CHAPTER 23 – EXPOSED

Thousand Foot Krutch - This Is A Call

She fooled all of her friends into thinking she's so strong,

But she still sleeps with her light on,

And she acts like

It's all right on, as she smiles again and her mother lies there sick with cancer,

And her friends don't understand her,

She's a question without answers,

Who feels like falling apart.

She knows, she's so much more than worthless,

But she needs to find her purpose,

She wonders what she did to deserve this and…

A/N: Great song above and hopefully great chapter below. Bella opens up a little bit more. Let's hope it's for the best.

I wish I could wake up from this and be back in the comfort of my cabin as I realized that this was all a dream. Maybe even erase the past seventy years as I wake up back in my mama's arms while she cradled me and promised me safety. I wish I could turn back the time and just…go back.

I also wish that I could believe them - believe that they were nothing like the Volturi and that they would keep their promise and look after me.

I wish that I could believe him.

Next to me, the sofa sank and I looked up at the kind face of Mrs. Cullen before I caught how hesitant her hand was as she reached over to place it in mine. My breath caught in my throat with the unanticipated contact – not because of how icy her hand was or because she was hurting me – on the contrary, it felt nice. Like a motherly touch and maybe that was what scared me.

It may have been because I missed this touch or maybe I was still in shock that had led me to hold on tightly to her hand with clear desperation but she simply smiled, her eyes glowed now with a new life and I smiled back as the happiness overwhelmed me.

"How can you trust me?" I choked back on the tears even though they had already began to blur my vision of Mrs. Cullen. Blinking them away, I looked up at a serene looking Edward but suddenly felt exposed under his perceptive stare which made me feel completely helpless against him. This was very dangerous territory…

The creases returned on his forehead when his head lolled slightly to the left which caused the bronze wisps of his hair to fall out of place but I had to tear myself away from the thoughts that were now focused onto him when he asked, "What do you mean?" while pretending to ignore my previous staring, but the clear amusement in his darkened eyes told me that he had caught my gaping causing me to blush and look away as my skin flushed with embarrassment.

My hand was still firmly in Mrs. Cullen's grasp and I didn't really want to pull away from her so I left it in her motherly touch as I turned to the others so that I could elaborate my question, "You trusted me enough to tell me what you are"

They still seemed confused by why I would ask such a question and Alice's expression marred into puzzlement as she questioned, "So…?"

"Well exposing yourself to humans is a death penalty, isn't it?" I asked and observed how they did the weird mental conversation with each other again because their eyes swiveled around the room as they tried to come to an agreed decision on what to do next.

Mrs. Cullen moved closer towards me although I wasn't sure if she did it consciously before she interrupted the awkward silence, "You know quite a lot about us don't you"

Staring back at her, I read how her warm gold eyes were filled with worry and for a brief moment I had hope that her concern was for me but I quickly relinquished that thought before it matured into something more by distracting myself as I concentrated back on the topic at hand.

"I was just…guessing" still cautious as to not reveal anything.

If there was even the slightest chance that they did not like the Volturi or have fear for their wrath and that they would keep me safe but that was highly unlikely. On the other hand, if this did become true, I would still have to leave because I would not drag any more people into my troubles.

Jasper tapped my knee and the unexpected touch was enough to make me jump in shock but at the same time, my grip on Mrs. Cullen's hand tightened but she still didn't pull away from me or change her expression to let me know that I had hurt her.

Ignoring the surprised stares that followed my strange behaviour, I took a deep breath to calm myself before turning to Jasper who had now composed himself as he noted quietly, "Well you're not exactly human anyway so it doesn't count"

Again the awkward silence lengthened for a few more seconds before I decided to play it safe and challenge him instead, "Oh really?" hitching my eyebrow at him, "Then what am I?", we locked our amused stares and I saw his lip tug upwards in a threat of a smirk which strangely reminded me of Mikael.

They both had that competitive streak which was shown now and in the World History class although Mikael had Emmett's mischievous and flamboyant nature.

"That's what we want to know" Edward's voice startled me out of our – well whatever that had been. When turning to him, I saw that he appeared to be entertained.

Digesting his words, a mischievous smile played about my lips and I glanced at Emmett who looked confused until he heard my reply, "Well, I'm not an alien…"

A small chuckle escaped Edward and I smiled wider knowing that I had caused him to create the husky undertone in his laugh. However, Emmett seemed to be crossed between disappointment and amusement as he childishly stomped his foot and added, "Damn It!"

"I told you" Rosalie teased him and he rolled his eyes at her but the smile still lighted up his face and I was actually surprised to see the dimples that appeared on his cheek.

As time continued to pass, I found that I was feeling more comfortable around them because of how normal and ordinary they were all acting. You could almost forget that they were vampires with the way they teased each other – like a real family.

