Hey all! I wanted to thank the readers who recommended Riptide over at A Different Forest, as Riptide has been chosen as one of the favorite Fic Dive Stories for May/June. Y'all are absolutely amazing. I wanted to thank Tarbecca for letting me know! I appreciate it! And I appreciate every single review! Thank you, thank you, thank you! As always, let me know what you think!

Chapter 13

I flew down the street, pedaling as fast as I could. The cut on my cheek stung as the salty air blew around me. I didn't know where I was going until my bike hit the uneven wooden planks of the docks. I whisked over the bridge, slowing down as I reached my destination. Stopping the bike, I leaned it against a bench, walking the rest of the way to the surf.

I sat down on the sand, hugging my knees to my chest.

Why had I come here?

This was the very spot the life raft had returned me to land. Looking to my left, I could imagine Aunt Irina running down the docks, bun bobbing atop her head, sheer fear in her eyes. The night of the accident, my parents had been on an overnight date in Orlando, so Aunt Irina was in charge. I stared out at the ocean, not seeing.

"Hey, Bella-Bean!" Riley called out from the back door. I had been helping Auntie pluck tomatoes from her garden. "Let's go for a ride!" I smiled widely and looked to Auntie for permission. She nodded, humming away as she pulled carrots from the garden. I wiped my dirty hands on my navy blue sailor dress. Mom had made me wear it before she left. I didn't think it was a good dress to play in. I met Riley inside, packing my large straw beach tote with toys for the boat ride.

"Don't forget to grab your life jacket, Bella-Bean."

"I know, Riley," I rolled my eyes.

"Hurry up, we have to be back before sundown. I'll be waiting outside."

In a hurry, I stuffed my favorite doll and a beach towel in my bag. I loved carrying it, it made me feel much older than my eight years.

Riley honked the horn on his bright blue moped and I ran outside to meet him. He was ready to go and impatiently waiting for me. I grabbed my floppy sun hat Auntie bought for me as I ran out the door.

"Come on!" Riley whined. I hopped behind him on his moped, wrapping my arms around his waist. "Put your helmet on," he reminded. I grabbed it from the back of the seat, shoved it on my head and placed my arms back into place. Riley skillfully drove through the side streets to the docks. He and Daddy loved to go fishing here. Riley had just gotten his driver's license, so now he could drive a boat all on his own.

He parked the moped and grabbed my hand as we headed towards the small motorboat Auntie had. He helped me board the boat and he began checking the gas tank. I sat down in my usual place and pulled out some toys I brought along for the ride.

"All ready?" Riley asked.

"Yeah!" I cried out, excited. Riley liked to go fast and Auntie said Mom wouldn't let us go fast. He started the motor and pulled out of the harbor.

"I wanna show you something, Bella-Bean. I think you will like it." He grinned at me.

"Is it a surprise?"

"Yup," he replied, popping the "p".

I giggled and pulled my doll's life jacket out of the bag to put it on her. Fear shot through my body as I remembered I forgot to grab my life jacket when I was rushing out the door. I kept quiet behind Riley because I didn't want him to yell at me.

We finally got out of the no wake zone, but I only knew that meant you had to go slow. Riley suddenly accelerated, jerking the boat forward.

"Yeah, buddy!" He cried out in excitement.

We rode the waves and I had to hold onto the handlebar to keep myself seated. Out in the distance, I saw an island in the middle of the ocean.

"Look, Riley!" I called to him, competing with the wind and waves. "It's an island!"

"Yeah, that's where we are going."

I clapped excitedly, having never been this far out into the ocean. Plus we were going to a secret island. Maybe there was a treasure!

He parked the boat on the sand and turned it off. I bounded off of the boat, passing Riley to explore the island. There was sand all around, and it looked like the beach, but further into the island, there were a lot of trees and bushes.

"Wait up, Bella-Bean!" He laughed. "We can't go too far into the island. We don't know what's here."

"We are the first to explore it, and I want to call Bella's Island," I said proudly.

"Well, technically I found it first. So it should be called Riley Island." He smirked.

