As soon as I wake up I realize that something is not right. For one thing I'm not dressed in my somewhat itchy standard, one size fits most, center pajamas. But perhaps more startling is the fact that as I turn over I am not met with the cool metal fence meant to keep me from falling out of my bed, but rather more bed, which is much too soft. These clothes are far too comfortable, this bed is too soft, I'm starting to sound like Goldilocks. I laugh quietly to myself at this thought.

There is a soft knock on the door, and Alice walks in as the events of the last few days rush back to me.

"Well, hey there sleeping beauty I see you finally woke up." Well, at least I'm not the only one making allusions to fairy tales this morning. I manage a small smile at Alice. I notice she is carrying a small tray with something that smells delicious on it.

"Can I assume that's for me?" I ask quietly. She giggles and sets the tray down on a small table in the corner of the room. As I stand up and make my way over to the delicious smelling food I pause for a moment to take stock of my surroundings.

I am in a fairly large bedroom done up in soothing shades of grey, lavender, and sage green. Everything about the space is modern, yet somehow classic. There is a wooden desk that looks antique, but on it there are several modern conveniences like a laptop and what I suspect is the newest version of the iPod. On the wall across from the massive bed there is an entertainment center which houses a selection of DVDs and a giant television. In one corner of the room there is what appears to be a miniature library and big comfy chair with a lavender cashmere throw on the back. The table that Alice is sitting at has two wooden chairs, next to it is a mini-fridge and small cabinet unit which I can only assume is filled with snacks.

Alice must have noticed my wandering eyes, because she suddenly seems very nervous, "Do you like it?"

"It's lovely Alice, thank you."

Her face breaks out into a wide grin and she jumps up and down a bit, "I'm so glad! Esme and I were worried you wouldn't like it."

"Why didn't you just look into the future and see whether or not I'd like it?"

She crinkles her forehead, seemingly lost in thought. "Well, I haven't been able to see anything having to do with you, for a couple of years now?"

Now I am the one who is confused, "Wait, years? What are you talking about Alice, how long have I been in the institution?"

She seems nervous about her answer, "I don't know for sure, but we left Forks almost four years ago Bella."

I am momentarily stunned. I know that Charlie put me in the institution the winter after the Cullens left me, but I didn't realize how long I'd been in there since then, in fact I thought I'd been in there a few months, a year at most. My mind starts to race as I think about what this means for me. I'm 21, not eighteen, I am no longer a teenager. I take a moment to mourn the passing of my adolescence, since it seems it never really got a proper goodbye. I strain through hazy drug tinged memories in search of some proof to support what Alice has told me. I come up with a vague memory of Charlie coming into my room with a wrapped present, and then the fog takes over, as if I had been immediately sedated. My apparent gross incompetence at measuring the passage of time has me questioning my life further. How often did Charlie really come to visit me? How many times week did I have sessions with my doctors?

There is a knock on the door, and Jasper enters without waiting for a response.

"Is everything okay in here? I could feel your panic a mile away Bella?"

I bite back my sarcastic comment, "I'm fine Jasper, Alice just informed me that I've been away from home much longer than I originally thought."

He nods in understanding, "Alright then, I actually have an ulterior motive for coming up here. Rosalie wanted me to tell you that she wants you to go to meet her in my study in half an hour for your first session."

He leaves without waiting for a response from me.

It's strange, but for a brief moment there with Alice, I am been able to forget that I m in the Cullen home for a specific purpose, as a science experiment. With Alice's excitement about the room, I'd slipped back into the mindset that we were friends. That she actually cared for me. Jasper's reminder of the upcoming session brought everything back into perspective for me, and I can feel myself pulling away from Alice.

There was no more conversation as I finished eating and got dressed, the closet had been stocked with all different types of clothing, and truth be told, after so much time in scrubs, I actually sort of wanted to dress like a girl for a little while, but instead I grabbed a t-shirt and jeans. As I leave the closet I expect Alice to comment on my wardrobe choice, but she doesn't say anything. Instead she brightly suggests that she give me a tour on the way down to Jasper's study.

She points out all the rooms for the family, but she never once mentions her brother, who I have yet to see. I wonder if he has left the house due to my presence, or if he is simply out enjoying his distractions for a while, but I do not ask Alice these questions.

She leaves me at the door to Jasper's study and flits away.

I stare at the heavy wooden door, willing myself to go in. Just as I am about to lift my hand and turn the knob, the door opens and Rosalie appears.