"I have to say that assumption did offend me" I sent Emmett a mocking glare which made the others around us laugh. Even Rosalie.

Once the laughter subdued, Emmett elbowed me and shrugged before he defended himself, "It's only because of the weird thing you did with the truck"

It was no use hiding now so I might as well say something but I somehow knew that it would all be okay because of the calm yet encouraging expression on Mrs. Cullen's expression. They had been trusting as they revealed their darkest secret so I braved myself with another deep inhale as I decided to return the favor by revealing my power. "That was…telekinetic energy" finally exhaling.

My revelation had them gaping at me with wide eyes and I was beginning to feel uncomfortable but thankfully Alice was first to quickly regain her senses when she finally stuttered out, "You're telekinetic?" although her eyes were still wide and filled with surprise.

That hadn't been too difficult.

I actually felt lighter now and because of this, I felt more confident around them so I casually added, "Amongst other things"

This did not help things as they only grew more astonished and it was Emmett who asked, "You have more powers?", even his loud booming voice now released his words in surprised gasps.

I nodded to confirm their thoughts but kept quiet as I waited for them to collect themselves once again.

"What else can you do?" Jasper was back to the calm exterior as his hand gripped Alice's but his shock-filled eyes gave him away.

I was still uncertain about how much I could or should tell them but it was obvious why I kept quiet because Mrs. Cullen touched my shoulder and pulled me out of my silence. Whipping my head around to face her again, she looked straight into my eyes before repeating her previous words; "You know can trust us" it was a soft whisper which highlighted her caring nature.

I looked from her and to the others, seeing how they all silently agreed with what she had said. Looking back at her, I confessed, "I want to" she gave a small smile at this, "I really do"

"What are you afraid of?" Edward leaned forwards, claiming my attention once again and I briefly wondered just how soft his bronze locks would be if I ran my fingers through them. Not that I was planning on try – more wishful thinking, I suppose.

"Many things" a weak smile lifted my lips before quickly dropping. It was worth a shot so I guess I could try, "I can read minds" I admitted in a hushed murmur. It seemed to be a recurring thing where I revealed something and they all froze at the revelation because they were doing it again.

The small burst of happiness returned and I felt weightless once again and took a few moments to revel in the warmth that flowed through me.

"So you read ours?" Edward leaned in some more as his interest had piqued with this new information and I knew it was practically eating at him as to why he couldn't read my thoughts.

"It's harder to get into a supernatural being's mind as it takes more energy" he was listening intently to my every word with great concentration as he took in what I was saying so I was encouraged to continue, "But yes, I do read minds"

"Just like Edward" Alice squealed and happily clapped her hands and I just shrugged to which she took note of when narrowing her eyes at me, "By your reaction, I can tell you already knew that" she guessed correctly and grew pleased with herself.

I wasn't able to help the smugness that filled my voice, "I also know that he can't read mine" chancing fleeting glance at Edward who seemed amused but also amazed at this. "And I also know it aggravates you" I added with the same haughty tone and watched as he looked at me for a second with an intense look in his eyes that I couldn't decipher.

Instead of looking away from me, he slowly backed up onto the chair as he studied my face with a thoughtful expression, "You can tell?"

Again I nodded before explaining, "I felt it"

This caught Jasper's interest as his eyes settled onto me, "You're an empath too?" his poised expression was broken by the bewilderment so I put him at ease by nodding, "I didn't realize you were too" he stared at me differently and I could see the questions running through his mind.

Next to him, Alice grew even more excited if that was even possible, "Can you see the future?" she did the same squealy thing again and her eyes gleamed with her enthusiasm.

Wow…she was clairvoyant. Although, I was sure my shield had prevented her from seeing anything regarding my life to which I was thankful for.

I shrugged and hesitantly answered, "Uh…Sometimes"

She was confused for a second before she finally inquired, "Do you get visions like me?"

"More like in dreams" I answered truthfully. I felt so much more comfortable being myself with them. Lying wasn't exactly my favorite thing.

Edward was quick to beat Alice when asking, "Dreams?"

I smiled and nodded to verify what I had said, "They usually come to me in fragmented clues in dreams" once I said those words, I then realized that I actually haven't had many of those dreams. More like the worries that I'd pushed into my subconscious unfolded themselves into the darkest nightmares.

She kept quiet as she took in what I was saying before a thoughts crossed her mind and she grimaced and then voiced what she'd been thinking, "Though, I haven't seen you"

"That's because I'm a shield" I explained and another round of gasps fell around the room and I looked down with a small smile. Would this happen every single time I said something?

"Do you have any more powers?" Emmett asked.

Looking back up, I met his inquisitive bright eyes and nodded before I spoke, "Elemental manipulation" and they all looked even more shaken up than before but Emmett gave a raspy laugh, "So you can control air…water…?" he trailed off.

