I tried to go through and catch my mistakes, but I don't have a lot of time. I hope you enjoy this new chapter!

Chapter Forty-Three

I wasn't quite sure what happened, all I could feel was I felt a horrific stinging in my leg, and I could hear Bella screaming. I tried to stand but my head was spinning, and my vision was clouding with black spots.

There was another loud bang, and my arm was now burning. Against my will, my eyes closed. I did my damnedest to stay awake but it seems like my body has other plans.

"No! Stop!" I heard Bella scream.

I only heard a brief struggle before my brain shut down completely.

Three Days Later

I wasn't sure if Edward was alive. The man had shot him three times and there was so much blood. I had never prayed so hard in my life. I wanted Edward to be okay. I knew that this was somehow my fault.

"Eat," The man with the really deep, rough voice said as he dropped a bowl of soup down on the table in front of me. His long black hair was now pulled back into a messy bun, as if he was just fed up with fooling with it.

I wanted to tell him I wasn't hungry, but I knew that that only resulted in him forcing a feeding tube down my throat and pumping mushed up food into my stomach until I wanted to vomit.

"W-when will w-we get t-there?" I asked in an extremely soft voice.

"When we get there," He said gruffly as he thumped into the seat across from me. He pulled the book that had been in his coat pocket.

I reached forward and started to slowly eat the soup he had given me. It was very savory in my mouth, and I would've probably liked it if I weren't feeling so much.

I took several bites before pushing the bowl away. He seemed to be satisfied with that as he peeked over his book before nodding once and getting back to reading.

About an hour later, the overhead light blinked. The man put his book back and put his seatbelt on before looking at me.

"Put it on, it's landing."

My stomach clenched tightly as I clipped my seatbelt together with shaky hands. The plane jumped and jerked as we landed on a dark runway. The man returned from wherever he had been sitting and unclipped my belt before pulled me to my feet. He caught me as I stumbled a little.

"Come on." He said as he started pulling me to the exit.

I hadn't thought about this part of my journey. Perhaps I was afraid of what the end of the trip meant. There was no other way I could see it playing out. I was going to die and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I closed my eyes and allowed the man to lead me.

"Get in." The man said when we came to an abrupt stop.

I opened my eyes to see a large black SUV parked in front of me.

I looked up at the man. "W-where are y-you t-taking me?"

"Come on, get in. You're wasting time." He nudged me roughly towards the open door.

My jaw clenched as I got into the vehicle. I had thought getting off the plane would be the end but now my fear and dread was prolonged. Also, a new emotion entered my being. Familiarity.

This scene of me being forced into a black SUV was unsettlingly familiar. The man who had been with me since the beginning was sitting in the seat beside me. I pulled my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around it.

We only drove for about an hour before we briefly stopped in front of a very large gate before it opened and let us through. A cold chill ran down my spine. I closed my eyes when we parked in front of the house.

"Let's go."

I started to shake. "W-what's going to h-happen to m-me?"

He stared at me for a brief moment before his expression soften. He sighed heavily before shrugging. He extended his hand to help me out.

I took a steadying breath before getting out of the vehicle and following him up the stairs. The house was enormous, just like all of the other houses I had been too in the past two months. I knew that whoever owned this house was more than likely dangerous.

The man opened the front door and stood aside to let me through. I looked around, taking everything in. The first thing I noticed were the piles of suitcases by the door.

"You're here!" I heard a high-pitched feminine voice cry.

I looked up towards the large staircase to see a woman with dark blond hair running down it. She crossed the floor in only a few steps before pulling me into her arms tightly. I stiffened at the physical contact.

"I've missed you so much," The woman said before pulling back slightly. "Look at you, you look exactly like your daddy."

As she pressed her forehead against mine, I figured out who she was. I felt several conflicting emotions as I stared into her familiar, dark blue eyes.

"M-mom?" I whispered unsure.

She laughed. "Yes it's me." She wrapped her arms around me once more, holding me as tightly as she could. "You've grown up so much. I've dreamt of this day for so long." She pressed her face into my hair. "It's been too long. Much too long."

I pulled away from her slightly. "Y-you're a-alive?"

