Warnings: Mentions of rape and sexual abuse
After they left, I laid there for a long time, letting the tears pool down the side of my face. I could feel my extremities tingling as the morphine wore off slowly. I strained my ears for sounds of the returning demons, but there was none.
My emotions were a wild cocktail of hopelessness and anger. I would push the anger through my body like it was a physical thing, determined that I was going to get myself out of this, but then I would remind myself that these creatures that held me had superhuman strength and speed, and I was absolutely no match for them.
Then I would fight that away thinking of the strength I had exhibited when Leah had provoked me, but I obviously wasn't as strong now, seeing as I couldn't even lift an arm.
After what felt like hours, I was finally able to move my head to the sides, and could at least look around. Everything was right where it should be. The setup was perfect, and had I not been warned ahead of time, I would have thought that this was actually my home.
I was broke out of my thoughts by the sound of light footsteps padding toward the outside of the door. I held my breath as they stopped outside, but then it was as if they were hesitant to come in. My stomach turned at the same time the door finally creaked open, not knowing what they wanted now.
"Bella?" A soft voice whispered.
"Angela?" I said roughly. I watched as she slowly stepped through the doorway, and I was nearly hysterical. Her black hair hung limply in her face, and her eyes were sunk in, her cheeks hollow.
But she was alive!
I tried to sit up, but she rushed over to me, shushing me and keeping me lying down.
"Don't try to get up, I know they've been keeping you drugged." She said, running a hand over my forehead, and wiping my tears from the sides of my temples.
"Oh God, Angela! You're ok!" I started crying again, my voice raspy from non use, and who knows what else.
"Well, I'm alive, I don't know about ok." She smirked weakly.
"Angela, I am so sorry, this is all my fault, I'm so-" She stopped me with a hand over my mouth and looked me dead in the eyes.
"Isabella Marie, you shut your mouth right now. This is not your fault. You have no idea what kind of….things they are."
"Yes, yes I do." I cringed. "I knew he was after me, I had no reason to think he would come after you though. I swear, if I thought you were in any danger, I would have done something."
"Like what? Tried to tell me that there were a couple vampires trying to kidnap us? Do youthink I would have believed you?"
"I could have at least kept you on the rez with me and Jake."
She just shook her head at me.
"It doesn't matter, they ended up getting you anyway, so they would have gotten whoever they wanted."
"Have they hurt you?" I asked softly. She winced as I asked, but shook her head.
"Nah, nothing I couldn't handle." She tried to joke, dropping her gaze. I dragged my heavy arm over to her and grasped her hand.
"I can't tell you how sorry I am." I repeated, my voice cracking. She shook her head hard, sniffing.
"Anyway, I just wanted to check on you before-"
There was a noise that came from somewhere downstairs just a second before the bedroom door flew open. Edward stared menacingly at Angela.
"What are you doing out of your room?" He demanded with a sinister voice that caused me to shudder and Angela to stiffen.
I watched as he slowly stalked toward Angela, and in a flash I was reminded of the weak version of myself that I had seen in my dream. I realized that while I hadn't reached that point, Angela had, and I needed to find a way to diffuse the situation.
"Edward, please." My mouth moved before I had a chance to even think about what I was saying, and I internally cringed at using his name in such a familiar way. He froze and turned to me slowly, looking at me as if he were confused. I decided to keep going.
"It's been so long since I've seen her, I just wanted to spend some time with her." I watched his face, expecting to now be the target of his ire, but he instead relaxed, and sent me a small smile.
"Of course my love, I understand. But you do need your rest, so I'll be back in a bit to see Angela out." And with that he turned casually and walked back out. I turned to look at Angela, and she looked as shocked as i felt, if not moreso. I opened my mouth to ask, but she covered my mouth quickly, shaking her head at me.
"So do you feel like you are getting much of your strength back?" She asked, as if he had never walked in to begin with. I looked at her incredulously, but continued with the conversation.
