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As always, huge thanks go to my pre-reader/cheerleader team. Gredelina1 and IamTheAlleyCat. Also to Snarkymuch for beta'ing this chapter and listening to all my bitching when the words wouldn't flow. I love you all.

~ Chapter Sixteen — Wishing and Hoping ~

Alice POV

Peter, Charlotte, and Garrett decided to come back to Bella with us. Though they didn't say it, I believed that they were becoming attached to Bella, just as so many had before.

It took longer to drive back through the uncertain roads to the mountains than it did to run. We said goodbye to Esme and Carlisle at the main road out of Novo Progresso and headed into the forest on foot.

I felt a pang of guilt as I remembered how Bella had been hurt. It was torture for me to sit uselessly and watch her as Jane hurt her again and again. Though if I had been there, I could have done nothing other than hurt alongside her—or possibly die.

I didn't want to believe the Volturi were the orchestrators of all of Bella's suffering. If Jasper was right, and it was them, we were to blame. We were the ones—no, I was the one—who had brought them into her life. I had been the one who dragged her to Volterra to save Edward's life. Though, at the time, I didn't think I had a choice; it was her or nothing. In hindsight, maybe she would have been better off without Edward in her life at all.

When we got back to the jungle, it was late afternoon, and by the time we got to Bella's cave, it was early evening. We had never been here at this time of day before, and I wondered what her usual evening routine was. Not that I was likely to see it. After being tortured by Jane for hours on end, it was doubtful Bella would be maintaining her delusion.

Bella was there when we arrived, sitting at the mouth of her cave and watching the last few drops of rain falling around her from the rock above her. She heard our approach, but she didn't look up to see us.

"Hello, Alice," she said in a dull monotone.

I had half expected her to shout accusations at us for leaving her to suffer. That would have been better than this quiet welcome. It was eerie.

I gestured for the others to keep back, and I slowly made my way to sit on the closest log to her. "Hey, Bella." I forced brightness into my tone.

She raised her head slowly, as if it took great effort for her to meet my eye. "You went away."

"I know. I'm so sorry, believe me, I am, but we had no choice; we had to go."

She nodded. "I understand. Why would you stay? I'm just Bella. But you could have asked Jasper to stay away, too."

I wondered how Jane had confused Bella enough to make her believe it was Jasper that was hurting her. It didn't make any sense. Now was not the time to theorize, though; I had to make Bella trust Jasper again so we could put the next part of our plan into action.

"It wasn't my Jasper that hurt you, Bella."

"It was the bad Jasper," she said, still in that same monotone. "The bad Jasper told me you died again. I thought that meant you, but now I'm confused."

"I'm not dead, Bella. There is only one me, and I am alive. I know the people that came here hurt you and told you things, but they were lying. Look." I reached out to touch her arm, but she cringed away from me. "I'm not going to hurt you, Bella. I promise. I just want you to see."

She shook her head. "I can't trust what I feel anymore. There is too much wrong with me."

"Maybe Carlisle could help," I said hopefully. If I could persuade her to see Carlisle, I would have a valid reason to persuade her to leave her cave and come with us to the island.

"I'm not supposed to leave. This is my punishment."

"Bella, people come here and hurt you; do you really think there is anything else they can do to punish you? Let us take you away from here."

She was silent for a long time. I thought she was going to refuse to answer, but she seemed to be considering my words carefully. "Why not? It's not like I have anything left to lose now. If Carlisle decides to finally kill me and get it over with"—she shrugged—"it would be a relief."

I hated to hear her speak like this, as if her life was worthless. Though I guess my emotions were too closely linked to my love for her. If I were to think about this objectively, I could see the sense of her words. She was suffering so much without Edward, and with people coming to hurt her, perhaps death would be better for her. Thankfully, she would not have to suffer much longer. Esme and Carlisle were going in search of Edward now. Soon they would be reunited.

"Bella, would it be okay if Jasper came to talk to us?" I asked. "It is my Jasper, and he won't hurt you. I swear."

She shrugged indifferently. "Sure."

