Hello! I have been working hard on this story and have a general idea on how this story will go. So I will be dropping hints/ foreshadowing what will come! I wonder if you guys can pick up on it. I know it may seem like this whole story is about Challenge Day but I have visions that will take it further from just one day.

Also I am extremely sorry about the delay for this chapter. I have currently taken on two jobs and when I am not working I am studying full time at University. Gotta pay the bills some how haha

Have fun and don't forget to review so I can know what all of your thoughts are, good or bad.

Guilty Minds & Loving Hearts

"You know Emma?" Alice's tiny hands trembled from the force of her grief. She was no longer sobbing but tears silently flowed down her face still.

"I personally don't know her very well. But I remember when she died." Emmett was nervous. I could see a dew of sweat dripping off his forehead and he was fidgeting. I was a fucking expert at reading people; and I knew he was hiding something.

"Just say it. We are all being honest; no reason to start hiding anything now" I urged him. If we were all going to play nice and spill our hearts out then we could at least stay honest.

"You aren't patient are you, Sweetheart?" Jasper laughed quietly next to me. Sweetheart? I was many things but I definitely wasn't sweet.

"No, I am not and I'm not your fucking sweetheart" I shot back quickly.

"No, you definitely aren't a sweetheart" he laughed loudly now. "You are more of a feisty little firecracker."

I rolled my eyes but I ignored his comments. I was watching Emmett who was staring intently at Alice. Rosalie was still comforting her. This whole situation was showing a completely other side of Rosalie. I would never have imagined that she would have such a nurturing nature in her. She was an Ice Queen. Nothing could get through to her. She was a piece of stone, and just like me, Alice was breaking her exterior; Alice with her truthful words and doe eyes was going to make Rosalie and I weak. I was desperately afraid of how this day was going to shatter my walls I had built so carefully around me.

"I never realised that Emma had a little sister" Emmett explained. "She was so close with my brother" He released a shaky breath before turning his gaze away from Alice and towards me and the rest of the group.

"If you really knew me you, uh, you would know that my brother didn't die by a 'freak accident' as everyone was calling it… He killed himself." Emmett had a stoic expression on his face. He was fighting to keep the raging wave of emotion inside.

I sat silently trying to process what I had just been told. I didn't even know that Emmett had a brother. I had always just assumed that he was an only child who was way too fucking over indulged by his parents; I mean his mother and step-father. I looked around and everyone had a look of shock on their face, except for Edward. He didn't fucking know anything either.

It was then that I fucking realised. I had arrived to Forks roughly two years ago, around the same time as Edward. This tragedy must have happened before either of us arrived. This must be a fucking deeply buried secret. Forks is a tiny town and the people in it were just as small minded. If there was any gossip in town, the people would pounce on it like a lion does its prey. It wasn't a surprise that Emmett's family wanted to keep his brother's cause of death a secret. A suicide in a town like this would be the topic of gossip for years to come.

"I'm so sorry, but what happened?" Alice boldly asked. Emmett wasn't angry that she was prying. After all we were all here to be honest and get shit off our chest; shit that would otherwise rot us from the inside out.

"My brother was Jackson Everton. We don't have the same last name because my mom had him before she was married to my step-dad… He was the guy who was dating your sister, Alice." He paused so that she could process what he said. Alice didn't say anything though. Instead she waited for him to explain.

Fuck, we all were waiting for him to explain.

"Jackson was crazy about Emma. She used to come over to our house; my mother loved her. I guess from what I heard they were like the Golden Couple. Jackson was the best quarterback that Forks has ever seen. He was offered scholarships to some of the best Colleges before he was even a Senior. He loved Emma; I sometimes think he loved her more than himself... I remember hearing them both talk about marriage and how they were going to spend the rest of their lives together." Emmett has a small smile on his lips. He was remembering a time when life was happy; when his brother was happy. Alice was completely focused on Emmett. She was cherishing every word he said about Emma. She was trying desperately to grasp onto any memory that was left of her sister.

