Thank you all for the kind comments and PMs wishing me well. I'm happy to say that I did not get covid and I will be able to finish my quarantine soon! Sorry for the inconsistent uploads, but I'll try to update every weekend from now on x
I hope you're all doing well!
A disapproving growl made Alice look up from the shopping bags she retrieved from the hood of her car. She didn't have to be an empath to know that her father was not happy at all with the outcome of the night. She smiled without looking up at Carlisle as she said in a melodic tone, "Don't be grumpy. I told you we wouldn't be able to find them tonight."
"We should have been able to at least pick up on a scent..." he groused, which was so unlike Carlisle, and Alice's smile grew wider because it was all due to one little girl, "I don't like knowing he's still out there."
Shutting the hood, Alice reassured him, "With seven of us and only one of him, Bella is as safe as she can be right now. I promise to keep searching, but I'm telling you, as of right now, there's not much we can do."
With a reluctant nod, Carlisle followed the pixie into the house, and a small smile broke through despite the worry shining in his eyes as he heard Emmett and Bella bickering upstairs.
"I don't want to play anymore," The little girl seemed to pout before Emmett sighed dramatically. "I keep losing."
"Oh, c'mon Bells! One more game, and I promise this time I'll let you win," Carlisle shook his head as he and Alice found the two sitting on the stools by the island while the smell of garlic and butter reached his nose. The smell, although unpleasant, wasn't unwanted, considering Esme was cooking dinner for Bella now. Carlisle knew that he'd tolerate any meals being cooked in the kitchen from now on if it meant Bella could be alive and healthy.
Bella had her arms crossed as she glared at Emmett, who playfully tugged on one of her braids only for his hand to be knocked away by her own small one. Carlisle and Alice shared amused glances.
"You're getting the hang of it faster than I did when Jasper taught me how to play!" Emmett insisted.
"It's important to note that Emmett can also be a bit of a cheater. But Jazz can show you how to outsmart him, easily," Alice giggled as she skipped over to them, her pink lips wide as she practically elbowed Emmett out of his seat and pushed the checker's board away from the little girl, replacing it with bags of clothes she'd bought for her newest member of the family, "Hi, Bella! I'm Alice."
Emmett grumbled his annoyance before it was replaced with a spark of intrigue, "Uh-oh, looks like Alice is trying to run this family into bankruptcy again."
"Shut it!" The small woman snapped until she realized Bella was staring up at her with big, round brown eyes.
Alice couldn't help but smile as she caught a glimpse of the future for a split second. She found herself standing in the hall, peering into the room with curiosity as she noticed a teenage girl sitting in the family library. Her legs were curled up on a chair with the sun shining brightly from the window behind her. Long brown hair with a natural reddish tint cascaded over her shoulders to her waist. Full, pouty lips that complimented the softness in her eyes as she read the book on her lap. The second Jasper walked into the library and called out to her, Bella's adolescent face faded along with the vision until Alice blinked and found the child staring at her curiously.
I knew she'd be beautiful, Alice thought to herself with endearment.
"H-hi..." Bella greeted the pixie as she fiddled with her fingers on her lap nervously.
"I got you something!" Alice said as she motioned towards the bags on the island as if she were presenting a work of art. "You want to open them?"
Bella didn't really get much of a choice, considering she was carried into the living room a few moments later along with Emmett following after them, amused as all hell to see how the kid would treat his sister. But, of course, Alice already knew the answer to that.
"Ta-da!" Alice sang as she emptied two of the five bags onto the floor around Bella, where she sat, and immediately blushed at the attention being poured onto her. Her small hand gripped a pastel green sweater and picked it up to look at it closely. "You're all set for the rest of the year now. I have a feeling all the kids in town will be jealous once they see your cute outfits!"
Bella bit her lip as she looked up at Alice as if the pixie had just laid an egg in the living room, "T-this is for me?"
"Of course it is," Alice nodded with satisfaction.
"Might as well get used to Alice now, Bells. She loves playin' dress up. I have a feeling you're going to become Bella Barbie soon."
That made both girls turn their attention to Emmett as he threw himself onto the couch with an exaggerated exhale before he switched the television on. He received two scowls for his joke that didn't amuse either of them, "What? It's true!"
"But I already have clothes," Bella murmured as she frowned at the pile before her and felt slightly confused as to why Alice would buy her so much when she only really needed what she had from home. Vaguely, she recalled her parents would only buy her clothes when they could afford shopping for gifts on Christmas. "This was...expensive?"
It was Alice's turn to frown now, "Not at all. I wanted to shop for you, it's in my nature! Do you," she hesitated until Bella looked up at her, "not like them? I thought you would..."
