Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. All recognizable characters belong to the lovely Stephenie Meyer. I do own my original characters, or I like to think I do anyway :)

"Everyone leaves me stranded,

Forgotten, abandoned, left behind,

I can't stay here another night."

"Solitude" - Evanescence

Chapter 3 - Time

Things continued in this pattern. Jonathan brought food which now I was refusing more and more. I wasn't sure why but after our last conversation I felt he had some sort of ulterior motive. He didn't respond when I refused to eat but he did seem to distance himself. I began to wonder if he knew he had scared me with his last offering of help.

Time still meant little as I continued to sit and stare into oblivion. I paced the room sometimes, just to move, but most of the time I sat in my corner of the room and didn't do much of anything but think. I thought about all the things I had done wrong in my life. Every mistake I had made and every wrong decision.

For a while I made sure I ate every other time Jonathan brought food. Then I slipped to every third time. Then every fourth. After a while it just became I wouldn't eat at all. I retreated to the opposite corner of the room from the blankets and pillows he brought me and refused to use them.

The anger seething under the surface was threatening to overtake me. I wondered why. I tried to reason what I had done that would deserve these consequences. I shouldn't be here. I had done nothing to her. I didn't kill James but I was paying for it. What Victoria would eventually realize is that this is not the revenge she hoped for because the ones she was after would never come for me.

I was pacing when I heard the door unlock. I turned expecting to see Jonathan and froze when I saw Riley step in and lock the door behind him. He looked down at the tray full of untouched food and turned toward me with a sneer.

"I think it's time you ate something, Bella," he said and as he stepped toward me I quickly realized that this was bad. I kept my expression blank as he stepped toward me. I didn't cower away from his approach and I'm sure that angered him further. I couldn't find it in me to beg and offer to eat now. I had to stand my ground.

He grabbed my hair and threw me toward the door. I hit the wall by the door with my shoulder and fell immediately to the ground. He was in front of me faster than I remembered was possible and grabbed me by my left wrist. He pulled me to my feet roughly and dragged me toward the tray of food. He twisted my wrist and it made a sickening crack. I cried out and he smiled. I immediately regretted giving him what he wanted. I had showed weakness.

He twisted my wrist and applied pressure, forcing me to my knees in front of the tray. I felt the tears streaming down my cheeks and tried to swallow the sobs that were threatening to come.

"Eat," he commanded. I stared up at him and narrowed my eyes, glaring at him through my tears. He smiled back and I felt an impact in my stomach. I coughed repeatedly trying to regain my breath after the kick. I wasn't sure but I suspected that he had broken a rib.

"Eat," he said again and I reached for the tray with my right hand. I grabbed at the sandwich and took a small bite. He twisted the wrist I was sure now was broken and I screamed. I was sobbing heavily now as the agony ripped through my body. I just wanted it to stop.

I wondered briefly where Jonathan was and why he wasn't helping me. I immediately berated myself for even thinking he would help me in this situation. He was probably the one who snitched to Riley that I wasn't eating.

"Eat faster," he said hatefully and I realized that the anger that was threatening to overtake me had just found its way to the surface. I grabbed the glass of water from the tray and threw it with all my strength at his face. It hit him squarely and shattered. The pieces rained down on me and I felt the scratches across my arms and face but I ignored them and smiled.

"Mistake," he said calmly. He pulled my wrist to make me rise to my feet. I instinctively fought back momentarily but it felt as if he would completely remove my hand if I didn't comply. I was almost sure that he would at this point. I rose and he shoved me away from him roughly. I stumbled into the wall and caught myself before I hit. Unfortunately, I used both hands and cried out in pain as my wrist protested the action. I grabbed my broken wrist with my right hand and clutched it to my chest as I spun to face him.

Riley stood across the room and stared at me. I wondered what his next move would be. I wasn't sure if he knew how to respond. I stood there and felt the tremors begin as I saw his deep burgundy eyes flash as a growl began deep in his chest. It was a terrifying sound I couldn't help but think back to the ballet studio. I remembered this feeling of horror being stalked by a vampire. I also remembered all too vividly the feral snarls and growling that had been present in my mind as I tried desperately to cling to life.