"But then Emma died." His smile disappeared from his lips. "It destroyed Jackson. He quit football, which majorly upset my parents. He was always out at parties either getting drunk or high. He barely slept. I used to wake up at night and hear him crying in his room; other nights I would wake to him smashing things. My parents tried everything. They sent him to counselling… but they still didn't speak a word of what was going on to the outside world. They didn't want anyone to know just how bad it was. They didn't want to jeopardise his future." I felt like Emmett was more trying to convince himself, rather than us. "About a year after her death, it finally seemed like he was getting it together, you know? He stopped staying out late. He started spending time with the whole family. I didn't realise he wasn't okay. No one did…" Emmett was silent for moment. I think he was stuck in his memory. He wasn't here with us anymore; he was stuck in the past. Despite that though, he took a deep breath and continued telling us what happened.

"He went into the bathroom one day and grabbed a razor and cut into his wrists. I had left for school already when my mom found him dead on the floor in a pool of his own blood." Emmett's voice started to shake near the end. He was struggling to get through this. "My mom was a mess, still is. That is why we hid that Jackson killed himself. It was hard enough that she had lost her son, but if the whole town knew it would have been even harder. They wouldn't have understood how we didn't see it coming. They would judge and gossip about Jackson and my parents. My mom is like a shell of her old self… It destroyed her losing Jackson. It destroyed our family."

Emmett hunched forward and silently shook. He didn't make a sound. Edward, without saying a word, reached across and squeezed Emmett's shoulders. He didn't get up and hug him, but instead just offered him the support Emmett needed by a simple caring touch. Emmett didn't look up at us for a long time. He stayed in the same position silently grieving and Edward didn't remove his hand. He lent Emmett the strength he needed. Eventually, Emmett was able to regain his composure and look back up at us all. He wasn't crying but he had dried tears on him checks and his eyes were bloodshot. Edward removed his hand from Emmett's shoulder and leaned back into his chair.

Now that Emmett had gotten it together, he looked ashamed. I don't know why but he did. Maybe he thought he wasn't fucking masculine enough, or maybe he felt like he had embarrassed his family by revealing a long kept secret. I don't have a fucking clue why he looked ashamed and embarrassed. I just knew that there wasn't a fucking single reason to be. I didn't seem to be the only one who realise that Emmett seemed uncomfortable and embarrassed. Edward was watching him with calculated eyes. He understood what must have been going on inside of Emmett. He suddenly got a look of determination on his face. Edward wanted to help Emmett.

"If you really knew me you would know that my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer when I was eight" Edward stated clearly. He was directing the attention away from Emmett. What a brave little fucker. As he spoke though there was no arrogance in his voice like all those other times. He let down the façade and was simply being himself. He was allowed to just fucking be Edward.

"When she was first diagnosed we all stayed positive. My parents sat me down and explained it all. She went in thinking that she would kick cancers ass. It was tough watching her go through chemo." Edward's voice slightly cracked and a build-up of tears flooded his green eyes… but he didn't let them fall. Instead he took in a deep shaky breath and composed himself.

"My mother was a beautiful woman. My father says that the moment he laid eyes on her he knew that she was the woman he was going to marry. Mom thought he was just a stupid boy who was only being driven by his hormones." A slight chuckle escaped his lips but it wasn't light. It was devoid of emotion. "He was right. She was wrong. He married her and he cherished her. You could see how much they loved each other; just the way they would look at each other. I could see how much they adored each other most when she got sick."

Edward paused. There was just silence; none of us dared to speak. He was simply collecting his thoughts trying not to let emotion overwhelm him. It was Emmett though that sat up straighter and looked Edward in the eyes. He was offering him what he could. He was encouraging but not demanding.

"You're okay."

It wasn't much, but it was enough. The simple words resonated with Edward and he was able to get control of his emotions. Edward offered a small smile to show that Emmett was right. He was fucking okay and he would continue to be. I was beginning to realise that I was sitting in a circle of people who were fucking soldiers, not of any war, but of life.

