A/N: Hey everyone here is chapter 16! =) I'll try to get the next chapter up by next week lol

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

The morning of the dance was a Friday, and I was groggy from staying up talking online until 2:00 A.M. with Alice. Maybe Edward would let me sleep instead of going to the dance! This thought made me smile, but then I remembered that Alice would not approve, and she was an unstoppable force of nature. She always got what she demanded, especially when it came to dressing me up. I had no idea why she even tried to make me look pretty, but I guess she had fun with it, even if I didn't. She enjoyed doing my hair and make-up, as well as putting me in dresses much too elegant for me to wear. Tonight wouldn't be any different. I didn't understand why she extended so much effort to make me look nice when nothing could make me look really pretty. I was doomed. She was going to spend the whole afternoon in between school and the dance to dress me up like a Barbie doll. Tonight would be…well I couldn't think of a word, but I was so stressed about it. I couldn't help but think that I was going to fall and stumble on top of everyone in the gym. I lay there trying to motivate myself to get out of bed when I noticed how quiet my house was. Maybe I woke up earlier than usual? Renee and Charlie worked early every day, so it was normal for them to be gone. But Jazz and Em were usually getting up and ready by the time I woke up. I got out of my bed and realized that they must not be awake yet. I scrambled into their room, but it was vacant. I checked the clock in their room and it was the normal time for me to get ready to go…weird. I finished getting dressed as I contemplated where my brothers could possibly be. Maybe they were downstairs and just being abnormally quiet. Or maybe they were pranking me. That would be really uncool. I was wearing a forest green sweater and jeans, as it was pretty cold outside. I would also wear my heavy jacket, but I would grab that when I left. I started walking down the stairs, knowing that my brothers were up to no good.

"Jazz! Em! This is so not funny!" They better not have been trying to scare me.

"Oh, but isn't it?" I froze with horror. I would know that voice anywhere. I stopped cold in the middle of the stairs, hoping I had just imagined the voice of James in my living room. I trembled in fear as I stood rooted to the spot, with the knowledge that I hadn't imagined this scenario. He walked into my line of sight on the stairs and beckoned to me with his index finger. He wanted me to walk towards him, but why would I do that? And then it all came down on me. He had Emmett and Jasper. If I didn't obey, they would be harmed. He would hurt them. Because of me. He must have seen this realization on my face because he smiled.

"Smart girl. But slow, oh so slow. It took you that long to realize that I was holding your brothers hostage? Now, do you want them to get hurt?" His voice was mockingly pleasant. I shook my head, unable to speak from the fear still coursing through my body.

"Then come closer, Bella." The way he said my name sent a shiver down my spine. Like I was some kind of…property…or victim…that he deserved. At that precise moment, my cell phone went off with the familiar ring tone of "Some Hearts" by Carrie Underwood. Edward was calling me. I couldn't just let it ring and not answer. He would come over in a heartbeat to find why I didn't pick up and talk to him. Plus, Alice was really good at sensing what could happen to people, and she would be just as worried and might come over with him. I couldn't let either of them get hurt. James glared at me as I quickly answered the phone.

"Hello?" I sounded hoarse with fear, but hopefully he wouldn't catch that.

"Bella? Are you okay?" I figured it was a long shot.

"Yes, I'm fine." I was so bad at lying. He would know that I wasn't fine.

"You don't sound fine."

"I am…really." I still didn't sound convincing in the slightest. My voice gave the impression that I was answering a jeopardy question rather than Edward's simple remark.

"Well, put Emmett on the phone. He won't answer and I need to talk to him." Uh-oh. Now he was definitely going to come…I couldn't pretend to be Emmett…obviously. When Edward realized that I didn't know where Em was, he would freak out. James looked at me impatiently, as if I were being rude to him by talking on the phone. This made me feel angry, so I glared at him. Probably not a good idea, but I was having trouble controlling my emotions at the moment. Fear and anger together was not a good combination. Sometimes they made me forget to be rational and cautious. My insides were haywire at that point.

"Uh…he's not here at the moment…" I trailed off, not sure whether this was a lie or a truth. It sounded a little bit like a question, so Edward would know something was up. Darn it.