I frowned. "Bella's Island sounds better."

"How about we call it Swan Island? That way it will be named after you and me both."

"I still like Bella's Island better," I pouted.

"Of course you do," he ruffled my hair and laughed.

"Stop it!" I smoothed down my pigtails as best I could. He laid out on the sand, soaking up the sun. "I wanna go see the jungle!"

"I doubt it's a jungle silly, but maybe next time. When we come back, I'll bring a machete and we can hack our way through the greenery." Riley slashed his fist through the air.

"What's that?"

"A big knife. We can use it to cut the plants in our path."

"Bring it next time!" I sat next to him in the sand.

"Let's go in the water and find some shells," Riley sat up and pulled his shirt off. He knew that was my favorite thing to do at the beach!

"Mom said I can't swim today since I disobeyed her yesterday." I frowned, sifting sand through my fingers.

"Yeah, well Mom isn't here, is she?" Riley smirked and winked at me. I smiled wide and jumped up from the sand, following him.

"I'll just get my dress wet, I don't care. Mom made me wear this stupid thing anyway." We both waded through the shallow tide picking up shells. After a few minutes, we had a nice collection and I stuffed them into my straw bag to bring home. These shells were big and cool like the ones you found at the souvenir shop. Riley said it was time to go so I climbed onto the boat again. Riley pushed the boat off the shore and started the engine. We were a little ways away from the island when I realized I left my bag on the island.

"Riley! My bag! I forgot it!"

"Ugh, Bella, now we are going to be late! Aunt Irina will have my head." He attempted to turn the boat around, but we didn't move. "Where the hell is your life jacket, Bella?"

I winced at his cursing and his tone. "I forgot it at the house," My tears blocked my vision. I wiped my eyes because I didn't want to cry because he yelled at me. I wanted to be tough like he was. He took off his life jacket and threw it to me.

"Put it on and tighten it." He said authoritatively. I did as he said, although his life jacket was much too big for me.

Riley accelerated the boat all the way, and the boat barely moved. The sun was close to setting. I watched him, frightened, as he pressed buttons and turned the wheel. But the boat kept getting farther from the shore, and now we were drifting to the left.

"Fuck," he muttered, "We are stuck in a riptide."

I shuddered at his words and held onto the boat tighter. I didn't know what he was talking about. He managed to turn the boat to face the left after careful steering. The waves grew choppier as he steered around the current.

He turned his head around and looked at me, "I'm going to grab your bag, you stay here." The moment he whipped his head back around, the boat violently struck a rock, a terrible scraping sound erupted. "Fuck!" Riley yelled. I put my hands over my ears because of the sound of the boat and because of Riley's bad words. He turned to look at me, terror bright in his eyes. I let go of the boat to clutch on to him, but the boat lurched forward, scraping another rock. I fell to the floor of the boat, landing on my hands and knees.

The sun had begun its descent into the horizon. Riley turned the wheel hard again, only to hit more unseen rocks. The waves pushed us into the riptide again, and the island grew further and further away. Water poured into the boat, drenching everything in sight. Riley let go of the wheel, grabbing me.

I started crying and he held me. We were both thrown to the ground of the sinking boat as the boat hit a final rock. Riley kissed my forehead and hugged me tightly. "I love you Bella-Bean."

It was almost as if he knew this was our last encounter.

"Riley," I whimpered. The boat had now sunk rapidly underwater. The current pulled me from Riley's arms. Waves crashed over and over me, separating us further.

"Riley!" I screamed. I was trying to tread water and swim to the last place I saw him. My life jacket kept me afloat but also prevented me from moving fast enough. The life jacket was too big for me, and it blocked my vision. I screamed and screamed, not hearing a response from Riley. Waves still crashed over me, further desensitizing me. I had no idea where I was, how close was I to the island, the shore? How close was I to Riley?

