Once again, any of Bella's conversation in italics is her signing.

Another small time jump in this chapter, so keep an eye on the time stamps.

Hereafter
Chapter 34

September 15th, 2019.
Bella.

My body quickly became used to the temperature of the water. I could feel the eyes on me from the other people in the pool, but I did my best to focus on Edward and nothing else. He was a few feet away from me, and had ducked down so that his shoulders were submerged. Luna was relaxed on the side behind me, and I knew that I was safe. My feet could touch the bottom of the pool, and my family were beside me.

I pushed off from the bottom of the floor and began to swim closer toward Edward, but he always took a step back. He had a playful smile on his face every time he moved.

"Come on," Edward called out to me. "You'll never catch me at that pace."

I pushed my head back as I laughed, to stop the water from going into my mouth, but the laughter only made it harder to swim.

"Edward." I signed.

"Yes?" he asked with a grin.

"Stop."

"Stop what?" he held his hands up in defence. "I'm not doing anything."

I was determined to get him, and I was determined to make him pay for his childish games. When Edward reached the edge, he started his walk back to the other side of the pool, but that turned out to be an advantage for me. He had to pass me in order to return to where Luna was lying, and so as he tried to sneak past, I used all the energy that I had in my body, and jumped. I didn't jump high, and I barely left the water, but I jumped far enough to grab onto his arm with one hand.

"Damn, you're stronger than you look," he laughed. "I think you'll leave bruises."

I knew he was only joking, and so I kept my hold on his arm. Edward didn't take another step, and so I closed the distance between us and wrapped my arms around his neck in a hug.

"Got you," I whispered.

"You sure did," he replied.

"How about we have… a race?" I asked.

"A race? Sure, we can have a race."

I wasn't sure why I was using my words and not my hands to talk, but I wasn't going to complain about that. I also liked that Edward didn't make a big deal out of it. I could have easily become embarrassed, and then I would have been less likely to use my voice.

I stepped back from the hug that we had shared, and then the two of us returned to the side.

"One width or two?" Edward asked.

"One," I replied. "First to… Luna."

We both braced ourselves against the side, and I had my feet tucked up flat against the wall.

"On three," Edward announced. "One… two… three!"

I pushed off from the wall and focused on the finish line instead of my opponent. Front crawl was always my favorite style when it came to swimming, but I played it safe and went for breaststroke instead. I wasn't sure how I was going to react with my head under the water and having to focus on when to breathe in, and when to breathe out.

I had a feeling that Edward was slowing down for me, because he had started off so strong, but now I was quickly catching up. I put my all into the arm and leg movements, and I made my hands as streamline as possible, but it didn't seem to matter in the end. Edward reached the wall seconds before I did. He pushed back his damp hair and relaxed back against the wall.

"You did so good, Bella," he smiled as I came up beside him. "How did that feel?"

It was a good question, because I didn't know how it felt. I was proud of myself for doing it, and it the was the hardest I had pushed my body in so long, but it felt easy. Like there wasn't a barrier in the way.

"Good," I replied honestly. "Easy."

"Well, if this is something that you enjoy, then we could make it a regular occurrence," he suggested. "Charlie and I could take turns bringing you here, and we can swim around for a bit to help build up your muscles."

"I'd like that."

"Then we'll do it," Edward responded. "You pick a time, and we'll make sure one of us can bring you here."

"Okay."

0-0

We were only in the pool for about thirty minutes, because I didn't want to push myself too much. Once we both had left, and I'd wrapped my towel around my damp body, we headed off toward the changing rooms, with Luna walking neatly at my side. Edward reminded me that I'd managed to get changed when we first arrived, and that as long as I was in a stall, everything was going to be okay. I had taken my medication, and he was only a phone call away if I needed him.

I took several deep breaths before I walked in. I passed the showers, which were all empty, and I couldn't hear the telltale signs that anyone else was in the changing rooms with me. Luna followed my every step, but she kept her eyes gazed up in my direction, like she was telling me that I was going to be okay.

I don't remember much of what happened. I recalled finding my chosen locker and pulling my bag from inside, but then my mind went a bit hazy. I was completely alone, which allowed me the chance to fully react, but I knew that anyone could walk in at any given moment. I found one of the changing stalls, locked the door firmly behind me, and then sat down on the seat.

