A/N: I am so excited about the response I am getting for my little story! Thank you so much!
Standard disclaimer still applies: I do not own Twilight, Stephenie Meyer does.
EPOV
As the sun rose on the horizon, filling the science lab with a warm glow, we waited patiently for little B to wake. Carlisle tossed out theory after theory on her advanced healing, until finally admitting ignorance, for which Esme and I were incredibly grateful. Conjecture was idiotic at this point. Grabbing my shirt, I pulled it over my head as I got up from the mat. I couldn't sit still anymore, pacing the length of the lab, back and forth, like a caged lion hungry for its next meal. My stomach chose that exact moment to make itself known, growling loudly as if attempting to eat me from the inside out.
"Goodness," Esme giggled. "I haven't even thought about food," her chuckles turning into full on belly laughs. The tense atmosphere seemed to wane as her infectious giggling caught on to the rest of us. Carlisle's eyes twinkled as he leaned over and gave her a kiss to her temple.
My own laughter stopped abruptly as Carlisle's stomach gave an answering cry to my own. At that, our bouts of giggles began anew. Wiping warm tears from my eyes, I settled back down onto the mat, grateful that the mood had been lightened.
Carlisle stood from his chair, stretching his spine and moving his head from shoulder to shoulder, a clear indication the old man had been sitting too damn long. "I'll go down to the kitchen," he yawned, looking over at Esme. "We could all use some breakfast. When she wakes, she'll probably be more comfortable with another woman in the room, so you should definitely stay here."
He looked pensive for a moment before continuing, "I'm positive it was my presence last night that set off her panic attack." He stumbled over to the door, unlocking and opening it just a crack to make sure the coast was clear. Looking back at me he issued a stern warning. "By now, everyone in this camp knows that there is a new female among us. Until she can tell us what the hell is going on, she doesn't leave your side. Understood?"
I nodded my head in agreement as Carlisle ducked out the door, heading straight to the kitchen to forage for our breakfast.
Esme looked down at me with a warm, motherly smile. "It's nice to see you care so much for this girl. I don't know what her story is, but I'm glad she will have you here to support her, whatever comes."
"She's so innocent. Caring about her is as natural as breathing," I whispered, slowly stroking B's long chocolate locks. She finally began to stir, responding to my movements. B slowly opened her beautiful green eyes, blinking away the sleep, and looked up at me as if trying to decide if I was real or not.
"Edward," she sighed in contentment.
"I'm here and you're safe," I responded. "Can you sit up for me?"
Pulling herself up into a seated position, she turned her legs sideways and tucked her feet underneath her hospital gown. She looked a bit uncomfortable and hesitant under my penetrating gaze.
I winced, chastising myself for neglecting the fact that she would probably like to get cleaned up. That hospital gown was definitely a lost cause. "Listen sweetheart, we have some breakfast coming for you. Once we've all eaten, we'll get you cleaned up and into some more comfortable clothes. Do you hurt anywhere?" I asked, already knowing the answer.
As I expected, she slowly shook her head no, looking down at her lap sheepishly. Finally realizing there was someone else in the room, her head whipped around toward Esme, her breaths becoming quick and shallow.
"Easy, little B," Esme coaxed, trying to stave off the impending panic attack. "Take deep breaths for me, okay? My name is Esme and I promise I won't hurt you. You're safe."
She climbed over into my lap wrapping her bare legs around me and burying her head into my neck. Without my consent, my cock began to stir with her constantly wiggling. God, the things this girl does to me. Willing my erection down, I rubbed soothing circles on B's back.
Esme gave me a knowing smirk and sank slowly down to the floor, approaching us as you would a wounded animal. "B?" she whispered. "I promise everything's going to be okay. I just want to talk to you for a bit."
Looking up from the crook of my neck, B began to apologize as fat tears rolled down her cheeks. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" she repeated over and over, breaking my heart in two.
I placed my index finger under her chin, lifting her face until I could look her square in the eyes. "B, it's okay. You haven't done anything wrong. Please calm down."
Slowly, B finally calmed to the point that she could turn and look at Esme. She eased off of my lap and back down to the mat, her eyes never wavering. "You won't hurt me?" she asked.
"No…never," Esme responded truthfully. "You have no idea how happy we are that the boys found you before the Dreg got to you."
"The Dreg?" she asked, her brow wrinkling in confusion. "You mean those people that were hunting us?" she asked, looking to me for confirmation.
"Yes, but they aren't people anymore, sweetheart," I answered. "How is it that you don't know what the Dreg are? It was all over the news channels before the reporting stopped."