I began shaking violently as he leaned into a crouch and began stalking forward very deliberately. I screamed in my mind, telling my body not to move but I couldn't hold myself still. I tried to run around him and he reached out with one arm and threw me to the ground in front of him. He stood over me and the full growl ripped out from his chest. My hands flew up to my ears and I squeezed my eyes shut. I hoped that it would end now. Maybe I had pushed hard enough that it would be over now. Maybe he wouldn't be able to stop.

I felt the impact in my side from his foot as he kicked me back across the room toward the tray of food. I hit the tray and it splintered, shattering the remaining dishes. I felt the wood and glass cutting into me in several places on my face and arms. I knew I was bleeding worse than before and he wouldn't be able to take it since he was already in hunting mode in his head. I wanted to smile in relief when I looked up and saw him standing over me, his eyes coal black now. I felt the impact against the side of my head and everything went dark.

I wasn't sure when it was I began to wake up. I felt pain all over. I squeezed my eyes shut to block the light. I nearly screamed in agony at the sharp pains that coursed through the right side of my face. I tried to sit up but gave up after a very short time. I wasn't sure how I was even still alive. As the memories of the last attack from Riley began to surface I tried to open my eyes and realized the right one had swollen shut. I used my left eye and quickly scanned the room.

I was in the middle of the floor but there was a pillow under my head and I had been covered with a blanket. The mess by the door was gone. I had no idea what had happened but I was confused and scared. I pushed my protesting body into the far corner away from where I usually sat, leaving the pillow and blanket in the middle of the room. I huddled into the corner, drawing my knees to my chest and wrapping my arms around them. I let my matted hair fall over my shoulder, covering my face as I let my head fall onto my knees. My entire body protested the position but it was the only way I felt safe.

It wasn't long before the door opened. I felt my body begin to tremble in fear as I wondered who had entered. I turned my body even further into the corner and tried to keep myself from crying. My breathing began to hitch uncontrollably as I waited for the first blow.

"Bella, I brought you some food," Jonathan said but I didn't respond to his words. I wasn't sure of anything but this incredible sense of fear that was overwhelming everything else.

"You haven't eaten in days, Bella. You need to eat. She's not going to let you starve and you know it. She needs you alive. You don't want her to have to force you again," he said in a soothing voice. I shivered at the reminder of the recent events as they flashed in my mind. I raised my head a small amount and turned slightly in his direction.

I didn't even look at the food. I stared at Jonathan and accused him with my eyes. I wondered who he thought he was fooling with this good guy act. Did he think I wouldn't blame him if he wasn't present for the beating?

"Come on and try to eat something," Jonathan said using that persuasive voice. He was trying to reassure me that I was safe with him in the room. I sat up and winced as I felt something pinch in my chest at the movement.

He stood silently and watched me and I realized he had every intention of making sure I ate. I was immediately on alert, not wanting to be attacked again for not eating. I crawled across the floor, knowing I wouldn't be able to walk. Every time I put weight on my left hand I groaned a bit at the sharp pain.

I stopped about halfway across the room. I was afraid to go closer to the food because I would be in range for Jonathan to kick me before I would even know what happened. I glanced up at his face. He seems to measure me with his eyes before he spoke.

"I'll step over here by the door if you promise to eat something," he bargained. I debated momentarily but realized that being left alone while I ate was probably a thing of the past. At least for now he was going to make sure I ate. I nodded in assent and he moved slowly to stand against the wall by the door. He took a relaxed stance that I'm sure was meant to make me calm down but as I continued toward the food I made sure I could see him the entire time.

When I got to the tray, I saw that it was soup. He must have picked it up somewhere. It was warm and there were crackers as well. I took the spoon from the tray and put it in the soup. I took a spoonful and lifted it to my mouth. I had trouble opening my mouth enough to eat but I finally succeeded. I wanted to sigh as the soup went warmly down my throat but as I moved to take another spoonful I winced. I felt a sharp pain in my right side and as I moved I felt one in my stomach. I arched my back and leaned slightly to the left trying to stretch but it didn't help. I leaned forward to take another bite.

"Are your ribs bothering you?" Jonathan asked and he sounded genuinely concerned. I debated an answer without looking at him directly and shrugged my right shoulder in response. I took another bite and lifted a cracker from the tray.

