Chapter Seven
"Shutters Down"

(Bella's POV)

Luckily for us, we didn't encounter any other difficulties on the way to the Cullens' house. Sure, I knew my way around the area pretty well, but I certainly didn't know how to get to the other side of town. Edward seemed to know exactly where he was headed, however, and I had no choice but to trust him.

"We're going to have to go in through the garage," he said quietly. "My, uh, my mom locked the door this morning and I wish I could tell you where my house key is."

His frown told me he was concerned about his mother and I couldn't even begin to make guesses as to how the morning unfolded for his family. How did they end up separated? Are the rest of the Cullens together? Are they alive?

I shuddered.

He let go of me, sliding the door open just enough for us to duck under. He ushered Hollie and I in before shutting it soundlessly. I was glad he had half a brain at least and didn't just let it clatter to a close. It was dark in the garage, obviously, and it made me anxious. I instinctively reached out for Edward again and he must have done the same, for his hand found mine quickly.

I was utterly terrified but, given the circumstances, my fear seemed fair. I pulled Hollie flush against my side because I suddenly remembered that she was only four and if I was frightened, god only knows what she must be feeling.

Edward led the way forward and the three of us stumbled blindly through the room. I knew there was a vehicle of some sort in here because we were using the side of it as some form of guidance. Judging by how fast he found the inside door, I had to assume he'd made this trip more than once before.

"Bella, I need to check the house," he mumbled, halting our movements.

I didn't like the way he said that, or the fact that he said I instead of we. It instantly sent my heart into an uncontrolled frenzy. I was horrified by the thought of him leaving us here in the dark, in a strange house, completely alone.

"No, please don't—"

"I have to make sure nothing is in there," he interrupted, though he didn't have to tell me that. I already knew exactly what he was about to do and I also knew that the reason he wanted to leave us in here was in case there was something in the house.

The hysteria meant that I could no longer hold back tears. I was very thankful that neither him nor my little sister could see it.

"Okay," I whispered, an embarrassing whimper escaping my lips.

"Shut the door behind me and click the lock, alright?" he instructed, squeezing my hand reassuringly. "Stay here, no matter what."

And he was gone. I clicked the lock like he told me to and stood back from the door, just in case anything were to go drastically wrong. I kept stepping backwards, pulling a silent Hollie with me, until my back hit the side of the lifeless vehicle. For my own comfort more than hers, I lifted Hollie up so that she was balancing on my hip.

"Bella, who was that man?" she whispered, resting her head on my shoulder.

For a child who had seen and heard more than she should ever have to, she sounded exceptionally calm. Perhaps I was better at keeping my composure in front of her than I initially thought. Or, it could be that she is the bravest little thing in this chaotic world.

"Edward is a friend from school," I explained, figuring that was the easiest explanation for her to try to wrap her head around.

"Did you ask him to meet us in the forest?"

"No," I whispered, wondering why she had come to that conclusion. "Sweetheart, sometimes things happen in life that we just can't explain."

She was quiet for a few moments, obviously contemplating what I'd just told her. Hollie was a clever little girl, I knew that already, but it only made sense that she wouldn't understand any of this. I'd wager that the situation was only going to get a whole lot more confusing from here on out.

"How long do we have to stay in here? I don't like it," she whined, squeezing herself closer to me. She couldn't get much closer, I realised, since she was currently wrapped around me like a monkey.

"Just until Edward comes back for us," I assured her, rubbing her back gently.

I wasn't sure how long we stood there. I did attempt to count the minutes in my head but I kept losing my train of thought. So much had happened in such a short space of time that my brain couldn't find any kind of order. The longer we waited, the more I panicked. Each second that passed felt like an eternity, and the silence was deafening.

I have been one acquainted with the night.
I have walked out in rain — and back in rain.
I have out-walked the furthest city light...

Suddenly, the door in front of us opened, and the two of us jumped in fright. Of course, I couldn't actually see anything, so I didn't know if it was Edward or not. I stayed silent and, as if knowing she should, Hollie did the same. I didn't want to make our presence known until I was sure it was him.

"Bella, you can come through," he said quietly from somewhere very close in front of me.

I sighed in utmost relief, putting Hollie back down on the ground. I kept hold of her hood whilst we moved forward, finding Edward around half way towards the door. I couldn't find his hand so I pretty much clutched a fistful of fabric in my hand and hoped for the best. Of course, because I'm me, I managed to trip over the step leading into the house. Although, I technically had an excuse this time seen as there was no way for me to know it was there.

