All characters except for Annabelle Causley and a few others belong to Stephenie Meyer…and, of course, the writer is not receiving any profit for this story whatsoever.

This is an AU out of Stephenie Meyers' Twilight series. This story starts after Eclipse, two weeks before Edward and Bella's wedding.

Chapter Twenty-One

Annabelle closed her journal and looked out the window, biting her lip as she let her mind wander back to Jacob. Closing her eyes, she recalled the way his russet colored skin gleamed softly in the moonlight that had filtered through the surrounding trees. Her fingertips itched as she wondered whether his skin felt as smooth as the patina wood it resembled. She just had to see him again, hear his voice, breathe in his scent…maybe even touch his skin.

There was a soft knock at her door. Annabelle turned her head as Edward pushed open the door, walking into the room without an invitation.

"Good morning," Annabelle smiled at him, pulling her legs up against her chest as she leaned back into the leather office chair, "How was your night?"

"It was alright," Edward kept his eyes on the window as he leaned back into the closed door. He was wearing black slacks with a charcoal gray knit sweater. Annabelle cocked her head to the side, her smile growing as she picked up on his embarrassment.

"Alright?" Annabelle chuckled, "That's not what it sounded like from here. Even if I were able to sleep, I wouldn't have. I eventually had to borrow this from Alice." She held up a red iPod with silver ear buds, grinning as Edward gave her a sheepish look.

"You should get your own," Edward refused to discuss anything concerning sex and Bella with Annabelle.

"I wouldn't know what to do with it," Annabelle placed the iPod back on her desk, "Alice had to show me how to use it. She has quite an eclectic taste in music."

"We all do," Edward smiled at Annabelle, "Once you get a computer, you can download all sorts of music. That should be entertaining."

"Why would I get a computer when I don't even know how to turn one on," Annabelle frowned at him as she moved from the desk chair to the suede sofa, "Where's Bella?"

"She's showering. We're having breakfast with her family before Renée and Phil fly back to Florida," Edward kept his eyes on Annabelle as he moved to sit on the opposite side of the couch, "You don't know how to use a computer? Do you know how to drive a car?"

"Edward," Annabelle stared at him, a glint of mockery in her golden eyes, "What part of locked in a room for the past hundred years don't you understand?"

"What can you do, Annabelle?"

"Same things I was able to do back in 1915," Annabelle arched an eyebrow, wondering why this conversation was necessary, "I can read, write, do math. I can play the piano and the violin…well, I am much better at the violin now than I was in 1915."

"Why," Edward crossed his arms, slouching into the couch, wanting to get to know his friend all over again. Annabelle was definitely not the same person she used to be yet she was someone he still cared for. For that reason, and that reason alone, he wanted to know about her, about her life in Italy, about her experiences, even if they weren't the best.

"After the first five years or so, once I learned to pick up things without breaking them, Aro gave me this beautiful Mittenwald violin. The wood was a deep brown, silky smooth and it made the most beautiful sound. Whenever I got tired of reading or writing, I would play that violin. I played every song I learned since I was six, which was when mother insisted I take violin and piano. After a year or so, I started writing my own music. Aro would bring me blank sheet music, always looking for ways to entertain me," Annabelle stared down at her hands, suddenly missing her beloved instrument, "He hated knowing I was lonely yet never allowed me out of that room unless he was with me and I kept myself hidden. The only things I was able to grab before escaping Voltura was my journal and that leather pouch of jewels. I wish I had been able to grab my violin…I miss it."

"You left all your music behind," Edward understood Annabelle's longing for her instrument. He himself missed his piano even though it was his fault since he smashed it to pieces the night Bella called that family meeting concerning her becoming a vampire.

"Yes," Annabelle let her head fall back as she slid further down the couch, "I composed some pretty amazing pieces, if I do say so myself. I have them all memorized though, so I can easily write them all out once I get some sheet music."

"Well, remember to get some next time you go shopping with Alice," Edward shifted forward as he heard a knock on Annabelle's door, knowing full well it was his wife, "Come in Bella."

