The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide (26 page)

Chelsea was born not long after the original Volturi members. She was originally named Charmion, but as she frequently interacts with humans and vampires outside the city of Volterra, she has changed her name a few times over the millennia in order to keep it from attracting attention. She chose the name Chelsea in the 1950s and will use it until it becomes uncommon.

Aro discovered Chelsea in the midst of a very difficult time for the Volturi. He had recently murdered his sister, Didyme, in order to hold on to his talented partner, Marcus. Unfortunately, after Marcus had exhausted his search for Didyme’s killer, he became suicidal. Aro did what he could to keep Marcus from finding a way to end his life, but he could tell he was losing the battle. When he discovered Chelsea, he was quick to utilize her abilities. He had her bind Marcus tightly to Aro so that he couldn’t disobey Aro’s wishes. Later Aro added Corin, hoping to help Marcus become more interested in the goals of the Volturi, but that was less effective; Marcus refused to let Corin’s gift erase his pain.

Chelsea became the linchpin in Aro’s organization.

Chelsea became the linchpin in Aro’s organization. Her ability to both make and break emotional ties is the power that keeps the guard unified and the coven functional. She
is also able to dissolve the loyalties between coven members, with the exception of a romantically bonded pair; those ties are stronger than her power. The attachments she creates are nearly as strong as a romantic union. It was her ability that kept the powerful twins, Jane and Alec, from ever questioning their subordinate position to Aro and the rest of the coven, and that allowed Aro to recruit many gifted vampires—like Demetri and Heidi—who initially had no interest in the prestige of belonging to the Volturi. Her gift is long lasting; it does not fade immediately when she is not present. It does wear off over a matter of time—decades or centuries—depending on how long a person has been exposed to it before separating from her.

Because of her vital role, Chelsea is the vampire Aro is most dependent on and most vulnerable to.

Because of her vital role, Chelsea is the vampire Aro is most dependent on and most vulnerable to. Knowing this, Aro has a special relationship with Chelsea that is unlike any other among the guard. Chelsea wears the pure black robe of the coven leaders, and she always gets what she wants. For example, her mate, Afton, though not exceptionally skilled, holds a prestigious place with the guard. Chelsea enjoys all the perks of living with the Volturi, plus perfect job security—unless Aro finds someone with a better version of her talent.

Aro is nothing if not cautious, however, and he doesn’t leave himself vulnerable for long. Aro made sure that Chelsea was often exposed to Corin’s gift throughout the centuries; Chelsea is not aware of the true strength of Corin’s addictive talent, but she would have a very difficult time leaving the Volturi.

D
EMETRI

Demetri was originally discovered by the Egyptian coven’s leader, Amun. Amun worked with Demetri to develop his tracking ability, and the two were very close. At the time, the Volturi had a tracker. However, when Aro heard that Amun had a more talented tracker than his own, he hurried to Egypt and offered Demetri a place with the Volturi. Demetri had no interest in leaving Amun, but Aro had Chelsea dissolve the bonds between the members of that coven, and then tie Demetri to the Volturi. Demetri joined them immediately.

Demetri is a permanent member of the guard and a part of
all of the Volturi’s important missions. Though tracking gifts are more common than any other kind of psychic gift, Demetri is by far the best-known tracker in the vampire world. With the rare exception of strong mental shields, Demetri’s gift is unstoppable and allows the Volturi to find anyone, anywhere. Demetri can link to a target once he has physically met that person, or he can pick up a person’s trail from anyone who has met them in the past.

F
ELIX

Felix is one of the few members of the Volturi guard with no psychic talent. Instead, he is physically the strongest vampire that the Volturi have encountered. Felix wears the lighter gray cloak of a lesser member of the guard, but he does have a permanent position with them. Felix is a part of most of the Volturi’s punitive missions. When there are larger threats, he is accompanied by other physically dominant members of the guard, like Santiago, or any of a number of other transitory guard members.

H
EIDI

Heidi was originally changed by a vampire named Hilda, and belonged to her coven for several years. Hilda was later accused of attracting too much notice with her large coven. All but two of the vampires were destroyed: Heidi was considered penitent and so was spared, and the other—Victoria—was able to escape. Thanks to Chelsea, Heidi is totally loyal to the Volturi.