Chapter Seven
Edward's POV
You Found Me
7 years later...
Seven years. Seven years of darkness, of despair, of deep depression. Seven agonizing years without the angel of my life.
I've been nothing but a soulless creature, existing with my broken family. The plague of Bella's kidnapping had torn our family apart, with Rosalie and Emmett moving to Canada. While we were all terribly mad at Emmett for losing the one person who tied our family together, we knew that he was also hurting - he was the second most broken up about it; me being the first, considering that Bella was my singer. Rosalie loved her husband, and knew that separating from the family would give him time to heal.
They do visit often, and of course stay for the holidays. Alice and Jasper come and go, for Jasper couldn't handle the crushing sadness that devoured our family. Alice had promised to call whenever she received updates about Bella - though there were no updates of her ever. They too visit, but never stay. While I would have gone out on my own, I knew that I would go insane without something or someone keeping me grounded, so I decided to stay with Carlisle and Esme.
They pushed me to live for everyday, giving me the confidence to keep my head up and keep the hope alive if Bella were ever to be found one day. They gave me the encouragement that I needed, the strength to keep my ambition high.
When Bella had been kidnapped, we had made the decision to move, so we wouldn't need the reminder of Bella's disappearance looming over our heads. So, we moved to Alaska, where some "relatives of ours" lived here. The Denalis were shocked when they heard of our news of one of our own being kidnapped - though when we had arrived to Denali without my siblings and it was just only Carlisle, Esme and myself, they thought that either of my siblings were kidnapped. So, we had to tell them about Bella and how she was the one who was missing from our family.
At first, they thought we were only joking, but when they saw that we weren't laughing, they sobered up and apologized for laughing. Carmen and Kate were truly saddened by our misfortune of losing someone so small, young and important in our lives, and they too helped me keep my head up with hope. Eleazar was adamant with his decision; if we were to ever get Bella back, we should give her up for adoption. (You can probably guess how I reacted to him.)
Irina and Tanya... oh, if only they weren't friends of Carlisle. Did they act sympathetically when they heard of our news? Did they care about Bella's kidnapping? Did they care how broken up I was about this at all?
No.
They only cared about getting into my pants, like they have been caring about that for as long as I've known them. Oh, I just wish I could strangle them both, or if only they could get through their damn heads, that I. Do. Not. Like. Them. Romantically. I like them only as familial friends, yet they're dead set on getting me alone with them.
"Edddiie!" I groaned when I heard that all too familiar annoying voice before I hid off somewhere in my room. The door burst open, and then she walked in. Strawberry blond curly hair bouncing as she skipped, while she wore a tiny ensemble - her daily casual outfit. "Come out, come out wherever you are." she sang, giggling. I tried my best to stay quiet, hiding in the adjoining bathroom of my room.
"Eddie, come on! Stop playing games, you silly." Tanya teased in her annoying high pitched voice. I rolled my eyes to myself, while I made sure to put all of my strength against the door. Finally, it was quiet. Maybe she left. I'll just wait for him to come out. I groaned internally to myself. Damn it; there's no way of getting her out of my bedroom. I looked around, and spotted the window. I quickly zipped over to it, opened it as fast as I could, then slipped out. It didn't matter to me that I was on the second level of the house; any matters of escape is perfect for me.
I fell all the way down to the first level of the grand Victorian home of the Denalis, and then looked up back at the window. I smirked, then hurried around the front. But, when I got there, Carlisle and Esme were on the porch swing together, talking to themselves. "Edward? What are you doing down here?" Esme asked out loud. "Shhh!" I hissed to her, motioning for her to be quiet. "What is it?" Carlisle asked in a whisper, looking utterly confused.
"Do not speak any louder or she'll hear." I whispered ever so quietly, hoping for the best that Tanya can't hear. Esme scowled while Carlisle smirked. Both knew I didn't like Tanya all that much. But, before she could reprimand me, I hear a rustling in the direction of the forest, about 2 miles from where we stood. I looked over towards the forest, my senses heightened. Someone was coming this way.
Carlisle and Esme stood, also sensing that someone was coming. Then, I heard a flurry of thoughts, ranging from panicked to excited, from worried to elated, from frightened to overjoyed. It was all too puzzling, yet, I knew who these thoughts belonged to. Then, one by one, Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie appeared out from the forest.