"I'm sorry. I wish I had made it back before she decided to let Riley make you eat," he said and I didn't respond. I wasn't sure how to react to his kindness anymore. I wasn't sure if I could trust him. Every bone in my body ached to trust him, to have a friend, but he was a vampire and was working for Victoria. If I trusted him, I was a fool.

I took another few bites of the soup and picked up the glass of water. I put it to my lips and drank thirstily. As I replaced the glass on the tray I saw that my hand was still trembling. I tried to calm myself down but with him in the room watching me I was terrified. I wondered if this was going to be a permanent thing of someone monitoring my meals. I sat back a little from the tray, unsure of what to do now.

"Bella, I'll make you a deal," Jonathan began and waited until I looked up at him before he continued. "I will let you shower and change into a different set of clothes if you promise not to fight me while I clean your cuts. I also need to check your ribs. Deal?"

I thought briefly about getting to take a shower once again and decided at first that it wasn't worth having him any closer. The problem with that was he would check the cuts anyway so I might as well take him up on the offer. I still wasn't sure why he was being so nice to me but I decided to accept. I nodded and he walked very slowly in my direction. I felt my body tense as he got closer and he stopped in front of me and extended a hand. I looked at it momentarily and then quickly glanced at his face. I bit my lip, unsure of my decision but I placed my right hand in his extended one and let him pull me carefully from the ground.

He let me lean against the wall as he took the tray and set it in the hall. When he returned he had a small bag with fresh clothes. He helped me into the bathroom carefully and then left me on my own to shower. I took my time undressing; I was in no hurry to see the damage done to my body.

I didn't look down at myself until I was under the stream of the hot shower. As I carefully wiped away the dried blood from my wounds I saw the gashes. I also saw that most of my body was covered in deep purple bruises. None of those was as frightening as my body itself. My ribs and hip bones were protruding in an immensely disturbing way. I was starving myself and now I was seeing the effects of that.

I carefully washed my hair twice to get all the dried blood out that had matted in clumps around my face. I stayed in the water as long as possible trying to avoid what was next. I turned off the water and carefully dried myself off before I stepped out of the tub. I used my right hand to steady myself on the wall since I still couldn't see out of that eye. I dressed slowly and brushed my hair and teeth. I noticed the pain on the right side of my face continued down to my jaw and even back toward my ear. I rubbed the outside of my ear and realized I couldn't hear anything on that side. I panicked momentarily as I wondered just how badly that side of my head had been damaged.

After what seemed like too short a time to be away, I knew I had to reenter the room. I stepped in and Jonathan was against the wall by the door in his casual stance. He slowly moved forward and offered me a hand which I accepted. He helped me over to the makeshift bed and carefully let me sit. He sat across from me and I noticed the bag next to him. He pulled out a bottle that looked to be alcohol and some gauze. I closed my eye and turned my face away as he worked on my right arm first.

I noticed when he paused and began turning my hand around as if he examining something and I opened my uninjured eye. He was staring intently at the scar left by James' teeth on my hand. I tugged my hand gently from his grasp and placed it in my lap without meeting his eyes. He picked up my left arm and started to work on it. As he turned my wrist, I screamed and he paused.

"Your wrist?" He asked to verify what he had done. I nodded and he continued cleaning the cuts very carefully.

"I need to move closer to examine your face," he told me and I took a deep breath. I winced as the pain shot through my ribs but I closed my eye and nodded to let him know I was ready.

I felt his hand on my chin as he turned my head to the right. He worked to clean up the left side of my face and then turned my face to the right. He sat still for a very long time.

"I'm so very sorry, Bella," he said again and he reached up to start touching points on my face. Every one was painful. I felt the tears falling down my left cheek but it seemed my right eye was too swollen or too broken to produce tears. When he reached the spot nearest to my temple, I cried out and pulled away from him. He dropped his hands immediately.

"There are several broken bones in that side. It's going to take time for them to heal. There's really not much I can do about that at this point," he said and he sounded a bit defeated. I turned my face and opened my eye so I could see his expression. It looked pained.