I don't remember drying my body, or slipping on my underwear, but it obviously had happened at one point. I think I was more concerned about getting out of there as quickly as possible, and returning to the safety that Edward provided. Fortunately, because I didn't put my head under the water, my hair was mostly dry, apart from the end of my ponytail, and so I didn't have to worry about drying that.

Luna relaxed down on the tiled floor, but she always kept me in sight as I finished getting dressed. Before I knew it, I was completely clothed again, and all I had to do was dry my swimsuit. The changing rooms had a small machine, almost like a tiny dryer. I loaded my swimsuit into the barrel, closed the lid, and then pressed down hard on it for five seconds, like the instructions had informed me. A loud, trembling sound came from the machine, which didn't bode well with me, but as soon as I let go of the lid, the sound came to a stop. My swimsuit was still damp, but at least it was no longer dripping water all over the floor.

I shoved the suit into a plastic bag that I'd brought with me, took a hold of Luna's leash, and then left the changing room. No one had entered in that time, and the corridor was empty when I walked out. I'd done it. All by myself, without anyone there, apart from Luna, and nothing bad had happened. I thought back to the nightmarish images that had coated my head the night before. I thought about James walking into the changing rooms, I imagined what would have happened if I was completely alone, and no one was around to hear me scream. My mind had conjured up these horrific thoughts, yet none of them had come to life.

I may have had a struggle when we first arrived, and I may have needed Edward's help, along with that stranger I spoke to, but it no longer felt like a defeat. It was one of the first times, since my recovery had started, that I felt like I had achieved something.

I wasn't a failure, and I wasn't as weak as my mind made me out to be.

"Hey," Edward beamed as he noticed me leaving the room. "How did you get on?"

A lady then came round the bend at the end of the corridor. So, even though the block hadn't formed in my throat, I still didn't feel completely comfortable talking when she was in earshot.

Baby steps. That's all I needed to take.

"Good," I signed. "I'm not a failure."

Pure emotion swam across Edward's bright green eyes. It looked as though he was about to cry, but I knew that they were happy tears.

"Sweetheart, you never were a failure," he said with one hand on my shoulder. "It took some time, but you've realized that you can do this. These things that scare you, that may stop you from living your every day life, are all part of your imagination."

"Nothing happened," I replied. "Nothing bad."

"And nothing bad ever will happen. You need to remind yourself that you're far stronger than you give yourself credit for. And that will change, and improve, the more we take trips like this."

"Thank you, Edward. I couldn't have done this without you."

"But you can," he smirked. "You just did all of that without me."

He made sense, but I only realized that once he had said it. Even though Edward was only on the other side of the wall, I had still completed that small task by myself. It may not be a lot for someone to leave a swimming pool and get changed, but the fact that I had even entered the building in the first place was a milestone to cross. There were times when I couldn't even get dressed by myself, because the movements were too harsh for my body to handle, and even on bad days I need someone's help to put a sweater on, or take one off.

People are taught to get changed by themselves when they're young children, but what about when your body physically stops you from doing that? Shoving my feet into a pair of sneakers, bending over to tie the laces, and doing up the buttons on my jacket was something that I couldn't face a few months ago. Yet alone doing it completely by myself, with the idea that James, or someone he'd hired, could walk in at any given moment.

The smile on my face refused to leave, and it only grew stronger as we left the building and got into Edward's car.

"So," Edward said as he drove the car free from the lot. "Are you still wanting some food, or shall we head home?"

Usually, whenever we had been out for a few hours, I wanted nothing more than to retreat back to the safety bubble of my home, but today felt different. We had joked about us going on a date, and I knew that it wasn't serious, but I felt strong enough to grab some food, and enjoy the closest thing to a date as possible.

"Let's get… food." I decided.

"McDonald's?" Edward suggested.

"Please."

I hadn't had fast food in so long, and the idea of devouring some chicken nuggets made me smile even more. I knew it would probably be a while before I could enjoy a burger again, but as long as I could have something, that was good enough for me. Although my body and mind were stronger, my food phobias were still very much present. I often wondered if I'd ever enjoy an apple or bread again, or if the memories would take over my body as soon as I took a bite.

We pulled up at the nearest McDonald's, and I knew that Edward had chosen that one because it had a drive-through, but then Edward slowed the car down as we entered the parking lot.

"Shit, the drive-through is closed for now," he said as he pointed a hand toward the cones that had been set up along the entrance. "I'm sure there's another one close by."

