I know this is a weird time to update, but I feel badly for not updating in so long. My work has been brutal! Kids are crazy man, especially this year. I'm not sure what's in the water, but I'm damn near close to quitting. I won't, I really can't but I'm getting tired of it. Eh, I'll survive. I'm trying to stay as healthy as I can though. But, I have most of this story written out, I think I've written up to chapter thirty? So I'm pretty far ahead. Unfortunately, I'm not all that far in the Island. Please be patient with me! Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty-Two

I took the next two days off from work. I really needed to rest, and I honestly needed time to think about everything.

I was so confused. My feelings about Edward and this whole situation had confused me. I needed time to work everything out in my head and in my heart.

Edward has called me several times, but I hadn't talked to him since I had last seen him in the prison. And tried to kiss him.

I closed my eyes and swung my arm over my face in embarrassment.

I can't believe I had tried to kiss him. What the hell came over me? I couldn't do that. There were cameras everywhere in that prison and kissing Edward could jeopardize everything for me. Plus, he was just… he was just a distraction from what I wanted to do with my life.

I chalked me trying to kiss Edward up to my emotions just bubbling over and trying to find an outlet. It wasn't like I had genuine feelings for him.

I sighed heavily as I knew that I was lying to myself. Fuck.

Anytime I thought of Edward, my heart beat a little faster and I couldn't stop blushing. I had even gotten to where I looked forward to seeing him in the prison every day. I hated to admit that he was actually the highlight of my day. Fuck.

Okay, so, I liked him. It wasn't a big deal. It's not like I was going to act on these silly emotions I felt. I was honestly too scared to act on them.

Edward was a part of something dangerous and even though Edward and I weren't together in any sort of way, somehow, I became a target.

That was another thing about Edward that made me not want anything to do with him. He was the reason I had been attacked so violently. I could've died.

I groaned and got out of my bed to limp to the kitchen. Even though I felt weird about Esme buying groceries for me and doing my laundry, I was actually very thankful. Now I didn't have to go out. If I was being honest, I was very afraid to go out right now. The police hadn't caught James and who knew where he was lurking.

As I opened my fridge, someone knocked on my door. I froze and started to shake for a moment.

I hissed and shook my head sharply, trying to shake off the intense fear I was feeling. Damn Edward. This fear I had was mostly his fault. I would've never been attacked if I didn't know Edward.

Before I walked to the door, I pulled my phone out and checked the video camera that was hanging above the door. Jasper and Emmett had installed that for me yesterday to make me feel better. I protested a little, but it did make me feel a helluva lot better.

I sighed in relief when I saw that it was Rosalie. Then, I was a little confused because I hadn't heard from her since I was attacked.

I walked to the door and moved everything I had sat in front of it. It took a few moments, but once the door was finally cleared I was able to open it.

"Hey," I greeted her once I opened the door. "What are you doing here?"

"Nice to see you too," She said as she moved passed me into the apartment.

I sighed and followed her into the living room. "What are you doing here?"

"It's pretty in here," She said. "I never thought I'd say that about an apartment that was decorated by the apartment complex, but this is really nice."

"What are you doing here?" I asked slower.

She thumped down onto the couch. "I came to see how you were. And to take you to lunch."

"I don't feel like going out Rosalie." I said as I sat on the chair across from her.

"Oh come on," She said. "Getting out will do you some good. It'll make you feel better."

"I feel fine."

She gave me a look. "Oh really? You look rough and no offense, you smell rough. Have you showered since you've been here?"

I rolled my eyes. "I was about to shower."

"Okay, well go take a hot shower, fix your hair, and come have lunch with me."

"Rosalie I—,"

"Bella," She said softly. "You don't need to be scared. Nothing is going to happen. It's okay. My bodyguard is going to be close to us. You don't need to worry."

It took me a moment to answer her. "I-I'm not scared…"

Rosalie frowned slightly. "If you're anything like me, you're feeling scared about leaving the apartment. I know because you're not the only one who's been attacked by a crazy man."

I stared at her before letting out a soft sigh. All I could do was repeat what I had just said. "I'm not scared."

"If you're not scared then you're absolutely crazy." She said. "Let's go out to lunch together. It'll be good for you."