"The worst part is how close he was. If the impact had been just centimeters further up then you would have been dead," he said and his voice sounded almost choked. He stared down for a moment before moving to pull something from the bag. He used the bandages to wrap my left wrist tightly.

"It's broken, but this is the best I can do for now. Don't put any weight on it if you don't have to," he told me softly. I nodded in understanding.

"I need you to lie back so I can check your ribs," he said meeting my eye. I drew in a shallow breath. Lying down with him here made me feel way too vulnerable but I promised not to fight. I clenched my jaw and winced as the pain shot through my face.

"Just this left and we're done," he said as he reached for my hand to help me lay back. I pulled my shirt up and he shook his head before kneeling over me. I immediately closed my eye. I felt his hands on my sides and winced a few times as he touched tender spots along my ribs. When he started on my right side I felt sharp stabs a few times but it wasn't as bad as I feared.

"I'm going to check these bruises on your stomach and make sure it doesn't seem like any internal damage," he said as his hands moved from my ribs. I winced a few times but when he touched the spot on my right side I cried out again.

"I'm going to wrap your ribs because I think you have a few cracks, maybe a break. I will have to keep an eye on that spot on your side and make sure it doesn't get any worse," he said and I opened my eye as he reached out to help me sit up again.

He wrapped my ribs and returned everything to the bag. He stood and took the bag to the door. He opened it and stepped out. When he returned a moment later he was carrying my glass from earlier. He walked to the bathroom and refilled it in the sink before walking slowly back to me. He knelt down and handed me the glass and opened his other hand which held three aspirin.

"I know it's not much but it will help some," he said and shrugged. I took the glass with my right hand and the aspirin with my left. I drank the entire glass of water as I took the pills and he rose to refill it again. He placed it on the floor beside my blankets.

He sat down again beside my makeshift bed. I wasn't sure what was next. I wondered if he was planning to stay all the time now. I wasn't sure how I felt about that. I wouldn't be able to sleep well if he was in here but I wasn't sure I would be able to sleep well anymore anyway.

"Do you know why they're keeping you?" He asked quietly. I wasn't sure how to respond but my head turned automatically in the direction of the door.

"No, they aren't here. They're all hunting and won't be back until sometime tomorrow," he answered my unspoken question. If I was going to talk to him I wanted him to answer some questions for me.

"Why-" I started and coughed a bit. I couldn't remember the last time I had spoken and my voice sounded strained. "Why do you care? Why are you helping me?"

"I'm just curious if you can give me any clues as to their plans for you. I'm not getting much from them except that you are bait," he responded. I watched him for a moment, not sure if this was a trap. I wondered briefly if they would all spring into the room if I told the truth but I realized I didn't care anymore.

"My…" I trailed off. I couldn't figure out where to start. "My… ex killed Victoria's mate. It was several years ago and he and I are not even together anymore. He… he left me about six months after it happened. I haven't seen him since. I'm not sure why Victoria is keeping me alive. If anyone was coming for me they would've been here by now…" I trailed off at the end. I felt the tears well up in my eye as the crushing truth of my words weighed down on me. I wouldn't be alive much longer. Victoria would soon realize what I had known from the start. They don't care.

"Why do you say that?" Jonathan asked curiously. There was no point in hiding anything anymore.

"Because his…" I wanted to force the name out. The name I hadn't spoken in so long. "Edward's sister could see the future. She would have seen this and they would've come for me by now if they wanted to. I'm not even good for bait." As I said the words the tears fell down my cheek. I realized just how right I was. Alice would have seen what I was going through and they would have come if they cared.

"That may not be entirely true," Jonathan said but I didn't look up."That may be because of Adam. He has an ability that I've never seen before but it seems like it might work against something like a psychic. It would explain why Victoria keeps him around."

"What kind of ability?" I asked, trying not to let myself hope that this was the reason I had not been rescued.

"Well, when he focuses on someone he can block other's abilities from working on them. Maybe it works easier on humans and he doesn't have to focus as hard. He may be blocking you without meaning to. He's still trying to figure it all out," Jonathan said and he rose quickly from his spot on the floor. I froze momentarily shocked by the suddenness of the movement. He took a few slow steps away from me as he realized he startled me.