"It's okay," I replied suddenly. "Let's go."

"Go?" Edward looked at me with a frown. "Inside?"

"Yeah."

A gorgeous grin crossed his face. He was proud of me for taking such a big step.

He parked the car neatly in a slot, and then I left the car and retrieved Luna from the back seat. She stood at attention beside me, and waited patiently for her next order. I wish I could have gotten her some food, but I had a bag of her treats at hand, and a couple of them would keep her going for now. Luna ate two to three small meals a day, and because we had fed her before we left, I knew that she'd be fine until dinner.

Edward entered the building first, and held the door open for Luna to walk me in. The restaurant was fairly busy, but I was pleased to see that there were still several booths available. The majority of the customers were too busy eating their food to notice our arrival, but two sets of eyes looked at Luna curiously. I wondered if they knew who I was, if they recognized my face from the news. The people I passed in Forks knew to leave me alone, and let me to get on with my day, but that wasn't going to be the same everywhere I went.

"What would you like?" Edward asked to help distract me. "Chicken nuggets?"

I nodded. "Meal."

"As a meal, okay. And what drink?"

"Soda." I grinned.

Apart from La Croix, I also hadn't had a carbonated drink since the day I was taken. Charlie didn't feel comfortable giving me soda, mainly because he wasn't sure what the chemicals would do to my recovering body, but I knew that he wouldn't mind if I had a small one now. He trusted Edward to make the right decisions, and if he didn't think I should do or have something, then he would say so. The fact that he allowed me to have the soda, meant that it wasn't a bad choice to make.

We stood patiently in line, with Luna in the 'watch' position. It was a new one to add to the vast list of commands, but only because she didn't need it up until now. Luna sat in the sit/stay position behind my legs, and watched out for anyone who could stand behind me. With the amount of noise that billowed around the small building, it would be hard for me to know if someone stood behind me. With Luna in the 'watch' position, it meant that no one could get too close, and she would alert me if I needed to move.

It was finally our turn to order, and as we stood in front of the employee, I looked down at my sneakers. Edward placed our order, paid for it, and then took my hand once it was done.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

I nodded. I was okay, it just took a bit of time to get used to the new surroundings.

"Do you want to go and find a table for us? Or, would you prefer to stay with me?"

"Stay."

"Okay, sweetheart. It won't be long."

He gave me a soft kiss on the top of my head, and gave my hand a quick squeeze.

He was right, it didn't take long for our food to arrive, and with Edward holding the tray, Luna and I walked toward the first clear booth we could find. There was plenty room for her to lie underneath the table, and once she was comfortable, I took two treats out of the bag and gave them to her one at a time. Edward took the seat opposite me, beside the window, and handed over my small nugget meal. I could smell the grease and salt that wafted off the fries, and my mouth salivated at the sight.

Edward had ordered a medium Big Mac meal, but, before he began to eat it, he unfolded Luna's portable bowl and poured some water inside for her to enjoy. I was normally the one to give her water, but due to the tight space, it was easier if he reached down under the table to give it to her.

"What would you like to do when we go home?" Edward asked before he took a large bite from his burger.

I shrugged my shoulders. It was too late in the day for me to nap, regardless of how tired I was, and so I wasn't sure how the rest of the day was going to plan out.

"I might read a book."

"Oh, yeah, you've just started that new one, right? Are you enjoying it?"

"It's good. Do you have work to do?"

"Nope, I'm free all day," he grinned. "And so if you'd like to watch a movie, then you won't be distracting me."

"Okay, let's watch a movie."

It felt so good to have a proper conversation with Edward outside of the house, and without any annoying pauses in between my words. Even though I wasn't talking, it didn't mean that our conversation was any different than anyone else's.

Because I was so distracted with the food, and the conversation that we shared, I never once thought negatively about the situation I was in. I realized that I could go swimming, I could get food at a restaurant, and nothing bad was going to happen to me. It made me see that I wasn't in danger, even if I was outside of my safety bubble.

I hoped it meant that I could do this more often. I could join Charlie for dinner at the diner, I could come to Port Angeles with Edward for the day. Perhaps, with the right amount of strength, I could pick up where I had left off, all those months ago.

And maybe, just maybe, I could have a bit of normality in my life again.

0-0

October 8th, 2019.

