Aria's Twilight

Heroes and Villains

Warning: sexual assault of a minor

Third pov

It wouldn't take long for Aria to find her older sister. Bella had been at an Indian bookstore and was just on her way out when she met up with Aria. Something struck Aria as strange: Bella had only bought one book. Bella was a huge book lover, so for her to purchase only a single book seemed suspicious. Perhaps she was low on money and could only afford one, but Aria filed the thought away for now.

As the two girls walked down the street, Bella began thumbing through her book. Aria, however, felt a strange sense of unease and heard footsteps behind them. She kept walking, trying to stay calm, before grabbing Bella's attention. Bella stopped and scanned the streets, searching for anyone following them—but she saw no one.

"What is it, Aria?" Bella asked, noticing her sister's wide-eyed, nervous expression.

"I jus—I thought I heard someone following us," Aria breathed. "Guess I was wrong... let's go."

The two continued down the street, with Bella putting her book back in her bag and keeping a closer eye on their surroundings. It wasn't long before the taller brunette heard the misaligned rhythm of footsteps behind them—someone was following them.

Bella grabbed her sister's wrist and started pulling her toward where she believed they would meet Jess and Angela. Bella didn't always get along with her sister, and she would admit to feeling a twinge of jealousy toward Aria, but that didn't mean she would ever hurt her little sister physically.

As they moved down the isolated street, Bella unknowingly led them into a dead end. When the girls turned to leave, they were cut off by four men. Bella recognized them as the frat boys from the dress shop, and from the slurred rhythm of their steps, it was clear they were drunk.

"Hey, there you are," a loud voice called out. The stocky, dark-haired man's tone made both girls jump, and Aria squeaked in fear.

Bella removed her bag from across her chest and held it by the strap. She would use it as a weapon if necessary—or as a bargaining chip. She considered screaming, but her throat had gone dry. Instead, she felt Aria clutch her arm in fear, one small hand gripping her turquoise taser.

"Stay away from us," Bella ordered, trying to sound strong and fearless. The four drunk men continued to crowd them.

"Don't be like that, sugar," the stocky man sneered. "If you don't want to hang with us, maybe the little princess will." He leered at Aria. Before Bella could swing her bag at him, she was yanked away from her sister. Aria cried out, and Bella struggled against the man holding her while the remaining three closed in on her little sister.

Charlie had taught his daughters some self-defense, but all that knowledge seemed to vanish from Aria's mind as panic overtook her. Acting purely on instinct, she grabbed her taser and fired—hitting the man closest to her. He fell to the ground with a grunt of pain, while his friends drunkenly laughed at him. The laughter only seemed to enrage the electrocuted man more, and he glared at the smaller girl with dangerous intent.

Still shocked at having used the taser, Aria was caught off guard when the man she had electrocuted lunged, grabbed her wrist, and ripped the device from her hand. He pinned her against the wall. Bella screamed and struggled harder, but one of the other men clamped a hand over her mouth.

Aria herself would have screamed if her mouth hadn't been covered by the drunk man's disgusting, chapped lips. She tried to push him off, but he pressed his body against hers, pinning her down. Tears streamed down her face as his hands wandered over her. When he harshly yanked her hair, she flinched, giving him more access to her mouth. She gagged, fighting the urge to vomit.