"I…I don't know," she mumbled, twisting her fingers nervously. She looked up at me through her thick lashes. "I guess I need to explain myself, but I don't want you to be afraid of me or send me away."
Grasping her tiny hand in mine, I took note of her perfect fingertips where yesterday they were torn and bloodied. "Yes, we need to talk, but I don't want to you to worry. I know that you were scared and overwhelmed last night and even though we have only just met, please know that there is nothing you could say that would make me leave you."
Her eyes filled with tears as she brought her hand to my cheek, caressing lightly. "My name is Bella…"
"Oomph!" I cried out, suddenly finding Bella back in my lap as the lab door swung open, hitting the wall with a resounding thud. A remorseful Carlisle stood in the doorway, trying to balance an entire buffet on the tiny cafeteria tray. Esme scurried up from the floor and rushed to help him.
"We have trouble," Carlisle announced. "Hurricane Alice is on her way up here and she won't be deterred."
"Dammit all to hell," I muttered under my breath.
A few seconds later, my elfin sister burst into the room with Jasper and Emmett in tow. Hands on her tiny hips, she stopped halfway into the room and leveled me with her silent glare. "How could you Edward? After everything we've been through together-"
Within the blink of an eye, Bella was out of my lap, taking a defensive stance directly in front of me. The sweet, scared little B I knew was gone and in her place was a ball of pure fury.
"NO!" she screamed, hands balled into tiny fists at her side. "He is mine! You will not take him from me!"
My mate. Mine. Mine!
Her mind chanted that phrase over and over. Jumping to my feet, I reached out to take Bella's hand only to find her skin ablaze with heat, her little five foot four frame quaking with rage towards my sister. Jasper quickly placed himself in between Alice and Bella, trying in vain to diffuse the situation.
"Now let's just everybody calm the fuck down-"
Before Jasper could even finish his sentence, Bella thrust her hand to the side, tossing Jasper into the adjacent wall.
"Jasper!" my sister cried out, rushing to where her husband lay crumpled on the floor. She began sobbing loudly in relief as Jasper sat up, shaking his head in disbelief.
I spun around facing Bella, stepping directly into her path and shielding Alice from view. With my hands on either side of her face, I did the only thing I could think of. I leaned down and tenderly kissed her. Hesitantly, I pulled away, hoping I hadn't just crossed a line.
Bella's eyes cleared and her anger dissipated as quickly as it came. Looking up at me confused, she whimpered, "Edward?"
"Please, Bella, please calm down. I don't want you to hurt my sister. Please," I pleaded.
"Sister? Oh God…sister…Rosalie…" she muttered before fainting dead away. Catching her in my arms, I quickly placed her back down on the mat and gestured for Carlisle to come attend to her. Angry with my Alice for inciting the argument, I marched over and stood directly in front of her. Even though she's small at five foot two, my sister could stand toe to toe with me any day.
"What the fuck, Alice?" I seethed. "Could you honestly not wait until we came to you? It's not like you were never going to meet her."
Still sniffling quietly, Alice had the good sense to at least look ashamed. "I'm really sorry if I upset her. I didn't mean to. I just got so excited when Jasper told me this morning! And then he told me I had to leave you alone," she snorted. "Like that's even possible."
Grasping her tiny shoulders, I pulled her into a fierce hug, hoping to muffle the sound of her incessant rambling. "Pixie, please stop. Look, I'm sorry I didn't come to see you last night when we got back," I apologized. "Things have been…confusing."
"It's alright. I understand, sort of." She wiped the tears from her eyes and turned back to her husband, who was being helped to his feet by a very confused and excited Emmett.
"She didn't even touch you, man," Emmett whispered to Jasper. "Just swept her hand in the air and you went flying! It was totally an X-Men move!"
Carlisle snapped his fingers in my direction. "She's coming to," he stated, gently lifting her wrist to check her pulse. Looking over to my brothers and sisters, he gestured to the door. "Perhaps you three should leave us for a bit. B…I mean Bella…seems a bit overwhelmed. Let us make her comfortable and then we'll come find you."
Abashed, my family filed out of the room one by one. Alice turned back to look at me, silently pleading for forgiveness. Nodding my head in her direction, I mouthed a quick 'I love you' before she turned to leave.
Bella bolted to an upright position, immediately searching me out. I was by her side in an instant, smoothing her hair away from her face and urging Carlisle to give us some space.
