I drove over to the Cullen's house, knowing that everyone was gone. The guys were hunting with Carlisle and Esme had taken Alice and Rosalie to Alaska to explain their ways of hunting to a new set of vampires. Edward protested that someone should stay with me, but I knew he really wanted everyone to go on their trips so I all but kicked him out the house. I saw through Edward this time, though. The excitement of dealing with the excitement of hunting newly awakened lions never ceased to entertain him. I knew how much he was looking forward to this trip…
Right now I should have been at the hospital with Charlie, but he had been in a coma for three days now and I was scared of being in my house alone now. Six days ago someone had broken in to our house and shot Charlie in the chest. He had fallen over and the intruder had gotten away. Despite all my fears, Charlie wasn't dead, but he had fainted and hit his head and the bullet metal had poisoned him, and he was now in a coma. I needed Edward, or Alice, or even Carlisle to assure me that Charlie was going to be okay, but with them gone there was so little I could do…
I considered calling Edward many times, but I didn't want to frighten him. I was probably just over reacting, but the shooting in my house had scared me so much. I had faced death many times, but never without Edward being somewhere to save me. I was alone now, or at least until he got back. I pulled up in the Cullen garage and opened the door with the key Esme had given me whenever they all left town. "Feel free to use our home, Bella. It is yours as well." She had told me. I opened the door and ran straight to Edwards's room and curled up in the corner behind the bed. I pulled out my phone and placed it next to me for safety. I was scared. That was an understatement. I was really, really terrified. Who was in my house, and why hadn't Alice seen this person coming? I needed Edward. I needed a strong vampire to protect me right now. Heck, I wouldn't mind if Rosalie was protecting me right now.
I wanted to talk to Edward, but I did not want to worry him with the unsteadiness of my voice, so I texted him.
"Hey Edward :)." I typed. I sighed and pushed send. His reply came in less than thirty seconds—something I was very glad of.
"Hey, Bella. How are you? I am sorry I have not called in the last week. The Volturi decided to join us… Aro is fine with you being changed after graduation. I was very happy with that. Would you like me to call you now?" His text said.
I panicked. He couldn't call me now. I would ruin his trip. I swallowed the lump in my throat and texted him back, deleting most of my words and rewriting my sentences. "That's gr8 :) my week has been fine……. No don't call me. I'm not home. Where is Alice?" I hoped the last part about Alice didn't worry him, but I was surprised she hadn't seen me by now. I sent the message hoping Edward wouldn't analyze it too much.
My hope had gone to waste… Of course Edward would notice I was not okay. A part of me was scared, but another relieved to at least know there was a small chance of receiving help. "Bella, where are you? What is going on? Alice was attacked by a new born. She is doing fine, but her visions are cloudy. She should be back to normal in a few weeks. Call me, Bella. Something's wrong at home—I can sense it." Alice was hurt? Oh no…. I stared at the phone when the rain started to fall and the sky started to get black. I ran and turned on the light and quickly curled back into a ball breathing heavily when the phone rang. It took me a few seconds to pick it up and when I heard his voice, I started to relax.
"Bella, what's wrong?" Edward asked worriedly.
I took in a shaky breath. "N-Nothing is wrong." I was a terrible liar, but right now even I could hear tell that my words were not the truth.
"Bella, I love you. And I also know you too well to think that everything is fine. Please don't try to be strong, Bella." Edward said softly. "Everyone has to be afraid sometime, even you. What's wrong, sweetheart." Edward's words wrapped around me like a blanket. His words were one-hundred percent correct, and because of that I could not stop the tears that were pouring down my cheeks.
"E-E-Edward, there w-was a gun. I don-n-n't know who did i-i-it." My tears were heavy now and every tear I hadn't shed was finding its way out. I was so terrified, and I was all alone. "Charlie—gone but—scared and I—your house. Come home." I was sobbing. I couldn't complete my sentences; Edward had to know everything.
"Bella," Edwards said in kindly. "Bella, can you tell me what happened, again?" I took a deep, unsteady breath.
"E-Edward," I whispered "Someone broke into the h-h-house. They-They had a gun. Charlie…" I swallowed. "Charlie tried to protect me, but he…he…he…" I couldn't get the words out; they were too painful.
