Chapter 24
Felix looked up with an impatient sigh as a hollow ding sounded foretelling the coming announcement over the intercom. Offering Suplicia a soft smile when she took his hand, he rubbed the back of her hand gently. It was her first trip on any kind of transportation other than a horse and she was understandably nervous. Raising their joined hands, Felix kissed her knuckles as the pilot's voice filled the cabin, the words he spoke in French being repeated by his copilot in English.
"Thank you for flying Trans-Atlantic Airways, flight four-six-seven, international flight from Paris to Lihu'e, Kauai. We apologize for the delay, but due to fuel levels and storms brewing over the Pacific waters this flight has been rerouted to Sea-Tac International Airport in Seattle, Washington. We are expected to land within the hour. Please be advised that more information will be given after we land and disembark."
"Felix," Spulicia whispered his name in worry as she looked out of the window next to her.
"We'll be alright, little songbird," he promised her. "You let me take care of things, ok?"
"We've been gone for a little over three days, Felix. He's going to notice soon if he hasn't already," she knew she was shaking, knew that she was afraid, but felt unable to silence her fears. "He'll send Demetri after us, if he doesn't come himself."
"Hey, easy, little songbird," Felix released her hand to wrap his arm around her shoulders. "We're going to be alright. You deserve your freedom and if it comes to it, I will defend you. We'll figure this out."
"What about you?" Suplicia asked him, looking up into his eyes only to laugh softly when he kissed her forehead.
"I planned this weeks ago. I told Aro that I needed time away, time to myself. He granted my leave easily enough, I just never told him when I would return. I also never told him when I would leave. As far as he knows, I left to take my…vacation. You, he hasn't visited since you threw him out and you have always been careful to remain unseen by those except for Corin and Chelsea," he told her, silently praising her ability to stay hidden when it was needed.
"I haven't seen Chelsea or Corin in nearly a fortnight," Suplicia said as she began to calm. "Not since they decided to flaunt their activities with Aro in front of me."
"In front of you?" Felix asked as he looked down at her.
He knew that Aro's top manipulators often shared a bed with him. Felix clenched his jaw and rolled his red eyes that had darkened to a black-cherry. Aro, bastard that he was, often shared a bed with any female that crossed his path – including Jane. He didn't care that the girl was a vampire or not, she had been changed at the age of twelve. Aro's relations with the girl disgusted him.
"You're growling," Suplicia said softly, grateful that they were the only ones sitting in the first class section of the airplane.
"Sorry, little songbird," Felix said, smiling when Suplicia chuckled at the nickname. "It just upsets me how he treats you. You deserve better than him."
"That's why I have you, Felix," Suplicia said with a soft laugh. "You make the bad things better."
"That's what friends do," he told her with a smile.
"Please fasten your seatbelts and return your trays to the upright position," came the disembodied voice of the female flight attendant. "We will be landing in Sea-Tac International airport shortly. Please have your passports ready for check-in at the customs desk. Thank you for flying Trans-Atlantic Airways."
"We don't have any clothes," Suplicia reminded him. "Or money to buy them with."
Felix chuckled and held her tucked under his arm as the plane landed. "I have money," he told her, squeezing her shoulders in a half-hug. "I have well over five million dollars to my name, little songbird. I don't like being tracked though so I had one million given to me in mixed cash funds. Mostly American dollars," he told her. "I wanted to see the Grand Canyon and a few other notable landmarks."
"All those books you keep in your chambers," Suplicia smiled with secretive pleasure as she looked up at him. "You didn't get those just for me, did you?"
"Sadly, no, little songbird," Felix said with a laugh. "I love scenery. It's why I was so good as a scout and soldier back in the day. My attention to detail and love of natural landscapes made it easy for me to find the best areas to attack or set up blockades. I knew how to use what was around me to my advantage."
"If you didn't have to worry about the Volturi, or laws or anything having to do with our kind, what would you be doing? What would Felix want to be?"
He sat back, blinking wide as he considered her question. He hadn't truly given any consideration to what he wanted before, his immortal life had been planned out since the night Aro had changed him. He closed his eyes as he gave the matter some thought. What would he want to do? What would bring him pleasure?
"Teach, I think," Felix finally said as the plane bounced when the wheels touched down on the runway. "I had three younger siblings when I was human," he told her, their entire conversation having taken place below the range of human hearing. "Before I left to join the ranks, I would teach them what I knew about history, the landscape, our political system. Anything I knew, really. What about you?"
"The one thing I truly ever wanted, I never realized that I desired until almost a decade after I was changed," she answered, her voice holding sadness and regret.
"What was that?" he asked her as he unbuckled his seatbelt when the flight attendant opened the door for them to disembark the plane.
"An impossibility. Nothing more than a foolish dream," she told him as she followed him off the plane and into the airport.
"Maybe it won't be so impossible now that we're free, little songbird."
"Business or pleasure?" the man behind the customs counter asked as Felix laid their passports down on the counter.
"Pleasure," Felix answered and looked at Suplicia.