Jasper stepped slowly out of the trees and came to sit beside me. Bella shuddered slightly at his close proximity, but she did not back away, which I took as a good sign. I felt calmer and knew Jasper was using his ability to keep her calmer, and—I hoped—to ease some of her sadness."

"Hello, Bella," he said in a soft tone.

She smiled slightly, but she didn't reply.

"I hear you are going to be taking a trip with us," he said.

"I am?"

I took up the explanation. "You are. Carlisle and Esme are nearby. We are going to have to drive to get to them, but that's… What's wrong?"

"Esme," she moaned. "Poor Esme. They hurt her … and him … still hurting. For so long … Have to bleed…"

She began slamming her head against the rocky wall of the cave mouth. It did no damage to her, but the intent was there. With an exceptionally hard slam of her head, a chunk of rock broke away and landed on her lap. She took up the jagged piece in her hand and began scraping it along the length of her arm.

"Bella, stop!" I reached out to catch her arm, but she screamed and scuttled away from me into the darkness of her cave.

Though she was out of sight, I could still hear the sound of the rock scraping against her impenetrable skin.

"Oh, God!" I clapped a hand to my mouth, horrified at myself for what I had done.

"Shhh, it's okay." Jasper ran a hand over my back in soothing circles. "It wasn't your fault."

"How can you say that? I did this to her!"

"No, you didn't. Bella is damaged. Even more than before after what they put her through. What happened was going to happen no matter what. Her emotions have been edging on a breakdown since we arrived."

"Can you help her?"

"I can try."

I felt the calming waves soothing my own panic through the contact of his skin to mine as Jasper focused his gift. Slowly, the sounds inside the cave quieted to be replaced with soft cries of pain. Every one of them tore at my heart.

Jasper stood and pulled me to my feet. I allowed him to guide us back to where Garrett, Peter, and Charlotte were waiting. I saw that Charlotte was hiding her face against Peter's chest. It seemed what had transpired with Bella had affected her, too.

"Even after all I have seen, I never believed in true evil until now." Peter's voice was choked with emotion. "I never imagined anyone could be so cruel as to destroy a person so thoroughly."

"They have to pay for what they have done." Charlotte's voice was muffled against Peter's shirt, but her tone was firm.

"And they will," Garrett said in a low growl.

"How?" Jasper asked. "I want revenge as much as anyone, but they are the Volturi. If we go up against them, we will die."

"We have to do something," I said, desperation leaking into my tone.

"And we will," Jasper said. "First, we will take Bella way from this place and make her whole again. We will do everything we can to undo what they've done to her. Then, we'll think about revenge. Bella is our first priority."

I understood the reasoning behind it, but it was not enough to sate my thirst for vengeance. I wanted to feel the skin of my enemies as I tore them limb from limb. I wanted to watch them burn with a grim smile. More than anything, I wanted them to feel at least a fragment of the pain they had inflicted on Bella.

Night fell, and Bella quieted.

I wondered what she was doing inside her cave. Was she curled on the ground pretending to sleep, or was she lying wide-eyed, thinking over everything they had done to her? I could have gone into her cave and seen for myself, but Jasper would never have allowed me. I wasn't sure I would have allowed myself. I had no fear of Bella, but to invade the only space in the world that she could call her own felt sinful. She had so little that was her own anymore, even her mind had been violated; to take her privacy from her, too, felt wrong.

I lay on the forest floor, looking up through the dense canopy, hoping to catch sight of a star. Childishly, I was hoping for something to wish upon.

xXx

Carlisle POV

It was with reluctant feet that we made our way through the Pantanal Wetlands in search of Zafrina and her sisters. A small, cowardly part of me hoped they would not be there and that I would be able to go to Edward with the knowledge of Bella's survival now. It was that same knowledge that drew me to Zafrina. I suspected she was the one who could shed light on what my daughter had suffered in the years we had been apart.

My daughter. Thinking the words made me feel happier than I had been in a long time. For so long I tried to blame her for all that had happened to my family, but now I knew the folly of my desires. She was not the one who tore it apart; she was the one who made it whole. It was not her fault that in losing her I lost my family, too. She had been returned to us, and she needed us now more than ever. I could be the father I had always wanted to be, and I would have my whole family with me.