"Oh, uh, a little I guess. I'm able to move a bit. Can you help me to sit up though, I'm tired of just laying flat. She struggled a bit since I was no more than dead weight to her, but she was able to get me propped up with pillows, up against the headboard.
"Angela, are you ok, you just seem.."
"I'm fine, really. Besides, you're the one that's immobile, I should be asking you that."
"I'll be fine once I get the hell out of here." I mumbled. In seconds, the door was thrown back open and Angela yelped as she was grabbed quickly and taken out. I only had time to gasp before he was back again and in my face, the calm I had seen the last time he was in the room was completely replaced by pure rage.
"And what makes you think that will ever happen?" He seethed in my face. I was frozen with fear and unable to do anything but stare back at him as he continued.
"There is no one coming for you, I made sure of that personally. So you might as well get comfortable." He smiled in a way that made me cringe away from him, before forcing his lips on mine so hard it felt like being punched in the mouth. I whimpered from the pain, which just spurred him on, and I felt his hands start to move over me roughly.
He finally moved away from me, looking like he was satisfied. The look I had seen earlier fell back over his face, and he caressed my face gently. "Sleep now, my love. You need your rest."
He settled me back down into the bed where I was lying once more, but he made sure to fluff the pillows, as if comfort was even an option at this point. I was still reeling from the extreme changes in his emotions, as he placed a cold kiss on my forehead, before leaving me alone in the darkness.
I forced myself to only think of Jacob, knowing he was coming for me, knowing he wouldn't stop until he found me. I refused to entertain any notion that Edward had tried to force on me about him or anyone else not being able to come for me. I assumed he meant to imply they were dead, but I knew better.
I just wouldn't let him know that.
I thought about everything that had transpired since I had woke up. How his entire demeanor had changed earlier when I had spoke to him in front of Angela. He reminded me of when I thought he was just some stupid, annoying kid, that at worst, just weirded me out. I started thinking that maybe if there was some way to keep him that way, Angela and I just might survive long enough for the pack to find us.
So do I try to be nice to him? This demon who took me away from everything I loved, who was obsessed with me to the point of death, and was draining my blood for his own nourishment? How on earth was I supposed to do that? I had never been a good liar, and I really didn't know if I could do it now, even though my life literally depended on it.
I drifted in and out of sleep through the night. When I woke up the last time, early morning light was just starting to leak through the window. I looked over and saw Edward sitting near my bed, watching me. I jolted upright, unsure of what his intentions were.
"Please, don't be frightened love. I'm not going to hurt you." He said, rising slowly, coming to sit on the edge of the bed. "I think we just need to talk." He laid his hand on my thigh, rubbing it gently, and I clenched my teeth trying to not to scream at him to get away.
"I know things got a little...messy with us, but I just want you to know that no matter what has happened, you are still the most important thing to me. That's why I brought you your own bedroom, as well as your best friend. I do hate that you had to see such a horrible side to me, but if we're being honest, you forced my hand on this issue."
My eyes jerked to him, looking at him incredulously.
"Now, calm down please," he continued, speaking to me as if I were an unstable child. "I didn't come up here for an argument. Now that we are finally together, I think we should just let the past go, forget everything that has been done, that we've done to hurt each other, and just move forward from here."
"Are you fucking kidding me?" I said just above a whisper. I didn't mean to say it, I really was trying to keep my mouth shut, it was a completely involuntary action. He gripped my thigh tightly as he looked up at me with fire back in his eyes. I yelped out at the pain, trying to pull his hand away.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Please, Edward, you're hurting me." I said desperately. He relaxed and released his hold on my leg as soon as I said his name.
"I know you've been under a lot of stress, and that mutt done some damage to you too, but you've been home for long enough, I expect you to start showing a little respect."
I resisted the urge to spit in his face, and continued rubbing my aching leg.
"Here, lie back, and let me help you relax."