"Enjoy your stay," the man nodded and waved them through.
"Stop looking around," Felix told her gently. "I'd know if any others were here. It's one of the reasons why Aro keeps me around, I can sense when danger is near. I know when to run and when to fight."
"I just feel like we're constantly being followed. I want to be free, Felix, truly free."
"I know," he said and tucked her close against his side as he walked up to the desk by the arrivals board. "Excuse me," Felix said gaining the young woman's attention.
"Wow," he heard her whisper as she stared into his dark eyes and chuckled silently as her eyes scanned over his body. "He's yummy."
The words she spoke may have been silent to her human counterparts, but being the vampire he was, Felix heard her perfectly. Time to dazzle, he thought wickedly and offered the young human woman a wide charming smile. He wisely kept his humor silent as he heard her gasp and took in a deep breath, smelling the scent of her arousal.
"You are being entirely mean," Suplicia laughed quietly at him. "Stop tormenting that poor girl."
"How can I help you?" the woman asked as she shook herself from her stupor.
"Justina," he read her name off the plastic tag affixed to her black vest. "My sister and I were on the Trans-Atlantic Airways flight from Paris, France to Lihu'e, Kauai. Our flight was rerouted here due to weather in the Pacific. We were told there would be…options?"
"Oh, yes, of course," the woman smiled and tucked her sunset-red hair behind her ear. "Let me see," she typed quickly on the keyboard and studied the screen for a moment. "His sister," she whispered to herself as she waited for the screen to bring up the options the airline had made for those on the flight. "I hope he's single."
"Don't you dare," Suplicia whispered too low for the girl to hear as she playfully slapped Felix's arm while laughing silently. "I know just how playful you can be."
"What?" he asked innocently and turned his attention back to the girl behind the counter.
"It looks like the airlines set aside two full paid for options," she said. "If you still wish to continue onto Kauai, then there is a hotel about three miles away that has standing reservations for you, we would just need to add your names. The weather service expects the storm to clear within about a week, ten days at the longest, and then you would be able to fly out again. The other option is a connecting flight departing in," she checked the screen, "five hours that would take you to Jamaica. It was their closest scenic substitute."
"Well," Felix looked down at Suplicia, "what do you want to do, songbird?"
"I want to go to Kauai," she told him and he nodded.
"The hotel, please," he told the woman and winked at her when she blushed.
"Names?" she asked and he smiled as he gave her the false names from their passports.
"Giuseppe and Arcadia Giusti," he told her, turning his charm up another notch and delighting in the heated blush from the human girl.
"Giuseppe," the girl repeated, rolling the name on her tongue. "Ok," she said after a long moment and handed him a computer print out. "Your reservations are all set. The hotel is paid for including room service and if you'd like to wait, there will even be a private shuttle coming to collect you and the other passengers."
"Thank you, but I think we'll find our own way there," he told her. "Your help has been appreciated, my lady," Felix said and raised her hand to kiss her knuckles.
The woman practically swooned when they turned away and Suplicia was hard pressed not to laugh as she again smacked Felix's arm.
"You are a devil," she told him unable to hide her humor. "That poor girl will not be able to function correctly for the rest of the day."
"Aw, songbird," Felix chuckled as they made their way outside, a black combination lock briefcase in his hand, "you've got to let me have some fun."
She walked beside him, tucked under his arm as he led her through the airport and out the front doors. The sun was finishing its descent into the water as night fell over the city, the sky mixed ribbons of burnt oranges, fiery reds and bluish-purples. Suplicia stopped just outside the doors, her attention captured by the night sky as she stared into the clouds. Her voice was so soft that Felix had to lean close to hear her words.
"It's so beautiful," she said with wonder as she stared into the clouds. "I can't remember the last time I saw the sunset. Thank you, Felix," she turned her eyes on him and he knew that had she been human she would've been awash with tears. "Thank you for setting me free."
"Anytime, little songbird."
It didn't take them long to reach the hotel and check in. The building was tall, elegantly structured and designed with overstuffed leather couches lining the front of the lobby for people to sit and visit upon. To the right was a doorway leading into a gift shop and another open hallway leading into a fine dining area. He wasn't surprised to see how lavish the hotel was considering how expensive the airline tickets were. Trans-Atlantic Airways was one of the most prestigious European airlines that catered mostly to the rich and famous or high ranking politicians. There had been a total of less than fifty people on the flight and for that he had been thankful.
He watched Suplicia frown in confusion as he took the thin plastic card out of the white paper envelope and slid it into the slot above the door handle. There was a soft beep followed by the unmistakable click of the lock coming undone. He turned the polished brass handle and pushed the door open, waving his arm to motion her into the suite first. She smiled at his chivalry and stepped inside.
"Everything is so…modern," she said searching for the right word to describe the surroundings.
"And to think, that idiot you mated," he teased her, "never sought to invest in a television for your entertainment."