"Edward, I'm so sorry! I didn't know she was your sister. I only saw her as another female that seemed too familiar with you. I couldn't stand it…you're mine," she trailed off, breaking down into quiet sobs.
I pulled her into my lap shushing her quietly. I couldn't have her getting that worked up again. We needed answers. I motioned for Esme to come sit next to us, hoping her comforting presence would help calm Bella as well, while Carlisle sat quietly behind one of the lab tables.
"Bella, sweetheart? I know that you are confused and overwhelmed, but I really need you to explain what just happened." I tried to keep my voice calm and even, so as not to distress her any further. "Let's start over," I suggested.
With a quick nod of her head and a deep shuddering breath, Bella began her story again. "My name is Bella Giovanni and I am twenty one years old. My father is Marcus Giovanni-"
"The Marcus Giovanni? The missing scientist? The leading expert in genetics and DNA research? That Marcus Giovanni?" Carlisle interrupted in a rush.
I shot him a scathing look, telling him to shut the fuck up and let her continue.
"I don't know so much about the missing part, but my father is a geneticist. My mother is Didyme and I have a sister named Rosalie. She's my identical twin. Although we look nothing alike, we do share the same DNA. We have been living in a…compound…of sorts. Underground."
"For how long?" I asked, curious as to my girl's origins.
Looking down at her fingers as she picked at the frayed edges of her hospital gown, she quietly whispered, "My whole life."
Esme gasped, bringing her hand to her mouth, surprised by the answer my Bella had given. "Had you never been topside before now?" she asked quietly.
Bella's head snapped up, a look of shock on her face. "Oh, no, no…Rosalie and I went topside quite often. The compound actually runs directly under that little town you found me in, Edward," she said turning her head to look at me. "Rachel, I believe it's called? We used to go up and play with some of the children who lived in that town. We hadn't been up in a few years though," she trailed off, as if caught up in a memory.
Shaking her head, she continued. "Anyway, the compound is quite large, encompassing a range of approximately 68.4 miles. We have a whole research team that lives down there as well as an impressive military presence. My father's brothers, Uncle Aro and Caius are in charge of general population, the guard, and government liaison."
A horrific scenario was beginning to develop in my mind as the clues were coming together. If the compound runs under the town of Rachel and continues for 68.4 miles, then that would also include the military base known as Area 51, an infamous military installation. I did not like where this conversation was headed.
"I'm confused," Esme mumbled, bringing me out of my dark thoughts. "If you've lived in this compound your whole life, where did you go to school? You sound so well educated. You mentioned general population. Were there families and teachers down there?"
"I…don't know," she answered hesitantly. "We were taught by my mother and father. The only interaction we had with other children was when we were allowed to go topside for a few hours every few weeks. Rosalie and I have both worked in the labs since we were thirteen. As children we were kept pretty isolated."
"That sounds incredibly lonely. I'm so sorry," Esme whispered, her eyes brimming with unshed tears, hurting for the small girl in front of her.
Bella shrugged absently, again fiddling with the frayed edge of her gown. "It was okay, I guess. Rosalie and I had each other. The experiments were the worst."
"You performed experiments?" Carlisle asked, growing more curious by the second.
"We did perform some experiments, yes. But mostly we were the experiments," Bella whispered.
Loud gasps echoed around the round, my worst fears coming to fruition. I pulled from Bella's strong grip and jumped to my feet. Gripping fistfuls of my hair, I paced around the room, trying unsuccessfully to regain my composure. Carlisle joined me in my march, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder, eventually pulling me to a stop.
"Let's hear her out, son," he soothed. Pushing my shoulder in Bella's direction, he led me back over to reclaim my seat beside her.
Shame and embarrassment stained her cheeks as salty tears fell from her eyes. "I know I'm not…normal. Rosalie and I aren't normal, never have been. When we were young, it was just little things starting out. We were stronger and faster than most adults, and we never got sick. We also healed quicker than normal. After we reached maturity, our abilities began to escalate, so we became more isolated."
"Is that why your mother and father moved the two of you underground? To protect you?" Esme asked.
"No, we were born there."
Carlisle cleared his throat loudly and announced to the room, "I don't know about anybody else, but I could certainly use a break. I'm sure Bella could, too. The breakfast I brought up is probably cold, but still edible."
"I can fix that!" Bella exclaimed, jumping to her feet. She skipped over to the lab table where our food sat, forgotten since the abrupt confrontation this morning. Placing her hands on either side of the metal cafeteria tray, a soft pink glow appeared as the food on the plates began to steam, its temperature rising as the heat diffused from the metal tray to the ceramic plates.
