Second Chances

I do not own any characters other than Adriane Moore. I have a great respect for Stephanie Meyer, though she always left me wanting to hear more of Marcus. This is what I would want for him. ~Jen

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wear;

Though as for the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,

Took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

~Robert Frost

First Sighting

Adriane Moore wadded through the crowded streets of Volterra, Italy. She looked to either side of her at the narrow shops and restaurants, scanning the busy square for a quieter place to rest and get her bearings. Finally, a secluded café caught her eye and she started pushing past people in the crowd. Adriane grimaced as someone stepped on her foot, and pushed past the perpetrator with a little more force than necessary. At last she made it to the café and took a seat in the far corner of the shop. Adriane sighed as she closed her eyes and leaned back into her chair.

It had been a long day. She'd spent the first half of the morning exploring the many tourist attractions that Volterra had to offer. She now had only one more stop to make before she went back to her hotel. The Palazzo dei Priori was said to be the prized possession of Volterra, which is why she'd avoided it until the very end of the afternoon.

Thinking back, she considered that waiting until later to see the infamous clock tower might not have been the wisest thing to do. The temperature had cooled considerably since this morning and it seemed to Adriane that everyone I the city was out enjoying the fine weather. It had taken her almost an hour just to reach the square from the North end of the city, though now she calculated that she was only a good ten minutes away from her final destination.

"What can I get you?" Adriane jumped as she turned to see who was talking to her. A handsome waiter was smiling down at her as he waited to take her order. His smile turned into a slight frown as she continued to stare at him. Adriane quickly shook her head. "Sorry", she replied at last, "you startled me. I didn't hear you walk up. I don't want anything, thank you". She didn't like the way the waiter continued to look at her. "Are you sure there's nothing you want", he persisted. Something about his tone of voice suggested that he was offering her more than a warm beverage to go. Anger flared inside of her like a tidal wave and she gave him a look of utter disdain. "I'm quite sure", she said through tight lips.

Adriane had once been told that when she was angry her eyes, which were an odd shade of gray, looked as cold and infallible as ice. She had always put some stock into this accusation, for people rarely looked her I the eye for long, especially when she was angry. This statement seemed to hold true for perverted Volterra waiters as well, for the boy's eyes widened when they met her own. He turned and walked abruptly away from her. "Stupid tourists", she heard him mutter.

Once again she leaned back into her chair. She was all too familiar with scenes such as this. To put it bluntly, Adriane Moore was otherworldly. She was tall for a woman, at the height of a perfect six feet. She had a willowy figure that was refined with muscle from years of activity, with large breasts and hips made even more prominent by her slim waste. However, it was not her body that made people do a double-take when first seeing her, but rather her face. She had an oval-type jaw line complete with a pronounced chin and highly defined cheekbones.

Adriane's slender nose was a perfect contrast to her full, naturally red lips. Her skin was porcelain white and her hair was a deep black, with a reddish hue seen only in the light, which was both wavy and curly. It was her eyes though, that made her face come together in a mask of beauty. As mentioned, her eyes were an unnatural stormy gray color, with flecks of dark blue surrounding her pupil.

She had always been self conscious about her appearance, even as a small child. She hated when people looked at her and saw only her outward appearance, for she was uncommonly smart as well. At the age of eighteen, Adriane was now not only finished with her primary school years, but with her college ones as well.

Both of her parents had died when she was but one year old. They had been incredibly wealthy British diplomats, leaving Adriane with more money than she knew what to do with, and a cantankerous old tutor who had kept a vigilant watch on her since infancy. Her mentor, as she liked to call her, was quite a slave to her education. By the age of eleven she had already finished primary school and had only a month ago finished college. She had to admit, she'd given her mentor a rough time the past eighteen years. He was always trying to tame her mischievous and outgoing nature, something that he never had accomplished.

All in all, Adriane had to admit she'd led a privileged life. She'd always gotten the best of everything, and was allowed to do what she wished as long as her studies were done. The best part had been the constant traveling. She'd been all around the world visiting different Countries and learning new cultures.

Italy had been one of her favorite places to visit as a child. When she'd decided to take a vacation and do some well earned traveling, Adriane knew that she'd want to come back and visit the sights. She'd gone from Venice to Rome, only at the last minute deciding to head to Volterra, one of the few places she had yet to visit.

It turned out to be well worth the trip, the huge stone walls that surrounded the city was one of the most well kept fortressed that Adriane had ever seen. This was only the second day she'd been here, and already she had been through every monument and museum, all but one that is.

Adriane sighed and stretched. She must have been there longer than she'd thought for the roads were clearer than they'd been before. Taking leave of the small café Adriane headed south. Within a few minutes she could see the outline of the Palazzo dei Priori towering above the rest of the city. Adriane smiled, it was even more beautiful than she'd imagined. It had been well worth the wait. The sun was going down now, throwing the city into a world of shadow and mystery. Adriane didn't mind this in the least, in fact she preferred the night to the blinding rays of the sun.

As she drew nearer to the tower she heard first the sound of running water, then the lilt of perhaps the most beautiful voice she'd ever heard. She pushed her way through the last couple of people in front of her and came to a stop at a fountain. The voice was coming from the woman directly in front of her, scantily dressed and recalling the history of the tower. As if sensing someone behind her she stopped talking and turned around, only to look right at Adriane.