"Oh, my children!" Esme gasped, overwhelmed by the appearance of my siblings arriving. "What are all of you doing here?" Carlisle asked them shocked. It's not that I'm not happy to see them, but don't you think it's odd how they all came together? Carlisle asked me mentally, and I bobbed my head to let him know that I agreed.
"Edward." Alice addressed me, staring at me with desperate black eyes. I looked over at her, before my mind was flooded with a vision.
Pines and Fir trees appeared, towering so tall they looked like they were reaching for the sky. The sky was clouded and darkened from them, then a narrow road appeared. The trees were right by it, where only a metal railing separated the road from the forest.
Then, a car appeared. It was old and rusty, where it sped down the road off in one direction. I was able to get a close up of the driver. He was a male who looked like he was in his 50's. He had graying brown hair that looked greasy, while he had on a disgusting white wife beater shirt. He was pretty unhealthy looking, where he had a beer can in his hand, drinking heavily from it.
The driver then turned his car when another road attached to the narrow road appeared. He went down that street, before coming to a small neighborhood with house that were tiny. He parked in front of a home that was beige color and two stories. He stumbled out of his car, took a large sip from his beer before he tossed it off in the dirt. Then, he drunkenly made his way towards the home. He barged in, slamming the door behind him.
A radio was on when he stepped inside. "And the weather for Forks, here in Washington, will be a chilly 62 degrees from here on out -" he turned off the radio with a stubby finger.
"Where is that little blind bitch?" the man grumbled drunkenly to himself.
The vision faded out then. "W-What was that?" I asked Alice, stunned yet confused by it. What was so significant about this man? "Edward, that was the man who kidnapped our Bella." Alice whispered to me, her face crumpling. I don't know how, but I suddenly was in front of Alice, gripping her tightly by the arms while I stared at her intensely. "When. Did. That. Happen?" I asked her, trying to hold back the growing anger.
"This morning." Alice answered. I growled lowly; she kept it from me since this morning? "Do not be angry at her, Edward. We wanted to tell you in person instead of over the phone. And, we all want to go get her together - as a family." Jasper defended his wife, roughly pushing me away from her where I let go of her arms.
"I hope all of you can keep up with me then." I stated, just before I took off in the direction of Washington.
The footfalls of my family was heard from behind me.
One Hour Later...
With no stops, my family and I entered the state limits of Washington within the hour. "They're in Forks, right?" I asked Alice from behind me. "Yes. That's what the radio said." Alice called up to me. I nodded while we continued running.
Finally, Forks appeared. Immediately, I caught two strong potent smells - a smell of beer and grease, as well as a floral scent that was all too familiar. I inhaled the smells deeply, and felt two hungers grow inside me - a hunger for the blood of the bastard who stole what was ours, and a hunger to be reunited with my Bella. "Follow me." I said to my family, following the trail of the scent through the small town.
We used the pines and fir trees for cover in order to run at our natural speed without being seen while I tracked the scent of the kidnapper and my Bella. The scent of the kidnapper had branched off into different paths of Forks, but I focused on the trail that had both of the scents. We came upon the very same road that was in the vision, and soon, the road leading off into the neighborhood appeared. We turned and then came to the very neighborhood.
And then, the beige house came into my view. My heart, dead and non-existent ever since she was kidnapped, now felt like it was leaping with excitement and overwhelming joy once that house came into view, because I knew I was so close to finally having my Bella back in my arms, after 7 years.
"Edward, wait!" Carlisle hissed to me; I was so focused on getting my Bella back, that I didn't even know I was stalking in the direction of the home. "What?" I hissed right back at him, infuriated that he was holding off my reunion. He pointed in the direction of the house, making me look. There, the kidnapper was walking out of the home, wiping his fist on his jeans, where there was fresh blood smeared over it.
Bella's blood.
We all growled and hissed, enraged at this man for laying a hand on her. The man got in his car, and drove off. "You five can go in there and save her. Esme and I can stay out here, to alert you if someone comes by, or if he comes back." Carlisle instructed us, wrapping his arms around Esme's waist while tearless sobs bubbled faintly past her lips for she was happy that her youngest daughter would be returned to us.
"I-I can't go in there." Jasper spoke up in pain. "Why not?" I asked him. "T-Too much blood; both old and new. It would be too much for me. And, I don't want to harm Bella in any way if I were to -" he stopped cold with a broken sob, thinking about the horrible outcome if he were to lose control. Alice placed a hand on his shoulder gently, and kissed his neck with affection. "It's alright, Jazz." Alice whispered comfortingly.