Her eyebrows quirked in confusion as she watched him step across the room. Of course she had heard mention of the technologies that had appeared through time, but she had never seen any of them. She watched him pick up a long slim plastic object from the table and press down on it. She gasped when the sound of voices filled the room and looked over at the fifty-two inch television that was mounted flat against the wall.
"Gianna watches this series on her computer at her apartment," he told her as he set the remote down on the glass-top table. "She called it NCIS. I never paid much attention to it, but she told me that I remind her of a man named 'Gibbs'. I thought you might like a little distraction."
"What about clothes and hunting. I fed the night before we left, but - "
"With all the physical activity, you are hungry again," he finished for her. "I am too, but these clothes, especially the capes are too conspicuous. Come here," he said as he set his briefcase on the low coffee table and sat on the white leather couch. "The combination is two-fourteen-seven," he said as he rolled the numbers on the left side, "and twelve-one-zero," he said as he rolled the numbers on the right side.
The locks flipped open and he opened the briefcase. A collection of papers sat on the top of a metal plate that he removed carefully. In the bottom of the briefcase, hidden by the lead plate that kept the x-ray machines from seeing the funds, sat the cash he was carrying with him. Seven hundred-fifty thousand of the dollars were in American currency, the rest in Euros. He took a stack of American money and handed it to Suplicia.
"There's fifteen hundred dollars there in fifties," he told her. "It's more than enough to get you new clothes. Keep it hidden, I've no doubt that you can take care of yourself, but I'd rather not have to see you be forced to. We need to get you normal clothes, regular clothes. Me too, these Volturi robes are not easy to hide in. I'll talk to the concierge, we'll – "
"Felix," she interrupted him and he looked up.
"Hey, shh," he caught her as she fell and held her against his chest as she sobbed in his arms. "Suplicia…songbird, what is it?"
She couldn't speak to answer his question, too strong were her emotions. For centuries she had been held captive in the ancient castle, not allowed out, not allowed to meet anyone new, and now she was free. There was a whole world out there for her to explore, others of her kind to meet, even humans that she could talk to. Unlike her mate, she didn't think humans to be the cattle to their kind. She was human once, they all were. Humans were more than food. They were people, people who were captivating, intelligent; people she had enjoyed engaging in conversation. That was until Aro found out that she wasn't eating the people he brought to her and talking to them instead. Since that time, less than a decade after Didyme's death, he stopped having humans brought to her and instead had pitchers of blood taken to her room.
Felix pressed his lips together, turning and laying back on the couch as he held her on his chest. He rubbed her back, petted her hair as she cried. He kissed her forehead, and then her hair as he spoke soothingly to her. He moved to kiss her forehead again when she turned her face up to him and his lips met hers instead. They both froze for a moment, shocked by the intimate touch. Their eyes were locked on each other, her eyes wide as her breathing quickened, the action unnecessary, but instinctual. Felix's eyes flicked down to her full lips, his hand slipping up her back to cup the back of her head, his fingers combing into her thick cornsilk hair.
She whimpered invitingly, her hand fisting in his shirt as he dipped his head forward and captured her lips once more. Suplicia gasped, pressing closer to him as his arm tightened around her back. Her hands moved from between their bodies, sliding up along his chiseled chest to cup his square jaw in her hands. Felix suddenly broke their kiss, sitting up quickly and setting her aside before fleeing to the other side of the room, all with vampire speed.
"I-I'm sorry," he said to her, shaking his head as he was unable to meet her eyes. "I shouldn't," he told her. "You're mated to someone else and we've been friends for so long…"
"Felix," Suplicia stood from the couch and stepped toward him. "Please. Kiss me."
"Suplicia," he met her eyes and shook his head, the expression on his face full of a mix of lust and regret.
"Felix," she stepped toward him slowly. "We have known each other for so long. I fell in love with you, I don't even know when, one day it was just there. You can't tell me you don't feel the same."
Felix shook his head as he backed away from her. "I won't take another man's mate."
She dropped the hand that she had been reaching out to him and sighed. Looking at the floor, Suplicia shook her head and stepped back.
"You're too good to be chained to the Volturi," she told him, her voice sounding as old as she felt, "You may be the only person left among them who still knows what honor is."
"I'm sorry," he told her, his voice full of regret. "I do love you," he told her. "But I can't, I can't lay with you knowing that you belong to someone else. I'm too selfish for that. I would want you all to myself, body, mind and soul. I'm sorry."
"So am I," she said, her voice shaking. "Can we," her voice became choked and she swallowed back her emotions. "Can we still be friends at least?"
"Always," he told her as he appeared at her side in an instant. "You will always have me," he promised her as he wrapped her in his arms and held her close. "As a friend and as a protector."
"But not as a lover," she finished for him.
"No, not while your mate lives," he said without thinking of how his words would sound. "No, Suplicia," he said when she turned determined eyes on him. "I will not condone the killing of Aro just so that we can be together. I could never condone that, no matter the circumstance."
"You're too good for them," she told him again. "Does Aro know that after all this time you still have honor and integrity?"