"Where is he?" I couldn't answer that question. I tried to think of a reasonable place Em would have gone before school this morning, especially when first period started in thirty minutes and we rode together. I took too long to think this through, though, and when I didn't answer, Edward panicked. James was talking quietly to someone in the corner. I was still on the stairs so all I heard was whispering.

"Bella! What is going on?" Could he hear how hard I was breathing?

"I'm not sure. First period starts soon, though, so Emmett better get back…" I couldn't keep the fear out of my voice.

"Bella. Tell me. What's wrong? You sound kind of scared."

"Nothing. Everything is fine." My voice shook, though, giving me away. All of a sudden, a booming voice echoed around the room, and I knew we were all in trouble.

"Bella!" It was Emmett. I felt relief, then fear. What had they done to Emmett? His voice sounded strained…and it takes a tremendous amount of effort for him to feel tired.

"Uh…Edward? I have to go. Emmett needs my help with something…" I hung up the phone and contemplated what was happening. My family and friends were in danger. Emmett and Jasper were in major trouble. I was so glad that my parents worked early so they didn't have to go through this, too. I was making all of this happen. Me living here was causing this to happen to them. I should have left a while ago. I knew now that leaving was my only option to keep everyone here safe. And I couldn't even tell any of them. If I made it out of this predicament, I would have to leave. I had no idea where I would go, but I had to go.

"Emmett! Where are you?" I ran down the stairs, tripping when I made it to the bottom. James laughed at me, which didn't really phase me. I was used to people, including myself, laughing at my clumsiness. I didn't find anything humorous about this situation, though, so I could not laugh.

"Shut up! What are you doing? Victoria! Gag him!"

"You broke into our house, you moron! Bella, call the cops!"

"Ha! The police will be no match for me!" I believed him, and I knew that James would run off before the police could catch him, at any rate. Emmett suddenly burst into the room. He looked so…exhausted. He must have had to fight someone to get to me. This was horrible.

"I'm so sorry, Emmett! This wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for me. This is all my fault!" The tears began to fall down my cheeks as James moved closer to me. Victoria wasn't holding Emmett anymore, but she went back to where she had been before Em came into the living room. I guessed she had tied up Jasper, too. The thought made my stomach lurch. Why would this girl help James with his disgusting quest to ruin everything and everyone in his path? Especially the people in my life? I didn't think that could ever be justified. James walked over to me and touched my face with his fingertips as he talked to me.

"Yes, Bella. It is all your fault. You kept running from me, or allowing your petty friends to help you. Well, now, you are out of luck." James' voice was menacingly cold. I couldn't help but shiver from fear as he kept tracing his fingers back and forth on my cheek. I cringed at his touch, but didn't dare to try to move or push him away.

"I have a new assistant. Victoria!"

Again, I had to wonder. Who was this girl? Why was she working with James? How had they met? Was he forcing her to do something like this? Or did he delude her into thinking that I was the bad guy? I locked eyes with Emmett for a moment, and he shook his head at me with a sadness in his eyes. I didn't know what he was trying to say, but I had a feeling he was trying to make me feel better. James looked straight ahead of him at a girl walking into the room.

"Yes, James." She walked into the room, though she sounded lifeless when she spoke. He nodded at her as she stared sadly into my eyes.

"I am not your puppet, James. This girl hasn't done anything to you, no matter what you have told me. You lied to me, and I am not going to harm one hair on this girl's head. Or her brothers, for that matter." Wow. She didn't want to hurt us. To my surprise, James laughed quite loudly.

"Do you want me to show you why you should help me again?" She cringed and looked on the verge of tears. She shook her head, but I knew that he was either threatening or blackmailing her. At least I knew she didn't want to hurt any of us. She looked at him with blue eyes full of hatred. Her long red hair curled down to her waist as she moved her elongated body toward me. She looked into my eyes apologetically as she tied my hands and legs together behind my back. I couldn't move an inch. I stayed quiet so that she wouldn't have to gag me.

"Okay, James. The deed is done. Let's go. Now." She began to reach for me, but James grabbed her wrist to and spun her toward the front door. Something was there that seemed to ruin and stop his plans. Emmett apparently opened the front door, because I could feel a breeze and he just walked back into the living room from that direction. In his haste to get me tied up, he forgot about Emmett. Em and James looked extremely angry as they locked eyes.

