A/N: Just a reminder to everyone - Abuse is never okay-if you or someone you know is being abused by someone get help now. What Rosalie is going through is something I wouldn't wish on anyone. Have a nice day and stay safe :)
Rosalie POV
It's been three days. Three days with nothing but fear coursing through me. I had stopped eating, and I cried myself to sleep only when I was sure Royce and Reggie couldn't hear me. Three days without the Cullen's and I was already a mess. It was my fault, I had grown soft during my time with them, and now I was paying for it. At first when I cried it was because I missed my family, and I did miss them; more then I'd ever missed anything in my life. Now when I cried it was more out of fear. What did Royce want from me? I couldn't keep living like this forever, I just couldn't.
Royce hadn't told me what he planned to do with me. He'd force me to sit in his temporary office (one of Reg's extra rooms) all day and read books I hardly understood while he worked. Sometimes I wanted to shout at him. Ask him what he wanted, and how long I would have to stay with him until he let me go. Of course I would never actually shout at Royce; he could make me feel weak and defenceless and down right terrified with a single look. So I kept reading the books, sometimes feeling so frustrated by the big words and being cooped in the small room I'd dig my nails into my palm hard enough to draw blood.
Reggie was the opposite. He was kind. When he noticed I hadn't been eating he asked me if there was foods I would rather eat instead. I told him it was only because I was homesick-which was partially the truth-and he frowned and told me it was important I ate before I really became sick. Still, I continued to not eat. He told funny stories sometimes when he came home, and I'd force myself to laugh along with Royce at them. Yesterday he brought me home a dog stuffed animal so I would be less lonely. The stuffed animal didn't replace the empty pit in my stomach, but I appreciated the gesture. He worked at some small law firm office in the middle of no where. He told me that he preferred living in his own quiet environment outside of the hustle and bustle of cities.
This mornings breakfast is different. Reggie isn't wearing his typical suit and tie, and is instead wearing a simpler dress shirt and black pants. He sits with us throughout the whole meal instead of leaving half way through for work.
"I decided to take this Friday off," Reggie explains. "The firm is quiet on Friday's so I don't think it'll hurt anyone if I close it and spend the day with you."
"Rosalie doesn't mind staying with me while I work. She has to focus on learning for her school." Royce intervenes.
"She's seven. I think she can take a day off of studying to do something fun." Reggie says; sounding exasperated.
Royce immediately looks anxious, his hand moves to rest threateningly on my leg under the table. I hold back a whimper.
"I'll come to." Royce says. His voice laced with fake cheeriness. "I wouldn't want to miss out on the fun."
"Perfect!" Reg says with a grin, seemingly oblivious to the hostility behind Royce's words.
I've remained silent throughout the conversation, fiddling with a loose string on the purple dress I'd chosen to wear today. Once again the two men are seated at opposite sides of the grand table, and I sit on the side closer to Royce. I let out a sigh of relief when Royce's hand moves off my leg and he rests it back on the table.
"Do the eggs taste okay Rosalie?" Reg asks, seeming to take notice of my silence. He eyes the nearly untouched plate of food. Royce had ate my two pieces of bacon along with his own once he realized I wouldn't be eating again.
"They're fine." I tell him, forcing a smile onto my face. The food did look good; but my stomach did flops at the thought of eating.
"I say we go to the grocery store first, pick out some things you might like and then we can go to the park. There's a really nice one in the area people hardly go I'm sure you'll like. You can have the play-structure all to yourself!" Reggie rambles. He definitely wasn't used to being around children. I think I scared him or something.
"Can't you go grocery shopping another time? Rosalie isn't a big fan of crowds." Royce tells him, casting me a sympathetic smile and elbowing me in the ribs beneath the table. I bite my lip to hold back my yelp of pain.
"It's true." I tell him; barely stifling a grimace of pain.
"I promise we'll be quick. Only the locals shop there, and it's usually fairly empty." He reassures.
To my complete shock Royce gives in and tells him we'll go. Clearly he held a lot of respect for this guy; and had a lot of confidence I was too scared out of my mind to ask anyone I saw for help. I couldn't begin to imagine what he would do to me if I dared to even try and tell someone or call the police.