Bella opened the door, a smile on her face as she walked in and sat next to Edward. Annabelle moved to the desk chair, her nose wrinkling at the clean freesia scent.

"What are you two talking about," Bella leaned back into Edward's arms, trying her best not to take Annabelle's actions personally.

"Music," Edward kissed Bella's cheek, enjoying the faint flush that appeared, "Turns out Annabelle is a violinist that writes her own music."

"Yes," Annabelle looked out the window, watching the dense clouds moving slowly across the pewter grey sky, "You two are going to be late for breakfast."

"Well, actually," Edward looked at Bella's watch, "I can get us there in ten minutes so we still have five minutes to spare."

"Then why don't you do something constructive with those five minutes," Annabelle arched an eyebrow, smiling as Bella's face flushed in understanding, "I'm sure that would be much more interesting than listening to me talk."

"You're trying to kick us out," Edward stared at Annabelle, wondering why she kept playing the same music notes over and over in her head.

"Yes," Annabelle stood up and crossed the room, holding the door open for them as she pointed at the hallway, "You'll learn more about me tonight so there's no point to me telling you anything else. Besides, this is the morning after your wedding. Go spend time by yourselves or with family."

"You're family," Bella stood up with Edward, not understanding Annabelle's sudden change of mood. Annabelle smiled at her as they passed by, quickly reaching to take Bella's hand before they walked off, "Thank you Bella."

Closing the door behind them, Annabelle slid down to sit on the floor, drawing her knees up to her chest. She hated thinking about Italy, about her life in that room, but more specifically, she hated thinking about Aro. An indescribable fear always filled her, practically choked her, whenever Aro entered her mind.

The conversation later today was going to be hard enough to get through.

She didn't want to share anymore than she had to.


They all sat around the dining room table that no one used, the chandelier casting a golden light onto the oak, giving it a beautiful sheen that Annabelle couldn't help but admire. Running her fingers lightly over the wood, she couldn't help but see Jacob's face in her mind. She quickly looked up across the table, her eyes connecting with Edward's, a sinking feeling in her stomach as a look of realization flashed in Edward's eyes.

She silently begged him with her eyes not to say anything…she wasn't ready to disclose this new secret, this attraction she had for Jacob, a werewolf, a friend of Bella's, and an enemy to the Cullens and any of their kind.

"So we're all here," Carlisle leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table as he kept his eyes on Annabelle's face, picking up on the silent conversation she seemed to be having with Edward. He turned to look at his son in time to see a tight smile on his face that elicited a relieved sigh from Annabelle.

Carlisle turned to look at Alice, grimacing as she shrugged, not able to see anything. Alice felt slightly concerned at the fact that even though Annabelle was sitting right next to her, she was unable to see her future. She couldn't understand why but she hoped that mystery would soon be explained.

"Time to clear up all the mystery that surrounds Anna," Emmett pitched his voice to sound like a radio announcer, causing them all to laugh nervously. It was strange but every single one of them knew that by revealing Annabelle's secrets, life would change for every one of them.

"You're calling me Anna too?" Annabelle glared at Emmett, frowning at his goofy grin as he nodded, "I don't like it."

"You'll get used to it," Jasper cocked his head to the side, sending calming waves towards her in an attempt to settle her nerves, "Enough of that, let's get started. I, for one, am tired of all the mystery. I want to get to know our new sister."

"Alright," Annabelle ignored the low growl coming from Rosalie in response to Jasper's comment, "I don't know where to start so…somebody ask me something."

"Why don't you tell us about your first year with the Volturri," Esme reached over to take Annabelle's hand, which had fisted in reaction to her suggestion.

Annabelle stared into Esme's golden eyes, feeling her compassion settle around her like a comfort blanket. Taking a deep breath, she averted her eyes, feeling that hundred year old shame rising in her.

"After the three days, I woke up in this big room, with Aro standing above me. I was lying in a four poster bed and all I was aware of was this burning thirst at the back of my throat. I stared into his red eyes as he told me what I was. I couldn't really understand him because all I could think of was the pain in the back of my throat and the thought of blood consumed me. Aro stepped to the side and that's when I saw him.