The night quickly came, and I was still bobbing in the ocean. I had run out of tears and my throat was raw and hoarse from screaming. I couldn't see anything because of the darkness and the life jacket, hunched around my shoulders. I was so cold. It was so dark. I was so lonely. Where was Riley? Mom, Daddy? Auntie? I struggled to keep kicking. I figured if I kept moving, I would find my way back to the island. I grew more and more tired, finding it hard and harder to keep my arms and legs moving. The only thing I could see was the sky. I found the Big Dipper, but I couldn't find the Little Dipper.

I didn't know how long it had been since I saw Riley. Since I have been floating in the ocean. I suddenly heard a very loud sound. It was coming from the sky. I looked up, trying to find the source of the sound. The force of the blades moved the water in strange ways. I saw a light hit me, blinding me. It quickly left, and I could see it belonged to a helicopter. The harsh light found me again, and I moved my arms as high as I could, mustering a little more strength. The light never left me again. The waves grew taller as the helicopter lowered closer to the ocean, spraying me in the face. I heard another loud motor sound and another light captured me.

A voice on a loudspeaker rang out, but I couldn't understand it. A few moments later, a yellow life raft came into my view and I was plucked from the ocean. A man wearing an orange life vest set me inside the boat. He unbuckled the life jacket I was wearing and put one that fit me better on. Tears flooded my vision as he spoke to me.

"Where is the boy?" I pulled my knees to chest, my soaked dress made it hard to move them. I was still freezing. I shook my head, unseeing, unfeeling.

A towel was wrapped around my shoulders and the boat began to move. It was being pulled by a larger boat. The helicopter had left, but I could still see its light, ever moving across the sea.

"Does it hurt anywhere?" The man asked again, he pulled my legs down. Checking over them, and I noticed I had cuts and scrapes all along them. My arms had been torn up as well. I could barely keep my muscles moving, I was so exhausted. He spoke to another person in the boat, but their voices sounded far away.

My body went limp, the man caught my small body before I fell off the bench.

"Riley," I whispered over and over again.

I never saw his smiling face again.

My thoughts consumed me, I had no idea how long I had been sitting on the sand. The sun scorched over me, I was sure I would have a sunburn. My cheek still stung, and I felt it to asses the damage. Her ring or nails must have scraped me pretty badly. I stood, swaying slightly from the sudden movement and brushed the sand from my bottom, walking over to my bike.

Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I realized I had several missed calls from my mother and a missed call from Edward.

Edward.

His name alone sent waves of serenity through me. I clicked his name in red, calling him back. After a few rings, he answered.

"Hey beautiful, how are things with your mom?"

"I need you to pick me up," My voice sounded odd, hollow.

"Bella? Are you okay? Where are you?" He said in a panic.

"I'm at the docks at Third and Main. I'm sorry to interrupt your work day," I gazed into the waves, my voice breaking.

"Hey," he said softly, "Don't worry about it. It's a slow day anyway. I'm on my way."

"Thanks," I whispered. We hung up, and I moved to the bench where my bike lay. I didn't have the energy to ride my bike. I needed Edward.

Edward's silver Volvo pulled off the road sharply as he spotted me. I heard his door slam and his footsteps on the dock as he ran over to me.

"Bella! Are you alright?" I turned my face to fully look at him and his eyes widened as he saw the dried blood on my cheek. I stood up to meet him and he took me into his arms cradling my injured cheek. I clung to him, sobs erupting from deep within my chest.

This time of year was often more difficult, but throw on the added stressors and it was a recipe for disaster. He held me tightly. He was just what I needed. Just his very presence made me feel a tiny bit better. His hands stroked my hair, my face. Edward still had his white lab coat on, and I felt bad for getting tears, blood, and snot all over it. My sobs decreased into small hiccups, my face still buried into the crook of his neck.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" He asked gently, brushing damp hair away from my face as I removed my face from him.

"My Mom happened, that's what."

"Did she injure you?" I simply nodded, gripping his shirt tighter. "Fuck," He whispered. "I need to look at it. Clean it up." I nodded again, looking up at his face. His eyes were hard, but his expression was full of worry. "Leave your bike here, I'll pick it up later." I quickly chained it to the bench and he grabbed my hand as soon as I was finished. He wrapped his arm around my waist and led me to his car.

