Can't Afford Mistakes.

Chapter Twenty-five

Arabella.

Trees and cars blur together as the rain pours down onto the porch. Brett sits next to me and drapes his arm over my shoulders. The bare pastures that make up the backyard are quickly flooded. My biological parents's house feels empty with just Brett and I here. 

"How long is Lucas going to take," I sigh as I wedge my face into Brett's shoulder.

"Your house is far away, Bella," Brett states while running his hand through my hair, "I'm sure he's on his way here by now."

I told Lucas to go to my house to gather some of my stuff because I couldn't face my parents. After telling them I wasn't coming home and hearing my father's voice crack with emotion broke my heart. I can't imagine how hard it must be for them to go through their day to day lives raising a child they aren't able to understand. My siblings must think that I've finally given up on them. There was no way I could go back there and break all their hearts again. The sound of a car door shutting pulls me away from the window.

"Arabella, where are you going," Brett questions from behind me. 

"You didn't hear that," I ask as I creep towards the door. 

"Hear what, babe," he says, now next to me.

"A car door," I say slightly confused at the fact that he didn't hear it. The sound of gravel crunching underneath shoes sounds deafening in my ears. I cover my ears with my hands and drop to my knees.  Brett scopes me up in his arms effortlessly and carries me to the living room.

"You really don't hear anything," I question in disbelief. 

He pauses for a minute before replying, "No. I don't hear anything." Lucas walks through the door right after the words leave Brett's mouth. Brett looks at me with a quizzical expression written across his face before he stands to help Lucas with the bags in his hands.

"What took you so long," I question as I cross my arms over my chest.

"I got all your stuff and food," Lucas says from the kitchen without looking up at me. "I know we technically don't need to eat, but I still like to have dood food around," he jokes. I don't laugh. Lucas looks up at me and his smile falls.

"Bella," he sighs, "your parents aren't mad. They completely understand."

Brett walks through the door with three suitcases before I am able to respond. I take one of the suitcases from Brett's hands and carry it upstairs to my new room. Once inside, I lock the door and look at what would have been my room. The spacious room is painted in a deep wine and a king sized bed rest in the center of the room. A thin, white canopy encompasses the bed like a cocoon does a caterpillar. The soft white pillows scream for attention. I settle my suitcase on the plump bed and begin to sort through the contents. Underneath all the clothes, a small, folded piece of lined paper stuff in the corner. Carefully, I pick up the piece of paper and begin to unfold it. The words, "I love you, Bella," are sloppily written in Zachary's handwriting. My heart swells as I stare at the poorly written note. I tuck the paper into my pocket before I slip underneath the covers of the bed. The comforter greets me warmly and pulls me into a deep sleep. 

"Arabella," an unfamiliar voice coos. 

I search for the source of the voice but no one is in the room with me. I swiftly swing my legs over the side of the bed and lean forward to peer out of the door. A shaowy figure lurks its way towards the door and soon enough Lucas appears in the doorway. I sigh a breath of relied.

"Hey," Lucas says with a rasp in his voice, "there's someone I want you to meet."

I get out of bed and follow him downstairs to the living room. A small, frail looking woman sits on the edge of the couch with her hands folded neatly in her lap. Her conversation with Brett comes to a hault when she see Lucas and I have entered the room. Her eyes lock with mine and grow wide as a smile stretched across her face.