I nodded along before filling in the blanks, "And Fire. And earth. Yes" feeling pleased with the fact that they all seemed impressed by what I was saying.

"Wow" Emmett's booming voice shook the atmosphere and I smiled in surprise at this. "Can we see?" he asked and I froze.

Was I ready to share something that had been so personal with them?

It was something that only my parents knew about. Even this had been kept away from the Volturi – under papa's orders which I understood and was now thankful that I had obeyed.

But…they weren't the Volturi.

"W-w-we would um...I…" I cleared my throat before releasing a shaky breath and tightened my hold onto Mrs. Cullen who comforted me by kindly patting my back so I sent her a smile in gratitude. "W-we would have to go outside" I managed to stutter out.

"We have a large back garden?" Alice jumped up from her seat when she offered this.

When I didn't say anything, she yanked me up from the chair and I instantly missed Mrs. Cullen's comforting hold but tried not to dwell on it too much when looking back at Alice, "You seem…" I stopped myself from saying crazy but settled for "excited".

She just laughed and bounced a little as she cried, "I am" and pulled me along. Loosening her grip on my wrist, she took my hand and pulled me from the living room and down to where there were two sliding glass doors with a dark brown wooden frame that I could see led to the back garden.

Her grip wasn't too tight but her steps were rushed which caused me to awkwardly stumble down the steps that led to the beautiful back garden that stretched on until it met the forest.

I gasped.

It was absolutely beautiful.

Everything was so colorful as a large flower bed full of red, orange and yellow flowers and I could only point out the gold Erysimum cheiri garden flowers, the red tulips with a few freesias. On the other side was a gorgeous white swing seat with white English stocks and pink freesias growing around the swing set. The smell was so overwhelmingly intoxicating. It's like she knew exactly how to blend all the different smells.

It all looked so serene.

All complete with a beautiful white marble water fountain in the middle of it all. It was in the middle of the large pond where few yellow and pink water lilies floating on top, creating ripples in the water as they slowly stirred around the calm water.

It was all so beautiful.

When I finally found the words, my voice was still high when I gasped out, "You have a beautiful garden Mrs. Cullen" my eyes were still glued onto the vibrant colors that surrounded I breathed in the remarkable blend of the different aromas.

She appeared next to me and elbowed my side, "Please call me Esme"

I was finally able to tear my gaze away as I looked at her, "Esme" I breathed out her name and smile when it easily fell from my lips. It was a beautiful name – so simple yet so unique.

She mirrored my smile before looking towards her work and added, "I actually planted these myself", she then gestured to the beautiful work and I dumbly turned my head to look back at them with awe and a new found admiration for Mrs. C- I mean Esme.

"Hey…" Emmett cried out, sounding offended by what Esme said. I spun around to find the rest of them standing there with amused smiles and their gazes trained on me but I ignored this as I looked towards Emmett in question of his stunned tone. "We helped" he exclaimed in defense.

Esme placed her hands on her hips as she scowled at Emmett and then scolded, "By obligation"

Emmett shrugged it off, "We still did it" he rolled his eyes which only made M- Esme angrier and without knowing what I was doing, I placed a gentle hand on Esme's shoulder. Her head snapped up in surprise before looking at my hand and a bright smile lighted up her face.

I returned it.

The quiet moment between us was interrupted when Emmett's loud voice exclaimed, "Now can we see Bella do something cool" which made us all laugh.

"Okay, okay" I nodded and rolled up my sleeves which only reminded me of what I had been wearing. I looked down at the clothes and my face scrunched up in disgust at my wrinkled night wear and it was then that I realized I was now barefoot. The disgust wore off and embarrassment flooded knowing they had all seen me like this. Especially Edward.

They were all so primp and perfect while I stood in the room looking like a stray drenched cat.

"Would you like to change first?"

I looked up at Alice in surprise – she hadn't read my mind but my face probably gave it all away.

She took a glance to someone behind me before elaborating, "It is a bit cold and I wouldn't want you to get sick" she added, "Plus, you're about Esme's size so if you want-" it seemed as though she was justifying her actions but I didn't understand why she would need to.

"I certainly would not mind" Esme piped up making me feel more comfortable to go along with it.

The gesture in itself was so strange and in any other case I would've declined but I seriously needed to change. Once I knew that I looked like this, I realized why Edward had stared at me so much – why he seemed so amused by me all the time.

When I didn't say anything, she continued, "I don't want you to get sick so I-"

"That would be great" I whispered making her grin.

Within a flash, she was over to me and when I blinked, I was in a different room.

Cream walls with another glass wall. There was a small dark brown desk with a small lamp and next too it was the large bed with dark chocolate covers and another red cover on top. It was situated on top of the cream and brown rug. On the wall above it hang a small black and white picture while on the other side, I saw the flat screen TV and two red chairs.

