I HAVE BEEN PLAGERIZED!

I was notified by a friend of mine that 90s bby has started a new fanfic called "Elements" and she has copied from me and TallulahBelle.

All her readers are protesting that she didn't plagerize, but SHE COPIED MY ENTIRE BACKSTORY WITH THE WITCHES, EXACTLY! I'm extremely appalled that somebody could do such a thing and I'm very hurt. She refuses to take it down because she claims it's original. The first paragraph is a copy of my original work.

!PLEASE REPORT HER FOR PLAGERISM!

Please check out my new story, Ruthless. I'll be updating that one weekly.

Summary: When a game of revenge is taken too far, Bella is sold into marriage to a man she despises. While struggling to fit society's mold of a weak woman, she must navigate the treacherous waters of being a mob wife without drowning in the process.

Chapter 34: Horrifying, Hidden Truths

"Stay the fuck away from her. If I even see you breathe in her direction, I will not hesitate to kill you."

[Bella's POV]

I was distracted the entire day, barely paying attention to my surroundings. Thankfully, Edward had realized that confronting me about my newfound knowledge would be the worst-case scenario so he didn't press me. If we were any other normal couple, he would've left me alone for some time to think, but we weren't. We both couldn't handle the separation and at a time like this, appearing like we were one united front was important.

Wait! What?

Were Edward and I really a couple? Did the fact that it wasn't originally consensual count? Yes, originally, because despite my efforts, I was warming up to the idea of Edward. But seriously, what were we?

Anyways…Carlisle and Esme had sat us down after the photograph was revealed and the Volturi brothers dismissed us. The reiterated the fact that the Volturi didn't believe me when I said that I accepted my bond with Edward. Even though they hadn't decreed a punishment yet - yes, apparently it was inevitable - they were watching us closely for any signs that I had lied.

Which I hadn't. I truly wasn't lying when I said that I was beginning to accept this bond and Edward. Maybe I had laced it on a little, but I knew it wouldn't be long before I was skipping off into the sunset with my mate.

Um…ew!

Edward and I were to maintain the image of the perfect mated couple, no matter what happened behind closed doors. Our performance would decide our future and if we didn't do damn good, my future could possibly cease to exist.

Gulp. Yeah, that's not scary at all.

Tonight was going to be a meeting with the Council of Nine to discuss the photograph. All the other leaders of various territories around the world would be in attendance.

Yeah, not daunting at all.

"I was thinking that you could wear that blue dress, the one Rose got you for your birthday," Alice gushed excitedly.

We were sprawled all over Alice's bed, since she was the only one if us girls not sharing a room. The boys were out meeting some of the other leaders, hoping to get a scope of the various perspectives and experiences before the meeting. The dull ache in my abdomen was familiar now, almost like a soothing pain to remind me of Edward. I could never forget him, even without the physical discomfort.

"Yeah, that will look amazing on you," Rosalie agreed, looking up from her magazine to send me a reassuring smile. "Blue is definitely your colour."

"Edward loves blue on her," Alice added shyly, exchanging a glance with Rosalie.

I sighed and rolled my eyes, muttering, "Really? Really, Alice?"

"I'm sorry!" She burst into a fit of giggles. "I couldn't help myself. But it's so true!"

I rolled my eyes again and gently slapped her shoulder with the magazine in my hand.

"Please, the only way your brother likes me is with duct tape over my mouth and tied down so I can't fight with him," I scoffed, opening the magazine back to the page I'd been reading. When neither of the girls responded, I glanced up to find them staring at me with shocked expressions.

"What? It's true."

Alice shook her head quickly and said, "Of course not. Edward doesn't see you like that."

"Yeah, he's your mate. It's impossible for him to enjoy you being in any form of distress," Rosalie added.

I let out a harsh breath and tossed the magazine away. With my brow puckered and a frown set on my lips, I glared down at the duvet.

"Why can't you just accept him as your mate?" Alice continued softly. "I don't see why you're so upset about this mating thing. Edward will love you unconditionally for the rest of your life and he's physically incapable of harming you."

