and climbed in. Just as she reached over to fasten Jane's seatbelt, her wrist was suddenly caught.

Jane frowned.

"You're planning to trap me with this ridiculous strap?"

Sophie hesitated, wondering how to explain the concept of seatbelts to someone born centuries before automobiles existed. Then she remembered that an immortal vampire's body was nearly indestructible and quietly gave up.

"Fair enough," she conceded with a laugh. "It probably can't protect you anyway. Let's just pretend it's one of those strange little rituals humans perform before driving."

She settled back into the driver's seat and started the engine.

Felix possessed enough wealth to indulge every expensive hobby he pleased, and maintaining his beloved sports car was one extravagance he never spared money on. The familiar roar of a finely tuned engine filled the cabin, and Sophie nearly felt tears welling in her eyes. Compared to helicopters and yachts, a sports car felt infinitely more familiar, comforting in a way that reminded her of her human life.

Before lending her the vehicle, Felix had repeated the same warning countless times.

"Be gentle with it. If you wreck it, you're paying."

Although Alec had generously offered to cover any repair costs, even promising he wouldn't mind buying Felix an entirely new car if necessary, Sophie had refused. She didn't want someone else cleaning up mistakes she herself might make.

"Try your best not to damage it," Felix had insisted earnestly. "This isn't about the money. You wouldn't understand unless you actually love cars."

Satisfied after checking every control, Sophie activated the convertible's roof and watched it slide smoothly into place above them, shielding both of them from the sunlight and from the possibility of an unexpected hiker spotting two sparkling vampires speeding through the mountains. Once enclosed, the brilliant diamond-like shimmer vanished from their skin. Even so, the cabin remained far brighter than the dim corridors of the castle they had left behind.

Only after the engine settled into a smooth rhythm did Jane finally ask the question that had been bothering her all along.

"So... how exactly did you convince Alec?"

The abandoned chapel faded into the distance as the car accelerated, carrying them toward unfamiliar roads and unknown destinations. Removed from the only environment she knew and traveling by such an unfamiliar means, Jane found it impossible to suppress her curiosity. Almost unconsciously, she leaned a little closer toward the only familiar person inside the car.

"I wouldn't really call it convincing," Sophie replied while continuing to familiarize herself with the vehicle's controls. With careful fingertips, she pressed the button for the audio system, and the rich sound of a saxophone filled the cabin with mellow blues jazz. She smiled faintly. "I like this song. It's much better for driving and talking than rock music."

Back when she was still human, Sophie rarely had opportunities to drive. Usually she borrowed a friend's car or rented one while traveling for research, faithfully obeying speed limits around sixty miles per hour. Her original dream had been to save enough money to buy an affordable secondhand car someday. 

Now, however, glancing at the speedometer climbing past one hundred and twenty, she realized only a high-performance sports car could ever satisfy a vampire. Anything slower would feel unbearably sluggish to their enhanced senses.

The car shot forward like a golden arrow, racing along the winding mountain roads. Wild wind howled around the vehicle, loud enough to drown out ordinary conversation. 

Sophie loved that untamed sound, loved the feeling of freedom carried by the rushing air, so she left the side windows open instead of sealing them shut. Raising her voice over the roar of the wind, she answered Jane's question with a broad grin.

"I suppose it all started with the promise I made to give you a present."