Edward and Charlie were planning something, I just knew they were. I even paused my music whenever I was having musical therapy so that I could listen in on their private conversations. Part of me felt bad that I was sneaking around and eavesdropping, but I knew that I wouldn't get an answer any other way. They were very good at keeping secrets from me, but I didn't like secrets. They scared me.

It was six o'clock, and I was in the middle of eating my dinner when Edward arrived at the house. It wasn't uncommon for him to come over to the house after work, and I thoroughly enjoyed it when he showed his face, but he hadn't told me that he was coming, which is what made me so suspicious.

"Hey, sweetheart," he said kindly as he took the seat next to me with a glass of water in hand.

"Why are you… here?" I asked with a frown.

Edward sighed slightly, and took a sip from the water to distract himself for a second. Charlie then entered the kitchen and joined us at the table.

"Angela phoned me last week," Charlie began. "She mentioned an idea to me, and the two of us think it's the best thing for you."

My foot tapped anxiously on the floor. What were they going to do? What was I being made to do? They had worked together, so it had to have been something big.

"We have someone coming to the house in an hour," Edward continued to explain. "She has been highly recommended by Angela, and we think it's someone that you'll find it easier to talk to."

A stranger was coming into my house, and they thought it was a good idea?

Just because Angela had recommended it, didn't mean it was something beneficial to me.

"I can barely… talk to Angela," I whispered.

It had taken a while for me to open up to her, and so I didn't even want to think about how long it would take with someone else.

"Honey, you don't need to use your voice with this lady," Charlie smiled. "She specializes in therapy for the deaf community, or the hard of hearing."

"So…" I drifted off as I thought about what he had said.

If her main clients were deaf, then that meant…

"All of your sessions will be in sign," Edward answered. "We saw how well you spoke to that lady at the pool last month, and we both think that's the best option for you."

I hadn't spoken to a stranger since that time at the pool, but it still played on my mind. I spoke without delay to a lady who I'd never met before. Even when I speak to Edward I never say that much. I had mentioned it to Angela, and she thinks it's because James cannot hear me talk. If he was watching me, which my mind constantly thinks is possible, then he wouldn't be able to work out the hand signals. I can talk without the fear of being punished, but that didn't mean that I had to use my voice.

"What's her… name?" I asked.

"Vanessa," Charlie replied. "I've talked to her on the phone and she sounds lovely."

So, Vanessa was coming to the house in an hour. They hadn't mentioned anything before now because they knew I'd get worked up. I would have been an anxious mess for days if they had told me last week, and so I guess it was best that the session was happening so suddenly.

"Does she… know about… me?" I looked at Edward and my father in turn. They could tell how I felt from the expression on my face.

"We've told her the basics," Edward nodded. "She knows about… him, and she knows that your PTSD has caused the mutism, but we thought it was right that you told her everything else. But only if you want to."

"Will she ask me about James?" I fingerspelled his name. My head hadn't even given me a warning to say that my voice was going to leave me. It just happened. I was pretty used to it now.

"She might, but if you don't want to talk about him, then I'm sure she wouldn't force you to."

I was so glad that Edward was almost fluent in ASL, like I was. I spent hours every single day going over new words, or even the words that I knew the best. Charlie still had some issues, but he had the alphabet sorted, and so he could decode my sentences if he knew the key words, or worked out whose name I was spelling.

For the rest of the hour before Vanessa arrived, I did some breathing exercises, musical therapy, and even deep pressure therapy with the blanket that Carlisle and Esme had given me for my birthday. I had put Luna in her harness so that she knew it was time to work, but that was only because I wasn't sure how I was going to cope with the stranger being in my house. I couldn't remember the last time that had happened, and it wasn't a feeling that I enjoyed too much.

I felt like I had improved so much in the last month since the day that I first went swimming with Edward, but I wasn't perfect. I had good days, and bad days, just like everybody else. I no longer counted the minutes when I left the car, and sometimes I could even take Luna on a walk by myself, but other days where different. If my depression was really bad, and the medication didn't seem to help, then there are days where I don't leave the couch and I watch my feel-good movies all day. But that was okay, and on the days that that does happen I don't feel like I've failed. As long as I knew that, then my recovery the following day was much easier for me to handle.

However, in saying that, I hadn't experienced someone new coming into the house since I'd first met Angela. Other people had been in the house, but I knew them personally already, which made it easier. Vanessa was new to me, and so part of me was scared that I wouldn't react well to that.