Releasing the tray, she looked back over her shoulder at all of our stunned expressions, her happy expression falling as our mouths stood agape.
"Sorry," she mumbled as she backed away from the table. "I forget, not everyone is used to seeing the things I can do." Clearly embarrassed, she shuffled back over to the mat and plopped down, her hunger forgotten.
Shaking off my stupor, I walked over to the tray of food, admiring the warmth rising from the scrambled eggs. Grabbing two of the plates and silverware, I returned to Bella and joined her on the mat, sitting Indian style with our food between us. I scarfed down the eggs while Bella munched lightly on the bacon, our moods lifting as our bellies filled.
Esme and Carlisle sat at the lab table with the remaining food. While Esme slowly picked at her breakfast, Carlisle had removed the final plate and was examining the metal cafeteria tray.
"Carlisle!" Esme hissed, looking at him pointedly. "Take a break and eat your breakfast."
Rightly scolded, Carlisle sat the metal tray on the table and attacked his breakfast ferociously. Looking over at Bella, Carlisle mumbled, "Fo ets oot asie metph-"
"Carlisle," I interrupted. "Chew, swallow…then speak."
Gulping loudly, he looked to Bella with a sheepish grin. "Sorry," he said, ducking his head, trying to hide the embarrassment that bloomed on his cheeks.
Bella let out the most adorable giggle. "It's alright, what were you asking?"
"As I was saying, let's put aside the metaphysical aspects for a moment. In regards to your education, what have you been taught down there?" Carlisle asked, trying to draw out more information on my girl's upbringing.
Smiling widely, Bella replied, "Lots. Rosalie and I both learn at an accelerated rate, so we study all the time. I can speak Italian, Spanish, Russian, French, and Lyra fluently."
Carlisle looked at me with a puzzled expression at the mention of the language "Lyra". Meeting his gaze, I slowly shook my head begging him not to question her further on that particular aspect. I had my own theories about Bella that I preferred to discuss with him in private.
"My math and physics skills are excellent," Bella continued, oblivious to mine and Carlisle's silent exchange. "And Marcus has been training us in his field of genetics and human physiology, although, most of the analysis has been performed on our own DNA."
It was odd listening to Bella speak. She was obviously extremely intelligent, knowledge that far surpassed my own and possibly even Carlisle, but she seemed so childlike in her answers. I chalked it up to the sheltered life she lived down in the compound and turned my attention back to her list of accomplishments, proud of my girl never the less.
"What about history? Current events? Social studies?" Carlisle asked.
"Rosalie and I studied quite a bit in those areas, but our access to some information was…restricted." Bella looked almost ashamed of her lacking knowledge in these areas. "We learned the basics about government, how each country was formed and ruled. We studied the major events throughout history. Geography was a little sketchy, though."
Esme added, "Perhaps your father simply wanted to keep the whereabouts of your compound a secret. Restrict access to that knowledge about that geographical region."
If my instincts about Bella were correct, that was precisely the reason why she had limited knowledge of this particular area.
As we finished up our breakfast, Esme collected the dirty dishes and folded up the blankets used the previous evening. Appraising Bella's appearance, she turned toward me with a motherly look of concern.
"I think that's enough for now," Esme stated, hauling Bella up from the mat. "I'm taking Bella back to my room for a bit. I think I have some clothes that will fit her and I want to take her to the private shower in the teacher's lounge. I think she needs a little more privacy than the locker room allows. We can pick up with Twenty Questions once she's showered and dressed."
"Twenty questions?" Bella asked in a confused tone. "That was way more than twenty, wasn't it?"
Chuckling at her bewilderment, Carlisle explained, "Twenty Questions is a game people play when they want to get to know one another, an ice breaker of sorts."
"Ice breaker?"
"Never mind him, Bella. I will explain later," I said, shaking my head. I placed a kiss to the back of her hand and passed her to Esme. "Don't worry. Esme will take care of you. You'll be back in my arms before you know it."
"Okay," she murmured, heading towards the door to Esme.
"Wait! Bella, one more question if you please?" Carlisle asked. "Purely precautionary."
"Sure."
"Even though you were secluded in your compound, I'm sure you are aware of the virus that swept across the planet and the devastation left in its wake." Carlisle stated.
"Yes, I am aware," she mumbled.
"Have you already been sick from the fever?" he asked.
An odd, almost remorseful, expression crossed Bella's face as she looked toward me before answering Carlisle's question.
"No," she replied. "No, I can't contract the virus. It came from me."