Bella POV

After the rough night I had, I felt a strange rush of calmness elope over me. It wasn't the feeling of being exhausted, nor feeling alive- I just felt content, almost like things just felt like a lucid dream and my movements didn't feel real whatsoever. It was one of the few days where I just didn't mind because at least I didn't have to fight back tears or anything like that.

Or perhaps- it was because I knew what day it was:

The day before Edward's trial. One that I don't think I was going to be ready for. I already knew the outcome was going to be- they were going to kill him. There was no way around that, but I don't think I would have the guts to even sentence him like that. He didn't deserve that, no matter how much he had broken my heart on that tragic day and ripped it to shreds.

Besides, it wasn't his fault that he had introduced me to this world. I was the one that couldn't bring myself to drop the entire matter and spent weeks researching what he was, to realize that he was in fact a vampire. Or the fact that there was another world- the supernatural world living right at my doorstep, with a once found family who were vampires that cared about me and brought me in like I was one of their own- until they told me to forget that everything had existed.

How do you go back to life when you've been introduced to a world like that?

It was impossible.

And yet, I knew I couldn't spend my time just simply dwelling on the fact that tomorrow, I would go on trial tomorrow to reveal my existence of vampires and how much I was a liability with my existence of vampires. It just wasn't going to be fun to be in front of a vampire coven, and relive those memories that Edward and the Cuellens gave me before they left.

Nonetheless, I had to go out and do something. It was then that I noticed that something or rather, someone was missing. Strange, Caius wasn't in here with me in the room. He never really left my side since we arrived in Volterra, always making sure that I was alright and checking my wounds here and there- to make sure I didn't pull out any stitches with some of the stunts that I have done.

Frowning, I remembered what I told him yesterday on how I just wanted him to give me my space and he just left. I hoped I hadn't offended him or anything like that. He wouldn't have just left me like that- would he? But I refused to dwell on something like that. He was probably out and doing something. That was most likely what it was.

Sighing, I knew I couldn't just stay in here. Besides, for once- it seemed like my stomach was wanting something to eat. Besides, having really nothing to eat yesterday seemed to mess up my hunger and I knew Caius and probably some of the vampires might kill him (not literally) if I missed any meals, so there was that.

Besides, I felt like I've been here long enough that I could probably figure out where I was going and how to find something. I set off to find the cafeteria or anything like that.

Oh, how much I regretted those words as soon as I left the wing and entered one of the many identical hallways, hoping to find something that was even remotely similar to where I had navigated before, in all this. It was rather hopeless, and in my stubborn nature- I didn't bother asking any of the vampires to help me navigate this place. Seriously, how big was this castle? Why was it hard to find the cafeteria or something in this entire building?

Just as I was debating whether to swallow my pride and ask for help, a familiar figure caught my eye- a face that I hadn't seen in months.

"Alice?" I asked, uncertainty lacing my voice.

Alice turned around and smiled as soon as she saw me.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

There was no way she was here. She had to be a figment of my imagination, because it couldn't be real. They left me.

Those memories flooded back and it left me feeling weak. The moments of joy and happiness whenever I was around them to the feeling so lost and miserable because I lost my family- one that I never simply had until them. They made me feel like I belonged and made me a part of their world- you couldn't take that away. The photographs- everything from my birthday and the day that he broke my heart and ripped through shreds.

As I wasn't worth anything to anyone at all.

And suddenly, I felt the waves of of anger, frustration and the familiar sense of pain that I've bottled up in a jar, felt like it was starting to break open and would soon, start pouring out.

"Bella!" Alice exclaimed, already coming closer to me before I could even blink. Damn, vampire speed. She wrapped her hands around me, squeezing me enough to where it didn't feel like I was suffocating any of my insides, and being mindful of the injuries I still had on my body. "Why are you here?" She asked.

"I was brought here to stand on his trial," I told her. "You didn't know or even see that?"

Alice shook her head no, "Not really. I couldn't really see how much of you or anyone too much after I saw Victoria capture you and you on the verge of death. After Edward read it, he literally took off heading towards Volterra, asking for death. Of course, I saw Caius save you and you're happily ever after with him- but I didn't see that or that the Volturi would sentence him in a trial."

"You knew that Victoria would nearly kill me, and you didn't bother trying to stop her, or me? Why didn't either of your family come and rescue me from her clutches? You let her, and look what happened!" I yelled, referencing my towards my foot and her brand name written all over my body. "Why?"

Alice looked upset and frowned deeply. If vampires could cry, I bet she would be crying by now. "You don't know how much it killed me not to rush to Forks right then and there. Edward made me monitor Victoria and you, just in case she had made up her mind. It became clear that she wouldn't and was dead set in killing you. Edward left after that and you know the story."

"Aah yes, because I am literally the sacrifice? She almost killed me, Alice! The fact that you were more willing to listen to Edward more than anything else. I nearly died because of the lack of action. If it wasn't for Caius or even the rest of the Volturi, I would have died," I explained- nearly yelling at this point.

"Bella-" Alice tried, but I wasn't having it.

"All of you left me. You don't get to dictate how I feel right now. I thought you guys cared about me. Was it all a lie? The fact that you broke my heart, basically told me that I don't belong in your world and left me nothing besides my memories. It broke me, Alice- and yet, here you are trapezing around like nothing has happened these last few months. I don't want to hear your excuses, at all," I ranted- letting out every frustration, anger, hurt in everything.

Tears threatened to spill, but no- I didn't want to let them see the hurt that they caused me. They had done enough damage to me.

"If it helps, Bella- we didn't want to leave you at all?" Alice suggested in a lilting voice. "But Edward convinced us all that we should leave. That we were all a danger to you and wanted to protect you from that life. Being a vampire isn't an easy feet-"

"Because Edward is always to blame. It's easier to blame someone else for the actions that everyone else caused, and not deal with the consequences, isn't it?" I sneered. "You left as well. I spent months trying to contact you and there was nothing. Nothing to suggest that you were real, Alice."

Alice sighed, "I don't have any excuses for my behavior. We were convinced that it was good for you. We didn't want to cause the pain that you had felt, and even worse- with the would kill the rest of us to know that you hate us because of our past actions. Besides, the rest of us want to see you, especially now that you are here."

I rolled my eyes and commented in a low voice, "Yes, well- I don't want to see the rest of them. Besides, there's nothing good for me to see them. You made it perfectly that you wanted nothing to do with me these couple of years so…"

"It wasn't a suggestion. You're going to see them, whether you say yes or not," Alice simply said with a smile on her face.

Before I could ask what she meant, she simply picked up and carried me bridal style, before flitting to where I assumed where the Cullens were. She stopped when we got to the door, and with one hand, holding me close to her- she opened the door to reveal the rest of the Cullens.

All of them looked up in shock at what they were doing and saw me, standing in the middle of the doorway. Their mouths formed a small 'o' shape, and only Carlisle was the only one to break out of his shock and greet me,

"Bella, how are you?"

Update (November 23rd, 2024): A cliffhanger. Anyways, I'll try to get the rest of the chapters- not most of it- up this week while I'm on break so expect some quicker updates.