"Did you know mates are formed genetically?" Rosalie piped up. "Jasper found that out while he was doing some research. Loving you is in Edward's genes. Genetically, he's tailored to be your perfect match and it's the same with your DNA too. Immortals have this strand in their DNA that is responsible for deciding who they're mating with. You're the only one in the whole world with the genes that match Edward's. Only his genes are compatible with yours. Isn't that cool?"

I gritted my teeth and cried, "Aren't you guys the least bit upset by this?"

"What do you mean? This just gives me more proof that Emmett and I are meant to be together. There's no one else for either of us and that's so liberating."

"Man, you guys are so lucky. I wish I had a mate to love me and cherish me so much," Alice sighed wistfully.

"Oh my god," I snapped, throwing my hands in the air. "You people are sick! Don't you understand what this means? Edward doesn't love me and he's not meant to be my mate just because we're genetically engineered. He only loves me -and I use that term very loosely to describe a fictitious mating situation that may or may not happen in the future - because his genetics tell him to. He doesn't love me because he thinks I'm pretty or smart. My personality isn't what he loves about me. He has no reason whatsoever to love me except his genetics tell him!"

"No, Bella, you've got it all wrong," Alice protested.

"Stop, Alice! Try to understand! Edward doesn't actually love me for who I am and Emmett doesn't love Rosalie for who she is. They just love us because their DNA tells their mind that. They believe they love us when in reality they don't even know us," I yelled, waving my arms around in frustration. Then, turning to a very shocked Rosalie, I said, "Do you even know what the hell you've been through in the past month? You were raped, for god's sake! How the hell are you so okay being in a forced relationship that began with sex? You're not supposed to be all flattered and glowing just because Emmett claims to love you. Newsflash! He doesn't actually love you!"

The anger blazing in Rosalie's eyes mirrored my own. In a icy tone, one she had never used on me, she growled, "Apologize, now."

"For what?" I shrieked.

"Bella, I think you just need to calm down," Alice began, but I cut her off.

"You think you know so much about this mating thing when in realty, you know nothing. You're living happily, pretending that everything is rainbows and butterflies. You think your mate is just going to charge in like a knight in shining armor and sweep you off your feet. Honesty, you're so brainwashed that you don't realize that he's going to turn into this freakishly possessive beast who steals your virginity just to satisfy his inner monster. Then, you're going to be stuck the rest of your life living a pathetic existence with a man who struts around demanding you give up all your hopes and dreams just to satisfy him. He's going to claim to love just because his stupid genes tell him, not because he loves your smile or thinks you're the most incredible woman to walk on this earth. He's never going to love -"

"ISABELLA! Apologize now!"

I looked away from Alice's tear streaked face and at Rosalie's furious one.

"I'm just trying to make her realize the truth before it's too late," I argued.

"You're being an inconsiderate bitch. Just because this isn't the fucking life you want, it doesn't mean you can shit all over anyone else's dreams. Grow up and open your fucking eyes. You're not a goddamn child. Learn to face your fucking problems and don't ruin anyone else's life just because you're too much of a bitch for your mate to love," Rosalie snapped coldly.

I stared at her in shock, not believing the words that were coming out of her mouth.

"I feel bad for Edward. No wonder he hates you. You can't look past your own childish problems to see anyone else's suffering," she continued in a hard voice.

"This coming from the woman who clung to the first guy who showed her even the littlest affection right after she was raped," I scoffed bitterly.

"Get the fuck out, now!" Rosalie snarled. "When you realize how stupid and revolting you sound, you can come back and apologize to the both of us."

"You know what, fine!" I huffed, getting up and stomping over to the door. "I was getting sick of your brainwashed attitude anyways."

I slammed the door behind me without a backwards look. I glanced over at the door of the bedroom I shared with Edward before hurrying down the hallway in the opposite direction. I can't stand being in that room. Every single thing will remind me of him and his fake affection.

