Chapter 4

Epov

We were all waiting in the living room, waiting for the arrival of the girls.
Carlisle had decided to try to talk to the girl. Even though she hadn't said a word to us, he was determined to try for himself. He wanted to know why she was able to cry. Maybe she could do other things that a normal vampire couldn't. All different theories were flashing through his mind, the one more spectacular than the other.

You could see that he was fascinated about this. Carlisle was always in search of new information, new knowledge. And especially things about our kind, vampires. In generally he only found old stories about the blood sucking creatures of the dark. Rumors about garlic, crucifixes and coffins. Nothing but a bunch of nonsense. So when he found something that was real, Carlisle couldn't hide his curiosity. He was like a 5-year old, eager to have his present.

I heard footsteps coming from the stairs.

"They're coming. Remember to keep a safe distance from her. We don't want to scare her more than she already is. Got it, Emmett?"

"Yes, dude. No problem."

We all stood on one side of the room, away from the door. First came Rosalie and Alice. Alice gave me a quick look.
"She looks so beautiful. It was a real struggle to get her in that outfit but it was so worth it. You'll be surprised."

Now I was truly curious. Alice was shielding her mind off so I couldn't have a little preview. But I didn't have to wait long. Esme came around the corner followed by our girl.
If my heart would be still beading, it definitely would have skipped a few beets.

She was absolutely breathtaking. Now free of any mud or dirt, you could see the beauty that was hiding there.
She had a heart-shaped face, beautiful pale skin, a pretty thin nose and gorgeous full lips. Currently she was biting on her under lip what made her look really cute. Alice had washed and straightened her hair. Now her long, dark brown locks were hanging on her shoulders. And that blue dress looked so good on her. She really looked like an angel.

"I told you she looked beautiful."
I couldn't find the strength to pull my eyes from the girl. Never, in my 108 years, had I witnessed such a beauty.

The girl was holding hands with Esme and was scanning the room. Carlisle took a step forward and my girl immediately backed away from him. My girl?

"Ssh, dear. You don't have to be afraid." Esme said to calm her down.

"I wish you no harm. Please, have a seat." Carlisle said in a calm voice.

Esme pulled her down on one of the large sofa's. Alice, Jasper and Rosalie were already seated in the other couch with Emmett on the banking arm. Carlisle took his seat in his chair and I stood behind him, against the wall.

"I would like to introduce ourselves first. I'm Carlisle Cullen and this is my family. The woman next to you is my wife Esme."
Esme smiled politely at the girl, squeezing her hand lightly.

"And these are my daughters Alice and Rosalie. You already met them. And my sons Jasper, Emmett and Edward."

With every name, she looked at the person. When she crossed eyes with me, a weird feeling went through me. A feeling I never felt before, a burning desire in my stomach. Also, I had this strange idea that she looked longer at me then the rest.

"I just want to explain that you don't have to be afraid of us. We wouldn't dare of hurting you. I've heard that you're not very fond of the present of men and we respect that. Me and my sons will try to keep our distance so that we will not offend you. But I would like to ask you a few questions if it's all right with you?"

The girl didn't answer. She just stared at Carlisle, showing no emotion what so ever.

"We would like to know where you came from. Seeing the clothes that you wore, we suspect for the south."
The girl said nothing. She sat there, staring at her hands.

"Can you tell us who created you, made you like you are now?"
Still no answer.

"Maybe you can tell us your name?"

"You really don't have to be anxious, dear. We just want to help you." Esme said, trying to comfort the girl so that she would answer the questions.

But still no response. I knew this would be difficult. Back in the forest, she also didn't say a word. And sitting in a room full of strangers wasn't very encouraging. Especially when half of the people were men. Carlisle tried a few times more. Asking simple questions, nothng too complicated or according her 'special gift'. But she remained silent.

"I don't know what to do, Edward." I sighed.

"Maybe we should let her rest for a bit. She's been through a lot. Esme, can you escort her upstairs, please?"

"She can stay in my room." Alice said.
I really loved my sister, helping me with almost everything.

Esme stood up, helping the girl to stand on her feet. I knew that Carlisle was a little bit disappointed but he had to give her time and he knew it. As a doctor, he knew not to force people into talking. Otherwise the results could be not so pleasant.

Esme was gesturing the girl to go upstairs. She was going to but then she turned around and gazed at us. One for one, she looked us in the eyes. Just like in the beginning. First with Carlisle and then all the way up to me. When she finally looked at me, she hesitated. There was something in those eyes, something hidden in those golden orbs. I didn't know for sure what it was. But then she opened her lips and spoke for the first time.

"Bella." she said. Nothing more, just one word.

"What did you say?" Carlisle asked.
She still didn't look away from my eyes.

"My name is Bella." She said again, very silently.
It felt like she was answering to me instead of Carlisle. She stared another few seconds into my eyes and then left us, going upstairs.

We were all shocked. It was the first time she had said something. It wasn't much but it was a start. I stared at Carlisle, wanting to know what he thought of the situation. He gestured me to follow him to his office.

"What do you think about this?" I asked when we entered his bureau.

"I think that there's hope. She will start to have faith in us. And slowly she will open up for us. But it will take time. Therefore we just need to be patient."

"So, she'll be staying for a while," I asked.
There was a little part of me that was hoping for a positive answer. I wasn't ready to let this beautiful creature, Bella go.

"We can't just leave her, throwing her on the streets. The girl has been through a lot. I can feel it. Jasper told me she was terrified, scared to death. Besides, I don't think Esme could leave her like that. She would be heartbroken. "

"I know, she already loves Bella."

"Yes. But it is so strange."

"What do you mean?"

"She's so scared of men. Absolutely petrified. Yet, when she told us her name, she was looking directly at you. Like she was answering to you."
I remained silent, not knowing how to answer that.

"Maybe you're the key. Maybe she will open up to you."

"I doubt that. I think that Alice and Esme will help her. Not me."
Carlisle leaned back in his office chair, a little smile on his face.

"We will see, son. We will see."

Sorry that I'm late but I was on holidays.
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