"James, let Bella go!" The voice from the door came loud and confident. I recognized it right away, but I couldn't allow myself to be happy when I heard him.

"No, Edward! Go! Get out of here with Emmett and Jasper!"

"Bella, are you INSANE? I am not just going to let him take you away!" I sighed. Tears rolled down my cheeks as Jasper came running into the room, panting and urgent.

"Just…let…her…go…" James just laughed at him and gave him a look as if to say he were the stupidest person in the whole world. My fury was bubbling up inside of me, but I couldn't do anything about it. I was still tied up with no way of undoing the knots.

"Yeah. Right. Because you are such a threat to me. How you got untied, I don't know, but I don't really care. You will let me leave with your sister. You will let me have my way with her. You will not be harmed if you do this. I will leave you alone after that. She has evaded me too many times. She is finally mine!"

"She is not a piece of property!" Edward screamed and punched him in the face, causing James to fall on top of me. Edward quickly pulled him away from me as Victoria suddenly appeared at my side. She undid all the knots that she made earlier when she tied me up, but made it look like I was still unable to move. I looked at her with questions in my eyes, but she just shook her head and said, "Later."

Jasper was still catching his breath on the couch and Emmett was calling the cops as Edward fought off James.

"How'd you get out of prison, anyway?" I wanted to know, so I asked, pretending to be tied up.

"Bella, you should leave." Yeah. Cuz I was going to try to run when I was supposed to be tied up while Edward was fighting James.

"I can't. I'm stuck here, Edward." He tried to pin James to the ground so that he'd still be here when the police arrived, I guessed. James didn't know we called them, but I'm sure he suspected. His urgency to get out of the house had increased dramatically.

"My father bailed me out. I made up some pathetic story about how innocent I really was and paid up." How could his father believe that he was innocent? Didn't he see who he really was? Or maybe he had blackmailed his father. I was sure he was doing something like that to Victoria. But she still cooperated with him. Maybe James was just a lot more powerful that way than I had ever realized. He was yelling at Edward now, and something he said provoked me to do one of the stupidest things I could have done in this situation.

"Just give her up you foolish loverboy! She won't be around here much longer, as you can see. I already won her." Oh no. He did NOT go there. I was not a trophy. I was not going to let him tell Edward to give me up. I would never give up Edward, and James could not win as long as that was true.

"James, you will never win me! My heart will always and forever only belong to Edward! No matter what you do, you will never win!" And I stood up making a fist. I tried to remember how to incapacitate someone from a martial arts unit we had in gym class last year. I gathered all of my strength, which probably wasn't much, and released my fist, hitting him square in the jaw. I fell down on the ground in between him and Edward, and Victoria dragged me out of the way. James looked at her, annoyed. Oh no. I probably caused the poor girl even more problems. I looked at her apologetically.

"I'm sorry," I mouthed. She nodded and mended my hand, which was actually full of pain. I guess I didn't do it right. I sighed and shook my head. The room turned quiet, and I realized that James was downright furious. Edward looked at me sympathetically.

"Stay out of this, Bella." He gritted his teeth so he could concentrate on keeping James there until the police arrived. Gosh, they seemed to be really slow. How would anyone be able to survive with this slow of a police service? Suddenly, Emmett jumped into my eyesight. He chucked himself at James' side, careful not to harm Edward, and James was underneath Emmett. Emmett was not a tiny guy, so James was having a hard time receiving oxygen. I felt the blood drain from my face as I turned white as stone. Emmett stood up and knocked James on the head, causing him to black out. When the police FINALLY arrived, we told them everything that had happened that morning. They decided to take Victoria and James away in handcuffs and assured us that they wouldn't be coming back for a long time. But I still wondered and thought about how hurt my brothers and Edward were. They would have never gone through that if I would've left when I had the chance. I looked around at all of them, who seemed to be waiting for me to crack, but I had to stay strong. I would have to let everything be okay for now. I would leave that night. I made my decision. While everyone was peacefully sleeping in their beds, I would escape so that James could no longer harm the people I loved more than anything in this universe. We all looked at each other and realized that school had started over an hour ago.