I brush my teeth and help clean up the table. Once I'm done we all get into Reggie's fire truck red convertible. I cautiously watch out the window as we drive, hoping to gather information as to where I was. Royce and Reggie seem to be too lost in conversation to pay much attention to me. The last time I could remember being in a car was the ride home from going to the movie theatre with the Cullen's. I wished I could return to the perfect day, back to when I was completely unsuspecting of what would happen to me on the very next morning. I wasn't even sure that Esme was alive.
Unfortunately the road is mainly field with a cluster of houses placed on the land every once in a while. The area looked nothing like any place I had ever been in. It felt strange to see so much empty space. If I tried to escape from Royce I wouldn't get very far.
Reggie finally pulls into a parking lot to a small building with a rickety old sign that says 'Darcy's grocery store' a red and white awning hangs over it. On the window it looks as though someone has drawn various types of food with a sharpie. As we are about to enter the store a girl wearing a red apron and a name tag takes a towel and wipes away one of the drawn fruits. It must've been drawn in some sort of special marker just for windows. What a strange place.
I trail closely behind Royce as we enter the store. Aside from a couple employees there is probably only fifteen or so customers in the store. The employee who I'd seen in the window immediately recognizes Reggie and she smiles at him and waves. He waves back, his cheeks tinged slightly red. Royce shoots him a nasty glare and eyes the small store in disgust.
"Pick out a couple things you'd like Rosalie." Reggie tells me. He grabs a basket and begins to walk down one of the aisles. I awkwardly stand at the front of the store with Royce, unsure what to do.
"Come on," Royce says impatiently. He rolls his eyes at me as I struggle to keep up with his big strides. He takes a turn down an aisle that says dairy products and stops in front of one of the refrigerated displays.
"W-what are you doing?" I ask him nervously. Finding my voice after five minutes of staring at yogourt.
"I don't usually do my own grocery shopping." He says suddenly, so out of the blue I'm not sure I heard him correctly.
"Oh." I say, swallowing. Of course he didn't do his own grocery shopping. He had his food bought and prepared for him by a full kitchen staff!
"Hurry up and pick something out so we can leave." Royce says threateningly, seeming to snap back into reality.
I grab the thing closest to me (a container of yogourt I don't plan on eating) and turn back towards him.
He grabs me by the arm and roughly tugs me behind him as we start to walk back to the front of the store.
"Rosalie? Is that you?" A familiar voice asks.
Royce tries to keep me from turning around but I manage to squirm my way out of his hold and turn to face the person who called me.
The woman smiles. My eyes flash to the side of her face for a moment but quickly return back to her kind brown eyes.
"Ms Young ?" I ask. It was her. The maid who'd practically raised me.
She takes two steps forward and hugs me. Her hug feels warm and safe and I never want to let go. She leans back to get a better look at my face.
"You can call me Emily." She tells me with a smile; still beautiful even with scars marring the side of her face.
Carlisle POV
Three days. Three days and we still have no idea where Rosalie is. A detective sits me and Esme down and tells us that the chances of Rosalie coming back to us and being unharmed is extremely low give the amount of time she'd been missing.
I want to tell him he's wrong. Because Rosalie isn't just any random kid, she's my kid. She couldn't be dead.
Esme cries that night like she has every night Rosalie has been gone. When the kids are awake she puts on a brave face. She and her mother cook supper, she takes turns with me reading bed time stories, and she tells our children constantly that everything is going to be okay. Though I'm not sure she believes that herself. Once they fall asleep her brave face slips and she crashes and burns. I feel hopeless watching it happen.
I pull my sobbing wife into my arms. I force myself to not let tears leak from my watery eyes. I refused to give up hope. Rosalie was going to be fine. I had to believe it; if I didn't I wouldn't be able to keep myself from falling apart.
"We said we were going to protect her. We promised." Esme chokes out between sobs.
I don't know what to say in response. I finally allow the tears to flow from my eyes and down my face. I'm so sorry Rosalie, I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise.
Guess what? Since I've written all my exams I am officially FREEEE. Yup, it's summer time! I promise updates will become more regular as I will continue to type chapters up on my phone when I go to the lake and such. This story may be over in August but there is a possibility it'll overlap into September. Thanks again for sticking with me!