Bella's Point of View.

"You aren't eating – not because it hurts – but for another reason. Aren't you?" Her voice was tinged with anger and suspicions.

I looked away when she growled.

"Bella."

"I-I'm sorry." I muttered weakly. "I j-just can't do it. I try, I do!"

"I think you've had enough." Matt snorted when I reached for another slice of pizza. "You're getting a little soft around the edges. No wonder you don't have a boyfriend yet."...

"You're such a fucking slut." He growled. "You're probably screwing everyone on the block, you whore. I mean, God, Bella. No wonder your Mom is so disappointed in you. No one wants a slut as a daughter."...

"You wonder why I do this, Marie? Because you're a disgrace! You're a hideous bitch." ...

Mom looked at me. "Size five, right?"

I shook my head. "Seven."

She blinked. "Really?" I nodded. "Well, I doubt they even have that size."...

I cried. "I-It's ridiculous." I sobbed. "I shouldn't be having these problems. All they did was beat me yet I have an irrational fear of men and-and an eating disorder."

I could feel her arms wrap around me. She hugged me to her cold chest and I cried silently. My shoulders wracked with sobs.

"M-Maybe if I was skinnier – prettier – they wouldn't have. They wouldn't have beat me o-or raped me." I blinked. "But you're beautiful, and he still beat you..."

"Oh, sweetie." She cooed sadly. "You're beautiful. Those men were horrible. One is rotting six feet under and the other will drop the soap in jail."

I gave a tiny laugh. "You think so?"

"Of course!" She insisted. "Come on. Let's go up to your room."

"What about school?" I asked weakly.

"I'll call you in sick." She said. She lifted me in her arms and I felt a rush of wind and I felt the soft cotton of my bedsheets. She stroked my hair lightly.

"You know, when I was human I had an eating disorder."

"You did?" I asked.

She nodded. "Yes. But you know what you said to me?"

"What?"

"'Rose, don't listen to that asshole. You're the definition of beauty and don't let him tell you otherwise. You don't need to starve yourself to be beautiful. That will do nothing.'" She paused for a moment, her eyes flickering to me and then back to the wall. "And you know what I'm going to tell you? Take your own advice."

I turned around into her arms so I was facing her. "You'll help me?"

"Of course. Now, go to bed." She continued to run her fingers through my hair, pulling at the tangles I missed until I finally fell asleep.

Rosalie's Point of View.

I could hear the softest of snores as she fell asleep. I grinned and shifted lightly, not disrupting her slumber in the slightest. I landed with a quiet thud on the floor before walking down stairs to grab the phone. I found it next to the recliner and quickly dialed the school's number.

"Forks High School. Mrs. Cope speaking." She greeted cheerfully.

"Hello, Mrs. Cope. This is Rosalie Hale." I replied, twirling the phone cord around my finger. "Isabella Swan has come down with a bug and has demanded that I take care of her. If you could get both of our homework from our teachers, that would be wonderful."

"Absolutely, Rosalie. Tell Bella to feel better for me."

"Thank you, Mrs. Cope."

"I'll send the homework home with Emmett."

"That will work. Thank you again."

"It's no problem, dear." She bid me a goodbye before hanging up.

I set the phone back on it's receiver. Bella ate food, but I know it was hard for her. I searched through her kitchen to find something to feed her. I settled for a glass of water as I couldn't find anything.

I ran up the stairs, not spilling a drop of her drink. I set the cup on her desk and found a blank piece of paper to fold underneath it so it didn't leave a mark.

I watched her sleep looking for the first sign of discomfort. A crease began in the middle of her eyebrows, as if she were glaring. Her lip curled in distaste and her hands formed into fists.

I've been watching her sleep sleep – even when she was Marie – to know she talked in her sleep. I waited for her to mumble something to reveal the dream she was having.

"Royce,"

Bella's Point of View.

Mother cried and I scowled to myself. She was probably faking. She didn't care that her first born was dead. I wiped my eyes for the umpteenth time.

She stood up suddenly when a knock sounded at the door. He stood in the doorway, his face drenched with water, which was more likely than tears.

"Oh, Royce," Mother blubbered, falling into his arms. "You must be crushed." She had believed that ever since suiting the two, they had fallen in love.

"Good evening, Mrs. Hale. I am pulling through." He took off his has hat and held it solemnly to his chest.

Mother stood aside and let him into the house.

"I came to see how you two lovely ladies were doing. And Mr. Hale, of course." He smiled politely. His eyes met mine and I could see the barest hint of a smirk. "Marie. How are you?"

"Royce," I hissed. The acid in my voice was thick and I could see him visibly flinch.

"Marie." Mother admonished.

I glared. I knew it would only get me a worse beating tonight, but putting that to that back of my mind, I simply said, "Fuck you."

I felt a chilled hand shake me roughly on the shoulder.

"Bella?" Rose asked. "Are you alright?"

I blinked the sleep out of my eyes before staring at Rosalie.

"Nightmares?"

"Royce." I murmured. "He came over, and I think you were dead. He was pretending to be sad about something and your mom was crying..."

"Then what happened?" She asked curiously while handing me my dream journal.

"I told him to fuck off and then you woke me up."