She nodded, pulling me against her again. "I am my love. I can't tell you how much I've missed you. When Marcus stopped sending me updates, I knew I had to send Jake to retrieve you. I knew you were in danger."

I pulled away from her again. "I-I don't u-understand. How are you a-alive?"

She sighed and shook her head. "It's a very long story—,"

"You knew where I was?" I asked in a firmer tone. "You knew I was in the system?"

She looked slightly shocked. "Y-yes, I knew where you were. You were safe—,"

"Safe?" I said in the meanest tone I could. "I wasn't safe. You… why didn't you save me?"

"I didn't have a choice…" She said in a soft tone.

"I told you this was a bad idea, mom." The man, Jake, said.

I looked over at him sharply before looking back at her. "Mom?"

She blushed slightly. "Isabella, this is your half-brother, Jacob. I had him when I was… uh, very young."

I stared at him for a moment before turning back to her. "I want to call Edward."

Her face filled with confusion. "Why? You… I don't understand, aren't you happy now?"

We stared at each other for a long while before her eyes turned to the window and she gasped loudly.

"Oh my god!" She cried as she started to scramble to put suitcases behind furniture. "Caius is here! Jake take Bella and hide!"

Jake grabbed me and threw me over his shoulder without asking. I yelped and started to beat against his wide back, but he was unbothered by my pounding fists.

Jake had run for a solid five minutes before stepping through a hidden opening and placing me on my feet.

"What are you—," I started to ask.

"Shut the fuck up," He snarled quietly in my face. I gulped and took a step backwards.

He turned and slid the large, heavy statue back into place before sliding the huge picture in front of us. It suddenly became dark with only tiny openings of light.

"Come on." He whispered as he grabbed my hand.

"I-I can't s-see anything."

"Just follow me." He whispered.

We walked for about ten or fifteen minutes before we stepped in front of a brick wall. I could see a bit better now because there was a rounded window above us and the moonlight was shining directly onto the wall.

I watched as Jacob rearranged a few bricks before sliding the wall apart. Past the wall, was a large furnished room. There was a twin bed pressed against the wall, a small bathroom without a door, and an armchair sitting in front of a small television. There was also a long countertop with a fridge and a microwave beside it.

"Is this your room?" I asked in a very soft voice.

"Yeah, sometimes." He said. "Only when asshole is here."

"Why is he here?"

Jacob shrugged. "Don't know. He pops in randomly sometimes, but I guess it might have something to do with the death sentence Aro issued him two days ago."

"How did he—," I was interrupted by the sound of Caius's voice.

"That little bitch!" I heard him snarl.

"It'll be alright, my love," My mom said.

I looked over at Jacob quizzically, but he just placed his finger over his lips before waving at me to follow him.

I copied his tiptoes as he balanced across beams, maneuvered through obstacles before finally making it to a spot where we could both see and hear everything clearly.

Caius was sitting behind a desk while my mother massaged his shoulders.

"That little cunt. I knew I should've had Tanya put a bullet between her eyes. I knew it was stupid to shoot Carlisle and not that gutter rat! She was the dangerous one! Carlisle knew nothing."

"I appreciate that you didn't." My mother said before placing a kiss on his cheek. "I know you're upset with her, but she's still—,"

"She's Charlie's daughter," Caius snapped softly at her. "She belongs to Charlie. And I don't know about you, but the last time I saw Charlie alive, he was begging for me not to kill him. Like the pathetic pansy he was."

My mother was quiet for a few moments. I could see several emotions flash through her eyes before she took a deep breath.

"You're right. I don't know what I was thinking."

Caius sighed and grabbed her hand. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you."

She nodded. "I just wish I had the children I gave birth to. You know how I wanted to be a mother."

"I'm sorry I couldn't give you another one, but it was dangerous for you to be pregnant again." Caius said as he rubbed her stomach softly. "But, Felix is planning on marrying that girl soon and not long after that they'll have children."

"I still think it was a good idea to shot Carlisle." She said as she returned to rubbing his shoulders. "It sent a message."

He exhaled softly. "I guess."

"It will be alright."

"We're going to have to run again." He said. "Until I figure out a way to clear all of this up with Aro."

"Well, Aro loves you dearly. You know he's not going to follow through."