"I'm assuming your mom is at your house, so let's go to mine so I can examine your cheek."

"I have no idea where she is, she called me but I didn't answer." Edward opened the car door for me, waiting until I was buckled to shut the door.

"I need to you to explain what happened once we're inside."

"Yeah, sure." I gazed out the window. Edward reached for my hand, squeezing it.

We arrived at a three-story, white brick building. "The Silver Shoreline" was an upscale condominium building. I had never been inside, but I was intrigued, even in my current emotional state. He parked quickly, popping out of the car to open my door. He held his hand out to help me from the car, and once I was on my feet, he pulled me close to him. We walked to the entrance, automatic doors opening, sending a rush of cold air over us. It felt so nice.

The small lobby was very well decorated. You could tell the items in it were expensive. Serene colors of light blue, soft teal, and navy made the space cohesive. There were a couple of lush cream chairs opposite the elevator.

He pushed the elevator button, and we stepped inside as the doors opened. He pressed the button for the third floor and he kissed my temple, still holding me to his side. The short elevator ride was silent. The doors slid apart, revealing a hallway, stretching to either side. Edward ushered me to the right, finding his door quickly. Fiddling with the lock with his free hand, the door opened, revealing his condo.

I was in utter awe as he flipped on a few lights. The living room, kitchen, and dining room were in one large space, but each area was still separate. Each room flowed nicely into the other, complete with a cool, neutral color scheme. I was amazed how clean it was, nothing seemed out of place.

"Welcome to my place, although I wish it was under better circumstances," Edward smiled sadly. I returned a small smile and he led me to the white sofa. "Wait here, I need to grab some things." He rushed to a closed door, slipping in quickly. While he was gone, I further observed his living room. Family photos were placed sporadically yet strategically throughout the room, making it feel like home. Images of a little copper haired boy with bright green eyes smiled at the camera, arms around his parents and siblings.

Edward returned with a small white box and a damp washcloth and kneeled in front of me. He lifted my chin tenderly and patted the scrape with the washcloth, careful with the amount of pressure he applied.

We stared into each other's eyes, his searching for answers, mine to trying to make sense of this mess. He reached inside the first aid box, pulling out an alcohol wipe.

"This may sting," he said, voice low and rough.

I felt an unfamiliar feeling rise within me, settling in my stomach. I couldn't remember ever feeling this before. As the cut on my cheek stung as he cleaned the cut, it hit me.

The unfamiliar feeling, it was longing. Until Edward appeared into my life, like a firework against the dark night sky, I did not realize how I craved and longed for someone to take care of me. I had been taking care of myself, and I had not been aware of. My mother rarely made meals at home. I had done all of the cooking. I taught myself to do laundry, to grocery shop, to fix my hair. Before Riley died, my Dad would cook for the family. He would help around the house. After the divorce and Riley's death, my mother ripped him away from me.

The foreign longing evaporated and rage burned through my veins. How dare my mother take him away from me? Aunt Irina? She had taught more in eight years than my mother had in twenty-four years. She destroyed my relationships with them by forbidding communication.

What would my life be like if she hadn't? Would I hear from my father more than once a year on my birthday? Would Aunt Irina still have died alone?

What would my life look like if my mother had actually been a mother? Her selfishness, vanity, and pride killed any hope of a healthy relationship between us.

Furious tears spilled from my eyes.

"Shh," Edward whispered, "I'm sorry, I don't mean to hurt you." His hands moved to cradle my face, thumbs wiping away tears. He sat next to me on his white sofa, enveloping me into his arms.

Here Edward was, caring for me, comforting, consoling. This man in such a short time had changed so many things in my life. I showed him my vulnerability and he had shown me his vulnerability. He accepted my weakness, my faults, the messy parts of my life and only showed me compassion.

My tears of anger metamorphosized into tears of heartache. I shook my head and he had understood how my tears had changed. He simply strengthened his hold on me and kissed my hair.

It was at this moment I realized I was falling in love with Edward Cullen.