Bella

It's been fifteen years since I've crossed the ocean. Fifteen years since I've been home. I was just eight years old when they told us we had to leave the country, and that was after a year of being on the run.

I tug at my seat belt in frustration, asking for it to be loosened in which I only receive a cold look and a firm "no" from G and an annoyed glare from Landon. I find myself gripping the metal arms of the seat next as the plane begins it's decent. Landon looks at me and smirks lightly as if I'll return it.  As if it will reassure me that this is the best thing for us.

I thought this would be okay, but everything inside is telling me that we need to go back to Europe as soon as possible.

Landon said it was time. He was tired and needed a change. He said it had been too many years that we'd spent in the UK. I suggested moving to Germany, Australia...China. I would have moved anywhere else too, even if it meant Landon got to pick again. I would have done it for the sake of my sanity.

"Do you really want to avoid home for the rest of your life Bella?" He asked me, my hands grasped in his as he looked desperately into my eyes. "Jax said this might be our only chance to make a move like this. I think we should take it, start fresh. Maybe we can start to meet people and live regular lives. Don't you want a family? Children? Time isn't slowing down, and I think we deserve a shot at this."

Regular lives. I tried not to laugh at him. No matter how hard they try to make us think our lives can be normal, the truth is...they never will be. When the people you love are taken away from you.  When your identity is stolen from you.  When you are forced to answer to a name and talk about a history that was never your own, how can life be normal?

Fifteen years later, it's the first thing I think about each morning when I wake up, and each night before I fall asleep.

I guess the biggest reason I decided to play along, is because Landon is older, and I know how badly he wants to have a family and forget about the past. It would kill me to see him die without getting the chance to fall in love. Me? I have no interest. I keep to myself, don't talk to people or strange men who casually glance my way when I walk down the street. While Landon made it a point to have at least two or three friends, and the casual girlfriend, I was fine on my own. It's not the best way to live. Not the way our parents would have ever intended my life to be.

It's safer not to have any ties in case Jax comes and makes us pack up and move to another city, country, or continent in a single evening. Right now he's assured us we're safe. We haven't been trailed in years, he says. I don't trust it, but I couldn't persuade Landon otherwise. Jax is like family, and whatever he says, Landon believes. After all, for a long time, he was the only person in the world we could trust. He kept us safe, Jesus, alive. He looked after us and made sure the remainder of our childhood was as pleasant as possible.

I shouldn't be so paranoid. I should just trust him, be happy that we can finally go home, and start fresh in a place where nobody knows us, where nobody will find out who we are.

The plane finally touches down, and it's only then that my brother speaks to me again.

"Jax seemed excited about this new place," Landon speaks up softly. "He says we're going to like this one. He wouldn't give me details, but he said there's going to be a lot more room for us now. He also said it's very quiet and sleepy, nobody is going to get to us. We'll just blend in."

In the first two years, the hardest years, we moved from place to place weekly, sometimes city to city, sometimes country to country, and even continent to continent. We were living out of two-bedroom apartments and condos, while Jax and random agents posed as our parents. We finally settled in Berlin for three years, being looked after by a set of agents, one male and one female, who would change every three to four months.

For a while, I thought we would spend the rest of our lives there. Jax thought so as well because we were being prepped for University by private tutors who worked exclusively for Jax and his people. It was the only time in my life I longed to have friends, go to parties, and live the life of a young adult. No sooner did we fill out our applications though, than we were rushed out of our living quarters in the dead of night, barely escaping with our lives. Jax gave us sedatives once we were on the plane. The next thing I remember was waking up in London, Landon sleeping next to me in the bed inside some dingy motel room. To most, it would seem strange and horrifying, but for Landon and I, the situation was all too familiar.

Jax said we were starting over. That they were going to be even more careful with us, with our names, and new identities. We were forced to dye our hair again and cut it. Jax made us change our eye color with nonprescription colored contact lenses, and made us wear nearly invisible ankle bracelets that could locate us no matter where we were in the world. I swore to myself I wouldn't long for company or friends, or love after that. I would keep to myself and try to be happy. I was okay doing that.

