33

BPOV

Run faster, run harder, I thought to myself as I ran down the beach. I kept running those words through my head as I pumped my arms and moved my feet as hard as I could. Everything that I thought I knew, turned out to be the biggest mind fuck of all. I still couldn't wrap my head around the fact that my parents, who were supposed to love me, faked their deaths and let me believe that I had heard them being butchered. Fuck, I hated them.

It used to be so simple, so easy. Even though I was the baby of the family, I never was treated like that. Whether it was my brothers, Renee, or one of the guys from the gym, I always had someone to hang out, to play with. My parents were the best and I knew it. When did it change? When did they get to the point where they were willing to let, not only me, but my brothers suffer for two fucking years thinking they were dead? Would they ever truly understand just how much they put us through?

My knees finally gave out on me and I fell down into the sand, sobbing once again for the life that was stolen from me. I wasn't supposed to be here. I was supposed to be back in Phoenix, or at least Forks. I was supposed to be getting ready for football games, homecoming dances, and college. I could remember Renee getting ready for her senior prom. I thought she looked like a princess and I was so jealous that she got to go out. When did she decide that I wasn't worth her time anymore? Was it after my parents betrayed us or before that?

The only people I could count on anymore were Carlisle, Emmett, Jasper, Rose, Alice, Esme, and Edward. My brothers had been there for me every step of the way. They fought to keep me out of going to that nut house. No matter how frustrated they got with me, they never gave up on me. Emmett didn't leave me for Rose. Just like Jasper didn't leave me for Alice, not they would have asked them to. No, those two women , and now Esme, were more of a sister to me than Renee had been in a long time.

Then there is my sweet Edward, who loves me even though my family is cracking at the seams. My sweet Edward, who kept edging his way into my heart, even when I pushed him away. He made me feel beautiful and normal. He made me feel safe, even if it did cost him his life. He made me feel alive every time he placed his hands on my body, kissed my lips, or, hell, even looked at me. Would he ever truly know just how much I loved him?

"It's ok, Bell," whispered Carlisle, scooping me up and settling me on his lap. I threw my arms around my oldest brother, holding him as tightly as I could. I couldn't lose him too.

"Is she ok?" asked Emmett, plopping down next to us and placing his large hand on my back. I felt Jasper settled on the other side of us, laying his own comforting hand on me. Would my brothers ever know how much I loved them? How grateful I was for never giving up on me?

"As ok as she can be right now," murmured Carlisle.

"I hate them so much," muttered Jasper. I peeked over at him through the tangled mess that was my hair. He had tears swimming in his eyes as he focused on the ocean. "They just…act like they went on vacation and forgot to call. How can they just sit there and act like they know anything about what we've been through?"

"I don't know, Jas," sighed Emmett. I looked over at him as he pulled his knees up in front of him. "I've asked myself that question so many times over the last couple days. When did they get so selfish that putting their own needs before ours, before Bell's, became more important than her, than us?"

"Maybe we were just blind to it," suggested Carlisle, laying his cheek down on the top of my head. "I mean, maybe we didn't see it because we didn't want to see it. All those guys who came in and out of the gym all the time. Were they training them for this Omega Sector bullshit?"

"I was scared to let you too close to me," I whispered.

"What?" asked Carlisle. I moved so that I was sitting in the sand in front of them, pulling my knees up to my chest and wrapping my arms around them. "What are you talking about?"

"After…they died or whatever," I said, looking at anything but them, "I was afraid to let you guys in. I thought I was protecting you by keeping you at arms length."

"Protecting us from what?" asked Jasper.

"From me," I choked out, letting my tears fall freely. "I blamed myself for everything and I thought that if I let you in that I would end up hurting you or making you want to leave me, too. I thought that at least if I pushed you away first then at least it wouldn't hurt at much but it didn't work. You three are stubborn asses. You never gave up me, even when I called you every name in the book or hit you."

"We'll never leave you," said Emmett, grabbing my hand in his. "Never, Bella."

"I know that now," I whispered. "But Ren left and I thought they were dead. I was scared. I feel like such an idiot. They played me. Toyed with my emotions and it nearly drove me crazy. Maybe it did."

"Bell, they fooled us all," said Carlisle. "We all thought they were dead."

"But I was there," I argued.

"You were fifteen, Bell," said Jasper. I looked over at him. "You were scared and thought you were hearing them being raped and murdered. How were you supposed to know they weren't?"

"I don't know," I murmured, looking out at the ocean.

For several minutes, we didn't say anything. We just sat there in the white sand, listening to the waves as they beat against the shores of the small island that we were on. If we hadn't have been dragged here against our will by the very people who had helped ruin our lives, it would have been a nice place to come. But it wasn't nice, it was horrible.

"I'm hungry," I said. All three of my brothers burst out laughing. I look back at them. "Don't laugh at me. I haven't had a real meal all day. They keep fucking everything up for me."

"We know," snorted Carlisle. "It was just so random."

"Do you think it's safe to go back there?" I asked. "Cause I'm like one comment from kicking their asses."

