( when the stars forget us! ) ↳chapter thirty-six ↲
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━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ❝ I'LL BURNTHE WORLD BEFORE I LET THEM TAKE YOU. ❞ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
THE FAMILIAR DAMP air of Forks hit them the moment the taxi stopped at the curb. Talia sat in the back seat, her body stiff, her gaze locked on the windshield even after the engine died. She hadn't spoken much the entire ride from the airport. Her hands had been clasped tight in her lap, pale knuckles betraying the storm she kept hidden behind her silence.
Bella swallowed hard trying to get her attention. "We're home," she whispered, as though the word should mean something comforting. But for Talia, it didn't. Not anymore. "Thank you." She spoke to the taxi driver before handing him some change.
The front door swung open before either of them could move. Charlie stormed out onto the porch, his jaw tight, his face flushed with a mixture of relief and anger. "Where the hell have you two been?" His voice cracked in a way that made it clear just how worried he'd been.
Bella opened her door slowly. "Dad, I told you—we had to—"
"You told me you flew to Italy with Alice for a quick trip!" Charlie's voice rose, his hands cutting through the air in frustration. "A quick trip? That's not something you just call me about from an airport! Do you have any idea—any idea—what it felt like not knowing where you were, if you were safe? Both of you?"
Talia finally stepped out, her movements hesitant, her eyes fixed on the ground. She couldn't meet his gaze. Her throat felt tight, locked with everything she couldn't tell him—the dark hallways, the crimson eyes, Alec's cold hands that had kept her trapped. The thought made her shiver despite the damp warmth of the evening.
"Inside. Both of you. Now." Charlie's tone was sharp, cutting off any protest.
They followed him in, Bella glancing once at Talia, whose silence was heavier than words. She moved as though in a daze, her body present but her mind still locked in the Volturi's marble chamber.
Charlie shut the door behind them with more force than necessary. "I don't care what explanation you think you have—taking off to another country without telling me properly, without details, without even a chance to stop you? Absolutely unacceptable." His hands raked through his hair as he paced. "You're both grounded. Effective immediately. No arguments."
Bella winced but didn't protest.
Talia lowered herself onto the couch, her shoulders folding in, her eyes still vacant. She heard the words, but they felt distant, like muffled sound under water. Grounded didn't matter—not when she could still feel Alec's stare like a weight pressed into her skin, not when she could still hear Aro's voice describing her future as if she had no choice.