Not looking where I was going it turned the corner and stumbled into a rock hard chest. With a soft "oomph", I tumbled backwards and if it weren't for the muscled arms grasping me, I would've fallen to the floor.

"You okay there, sweet cheeks?"

I gasped and looked up at the sound of that silky, honey voice. I was met with a gorgeous pair of ocean blue eyes with an equally beautiful face to accompany it. Looking at his soft dark curls and firm cheekbones, I realized that he was no Edward but damn!

"You alright, honey?" he asked again.

Blushing furiously, I ignored the ache in my abdomen that was suddenly burning and nodded.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. Sorry about that. I should've looked where I was going."

"By all means, tie a blindfold and run around corners. It's not everyday a beautiful woman stumbles into you," he said softly, shooting me a quick wink.

I bit my lip to fight back a smile and said quickly, "Bella."

"Oh I already knew you were beautiful. You don't need to tell me, sweetheart."

I giggled and shook my head gently.

"No, my name is Bella."

"It suits you perfectly, mio Bella," he murmured charmingly, raising a hand to tuck a stray curl behind me ear.

A sharp pain shot down my sides at his words and I wrenched away from him with a gasp.

"What's wrong, mio Bella?" He rushed forward to hold me again, sounding concerned.

Doubled over, I tried to fight his concerned hands away, but the pain rendered me weak.

"D-don't call me that," I choked out.

I don't know Italian, but even I know what he called me.

"What's wrong, mio Bella?" He repeated, his arms relentless as the wrap around me.

Mustering the last bit of energy I could, I gritted my teeth and pushed myself out of his hold. It wasn't warm and comforting like Edward's. It wasn't safe at all. I felt trapped in his too tight grasp.

With the amount of force I push myself away with, I end up hitting the wall opposite. Out of the corner of my eye, I see him coming forward again, but I hold my arms up in front of me.

He gasped and stepped away when I held up the orbs of flames threateningly and glared in his direction.

"Mio Bella, why are you so upset?" He questioned, smirking slightly.

"Don't call me that!" I spat out.

"Why, mio Bella?"

"I'm not yours!" I nearly yelled. "Stop calling me that -"

"Baby?"

I looked over in relief to see Edward approaching quickly. When he's just mere feet away, I launch myself into his arms, hiding my face into his neck.

"What's wrong, Firefly?" He murmured in my ear, his hold around me tightening but it feels good. Really good.

Over my shoulder, I know he's glaring at that man and I'm grateful.

"Nothing," I breathed, sighing in relief.

"Demetri," Edward greeted the man curtly, not pulling away from my hug.

"Edward," he responded. "I didn't know bringing girlfriends was allowed or else I would've brought a lady friend."

"It's not," Edward growled.

"Ah, I see. Does Carlisle know you've brought your booty call?"

Before I could even blink, I was behind Edward and Demetri was pinned against the wall by a thin sheet of ice.

Glaring at him furiously, Edward said loudly, "She is my mate. Stay the fuck away from her. If I even see you breathe in her direction, I will not hesitate to kill you."

Tucking me under his arm, Edward kept a tight grasp on my waist as he led me away.

"How does it feel to live with the fact that your mate hates you?" Demetri called out from behind just before we turned into another hallway.

Edward's jaw was tight and his eyes furious as we headed down the hallway. Biting my lip nervously, I whispered, "Don't listen to him, Edward. He doesn't know what he's talking about."

Edward didn't say anything as he led me back to our room. When we reached the door, he opened it and gently pushed me inside.

"Get ready quickly. The dinner is in half an hour," he said firmly.

"Edward," I whispered, stepping towards him. "He doesn't know us."

Edward was quiet for a moment before saying quietly, "Then that was one hell of a lucky guess."

~FD~FD~FD~FD~FD~

"Alright, alright," Aro called out loudly from his spot at the head of the table. "Settle down please."

I internally shook my head, amazed that he could manage to quiet down such a large amount of people. The table we were sitting at was huge, just like the gym-sized dining room we were in. Seated at the table were all the members of the council of nine and their mates, the leaders of major territories and their mates, and the future leaders - like Edward - and their mates.