"If they are still there, then we will grab some food and take it back to the villas," chuckled Emmett, standing up. He pulled me up to my feet, grinning widely. "Want a piggy back ride like I used to give you?"

"Yes," I smiled.

"Alright, hope on," he laughed, bending over.

I jumped onto my brothers back and wrapped my arms and as much of my legs as I could around his massive frame. He took off back up the beach and I squealed. I fucking squealed but for a split second, I felt like I was ten years old again. I could heard Carlisle and Jasper laughing behind us as we ran up the beach. When was the last time we all laughed together?

Emmett stopped outside of the dining hall, panting softly. I climbed off his back as Carlisle and Jasper both came up behind us.

"You are awfully winded there, Em," I teased. "Maybe you need to start running with me."

"Shut the fuck up, Bell," laughed Emmett, pushing open the door to the dining hall. Yep, the parents and the assholes with them were still there but Edward, Esme, Rose, Alice, Ed, and Elizabeth weren't. I guess they got tired of their shit, too. "Guess we are taking this shit to go."

"Yep," I muttered, following them in.

"Let's hurry," grumbled Jasper.

I followed my brothers over to the buffet table and grabbed a new sandwich, some more fruit, and a bottle of water. Once they had grabbed their food, we headed back over to the door. Renee jumped to her feet and ran over and stood in front of the door blocking our way out.

"Get the fuck out of the way," growled Carlisle.

"No, we are going to talk about this like adults," insisted Renee. I smirked as I shoved my food into Jasper's hands and stepped up in front of them.

"News flash, Bitch. I'm not a fucking adult," I spat. I reared back and threw a left roundhouse, hitting her square in the nose. She screamed as she crumbled to the floor. I looked back at Carlisle, who looked shocked but happy at the same time. "How was my roundhouse?"

"Still on the wide side," smirked Carlisle, looking over at our parents. "But I'm sure you will get more targets to practice on."

Emmett and Jasper both burst out laughing as they followed me and Carlisle out of the dining hall, leaving Renee curled up in the floor, crying over her now broken nose. It should have felt good to finally punch her but it didn't. Under it all, she was still my sister and I hated that I felt guilty for hitting her, even if she did deserve it.

I followed them down to the villas, where we found Rose, Alice, Esme, Ed, and Elizabeth sitting quietly. As we walked up and sat down around our lovers, I could feel all of their eyes on me, on us. Emmett pushed my food back into my hands and I silently began to eat my peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

"Are you ok, Sweetheart?" asked Elizabeth, finally breaking the silence.

"Eh, I'm ok," sighed Emmett. I laughed and looked over at me brother. "What?"

"I'm pretty sure she was talking to me," I snorted. Emmett puckered his lips up and looked over at Elizabeth.

"Is that true?" he asked.

"Afraid so, Emmett," smiled Elizabeth. "But I do worry about you, too."

"Thanks," beamed Emmett, looking at our brothers, who were shaking their heads at him. "Don't be jealous. I'm sure she worries about you guys, too."

"Of course, I do," laughed Elizabeth. She shook her head and looked back at me. "Are you ok?"

"I don't really know," I said, quietly. "Maybe."

"Hmm," she hummed, leaning back.

I could tell she didn't know what to say anymore than I did. Edward slipped his arm around my shoulders and leaned over and kissed the side of my head. Almost like he was reminding me that he was there. Like I could forget that he was here. He was my everything. Emmett and Rose were sitting next to each other, wrapped around each other. They were whispering to each other, stealing kisses here and there. Rose had been a part of our family for a long time. Did she feel just as betrayed as we did?

I looked over at Jasper and Alice, who was sitting on my brother's lap. Neither of them were speaking but yet, they were saying so much. It had always been obvious how much they loved each other, relied on each other. They had met just after I was released from the nut house and yet, here she was with us. She was amazing.

From them, I looked over at Carlisle and Esme, whose love was as new and fresh as mine and Edward's. Esme was tucked into Carlisle's side, while he ran his hand up and down her back. Out of my three brothers, he sacrificed the most for me, for us. If our parents hadn't ruined our lives, he would be a doctor right now, working in some emergency room and saving peoples lives. Did he resent them for taking that away from him?

"We need you guys to join us back in the dining hall," said Peter, coming up to us. None of us spoke or really even moved. "Did you hear me?"

"Yeah, we heard you," muttered Ed, sliding his arm around his wife. "We just don't give a shit. We may have been forced to come to this island but you can't force us to do a goddamn thing."

"Look, I understand that you are pissed but-"

"Pissed really don't even begin to explain how we feel," snapped Elizabeth, standing up despite Ed's efforts to keep her down. Something told me she was firecracker. "You and your…people, have no clue the damage you have done to all of us. You think you can just play God and manipulate our lives. Well, you can't."

"It's important-"

"We don't care," muttered Carlisle. "Get the fuck out of here. My sister's trying to eat and I would like for her to be able to finish one meal without you all fucking it up."

"Look, you don't understand," sighed Peter, running his hands through his hair. "Aro Volturi is on his way here."