Chapter 5: Unveiling Truths

Bella sat at her usual lunch table, surrounded by the Cullen siblings, though she still felt like an outsider among them. Ever since their meeting at the Cullen house, curiosity and wariness had lingered between them. Today was no different. Edward, Alice, Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie all exchanged knowing glances as they observed her every move.

Around them, students whispered and stole glances in their direction. It wasn't every day that the Cullens, the most untouchable students at Forks High, sat so openly with someone new. Bella could hear fragments of their gossip—speculation about why she was sitting with them, if she was dating one of them, if she was part of some secret club. She ignored them, but Edward, who could hear their thoughts, clenched his jaw in irritation.

"You're really not going to eat anything?" Emmett teased, his golden eyes filled with amusement as he watched her push around an untouched apple on her tray.

Bella sighed, trying not to roll her eyes. "I don't eat human food."

"That makes sense," Edward murmured. "But you can survive on it, can't you? If you had to?"

Bella hesitated. "Barely." She shifted in her seat, feeling the weight of their eyes. "I prefer blood. But I don't drink from humans."

Alice, who had been unusually quiet, suddenly leaned forward, a troubled expression on her face. "There's something strange that I need to say," she announced. The others turned their attention to her.

"What is it?" Jasper asked, sensing the tension in her voice.

Alice exhaled sharply. "I can't see Eyota. At all. Not even a glimpse."

Edward stiffened. "Are you sure?"

Alice nodded, frustration flickering in her golden eyes. "I didn't realize it at first, but I should have seen something. Every time I try, it's just… nothing. It's as if she doesn't exist in my visions."

Edward frowned. "That is interesting because I can read her mind. I can hear Eyota's thoughts as clearly as anyone else's."

Bella frowned slightly. "Well, you're not the only one."

Alice blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Bella took a deep breath. She had wanted to keep Eyota's secret for as long as she could, but it seemed unavoidable now. "You can't see me… because you can't see Eyota, either."

Edward's eyes darkened slightly. "And why is that?"

"Because she's a shapeshifter," Bella admitted. "But she's not like the wolves from La Push. Her kind are different."

The revelation was met with stunned silence. Jasper leaned forward slightly, his expression unreadable. "A different kind of shapeshifter?"

Bella nodded. "She's not part of the Quileute tribe, but her ancestors have their own connection to the supernatural world. She doesn't turn into a wolf. Her tribe has always had the ability to take different forms, something… older than the Quileute shifters."

Alice's brows furrowed in deep thought. "That explains why I can't see her, either."

Before anyone could say anything more, the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. Bella stood up, relieved for the escape. "I have class," she murmured before walking away.

Later that evening, Bella and Eyota returned to the Cullens' home at Carlisle's request. As soon as they entered the grand house, Esme and Carlisle greeted them warmly.

"We wanted to speak with you both," Carlisle said kindly. "There's still so much we don't know about you, Bella."

Bella hesitated but nodded. "What do you want to know?"

Carlisle exchanged a glance with Esme before speaking. "Everything. Your abilities, your past—whatever you can remember."

Eyota's expression softened. "She grew fast, unnaturally so. By the time she was a few weeks old, she looked like a toddler. In just months, she had the appearance of a child of six or seven. It was clear she wasn't a normal human, but she wasn't fully like a vampire, either."

Carlisle listened intently.

Eyota sighed. "From the very beginning, she rejected human food. I tried, but she would cry and refuse to eat. The first time I gave her blood—animal blood—she drank without hesitation. That's when I knew what she truly was."

Esme clutched Carlisle's hand tightly. "You kept her from harming humans?"

Eyota nodded firmly. "I made sure of it. I taught her how to hunt animals instead. It wasn't always easy, especially with her instincts. But she learned. She never once killed a human."

Carlisle's expression softened with gratitude. "Thank you, Eyota. You gave her the guidance she needed when we couldn't."

Esme reached forward, taking Bella's hand gently in her own. "You have no idea how long we've searched for you."

Bella's chest tightened at the sheer emotion in Esme's voice. She had never let herself think about the parents who had lost her, but now, looking into Esme's warm, golden eyes, the reality of it all began to settle in.

Edward stood off to the side, watching Bella closely, memories stirring deep within him. Though he had no recollection of it before, now that she was here, the past began resurfacing in flashes—memories of a newborn's soft cries, of Esme's fragile human form cradling a tiny child, and of Carlisle's worried voice echoing in the sterile air of their home.

He remembered standing in the doorway, hesitant yet drawn to the little life wrapped in a soft blanket. Esme had smiled at him, her human heart still beating then, and whispered, "Edward, meet Isabella. Your sister."

The memory sent a strange jolt through him, like something buried deep was finally awakening. He had known Bella, even if only briefly. She had been part of their family from the very beginning. Yet now, standing before her, the pull he felt toward her was far from brotherly, and that disturbed him. How could he feel this way toward someone he was meant to see as a sibling?

He clenched his fists, trying to shove the thought away. He had loved her once, as an older brother should. But now? The emotions swirling inside him were different, and he didn't know what to make of them.

Bella turned slightly, catching Edward's troubled gaze. For a brief moment, she felt something shift between them—an unspoken connection neither of them could explain. She didn't know why, but his presence made her feel grounded, even amidst the chaos of her newly discovered past.

The air grew heavier with unspoken words, but before either of them could say anything, Carlisle spoke again. "There's more we should discuss, but I want you both to know one thing—you belong here, Bella. No matter what."

Bella swallowed, feeling the warmth in his words, but she wasn't sure she fully believed it just yet.

And for the first time, she didn't feel quite so alone.