The door bell rang at the exact time that Vanessa had agreed to come here. Edward stayed beside me on the couch as Charlie went to answer the door. "Are you okay?" He asked.

I nodded.

"Would you like me to stay here during the session, or would you like for us to wait in the kitchen?"

I wasn't sure what I wanted at that moment. I didn't mind them listening in on the sessions, because it wasn't like it was a secret to them, but part of me wanted to do this by myself. I could have the meetings with Angela by myself, but it was because Vanessa was new to me that I had a problem. I guess I could ask them to join later if I really needed the support.

"Kitchen," I signed quickly.

Vanessa then walked into the room behind Charlie. She was much older than I was, and looked closer to Charlie's age, but she had such a gentle smile on her face. Her hair was short and brown, and she had it neatly tied into a bun on the top of her head. She reminded me of the times that we visited Edward's family in Oregon. Esme always greeted me with so much love, and her expression matched Vanessa's. I liked that.

Charlie and Edward gave me a few words of encouragement before they left the room and closed the door behind them. It was now just Vanessa and I, and I had Luna jump onto the couch for that reason alone.

"It's lovely to meet you, Bella," Vanessa said as she sat down on the seat where Angela normally sits. "I've heard that you're really improving, but I know that Angela is having some difficulty communicating with you properly, which is why I'm here. I'll just explain who I am first, and then we can get started, okay?"

I nodded.

"So, I have been working with hearing impaired patients for almost twenty years - sometimes that can find it exceedingly difficult, especially if they've only recently lost their hearing. I offer them therapy to overcome those hurdles, but I work with other patients as well, some like yourself who are completely non-verbal. Now, would you feel more confident if I spoke to you, or if I signed?"

I nibbled on my bottom lip as I decided on an answer. It would improve the skill if she signed and I could learn from that, but I was afraid that she could do it too quickly, and therefore I could get lost along the way.

"Talk." I finally decided.

"Thank you," she smiled again. "Okay, so at first I'm going to ask you some basic questions to get to know each other, and then we can start from there."

There was a slightly pause as Vanessa brought a folder out from her bag, opened it up, and then brought out a sheet of paper. She wrote something on the top of the sheet, but I was too far away to see what it said.

"Why don't you introduce me to your dog?" Vanessa asked once she had finished writing.

"This is Luna," I spelled her name, but then added in the sign for 'moon' so that Vanessa knew the shortcut.

"And I heard that she's helped you come on leaps and bounds?"

"Yes," I replied. "She helps me every day. It would be difficult without her."

"What would you say she helps you with the most? Is there anything in particular that you would find extra challenging without her?"

That was a loaded question. I didn't think I could even leave the bed each morning if she wasn't there beside me.

"My panic attacks and walking. She aids me, but also alerts me to sit down and to take my medication."

"And if Luna isn't with you, what do you do to help calm yourself down?"

"I watch movies, listen to music, or talk to my friends."

"I do the exact same thing," Vanessa laughed slightly. "Do you have a favorite movie to watch?"

"'Fly Away Home', or 'Free Willy'." I replied.

"And what is it about those movies that make them your favorite?" She queried as she wrote down my answers.

I waited until Vanessa had finished writing and was looking at me before I replied. "My childhood. I have good memories, and they make me smile."

"That is most important," she responded. "I know this condition is still quite new to you, and so it can be hard to work out how to cope with it, but if you can focus on the things that make you happy, like memories of your childhood, then you'll soon see the darkness disappear."

"How long for?" I frowned.

"It depends," Vanessa said honestly. "Everyone is different, and so it changes from person to person. How do you feel when you watch 'Free Willy'?"

"Happy."

"And does that last for long, or does it soon disappear?"

That was a question that I hadn't been asked before, and I genuinely didn't know the answer. I found that I was lost in a bubble after the movie ends, but I didn't know how much time passed before the bubble popped.

And so instead of saying that, I shrugged my shoulders.

"You can keep an eye on that next time and see how long it takes, okay?"

"Okay." I liked timing things. It helped to create more of a routine in my mind.

Another few minutes went by, and Vanessa continued to scribble words down on the paper. She brought some building blocks out from her bag, and left them on the table without saying a word. The blocks were a mixture of green, blue, and red. I was interested to know what she was going to use them for.