"What? Edward, no-"
I was cut off by his mouth, and I tried pushing on him, but there was no moving him. I whimpered again at the pain, both from my mouth, and now my leg too. He moaned at my whimper and started moving against me, his hands roughly violating any place he could find. His mouth finally left mine to smear cold kisses down my neck, and I was nearly hyperventilating from the terror and anxiety that was coursing through me.
"Edward, please stop!" I rasped out, but it was so weak and broken, I don't know if it angered him, or if it turned him on more, but he moaned louder, and started grinding into me more forcefully. At this point I was sobbing, but I knew it wouldn't matter. I heard the rip of fabric, then gasped as I felt his cold touch on my bare skin. I was hoping he would stop at some point, but I knew he had no reason to.
"Edwa-"
I was cut off by his tongue being thrust into my mouth, an opportunity he was probably waiting for. As his movements sped up, he got more and more rough with them too, causing pain and inciting involuntary whimpers, which either made him think I was enjoying this, or maybe he got off on hurting me. Either way, it just kept getting worse.
"Oh, Isabella, I've wanted you for so long, and now, now you're here. Oh, I'm going to make you feel so good." He said as he started ripping away my pants.
"Edward, you're hurting me." I whispered out.
"No, no you're fine, I promise, you're fine."
I could now see how this could break me, I could see how, if I had not been forewarned about this, I could easily give in and lose all hope. According to Jacob it had been weeks, who knows how much longer it would be. And even knowing he would come for me eventually, I already wanted to hide away somewhere mentally.
What was being done to me now, no one should ever have to deal with this. If I didn't have Jacob, I would gladly welcome death over this any day. A quick death over this, being taken and used and abused against your will, yeah, death would be a welcome reprieve.
I just wanted to be subconsciously absent, I didn't want to know what was happening, and I sure as hell didn't want to remember it.
I clenched my eyes shut tight, and decided I would rather face his ire, than this for another second.
"STOP!" I screamed out. And surprisingly he did. He just looked at me curiously, like he was actually surprised that I wasn't into this.
"Isabella, what's wrong?"
"Get the fuck off me! I don't want you touching me! You are a demon from hell, and that's where you belong, you-"
His hand wrapped tightly around my neck and he lifted me slowly off the bed.
Too far, I think I went too far.
I was clawing desperately at his hands as they slowly continued tightening around my throat.
"How dare you speak to me that way." He said in a low voice. He was now holding me above him, and my vision was going dim. "You are mine, and I will do with you what I see fit."
I tried to speak but there was no movement of air.
"Edward," the other demon said in a bored tone, leaning against the doorway. "You're killing her."
"She deserves it." He spat back. By now, everything had gone black, but I could still hear voices.
"Her blood, Edward. There's plenty of ways to torture her without killing her. You need to keep her alive for her blood."
I felt a release of my throat, followed by pain in my ankles and knees and I hit the floor. I immediately began gasping and coughing for air, but without warning, was hit across the face so forcefully, my body left the ground for a moment. I cradled my head, still trying to get my breath back, when I felt another strike, what I assume was a kick, to my torso, causing sharp pain to shoot through me.
"You broke three ribs." I heard Carlisle snort.
"I should have broke them all." I heard Edward spit out at me. I cried out as he roughly yanked me up by my hair. "But that's ok," he whispered in my ear, "let's save those for later this afternoon." Then he threw me back down to the ground, making a sound like he spit, but I couldn't care less. I had more to worry about than being spit on.
Three broken ribs, a promise for more, as well as a probable concussion.
Still better than rape.
I laid there on the carpet, just trying to get myself calmed down. It took a bit for my vision to come back after my lack of oxygen, a little longer for it to actually come back into focus.
Maybe an hour later, Angela came in with an ice pack and bandages. She silently doctored me as best as she could, then moved to the closet and dresser, gathering fresh clothes for me, and I allowed her to dress me, as I was barely able to move myself.
"You want to try to get back up in bed?" She asked quietly.
I looked up at my bed and cringed. I didn't want to be back up there, I didn't want to remember what almost happened.