"This time it's very different," Caius sighed. "Someone released photographs of that little whore and me in very suggestive positions. And someone also took money out of her account which makes me look guiltier. Fuck. I should've covered my tracks better. God damn it. I already had Carlisle on my tail, and now Aro? I'm fucked. And if they find you—,"

"No one is going to find me, my love," She said softly as she embraced him. "No one will find out about us. We'll leave. We'll take the emergency money and live on an island somewhere."

Caius smiled softly before exhaling. "That sounds wonderful."

"What is going to happen to Felix and Dora?"

"I'll stay in contact with both. Felix knows where I am, but I'll keep Dora in the dark. Aro will take good care of her."

"Good. I love Dora very much."

"She is a good woman." He agreed. "Why don't we go to bed? I really need you right now."

"Of course, my love." My mother smiled as she grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the room.

Jacob sighed and told me to follow him. We walked back into the small room.

"Do you want the bed? It's probably going to be awhile."

I sat on the bed and pulled my knees to my chest. "I don't understand what's going on. How is my mother still alive? Who released those pictures of me and Caius? And stole money from my trust fund? None of this makes any sense."

Jacob thumped back into the armchair and spun it to face me.

"It's a really, really long story."

"Obviously I have the time." I said with a bit of an eye roll.

He sighed. "Look, I don't know everything, okay? Mom sent me to go get you. She made me send those pictures out and take the money out of your account."

"Why?"

"Because we needed to get Aro's and Carlisle's attention." He said. "We needed them distracted and we needed Aro to put out a death warrant. Mom wants to run away with us."

I placed my chin on my knees. "Why didn't she just call Carlisle? Or Aro? They would've done something."

"Mom doesn't want to be a part of this life anymore. If they knew she was alive, she'd be thrown right back into the thick of it and that's not what she wants. She just wants to live a peaceful life with us."

I was quiet for a few moments before responding. "I understand what she wants. I wanted that too, but… but now I want to live with Edward. I want to be with Edward."

"Look, mom has lived a really tough life. All she's ever wanted is to be with us."

I just stared at him, unable to say anything. I could understand her having a hard life, but what about me? She knew where I was, and she never saved me. I don't care what kind of life she lived, I didn't want to stay with her.

After a couple hours, I pretended to sleep. Jacob stared at me for a while before he finally stretched out in the armchair and let his head fall backward. I waited an hour before moving. I probably could've gotten up as soon as I heard his snoring, but I just wanted to be sure.

I was pretty positive I remembered the way out of this hidden room. I got turned around a few times, but I finally came upon the large painting. Moving that aside was very easy, but the statue was very heavy.

I didn't move the statue at all. I just ended up sliding passed it. I knew I had a cut on my back on the stone. I crept silently down the hall and started peering into every open door there was. There were a lot of them.

Finally, I found the room that my mother and Caius were sleeping in. the alarm clock beside their bed told me that it was nearly two in the morning. I prayed that they were deeply asleep so I could easily slip into the room.

I crawled into the room silently. This wasn't the first time I had snuck into a room to steal something. Lucky for me, Caius's phone was on sitting on the table beside his bed.

I crawled slowly and quietly for about thirty minutes before finally reaching the bedside table. I peeked at Caius and felt my throat tighten up for a moment.

I hadn't seen him since he kidnapped me. He was just as scary as I remember. I shuddered as I slowly reached for his phone. I had to force myself to grab it because I also got too scared. But I needed to call Edward.

As soon as I picked up the phone, I realized it was locked. The password was his thumbprint. I wanted to scream. I looked up again.

His hand was hanging over the side of the bed. I needed his thumb to open the phone. I knew I couldn't call the police because who knew if they had connections like the Cullens did to the NYPD. I had to call Edward.

My jaw was quivering as I slowly and carefully pressed his thumb against the phone. The second that passed seemed like it had dragged on to eternity when finally, the phone unlocked. I almost let out a tiny squeal of excitement before I clamped my teeth down onto my bottom lip.

I quickly crawled out of the room, making sure I kept the phone on, so I didn't have to crawl back and use Caius's thumb again.

I ran down the hall as quietly as I could until I found an open room that was far enough away. I didn't want them to hear me.

I immediately dialed the number I knew by heart.