SM owns Twilight.

(CozItRunsInMyBlood /Rose B. Mashal) owns the plot.

(BandMum) is the wonderful beta.

(hlsmith) is my amazing pre-reader.

Chapter 2

"Sweet, sweet Bella. Always so warm, so soft."

The memory of his voice, the stench of his breath, and the heaviness of his sweaty body invaded my brain. It was so vivid, I couldn't breathe.

"Let go!" I screamed at the top of my lungs and sat up in my bed. There was no way I could figure out if that was a dream or just me hallucinating. Whatever it was, I was glad it wasn't real. Well, not anymore.

As I got out of bed, I was aware that my temperature was high. I was sicker than yesterday when I passed out, but I had no option other than to get up and go to work.

Simply walking was a huge struggle; my knees were shaky and every muscle in my body ached. I had no idea how much more stress my body could handle before giving up.

I didn't think it would be long, but I knew I would fight until my last breath.

In my mind, I found it difficult to believe that cold and fever would kill me, and so easily, at that. It was unbelievable to think that after all I had been through, and after all I fought against, that I would let illness take me. It was impossible.

I was determined to continue fighting; if I wanted to die, I would've committed suicide a long time ago. I would've done it the first time he touched me two years ago. But I didn't want to die, not this way.

I moaned as I took the few steps to the bathroom. My head was throbbing, pounding so hard that for a moment I thought maybe someone was outside hitting the wall with a hammer.

My vision was blurry. I barely managed to splash my face with water and straighten out the clothes I had slept in, failing completely to even look decent. Just one glance at the paleness of my face or the dark circles under my eyes and one would think I was a drug addict.

I don't have any memory of walking out the door of my place, nor do I remember if I locked it behind me. It was a struggle to put one leg in front of the other as I tried to make my way to the mall. Besides my legs barely holding my body up, the weather was freezing cold. I wondered for a moment if it was still September; maybe I lost track of time and this was December? I had no clue.

With each breath I took in, it felt like sharp knives were being stabbed into my throat and lungs. With every breath I let out, I felt like I was releasing the remains of my soul with it.

It was very difficult to keep my eyes open, and when I did I could barely see anything. My eyes were useless either way, and I worried if arriving to work in this condition would be the last straw for Mrs. Coper. I wondered if she would kick me out today. Looking as I did, I couldn't blame her.

Suddenly, I felt sharp pain at the back of my head. Numbness started to crawl up my body, and I realized I had slipped on ice and fallen to the ground. I tried to get up but nothing I did was helping to get back on my feet. I couldn't move in the slightest; not one muscle in my body cooperated with me.

A moment later, I realized that getting up just wasn't going to happen. So, I surrendered to the darkness that was starting to consume my every sense. It wasn't at all bad. At least this was a piece of darkness that didn't include nightmares.

~WtSGD~

I heard noises around me. People were talking. Strangers. I didn't recognize any voice I was hearing. Heck, I couldn't recognize words.

My head was so heavy, pounding even more aggressively than before. I felt so much pain all over my body, but I was also scared, and I knew I had to get up and flee.

It took me a few minutes to remember I had slipped, and I realized that I wasn't on the icy ground any longer. I actually felt a bit warmer; hurt, but warm.

As minutes passed, I became more aware of my surroundings. With each new realization, I grew even more frightened. My head wasn't the only thing in my body that was pounding, and when I heard the siren, my heart almost burst out of my chest.

My eyes snapped open, and I saw the paramedic sitting beside me. I could feel something squeezing tightly on my upper arm, and I realized that she was checking my blood pressure.

I gulped audibly, but the pain in my throat didn't feel as bad as it had this morning, and I vaguely wondered how that was even possible.

When I comprehended that I was lying on a stretcher in an ambulance, my chest heaved as my breath quickened with panic.

"Hello, Miss. Can you tell me what your name is?" the paramedic asked in a sweet voice.

"Bel-…" I was about to tell her my name, but then remembered that I shouldn't.

"Bell? Your name is Bell?" the lady asked.

"I... uh, I don't know," I lied, my voice hoarse and low.

"Okay. Do you remember what happened?"

"N-no."

"You hit your head pretty badly. Try to relax; we're on our way to the hospital," she told me, and I almost had a panic attack right then.

I could feel the throbbing pain in my head, but I couldn't care less what kind of injury I had. All I cared about was getting out of this ambulance. There was no way I would let them take me to the hospital and dig for my identity. No way.

"I- I feel okay. No need for a hospital." I tried to sit up, but the paramedic stopped me.

"Please, stay still. You're injured," she told me, then she turned to the paramedic who was driving and called, "Mike, report that we need a neurologist, as well."

Fear consumed my every sense as I thought of how I would be identified at the hospital, and how they could find me that way. I could never allow that to happen. I had to run.

The most brilliant idea I could come up with was to flee the second the ambulance doors opened. However, it might be difficult with all the straps securing me on the stretcher. Then I thought, maybe I could escape once I was in the ER. But I knew that there might be many people there who would try to stop me.

My eyes stung with my unshed tears, as it seemed that there was no way to escape this situation. I couldn't believe that after all this time living in hiding, that I would be exposed so easily. I hated myself for getting sick, and I hated myself for not being more careful as I walked.

