Until the Break of Dawn

     Alice’s POV
   Rosalie and I were walking toward the front entrance of the mall. It being a big sales day, we had to park in the back. We had just walked past the dumpsters when we heard a heard a heart wrenching sob.
   “What was that?”
   “It sounded like a little girl,” I replied. I ran back to the dumpsters, quickly looking in and around them. As I got to the last dumpster the crying became more obvious. I peered around the corner and a little girl was sitting there. I called out to Rose and knelt beside her. She looked up as Rose appeared and I got a good look at her. She seemed 2 or 3 years old and had big brown eyes with long brown hair. She inhaled and stared at us. Rose sat down on the ground beside her.
   “Hi, my name’s Rosalie. What’s yours?” she asked in a gentle voice.
   “Bella,” the girl said quietly.
   “Hi Bella! My name’s Alice. Where’s your parents?”
   “I don’t know,” she replied. It was then I noticed the piece of paper sticking out of her pocket. I gently pulled it out and read the note written in hurried handwriting.
               
Thank you for finding my daughter. Her name is Isabella Marie  and is 3 years old. It is dangerous for her to stay with me, so I’m asking you to please take her and raise her as your own daughter.   Forgive me and know I love her with my whole heart.

   I turned to Rose and handed her the note.. She read it over.
   “Should we bring her to Carlisle?” I nodded. “Bella,” she asked, “Do you want to come with us?” Bella nodded and Rose stood up, pulling Bella into her granite arms. We walked back to the car and raced home in record time, Bella calmly sitting in Rose’s lap.
   As we walked in the door Rose called out for Carlisle. Esme came out of the living room and said, “Carlisle isn’t home yet.” Looking at Bella she asked, “Who is this?” While we explained Bella smiled shyly at Esme. Understanding came across Esme’s face and she smiled warmly. “We’ll wait for Carlisle in the living room. Until he comes let’s see what the others think.”
   We walked into the living room where Emmet, Jasper, and Edward were watching football.  “ Hey baby!” Emmet said to Rose as he turned around. “Who’s that?” Jasper and Edward turned around to see what he was talking about. Rose told them the story. Emmet was really excited and Edward just had a weird look on his face.
   “What’s wrong?” I asked Edward.
   “One,” he said,” I can’t read her and two, it is too dangerous for a child to live in a house full of vampires.”
   “I agree.” We all turned to see Carlisle walking in the living room. “What kind of live would she have?” he said shaking his head.
   Rose spoke up and said, “Well you guys might not want her, but I do. This is my only chance to have a daughter and I’m not throwing it away. We’ll leave, won’t we Em?
   “Yeah babe,” he replied nodding in a assuring way. I watched in shock as Rose and Emmet ran upstairs, got their stuff, and walked out the front door, Bella in Rose’s arms the whole time. The rest of the family quickly followed them out the door and watched, still in shock, as they climbed into Emmet’s Jeep, waved goodbye, and drove off.
    “Well, I didn’t see that coming,” I said, trying to lighten the mood.

     Rosalie’s POV
   “So where are we going?” I asked.
   “I don’t know. Where do you want to go?”
   “I’ve always liked Oregon. Maybe we could start a ranch. Or breed horses. I like horses.”
   “I like the horse idea. We’d have to use that as a winter home, though. Maybe we could get a summer home in Forks, Washington. I hear it’s almost never sunny there.”
   “That sounds cool. We’ll start in Oregon and when summer comes we’ll get a home in Forks.”
   “It’s a plan.”