"I hope he continues to block me if that's the case. I don't want them to come," I said softly. I knew he would hear me. He turned slowly to face me.

"Why? Don't you want to be rescued?" He asked. His eyes seemed to be questioning my sanity.

"No," I answered honestly and sighed. "I don't want anyone to risk themselves for me. I'm not worth it." I felt his eyes on me but I kept my head down. The weight of this conversation was threatening to crush me at any moment. "You never answered my question," I said softly. "Why are you helping me?" I heard him sigh and move slowly to sit in front of me again.

"When I was human, I had everything I truly wanted. I was married to my high school sweetheart and had two gorgeous children. My daughter, Karen was our oldest. We had her less than a year after we were married. Two years later we had our son, Charles," he began.

"The night I was turned was my daughters sixteenth birthday. It was March of 1977. We had planned this whole night out, just her and I. It was a tradition we started when she was six. I would take her to her favorite pizza parlor and we would go to the movies or the theatre, whichever was showing something she wanted to see."

"We had just left the theatre after seeing a wonderful production of Fiddler on the Roof and I had arranged for a backstage tour. She had no idea about the surprise tour and I walked her around to the alley behind the theatre," I looked up as he said this, suddenly sure where this story was leading. I watched as his burgundy eyes hardened.

"There were three of them. I couldn't protect her no matter how hard I tried. They killed her in front of me and I knew I was next. They wanted to make me beg for death. They were cruel and tortured me until someone came into the alley. It was the Stage Manager of the show coming to give us the tour. They carried me a short ways before I felt the burning coursing through my body," he paused and I knew exactly what had happened. I reached my left hand out and absently rubbed the crescent shaped scar on my right hand.

"When the transformation was complete and I opened my eyes the only one there was a girl. She explained things to me and when I asked where the others were she told me they left. They hadn't meant to turn me and they ran away. She helped me learn how to control myself and I stayed with her for the first few years but the pain of watching my daughter die was eating at me. I hunted them down. I felt like I had no choice. It seemed as if they were pulling me toward them. I destroyed all three of them," he stopped speaking and looked down at me. I'm not sure what my face looked like but he didn't say anything for a while. He just stared at me.

"When I walked into this room the first time and saw you huddled in the corner, I saw the same expression in your eyes that I saw in Karen's that night. Fear and determination. You remind me of her very much at times. She had a similar fight in her that she refused to be pushed around. I couldn't watch them do to you what had been done to her. I'm sorry if it seems out of place for me to protect you this way and I know it doesn't make up for not being able to save my daughter, but I couldn't watch them do that and not stop it now that I had the strength to," he stared at me earnestly, almost begging me to understand.

I stared into his face and truly evaluated him for the first time. His features and face were just as beautiful as any vampire I had encountered but I noticed that I could see age in his face. He looked older than I remembered Carlisle or Esme looking. I tried to remember how older they were and knew they were both in their twenties. I figured by the age of his daughter Jonathan must have been in his mid to late thirties when he was changed. It didn't make a difference but it was the first time I really noticed.

"Why don't you just leave if you can't watch?" I asked, looking him in the eyes.

"Bella, I'm here because they paid me to help them. I'm a tracker and I know when someone is after me. Once they are close enough I will be able to warn Victoria so they can't catch her by surprise. I agreed to the job before I knew about you. Once I found out, I adapted my strategy a bit by letting them know that I knew some basic first aid. I could keep you alive that way. I hoped it would limit the interaction between you and them. I didn't really want to be involved before I even knew what all was going on. Now that I understand the story better I want you to know that when the time is right, I'm going to get you out of here," he answered as he rose and moved toward the door.

"You will be safe, Bella. I will make sure of it," he said and I saw the determination in his eyes before he turned and walked out the door.

I sat in the same position with my eye fixed on the door for quite awhile. The sudden change in Jonathan's demeanor and his declaration of my safety seemed wildly out of place in the current situation. I did understand him a bit better after learning his story. Maybe he would be the one to help me after all.

A/N: So, there is chapter three! Hope you all enjoyed. Does anyone believe Jonathan's story? Do you think he's just lying? What about Adams ability? Is that why the Cullen's aren't coming?

As always, teasers for reviewers :)