Tick...tick...tick. Time is slow and pointless. The minute your born into the world you start to die and day by day your dreams are torn apart. I lay there wishing for the end in a hospital bed assigned to me. The hospital where I was born, where my mother died, where my father abandoned me. This was my final resting place. Or at least it was suppose to be. I reached up to touch my neck. The fragile lines carved into my skin where only slight and shallow. I had passed out but my foster mother had walked in on my suicide, saving me...or at least that's what she thought she was doing. I rested my hands on the pale white blankets that covered me and balled my hands into fists, focusing on the conversation outside my door. Something about being admitted for another week. I finally let my brown eyes shut and my head roll to the side. I pulled the pillow from under my head and held it over my face, pushing ever so slightly, falling into unconsciousness.
"Bella?" My own name rung in my ears. I jumped at the sound. It was not my foster mother nor was it my doctor. The boy smiled down at me, his golden eyes glinting in the scarce light reminding me of a lion staring down its prey. He lifted the board with my information and tossed it in my lap. "Welcome to our little family."
He left the room quickly and I ran my fingers trough long reddish brown hair. My hair. I remembered how my foster mother had said she had given up on me and I sighed once more. She was just another one in the list of many. Jumping from the hospital bed I changed into my street clothes, which consisted of a forest green tank top and a pair of denim shorts, and walked out into the hall. Only the nurses and the ticking noise of the clock.
"Can I tell you a secret?" That fimilar voice whispered into my ear. I looked to the left surprised by his eyes. "You are so creepy."
I growled at him but he just smiled at me. "Isabella Swan. Age sixteen, brown hair, brown eyes, hospitalized forty-two times in only this year."
He feed back my information but I just bit my lip, glaring at him. I wanted to seem strong and stand my ground but my knees wobbled. Steadying myself against the wall I sighed. The ticking was in my ears, I couldn't concentrate. I was waiting for more words but he remained motionless and soundless, staring me down.
"Edward be nice!" The words where jumpy, happy even though they where force full and authoritative. There was a girl standing there behind him with brown hair. Her bright golden eyes flashed at me, the same golden eyes as this Edward boy. "Hey there, I'm Alice!"
"Bella." My voice sounded rougher then I had meant.
"She's hostile." Edward waved a hand in my direction before walking off down the hall. I huffed under my breath but Alice's soft voice sounded again.
"He's a jerk. Don't mind him. I'll take you home when your released." She smiled giving me a wink and leading me back into my room. I struggled to get back to the hall, wanting so bad to hunt down that boy and give him a peice of my mind, but the small girl was stronger then me. She shoved me on the bed and I collapsed easily. Who the hell where these people!
Without a word I fell into my dark hole again. I truly wished the darkness would just swallow me up and never return me. I wanted to die, were the multiple cuts and wounds and suicides and pills not enough to convince them to just let me go. Suddenly, without warning I was in the blackness again. Lost in my own dreams once more.
Dawn awoke me. The light hit me, hit me hard. I struggled to open my eyes, flinging my arm up to try to protect me. Those eyes where there in a flash, just inches from mine, starring intently into mine as if ready to attack.
"Bite me." I whispered glaring, or doing my best to do so, as he laughed. It pierced me hard, that laughter of his. It was so light like a child's. I sighed trowing the covers off of me and standing up.
"Ready to go?" Alice was sitting on my bed where moments ago I had slept so soundly. I looked at her skepticaly. "You've been sleeping for nearly three whole days."
"Thought you where dead." The words where whispered into my ear.
"I wish." I spat marching over to my dresser and pulling out my book bag. Turning towards the door I closed my eyes and let my feet carry me. Alice grabbed hold of my arm and pulled me along the series of halls. I opened my eyes giving them a roll. I could feel Edward glaring at me from behind. I felt like spinning around and punching him right in the face, but this would be my new foster family. I couldn't be so violent. This would be my new life. Finally we emerged out into the sunlight and I had to wince again this time at the fact that I was being led to a very long, very black convertible, the light reflecting of the gleaming surface. Edward took his seat in the drivers side and Alice helped me into the back. She took the seat beside her brother and we where off. It was hard to keep my eyes shut even in the bright light of the sun so instead I paid attention as we headed off the main roads and onto a beltway. We where heading the opposite direction of where I used to live. Out of the country and into the city.
Finally the blur of greens and yellows turned into the rough grays and whites of the stone walls. We slowed our pace and I was taken aback by the noise around me. Yelling, lots of yelling. We stopped after a few more twists inside of a large parking complex. Alice had already left the car and Edward was slamming his door shut. I climbed quickly from my seat and rushed after Alice. I fallowed her out and into the lobby of a large apartment building, then in front of the large steel doors of the elevator. Edward jammed the button roughly and the ding brought me back to the reality of it all. I knew nothing of the people I was fallowing. I knew nothing about my new family. I had no idea what to expect. Probably just another small two bedroom foster home with run down walls, but if the car was any indication, I was wrong. I had never been to one of these types. Always in a big home with lots of kids. Always in the country. I sighed as another ding announced our arrival. Only the doors didn't slid open. Alice smiled at me, turning a key inside a slot next to the button we had pressed to get to the top of the building. The doors dinged open to reveal the large and spacious polished wooden floors of a penthouse apartment.
"Welcome home." A voice called lazily from the sofa. A hand waved in the air as if telling us to come in.
