Chapter 2

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I eventually found out that I was placed in the basement of what I assumed was a very large house. There was only one window in a far away corner that showed a small backyard followed by more thick forest. In the room I was held in, there was simply a huge black futon, a coffee table, a large flat screen TV, and a few pictures and paintings that hung on the walls. I decided that I wouldn't watch the flat screen, even though Alice gave me the remote and repeatedly commented on a show that was currently on. I figured it got the point across that I didn't want to be here. Though I didn't know how long I could stand just sitting here.

I'd been here since three in the afternoon, and it was ten at night right now, if the large grandfather clock in the corner was correct. I knew Charlie was freaking out. My throat caught when I thought of him—waiting for his daughter to get home from school, but she never shows. He most likely had the police out by now and was out himself. I wondered if they'd come here. Or if they'd even find this place in the middle of nowhere. I never even knew it existed.

I felt like I should sleep, but I could barely close my eyes enough to blink. I was completely alert, waiting for the next attack. I wondered more than once where Jasper was, and if he was coming home. I prayed he wasn't.

What if he did? Would he attack me again?

I nearly jumped when Alice came down the stairs again holding a pile of something in her hands.

"Hi, Bella," she said for the millionth time that day. I felt no sympathy towards her. She wouldn't let me leave. Go home. I wanted her to feel terrible.

Is she a monster too? I looked into her eyes, that strange gold color that her brother had as well. I thought back to Jasper's, his black ovals staring me down into the ground. If I really thought about it, they could have been a very dark gold, so dark they turned black.

"Bella, I brought you some pajamas, in case you were uncomfortable." I gaped at her.

"You're holding me hostage, but giving me silk pajamas?" I questioned cynically, then bit my tongue. You aren't supposed to be talking, I reminded myself.

She seemed surprised that I spoke as well, and her expression turn down slightly at my words.

She sighed, and sat on the table in front of me. I shrank back.

"I'm sorry," she started, "we don't know what to do."

"Let me go home!" I yelled, shocked at my own volume. I figured if I already spoke once, I might as well finish. "If you don't, my dad will find me. He will. And he'll know it was you and I'll him w-what you are or whatever you are. You'll be arrested."

I was breathing heavily when I finished ranting, not breaking eye contact until I heard a snort behind me. I whipped around, and Edward was standing against the steps watching me.

"Go to hell," I told him. I tried to sound menacing, but I was breaking on the edges. My eyes were growing moist, my voice trembling. I sat back down.

"Oh, the irony," he said, walking towards Alice. He didn't glance at me again. I stared him down anyways.

"Alice, Rosalie and Emmett just got home. They have already noticed her scent. They don't like it, Rosalie especially. We need to go upstairs and explain."

There was a moment of silence in which they just looked at each other. Then, Edward nodded.

"I know. I know you do. I didn't expect anything less."

I blinked. I hadn't heard anyone say anything. What the hell?

A silent moment passed over again. Edward sighed.

"I… don't know," he whispered. I had to strain my neck to hear him, "I can't hear her. It's very strange. I don't know, Alice! Come, before they come down here themselves."

Alice got up and walked over to me. I shrank back into the couch more, and she put the pajamas next to me on the sofa. Edward didn't move, just glared at me more. I had reason to hate him. Did he really have reason to hate me? What have I ever done to him? I clamped my hand into a fist again.

I waited a few moments until they were clearly back upstairs before I tip toed over to the steps. The steps were a light wood with a beige carpet over top. Everything in the room matched with the carpet somehow. I wondered if they had an interior decorator or something.

I climbed up another step. I had a right to know what was going on, anyways. I sat on the fifth step and listened.

At first I didn't hear the voices, until they got louder. Eventually there was yelling.

"What the hell were you thinking? Bringing her here?! Why didn't you leave her there?!" A girl's voice yelled. Rosalie. I didn't need to think about who they were speaking of.

"She knows too much!" Edward retorted back to her, his voice sounding like a snarl, "She'll tell someone what she saw. I think she knows we're like Jasper."