"I could just make you a bed here on the floor." She said, as if reading my mind. I nodded, knowing it wouldn't really matter anyway, he'd be in to dole out whatever other beating he wanted within a few hours, no sense in getting too comfortable.
Once she had me propped up on pillows, she brought me a couple white pills and a glass of water.
"What are those?" I whispered. My throat was extremely raw.
"They're for the pain?" She said, as if it was a question. I raised my eyebrows to ask what they really were. She sighed. "They're tranquilizers. They'll help you sleep. Through the pain and….the trauma." She whispered the last part, and dropped her head. It suddenly occurred to me what had been happening with her, why she seemed so beat down. I reached out for her hand, tears filling my eyes, not for me, but for her. She looked up at me, her eyes filled with tears too.
"Angela, I'm so sorry." I whispered to her. She just shook her head.
"I just, I just wish I had been brave enough to fight back. Well, you know what I mean."
I cringed when I thought about that. The only thing that saved me was friendly reminder that the demons wanted my blood, therefore I needed a beating heart. They didn't need anything from Angela, Edward would have killed her instantly.
"You would have died."
She laughed out humorlessly.
"And have been better off too."
I clenched my teeth, I knew she was right, I had come to that conclusion myself. That's what had made my decision for me. All I could do was hug her to me. I wanted to promise her that he would die, he would pay for all of this, because he would, I would make sure of it. And so would Jacob. But instead I just held her as she cried.
She had had no one here with her, she had been all by herself, not to mention that she had all this supernatural stuff thrown at her unexpectedly, and then gone through the trauma of being abused. And the only thing she had been guilty of? Association.
It angered me more than anything had up until now. I was more angry now than when he was molesting me, more than when he was beating me. I could feel my heartbeat accelerate, and though it wasn't by much, I could feel a little stronger.
I gasped as I felt a snap in the side where my ribs has broken, and Angela sat up quickly to look at me.
"Woah, did you feel that?" I asked her.
My voice was back to normal.
I was healing.
I took a deep breath, but winced as I realized not all my ribs had healed yet. I was nearly giddy at the thought that I hadn't lost whatever it was they were trying to purify me from. I closed my eyes in an attempt to concentrate, trying to reach out to Jacob. I couldn't feel him, but that was normal, I just needed him to feel me.
"Bella, what's going on?" Angela asked me.
"Angela, I'm going to make a very weird request. I'm going to need you to make me mad."
"What?"
"It's too much to explain right now, and I don't want to risk them coming back yet, so I just need you to make me mad."
"I don't….I don't understand, you want me to hit you?"
"No, no I need you to tell me exactly what they've been doing to you while you've been here."
She paled, and I knew that reliving her memories were the last thing she wanted to do, especially when she didn't see any reason to do so.
"I can't explain now, but I promise, it will be worth it. I just need to get really mad."
"Why would that make you mad?"
"How would it make you feel to know someone had done something horrendous to your mom or your sister?" I said, looking her in the eyes.
"Ok, I get that, but why-"
"You'll see! I promise. Now tell me."
She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and began.
It was a horrible story, one of nightmares. They had informed her they had taken her to keep me company, but as the other girls that they had been experimenting on had not survived, a fact to which she was made well aware of, they started experimenting on her. At some point Edward decided to make sure she was indeed weakened, not that she could have fought him anyway, so he began molesting her, which escalated to actual rape.
At this point, I felt another surge of rage, causing a second rib to snap back into place.
Part of the experiment was that they weren't feeding her, they were keeping her on some sort of nutrient drip, which I remembered them alluding to when I had first woke up here. So essentially, they took a human, who was already no match for them, and weakened her even more, for no apparent reason. And still used and abused her. I felt another flare of anger as the third rib snapped in place, and I could feel my body heating up.
My ears picked up the sounds of them coming toward the house, and I warned her.
"How can you hear that?" She asked.
"I promise to explain later." I jumped up and threw the blankets and pillows back on the bed, surprising us both at my easy movements, and then motioned for her to go back to her bedroom. I jumped back into bed, pulling up the covers to where just the top of my head stuck out. I could hear them talking as they came in downstairs.
