12

Once Charlie had calmed down and Bella had helped her wash her hands, she led the little girl back out to the living room, where her parents, brother, Alice, Jasper, and Edward were still standing in awkward silence. It would be hilarious if everything wasn't so fucked up.

Bella took a deep breath before leading Charlie to Alice. "Can you, um, I don't know, keep her busy while we talk?"

Alice looked back at Bella's family before nodding and squatting in front of the terrified little girl. "Are you hungry, Charlie? I bet your grandma has some cookies hiding in the kitchen. Will you help me find them?"

Charlie turned her terrified eyes up to Bella, who gave her a subtle nod, before she slipped her hand out of her mother's and into Alice's. Bella's heart was racing as she watched the two of them walk down the hallway and into the kitchen.

"What the hell is going on, Isabella?" Charlie snarled, causing Bella to flinch just slightly.

"Please don't call me that," she whimpered, shifting her eyes to her parents. "It's Bella, now."

Charlie sighed, but nodded. "What is going on, Bella? Where have you been? We thought you were dead? For six years, we thought you were dead."

"I know," she replied, putting her hands up. "Just sit down and I'll explain what I can."

Renee had tears falling as she settled on the couch between Charlie and Carlisle. Bella shared a look with Jasper, who had moved so that he stood by the front window, and then Edward, who leaned against the frame separating the entry room and living room. She could see the guilt in his eyes, knowing that he had been the one who sat in this very room and told her family she had been murdered. It wasn't his fault, though. All the blame laid in the hands of Marcus Volturi.

Bella sat on the edge of the other sofa, putting her hands in her lap, and trying to calm down. She didn't talk about the two years she had spent in Hell, and seeing as all she had was her daughter and the occasional text from or to Edward, letting him know they were okay, she didn't talk about her life over the last six years, either. She had gotten used to being on her own. Safer, that way.

"I don't know how much you know about when I was taken," she started.

"Not much," Carlisle said, clearing his throat. "Just that you'd been through Hell."

Bella nodded. "That's an understatement." She took a deep breath. "Al and I had gone shopping in Port Angeles for the Spring Dance. We had the best time trying on beautiful dresses, pretending that we were princesses. We had just grab dinner and were heading back to her car when we were stopped by a group of men. They, um. . ." Bella shook her head. "Well, they weren't very nice. One of the men had grabbed Al and another me, when three boys came rushing over, pushing them away, yelling at them to get away from us. Al and I were crying, shaking, as we fell to the ground. Once the men were gone, the boys helped us up and said we should go to the hospital, just to make sure we were okay. Neither of us wanted to go, but we did. They insisted on driving us, said once we got there, they would call you and Al's parents, let them know what happened."

Biting the inside of her lip, Bella tried to keep from sobbing. "It wasn't until we were in their car and we realized that we had been set up. The boys drove in the opposite direction of the hospital, and when we questioned them, they just laughed. Fucking laughed." She shifted her eyes back to her parents, to her brother. "Have you heard of the Volturi family?"

While Charlie and Renee shook their heads, Carlisle inhaled a deep breath and said, "Yes."

"Who are the Volturi family?" Charlie asked, his brows scrunching.

"The run the biggest import/export business in the world. They're known for their ruthless antics in the board room," Carlisle explained.

"Not just in the board room," Bella whimpered. "Aro, Caius, and . . ." She swallowed against the lump in her throat. "Marcus Volturi run one of the biggest, if not the biggest human trafficking rings in the world."

"And they trafficked you?" Renee asked, horror filling her features.

Bella hesitated before slowly nodding.