"It amuses him, or so he says," Felix said as he rolled his eyes. "I try to hide it around him and the others. But here, I don't have to hide anything."
"Neither of us does, not anymore," she said with a deeply indrawn breath. "We are free."
:::::
"She's not eating," Esme said with sad sigh as she stepped into Carlisle's office. "All of this is upsetting her so much."
"We cannot simply stop," Carlisle told her as he held out his hand for her to take. "We're making progress, my love. It's slow and it's painful, but it is progress."
She shook her head as he tugged gently on her hand until she sat down on his lap. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he kissed her temple and held her tucked against his chest as he rested his chin on her hair. It had been two days since they had gotten Angela to talk about her childhood, the few memories she had revealed horrifying them all. She hadn't spoken a word since, not even through her thoughts to Edward. Angela was retreating into herself, becoming the ghost again as she tried to escape the memories of her childhood.
"I just hate that she's hurting so much. Her silence even has Jasper worried. He told me that he's beginning to think she can block him," Esme told him as she remembered the conversation she'd had with him earlier that day.
"Block him?" Carlisle pulled back to look at her in confusion. "I didn't think anything could block Jasper."
"He told me that it feels like his talent is bouncing off of her, like lasers on a mirror." Esme stood up from his lap, pacing away from his desk as her worry made it impossible for her to keep still. "Carlisle…are we doing the right thing? What if we're only hurting her more?"
Carlisle stood from his seat releasing a silent sigh as he stepped toward his wife. He wrapped her in his arms, smoothing his hand down over her hair as he held her close. Leaning back enough to see her face, Carlisle cupped her cheeks in his hands and kissed her slowly.
"We are doing the right thing," he assured her softly. "We have to get her to talk, Esme. It's the only way to help her heal. Where is she?"
"The same place she's been since the morning after: wrapped in Emmett's arms."
Offering her a somewhat sad smile, Carlisle nodded and kissed her once more before stepping away from her. He walked through the house, not finding Emmett or Angela in the living room, kitchen or her bedroom. Looking up when he saw Jasper standing in the hall he watched as his adoptive son nodded toward the window.
"She's outside with him," Jasper clarified as he stepped into Angela's room and pulled back the curtain. "He's the only one that's been able to calm her. Every now and then her fear will spike. There's something about the way she's acting, the way she's hiding herself away, I think they did something – threatened or hurt her – to keep her from talking about what happened. Whatever they did, when you asked her to talk about what she went through, I've never felt her so scared."
Carlisle sighed. "The problem is getting her to talk again. How do we make her feel safe?"
"I think we need to let Emmett take care of that," Jasper said as he looked down on his siblings below where they sat on the boulder in the backyard. "She feels safe with him. He calms her…she clings to him."
"Carlisle," Alice's voice sounded from behind them. "Edward's gone to go get Chief Swan. Charlie asked Bella to tell him what Angela told us. He wants to be here for the next time and you're already planning to talk to her tonight."
"He won't be able to hear her," Carlisle shook his head, knowing that there was the distinct possibility that what they were could be revealed to the human police chief.
"He will," Alice assured him. "He's not going to stay long, he just has a few questions for her," she assured Carlisle. "It's her reaction he's most interested in. He wants to see how she reacts to his questions."
"Can you see how she will react?" he asked her and sighed when she shook her head no.
"Edward's coming now, Charlie asked Bella to stay home. He's behind Edward in the cruiser. They'll be here in less than five minutes," she told him.
Carlisle nodded and looked down below to see Emmett's face turned up to them, his son having heard their quiet conversation perfectly. His brow was furrowed in worry, but he nodded to Carlisle and stood with Angela cradled in his arms. Turning away from the window, Carlisle stepped out of Angela's bedroom and into the hall. He hated the pain this was causing Angela, the terror she experienced and the nightmares that followed, but he didn't have a choice. If he wanted to help her heal then he had to get her to talk about what happened. He felt his hands tremble and looked down at them as he walked down the stairs. He could still feel Angela shaking in his arms; hear her silent whimpers in her sleep. He had read to her each time her sleep had become troubled, even going so far as to walk around the room with her cradled in his arms, anything to take away her nightmares. Nothing had worked, she hadn't gotten much more than an hour's worth of uninterrupted sleep the night that he had gotten her to talk.
He looked up as the front door opened. Greeting Chief Swan with a sad, tired smile and a nod, he welcomed the man into his home. He could feel the man's eyes on him as he led him into the living room, Emmett already seated on the couch with Angela held on his lap and wrapped in his arms. He knew that Charlie had questions for him; he only hoped he could answer them without having to lie to hide their true natures.
"She's not doing so well, is she?" Charlie asked Carlisle quietly as he looked at the girl wrapped in Emmett's arms.
"No," Carlisle said slowly. "No, she's not. She hasn't said a word since the morning after we got her to talk. She's not eating either, she's barely sleeping."