I wanted to argue with her, but she was right. Even though I hated to admit that she was right, I was afraid.

I didn't become afraid until I was alone the other night in this apartment. I tried to get over it, but I ended up having several panic attacks about every little noise. After a while, I just gave up trying to be brave and decided to lock myself away in this apartment. Which was why I had moved so much furniture in front of my door. It made me feel safer.

I felt better after I took a long shower. The hot water felt good on my skin. I didn't realize how much I was craving a shower until I stepped into it.

Rosalie was waiting for me in my room. I gasped and covered my naked body.

"Hey," I said through the cracked door. "I'm naked."

"Ah, who cares. I saw you naked a few nights ago." She said as she turned her head. "I got worried for a minute. You were in there for so long."

I rolled my eyes and grabbed my robe. "Well, I'm fine. Get out so I can change."

"I will, I was just looking at this statue," Rosalie said as she stared at the little sea glass statue that was sitting on my dresser. "It's really funky looking."

"Funky good or funky bad?" I asked as I walked into my room to grab my clothes.

"Funky good." She said. "I've never seen anything like it. Where'd you get it?"

"My mom made it for me," I said. "She's an artist. It's from sea glass she collected from different beaches she's visited."

"Damn that's cool." She said.

"Yeah it is, now can you get out so I can get dressed?"

She chuckled. "Sure. I'll be waiting for you."

After I got dressed, Rosalie dragged me to a little lunch café near the apartment. I thought I would be okay, but I started to freak out when we walked out of the apartment building.

I was good at keeping my little panic attack to myself, but Rosalie seemed to somehow sense it and just simply slipped her arm through mine and pointed out where her bodyguard was.

The restaurant was nice. It was hidden among the tall, loud hustle and bustle of the city and its people. We had to walk down a long alleyway to get to it, which I almost panicked about but Rosalie's bodyguard stayed close to us.

"What do you think?" Rosalie asked when they sat us at a somewhat private table in the loft area beside the very large window. The pellets of rain gently hit the glass, creating a tinkling sound that added to the simplicity of this restaurant and made me feel homesick.

"It's nice. It reminds me of home." I smiled sadly.

"How?" She asked as she opened her menu.

"Uh, well, I'm from a small town in Washington. It rains all the time and that kind of creates a dark atmosphere. Like this. But not a scary dark atmosphere, but kind of like a magical one. Forks is a hidden gem itself."

"That sounds sweet. Do you miss it?"

"I do. A lot. But mostly because my dad is there. I haven't seen him in five months. I didn't think I'd miss him this much, but I really do."

She smiled. "You should go see him. I bet he'd love for you to visit him."

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. "I'm starting to think that I might just move back to Forks permanently."

Her eyebrows shot up. "Oh wow."

"Yeah," I said, blushing. "I just… I don't know if I'm cut out for New York. It's probably safer for me back home."

"I mean, not really. Not anymore."

My eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

She let out a soft sigh. "Well, chances are, James looked you up. That's how he found your apartment. He probably found a lot more information about you. Like… information about your mom and your dad."

I gasped. "Y-you think he will—,"

"No, I don't think he'll go after your parents. Your dad is a sheriff, and your mom is constantly on the move."

I gave her a look. "How do you know this?"

She shrugged and smiled bashfully. "I did my own research."

I suddenly felt just as angry as I did when Edward told me he looked me up. It was a violation of my privacy and a real dick move.

"That's not okay." I snapped. I would've gotten up and left, but I was sort of afraid to leave by myself.

"I'm sorry, but I look out for my family. I needed to know who you were. I'm a little paranoid. And I like to look out for Edward. He has a hard time finding girls who are interested in him and not his money."

"I'm not interested in Edward."

"Really?" She said in surprise.

"Why do you sound so surprised?"

"Well, I got this sense that you liked him. I mean I know he likes you a lot. He doesn't let just anyone go into his apartment." She said as she looked through the menu. "I think I might get a double bacon cheeseburger and a blueberry milkshake."

"Look, the only reason he let me go into his apartment was to prove to me that we had met before. That's all." I said. "Why do you think it's unsafe for me to go home?"

"I do. Not until James is found and off the street." She said. "He's fucking insane. And apparently he's put a target on your back. If you go back to Forks, or to wherever your mom is living, then he'll probably follow you there where you have less protection."