She laughed. "That's my girl."

I unhooked my pen from the binding of the journal and started to scribble down my dream.

"Bella."

"Yes?" I asked absentmindedly.

"Alice has been planning a trip to Pennsylvania for a while." Rosalie informed me. I could hear the nervousness in her voice.

"Why are you going to Pennsylvania?" I questioned.

"Well, the boys occasionally go on weekend trips to hunt and Alice became irritated that her, Esme, and myself never did it. She's planned this weekend for months now."

"Oh." I said dumbly. "So...You'll be gone for a whole weekend?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I wanted to tell you and make sure you're okay with it. I know you're nightmares have been bothering you and I don't want to leave my little – human – sister alone."

"I'm seventeen, Rose." I soothed. "If you want to go on a hunting trip, then so be it. Who am I to spoil your fun? I can take care of myself. I've been doing it for years now."

"Are you sure you're alright with this? Because I don't have to go."

I rolled my eyes. "You're just looking for an excuse to ditch. I've only talked to Alice once, but I don't want to get on her bad side. I have a feeling if I piss her off by making you stay here I'll end up being dinner."

"She's not that bad." Rose protested.

I quirked my eyebrow at her before turning back to my journal.

"Okay, so she hates it when she doesn't get her way, but she would never intentionally harm you. Especially since I've been putting up the facade of me being a total bitch."

"You have every right to be a bitch." I said indignantly. "You were beaten, raped, killed, and then you lost a sister. You can be a little pissy if you want to. I know I would be."

"All of that has happened to you, Bella. Minus the factor of being killed." She reminded me gently.

I nodded. "Yes. And, I rant at my counselor all the time."

"Counselor?" She asked.

"Dad was worried about the traumatic experience of it all. Throwing money out the window, he picked the best therapist." I explained. I finished the recap of my dream and set the notebook aside.

"Oh." She mumbled.

We sat in comfortable silence. Her journey was settled. She braided my hair before taking it out and redoing it. I didn't protest. I've never had a sibling before and now that I found one – who happens to be a vampire, no less – I want the full experience.

"Can you tell me about vampires?" I requested.

"What do you want to know?"

"All of it." I said. "Why not start with the history."

She pursed her lips and rolled her weight on her right foot and propped her head onto her left hand –most likely out of habit.

"We've discussed this topic many times." She started. "There is a story – which we aren't sure is a myth or not – about an Egyptian man wanting to gain immortality. He would do anything. Even suck the blood of others. He became crazy after doing so." She paused thoughtfully. "The next part is sketchy. He started biting everyone..."

"How did he change them?" I asked.

She shrugged lightly. "Vampires have venom – like a snake – coating their teeth. When biting someone the venom gets into their blood stream, drying it up gradually. That's why we thirst for blood. We have none."

"The vampire world have rules. We mustn't tell anyone about our existence."

I grimaced. "Whoops."

She chuckled. "Nor are we allowed to create vampire children. It becomes a little...bloody." She frowned. "Our first rulers were Romanians. They were – are the definition of vampire."

"First?"

"The Volturi over threw them. A group of brothers twisted with power. Or at least the eldest and youngest are. The middle child's mate died by the oldest's hand. He's depressed but kind hearted.

"They've asked Edward and Alice to join their guard many times."

"Why?"

"To be more feared, more powerful. Edward can read minds and Alice can see the future."

"What's changing like?"

"It's the most excruciating pain. It's as if you're on fire. It can't be put into words." She said simply. "And when you wake up, you're so thirsty. Your throat burns with dehydration and a craving you can't put your finger on.

"When you drink blood it goes straight into your veins, to soothe the dryness. But then the venom washes away the blood and you're left with the need to kill."

"That's why you don't kill humans." I realized.

She shook her head. "It's not hard to think of them as food. But to look into their eyes when you're about to bite and realize that you were one of them. You could have been in the same situation. With animals it isn't as hard. Humans hunt animals too. Does that make us less cruel?"

I nodded. "Absolutely, Rose. At least you aren't taking a human life."

I bit my lip. "Can animals turn into vampires? It makes sense. The venom could alter their blood stream too."

She made a face. "We don't really like to talk about it."

"I'm your sister." I pointed out. "Sisters tell each other everything, right?"

She nodded. "You have a point. A decade ago, Emmett – as a joke – decided to see if he could turn a bear into a vampire," She sighed. "It worked. We were lucky that we didn't get caught by the Volturi. We killed the bear before he could hurt anyone."

"How do you kill a vampire?"

"You rip them apart," She explained. "And burn the pieces. It's a myth that if you put the pieces of a snake together in order it will mend it's self. We are like snakes in a lot of ways."

"Y-You burn them?" I gasped. "If they can mend themselves together, they're still technically alive...Can they feel the pain?"

"I wouldn't know," She said.

I frowned.

"Don't worry, Bella. We don't kill anyone who doesn't deserve it."

"That makes me feel better." I muttered sarcastically.

She laughed. "It's alright. We never come across vampires to kill."

"If you say so."

"I'm happy you understand."

I snorted and rolled my eyes. "You're so annoying."

She grinned and mussed up my hair. "What are sisters for?"