Disclaimer: This belongs to Stephenie Meyer, not me.

Author's note: Thank you for all the reviews for the last chapter! I was thrilled that so many of you have forgiven me for taking a month off. Please enjoy the next installment and I apologize ahead of time. You'll find out. Enjoy!

Chapter 9 – Mind Over Matter

Edward POV

Moving quickly, I got the bottle of Tylenol from Carlisle's office and tried to move at a human pace back upstairs. Alice was admiring Bella as she moved towards the closet to find other clothing. Her thoughts were kind. Suddenly, it all changed as Alice had a vision of Bella. At first it only came in flashes, like a movie with images flashed upon the screen to emphasize terror. Bella was running down a hallway, leaving bloody footprints as she escaped from whoever was chasing her. Her small body collapsed against the wall and she cried out in pain. She was scantily dressed and blood covered her pale skin. Tears poured down her cheeks as she tried to focus on something and speak. Lifting a shaking hand, Bella coughed harshly. Pain crossed her face as she struggled to breathe and her hand came back with blood on it. She was suffering. I was in the hallway now. I dropped the bottle of Tylenol and knelt before Alice.

"I won't let it happen," Edward snarled quietly. "Never."

In the vision, there was the sound of harsh breathing and Bella looked up at her attacker. The sound of her screaming filled my mind as the person stabbed her with a knife. I couldn't see the man that hurt her. Falling to my butt, I placed both of my hands on the floor as I tried to get control of my anger. I could hear Bella's breathing change and her heart rate soar. Feeling terrible that I upset her, I managed to calm down enough to look up at Alice and Jasper. My brother sent me a calming wave and I saw Esme appear behind him with a worried expression.

"I will protect her or give my own life," I told Alice in a low voice that Bella wouldn't be able to hear.

"Edward?" Bella's sweet voice was frightened. "Are you okay?"

Of course she would be worried about me. I was the one that looked ill, when she was in mortal danger all the time. It was almost ironic. I laughed too soft for her ears. Bella's eyes smoldered at me as she sat down on her bed, careful not to get any closer to me.

"I'm fine. I just had a dizzy moment." It was a terrible lie and I knew she wouldn't believe it.

She gave me a skeptical look and I again wished that I could read her mind so I could convince her that she was safe here. Her long hair fell over her shoulder as she adjusted her clothing, making sure that every inch of her was covered. Isabella was still clearly frightened of me.

"What about Alice? Did she suddenly have a fit at the same time? And why did Jasper ask her what she saw?" Bella was very perceptive.

She knows too much. Jasper's thoughts were aligned with mine, but he wanted to shield her from us even more than I did. He thought that taking care of her was okay, but we couldn't risk our secret being discovered. Jasper helped Alice to her feet and guided her downstairs to get information about the vision. Esme followed closely behind in case Alice needed help. My sister was still shaking in fear. I desired to close the door to give us some privacy, but I knew that it would make Bella uncomfortable. Sitting on the other end of Bella's new bed, I wished I knew how to comfort her.

"Alice… I can't really explain it."

Reaching out a hand, I touched Bella's hand in a slight gesture to show her that it was out of my control. She yanked her hand back gently so not to upset me.

"Your hands are always so cold. Why is that?" Bella whispered, running her opposite hand where I had touched her.

Blood pooled at her cheeks as she blushed, looking away from me. I didn't answer her question. It was too close to the truth about our family.

"You can get dressed. I am going to check on Alice."

Bella nodded slightly and I exited the bedroom. Glancing back at the human, I saw her wrap her arms around her chest and move towards the closet. She pulled the door open and gasped, running her hands along the clothing that Alice had chosen especially for her. It was amusing to watch. Standing in the doorway, I observed as she pulled out a blue jumper and jeans. Smiling, she spun around admiring herself in the full length mirror on her closet door. I dashed downstairs before she could see that I was admiring her.

Alice was sitting on the couch in the living room while Jasper ran his fingers through her short hair, trying to calm her down. Her thoughts were all over the place as the vision ran into her mind again. Jasper had the entire room filled with his calm, but his wife was still trembling and unhappy. Sitting down on the couch, I put a hand on Alice's knee. She slowly looked over at me.