"Oh listen, Carlisle, her heart is racing."
I froze, not thinking they would be able to notice the effects of what had happened. They would most certainly hear my heart, they would feel my increased temperature, and…..my smell. Oh no, would they smell the change? I wonder if I acted like nothing had happened, if I still let him beat me, maybe they wouldn't think anything. I know it wouldn't hurt as much, but then again, I wouldn't be as breakable either. But I knew I wasn't strong enough to take on both of them. Oh, but my ribs! My ribs had healed in a matter of hours. Well, actually minutes, but hours as far as they knew. My fear began to slowly trickle back in.
"Wait, what is that?" I heard Edward ask. I strained to hear what followed, but they remained silent. All I could hear was what sounded like a hawk in the distance but nothing else.
"Edward, my son, you are becoming paranoid!" I heard the one laugh. "Maybe it would make you feel better to let some of your frustration out."
"You're right." He sighed. And I heard him ascend the stairs. I had steeled myself to just go ahead and take whatever he wanted to give, when I heard a second set up footsteps follow him.
"Actually, I've got some frustration that needs to be released too." The other one said laughing. As Edward opened my door, I heard the other one open another bedroom door.
"Oh look, already in bed and waiting for me. Such a good little pet."
And I Lost. .
I didn't even wait for Edward to make it to me before I flew out of bed, slamming into him, knocking him through the doorway, and crashing through the banister down to the first floor. I raced to Angela's bedroom and tore open the door. The sight of her cowering under the blankets with that demon standing over her, taking off his pants, lit a brand new rage that flew through me like nothing I had ever felt.
"GET AWAY FROM HER!" I roared out, taking a step into the room. Edward made it to me, and jumped on me from behind. I grabbed him around the head and flipped him over my shoulder, slamming him down on the ground hard enough that the entire second floor shook and groaned from the stress.
"I knew it was a bad idea to take you off the morphine!" Carlisle yelled out as he walked toward me. Just as he was about to lunge for me, a horrible sound came from the roof, stopping us all where we stood. It was like nails down a chalkboard, and it went the entire length of the house, followed by a loud shriek, like the way hawks or eagles sound.
As I stood trying to figure out what it was, I was blindsided by a punch that knocked me across the room, causing a huge indentation in the drywall.
"Stay here." He sneered, then closed the door.
I slowly got up trying to get my bearings. It was a punch that would have killed me otherwise, but now just nearly knocked me out. I was still having light flashes in my eyes by the time I made it over to Angela.
"Are you ok?" I asked squinting against my unsteady eyesight.
"I think I should be asking you that!" She yelled. "Bella, what the hell is going on? What are you?"
"I'm human, I swear, I just have a little added 'umph' thanks to my wolf boy." I couldn't help but to smile when I thought about him. My eyes were adjusting back to normal, and my head was now just a dull throb. "But do me a favor, and let me know if you see anyone trying to sneak up on me with a needle, I have a feeling that once they get me back on the morphine, they won't-"
I was cut off by the sound of a far off howl. I froze, waiting to see if I could hear it again, making sure I wasn't imagining things.
"Bella? Bella, what's wrong?"
"Ssh! Did you hear that?"
Angela sat still for a minute as we both waited, but I didn't hear it again. My heart sank as I sighed.
"I must have been imagining things, I thought I heard-"
Another howl caused Angela to jump, this time much closer, much louder, and very familiar. I jumped up, a sob breaking through my throat.
"It's him! He's here! He found us!" I yelled, grabbing Angela's hands.
"What? Who? What are you talking about?"
Just then, the demons burst in.
"Let's go, now." The one demanded, walking toward us. I pulled Angela behind me.
"You must be out of your damn mind. It's over! They've found us, we're going home. You can either face them like men, or attempt to run away. Either way, you die."
I couldn't help but smile a bit on that last part.
I could hear the pack getting closer. So could they.