"I'm staying out here as well. If that fat bastard comes back, I'm tearing him from his car before he can even step out and go near that house." Emmett growled, flexing his muscles while his eyes were blackened with rage. "So am I." Rosalie inputted, looking just as furious. "Alright. Edward and I can go in there together." Alice stated, bobbing her head. "Let's go inside already. I want to know that she's well." I said anxiously, then strode forward, hurrying towards the home with Alice skipping beside me.
"How's her heart?" Alice asked me when we were walking on the lawn. I listened, and heard that heartbeat that I missed for so long. It sounded like that of a humming bird's wings; quick and panicked. "It's quickly beating; she's frightened." I told her, gulping. I really hope she's alright. Alice lightly placed her hand on my shoulder in a reassuring manner. "She isn't dead, Edward. There is no future of her dying. We saved her; we have her back with us." Alice told me, nodding her head.
I nodded confidently. She was right; Bella was alive still with her heart beating, and we have her back. Only the door was separating us now.
We reached the front door. "I know how to pick the lock." Alice said. "There's no need." I replied. I raised a foot, and kicked it open. The door flew off of its hinges, landing on the floor in a cloud of dust. We entered the home, and looked around. Beer cans and bottles were scattered around the floor. Some of the glass bottles were shattered. The radio was on. The kitchen was a mess with a sink full of dirty dishes, the floor was littered with food, and dried up blood pools stained the floor. Holes were punched in the walls of the home. Clothes - both of Bella's and the kidnapper's - were everywhere.
"She's upstairs; I smell her up there." Alice said. I rushed up the stairs, following her scent with Alice right behind me. There, a door was ajar, and the heartbeat of my singer was inside there. I walked slowly to the door, and nudged it open. "Oh god..." Alice gasped brokenly, and I heard her hand fly to her mouth in shock.
There she was. Bella.
The room was old, small and dirty, with only a mattress that was dirty was on the floor. Bella was lying on the mattress, naked and bare. She was only 10 years old now, with longer brown hair and longer limbs. Yet, she was still a gorgeous young lady. Bruises covered her angel face, with her once brown eyes now swollen and bright blue.
"He raped her, Edward. That sick bastard raped her." Alice hissed at me in a sorrowed voice, while I could smell her blood and see just how he tortured her. I walked towards her, slowly, and when I was beside her, I collapsed to my knees. Bella looked over at the source of the noise, staring at me blindly. "W-Who's there?" she squeaked out. My Bella still held the voice of an angel.
A sob broke past my lips, while I reached out and grabbed her hand lightly with mine. She flinched slightly from the coldness of my hand, and sat up slowly. "It's me, Little Lady." I breathed to her. She gasped, tears falling slowly from her eyes. "I-It's you?" she asked. "Do you remember me, Little Lady?" I asked, shocked that she remembered me after 7 years of separation, when she was only 3 and 1/2 years old when she joined the family.
"How could I ever forget you? I remember you since the day you saved me from that 'scwary' man with the red eyes." Bella said to me. I smiled, but stiffened slightly when she moved, throwing her arms around my neck. Alice had disappeared, leaving me alone with Bella. Even though she had blood coming out of her wounds, I hugged her bare body to my cold one tightly, holding her head with one hand while I sobbed tearlessly into her shoulder.
She was back in my arms once again, safe and sound.
Alice reappeared, holding a large black blanket. She kneeled down beside us, and wrapped the blanket around Bella. She pulled back, shifting the blanket around so it was securely on her. "There we go. You're safe with us now, Bella." Alice told her, stroking Bella's hair softly. "Pixie? Is that you?" Bella asked, looking blindly over in the direction of Alice. "You remember me too?" Alice asked her shakily, a shaky smile on her face. "Of course I do. I remember all of you so clearly. It's the thought of you all rescuing that kept me alive." Bella told her, smiling.
She was so hopeful since the day we lost her, and she remembered all of us so clearly. I'm amazed at how intelligent my Bella is.
Both Alice and I hugged her together, sobbing with joy. Then, after Alice had gotten her a pair of clean underwear, I gathered her gently in my arms, and we began making our way out of the room.
