Jane

"This may hurt just a little." Jane is a vampire and a high-ranking member of the Volturi guard in the Twilight Saga. She is the twin sister of Alec, and together they are the Volturi's most powerful offensive weapons. Jane has the ability to inflict a mental illusion of burning pain.

Early life
Jane was born in England around 800 A.D, daughter of an Anglo-Saxon woman and a Frankish soldier. She was born a few minutes before her fraternal twin brother, Alec. Both Jane and Alec had strong psychic abilities that were evident even in their human state.

Aro was made aware of Jane and her brother through the thoughts of a visiting nomad. Aro had shown interest in Jane and her twin brother since they were toddlers, but decided to wait until they were old enough to turn them (the Volturi had already instated its rules about immortal children) so left them in the care of their parents. Their talents had not taken a focused shape at that point, but bad things happened 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. Transformed at the age of about 12 or 13, they are the smallest and youngest in appearance, as well as the most prized members of the guard due to their incredibly powerful gifts. It is said that they are the cornerstone of the Volturi's offensive abilities.

Due to the pain Jane experienced during her burning at the stake and the anger she felt towards the villagers, after her transformation from human to vampire she gained the supernatural talent of inflicting the mental illusion of pain on others (the illusion of burning). Jane has since become one of the most prized members of the Volturi Guard. It is unknown whether or not Jane's human name was 'Jane' as well, but the chances are high that it was. Her and Alec's surname remains unknown.



New Moon
"This may hurt just a little."

- Jane to Bella before using her power on her

Jane makes her first appearance in New Moon, when Aro sends her and two other guards, Demetri and Felix, to bring Edward to their castle. Upon Jane's arrival, Bella realizes immediately that she is very dangerous despite her size (small at 4' 8"), as Edward does exactly what she says without hesitation. Bella also notices her child-like beauty. After Jane returns with Edward, Alice, and Bella, Alec takes great delight in Jane bringing back more people than she set out for. When Aro realizes he cannot read Bella's mind, he asks Jane to try her talent on Bella. Edward immediately stands between Bella and Jane and takes Jane's torture. Once Jane finishes with Edward, she tries to inflict her pain on Bella, but it fails as well, which infuriates her. She instantly takes a deep profound hatred for Bella, and is very displeased, angered, and offended when Aro compares her gift to Bella's ability to block mental powers.



Eclipse
"Either we let them do what they were created for, or we end them."

- Jane on Seattle Newborn Army

In Eclipse, Jane travels to Forks with Demetri, Felix and two other guards to deal with the Seattle newborn army that Victoria had created. She is rather shocked to find that the Cullens have dealt with the situation on their own, without one of them being injured or killed, but keeps her emotions hidden.

Upon their arrival, Jane notices that there is one newborn left, Bree Tanner. Jane asks for her name, and when she doesn't reply, Jane inflicts her torture. Bree contorts on the ground in absolute agony. When Jane stops, Bree starts talking, and Jane decides to inflict her torture onto her another time, due to her taking time to answer questions.

Jane takes delight in knowing that Bella is still human, as Caius will probably be interested in sending a hunting troop after her, but Alice informs her that the date has been set, much to Jane's dismay. After several minutes of discussion, the Cullens' failed offer to take responsibility for Bree, and another unsuccessful attempt to torture Bella with her power, Jane orders Felix to "deal with that" because she is bored and wants to go home. Felix deals with Bree, and they return back to Volterra.

In the movie, Jane is seen observing the newborn army from a high pointed bridge, accompanied by Felix, Demetri and her brother Alec.

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner
"I glimpsed her face for the first time. She was younger than me, but older, too, I guessed. Her eyes were the velvet color of dark red roses."

- Bree Tanner on seeing Jane for the first time

The Eclipse novella, The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner, reveals that Jane and her companions have already been aware of the newborn army for a while, and decide to visit Victoria and Riley in a small cottage. Though they try to hide, Jane knows that they're there and warns them to stop hiding, because they will find them eventually.

She gives Victoria a five day limit to "serve" her army's purpose, knowing that Victoria holds some grudge against the Olympic Coven, and then decide what to do with her and her army after they served their purpose. Unbeknownst to all of them, their conversation is eavesdropped on by two vampires, Bree and Diego.

After the army is destroyed, Bree telepathically informs Edward on everything that she knows about the agreement that Jane had made with Victoria before she dies.

Breaking Dawn
During Breaking Dawn, Jane, accompanied by the entire Volturi guard, make their way back to Forks, this time to destroy an immortal child. She is really annoyed to find that Aro has given Bella a wedding gift, a sparkling pendant. Later, it is discovered that Renesmee Cullen is in fact a vampire-human hybrid. As this confrontation takes place, Jane tries to inflict pain on her enemies to incapacitate them, but since Bella is shielding them, her power is rendered useless.

Jane is infuriated by this and tries to target Bella. When that fails as well, she tries to spring but Alec stops her with a restraining hand. When Alec's power proves equally unsuccessful, she tries to attack again until Aro stops her. Kate chooses Jane as her target when they believe a battle is about to commence, saying that "she needs a taste of her own medicine". However, Alice and Jasper return in time to prevent the fight from starting, with prominent witnesses to resolve the situation.