I forced myself to fall in love with that city, to find things that would keep me entertained no matter what. Years went by, and Jax finally convinced me to use the private degree I had gotten through him to start a career. I felt myself begin to change when I went to work and started helping people. I was content and comfortable. But ten years in the same place does things to people, especially young people. Especially people like my brother, who had always wanted more.

Secretly, I always knew he would jump at the chance to come back home and start over again. I prayed so hard every night, to never let that chance come about.

Now it has.

"Bella."

It's one of the last times he'll be able to call me that. We promised ourselves to only defer to our real names when we're changing locations. It helps us reboot ourselves, I suppose. I know I can't ignore him, so I look at him. I look into those green eyes that were our fathers, and I try not to miss him so much. "Yeah."

"We have to try." He reaches over and squeezes my hand. "Just promise me you'll try to make a friend or two. I'm sure the other women in town will be nice and welcoming."

I nod slightly.

"They would have wanted us to live our lives and be happy, Bella," Landon reminds me. "We're alive. They did everything in their power to ensure our survival. They can't have died in vain."

"Don't you think I know that by now," I snap at him harshly, immediately regretting it. "Jesus, Landon..." I sigh and rub my face with my hands. "It's been fifteen years. Give me a chance to process all of this, the move and everything, please."

He sighs and leans back in his seat. "I'm sorry. I know I don't need to lecture you. It's just the move and Jax and his damn regulations..."

I glare at him again.

He clears his throat. "I'll let you settle in."

"Thank you."

The plane taxies for a few more moments, and finally comes to a halt. I glance out the window once "G" permits me to open it, and all I see is...grass...grass everywhere. We're in some kind of field. I know Jax will be waiting for us as soon as we step foot off of this aircraft, and I have no idea what to expect after that. He'll probably sedate us, so we'll never know where we landed. In fact, wherever we are isn't our final destination. We probably won't make it there until tomorrow, maybe even the day after that. We could be thousands of miles from there. Jax says things have to be done this way, so we won't be able to tell anyone where we've landed. He says it's safer.

It's all part of the Regulations.

I don't know who we would tell anyway. Well, Landon did make some friends. Maybe Jax is doing this because of him.

"Jax wants each of you to change appearance before you leave the aircraft. Landon, you first." The female agent, only known to us as "G" says, as she takes the key card out of her pocket and swipes it in the card reader in the arm of Landon's seat. His seat belt immediately unlocks and he throws it off of his lap in disgust.

"We're south so the request is you shave your head, keep it shaved for now. Change to brown eyes."

Landon shrugs. "Can we get this over with?"

"G" leads him away. Within ten minutes he's back, and Mom's blonde/brown locks are nonexistent. My brother looks different with brown eyes, but it suits him. He's pushed back down into the seat and belted again. I'm next. "G" is a master with hair extensions. Within minutes my shorn red locks have extended to the middle of my back, blonde now instead, and my eyes are blue. I look in the mirror and can see parts of my parents staring back at me. I shudder and turn away.

I'm lead back to my seat and belted again. Our instructions are to wait patiently until Jax arrives. It's aggravating. We were both given bathroom breaks when we boarded, halfway through the flight, and about two hours ago. That's it until Jax comes. I squirm in my seat because my bladder doesn't agree with the Regulations.

I ask G for the time what seems like hours later. She tells me its still daylight, which doesn't help things, but I shouldn't have expected any more information from her. Landon begins to grumble for his phone call. He says Jax should have been here already, and I wholeheartedly agree. Just as G begins to give in to my brother's demands, she receives a message from the front cabin that Jax is close.

I've never been so thankful to be halfway to sedatives and mystery travel in my life.

The air compressor on the door makes a hissing sound about twenty minutes later, which means Jax has finally arrived. I shift around in my seat and Landon cranes his next around the rows of seats in front of us to catch a glimpse of the man who has complete control over our lives.