Suddenly, the front door slammed open. The scent of the kidnapper wafted up to the second story. I growled lowly, tightening my grip on Bella's body. "What is it?" Bella whispered, her heart quickening, her fist clutching my shirt tightly. "The kidnapper came back." Alice whispered to her. "Please, don't let him near me." Bella pleaded with us, her voice shaky and strained. "He won't be laying a finger on you at all, my angel." I vowed to her. Then, I transferred her over to Alice's arms.
"Stay up here. I'm going to kill this son of a bitch with my own hands." I told Alice, before I walked down the stairs. When I was at the foot of the stairs, the man spotted me, and looked at me with drunken anger. "Who the hell are you?" he asked me in a slur. "Why, I'm the brother of the girl you kidnapped 7 years ago. And, I'm here to kill you." I said to him in a calm manner, smirking at him. The man barked out a laugh and replied, "You? You can't kill meh! I'm stronger than you."
"Oh really?" I asked him. Then, I appeared right in his face with my vampire speed, and my hand shot out, grabbing his throat. He gasped from the sudden movement, and clawed uselessly at me when I lifted him off of the floor by his throat. "Not so tough, now are you?" I asked him with a snarl, glaring at him.
I then tossed his body aside, watching as he crashed into his crappy TV. Glass pierced into his skin, and blood slowly dripped out from his wounds, falling to the floor. I breathed in the scent of the blood, and my natural instinct was to growl lowly in hunger. "Edward, no!" Alice hissed to me from up on the stairs. I looked over at her from the corner of my eye, and saw her cuddling Bella closer to her tiny body, where Bella was visibly shaking from the noise.
A strong hand appeared on my left shoulder, and I looked over. Emmett was standing directly behind me, with Rosalie by his side. "Let us take care of him for you, Edward." Emmett offered to him. "I want to kill him." I protested, glancing over at the body of the disgusting thing. "No. You need to get Bella out of here. She'll go into shock if she stays here any longer, after what that bastard did to her." Rosalie ordered me while she snarled when the man moved. Rosalie was of course furious of this man violating Bella, so I knew she wanted her revenge on him.
I finally consented, and turned, walking up the stairs back to Bella and Alice. Alice transferred Bella to my arms, and after I made sure she was secure, both Alice and I exited the house while Emmett and Rosalie tortured the man.
We hurried to the trees, where Esme, Carlisle and Jasper were waiting for us. "Oh, Bella." Esme wept when she saw the sight of her, where Jasper had to catch her in his arms when she started to collapse. Carlisle looked over Bella quickly, assessing her injuries. "The man made Bella blind." Carlisle informed me when he examined her eyes. "Damn it!" I hissed, growling while looking over my shoulder, back at the house. I should've stayed inside so I could've killed that man with my own hands.
"He raped her, made her blind, and abused her. If we don't kill this man, then he'll be going to jail for a long time." Carlisle concluded, stroking Bella's hair, where she only jumped but otherwise relaxed, for she said she recognized all of us. "We better hurry home soon; some of the neighbors are getting suspicious." I told my family after I tapped into the thoughts of the neighbors in this neighborhood.
A few minutes later, Emmett and Rosalie came out of the house, holding hands and looking mighty satisfied. "He's slowly dying as we speak." Rosalie informed us, where only Esme and Carlisle didn't look too happy about that bit of news - a stark contrast to how Alice, Jasper and I were probably feeling.
"We need to get back to Denali." Carlisle told the two. "Well, we'll be joining you in a few days; we need to get back to our home so we can move back up in Alaska with all of you." Emmett stated, smiling; he's finally happy that we would all be a complete family once more, now that our angel has been returned to us. "And we'll see you four in just a couple of hours or so. We've got to get our things and buy some new clothes for little Bella." Alice added in for herself and Jasper, smiling.
With that, Esme, Carlisle, Bella and I headed back to Denali. I held Bella securely in my arms, making sure that the wind wouldn't make her cold, and making sure the blanket she had, stayed on her frail body. When we arrived back in Denali and back at the Denali Coven house, Esme took Bella from my arms. "I'm going to make sure you get all cleaned up, and then I'm taking you to the store with me to get any kind of food you would like." Esme told Bella, who smiled blindly up at her. "Thanks... Mom." Bella murmured to her, hugging her tightly. Esme looked like she was ready to cry, even though she couldn't. Esme kissed Bella's forehead and cheeks, before she carried her inside the house.
Carlisle and I then walked inside, and saw that the whole Denali clan was not there. "I guess they went out for a family hunt." Carlisle concluded after we waited to hear any of their voices. I decided to play the piano that was here, waiting for Esme to be done with cleaning Bella up.