Her vision had told her Bella would be happy with the clothes, and yet-
"Bella? Dinner is ready," Esme interrupted before Alice decided to make the living room a runway for Bella. Granting the girl an apologetic smile as she coaxed Bella away from the pile of clothes Alice laid out on the floor for her to sort through. Turning her head, Bella almost seemed relieved to see Carlisle and Esme standing in the living room doorway. Esme could already tell shopping and playing dress-up was not going to be a part of Bella's daily routine, much to Alice's dismay.
"Okay," Standing up, Bella walked away from the pile of clothing before stopping and turning around to face Alice, who was currently pouting. "Ummm, I like that dress," Bella said in hopes of cheering Alice up as she pointed to the lavender dress with polka dots. Then, hesitantly, she patted the pixie's spiky hair and whispered into her ear, "Don't be sad, Alice? I really like my presents."
Alice's eyes widen with a surprise for a second before she melts into the little girl's touch, smiling wide until her pearly white teeth show, "I'm not sad! On the contrary, I'm delighted, Bella. I'm glad you like them! I knew you would. Now, run along with Carlisle and Esme."
Bella nodded, feeling better now that she knew Alice wasn't sad, and hurried across the room towards the amused couple. She didn't notice the way Emmett and his parents found their interaction endearing as they grinned.
Looking over her shoulder, Alice grinned with satisfaction as she taunted Emmett, "She likes me more than you."
"Shut up!" He threw a pillow, and before long, they were running outside to spar, laughing as they did.
Carlisle and Esme sat with Bella as she finished eating her dinner, both sitting on either side of her on the stools, exchanging loving glances before directing it to the little girl.
Carlisle could still see the bandage on Bella's shoulder poking out through the neckline of her shirt, and he frowned. A scar would remain there; he was sure of it after noticing that the scratches had been deep enough to require stitches in the hospital. A permanent reminder of the day Bella lost everything she's ever known. And now she would be reminded of it all once again as he spoke, "Bella? Can we talk to you for a moment?"
Esme stood and took Bella's nearly empty bowl of macaroni and cheese once she realized she was all done eating. Both vampires were tense as they heard the silence settling in on the house, a clear indication that the family members were all paying close attention, even if they didn't realize it.
Bella turned in her seat to face him, her legs dangling off the sides, and Carlisle smiled as he realized she did it often whenever she sat down. Maybe it was a nervous tell of hers...
He waited until Esme finished washing the dishes and walked around the corner, Bella's eyes shining as she looked at them nervously, "Am I...in trouble?"
"No, sweetheart!" Esme reassured while Carlisle frowned at the question. He wanted to ask her why she asked such a thing but a part of him already know. He had suspected Bella's parents were strict, but to what end? What was the limit to their disciplining? A part of him didn't want to know that.
"Bella, we wanted to talk to you about what's going to happen in a few days. Do you know what a funeral is?" Carlisle asked as gently as he could.
Bella thought about it for a moment before she shook her head.
"Well, it's what happens after someone dies. They're buried or paid their respects by having a funeral with friends and family gathered around. We remember the lives of the deceased and mourn for them too."
Bella blinked, and she looked down at her hands. For a moment, it seemed as if she didn't care or understand what Carlisle was saying—it would have been understandable considering children don't always understand the concept of death.
But then she took them by surprise when she said with her eyes averted, "Mommy and Daddy...they died."
Esme took Carlisle's hand and squeezed it before reaching the other towards Bella, only to hesitate when the girl's shoulders tensed, "Yes, Bella. They did die."
Carlisle noticed it first. The way her legs started kicking a little faster, her lip trembling as she stared blankly at the marble counter of the island before her heartbeat increased—faster and faster.
"Okay." She says simply as she turned in the stool and gives them her back.
The couple looked to one another with resigned expressions before Esme took a step forward and kneeled in front of Bella. The sadness in Esme's eyes conveyed the expression she found on Bella's before Carlisle heard the sniffles, "Oh, Bella."
"Okay," Bella murmured through the thick tears that gathered in her throat, "okay..." It sounded as if she were drowning—in a way, she was—drowning in her grief. Esme wrapped her arms around Bella as she stood up and tried to console her as Bella began to repeat, "Okay..." over and over again.
Her soft sniffles and muffles sobs filled the room as she slowly started to wrap her head around the idea that her parents were dead and not sleeping—that they would never come for her and she would never be able to ask her parents to forgive her for not being with them.
Esme's chest felt cold against her face, but the little girl didn't hate it. Carlisle soon placed a gentle hand on her back, and his touch only made her cry harder.
It comforted her whenever any of the Cullens hugged her. Jasper was kind and patient with her. Emmett liked to play and make her laugh, even if she didn't want him to know it. Rosalie and Alice were beautiful in a way she wished she could imitate them until she was beautiful like them. Edward was talented and paid close attention to her the whole time he played the piano.
She never felt lonely...
But she felt hollow in her chest at the thought of her parents. The days she would be alone in the house until her mother would come back with her "friend." How neither of them asked her if she was hungry or sad. How Charlie barely hugged her...
And yet, she missed them.
Thanks for reading x