Author Notes: I'm please to see that many people have enjoyed my story so far. I would like to thank everyone for the support! I write to make people happy. My updates might come a bit slow, but I'm not sure, we'll see how it works out, because I start class tomorrow and I do have to concentrate on it, but hopefully, it doesn't interfere too much! Now, without further ado, please turn off all cell phones and read. Thanks!

Chapter Three

"Bella?" Esme said, bending down to her as she played on the floor with some toys. Bella was a quiet child, who was still coming to terms with what happened with her parents and that she'll be living with them from now on. Bella looked up, dark circles around her eyes indicating the fitful nights she's been having with nightmares and waking up screaming in terror, sobbing and trembling. Bella looked back down at her toys. Esme scooped her up and sat on the couch.

"Talk to me, sweetheart." She said softly, trying to coax the tiny girl to talk. Bella laid against her, closing her eyes. "Are you still scared about the monsters?" Bella nodded her head. "We wont let them hurt you. I swear to you." Bella looked up at her with hopeful eyes.

"Promise?" She said in a voice so soft, that if Esme didn't have super vampire hearing, she wouldn't have been able to hear it. Esme wrapped her arms around Bella and held her close.

"Promise." She said, "Cross my heart." She planted a kiss on her forehead. "You're sleepy, time for you to nap." She took Bella to her room and laid her down in the middle of the bed and covered her up. She reached over and grabbed Edward the stuffed Cougar and handed it to Bella, who snuggled with it. "No more bad dreams, you're safe. You will always be safe." She watched as the girl drifted off and she slept soundly for the first time in the week she had been there.

Esme left the room and went downstairs to bake cookies for her young daughter, when Alice and Rosalie came home with tons of bags. "I hope you didn't buy too many clothes for Bella." She said as she mixed the dough together.

"Just a few outfits." Rosalie said, "The rest are for Emmett and Jasper." Esme smiled, pleased that they didn't go all out. It was agreed that they would take Bella out so she can pick out her own outfits and what she would like. Rosalie showed Esme the outfits they got from The Gap, and Nordstrom and other high ends stores they could afford. Esme was pleased that they kept to age appropriate clothes.

"Where is Bella now?" Alice asked, wanting to show her little sister her new clothes.

"Asleep. Lets leave her be." Esme said and kissed her daughters on her forehead. "The boys will be back soon. Emmett dragged Edward to a movie and Jasper went hunting with Carlisle. You should be proud of him Alice, he's doing really good." Alice beamed and informed Esme she was real proud of Jasper and got him something to celebrate with him. She went up to her and Jasper's room and put his new clothes away.

Upstairs in her room, Bella sat up in bed and stared at a corner, smiling. "Mama." she said happily and got out of bed and ran to the corner. Her mother just grinned and flashed her red eyes. "Mama…" Bella said more fearfully.

"Your mother is dead, you filthy brat." She said, her voice thick with evil and contempt. "And you're going to join her, just like you should've." A hand shot out and grabbed Bella around the neck, cutting off her air supply, choking her. Her little hands couldn't do any damage to the hand holding her neck tightly, and she couldn't scream.

Bella's heart was racing, going faster than it normally should, her body frozen in terror and utter fear. Her mother, now an evil monster, brought Bella towards her and opened her mouth, teeth dripping with blood, human blood. "You're going to taste better than your father."

"No…" Bella choked out, "No mama," The hand gripped tighter, causing her to make a strangled sound and she became lightheaded as oxygen was closed off from her brain. Her mother bit down hard on her neck. Bella screamed.

"Now, you will become a monster, just like me." She dropped the girl, who screamed in pain, as venom spread through her body.

"Rosalie, get Carlisle and Jasper." Esme said as she tried to wake the screaming girl, but to no avail. Rosalie left the house, running. Bella's body jerked as she screamed in her sleep and Esme tried to sooth her the best she could hopefully wake her. "Come on sweetheart, wake up." Bella continued to scream, twisting and turning. Esme looked at Alice. "Call Edward. Tell him to come home, quickly." Alice did as she was told. Esme was hoping that Edward would be able to tell them what Bella was dreaming.

Bella went limp. And the screaming stopped by the time the rest of the family got home. She opened her eyes, much to the delight of her family and Carlisle instantly got to work, making sure she was fine and took her vitals such as her pulse and heart rate, they were fast, faster than they normally should be. He glanced at Jasper and nodded and large amounts of calming waves overcame everyone, though it was directed towards Bella mostly.

"Bella?" Carlisle said, trying to get her attention. Soon her eyes gazed over to Carlisle and she held her arms up to be held, protected. He scooped her up and held her gently as Jasper continued to calm her down. Everyone in the room could hear her heartbeat return to normal. The trembling stopped. "Talk to me, Bella."

After a long moment, a tiny, voice filled the air, "B…bad dream." Flashes of her dream went through her head and she clutched Carlisle's shirt in her small fist. Edward inhaled sharply, though he didn't need to as the images fluttered through his head of the horrible dream. "Thirsty." She murmured and Rosalie went to get a glass of water and came back, handing it to Bella. She drowned the whole glass and asked for another glass, her throat hurting from the screaming. Rosalie complied and Bella only finished half the glass before yawning. Tired, exhausted from the dreams, the sleepless nights. She laid buried her head in Carlisle's shirt and closed her eyes, falling asleep.

Carlisle laid her down once she was in a deep enough sleep. "Edward, what did you see?" He asked, looking at his son.

"It was flashes, just quick images. But I saw her mother, then her mother turned against Bella, attacked her." Edward exhaled a breath he didn't realize he was holding. Though he didn't need to breath, he did so, because it felt normal and comfortable. He hated NOT breathing. "Her mind, it's a hard one to read. I only get images, not thoughts. Perhaps it has to do with her age." Edward seemed frustrated at this, he didn't like not being able to read the mind of someone. It wasn't what he was used to. He looked down at Bella and was grateful that he could at least see images.

Edward looked at Bella and knew from that moment, he would protect her from any monsters, including himself. He left the room silently and went to play the piano, composing a new song, straight from his lifeless, un-beating, but not uncaring, heart. A song dedicated to the child that was asleep in the room upstairs.

To Be Continued.

Endnotes: What do you think? Review and tell me! Don't worry, things will pick up soon