i'm not as scared as i was by the last chapter lol... i'm really interested as to where this is going to go now........

I glad to find out alittle more about Edward. Great chapter. Thanks for the update.

God, there's so much brilliance in this chapter, I'm at a loss for where to start.

Abandonward breaks my heart. He trusts her so much already, and when he lets her touch him, I tear up. After all the abuse he's suffered, he still allows her in, still allows her to get close enough to touch the scars marring him, both inside and out. It's fucking incredible, bb, it really is.

And Bella..... God, she's lovely. She's one of the few Bella's I don't mind reading the narrative of, and the way she handles things and Edward just amazes me. She's so mature and seems to know just what Edward needs to help him feel better. Playing the yes/no game with him was just genius, bb.

As always, I have to include one of my favourite parts of the chapter in my review, purely because I love it and think you deserve to know just how brilliant and beautiful your writing is:

“Please let me in.”

He sighed, his body trembling against mine, but he never asked me to move. We sat there for some time in comfortable silence, though his body continued slightly trembling, with him pressed against the cement wall and me pressed against him. Finally, he decided it was enough.

“Can I rest…Bella?”

I pulled back, palming my hands against the ground and began scooting backward toward my wall. “Of course, I’ll just-”

He peered over his shoulder. “Stay…please,” he pleaded.

*Sigh*

You never cease to amaze me, bb.

I love you, wifey!

Que quowle! xoxoxoxoxo

Okay, so we both know I'm a shitty friend and shitty reviewer, so I'm going to just, you know, not mention my fail anymore.

This chapter kills me, bb. Like, majorly kills me. It's really beautiful but tragic at the same time. Take this section for example:

He blinked away the fog and slowly met my gaze. I waited for him to pull away from me, but he kept his hand in mine. He peered down to where our hands were joined, wearing a confounded expression, then lifted my hand and turned it over slightly, furrowing his brow as if he were trying to ideate something. “Edward?” 

He glanced up to me, then back down to my hand, shaking his head while mumbling, “I don’t understand.”

I didn’t think his musing was meant for my ears, but I did hear and I wanted to know what he meant. “What is it? What don’t you understand?”

His gaze was still fixed on our hands, but he placed his free hand over his chest and began breathing in and out deeply. “I can breathe.”

That's such a fucking powerful scene, it makes me tear up each time I read it. Edward's so broken, so innocent, but at the same time, he's seen and experienced more than anyone his age should ever have to. His reactions to Bella and her reactions to him are fucking incredible and realistic and I absolutely adore the way you're slowly building up their relationship.

The spark between them at the end of this chapter just blows me away. You managed to write that so incredibly well, bb, and didn't overdo it like so many other people have when trying to describe something like it. It's perfect, just like this story.

I love you, bb.

Que quowle xoxoxoxo

Awsome chapter, I'm so hooked on this story!!! Love your new banners!

Edward's back makes me cry. People suck. :(

OMG! Jess, this is such a good chapter. I love that things are starting to come out in the open. I really want to know what happened to him. It's really so sad. I almost cried when I read about him being beat for not eating the food with the bugs in it! Ugh! How awful to do that to someone.

Well, I look forward to learning more.

Hugs,

Louise

thanks for the update......... I am so glad you have done a story that included abuse there is far to much of it out there.  You have done a wonderful job in showing the mental effects of abuse as well as the physical.  Thank you again for writing this story!!!!!!!!

Great idea with the yes/no game, even though it wasn't 100% successful. It was successful enough!

Some people are just...  *never mind what I'm thinking*

I'm glad Edward is trusting Bella as much as he is.  I think he'll find it is as she said -- he's in there. And he can smile at silly jokes and enjoy a home-cooked meal and be...safe and happy. Someday.

Congrats on the plethora of nominations!!

This story is amazing. I love that you are going at a slow pace, as situations and problems cannot be insta-fixed :]

I feel for Edward. He must be scared and alone and I think Bella is really good for him.

Wonderful chapter :)

This is very intriguing.  No, you're right, there are not lots of answers yet, but have we utterly forgotten what it is like to read a book and have no idea what is happening until the final chapters??  I love reading online, but I think the medium makes people inpatient.  No pressure here.

While there is mystery and intrigue to your story, it is not confusing or frustrating.  Great job so far, and I aplogize for not reviewing previous chapters... I was too busy reading! ;-)