It got brighter when we entered the house because the daylight spilled in through the windows. I didn't let go of Edward, however, or my little sister. I looked down to see that I'd grabbed the sleeve of his coat, thankfully. I'd been praying I hadn't latched onto his jeans. As awful as I felt, I think I would still melt into a puddle of embarrassment.

"I have a plan," he told me, turning to offer me a small smile. "We need to close all the curtains to make ourselves as inconspicuous as possible."

"Okay."

"Once I show you the living room, I'm going to head back down to the garage to find the switch for the shutters. If I had to guess, I'd say electricity lines will be down pretty soon so I want to get them closed before then."

"Shutters?" I questioned in disbelief, internally coming to the conclusion that one of their lampshades was probably worth more than me.

He chuckled, though he didn't answer me. I suppose he truly didn't have to; I should have known a house like this would have security measures. In Forks, there weren't many other places you would want to be at a time like this.

Finally, we reached the living room, and Edward led us to one of the sofas. He gestured for us to sit down and we did, breaking our human chain. Habitually, I turned to Hollie to make sure she was comfortable. She had pulled the sleeves of her parka down so that her glove-covered hands were hidden.

I jumped half a foot in the air when Edward grabbed my hand suddenly.

"I should have given you my coat back in the forest. You're freezing," he said, looking around us frantically.

"I'm fine," I replied, but my voice cracked. What a terrible liar I am.

"No, you're not."

He dropped my hand and spun around to head over to the other sofa, pulling a very cosy-looking blanket from its arm. Instead of launching it at me like I expected, he wrapped it carefully around the two of us. The gesture was sweet but I had a funny feeling shock was making him act a little erratic.

"I think we all need a warm drink," I suggested, both in hope of getting my body temperature back to normal and of relieving some of the trauma.

"I can get you—"

"Edward, just take a deep breath," I instructed, keeping my eyes locked with his. It's definitely the shock. "Hollie and I will get the warm drinks. Won't we, honey?" She nodded eagerly. "You go find the torches and then close the shutters, alright?"

"On it," he said, before he took off down the hallway.

I frowned, pulling the blanket off of my shoulders and wrapping Hollie in it like a little caterpillar. If I wasn't so exhausted, I would have laughed at her trying to walk whilst cocooned in the wool.

It didn't take us long to find the kitchen and judging by the fact the light we had in there disappeared halfway through our quest, Edward had successfully closed the shutters. We had to stand patiently in the darkness until he called for us. Hollie bravely replied with our location. I smiled, even though she couldn't see me.

Edward almost blinded us with the torches but I was glad he'd found them. I was sure we'd be able to put on a couple of lamps now that all of the shutters were down but there was no guarantee, as Edward said, how long we would have power for. It was always better to have a back up plan.

"I take it you found the hot chocolate," he said, sounding very amused.

"We did," I confirmed, taking the torches from him whilst he picked up two of the mugs. "We were still stirring them when we lost light, so there might be some clumps of chocolate powder in there."

"I think clumps of chocolate powder might be the better part of this day."

How very true that is.

I handed Hollie our sources of light because it was either she hold them, or she carry the boiling hot mug. The torches seemed like the lesser of two evils. We opted for the hot chocolate because I'm pretty sure it runs in Hollie's blood. I also think chocolate can make anyone's day a little bit happier.

Edward sat on the same sofa he'd directed us to initially and I wasn't sure whether or not I was meant to sit beside him. It was such a trivial thing to have a mental breakdown about but if all else had left me today, the fact that I was a teenager certainly had not. I eventually decided to sit by him, purely because I was still frozen to the core.

Hollie, before she sat down on my other side, unwrapped herself. She cosied up beside me and forced the blanket back over my shoulders, trying her very hardest to stretch over to Edward's shoulders too. I think his heart might have melted in his chest at the adorable moment, and he gave her a helping hand by pulling it over himself.

"Thank you, Hollie," he said, in a voice so gentle it was soothing.

"You're welcome," she chirped, quite pleased with herself.

So, there the three of us sat, drinking hot chocolate and trying to come to terms with a morning that none of us could have predicted. My thoughts drifted to my father, then to Angela, and finally to Edward's family. For now, we were safe, but there was no telling what tomorrow would bring. I knew that now more than ever.

A/N The extract used in this chapter is from Acquainted With The Night by Robert Frost.