Charlie nodded and stepped up to stand near Emmett. Angela looked absolutely tiny in Emmett's arms and Charlie sighed silently as he looked at her. She reminded him so much of Bella that it was hard to separate the father in him from the cop. Nodding his thanks to Emmett when the teen tipped his head toward the low coffee table in front of him, Charlie sat down and looked at Angela. It took him almost five minutes to gain the girl's attention, and when she did finally turn her face to him he was saddened by the haunted look in her eyes.
"Angela, I need to ask you a few questions, if that's ok?" Charlie said and watched her look at Emmett.
"It's alright, half pint," Emmett assured her softly and kissed her forehead. "I'm not going anywhere," he promised her and rubbed her arm. "Just answer his questions, ok?"
Angela bit her lip and nodded slowly before turning her eyes back on Charlie. Her brow furrowed in confusion as she watched the man's hand move and saw him take a slim digital recorder from his pocket. He didn't have the small notebook with him that he carried whenever he asked her about her stalker which meant only one thing. Her eyes flared wide and she began to struggle against Emmett's iron hold. His arms weren't holding her tight enough to hurt her or make her uncomfortable, but he refused to budge an inch.
"It's alright, baby girl, shh," Emmett tried to soothe her as she fought against him. "It's ok, I promise. You're safe here, Angela, just remember that."
"I don't want to talk about this," she whimpered, her voice barely loud enough for Charlie to hear.
"I know you don't," Emmett said gently as he held her. "But you need to, Sweetheart. It's ok, you're safe here, remember? No one's going to hurt you."
Everything in her was telling her to run, she couldn't do this, she couldn't talk about this. She tried pushing at Emmett's arms once more, but escaping him was impossible. She heard Charlie say something, her frightened mind not able to understand the words, but his intention was clear. She knew what he wanted to talk about, but she couldn't do this, none of them understood. She had to get away and when she realized that she couldn't physically leave, she did the only thing she could do.
"Angela," Emmett looked down when she grew completely still in his arms. "Angela, come back to me," he called to her when he gained no response from her.
Charlie looked at the girl held in Emmett's arms. Her struggles had stopped, in fact all movement from the girl had stopped save for her breathing. Her eyes were open, but empty as she stared at nothing. She had retreated into her mind. Shaking his head and looking down, Charlie put the recorder away. He didn't need to see or even hear anymore, her reaction was telling enough. Standing from the coffee table he looked at Carlisle only to find the man talking softly into his cell phone. He turned his attention on Esme instead and stepped toward the gentle woman.
"Edward said there was a voicemail," he said to her and watched her nod.
"Come with me, I'll get it for you," Esme said as she led him out of the room.
"My friend, she is safe," Carlisle said into his phone as he paced the living room.
"Don't tell me she's safe, Carlisle," Eleazar said, his voice heard clearly by the other vampires in the room. "I felt her, all the way here in Denali, I felt her. She is terrified. Where is she?"
"She is here with us," Carlisle sighed. "We have been trying to get her to talk about her childhood. Two days ago we were able to get her talk for a little while; today it's proving more difficult."
"Can I talk with her?" he asked, his voice growing more concerned.
"I wish I could say yes," Carlisle said as he looked at the girl in question. "But she has shut herself away inside her mind. She's not talking to anyone."
"Would it help her if we came back?" he asked and Carlisle could hear both Carmen and Tanya's voices in the background.
"At this point, I honestly don't know what would help her. What few memories she revealed to us before were bad enough, hold on," he said and lowered his cell phone as Charlie came back into the living room with Esme. "Charlie?"
"I'll talk with Mike – Judge Harrison," he clarified. "The voicemail and her reaction should be enough proof. I'll call you as soon as I have the restraining order against her parents."
"Thank you," Carlisle said, nodding gratefully and returning to his phone as Esme led him out of the room and back to the front door. "Eleazar, I need to get back to Angela, I'll call you with any news."
"Wait," Jasper said and met Carlisle's eyes. "I need to speak with him."
"I'm going to hand you over to Jasper, he has a few questions for you," Carlisle said before handing his son the phone.
:::::
Marcus looked up from the second letter he was writing to Angela. He wasn't sure what had captured his attention, but looked around the room anyway. Turning back to the letter in front of him when he found nothing to be amiss, he reached out to dip the quill into the ink only to gasp and drop the feather pen to the desktop instead. His hand flew to his chest as he pushed back and stood from the table. He moved to the center of the room with difficulty before falling to his knees and crying out in pain. It felt as though something was clawing at him, a feeling of maddening fear and desperation filling him.
Falling forward, he caught himself with one hand while the other remained clutched over his silent heart. He looked up around the room trying to determine where the feeling was coming from only to see nothing around him. Another wave of the feeling passed through him, the desperate tug seeming to claw at him, but he didn't understand it. It wasn't his; this feeling didn't belong to him. He groaned as he lost his balance and fell onto his side. Whoever this feeling belonged to, they were crying out for protection. This person was terrified.