At the end of Breaking Dawn, Jane departs with the rest of the Volturi guard, with extended hatred toward Bella and her power.

Physical appearance
"At first I thought it was a young boy. The newcomer was as tiny as Alice, with lank, pale brown hair trimmed short. The body under the cloak- which was darker, almost black- was slim and androgynous. But the face was too pretty for a boy. The wide-eyed, full lipped face would make a Botticelli angel look like a gargoyle. Even allowing for the dull crimson irises."

- Bella on seeing Jane for the first time

Jane is described as tiny with lank, pale brown hair trimmed semi short and pale skin to match it; her figure is rather slim and androgynous. Her face is both angelically beautiful in its childlike appearance, and lovely when it is animated. Bella describes her as having an exceptional face that would make a Botticelli angel look like a gargoyle. Her eyes are wide and her lips full, while her voice is described as childlike. As with the rest of the Volturi, her eyes are dark red in colour and they become darker when she thirsts. Her childlike voice is high and thin.

In the films, she is portrayed as having blonde, longer hair.

Personality
Jane has a very dark and sadistic personality, and she takes great pleasure in using her gift to torture others. She is easily angered when her gift is made useless, which is where her deep hatred of Bella first began. She shows strong jealousy towards Alice, as Aro is even more impressed by Alice's gift than her own. She appears to worship Aro and seems happy to be in his presence.

Jane enjoys her gift, and the respect and fear that it brings her, and she never wastes an opportunity to use it on someone. Kate of the Denali Coven has a strong dislike for Jane, due to her sadistic nature. When they think the Volturi confrontation will turn into a battle, Kate tells Bella, "Jane is mine." During Eclipse when Jane and five other members of the Volturi guard ventured to Forks, she was seen as the leader. But, despite her personality she seems to have a very strong as well as loving relationship with her twin brother Alec, as seen in New Moon and Breaking Dawn.

It also seems that Jane has a jealous side, as she dislikes it when Aro gave Bella an extravagant gift (a diamond necklace).

Illusion of pain


"Jane smiled at me, the bright, happy smile of an innocent child, and suddenly I was on fire. It was like I'd gone back in time to the worst night of my life. Fire was in every vein of my body, covering every inch of my skin, gnawing through the marrow of every bone. It felt like I was buried in the middle of my coven's funeral bonfire, with the flames on every side. There wasn't a single cell in my body that wasn't blazing with the worst agony imaginable. I could barely hear myself scream over the pain in my ears."

- Bree Tanner going through Jane's power

Jane possesses a formidable gift, which has been shown to frighten even the strongest of vampires; for this reason she is feared and shown the utmost respect among both the Volturi guard and the rest of the vampire world.

Her gift allows her to create within her targets the illusion of burning. Her gift is an illusion of the mind: it deceives the mind into believing that the body is truly in pain, and thus the tormenting pain is experienced throughout the whole body. A person on whom she uses her gift immediately feels excruciating pain of fire, collapses on the floor, and writhes in pain. It is also said that Jane can control the level of pain she delivers to her victims. Due to the strength of her gift, she is able to incapacitate any vampire into a helpless target.

In contrast to her brother's gift which takes some time to take effect, Jane's works very quickly. Also, though her brother's gift is capable of working on multiple targets at once, Jane's can only work on the object of her focus.

Since finding Jane and Alec, the Volturi have never fought a fight where they were at a disadvantage. The only exception came during the confrontation between the Volturi and the Cullens and their witnesses. Jane, with her "burning" gift, and her brother Alec's with his "numbing" gift, are the cornerstones of the Volturi's offense. Together, they are one of the main reasons why the Volturi are referred to as invincible. Despite how powerful her gift is and the reputation it has given her and the Volturi, it is thwarted by one individual, Bella Swan. This is shown in New Moon, during their first meeting. This immunity instantly draws Jane's anger and later hatred towards Bella.

During Breaking Dawn when the two remaining Romanian vampires, Vladimir and Stefan, are discussing the Volturi's offensive powers, they mention that, despite Benjamin's powerful element manipulation, his ability is no match for Jane's.

Alec
Alec is Jane's younger twin brother. They both joined the Volturi when they were very young, and already manifested very special talents. In Breaking Dawn and New Moon, it is said that the two have a very close relationship. Her brother has been shown on occasion to tease her, seen when he comments that she brought back two and a "half" vampires instead of one as she was supposed to. When she is angry or throwing one of her anger tantrums, Alec is the one who calms her down so she doesn't kill anyone.

Film portrayal
Dakota Fanning has played the role of Jane in New Moon and Eclipse. She has been confirmed to reprise her role in Breaking Dawn - Part 2. She also plays the role of the girl in Friends when Joey is looking at the new house with Monica and Chandler.

Although Jane is said to have "lank, pale brown hair trimmed short," she has long, blond hair pulled up into a bun in the film portrayal.

Appearances

 * New Moon
 * New Moon (film)
 * Eclipse
 * Eclipse (film)
 * The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner
 * Breaking Dawn
 * Breaking Dawn Part 2