It was all very…modernized. Very different to my tradition style but I still appreciated the blend of her colors and the whole design.

Alice didn't let me see anymore as she pulled me to the closet next to doorway.

May the word closet didn't fit with the – the whole thing looked like a designer store. Both sides were filled with clothes – all organized by the type of clothing and on the far end was a small cream sofa with a small shelf above it.

"I know it's a little small." she shrugged and I looked at her thinking she was joking but the serious expression she had on told me otherwise. "I told Esme to extend it but she sa-"

I had to stop her before she was going so I interrupted, "Alice – th-this" I could say closet so I opted for another word, "This whole thing is huge" I was close to being hysterical.

"Really?" she seemed really taken back by my observation, "You should see mine. It's practically four times bigger than this thing" she answered and my jaw dropped but she ignored me as she grabbed my wrist and pulled me further inside. "Sit" she instructed and I hesitantly took steps towards the couch but stopped when I was a foot away as I didn't want to get dirt on the clean cushions.

"I'm okay" I murmured feeling more out of place. She looked at me for a long time with understanding before looking back at the clothes that surrounded her.

Her eyes averted to each and every item until she froze in her search as something dawned onto her, "I know" she looked through the hangers and pulled something out.

I stepped closer to her to see what she had pulled out and my eyes widened at the beautiful royal blue dress she had pulled out. The back was longer, almost like a train and it had a small gold belt around the waist under the scoop neck. Definitely designer.

"Wear it with…" she rifled through more hangers and pulled out a black cardigan with studs on the shoulders, "this" she added excitedly and held them out to me before explaining, "seeing as its cold"

I took a step back and asked, "Are we going to a party?"

The whole outfit seemed to be over the top for a small gathering but Alice just laughed at me and threw it in my hands before I could protest, "I'll let you change" she grinned and zoomed away.

"Alice?" I hissed but she didn't return.

Well I would look better…I would fit it better with this vampire family.

Wait-

All I had done was inform them of some of my powers but I hadn't shown anything worth believing whereas they had told me their secret.

Even after all of this, Alice had gone back to the garden where the rest of the family was which meant that she'd left me alone which meant that I was here all alone.

I could easily run away right now.

But…she'd trusted me

A/N: Will she leave? Let's hope not. Don't worry; you won't wait too long for the next chapter.

Thanks so much for the reviews – you all get virtual hi-fives. Treasure them - I don't give them out often. Next chapter will be up soon but I hope you enjoyed this one. Please be patient with me...

Here are your responses to last chapter's reviews:

Guest – Can't say what she is but I can tell you we're less than 5 chapters away from the revelation. Thanks for the blush-worthy compliments. Thanks a lot for taking time to review.

Valentine Rain – Can't say yes and can't say no so I'll settle for the maybe on your question. For now. As always thank you for reviewing and continuing to read.

Kelly-Starfly – Thank you for the review and I'm beyond ecstatic that you're still reading.

jellybeanpink84 – Yay, new reader. Welcome and glad you're enjoying. Hope you'll stick around and thanks for giving this story a chance.

Multi-Fandom-Lover123 – Wanted to give you a little taste of Edward's protective edge. Hope my crappy advice helped in some way. I'll try as hard as I can to be updating. Thank you for reviews and for reading. Makes me happy that I'm able to create something that you enjoy – all I can hope for really.

Sakura Crystals – I can only hope, I'm keeping you all interested and it's awesome to read your review and know you're waiting for the next one. Hope you enjoyed this one.

cecilia4059 – I agree she did need that push. She can tell they have a different eye color but she's too scared to ask why. As you've read, you can see she's slowly coming out of her shell. You're welcome but thank you for reviewing and reading.

marzu93 – Thank you for your support by reviewing and reading. Super excited that you like it. I'll do my best with updating.

Joda-Eragonsson – Sorry for the short chapter. Tried to make this a bit longer but I'm so overwhelmed at the moment but I'll do my best to deliver. Please don't sad emoticon me. I was happy when writing the scene of Bella fighting back – especially to Rosalie. Yes, she has had bad experiences (very bad) but all will be unveiled. Even though she has all these powers, she hasn't had a chance to continue her training but also they take a lot out of her – blackouts. I agree about the kicking ass thing – I'll try and input that into my notes. Thanks for your review.

pfkman23 – You're right – she is in the middle with her love/hate for the Cullens but slowly being pulled into the looovvvveee. Only time will tell.

Twilight Rocker – Holey cheese (I love that. I'm gonna use that now). Thank you for your awesome reviews – make me walk on sunshine. Thanks for the Esme description recognition – I've always loved her character. Will be trying hard for the updates but right now I'm swamped but I'll still do my best.

Please review.