Much greater than my own happiness, was Esme's. She had doubted at first, but faced with irrevocable proof of Bella's survival, she was elated. I reveled in her happiness, absorbing it in a way not dissimilar to Jasper's ability. My mate and I were attuned to each other. When she hurt, I hurt. Now, her happiness fed my own.

The dampener on our happiness was the approaching meeting with Zafrina and her sisters. I did not doubt that she had been forced to assist the Volturi and that she couldn't have known who Bella was to us, but I still felt a sting of betrayal. It was compounded by Aro's treachery. I never imagined he could be so cruel. I had once thought of him as a friend, a close confidant second only to my family. Now all that was ashes.

"Are you okay, my love?" Esme cupped my cheek in her hand.

I relaxed the tight set of my jaw and forced a smile. "Of course."

"You shouldn't try to lie; you are terrible at it."

I laughed a genuine laugh. "Forgive me. I was thinking of Aro."

Her eyes hardened, and her irises darkened with anger. "What were you thinking about that man?" The last words came out as a hiss.

"I was thinking that any kinship I ever felt for the man is long gone."

She relaxed and leaned into me for a kiss. I obliged happily, pressing my lips to hers.

"We should go," she said against my lips. "Edward is waiting."

Her words worked like a bucket of ice water. My focus snapped back to the task at hand. To find Zafrina and discover what she knew.

The Amazon coven had no fixed abode the way my family had. They claimed the entire rainforest as their territory. Which, in hindsight, should have tipped me off that they knew about Bella. If she had been there the entire two years we had been apart, they would have surely come across her.

With no known place to search for them, we tried to find a scent path to follow. We were in luck. Within an hour of leaving the car, we crossed Zafrina's scent. We followed it for a time in silence, both lost in thought of the conversation that was to come.

Soon, Kachiri's and Senna's scents joined the trail. We hurried our pace and came to a small clearing beside—ironically—a cave.

There was no one in sight, but I was accustomed to their way of operating. Unfortunately for them, we were not gifted with time to waste today.

"I know you are out there. We are short on time. Please come and talk to us."

Esme looked at me in disbelief. I was never this curt with anyone, especially not with those whom I considered friends. However, manners were not my main concern in that moment.

Kachiri was the first to show herself. She dropped—quite literally—from a tree and landed on the balls of her feet in front of me.

"Carlisle. Esme." She nodded to us both in turn.

Senna was next to show herself. She walked sedately out of the trees. Beside her, with their hands intertwined, was Zafrina.

She looked at me for a long moment and then sighed. "You know."

I nodded. "Yes. We know some of it. We are hoping you can fill in the blanks."

"Ask your questions." She forced a smile, but it looked more like a grimace.

"Do you know who she is?" Esme asked before I had a chance to ask a question of my own.

"She is someone to your Edward."

I never imagined that she could have known who Bella really was. Why would she hurt her if she knew who she was to us?

"She is his mate." I spoke through gritted teeth.

She nodded. "I assumed so."

Esme was standing with a hand pressed against her forehead as if she was preparing to shield her eyes. "If you knew this, why would you help them?"

"Because I had no choice. I was forced to act to protect my coven. I am sorry for what the girl suffered, but I did my best to ease it for her. When I was forced to accompany her to the castle, I made the journey as pleasant as was possible."

Esme gasped, and I moaned. The castle. Of course, Aro would not be satisfied having Bella insane and alone; she must be brought before him to show his mastery and to appease his thirst for curiosity. I wondered if it was mere curiosity that led him to destroy Bella so thoroughly, or if perhaps it was punishment for our perceived crimes.

Esme regained the power of speech before I did. "You took her to the castle?"

Zafrina shook her head. "I accompanied her to the castle. I did not take her by choice. Five times they have come for us, and we have been summoned before Aro. I had no choice," she said, without apology. "My sisters and I would have been annihilated had I tried. I did what I did to save our lives."