Marcus stilled, his eyes opening as he stopped fighting against the emotion and let it flow through him. There was only one person who could reach him here, he realized with a growing sense of horror. It was Angela; this feeling was coming from her. She was calling for him, tugging at him in whatever way she could, the only problem was, he had no idea where she was. They had never talked about her home or where she was from. She could be anywhere and he didn't even know where to begin to look for her. He stood slowly, his balance regained as he looked around the room. She wasn't here with him; she hadn't come through to his mind.
"Where are you, little one?" he asked the empty room. "How do I find you?"
The feeling stopped after a little while, minutes or even hours could've passed, he wasn't sure. Looking around the room, his eyes came to rest on the desk. The letters were the only way he had of contacting her. He had to try, he had to do something. Returning to the desk, he sat down and looked at the paper. Whatever he had meant to write was forgotten as he took up the pen once more and dipped it into the ink.
The next time you write to me, leave me your address. Let me send you a real letter.
It wasn't much, but it was all he could do and he hoped it would be enough. Blowing gently over the paper to help the ink dry, he carefully rolled the paper and tied it with a sapphire ribbon.
"Please let this work," he prayed as he set the note aside.
:::::
"There you are," Emmett said with a soft sigh as he watched Angela blink slowly. "That's it, little one, come back to me," he encouraged her gently.
"Twenty minutes," Rosalie said quietly as she looked at the girl in concern. "At least it didn't take quite as long this time."
"Hey, half pint," Emmett said as Angela turned her face up to him. "That's it, Sweetheart. Good girl," he praised her gently and kissed her forehead. "You're safe here," he promised her.
"Angela," Carlisle spoke her name softly to get her attention and waited for her to turn her attention on him. "Hi, Sweetheart."
"I don't want to talk about this," Angela said as her breathing quickened and she looked around desperately seeking an escape.
"I know, baby girl," Carlisle told her and reached out to take her hand. "But I need you to be brave for me and talk to me, ok?"
"Please," she begged as tears fell from her eyes and cascaded slowly down her pale cheeks. "Please don't make me talk about this."
"You need to, Sweetheart," Carlisle said, his expression full of sadness and regret. "It's the only way to help you heal."
"Can't we just forget?" she begged him, her voice little more than a high pitched whimper. "I'll be better, I promise."
"Sweetheart, no," Carlisle reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear. "You haven't done anything wrong. That's not what this is about."
Her heartbeat was accelerating quickly, her breathing following suit and Carlisle feared she would shut herself away inside her mind once more. He looked up when Rosalie moved from her spot by the wall and watched her curiously as she moved to sit beside Emmett on the couch. She was angled to see Angela's face and reached out to brush the backs of her fingers over the girl's pale cheek.
"It's all pretty scary, huh?" she asked Angela and watched the girl give a shaking nod. "It's not easy to talk about what terrifies us, especially not if we've been punished for doing so before. What did they do, Angela? What happened if you talked about what they did?"
Her questions only served to make her anxiety worse and Angela once again began trying to escape Emmett's unbreakable hold. Their vampirism, the speed and strength, had always comforted her before, but now it scared her. She needed to escape, she had to get away. She couldn't talk about this; she couldn't answer their questions, not this one.
"Her only thought is escaping," Edward told Carlisle with a deep sigh. "I've never seen her so terrified. What the hell did they do to her?"
"Angela," Rosalie called to the girl again as she gently, but firmly caught the girl's face in her hands and held her still. "You're safe here, you need to remember that. No one here is going to hurt you…What happened if you talked?" she asked her again.
"Let her go!" Edward suddenly called out in alarm. "Let her go, both of you," he said again. "She knows you're there, Emmett, but she's not seeing you. Let her go."
As soon as they released their hold on her, Angela was up and out his lap running blindly for the stairs. They followed behind her at a distance, giving her the space they thought she needed only follow her into her bedroom and watch as she tucked herself into the back of her closet. She folded herself as tightly as possible, wrapping her arms around her legs and rocking back and forth with her face tucked into the tops of knees.
"I'm sorry," she chanted repeatedly as she rocked back and forth, her voice barely a whisper.
"Angela," Esme was the first to move, the first one who seemed able to speak. "Sweetheart, do you know where you are?" she asked gently as she sat down on her knees in front of Angela. "Edward?" she turned her eyes up to him when the girl failed to respond.
"I don't know," he shook his head. "All I see is darkness."
"Half pint," Emmett got down on his hands and knees, crawling slowly over to sit beside Esme. "Baby girl, look at me," he called to Angela gently as he reached out to touch her arm.
She was slow to respond, her trembling increasing as she fearfully lifted her head. Her teeth chattered as she looked around her eyes widening when she met Emmett's gaze. Her voice was trembling, causing her to stutter more than once as she tried to speak his name. When she was finally able to get his name out, he nodded to her and assured her that he was there. Angela gasped as she released the tight hold she had on her legs and launched herself into his arms.
"Shh," Emmett soothed as he dragged her into his lap and rocked her slowly. "You're safe," he promised her as he petted her hair. "That's it, baby girl," he kissed her bowed head. "You're safe, I've got you."
