36
A sister. A sister. Bella had a sister.
"Of course I have a sister," she murmured, taking a deep breath. "I had a grandfather I never knew about, a gay uncle, and now a sister. Why the hell not." Bella closed her eyes and took another deep breath. "Get out."
"Bella," Sam said, reaching for her, but she pulled away from him.
"Don't ever touch me again!" she screamed, clenching her hands into tight fists. "You don't get to put your hands on me, not ever again. Not after you . . . manhandled me, treated me like shit, and accused me of lying about what they had done to me."
"We were doing our jobs," Mike argued, shoving his hands back into the front pocket of his jeans. "You confessed to murder, Bella."
"Because I was protecting my family," she said, gesturing toward Carlisle and Emmett, who were wrapped in each other's arms. "The way they've been protecting me, even before they knew my name. But not you. I told you what Jacob Black had tried, what Charlie had done to me, and you called me a liar. Just get out."
And when neither man moved, Emmett and Carlisle grabbed the fronts of their shirts, dragging them to the door, and throwing them out onto the porch. The last thing Bella saw before the door was slammed shut were Sam and Mike turning to look at her. She closed her eyes, trying to keep from screaming. Alice slipped her hand into hers, bringing her other hand up to her face. Bella turned and pressed her lips against Alice's palm.
"Take me upstairs," she whispered. "Please, just take me upstairs."
"Of course, beautiful." Alice slipped her arm around her. "I've got you."
Bella couldn't keep the tears from sliding down her face as they crossed the living room to the stairs. Edward and Jasper moved out of their way, both of them frowning as the two girls headed upstairs, down the hall, and into their bedroom. Bella pulled out of Alice's arms and started tugging off the orange top and pants they'd forced her into when they booked her into county lockup. She had just reached for one of her T-shirts when she felt Alice slip her arms around her from behind.
"I didn't think I'd ever see you again," Alice whispered, kissing between Bella's shoulders.
"Me either." Bella turned and faced her. "I thought I was doing the right thing, Alice. I really did."
"I know. I probably would have done the same under the same circumstance."
Bella leaned her forehead against hers. "I'm so tired, Alice."
"Me too."
Alice placed her hands on Bella's hips and pulled her over to the bed, turning them and nudging Bella back. She scooted into the middle of the bed, and waited for Alice to climb on next to her. She nestled herself into Alice's arms, letting her tears seep down her face.
"I don't know how much more I can take, Alice," she whispered. "I just don't know."
"Me either," she replied. "Me either, beautiful."
—TNSPD—
By the time the sun started to peek through the windows, Bella found herself wide awake. She hadn't been able to shut off her mind, the events over the last few days were overwhelming. Hell, the last few weeks had been overwhelming and too much and she just found herself done with all of it.
"We should leave Forks," she said, feeling Alice press her lips against the middle of her back. "We could start fresh somewhere."
"Where would we go?"
"I don't know," she whispered, rolling onto her back and looking over at her. "A private island somewhere."
"Oh, how romantic," Alice cooed, leaning up on her elbow. "Could we be naked all the time?"
"Yes," Bella laughed, and then sighed. "What do I do now, Alice? My dad's dead, my mom . . ." She lobbed her head toward Alice. "They put me in a cell with her."
"They did what?" she asked, her eyes widening as she sat up. "Did she hurt you?"
"Not physically." Bella sat up, pulling the sheet up to cover her body seeing as she was only in her bra and underwear. "She tried to justify sending me to him, saying how I live my life is wrong and unnatural, and . . ." Bella closed her eyes. "He raped her. A lot. She left after . . . after she got pregnant with me. Said she tried to keep him away from me, but when she realized I'm gay it was just too much, and she figured he'd straighten me out, so to speak."
"What a bitch," Alice quipped.
Bella nodded. "I just don't understand how she could hate me so much that she'd send me to live with a man who . . . who raped her. She had to have known what he would do to me, didn't she?"
"Why did my mother stay with my father after he did that to me?" Alice asked, shrugging her shoulders.
"Does it ever get easier?"
Alice inhaled a sharp breath. "No, not really. I mean, I don't think about him anymore. He was never a loving father, but there's not a day I don't think about what he did to me."
"We have fucked up parents."
"We do, but we have an amazing family who loves us," she countered. "They've fought for us."
"I have a sister, Alice." Bella shook her head. "I really thought Carlisle had shot them. That's why I confessed. I couldn't let him go to prison because of me."
"I know, and I love you for it, but that was stupid."
Bella smiled weakly. "Wasn't my smartest decision, that's for sure."
"Well, you're here now, so I forgive you," she laughed, leaning forward and pressing her lips against hers. "And I love you."
"I love you, too." Bella cupped Alice's face. "I love you so much."
"Never leave me again."
"I won't," she promised.
And she wouldn't.
Thank you for all the AMAZING reviews! We are down to the last handful of chapters for this story, I think.