"Despite how much they loved each other and me, it just wasn't enough." Edward stared straight ahead. Avoiding eye contact with any of us.

"Mom got sicker and the chemo stopped working. It had already been 5 years that she had fought. She was tired, you know? I could see it in her eyes. She loved us but she was suffering. My dad could see it and it hurt him to see her in pain… But together as a family we tried to stay strong. My mum would organise family outing, even though half the time she couldn't go because she was too sick." A small tortured small touched Edward's lips. It wasn't the cocky smirk that was normally associated with him. It was full of pain that could not be eased. "It allowed a lot of time for my dad and me to bond. I would feel so guilty for being able to forget about the pain Mom was in at home. I got to be a normal teenager for those brief moments. But when we got home Mom would be waiting with that beautiful smile of hers wanting to know how our day went. It should have made me feel even guiltier but by being normal for those few moments I could tell it made her happy." He smiled a real smile now. It touched his eyes and he finally looked at us. The love he felt for his mother shined through all the heartache.

"Then one day she sat my dad and me down. I remember it so clearly. She looked so small in my parent's king sized bed. She said that she was tired of fighting and that she felt it was time we all let go. I couldn't comprehend what she was trying to say. In my small 13 year old mind I thought she wanted to go to stay hospital instead of at home. How wrong was I?" He laughed harshly as though he couldn't believe how naïve he was.

"She was ready to die and she wanted our help" Edward stated.

I felt myself bring in a sharp intake of air. I couldn't wrap my mind around what he was saying. I too felt like a 13 year old kid who wasn't able to understand what was being said. Even though I knew what he was going to say next I felt as though I wouldn't believe it until it was said. How fucking ridiculous I was being. I couldn't begin to understand how Edward felt. It was one thing to lose someone unexpectedly, but another to watch someone die and then eventually… I couldn't even think it.

"Edward?" Rosalie's voice broke the silence. Edward broke out of his thought and looked Rosalie in the eye. I felt like he was no longer here with us. But rather an empty shall who simply existed. How alike we were.

"I helped." His voice was devoid of emotion. "I helped her swallow the pills that would kill her. Then I held her hand and watched her die."

Once again we were all quiet. I could hear chatter, laughter and even a few sniffles from the groups around me but all I was focused on was a small dark scuff on the gym floor. I couldn't bring myself to look at Edward or anyone else for that matter. These fuckers were making me weak and I had tried for so long not to be.

"We couldn't live in that house anymore. We tried for a few years but it got to my dad too much. He couldn't sleep in the bed where we killed her. So we moved here and tried to start afresh. My dad has never been the same since though."

"You didn't kill her" Alice's timid voice broke the silence. "You let her die peacefully. You eased her suffering and don't you ever feel guilty for that" Her voice grew stronger. She was no longer shy and timid but she was confident and believed what she was saying.

"I know, but it doesn't make it hurt any less." Edward replied with a shaky voice. He had tears freely flowing down his cheeks now.

We waited.

We waited for what seemed like an eternity. We waited for the tears to stop flowing. I glanced towards Emmett and Edward. They always seemed so carefree; so oblivious to the heartache and pain that existed in the world. But yet this whole time their minds were consumed in guilt; guilt that should never have been placed on them. All they were ever guilty of was loving completely and purely with all their hearts.

So we waited. We waited for the pain, heartache and guilt to fade even though we all knew deep inside that it never would. For time does not heal all wounds. Whoever said that was a complete fuckwit who had never experienced true pain. Instead we just learn to hide our wounds and continue on with life; with gaping holes in the middle of our chest.

Okay, so what did you think? This chapter was a little hard to write which is why it is a bit shorter. I know I take forever to write but I like I have said I have a busy life. I have taken a year off University so hopefully I have more time to write this year before I travel and go back to studying. Anyway, please leave reviews. I really love hearing what people think. It is my favourite thing ever. I have also edited the last three chapters. Nothing has changed but I had a lot of spelling mistakes and just some small details I needed changed.

Thanks again and please bear with me while I write this story. It may take a while but I'll get there.