"Carlisle and I may adopting a new child," Esme said softly, "I know this will be a change for you all, but poor Alice really needs somewhere to stay."

My twin sister, Rosalie, sat up. She was expecting a toddler or something, "How old is she? I'll take care of her."

"She's sixteen, so only a year or two younger that all of you," Carlisle nodded. I looked over at my siblings. Emmett looked as if he would fall asleep. Rosalie had lost interest since realising she wouldn't have a little kid to play with. Edward looked jealous, not wanting another in the house. He always complained about the number of people in the house.

"She's been through a lot, so you all have to treat her nicely," Esme added, "Poor sweetheart. Carlisle treated her in hospital; she's been in a car accident and is still recovering."

"Where are her parents?" Edward asked, almost a little defensively.

"Her father passed away just before she was born. Her mother is in a coma after the accident, but she...we don't think she'll be alive much longer," Carlisle said solemnly.

"Her step father has been," Esme paused and looked at Carlisle, "Very abusive. She's very shaken up."

"We get it; we're not going to push her around, alright?" Rosalie stood up and placed her hands on her hips, "We'll treat her like we would each other,"

"That's what I was afraid of," Esme rolled her eyes, "Just be accepting. After all she's been through, she doesn't like to talk, so don't pressure her to say anything."

I felt bad for this girl. We'd had such a cushy life, and she seemed to have had the complete opposite? I'd always admired Carlisle and Esme for all they did for us. They'd taken us in from the goodness of their hearts, and raised us as their own. Now they were taking in a girl, clearly so damaged from her past, and I was sure they'd give her nurturing and affection to get her back on track.

We were dismissed, but all stopped when Esme made an announcement.

"Emmett," she gently took his arm, "We just wanted you to know...Alice is your half sister."

We all watched Emmett for his reaction. He froze for a moment, but then frowned, unable to take it in.

"She's two years younger than me, how did I not know this? I thought my mom was ill!"

"I have no idea what happened with your mom, but she had Alice and raised her," Carlisle explained, "She got a violent new boyfriend that took out his anger on Alice and herself. Police suspect that car accident was down to him."

Emmett displayed an expression I'd never seen in him before. He was struggling to come to terms with the news, and he was usually good at hiding his pain and anguish. He looked over at Rosalie, to Esme, and back to Carlisle.

"I can arrange for you to see your mother, if that is what you want."

Emmett shook his head and went upstairs, Rosalie following at his heels.

Rosalie was my twin, and we had been orphaned at the age of just six months. Esme was a close friend of our mother's, and took us on immediately. Shortly after our arrival into the family, Emmett was born to a critically ill woman, who was rushed to intensive care the moment the cord was cut. Carlisle had called Esme, telling her of the new baby boy who would most likely need a new home. Despite the challenge of young twins, Esme accepted but insisted he consulted the mother beforehand. Before he'd even touched on the subject to the mother, she begged for him to find a home for her son, as she only wanted the best for him. Carlisle updated her on Emmett's progress, but over time she soon lost interest. Being the most naturally maternal woman on the planet, Esme took to mothering three babies instantly and effortlessly, doting on us all equally.

The reason Esme had welcomed us into her home as her own was because she had been told multiple times she was unable to have children. When we were old enough, she told us of the money her and Carlisle had spent on fertility treatments, all for them to fail. She had told us this had upset her greatly, until she found us. Miraculously, when we were all around one year old and Esme had felt there was no need to try for her own baby anymore, she discovered she was pregnant with Edward, her only biological child. They'd promised us that they would never discriminate us or treat us any differently, and they kept to their word. Genetics didn't matter, they loved us all unconditionally.