𝐍𝐎𝐒𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐔━︎━︎ C. Cullen ✓︎

𝐄𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN:
DECISIONS, DECISIONS

ECHO LOOKED AT THE four of them that were staring at her with confusion. Echo gave them all blank looks as she focused on her heartbeat. It was slower than it was the last time. Echo had a hand over her heart, her brows furrowing as she listened. After a moment she let out a sigh. Fifteen beats-per-minute. Her heart rate was only fifteen beats-per-minute.

Echo finally looked back up at the group sending them all a smile. She clapped her hands together, "So, what did I miss?"

"Echo, are you alright?" Bella asked. Echo furrowed her eyebrows as she nodded her head.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know. Maybe because you were just dead five minutes ago!" Bella snapped. Echo rose her eyebrows with amusement. The smallest of smiles lingered on her face as she listened to her sister yell at her. Once Bella glared at Echo, the older sibling cocked her head to the side.

"Are you done?" Echo asked. Bella let out a huff before nodding her head. "Good. Can I leave now? I have work in like four hours."

"You just died and your first worry is work?" Bella asked with a scoff.

"Geez, Bells. This isn't the first time I've died." Echo mumbled, forcing herself up off the bed.

"Echo, you need to lay down." Carlisle stated. At the sound of his voice, Echo remembered what happened and why she did what she did.

"I don't need to do anything, Carlisle." Echo growled, her voice was dangerous and it caused the vampire to take a step back. She looked over at Sam, a conversation exchanging between the two with just their eye contact. Sam nodded his head and Echo sent her sister a small smile before forcing herself off of the bed, slowly making her way toward the werewolf.

"You can show yourselves out." Sam mumbled before taking Echo's hand and making their way out of the house. The two made it to the beach, walking alongside the shallow water.

"E, what happened to you?" Sam asked after a few minutes of silence. Echo sighed as she ran the heel of her hand across her forehead as she felt a headache form behind her right eye. Echo sent him a reassuring smile.

"I'll tell you, but not today. Please." Echo softly said. She sounded vulnerable and Sam knew to back off. Whenever Echo's voice went gentle about a topic, it was a fragile conversation that would come up in it's own time. There was a silence again and a small yet worried smile fell onto the male's face.

"How long have you known?" Sam asked. Echo looked at him, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion before he gave her a knowing look. Echo opened her mouth as a small smile formed on her lips.

"Since I found out they were vampires." Echo answered. "Makes sense why you don't like them. They're your mortal enemies." A frown stretched on Echo's face as she looked down at the ground. Sam squeezed her hand in reassurance, telling her that she could tell him anything. "Do you know?" Her voice had never sounded so broken before and it took Sam off guard.

"About what?" He gently asked.

Echo let out a shaky breath as she tried to take control of her emotions. "About the fact that I'm Carlisle's mate."

Sam surprised himself when a scratch of happiness entered his body. As much as he didn't like the Cullen's, if Echo was to be with one of them he was glad that it was Carlisle. The girl deserved happiness after everything that happened, though he knew as much as Bella did, he could tell the girl had been through a lot.

"Well, I know now." He answered.

"I don't know what to do, Sam. He's such a good guy and he deserves someone that lo-likes him just as much as he does that person. I don't want to be that person, Sam." Echo whispered. Sam looked down at the girl who was biting her lip to keep herself from showing her emotions.

"I think you do want to be that person, you're just scared that something is going to happen due to your past relationships. You think you're cursed and you think love-" Echo cringed deeply at the word. "-is your worst enemy because of everything it has done to you. But―︎ as much as I hate to say it―︎Carlisle is good for you. You deserve happiness, E. And you're just one step away from receiving it.

"I know you're scared. I know you don't want to let someone else in because you're afraid they'll hurt you. But, E, you're not in Russia anymore. You're home. Loosen up just a tad. Give him a chance, but only when you're ready. And let him in, don't hide anything. Secrets are the real reason why love is such a bitch."

꧁꧂

Echo had thought about Sam's words and had also decided to call out sick. She retrieved her bike from the woods and decided to drive around to clear her mind off of things. One sentence continued to repeat through Echo's mind. Let him in, don't hide anything. Echo knew what that meant. It meant she would have to tell him everything. It would mean she'd have to tell Bella everything. It would mean she would be vulnerable.

Echo pulled to the side of the road as she ran a hand through her dark locks. Was she really about to do this? How would they react? Would Bella look at her differently? The younger Swan sibling didn't understand that Echo isn't the same woman that she was when she left home. She was damaged goods. She was a murderer. How would Bella react to those words? Surely she would look at Echo like she was a monster, a disgrace. Just like their mother did.

Echo has had to make some tough and complicated decisions in her life, but she had never struggled so much with the one she was wavering at that moment. Finally, Echo pulled out her phone, dialing her sisters number and bringing the phone up to her ear. There was only a ring and a half before Bella eagerly picked up.

"Echo? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Where are you right now?" Echo asked, letting out a soft sigh as she closed her eyes.

"I'm at Edward's. Wh-"

"Good. Stay there. I'm on my way. Make sure everyone's there when I arrive."

"Yeah, okay. But may I ask why?"

"You wanted to know what happened in Russia right? Well, you're about to find out." With that, Echo hung up the phone and quickly revved the motorcycle engine before turning around and making her way toward the Cullen's residence.

1,141 words
Authors note: You know what the means. You're finally gonna get to hear about Russia in the next chapter!

I hope you all enjoyed! Stay safe! Until next time, bye my lovelies!♥️

@HAHA_LIFEISTOUGH