Bella sighed as she finally finished wiping the counter clean, taking in her hard work with a proud nod and hands resting on her waist.

Dishes washed and put away—check.

Counters shining brighter than the sun—check.

And leftovers stowed away in the fridge—check, check.

It was no secret that Bella was avoiding the inevitable as much as possible. Which is why she was cleaning like her life depended on it for far longer than necessary.

That being because her family was outside with the Denali's, all of them laughing and gathered around the fire.

She dreaded going out there. Because she would be the only one walking across the lawn, interrupting their fun and once again calling attention upon herself. She really hated being the center of attention. Dreaded it even.

Bella knew that when Edward suddenly strode into the kitchen—his hands in the pockets of his jeans and bronze hair a mess atop his head—he'd realized what she'd been doing too.

"I've been sent to check and make sure you haven't snuck off to your room," her brother announced as he took a seat at the island, resting his chin over his fist.

"You volunteered you mean?" She asked jokingly as she finished folding a new kitchen towel on the counter by the sink, earning herself a frown.

"I don't know what you mean." He said with feigned innocence.

"Sure you do," Bella motioned towards the window looking out into the lake where the others were sitting. Towards the female vampire with strawberry blonde hair sitting on a chair, glancing every which way. As if she were looking for someone. Which she certainly was. "Looks like you made a friend."

Edward rolled his eyes so hard it was a shock they didn't say lodged behind his head.

"Tanya is a good friend. For a long time now, like the rest of the Denali's."

Bella arched a brow, crossing her arms as she leaned against the counter. Edward mimicked her in a similar manner with a crooked grin.

They both waged a silent war as if they were able to communicate by a single look.

As if they were saying:

Are you going to tell me about the kiss?

Not if you tell me about your new girlfriend.

With a nod, they turned away from each other without a word. It was settled, they wouldn't be talking about it anytime soon.

Edward rose from the stool and looped an arm around her shoulders, "Let's go or Rosalie will march in here and carry you out there."

"She didn't say she'd do that," Bella challenged, pouting.

"Don't you know our sister?" He asked sounding incredulous. "She absolutely would."

"To you maybe..."

Before they could start their banter, a tactic to continue avoiding the inevitable, Edward tensed beside her. Bella immediately sensed his mood shift, as if he were poised and ready to strike as his head whipped to one side, alert.

"What is it, Edward?" She was staring up at him curiously as he stepped closer to her, keeping a protective arm around her shoulders as he looked towards the opened doorway with a grim expression.

Bella followed his gaze, and felt her heart sink all the way to her feet. Spotting the two people standing there, watching them. The two...vampires who watched her closely with clear interest. The same two vampires that had eyes as red as blood.

No, it couldn't be...

Bella took a step back, gasping as she felt an unmistakable spark of fear shoot through her. Driving her to run as far away as she could. If it hadn't been for Edward's arm around her shoulders, she thought she would have done just that. But he wasn't budging, and she couldn't move even if she wanted to—too stunned and quite frankly, frightened.

Of them.

"What are you two doing here?" Edward asked with a bite to his words though they didn't sound menacing or threatening like she would have expected. If anything, he seemed mildly curious and worried all at once.

"Is that anyway to greet your dear old friends, Eddie?" The female vampire with short hair pouts, seemingly unaware of Edward's reproachful gaze or outright ignoring him.

She was a small young woman, probably around Rosalie's age. In a strange way, she resembled Alice with her short pixie cut and petite build. The only difference was that she had light blonde hair and her style in clothing was definitely different from her sister's girly albeit experimental sense of fashion. The girl's features were stunning—leaving no room for argument on how beautiful she was—further proving Bella's point that every vampire she met was otherworldly when it came to looks.

But looks didn't change anything, they only seemed to confuse Bella more as she took in those blood red eyes...

The female vampire directed her piercing eyes in Bella's direction, shooting through her chest like an arrow striking down its target. Bella flinched as memories swarmed her. Memories she could never seem to forget.

The vampire waved, her voice gentle and equally intrigued, "Hello, Bella. We've heard so much about you from Jasper. I'm Charlotte..."

Bella felt that curious look of hers in her bones. It started an ache so potent she had to look away. Had to look somewhere else...only to have herself gravitate towards the male that watched her instead of Edward. As if he hadn't even noticed her brother was in the room.

As if she were the only one he could see.