"A man, about twenty years old, sitting in a chair in a corner of the room, blindfolded with his hands tied behind his back," Annabelle's hand tightened on Esme's as she slowly traced the grain of the oak with her other hand, not able to look at Edward, "I didn't think. I just reacted. I was able to think clearly again. When I realized what I had done I was horrified. That's when Aro told me about my parents. He told me that I should feel honored that I was spared a similar death and instead was given eternal life."

Even though Annabelle kept her eyes on the dining table, she felt their eyes on her. She shifted in her seat as she took a deep breath to continue with her story.

"Aro left me alone in that room for a week. All I could think about was my parents and what my life had been like. I couldn't help but feel disgusted with myself and what I had become. I didn't want anybody to ever know about what had happened, so I send a letter to Edward and his parents, letting them know that my parents and I had died in a tragic accident in Italy.

"Aro returned two days later with another man. This time he left me alone in the room with him, locking the door after announcing he'd return in an hour or two. I told that man to sit in the corner while I stayed in the opposite end of the room, as far away as possible. I was thirsty but the idea of what Edward would think if he ever found out what I was made me strong enough to resist. Two hours later, Aro returned.

"He laughed at me when he saw the man was still alive, telling me I was stupid in attempting to fight my natural desire for blood. He said feeding on human blood was our right and that I had to accept that. He said all this as he took a letter opener from the desk, grabbed the man by his hair and slit his throat. There was blood everywhere…and I couldn't stop myself. Aro used my weakness against me, knowing full well that I would lose control and give in to my senses."

Annabelle swallowed as the shame and darkness of the past hundred years grew deep inside her, threatening to swallow her, "A pattern was set that day. Aro would starve me for a month or two then bring in someone, leaving me alone with them. Every time he returned he found them alive. And he would do the same thing…make certain I couldn't resist. I hated him and he knew it but he didn't care.

"He knew his reasons for keeping me and one day, about a year after I've been turned, I was made aware of his reasons. He wanted me. Not in the sense of what I had to offer, which at that point, neither one of us was yet aware what talent I possessed, but in the sense of what he saw. The reason why he convinced Marcus and Caius to keep me was because he desired me," Annabelle's voice was bleak as she tried her best to make them understand without having to go into detail, "The day before my one year anniversary, he…he had his way with me."

"Annabelle, you were strong enough to fight him off," Rosalie stared at Annabelle, her face revealing her own personal demons, "Why didn't you?"

"Yes I was. He knew that. But he also had something on me," Annabelle stared into Rosalie's eyes before turning to look straight into Edward's, "He knew about Edward. He told me…if I didn't do what he wanted…if I wasn't a good little girl…he would find Edward, bring him to me, tell him what I was then make sure I wouldn't leave him alive…just like with every human he brought to me. So I let him use me."

Annabelle dropped her eyes, not able to look at Edward. Staring at her hand in Esme's, she couldn't help but wonder if her own mother would have been as understanding, "His obsession over me was purely physical…until he discovered my talents. It was about four years from the day I was changed when he walked into the room to find it empty. He stood there, wondering how I had escaped when he realized he could still smell me…not in that lingering smell left behind when someone leaves but that strong smell that let him know I was still in the room. He threatened me with the usual…there was no point in coming up with a new threat when that one worked so well every time…and I let him see me. I had been sitting a few feet away from him. He found that amusing…but he didn't care about it until he discovered my other gift."

Annabelle looked up, locking eyes with Carlisle, knowing in revealing her gift she would be putting herself in a position to be used again.

"Annabelle," Carlisle gave her a reassuring smile, "You can trust us. We won't use you the way Aro did."

Annabelle cocked her head to the side, realizing that Carlisle spoke the truth. Looking at each of the Cullens in turn, she realized this family cared for her as they cared for each other.

She breathed in deeply, feeling that heavy blanket of shame fall as she saw their open caring faces, letting her know she had a place with them.

A place she could call home.

Where she was cared for because of who she was and not what they could take from her.

She could trust them all with her secrets.