A few more minutes passed, and the paramedic named Mike spoke to the woman beside me. "Jessica, we have to take another way. I was just advised that this road is iced over. It might take a little longer to get to the hospital. Will the delay affect the patient?"

"No, she's stable. Do what you have to," the paramedic called Jessica replied before turning to me. "Hold on, Miss. We'll get there soon."

If she only knew I didn't want to get there at all.

My stomach was in knots. I felt the urge to vomit, although I knew very well that there was nothing in there to actually throw up. The motion of the ambulance wasn't helping, making the churning in my stomach unbearable.

"I'm going to be sick," I announced breathlessly as I tried to get up.

The paramedic acted quickly, placing a blue plastic bag in front of my mouth, while her other hand unfastened the strap around my chest that held me to the stretcher.

As expected, I only dry-heaved and didn't actually puke. I was mostly grateful for the strap I just lost; one down, two more to go.

The siren was driving me crazy, but the pounding in my head was getting slower and duller. I realized that the paramedics must have injected me with some painkillers.

"Oh, c'mon!" I flinched as I heard Mike yell. He then started complaining about the traffic on the new road he took, and that people weren't clearing the way fast enough.

Mike seemed very nervous as he kept yelling at the cars in front of him. When we came to a sudden stop, he jumped out of the ambulance as if he could clear the road by himself.

"Mike! Mike! Dear God!" Jessica called after him. Turning to me, she said "It's ok. I'll be right back." Then she opened the rear doors and got out as well, apparently following her co-paramedic.

Maybe the road wasn't clearing up fast enough for the ambulance to pass through, but it was magically clearing up for me. Here was my best chance, my only chance to escape. I had to take it.

Without further thought, I sat up and unclasped the straps across my knees and my feet. Then I moved off the stretcher, groaning as sharp pain hit every inch of my body when I stood.

I willed my knees to stop shaking. I willed my breaths to even out, and I willed my body not to collapse right then and there.

The noise of honking cars and the ambulance siren, along with all the yelling of angry drivers late for work, made it almost impossible for me not to scream along with them, due to the throbbing in my head.

Maybe they didn't inject me with painkillers after all.

I wasn't sure which would be better, if I should run, or quickly walk away from the ambulance. I knew that running might result in me slipping yet again, and that would cause more trouble than I was already facing.

I decided that taking fast, but steady, steps would be the better choice, and my exhausted body agreed. I was never going to be able to run anyway, not with this tremor in my knees.

"Hey!" I heard someone call out, and I walked faster. I didn't know if it was a man or a woman who spoke, or if they were even talking to me. Still, I walked as fast as possible, and didn't look back.

My trembling legs took me to a side road, and then to a small alley off a backstreet. I knew those alleys by heart; I lived in them for months. I knew exactly where to find a place an ambulance couldn't go through. And I knew how to hide very well.

When I was positive that nobody was running after me, I slowed down to catch my breath. It was extremely difficult and painful to do something as simple as breathing, and I was aware of how ill I was. But I would take the pain over having to go to a hospital and risk being exposed.

I sat down on a wooden box thrown next to a dumpster. The fact that the alley was small would make it a little bit warmer than the main street, and the dumpster would help shield me from the wind.

I had done it million times before. This would be the safest and warmest place to hide until I was sure nobody was following or searching for me. Then I would figure out how to get back to my place without having to walk so much. My body couldn't handle it.

I was aware that I was feverish, and there was no way Mrs. Coper would let me work in this condition. I decided not to go to the mall. She probably would fire me the next time she saw me, if I went back at all. She had made it clear that I would have no days off, no excuses.

I missed the times when I had money to go to a café and order a cup of coffee or hot chocolate. But if I had that kind of money right now, I would use it for a ride back to my apartment.

I always prioritized safety over food, drink, or warmth; it was all I cared about. I wasn't feeling one hundred percent safe at the moment, but I was getting there. I was going to reach safety. Someday. I had to.

I hugged my knees to my chest in an attempt to warm myself. I guess I dozed off, because the next thing I knew, I heard a familiar voice calling my name.

"Bella? Can you hear me?" For a second, I thought I had gone back to the time I had passed out in the store, with that handsome doctor trying to get me to wake up. It sounded exactly like him.

"Huh?" was all I managed to say before I opened my eyes, only to realize that I hadn't gone back in time, nor was I even dreaming. I was still in the tiny alley, curled up on the wooden box beside the dumpster, close to freezing to death, and the very handsome doctor I was just thinking about was right there in front of me.

"C'mon, Bella, let's get you out of here," Dr. Carlisle Cullen said, offering me his gloved hand.

A million questions invaded my mind at that moment, and the most niggling one was how he had found me. When he took a step closer, his hand reaching even nearer, I had no idea if I should take it.

~WtSGD~

Winner of the week is: lillianolivia white

Author note:

Thank you so much for your reviews, guys!
Your feedback is just AWESOME! I loved each one of them.

A question: How was Carlisle able to find Bella?

The correct answer will get an early update, and a mention on the next chapter. Yay!

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Until we meet next Saturday…
Love and kisses.

Cozy.