Emmett moved carefully, standing slowly with her cradled in his arms and moved toward the crowded doorway of her closet. His family moved back to allow him room as he carried her to her bed and sat down.
"Hand me one of the bears," he said to Alice, the girl standing closest to the table holding them. "Thanks," he said, not bothering to look at the stuffed animal as he tucked it into Angela's arms. "Feel that?" he asked Angela and watched as she slowly turned her eyes down on the blond bear in her arms. "That's your safety point, ok?" he told her gently. "When we talk and you start getting scared, if your mind takes you back to what they did to you, then I want you to squeeze that bear," he instructed her. "Feel its fur and remember that you're safe with us, ok?" she nodded jerkily as she hugged the stuffed animal tightly. "Can we try again?" he asked her gently.
"I'm scared," she whispered and he hugged her tight.
"I know," he told her and kissed her hair. "But we're here; we're all here with you. We won't let them hurt you. They can't touch you here," he promised her. "Will you try? For me?" he asked and rubbed her arm when she nodded slowly. "That's my girl," he praised and placed one hand on top of the bear in her arms. "Remember, half pint, that's your safety point." He waited for her to nod before he continued. "What happened if you talked about what they did? Did you ever talk about it directly?"
"No," she finally answered after a long moment. "But I asked my second grade teacher why none of the other kids had to walk home."
"What happened?" he asked her gently when she remained quiet.
"She called my parents and asked to meet with them in the classroom. I had to wait outside; I don't know what she said to them." Angela's voice was beginning to tremble again, her heartbeat increasing.
"Remember the bear," he told her softly as he rested his palm on her arm, his fingers touching the bear clutched to her chest. "What happened?" he asked gently, looking up when Carlisle moved to crouch down in front of him as he watched Angela.
"It was the last day of school before spring break," she said as her breathing increased. Her fear was growing again, but her fingers curled around the arms of the small bear and she found herself able to calm down a little bit. "When they took me home," she whimpered and closed her eyes against the onslaught of memories. "The Reverend, he…he wanted to know what I'd said, but when I told him he didn't believe me. He said that I was lying and he demanded to know what I told my teacher."
Emmett kissed her hair, rocking her when she grew silent. His eyes left her when he sensed one of his siblings move and looked up to see Alice holding out another bear to him. He nodded gratefully, taking the bear without saying a word and tucked it into Angela's arms alongside the other one that she held. His lip twitched up at the corner in a micro-expression of sad amusement. Where she had always gained comfort from being held in between himself and Jasper, now she was holding them, or at least their bears. Rubbing her back he encouraged her to continue.
"He was mad that I wouldn't tell him the truth, but I wasn't lying," she whimpered, her eyes finding Emmett's as she begged him to believe her.
"I know, Sweetheart," Emmett promised and kissed her forehead. "What did they do?"
"He…he hit me," she said slowly, "really hard. I must've passed out or something, because the next thing I knew I was in the closet again. The one in the basement," she said as her eyes turned on Carlisle when he touched her arm.
"How long were you in there?" Carlisle asked gently.
"I don't know," she confessed quietly, her voice shaking. "They dragged me upstairs and thr-threw me into the bathroom. When I came out, my mo-Mrs. Weber," she corrected quickly with a wince, "asked me what happened. I didn't understand what she meant, but she kept asking. Over and over again, she kept asking me what happened."
"And then what?" Emmett asked her softly, encouraging her to go on while reminding her once again of the bears in her arms.
"I didn't understand the question," she said, "I shook my head, I didn't understand," she whimpered.
"What did they do?" Carlisle asked her gently.
"He…he h-hit me again and they…they put me back in the closet," she stammered as her teeth chattered. "Each time they let me out, they asked me what happened. The last time, the last time they let me out, I told them that nothing happened…When I said that nothing happened, they let me stay out. Don't let them lock me away," she begged quietly and jumped slightly in surprise at the feel of Carlisle kissing her temple.
"We won't, Sweetheart," Carlisle promised her. "You're safe here," he reminded her. "Do you know how long they kept locking you away? Did they feed you at all?"
"No," she whimpered and squeezed the bears in her arms tightly. "I know the final time they let me out they told me to make sure that I was showered and dressed in clean clothes. The next day they took me to school. I guess it must've been the end of Spring Break."
"Angela," Carlisle's voice drew her attention. "Did they feed you or give you anything to drink?"
"No," she sniffled as she leaned heavily against Emmett. "The next time I ate was at school. I was so hungry, but the food made me sick and I threw up."
"You ate too fast," Carlisle said his voice too soft for her to hear. "That's enough for today," he told her and kissed her temple. "Would you like a bath?" he asked her gently, smiling sadly when she nodded. "Ok, why don't you let Esme help you?" he suggested and watched her nod as he moved back to allow his wife to help the girl up from Emmett's lap.
Carlisle moved to the wingback chair that sat next to her bookshelf and fell heavily into it as he dropped his head into his hands. He could never remember having wanted a human's blood before, but he did now and the desire for it scared him. What they did to her was unconscionable. He looked up when Edward spoke, his telepathic son's voice shaking with barely controlled rage.