"It's not going to open in its own you know. And I know that you have some sort of freaky mind thing, where Edward can't get into your brain, but if my memory serves me well, you never displayed any signs of telekinesis in the past, so there is no reason to think you can will the door open with your mind now."

I flinch at the mention of the absent Cullen, but somehow Rosalie's snarkiness numbs the pain, and I feel my annoyance taking the place of any self pity I may feel.

I follow Rosalie into the room and she nods towards a leather chair, "Sit," she says.

I sit and await the questions that I know are coming. Rosalie sits in a chair opposite me, and just stares at me for a moment.

After what seems like an eternity, she speaks.

"My family will not be present in the house during our sessions together, with the possible exception of Jasper if I ask him to be around, but I will always tell you when someone else is here. Anything you say to me in this room remains between the two of us. I'm not going to drug you up while you stay here, I'm not going to coddle you, and I am going to figure out what's going on in that brain of yours, and do my best to help you. It is my goal that at the end of your time here you will not have to go back to that god awful institution, but rather that you will be able to stay with my family, or be on your own. Any questions?"

About a thousand, but I start with the most pressing ones.

"Why are you doing this?"

She sighs, "Bella, I realize that back in Forks, I was not always the kindest person to you, I know you thought I hated you, but I never hated you, just your choices. I won't go into all of that now, but suffice it to say that I thought your relationship with my brother was foolish to say the least. When I walked into that room and saw you sitting across from me at that table, I was beyond surprised to see how you had ended up. And then I read your file, and it said that you refused to answer questions about your previous relationship, that you would talk sometimes bout the people who were in your life, but whenever anyone asked you a specific question about your breakup or the times you had spent with my brother or my family you clamed right up. "

She pauses for a moment, and looks me straight in the eye. I cannot break her gaze.

"And the only reason I can think of that you didn't say anything about my family, was that you were still trying to protect us, even though we'd essentially thrown you out like last week's garbage. Am I right?"

I nodded slowly, but felt the need to add something else in addition to her statement, "I was also acutely aware of the fact that if I claimed to be in a relationship with a vampire, things weren't going to get any better for me."

Rosalie nods at my statement. "Fair point, in any case, I realized that they were treating you for issues you didn't have, at least not the way they think you do. The drugs they were giving you can help with certain types of trauma, not the kind of problems you've had. It seems… unfair that you would be institutionalized because you cannot honestly say what is wrong with you, so I decided that you were coming home with me, to a place where you can say whatever you want because we all know that Edward was not just some normal boy."

After her explanation Rosalie jumps right into doctor mode, and I have to admit I'm impressed. She does very well with finding where my limits are and pushing straight past them. She asks me about my life at the center, and I tell her about Tommy and the doctors, and the other patients. She asks about the drugs, and I tell her about how much I hate the fog they put me in. She asks about my nightmares, and I am unable to answer.

"Bella, we're not going to get anywhere if you don't open up to me about them. "

"It's not that simple," I say through gritted teeth.

"I think it's exactly that simple," she replies, "Just tell me how they start."

"They all start differently," I reply, "Sometimes I'm in the woods, sometimes the ballet studio, sometimes my bedroom at home, there is no normalcy, there is no pattern. Hell, they don't even all have to do with the same subject. All I know is that every night I close my eyes and I have horrible nightmares that I can't wake up from."

She thinks silently for a moment, "I'll make you a deal, tell me about one nightmare, and we'll be done for today alright? Just one little dream, and you can stop spilling your guts until tomorrow."

I consider this offer for a moment, knowing that she will hound me until I give something up.

"Fine," I hiss, "One of the more common themes is the ballet studio. I start outside the studio and I walk through the front door. I know that there is something there waiting for me, and I know it's bad, only, in the dream I don't know what it is. When I get into the studio, it is empty except for a video camera on a tripod. I rewind the tape and watch the playback. It's different every time, but it usually boils down to James kicking my ass all over the room, but before I see the end of the tape, James shows up and starts acting it out. And the whole time he's throwing me around like a rag doll, he keeps telling me that I am alone, and that no one is coming to help me, and I scream and cry, but don't sy anything, because even in my dreams, I know that he's right."

I look into Rosalie's eyes, and she is speechless.

"Are you happy now?" I question.

"Not even remotely," she answers.

"Yeah, me either," I say, then I get up and leave the room.

A/N: Oh, hey there! Sorry about the wait, finals may have fried my brain a little bit. Hopefully I'll be able to get another update up before Sunday, but if not, then don't expect one for a while, cause I'll be overseas sans a computer. As always review if you've got something to say.