"I wouldn't make such a hasty assumption. Do you really think it's just the two of us out here? Do you really think we would leave ourselves so unprotected?"
As if on cue, I heard fighting start, and I realized there were other vampires out there, waiting, and they just ambushed the pack.
"Now, as primitive as this feels," his hand moved from behind his back and produced a pistol, "this may be the only way to get you to listen. Your strength may rival our own, but I promise you, little girl, you are no match for a lead bullet, going through your brain at 1700 miles per hour. Now either you come with us," he cocked it and pointed it straight at my head and smiled. "or you die."
"Leave her here." I said.
"What?" He huffed impatiently, as if he was dealing with an obstinate toddler.
"You've got me, you don't need her, just leave her here."
"Well, if I don't need her…." he moved the gun to point behind me.
"Hey!" I moved to block her. "There's no reason for that! The only ones you have to fear already know where you are, and what you've done. It's not like you have to worry about her going to the police about you. Why wouldn't you just let her go?"
"I don't give a shit about your police. It's our police that I care about. We can't just tell people about us and let them go, that's a crime punishable by death."
"And kidnapping and torturing isn't?"
"It's not about morals, love. It's about keeping our secret."
"Who is she going to tell? No one would believe her!"
"It doesn't matter. It's the law."
"Well, it doesn't matter, because I'm not moving."
He rolled his eyes, moved the barrel down a bit, then fired.
I remember watching Mythbusters several years ago, and they did a thing on dodging bullets, which of course I knew was impossible at the time. I mean, something moving that fast, by the time you hear the shot to know to dodge it, it's already there.
Yeah, so apparently 'wolf senses' don't help with that either. In fact, if anything, I was just able to watch it in slow motion, but still unable to move.
The fiery pain shot through my leg, and I screamed out.
"Now what was it you were saying?" The bastard asked with a cocky grin on his face. I looked over at Edward, and his eyes had gone completely black, he looked at me as if he wanted to eat me.
"Good idea, shooting me while he's in the vicinity." I said through gritted teeth. I had a stupid idea flit through my brain. I slowly worked Angela and myself over to in front of the window. I could tell Edward was really struggling with keeping calm. So of course I did something really stupid.
I reached down and smeared the blood from my leg on my hand, and held it up in front of my face.
"Come on Edward, I know you want it." I said in my most seductive voice, which is pretty much non existent. But he still took the bait. I saw him charge before the other one had a chance to stop him.
At the last minute, I yanked Angela and myself out of the way, and threw Edward out the window. Then before the other one had a chance to say or do anything, I grabbed Angela and jumped out after him.
Like I said, stupid!
I twisted us so that I would hit first, knowing I would survive, but it could very well kill her. But right before we hit, she was grabbed away from me. I had the breath knocked out of me from landing on my back, so it took me a second to realize what had gotten her.
The fuck...a bird?
Some big ass bird had just flew by and snatched her away, and was flying up over the trees. I just stood there, I had no idea what to do with that! I turned around, ready to cry out of frustration, when Edward appeared right in my face.
"Not now!" I screamed at him, and went to punch him, but he kicked my feet out from under me, and latched his mouth on to the hole that was in my leg. I started screaming and trying to kick, but I had already lost so much blood, and was losing much more now, I suddenly became lethargic.
I realized he was draining me, with no intention of stopping.
I couldn't believe this! I had made it this far, made it through all this shit, my pack had finally found me, found us, only to have Angela snatched up by fucking Big Bird, and me to end up dying anyway, even though my wolf was here!
I could hear the snarling, feel the ground shake from their feet pounding on the ground and I knew they were here. I could even make out my Jacob's snarl out them all, he would get to me within seconds.
I couldn't help but laugh as everything went black.
"I hope it's good, cause you're gonna die, motherfucker."
Shew! My longest chapter yet. Can't apologize enough for the wait. Writer's block's a bitch, but hopefully this was worth the wait. It was super crazy, I know, and if things got a little too weird, let me know. Reviews are my motivation!