Ch - 1

My name is Calliope Anne Volturi, Queen to my Kings, and this is how I came to be.

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"Charlie, for the last time, stop tapping your foot. You are stressing me out!" Callie turned around mid-packing, throwing a balled t-shirt straight at her annoying brother's face.

He caught it with ease, being the Chief of police and all, and put it back in her second suitcase. "I just don't get why you're moving out. Bella coming to live with me doesn't mean I'm kicking you out, Cals." He sounded anxious.

Charlie and Callie Swan, possibly the closest siblings on this planet. Calliope, or Callie as she liked to be called, was as surprise to their parents. She was born fifteen years after Charlie, being closer to his daughter Bella's age than to his. Charlie was their father in all things while Callie a spitting image of their beautiful mother. Being fifteen years apart didn't keep them from bonding though, quite the opposite. Charlie grew up to be her hero and Callie was her brother's anchor. There were no secret between this pair of siblings. Well ... there was one but, that was something best left alone, for Charlie's safety.

"I know," Callie kept on with her suitcases anyways. "But the house is barely big enough for the two of us, it won't fit three. Trust me, Charlie, I know teenage girls, she'll be glad to have her own room and not share a bathroom with her aunt." Besides, her secret would be harder to keep with a curious teenager in the next room.

Resigned, Charlie started helping her with the few boxes on the ground. "Did you get that fancy loft downtown?" She'd been trying to negotiate it for a year now.

"It's not fancy," Callie rolled her eyes with a smile. "I just like the space and the decor. Plus it's closer to work. And I did finally negotiate the price, there are a few couple things left to be done so Esme has a room for me until it's done."

"Esme Cullen?"

"There's only one woman named Esme in this town, Charlie."

"You made friends with the Cullens so quickly when they arrived," Charlie shrugged. "Didn't think it'd last this long." The Cullen family had been in Forks for two years now and Callie was probably their only friend in town.

She smiled. "They're a great bunch." One she could be herself around.

Her suitcases and boxes finished, Callie turned around, putting her hands on her brother's shoulders. "Stop fussing. Everything will be alright. I'm still in town, I will still help with Bella whenever you need. What would this town do without their favorite doctor?"

"Isn't that Carlisle?"

"You!!"

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After loading up her belongings in the car, Callie drove up to the outskirts of the town, where the Cullen lived. It was a familiar road to her since she'd spent most of her time here for the past two years.

She had first heard the Cullens through hospital gossip. They said a big shot doctor was finally filling up the Head of General position that had been left empty for a year. Callie for one, the youngest Head of Neuro in the hospital's history, had been excited to meet a fellow surgeon, they didn't have a lot of those in Forks. At least not ones close to her age. So when Carlisle showed up to work the next Monday, all young, nice and polite, it was an immediate connection. And when all that made him — beautiful gold eyes, cold skin, pale complexion, the occasional sighting of teeth too sharp — reminded her of all that made her private research, she cornered him, revealing it to him, along with her own secret. From then on, she met with the other members of the family and for two years, they had cultivated a warm friendship. It was the first place where she could really be herself, without the fear of hurting her loved ones ... too much.

Whoever was home must've heard her coming because the door opened right as Callie parked outside and Edward flashed to her side with a little smile at her eye roll. "Show-off." They loved to do that around her, since superhuman speed was nowhere near skill set. "Now help me, will you."

He had already made two trips inside that she'd just passed the threshold with a huge suitcase. When he was downstairs for another trip, she noticed the barely there shadow under his eyes. "You need to feed," her touch was light on his cold face. "I've brought plenty of blood bags."

On top of being Forks Hospital's Head of neuro, Callie had a private practice on the side. The official word was that she raised money for cancer, and she did do that. But underneath her perfect cover hid a blood bag manufacture. She used her skills and connections to provide animal and human blood bags for both red and gold eyes as she lovingly called them. Her main motivation had been the agony one of her friends found himself in whenever a vampire near him felt hunger. Now, that little side business was thriving and she had connections with a lot of vampire tribes. She never revealed herself as human to her customers though, she knew to respect the rules their ruling members had elected.

"I'm fine," Edward kissed the back of her hand. "I can handle this little hunger." Edward had changed so greatly from the first moment she'd met him. Gone was the downcast, a bit dramatic boy and before her stood a vampire full of life, ambition and who could show the strong love he held for those he considered his.

"The little hunger you can manage is a full on attack on Jasper," she reminded him. "Nobody has died yet from being too full." Tapping on his stomach and making him laugh.

"Fine, mom," he teased, evading a punch to the shoulder. "I'll take two on the way back. I need to get to class but we'll be back at around five to make you dinner."

"You don't need to make me dinner, Ed'. I've got two perfectly functioning hands and you're already kind enough to let me stay here."

"Shut up, Callie." He kissed her temple and in the next second he was gone before she could talk.

Callie sighed into the empty air, shaking her head, a small smile forming on her lips before she closed the front door.

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"Callie honey, I'm home~"

In her temporary room, Callie had just finished unpacking when she heard her friend's shout. Walking out the bedroom and looking down the huge staircase, she saw Esme waving grocery bags.

"What is it with you Cullens and your obsession with feeding me?" Callie lightly ran down to the kitchen, watching Esme store the groceries in a few seconds. "Ok, human speed now," She stopped the other woman for a hug. "I was wondering where you were."

"I had to prepare for your arrival!" Esme excitedly bounced on her feet, moving their hug back and forth.

Callie laughed. "Fine, do whatever you want." She knew she couldn't stop her anyways. "I love the decor in the room, sweetie. You know exactly how to make someone feel at ease."

"Honey, we're home~" Emmett's raucous voice interrupted, echoing in the kitchen.

Callie rolled her eyes. "I see yelling that is a family thing." making Esme and the vampires that had just flashed up laugh. Big hugs were passed around to Emmett, Rose, Alice and Jasper. Callie let out a low chuckle since they were all acting like they didn't see each other every day.

The Cullens had a beautiful kitchen island they liked to stay at to have their TBs — tea-blood sessions— as Callie called them. While they were fussing about her tea downstairs, she run up in her room to get the big box of blood bags that could last them a month. When she turned around, her little gentleman was already taking the box and leading her downstairs.

"You know, I can do things by myself," she shook her head at Jasper.

"Our love language is service and touch, Callie," Jasper quietly replied. "And I can feel your comfort, dear princess." He gave her a pointed look.

Callie childishly stuck her tongue out at him, so what if she liked to be pampered or pamper herself. And since Edward couldn't read her mind nor could Alice predict her future, Jasper took great pride in being able to feel her emotions and broadcasting them to the family.

"You're our little princess, Callie," Rose picked her up in a hug the moment she entered the kitchen. "Get used to it." That was one thing that had greatly changed too. Rosalie had been such a prickly one when they met and yet now, the two women couldn't get enough of each other.

Callie scoffed. "I'm five foot six, Rose, I know it's not a lot next to your statuesque figure, but it's considered tall for most women."

"Sure, sweetie." Alice smiled. "You can be tall."

Ignoring the family's annoying laughter, Callie sent light electric zaps through Rose for the blonde to release her and she walked to the fridge to store the blood bags.

Electrokinesis. That was the closest name she could find in her widespread research on her gift. Not only could she control electric current in or out of her body, she also had an affinity for the moodiest of weathers and could conjure up storms — yes, plural — if needed. Her gift, as far as she could remember, had been with her since she was a wee girl and each year, it kept growing.

One thing the Cullens didn't know is that this gift, as wonderful as it was, was killing her. Slowly, from the inside, she could feel it.

She was dying. And there was only one cure.