The Whispering Woods
Chapter Thirty-Seven
"What do you think you're doing?" Carlisle relaxed when he realized he had scared Edward and Bella. "Considering everything going on, I must insist you cease from exploring your powers." At the ire in Bella's amethyst eyes, he sighed. "At least until we know more."
Bella couldn't stop staring at Carlisle, making Edward irrationally uncomfortable. His friends and nurses at the hospital back home had always referred to him as Dr. McHottie.
"You're one of the five," she whispered, seemingly lost in her thoughts.
Edward looked at the man who gave him a home after losing his parents, his father in all the ways that mattered. His eyebrows shot up, and he realized Carlisle's glow appeared as prominent as Charlie's and Garrett's, maybe a bit brighter and an intriguing mix of blue and green.
"A guardian and healer," the woods whispered from afar. Even the voice informing him held some awe.
"Uncle Carl." Bella laughed, then told Edward he only allowed her to call him that since her lisp as a child used to mangle his full name.
Carlisle couldn't help but smile at the familiarity in Bella's eyes. "Yes, I'm your Uncle Carl, though not by blood." At the question in their eyes, he clarified. "As soon as I had access to a lab and the ability to test our DNA, I did. Only Charlie and Garrett are closely blood-related. And when Elizabeth had been found in the woods, I also had her tested."
Edward sat back and stared. "I already knew she had been adopted, but not that she'd been found in the woods."
Bella gasped, her mind focusing on an old dream, or that case a memory. "My mother found Elizabeth, brought her home. She was taken in by the Weber family, because by then, my grandmother had disappeared. The authorities wouldn't allow them to stay with my grandfather, despite Esme being old enough to help. Not that it mattered, they were neighbors and inseparable."
Carlisle nodded. "They treated her well, Edward. The family that fostered and eventually adopted her also had a little girl named Angela and two twin boys. She had a wonderful family."
Angela and her two brothers Kyle and Cody had visited a lot over the years until their parents died in a boating accident almost five years earlier.
"Why didn't you tell me you knew Bella as well?" Edward shook his head, feeling betrayed by all the secrecy.
"We didn't know your powers would manifest in such a way. It's always been quite rare when our powers backfired and hurt the person wielding them. We had hoped to explore ways to suppress your powers if the connection with Bella had been severed. We don't want you to see all the bad things a person had done. The incident with James changed you, Son."
Bella's gaze volleyed between them. Edward fidgeted and his skin suddenly felt too tight.
"I think I dreamed of the incident you're talking about." She shrugged when Edward gaped at her in shock. "Even hundreds of miles we were connected. This shouldn't surprise you."
"Did you see what he'd done to those girls?" Edward wouldn't want even his worst enemy to see what he'd seen—Bella even more so. He shuddered at the thought.
She took a moment to focus on the old dream. "No, just your reactions."
Edward looked away and remained silent, unsure of what to say.
"If you're waiting for me to condemn you for doing what your instincts probably screamed for you to do, you're going to be here for a long time."
Edward scoffed. "I nearly beat him to death, Bella."
"And if you hadn't put him in the hospital when you had, he would've killed Alicia Smith the following week. His first murder victim at eighteen. He would've continued to do more horrific things until he earned 'the most notorious serial killer in over fifty years' title."
"You're just saying that."
Bella grabbed his hand. "No, baby, I'm not. I told you, I see many outcomes. That was one of them."
"He's not in prison. His parents bailed him out of jail and greased several palms. None of the girls would come forward." Edward rubbed his hands over his face hard. "He can still become that killer."
Bella nodded. "It's possible, but so far he's on a path that would lead to his death soon. What you did, the fact you know is fucking with his head. If any of that changes, I'll let you know."
Before Edward could form a coherent response, a light cough from the living room startled them all and made Carlisle curse. "We got sidetracked." He shook his head. "I came here after Shelia from the diner called me." Gesturing toward the door, he asked them to follow him.
Edward tried to read his father's mind, but found it focusing on the crashing waves of a beach nearby. Nothing else filtered through that image. It appeared to be possible to block the intrusion other than Bella's complete silence.
"Oh my God!" Bella gasped at the sight of her father, Garrett, and Esme sitting on various spots in the living room, staring blankly at the walls, and they barely seemed to be breathing. "What's wrong with them?"
Carlisle sighed. "I have no idea."
AN: Thank you to MC for your help with the chapter. I think I have better control of my health so # hoping my writing mojo stays with me. I planned on writing a few more chapters before I started posting again, but decided you've waited long enough. I'm heading to Arizona to visit with my best friend, taking in a show and the rest of my stay is PRIME writing time. Its a vacation for the both us, doing something we love. Can't wait. I can be found on Twitter under my pen name and on the Facebook group under Ericastwilight Fanfiction. See you soon.