When she was done, she came down the stairs, cradling Bella in her arms like she was only a toddler still. Bella looked much cleaner now; her skin was beautifully pale and no longer dirtied, while her long brown hair shined and was twisted back in a braid. Unfortunately, she still had no clothes so she was stuck with wearing her underwear and her blanket. "She's clean and free of any traces of that vile man." Esme told us once she had reached the end of the stairs.
"And her wounds?" Carlisle asked her softly, standing to his feet. He had been sitting on the couch, reading his medical book while he had the news on; he wasn't really watching it though. "I was waiting for you to check them yourself." Esme said to him. Carlisle smiled and walked over to where she was, and took Bella in his arms delicately. "Bella, is it alright if I do a check up on you? We'll be going into my office for some privacy." Carlisle asked his adoptive daughter sweetly. "Of course, Dad. But, is it alright if Ed is with me?" Bella asked up, looking up at him blindly.
"Yes, darling." Carlisle told her, smiling while looking over at me. I got up, and followed them into his office. She sat on my lap while he looked over her injuries thoroughly. He asked her if he could do a rape check on her, and she had nodded, trusting him. I left them room, while Esme went in there to take my place to comfort her through it.
When he was done, he let Bella be returned to my side. I then picked her up in my arms and carried her down to the living room, where the piano was. I let her sit on my lap and let her listen to me play the piano, playing various musical pieces by her request. She listened to the lullabies I had composed for my sisters, for Esme, and for her. She was enchanted with the notes and the melodies, and had asked me to teach her how to play. (I'm going to have to get some Braille letters placed on the keys, as well as some Braille music books just for her. But, if she wanted to play badly, I'll do it all for her.)
Alice and Jasper had arrived to the house just hours later, their arms and hands filled with various bags. "We're home!" Alice sang out, smiling when she entered the living room; Jasper was not that far behind her. "We brought our things, as well as some new clothes for Bella." Jasper told us, setting his share of bags on the floor.
"I'll be happy to get her all dressed up!" Alice chirped, dropping her bags on the floor - all except one bag. She rushed over to where we were on the piano, and plucked Bella from my arms. "We'll be right down in about 20 minutes." she said to us while she danced up the stairs, Esme following right behind her. "Isn't it great that our angel is back with us?" Jasper asked Carlisle and I, smiling. From his thoughts, he was genuinely happy that Bella was back with us.
"It's more than great; it's absolutely fantastic." I corrected him, a large smile on my face.
Just like she had promised 20 minutes, Alice and Esme returned downstairs, each holding Bella's hand while they returned to the living room. My Bella was all dressed up in a lovely blue and black dress with a mesh covering over her little skirt of her dress, while wearing small kid like ballet flats. They had taken her hair out of the braid, where it was drying and was now very wavy.
"Here she is, our Bella, all dressed up." Alice announced to us with a smile, gesturing to Bella. "Now that's she all dressed up, let's go out and get her anything she wants to eat." Esme suggested.
With that, we left the house in our cars, heading into Denali.
It was like Bella never left. Everything was falling back into the routine, and for that, I couldn't be more happier.
A/N: Crappy ending to the chapter and I skipped around a lot, I know. :p But, it's been forever since I've last touched this story, so I knew I should finish up this long awaited chapter soon before I forget, and my inspiration was slowing whittling away from this chapter... Though, I'll still continue this story.
And, I'm just so glad it's now summer break! Two whole months without drama and school! And of course, two whole months of FINALLY being able to sleep in! XD
I would really love it if all of you, the readers, could review this chapter and excuse the somewhat blah-ness of how this chapter ended. I had started it off good and all, but the ending was just bleh. XP
Also, I would really appreciate it if any RoOL and/or HSNE Trilogy readers out there who are reading this would go onto my profile and vote on the poll that's there. It involves the third part of the Trilogy, where I would love some help on picking the title.
All of it would be much appreciated! :)
So sorry it took me forever just to update this. :( Please forgive me.
Bye for now,
~*Lady Lily of Darkness*~
(PS - I know it might've seemed weird for Bella to be so comfortable around Edward and the other men of the Cullen family, as well it might've seemed weird she didn't flinch from someone touching her, but she was really hoping to have her adoptive family to return, and is just really glad she was saved by them. That's why she isn't shying away from them.)