"What happened, love? He is going to be fine, I promise."
I closed my eyes and talked in a small whisper. "He got shot and got metal poising." I started to cry and the tears were just coming harder by the second. I could barley understand what I was saying. "Edward, he is in a coma. The doctor said that he may not recover for years. But even if he did, he wouldn't be the same again. It was my entire fault! I should have protected him. Edward I'm scared. I am really scared. I know you are having fun on your trip, but please, please can you come home today. I can't go back home alone. I am so scared Edward. I am so scared. Edward I—I…" I couldn't talk anymore. My tears were too much.
Edward was silent for a few seconds. "Bella, love, don't cry. I am only half-an-hour away. I'm coming right now. This is not your fault at all. When I come we will find out who did this. You will be fine. Charlie will be fine." I heard the car door open and close in the background.
I tried to speak. "I am at your house. I don't want to go back to mine till you come. They broke down the door. They might still be in there…" I sniffled. Edwards hushed me and said he would come home in twenty minutes now. "Bella, please calm down. I love you."
I started to feel better until the rain started to get louder and lightning struck the air. I shivered and my tears came back. I hated rain, despised thunder, but this was my first lightning experience, and I was numb with fear. I quickly grabbed a blanket and pushed myself under Edward's bed. I curled myself onto my side and scooted myself as close to the wall as I could. I tried to stop myself from shaking, but I couldn't. To make matters worse, about twenty minutes later the power went out and there was a small black shadow of a man getting closer by the second. I couldn't see his face, but when he stepped inside the room I let a blood curling shriek of fear escape me.
Who was this man, and what did he want? Was it the same person that may have killed Charlie? How did he know I was here? I started hyperventilating in fear until the lights flickered on and all my questions were answered. The man was Edward. "Bella!" Edward ran towards his bed and crouched down so he could peer under the bed and see me. I had terror and panic written plainly on my face in black and white and I was too numb to move. Until now, I had not realized that I was only in shorts and a tank top, and that I also was freezing. "Bella, sweetheart, are you alright? Don't be afraid; I am here now." He sat on the floor and looked into my eyes. "Y-y-you c-came." I mused quietly. "E-E-Edward, I am so s-s-sorry you have to see me l-l-like this, but t-t-thank y-y-you." I still had tears running down my cheeks. Edward continued to stare at me for about thirty seconds until he spoke. "Bella, please do not be sorry. You are safe now, love. Can you please come out from underneath the bed so I can talk to you?" Edward asked softly. He held out his hand for me to take but I just looked at it and then to him again and shook my head.
As I started talking I started to shake and my hands were becoming blue. "No. I-I-I can't. I am too scared. I don't like the dark or the rain or the thunder or the—" Lighting struck the sky several times and I winced and hugged myself tighter. "The lightning. I don't l-l-like lightning, Edward." Edward looked at me pleadingly. "Please come out, Bella. You're freezing in there, love. I love you, and I promise I will not let anything happen to you. You are going to be fine. Take my hand, Bella and I will protect you." I looked at his hand and back again at him. "I am so sorry. But I-something happened. I-I-I can't." Edward closed his eyes and opened them again to look at me. "Bella," he whispered. "Sweetheart, what happened?" I bit my lip and continued to sob with scary images coming in my mind. I shook my head and looked at him pleadingly. "Do not be afraid me. I promise to protect you. Please love, come." I looked at him and he nodded his head and slowly I took his hand and pulled myself towards him, and got out from under the bed. When I was out I jumped onto Edwards lap and hugged myself. Edward pulled a blanket off the bed and wrapped it around me, warming me up. My teeth were still clattering and tears were still coming out, but they had gotten less and I was able to breathe better.
Edward rubbed my back and laid his head on top of mine. "Shh, Bella. You are fine. I am here, and you are safe. No one will hurt you. Charlie will be fine. You will be fine. I will be fine... Jacob will be fine. Everyone you love and care for will be fine." My tears has stopped, but I couldn't stop shaking, and I wasn't cold anymore. Images of events I had tried so hard to forget were creeping back into my mind. Events that even Charlie didn't know about. I had a brother.