He watched her with an expression on his chiseled face that sent shivers down her spine. Awakening an acute self-consciousness that was difficult to ignore. Bella frowned, tilting her head slightly as she felt hypnotized by him. By the sheer power his presence had over her as he stood tall, as still as a statue. He had short silver-blonde hair—making his eyes sharper and predatory, standing out against his sun-kissed skin. He was beautiful. Far more beautiful than any of the males in her family and even the Denali's. But...there was something else that called to her. Something that was dark and chilling in the way he looked at her, in the way he too tilted his head slightly, his gaze never straying away from her doe brown eyes.

As if he knew something she didn't.

It took her a moment to understand that he wasn't the monster from her dreams which was a relief.

No, that man had had long flaxen hair tied back and a smile that was every bit as terrifying as his eyes. That was something she would always remember.

But there was something unfeeling about this male who stood before her.

Something cold and distant.

Like he was seeing someone of her kind for the first time. As if he'd never seen a human before in his life and didn't like what he saw. It unnerved her and sent her heart ricocheting in her chest. Bouncing off in all directions and creating a constant thump-thump-thump in her ribcage.

The male's jaw clenched and his attention finally shifted away from her as he watched Edward move closer to Bella, whispering even though they could all hear him perfectly, "Bella, it's okay—"

It was only when he spoke, did she realize her hands were closed into tight fists to the point her nails started cutting into her palms. A faint sting making her wince. She immediately stopped before she could draw blood, not wanting to make anything difficult for the house full of vampires.

"Th-their eyes," Bella stared wide eyed at the two vampires standing perfectly still in the doorway. The young woman—Charlotte—was smiling sadly at the girl. It did little to calm Bella as she continued staring into her deep red eyes.

The same eyes as...

Bella glanced up towards the male vampire once again, standing behind Charlotte, his arms crossed and his back leaning against the doorframe. His expression was wholly unreadable with sharp angular features and a muscular yet lean build.

She forced herself to look away as potent fear invaded her senses.

She practically clung to Edward as she clutched his shirt and whispered, "They're like his. Why are they like his?"

Edward's brows furrowed with concern before something crossed his eyes.

Realization.

Dread.

He wrapped a protective arm around her, "Bella...I-"

"Bella, we can explain," Alice said hurriedly as she rushed to their side, appearing out of nowhere and making the girl jump with a start. "I didn't see you reacting like this, I'm sorry."

Jasper wasn't far behind, entering from the sliding door that led onto the back porch. When he saw the two red eyed newcomers standing there however, he stopped and walked towards them.

Towards them? Wait, why?

Bella watched her older brother with a look of utter confusion as he took a few steps in Charlotte and the male's direction before he faltered. Jasper turned and looked to Bella, a deep furrow clearly expressing the turmoil he was feeling. Probably not just from her, but from everyone else?

What was he doing? Why wasn't he running them out? Protecting her like he always promised he would?

Jasper was one of the few members of her family who knew about the red eyed killer that ruined her life. The same one who left the hideous scar on her shoulder and the aches that started moments before a seizure always came on. That's how she knew when a bad one was about to happen.

They always hurt.

Jasper knew all this.

And yet—

Jasper spoke softly, with an urgency that told her he could feel the underlying betrayal she felt, "Bella, I know this is hard for you to understand but...they're our friends. My friends. This is Charlotte and Peter," He said as he placed his hand over Charlotte's shoulder. The latter smiled faintly in his direction while the male seemed utterly immovable, silently assessing the room. Her. "They're good people."

But that color...

Bella shut her eyes, unable to look at them without seeing him sneering at her.

"I don't understand...they're...like him? But he wasn't...he couldn't be-"

Alice shook her head as she noticed the male—Peter—frown at her words, pushing off the doorframe. If she said anything to disuade him from approaching, Bella couldn't hear.

"No! They're not like him, Bella. No one here is like him. Charlotte and Peter wouldn't hurt you." Alice said which was odd seeing as she never told her about the red-eyed man? Bella frowned at her and Alice started, seeming to realize what she'd said. She knows?

"Let's not test that theory," Edward muttered, stepping closer to Bella. A low resounding growl carried through the kitchen, making both Bella and Edward tense. If it belonged to Jasper or Peter, she couldn't know. There was just too much happening.

"But they have red eyes. Why are they red?" She pressed, leaning further into Edward's side. "Yours aren't red, Alice."