"Less protection? Forks is my home. I'd probably have more protection there."

"Not really," She shook her head. "I mean here, Edward hooked you up with an apartment with a lot of security. And you have Jasper driving you to and from work. Also, and don't freak out, but I know my brother-in-law has called all of his associates to make a rotation schedule so they can follow you and make sure you're safe."

I took a moment before answering. I let out a soft sigh. "I'm actually okay with that. It makes me feel… safer."

She smiled softly. "I thought it would."

The waiter came and took our order. I picked at one of the croissants he had left for us.

"Rosalie… you said you were attacked?" I said.

"Yep," She nodded. "I figured I was probably the person who related to you most, so I know what you're going through. What you're feeling."

I looked down before quietly asking, "How do you deal with it?"

Rosalie inhaled deeply. "Well, it's hard. My attack happened a few years ago now, but it has been hard. That's why I keep a security guard with me at all times."

"When it first happened, what did you do?"

"I stayed locked in my apartment for weeks. I refused to leave or let anybody come in," She said as she took a sip of her tea. "Well, actually, that's a lie. Only Emmett was allowed in my apartment. He brought me groceries and anything else I needed. He stayed with me most of the time too, except for when he was out looking for my attacker."

"Did he find him?"

"Yes."

"Is he in prison now?"

"He's dead," Rosalie said, causing my eyes to widen.

"H-how do you know?"

"Because I was there when Emmett killed him."

This time, my jaw dropped. "Emmett k-killed—."

"Yes he did, and before you go judging me or Emmett, this man had it coming." She said. "He brutalized me in the most horrific way. When Emmett let me watch him kill that man, he gave me my power back. This man was as afraid as I was. I got to see that look of fear in his eyes. It gave me my power back."

I felt as if I were going to vomit, and my mouth felt dry. "K-killing someone is—."

"It's wrong. I don't typically condone death, but the person Emmett killed was lower than dirt. He deserved death. And the bullet in his head… well, that was an easy death than what he deserved."

I slowly shook my head. I couldn't think of a response. I felt so sick. Rosalie was able to see my horror and leaned forward.

"That man not only attacked me, but he took my dignity." She said as she looked down briefly and let out a hiss-like sigh. "He took so much from me that night. If I could bring him back to life again, I would just so I could see him die again."

I placed my arms around myself. "I could never t-think like that."

"James attacked you for nothing more than the fact that you and Edward are kind of but not really friends. He didn't just attack you; he ran you out of your apartment. He destroyed your apartment. He made you afraid to even leave your new apartment."

I looked down at the food the waiter just delivered to our table and said nothing. I was shivering. I didn't know how to process any of what Rosalie was telling me.

"I didn't want to be the one to tell you this, but I think you need to hear it to understand why I feel the way I feel about my attacker." Rosalie said, causing me to look up at her. "James was going to do more than just attack you."

My eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I guess when you ran out of your apartment, he left behind the bag he had brought." She licked her lips and let out a soft breath. "There was rope, duct tape, a box cutter, a blowtorch and a camera."

I felt a cold child run down my back. Rosalie continued.

"He was going to torture you and film it. How he was going to torture you, well, let's just thank the good lord you didn't find out."

Tears immediately fell down my face and I started shaking even harder. I wanted to scream or throw up, I wasn't sure. I just wanted to do something to rid myself of this horrible feeling I felt in my gut.

"I know it's hard to hear, but you need to hear it."

"Why?" I asked softly.

"Because Edward's family and their associates are hunting James now and when they find him, they're going to kill him in your honor." She said. "You need to understand why them killing him is a good thing. He was going to torture you and film it. He was probably going to show a bunch of people that film. And I'm sure he was going to kill you when he was finished and dump your body in the river. By the time the police found you, you would've been so mutilated it would've taken them months to track your parents down. Could you imagine how your mom and dad would feel, receiving the call that their daughter's mutilated body was found discarded in the river as if she were nothing more than trash."

"Please stop." I whispered as I closed my eyes and slowly shook my head. "Just stop."

"It's going to be okay," Rosalie said before sighing. "I guess neither one of us is in the mood for food. How about we box this up and get you back to your apartment?"