6:14:19 → j. hale, a. cullen

12.

The first word that came to Bella's mind when she thought of her sister was strength. Her elder sister, to her, was the complete embodiment of the word. Before she was diagnosed and hospitalized, her and Bella were connected by the hip. If you were to ever see one without the other, it was because either one of them was a few steps behind, or the other was simply just catching up.

Emery was there for Bella when she was born. Emery held her first bottle for her and held her hand the first day of school, when she was too scared to go in on her own. Emery was there when her first tooth fell out, catching the other in her arms and making her laugh away the pain. Emery was always there for her sister, so when Emery was no longer there for Bella, she became upset.

Bella saw the strength in her sister as her sister stood up for her, and believed in everything that she did. Even if it meant it ended with them getting in trouble. Bella saw the strength of her sister when she fought back at a bully, when she laughed through the pain of her arm breaking beneath her, when she laughed and smiled throughout the distance of her and her father as she had to move away. But that strength was no longer what she saw when she looked at her sister. And thinking that her sister was changing, Bella became upset.

Upset at the fact that her sister was sick, and that she couldn't be there for her anymore. Bella began to refuse going to her appointments and her follow ups, refused to even look her way. Over time, Bella's anger became fear, as she saw her sister less and less. And whenever she saw her sister, she was just withering away.

Bella remembers the time when her older sister came home one day with a shorter haircut and tears in her eyes. Bella ran up to her and laughed, asking her why she cut the hair she could barely grow out. Bella remembers her sister laughing with her, but when she walked past her door later that night, she saw her sister crying while looking in the mirror.

Bella doesn't remember seeing her sister cry, except for when they had to leave their father behind and move to Arizona. Bella remembers Emery walking around her old bedroom with her stuffed animals in her arms and saying goodbye to her room and her memories. Bella remembers, because Emery called her into her room and pointed at the marks by the closet they made on every birthday, to measure out their height. Emery made her say goodbye to the home, but promised her that one day they'd be back to stay, no matter what.

Bella didn't expect the reason for them coming back to their childhood home to be because her eldest sister was dying, and one of her last wishes was to have an adventure. Bella thought that it was funny at first. She wondered how her older sister could find excitement in such a small and wet, and especially damp, muggy environment. But as they came back and time moved on, Bella saw her sister glow once again. Bella saw her sister begin to become happier, by the small things. Seeing their father, her best friend. Meeting Alice and Jasper. Bella understood because she met Edward. And although they didn't understand each other, Bella felt loved by Edward. Which filled the gap that was caused by her sister becoming sick. By Bella pushing her away.

Bella had hopes of them becoming closer, but failed to realize that her fear of her sister dying created the gap in the first place.

And as Bella kneels beside her sister's bloodied body, she wishes she could take it all back. All of the missed opportunities to be with her best friend, her sister. Bella clutched onto her older sister's hand, refusing to let go even as Edward tried to tug her away. Crying out into a sound that became a scream as her sister's eyes closed, panic and fear filled her to the brim at the idea of losing her for good.

The ringing in her ears turned to static as her eyes blurred with uncontrollable tears, and she flinched as masses of bodies kneeled beside her.

Looking up, Bella winced as she looked over and found Alice and Jasper beside her, Alice screaming out as she looked down at her mate, and Jasper slightly behind her, his eyes wide and his stomach heavy with emotions he finally knew were his own.

Bella watched as Alice broke down beside her, tears burning her eyes as the girl beside her clutched her other hand to her chest, falling back against her mate in agony.

Students jumped out of their cars, and teachers ran out with their phones in their hands as their cries rang out into the now eery parking lot. Sirens blared, causing Bella to come out of her trance and realize that the blood that seeped through her jeans was now cooling, and that she was being picked up from behind.

Turning around with gritted teeth and ready to put up a fight, Bella freezes as she catches eyes with her father.

Tightening his arm around her, Charlie gently shakes his head and creates a distance between themselves and the Emergency Responders as they place her sister's body on a makeshift bed with haste. Unblinking, with a heavy chest, Bella gasps out needily for air as her sister is taken away. Reaching out and calling for her sister, Bella stares as her sister is taken into the ambulance and is immediately worked on. Fear grew in her body as she lurches forward, her eyes staring at her sister's unmoving body. Charlie stood next to her with watery eyes, but refused to cry. Charlie knew that his daughter would act strong if the situation was reversed, and neither of them would want to make Bella any more upset.

They made their way towards the ambulance and inside, before the door shut with finality behind them. Staring forward at her sister, Bella only untensed once one of the responders let them know that she still had a pulse.

Fear catapulted through Bella as she watched her sister be worked upon. Bella swore to herself that if her sister were to make it through, she'd be there for her every step of the way. Just like she should have been.

The ambulance pushing forward with speed took Bella out of her thoughts, and she came to once again with her left hand clutched in her father's, and her right in her sister's.

With the ambulances sirens ringing through her ears painfully, Bella wasn't able to register the two cars that belonged to the Cullen's catching up with them from behind, or the two figures that stood in the beginning of the woods, watching the vehicles rush past them with interest.

All Bella knew was that she hoped for her sister to make it out of the accident alive.

Bella paused and froze as her mind went back to the school's parking lot. Her heart began to pound once again as she realized that there was no seen force that caused the accident, and the way that her sister's body was on the concrete was unnatural. Head resting on her shoulder with one of her arms almost reaching out to catch an object or hold onto someone. Almost as if she was being carried and saved.

The ambulance pulsed to a quick stop before Bella could voice any of her concerns, but as she made her way out of the ambulance behind her father and caught eyes with Edward, she knew that this was only the beginning. 

And hopefully they'd all make it out alive.