That was one shitload of people and the ruckus we were creating was incredible. Edward was sitting next to his mother with me on his other side, his arm draped over my shoulder possessively. He fed me with his free hand and I, in turn, fed him too. It was a cute gesture and initially, I'd been surprised when he only filled one plate for the both of us. Of course, it wasn't until after the first couple bites that I realized it was staged, just to show the Volturi brothers and the Council of Nine. On my right sat Jasper, who was chatting with my brother. Rosalie and Alice were studiously ignoring me, whispering to each other. They maintained a calm and elegant facade, but I could see the raw emotions swirling inside their eyes.

Demetri was thankfully on the opposite end of the table, but he kept sending me leering glances when Edward wasn't looking. I didn't have the heart to tell Edward because I didn't want him starting a fight to defend me. I didn't deserve it.

Finally, once desert had been finished and the table had been cleared completely, Aro stood up to call everyone to attention.

"Copies of the information we have gathered on this rogue group of Immortals will be going around for everyone to examine. After that, we will be discussing the information and future plans. Please take the next few minutes to look over these documents," he announced before bowing his head and taking a seat again.

A pile of Manila folders was passed along the table, each mated couple or unmated Immortal taking one. Edward began to open the folder and read it when I reached over and gently tugged the corner of it.

"What?" he mouthed, looking confused as I gave him a pointed look.

After a couple seconds though, he understood and slid the folder over a little so we both could read the contents of it.

I was reading just the introduction when a familiar ear-piercing cream sliced through the air. I looked up with a start to see Rosalie push the folder away from her, fearful eyes glaring around at nothing as she stumbled out of Emmett's grasp and away from the table.

"No, no," she shrieked, covering her ears with her hands. "Please, no. Not him, not him again."

"Rosie!" Emmett cried, rushing over to her.

Jasper and Emmett both attempted to stop her, but she kept struggling away from them, clawing at their skin desperately.

"Please, no. Don't touch me. Not again, not again," she chanted frantically.

Esme rushed forward with Carlisle right behind. She attempted to soothe Rosalie, but it was difficult for Emmett to allow so many people. Even poor Alice was pleading with him to let her near to help Rosalie.

"What's wrong with her? Someone get her some water," Aro called out.

"Lacey," Marcus snapped at one of the serving girls. "Water, now!"

I rushed forward to help her, forgetting our harsh exchange just hours before, but I stopped short when I caught sight of the folder she had been looking at. I pulled out of Edward's arm and grabbed the piece of the paper that was on the very top. My face paled as all the blood drained away and my breath caught in my throat. I glanced over at Edward to find him watching me warily.

"What did you find, Bella?" Carlisle asked, noticing the paper in my hands.

Everyone turned to look at me except for Emmett, who was still attempted to calm Rosalie down. She was now trying to crawl away from him and using any means necessary. Emmett's hands had turned blue with the cold she was projecting on to him, but I knew he wouldn't risk burning her by warming his hands.

I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out, all getting stuck on the way. I cleared my throat and called out quietly, "Rosalie?"

Rosalie flinched at the sound of my voice, but continued to struggle. I called out her name again, this time louder.

"Rosalie, do you know this man?"

She froze for a few seconds before bursting into another round of sobs. She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs, trying to close in on herself as much as possible. Emmett took advantage of her vulnerable position and pulled her into his lap, encasing her in his arms.

"Rosalie?" I said softly. "Do you know him?"

My heart sank as a small, feeble, "Yes," resonated around the room, followed by frail cries. Never had I ever seen Rosalie so weak before. She had always been the icon of strength, my idol.

"How do you know him?" I asked, squaring my shoulders to prepare myself for her answer.

Everyone looked on confused, not understanding my questions, but all that didn't matter. What did matter was Rosalie and this horrifying, hidden truth.

It was a couple seconds before she spoke again. Her terrifying words ringing in my ears for hours later.

"H – he was one of th – them. He...they…he was the one who raped me."