"Then why didn't you kill her?" I held in a gasp. Rosalie's voice showed no regret at this idea. She seemed angry that they hadn't considered it.

"We should have." I had to strain to hear that, but I did. I dug my fingers into the carpet. I hated Edward. "We can't just drop her and leave again. We did that just barely a month ago. Carlisle wants to settle down somewhat, for Esme's sake."

"Kill her," Rose repeated, her voice cold as ice and hard as steal. A slow shiver rocked down my spine.

"No," Alice chirped, "we can't kill that girl. She did nothing wrong."

"Ugh!" Rosalie yelled, "God, it's all because of Jasper! Can't he just—"

"Rose." A man's voice said, Emmett, I assumed, "stop."

Edward spoke again, "If you want to, Rose, leave. I don't know how long this will be. But we need a plan. The town is surely looking for her by now. I'll call Carlisle and tell him everything. I'm almost sure he isn't able to leave his conference yet. This may be best if we kept this from him," he paused for a moment, "no Rose, you can't go downstairs."

"Get out of my head, Edward!" Rose yelled. "I'm leaving. I won't be around this," she declared, "Em?"

"I'll go with Rose. If you need anything at all, we'll come right back, bro. Just let me know." Emmett said, sounding completely casual about the whole situation.

I had climbed a few more stairs in my attempt to hear clearly, but by now their voices were so quiet I couldn't hear a thing. I tip toed back down to my place on the futon, throwing the pajamas on the ground. I eyed the remote, but didn't touch it.

It was only a minute before Alice came prancing down the steps. My head was getting cloudy with fatigue, but she was as energized as she was five hours ago. Didn't she sleep?

I looked up to see that Edward had come down again, clearly against his will. He averted my gaze and stood as far away as possible.

"We need something from you, Bella," she told me.

I let out a humorless, dry laugh.

"Where is Jasper?" I didn't really plan on changing the subject that quickly, but it just came out.

"He… left. He feels absolutely horrible, you must understand that. I am going to go find him soon, tomorrow or tonight."

"What?!" I interrupted, "you're looking for him? Why! He is psycho! He is a monster. He tried to kill me. He was going to kill me—"

Out of nowhere, Edward appeared beside Alice, positioned defensively. It was one of those impossibly fast movements. The same Jasper had had.

I jumped out of the sofa, and backed myself up until I hit a wall.

"Get away from me," I whispered, my voice cracking. "You're just like him, both of you. Just kill me now."

For a reason I couldn't understand, Alice looked broken about something. Edward straightened his back, more human than animal now. I didn't move from me spot. I kept pushing backwards, hoping that maybe I could fold myself into the wall and disappear from them.

"We do not want to hurt you," Alice told me. I almost believed her, but Edward was the one I worried about.

"Please let me go home," I whispered, looking at my feet while I spoke. "I'll walk, I'll find my way. You could take me. Just don't hurt Charlie either, or anyone else. I just want to leave."

"I'm sorry," was all she said.

"No you aren't," I stated, looking up. I looked at Edward this time. His expression hadn't changed the whole day, and he simply stared at me. I didn't want him looking down at me.

I straightened my back, releasing my grip onto the wall, and walked back over to the futon and sat down. I felt resigned. I wondered how long it would take me to lose hope completely. I expected nothing from these people. Nothing at all.

I assumed they got the message that I wanted them to leave, because with one last look Alice walked up the stairs. For some reason, Edward stayed behind a moment. He stared at me, looking frustrated and expectant.

I didn't look at him or give him the satisfaction of yelling at him before I laid down on the couch, surrendering to my heavy eyelids. He must have left right after that, because the lights flicked off. I was having trouble falling asleep, thinking about what tomorrow would bring, hating that I had absolutely no clue. I started drifting when I heard music coming from upstairs somewhere in the house. A piano. It was soft enough that I could just hear it, and it wasn't loud enough to keep me from falling asleep. I followed the notes in the sweet melody in my mind until I finally drifted into my deep slumber.