"I'm sorry Edward," she murmured.

"When will it happen?" I inquired, listening to Bella moving up stairs and the sound of the shower water turning on.

"I don't know. I couldn't see anything else, not even the person that attacked her. There wasn't anything specific about the location that I recognized. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. We just need to keep an extra close eye on her until we know more details about when this is going to happen."

I realized at that moment that the bottle of Tylenol was lying on the floor in the hallway and I had neglected to give it to Bella. At least the shower would help her some until I could get her some of the medicine and a glass of water. Emmett and Rosalie suddenly entered the room, having heard what Alice told Jasper. Esme came in with a bundle of cloth and a needle. I read her thoughts and discovered that she was making a quilt for Bella so she could be warmer at night and to show her how much she cared for the small human.

"We have to protect Bella at all cost," I muttered more to myself than the others. "I won't let someone hurt her again."

"I'll do my best to keep watch," Alice promised, giving me a small smile and finally relaxing.

The lethargic calm in the room slowly dissipated to a lower level that we could tolerate better as Jasper removed some of his gift. Esme looked up and I smiled at her thoughts. The house would quiet down soon.

"You best get to school so Bella won't be suspicious when she comes out of her new room," Esme suggested. "Alice, do you feel up to more school today?"

I quickly knew that my sister was still on edge and upset, but she nodded and went to get a notebook from her bedroom to record the time of the vision and what she had seen. Alice planned on keeping a close record on what was likely to happen to my dear Bella. We all wanted to prevent Bella from suffering, even Rosalie. My four siblings went back to Forks High and I settled down into the couch to wait for Bella to come downstairs so I could see if she was hungry again. I didn't know how much she ate and by her thin size, she didn't eat enough at the brothel.

"Edward?" Esme asked. "Are you alright? You seem to be very deep in thought today."

"Yes Mom. I am worried about Bella. I've never tried to keep a human alive before or felt so connected to someone. It's like she can see everything about me and my heart almost beats when she smiles at me."

"Edward, I can see it. You really like this young lady. I can't think of a more deserving person for you to love and for her to love you."

My mother was amazing.

"I wish I could read her thoughts to know what she was thinking. I have no idea how to help her through this or even get her to trust me. She's hesitant to let me get too close, but then she did mention how my hands are always so cold. I don't know."

"Just keep showing her your heart and she'll respond to you."

The sound of Bella's bedroom door opening startled me slightly. I listened as her sock covered feet padded down the flight of stairs and towards the next staircase. Her sweet scent was magnified by her damp hair as she stepped into view. Bella looked beautiful, even if she was painfully thin. Blushing at my gaze, she came down the stairs, only stumbling once on the bottom step. I rushed over, helping her to her feet.

"Are you okay?" I inquired, as she tripped over her own feet when she took a step towards the couch.

"Yes, I'm okay. I am just normally klutzy, which didn't make me a very good dancer. But I love the smooth movements and the beautiful of the dance," Bella was day dreaming as she sat down on the couch."

Esme smiled at her and went into the kitchen to prepare something for Bella to eat. It hadn't slipped her mind that Bella looked too thin for someone her age and height. She cared about Bella almost as much as I did. My mother was beginning to see this human girl as another child. It was a moving to know this.

"I'm sure that you are a wonderful ballerina."

Bella laughed and the sound filled the room. "Not really. I always got in trouble for falling in class. My dance teacher almost kept me from a recital because I couldn't do some of the moves because I fell a lot."

She sighed as her hair fell into her face. I gave her a strange look as her eyes pooled with tears.

"Why won't you tell me the truth?"

I was stung by this question. She would hate us if she knew that we were vampires that drank blood or glittered in the sunlight. It would give her more questions that I couldn't answer without the permission of Carlisle or the others.

"I can't."

Fate was against me as at that moment, the sun decided to peak out. I later pondered why Alice hadn't seen this coming since she was more reliable than the weather man. Sunlight hit my pale skin and the diamonds glittered, casting their light around the room. Bella gasped, but didn't speak. I couldn't hide this from her anymore.

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Emma