"It's hard to explain..."

"Bella, why don't we go upstairs to talk?" Carlisle offered, suddenly standing in the room next along with a concerned Esme. His brows were set in a deep furrow as he took in his youngest standing inches away from the two newcomers. "You don't need to be getting upset now, given everything."

Bella couldn't bring herself to remain calm as she turned her gaze to him. Carlisle was the same as Jasper—concerned yet unbothered by the two...vampires.

Vampires.

They can have red eyes too? So that means—

Bella flinched away from Edward's touch, backing away before Carlisle could reach her. He stopped short as he saw the hurt and confused expression on her face as she looked towards all of them.

"So he's also a vampire? I didn't make that up, he's real..."

"Bella, we wanted to wait until you were old enough to explain. Please..." Alice started only to stop short, sending a lamenting gaze in Peter and Charlotte's direction.

Bella backed away, flinching away from her adoptive father this time when he tried to reach out to her. Carlisle's hand dropped, stunned by her reaction.

"You knew all this time...didn't you? What he was. That he was real. And you never told me? You just let me believe it was all in my head?"

"Bella, we wanted to protect you..." Esme attempted to console the stricken girl but stopped when she saw the unshed tears shining through her eyes, filled from utter hurt.

"You knew," Bella shook her head as she stepped away from Edward and all her siblings as they filtered in, gathering around her and the two vampires. They all looked positively taken with remorse. And that's when it all clicked.

They all knew all this time that the monster that killed Renee and Charlie, that nearly killed me was a vampire. Like them. He's like them.

Bella backed away, shaking her head as her world tilted on its axis. Confusing her to the point of overwhelming anxiety.

A gentle wave of lament swept over her but the second she sent a chilling glare in Jasper's direction, his gift withered away like the petals of a rose. She stared at him for a long moment, unable to stop herself from feeling mortified that all this time, even her older brother knew and never said a word no matter how many nightmares she had.

Jasper clenched his jaw as he stood off to the side, standing between her and his friends. He was sorry, she could tell. But did it mean anything? At the moment, it doesn't.

She had to get out of here.

She couldn't be here, with all of them looking at her as if they'd been the ones to fill her nights with unending nightmares.

Without an ounce of hesitation, Bella spun on her heel and ran out of the kitchen, ignoring Esme and Carlisle calling her name. Pleading. Taking the stairs two at a time and tripping only when she made it onto the landing, Bella reached her bedroom and slammed the door shut behind her the moment she hurried through the threshold.

This can't be happening. They're not like them, they're not!

"But do you even know them?" The monster asked her from the deepest part of her mind. "Did you ever truly know anything about them?"

She didn't.

That was the truth, wasn't it? Bella didn't know anything about her family. Not how they came to be vampires nor why or how they all found each other. How they came to be a family. She knew nothing about them.

And yet, they knew everything about her. Every little fear and trauma she'd experienced. Everything that made her Bella.

"Bella, please open the door." Rosalie said from the other side of the door, startling her. She leaned against it, arms wrapping around her midsection as she listened to Rosalie's gentle knock. "Please, love..."

Bella swallowed thickly, "Did you know too? All this time?"

A pause and then Rosalie said, "I'm sorry. There's so much I'm sorry for, Bella. So much I can't protect you from, no matter how much I want to. I wish I could tell you more."

Because there was more I have yet to find out, isn't there?

A breath caught in her throat as a sharp sting shot through her chest. A feeling she didn't know and couldn't quite put a name to it.

But it was there.

The feeling of having your trust broken for the first time.

Pushing off the door, Bella climbed into her bed, pulled the covers over her whole body, and hugged her knees to her chest. Wanting to hide. Wanting to go to sleep and wake up to a world where what had occurred moments ago hadn't happened. Back to her normal life.

Normal? That doesn't exist for you, Bella.

"Leave me alone," she said, her voice trembling even as if came off as a mumble thanks to the covers. "Please."

She didn't hear the footsteps down the hall fade away, but when Rosalie didn't knock nor try to speak to her again, Bella knew her sister had respected her request.

Wishing more than anything that she could wake up from this nightmare as she covered her ears with her hands, shutting her eyes tight. This time Bella gladly welcomed another nightmare she couldn't be rid of. If only to escape the current one she found herself in.

Thanks for reading x