Out of the Woods

by Sunshine1220

Something evil happened that night, under the canopy of trees, but Bella's foggy memories are too terrifying to be believed. And the texts from her husband have left her with more questions than answers. The only thing she knows for certain is that whatever destroyed her life that night is still lurking. Her escape will be more difficult than just being pulled out of the woods.

13. Chapter 13

FFN is being a pain in the ass right now. None of us are getting any kind of alerts, so its not just you and its not a wrong setting. If you've found this chapter, yay! Maybe go back and make sure you haven't missed any chapters during this mess. Thanks for reading! I'm loving all the theories. xo

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13

Carlisle's softly spoken words bounce around in my head. The room suddenly feels too small. Like the walls are closing in around me. I can't breathe. In my panic, I clamber out of my seat and back myself into a corner, clawing at my neck as I gasp for breath.

Vampires.

Vampires.

Vampires.

"No," I choke out, squeezing my eyes closed. "Get …" I gasp. "Get away from me!"

"Bella, you're safe." Carlisle's voice does little to calm my thrashing heart. "You're safe with us."

"But … you … you're …" My words are stuttered, strangled. My thoughts, scattered. Confused and terrified, I force my eyes open. "You can't be. You're a doctor."

"I can assure you, we are. I am. And have been for a long time." He steps closer. "You need to take some deep breaths, Bella," Carlisle urges. "It's not good for the baby for you to be so upset."

Instinctually, my hands drop to cover my barely rounded belly. "How—"

His gentle expression offers me a small amount of comfort. "We can hear both your heartbeats. It's how I know you're panicking. So, please, take some deep breaths. It's not good for either of you to be so distressed."

Slowly, I slide down the wall, bringing my knees to my chest and huddling as closely to the corner as I can. "I don't understand."

Sensing my slipping grasp on my sanity, Carlisle stops his approach and slowly lowers himself to the floor across from me. "When you look at us, what do you see?"

My eyes flit from face to face in the room then return to Carlisle. "What do you mean?"

"What do you notice about our eyes?"

"They're not red," is my instant reply.

Carlisle shakes his head. "No, they're not. And don't you find it strange that all four of us have the same eyes? Even Jasper … our son-in-law?"

I press my lips together and focus on my breathing.

"We're what we like to call vegetarians. We don't … feed on humans. We hunt animals. It's why our eyes aren't red."

"So, the eyes I remember from the alley …"

"Were of a vampire with a more traditional diet," Jasper says, stepping up behind Carlisle. "The one who attacked you and Edward that night were nothing like our family. You're safe with us."

What they've told me swirls around in my head, all of the details fractured pieces of a puzzle I've been trying to put together for months. But finally, the picture is becoming more clear.

"Does that mean my husband …" My words are slow and my thoughts are guarded. A flicker of hope sparks inside me. Hope that Edward is out there somewhere … even if he may no longer be himself exactly.

Jasper shares a look with Carlisle before answering my unfinished question. "After seeing where you were attacked and where you were found …" He sighs. "He may no longer be human, but I think he's out there somewhere. And we want to help you find him."