"I can't be here right now," he said as he moved toward the window. "She's not just thinking about what happened; she's re-experiencing it as though it's happening all over again. If I stay here too much longer, I don't know what I'll do," he shook his head as he moved to stand on the edge of the open window. "Will you let her know I'm not mad, if she asks?"
Carlisle nodded and watched his son disappear out of the window. He could only try to understand what Edward was going through. As hard as it was for all of them to hear what had happened, Edward was being forced to experience it through his talent. He didn't know what he would do if he had Edward's talent. How would he cope if he had to experience the girl's memories instead of just hear about them? Turning his attention on Alice, he found his psychic daughter already at the window.
"I'll watch over him," she promised Carlisle, having seen his decision in her vision. "I'll make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."
"Thank you," he said and released a deep sigh as he stood from the chair.
:::::
Esme stood inside the bathroom, holding Angela in her arms as the girl cried. She stroked her hair, rubbed her back as she rocked her from side to side. Kissing her bowed head, Esme looked up at the ceiling and clenched her jaw tightly. She had lost control a few times within her first year of this life and remembered clearly what human blood tasted like. She wanted to taste it again now, if only to know with absolute certainty that Angela's parents could never harm her again.
"I'm going to get the water started," she told Angela when the girl's tears slowed. "I'll be right back. Why don't you take a human moment, alright?"
Angela nodded slowly, her movement unsteady as she stepped to the counter and set the bears in her arms down on the marble surface. She watched as Esme exited the bathroom, waiting for the door to close before moving to the toilet. Esme stepped into the bathroom once again a few moments later as Angela was washing her hands in the sink and moved to the bathtub. Turning on the water and adjusting the temperature, Esme added a handful of lavender scented bath salts to the water. Drying off her hands, she stood and moved to Angela, taking the girl into her arms once again as the tub filled behind them.
"We love you, Sweetheart," she told Angela, stroking her hair gently. "I want you to always remember that."
Stepping back, Esme led her over to the closed toilet seat and had Angela sit down while she brushed her hair. Esme pulled the brush slowly through her hair from root to tip until the tub had filled with water. Setting the brush on the counter, she moved to the tub and tuned off the taps before instructing Angela to undress. Helping her into the bath, she knelt beside the tub and helped her to lean back against the hanging bath pillow that was at the end of the large tub.
"Do you want me to stay?" Esme asked her. "Ok," she said when Angela nodded. "You can go to sleep if you want, Sweetheart. I'll take care of you," she promised as she smoothed the girl's hair back from her face. "I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere."
"Will you read to me?" Angela asked, her voice a soft whimper.
Esme smiled sadly as she nodded and looked up when the bathroom door opened and Rosalie stuck her head inside. Her blonde daughter moved closer and took Esme's seat next to the tub so that she could gather a book. Reaching out, Rosalie gently stroked Angela's hair and watched as the human girl opened her eyes slowly.
"We're all here for you," Rosalie promised her gently. "We won't let anything happen to you."
"Promise?" Angela asked, the word slurred with exhaustion as her eyes drooped heavily.
"I promise," Rosalie nodded and looked up when Esme returned.
Moving so that Esme could take her seat next to the tub once again, Rosalie sat on the closed toilet seat and listened as her adoptive mother read to Angela. She had come to the start of chapter three of 'A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens when she noticed Angela to be sleeping. Standing slowly, Esme set the book aside and asked Rosalie to hold out a towel while she lifted Angela from the bath. Rosalie wrapped Angela in the large thick towel when she was handed the girl, lifting her easily into her arms as Esme took care of draining the bath.
"I've got her," Rosalie said softly to Emmett as she stepped into the hall. "Let me dry her off and get her dressed and then you and Jasper can lay with her."
Emmett nodded quietly as he watched his wife disappear into Angela's bedroom with the girl cradled in her arms. He wanted nothing more than to take Angela away, someplace safe, someplace where her parents couldn't reach her. He knew that she was safe in their home, but this was the town the girl had spent her life in and he wondered if perhaps a change of scenery wouldn't make her feel safer. Looking up as the door opened and Rosalie stepped out, he met her eyes when she nodded to him and kissed her before stepping into Angela's room.
Jasper joined him a moment later, the Cullen brothers laying on either side of their human sister and enfolding her in their arms as she slept. Whimpering softly in her sleep, Angela turned and tucked herself into Jasper's side as she slept, her cheek pillowed on his chest. Every single one of them knew that their bodies felt like frozen stone to the human girl, but they had also learned over time that if they left her to sleep alone she would wake continuously throughout the night. Jasper's lips tilted in a crooked smile. The few times that either he or Emmett had tried to offer her comfort by tucking a pillow between her body and theirs she had woken as easily as she did if left to sleep alone. She needed to feel them with her, ice-cold hard-as-marble body and all.
"We're here, little one," Jasper told her softly when she sighed in her sleep. "Your big brothers are here."