"Sorry you two," Jax sighs when he finally appears in the aisle. "I meant to be here much sooner."

"Meanwhile my bladder has practically exploded," I complain. "Your friend here wouldn't let us out of our seats except to play hairdresser."

"You didn't have to be so strict G," Jax smiles at his agent as he makes his way over to us. "I just said to be careful."

"This is being careful sir," she nods. "I was given instructions to take every precaution necessary."

"I'll make it up to you," Jax promises us with a smile and swipes his card in our readers so the seat belts fall out of place again. It's only then that we're free to move around on our own. I take a moment to stretch, along with Landon, before we beeline to the lavatories. Jax is right in front of the doors when we reemerge, two new guards standing behind him.

"Anything else you need to settle before we get started? There are fresh clothes on board if you want to change now, otherwise, you'll have to wait until we arrive."

Landon and I exchange glances. I know he's just ready to get off this damn plane, and so am I. "We're ready now, Jax," I tell him.

He gives a nod at the two men behind him, and they step forward. One grasps Landon's arm firmly and forces him away. I get nervous, like always, for just moments, until my guard pulls me away. I want to call out to Landon, ask for his reassurance just one more time, but the guard is pulling me along and it's all I can do to concentrate on walking down a flight of stairs without stumbling. I hate this.

"I hate this," I hear myself say it out loud. "I hate this and I hate you, Jax!"

"You said that the last time!"

He's laughing. I feel myself scowling. It's a few more gut-wrenching minutes of being pulled along before we approach a black limousine. A man gets out of the driver's seat and immediately opens the back door. I'm guided down into a plush leather seat, and Landon is pushed in behind me. A smiling Jax comes soon after, and it's only then that the door is shut behind us.

"Can I know where we're going now?" I mutter.

"Don't ask so many questions, Bella," Landon mutters, sinking further back into his seat, seemingly relieved.

"I know you hate this part, the traveling part," Jax says. "I admit, it's the worst part of the journey. Soon it will be over, and you'll quickly forget about the hardship just like all the other times. Trust me. Just think, in a day or two, you'll have a whole new life, back here at home."

"Right." I nod slowly and gaze out at the blank, desolate field of grass.

"Isabel," Jax says after a moment. "I want you to know that this is the end of the line. You shouldn't have to worry about anymore moving, anymore panic, after today. It really will seem much more normal than what you've been used to. I think you're going to be very happy."

"Trust him," Landon says. "Bel, this is the best thing."

I don't know what to say. I don't know what to think. I'm just confused, and so overwhelmed that I want to scream. I hate traveling, and I don't hate Jax, but I'm very irritated with him right now. "Do you promise," I manage. "Jax." I finally look at him. "No more moves...no more running?"

"You know I can't promise," he sighs. "But I'm ninety-nine percent sure that you and Landon aren't going to have to worry anymore."

"How can you be so sure?"

"That's for me to worry about," he smiles.

I figured as much.

The car finally begins to move and Jax gives us a meal. Sandwiches, fruit, and juice boxes. Landon devours his and Jax gives him extra. Idiot gave me his meal on the plane because he said I needed it more than he did. Damn him. I told him there would be plenty of food in the car.

"Satisfied?" Jax asks us after we've both finished eating.

"We're okay," Landon speaks for us.

"Good." Jax gets serious as he pulls the little black box out of his briefcase. He opens it up, and I know what it is before he even pulls the syringe out.

"I'm not tired," I tell him, pathetically.

"Come now, Bella," he says in that fatherly way he's notorious for. "You know there's no other way."

I have to give in because he's right. There are no choices here, just Regulations. Regulations that he's mandated to follow or face consequences, like being separated from us.

As much as I hate to admit it, I know we would both crumble without him.

I hold out my arm, and he rubs it gently before sticking me in the usual place. I'm left gazing into Landon's new brown eyes before my brain shuts down and I'm forced into a deep, dreamless sleep.