Marcus could see how foreign vampires felt about the Volturi if they would not allow contact with Aro. Within the coven, Marcus could see if someone‘s loyalty was wavering, or if someone‘s feelings for another had become stronger than their bond to the coven. He was also quite dangerous in a fight — a skill Didyme did not share.
Aro waited for an opportunity, and when he knew he would not be caught, he murdered his sister, despite the fact that he truly loved her. Aro‘s grief was genuine, and Marcus never found out that he was responsible. Aro seemed to do everything in his power to discover the culprit, but of course all of his efforts, combined with those of Marcus and Caius, came to nothing. Once he‘d given up hope of vengeance, Marcus became incapacitated by grief. He lost interest in the coven and began to consider suicide. Aro had sacrificed his beloved sister in order to keep Marcus‘s valuable gift in his coven, and he was aghast at the possibility of losing Marcus after all. Aro discovered Chelsea and used her gift to keep Marcus tied to the fortunes of the Volturi; he was unable to abandon the coven, even through suicide. Chelsea‘s gift kept Marcus loyal to Aro, but it was not enough to make him show any enthusiasm for the Volturi. Aro tried to make Marcus more amenable through Corin‘s gift, but Marcus refused to accept her comfort.
He did not want to forget his pain. Corin‘s gift proved more useful with the wives.
OTHER MEMBERS OF THE VOLTURI COVEN
ATHENODORA Caius‘s mate
DIDYME The deceased mate of Marcus, and sister of Aro SULPICIA Aro‘s mate
The Volturi Guard
ALEC
NAME: Alec
DATE OF BIRTH: Prior to 800 A.D.
DATE OF TRANSFORMATION: Exact date unknown; around the age of 12 or 13
SOURCE OF TRANSFORMATION: Aro
PLACE OF ORIGIN: England
HAIR COLOR: Light brown
EYE COLOR: Red/black (vampire)
HEIGHT: 5‘0?
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Alec is taller than his twin sister, Jane, but not by much.
He is boyish in appearance and resembles Jane, although his lips are not as full.
SPECIAL ABILITIES: Alec cuts off all physical senses — sight, touch, hearing, etc.—
from anyone, human or vampire. He is also able to extend his power over a large group of humans or vampires at the same time. His gift manifests as a mist, nearly invisible, that moves slowly away from himself toward his object, blanketing all the space in between. He is able to project this mist several hundred meters. He can also control who his mist affects, allowing the other Volturi soldiers to kill his senseless victims easily.
EDUCATION/OCCUPATION: He is a member of the Volturi guard.
FAMILY/COVEN RELATIONSHIPS: Alec‘s twin sister, Jane, is also a member of the Volturi guard. Guard members show the Volturi the loyalty they would family.
PERSONAL HISTORY:
Alec was born in England around 800 A.D., son of an Anglo-Saxon woman and a Frankish soldier. He was born a few minutes after his fraternal twin sister, Jane. Both Alec and Jane had strong psychic abilities that were evident even in their human state. Aro was made aware of Alec and his sister through the thoughts of a visiting nomad. Aro visited the twins but decided they were too young to transform immediately (the Volturi had already instated its rules about immortal children). Aro left them in the care of their parents, planning to return in a few years. Though the twins‘ gifts were obvious to anyone paying attention, Aro observed no menace toward them. They were only toddlers at the time, however, and Aro did not foresee how public opinion toward them would change as they grew. If he‘d had any suspicion of the villagers‘ eventual reaction to them, he would have taken them back to Volterra and raised them himself.
Eventually, the superstitious locals found the twins too frightening to endure.
Alec and Jane grew older. As they got bigger, the villagers found their unsettling natures more and more disturbing. Their talents had not taken a focused shape at that point, but bad things tended to happen to people who were unkind to the twins or their family, and good luck followed those who were friendly to them. Eventually, the superstitious locals found the twins too frightening to endure. They were accused as witches and condemned to be burned at the stake. Aro was apprised of the situation by a nomad who knew of Aro‘s interest in the twins. Aro hurried to the village, arriving just in time to interrupt the execution.
The horrible pain of burning affected both of the twins deeply, and shaped the way their psychic gifts manifested themselves after the transformation. As Alec burned, his entire focus was on escaping the pain. As a vampire, this focus translated into an ability to totally anesthetize any human or vampire. Because he could project this sensory deprivation over many targets at the same time, he became the single most valuable weapon in Aro‘s arsenal.
FAMOUS QUOTE
CHELSEA
NAME: Chelsea, born Charmion
DATE OF BIRTH: Before 1100 B.C.