"Your father mentioned that your mutism can cause somewhat of a problem, would you agree with that?" She asked, to which I nodded. "Okay. And when do you find it hardest to talk?"

"When I leave the house."

Vanessa then stood from her seat and sat down on the floor in front of the table. She separated the blocks into three piles for each color.

"Can you think of three different situations where you need to talk, and times that you find it hardest?"

I stared down at the blocks as I thought over her request.

"Shopping, on the phone, and bad days." I replied.

Vanessa wrote each situation on three separate pieces of paper and placed them on the table facing me.

"Thank you. Now, using the blocks, I want you to show me how hard those situations are. For example, if you find it hardest when you're on the phone, then I want you to put more blocks in front of that piece of paper. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

It took me a few minutes to get it just right, but once the task was complete, I had ten blocks in front of 'shopping', six in front of 'on the phone', and five in front of 'bad days'.

"Is it the general public that scares you when you're in the store?" She questioned.

I nodded again.

"And when you enter the store, and you feel your voice going, how does it feel?"

"Like I'm chocking. I panic."

"And what you do think will happen when you use your voice?"

That was the hardest question so far. I knew that she had been told about James, but I wasn't sure how much she really knew. Had she followed the news during my kidnapping? Had she heard the police report when I escaped? Vanessa said that she had been doing this for twenty years, but had any of her other patients gone through the same thing that I had?

"Punished."

That one simple word explained it all.

"Do you punish yourself?"

I knew what she meant by that. I knew that some people with Selective Mutism became angry at themselves when they speak.

"No. James punished me when I said a word, and I think that he'll do the same thing. If he hears me, I'll have a…"

I didn't know the sign for the next word. I'd forced myself not to learn it because of the flashbacks it created. But in order for Vanessa to really understand my struggles, I felt like I needed to know it.

"What is the sign for…" I then pointed to Luna's collar.

Vanessa signed the word for 'dog', and used her thumb and forefinger on both hands to draw an imaginary collar around her neck, starting from the base of her throat. The picture of the real collar came back into my head, and I had to do whatever I could to block it out.

I closed my eyes, brushed Luna's fur back with one hand, and then took several deep breaths before I continued with what I had been saying originally.

"If he hears me, I'll have a collar placed around my neck. I won't be able to move. For every word I speak, I'll have it on me for twenty-four hours."

"He's in prison now, is that right?"

Vanessa must have been watching the news. Either that, or Charlie had told her.

"Yes."

"And so he can't hear or see you now," she smiled sadly. "Do you think that he can hear you when you're at home?"

"Sometimes. If I'm having a bad day."

"Then what's the difference between the store and your own house? If he can't hear you at home, then he can't hear you in a store, or another public place."

She made a good point, and I'd thought the same thing when I went to McDonald's with Edward. Nothing bad had happened then, and nothing happens when I'm at home. It was the same thing. It didn't seem to matter where I was, or who I was with.

"Will I ever be able to talk normally again?" I asked. "With my voice, and without all the delays?"

"That's something that'll come in time," Vanessa replied. "I once had a patient who also suffered with mutism just like you. She hadn't spoken a single word in her life, but now it's like none of that had ever happened."

"How long did that take?"

"I'll be honest with you, it took her a few years, but everyone is different."

It took that lady a few years, but that didn't mean that it would take me the same amount of time, right? Whatever she suffered with, and the reason behind her lack of voice, could have been completely different than me. She couldn't say a single word, but I can - I can do that, and so I was already half way there.

As I thought through all of that, Vanessa cleared away the blocks and the pieces of paper that sat behind them. I thought that meant that the session was over, but then she crossed one knee over the other; a sign that we weren't done just yet.

"Now, I realize what had caused the PTSD, but I was wondering if you could tell me more about your life before the trauma."

My life before the trauma…

"Like what?"

"Well, you mentioned your childhood, but I'm interested to know why that part of your life is so special to you? Can you tell me more about what happened between when you were a child, and now?"

Angela hadn't asked me about that before. It was something that I always put to the back of my mind, hidden within the cobwebs and skeletons.

And now I could either keep it hidden, or set them free for the first time.

0-0

I know, I left it on a bit of a cliffhanger… but what do we think of Vanessa? Do you think she'll be what Bella needs?

Thank you for reading, I'd love to know what you all think.