"What did you do?" I tried to remain amiable, but inside of me, a fury was building. She was protecting her coven, that I applauded, but I could not forgive the fact it was at the cost of my own family.

"I was used to show the girl images of your family. Usually you, Carlisle, and Jasper."

Understanding dawned, and with it came horrific imaginings. They had used our faces while doing Lord knew what to hurt Bella. With Jane in their arsenal, it would have been easy for them.

Esme moaned and hid her face behind her hands. "Oh, Bella."

"They did not just use your image," Zafrina said. "They also mimicked your voices. They used you and Jasper to torment her. They told her Esme and Alice died and that you blamed her. While they would speak, Jane would use her gift to hurt the girl. They gave her rules to live by. To run, to hide, and to live."

"We tried to help," Kachiri said. "Zafrina was ordered to leave the girl in the jungle. We brought her here with us and tried to take care of her, but she was scared. She would run from us and attempt to hide. Eventually we realized couldn't take care of her by being close, and so we took an old human camp and made her a home there."

I wanted to be angry at them—and in a way I was—but not nearly so angry as I was with myself. They had shown how they tried to help her, a girl they did not know, but when given the choice to help her, I chose the wolves. I had gone to them and tended their hurts when I should have been searching for her with the rest of my family.

Above all, I was furious with Aro. He had devised this sick torment for Bella, the most innocent of all my family, for what reason? What could she have possibly done to deserve this?

"Thank you for trying." Esme's words were heartfelt.

"Yes, thank you," I said. "I'm afraid we must leave, too. Edward needs to know what has happened."

There was nothing more to be learned here. We now knew how Aro had destroyed Bella, though we didn't yet know why.

"What are you going to do with the girl?" Zafrina asked.

"We are going to take her away to somewhere safe."

Kachiri frowned. "They will find you. You cannot hide from them."

"We will do our best," Esme said stoutly.

"And when they find you?" Zafrina insisted.

When they found us... what? We could not fight them, they were too powerful, nut I would not allow them to touch my family again. We had allies, friends. If it came to a fight, would they come to our aid?

"We will cross that bridge when we come to it," I replied.

Esme took my hand, and we turned to leave. We were at the edge of the trees when Zafrina called after us. "Carlisle, if they find you, they will kill you."

I turned back to her and bared my teeth. "They will try."

xXx

We were almost back to where we left the car when the sound of racing footsteps reached us. It sounded like two people. My thoughts immediately flew to the Volturi, and I wondered whom they had sent after us.

We ground to a halt, and I dropped into a crouch. Esme mimicked my posture. I reached out to pull her behind me, but she jerked away and growled.

"You will not fight alone."

There was no time to argue the point as the footsteps were growing closer. My lips pulled back over my teeth in a harsh snarl, and I prepared to fight to defend my mate. My vision clouded as the red haze of fury took over me.

The footsteps came closer. A split-second later, two figures burst out of the trees. I launched myself forward and tackled the largest figure to the ground.

"Hey, I know it's been a while since we called, but I think this is a little extreme," a familiar voice said.

I shook my head and blinked rapidly, clearing the red haze from my mind. "Emmett?"

"Hey, Dad."

I jumped to my feet and offered an unnecessary hand to help him up. He took it with a grin, and I hauled him to his feet.

"How did you—? Why are you—? I don't understand." I scrambled for words, stunned to see him.

"Why? You called us, sounding all worked up, and then when we called you back, your cell was out of service. How? We went to the house and saw flights to South America on the browsing history. We figured you were paying a visit to the Amazon coven, so we thought we'd tag along."

I smiled in spite of myself. It was so good to see my son again.

Rosalie was encased in Esme's arms. I went to them and kissed my daughter's forehead.

"I have missed you, dear girl."

She smiled, a little abashed. "I'm sorry we were gone so long. Is everything okay? You sounded upset on the phone."

Esme sighed. "Oh, Rosalie, we have so much to tell you…"

Thanks for reading. As always, if you would like a teaser of the next chapter, let me know in a review or a PM.

Simaril x