"Where home!" Alice replied happily bounding over in the general direction of the living room that lay ahead of us. Edward traveled off down a hall to the right. I looked back to Alice and she waved me over happily. She plopped down on the floor and I dragged my feet over to the couch not daring to look down. "This is Jasper. He was adopted. We all are."
I starred down at the man who lay on the sofa. He looked like he was sixteen or seventeen. His long arm reached up into the air and I stepped back. He was fast though like his sister and brother. His fingers wrapped around the collar of my shirt and yanked me forward. His eyes where the same golden color as the rest of them. I was lost for a moment before I felt his breath on my mouth. I had not realized we where this close, his nose grazing mine. I was pushed backwards and suddenly he was sitting up, running long fingers trough sandy brown hair. He seemed to remind me of Edward in every way but his height and his build. He was taller and slightly more muscular then Edward, which seemed almost impossible considering Edward was tall and muscular already. "I give her two weeks."
My death sentence. My hand automatically reached up to my neck where the cuts where starting to heal. If I had it my way I would be gone in less then four days. I was so caught up in my own thoughts I hadn't realized someone else had come in. My head thrust forward after a hard knock to the back of it. I jumped, spinning around, ready to swing at my attacker; whoever it might be. Edward stood before me Lions eyes staring me down. I clenched my hand into a fist and put all my weight behind the punch, yet he caught it so easily. "Stop daydreaming and come to your room."
He started pulling my arm towards the hall and I made no struggle. There was no point, he would win. I counted the doors as we past, each with a name painted neatly on the front in red lettering. I wasn't paying attention to the names though, only the number of doors. We walked past exactly eight doors, before stopping at the last one in the hallway, my name painted on the front. A picture of me was tacked to the door and under it a white sheet of paper. Edward removed the papers and pushed the door open. He tossed the papers onto my bed and moved to the side to let me in. I sighed plopping down on the bed and wincing as the door slammed shut. I picked up the papers and looked over the note. It was the same handwriting that was on the door.
Bella~
Sorry we could not be home to greet you. We had to attend to a business meeting. Jasper will be in charge of the house. We should be home by morning. Make yourself at home.
- Esme and Carlisle
It was short and to the point. I ran over the names of my new parents in the back of my mind. Fumbling around in my backpack I withdrew the small pocket knife. Undoing the white ribbon of bandaging I had wrapped around my wrist I looked over the skin. I sighed making two shallow cuts on the area. Two more cuts and a few spots of blood started to show. They where shallow, thin. They would disappear in a few days, maybe a week, and when the did I would attempt again to return to the hospital which I had been my whole life. I closed my eyes and laid back on the bed. The blankets where soft and warm, and they smelled like vanilla. It was strange. I wasn't used to the silence, then again It didn't last very long.
"Bella!" Alice's voice rang outside my door. There was a loud thunk and I could feel her weight on top of me. My eyes popped open to show me her face. The gold of her eyes blazed. "Want me to show you around?"
"Sure?" I shrugged my shoulders as she bounced away from me. I sat up and watched as she led me back down the hall. I noticed now the names. Some of them repeted. On the door next to mine it listed both my name, Alice's, and another name, Rosalie. Before I could ask, she answered my question.
"This is the girls bathroom, mine and Rosalie's room, Jasper and Edwards room, boys bathroom, Emmit and Jacob's room, and then our parents room and bathroom." Sure enough each room was printed with multiple names. I paused outside of Emmit and Jacobs's room. The only boys I had not met yet. I was staring at the red lettering for a moment before suddenly the door swung open. Black hair framed the face of a small boy. He looked up, for he was ever so slightly shorter then me, with sparkiling gold eyes. He stood still as we just stared at each other in awkward tension. It was kinda creepy how he never spoke a word. His hair was in disaray, rough and untidy. Suddenly he pushed past me and into the hallway going towards the same direction that Alice was standing, at the end of the hall. I stood dumb found for a moment before walking behind him,I felt uncomfortable following him.
Before I knew it though I was next to Alice and he was plopping down on the floor in front of the couch where Jasper had resumed his laying about. Edward was sitting on the arm rest of the couch. They looked like the picture perfect family. How all the kids never fought, and yet they all were adopted. Then the hated voice of Edward suddenly interrupted my thoughts. "The kitchen is on the other side of the living room along with the dinning room."
"Okay." Now that I actually took the time to look around, the living room was just one big room that connected to the dinning room and kitchen. I sighed as Alice walked into the kitchen leaving me on my own.
"Sit." The command came from across the room where Jacob was sitting on the floor. His eyes where cast at the blank TV screen but his words where directed at me.
"Don't even bother Jakey boy." Edward spat the words and turned his face so I could not see any sign of his eyes. Probably to make the fact that he hated me and didn't want me any where near him more painstakingly prominent.
"Sit." Jacob repeated the command. His brown eyes shot up to look at me and he formed his mouth into a slick smile, perfect white teeth showing through. I sighed unable to resist standing there any longer, for two reasons. One was the fact that it seemed like Jacob was the only one that I could not tell upon the personality and two I wanted to piss Edward off as much as possible. I took a seat with my back against the couch, kinda in the middle of where Jacob sat and where Jasper's head was resting. I wasn't safe though. With a sudden and intent movement I felt a hand slam against the back of my head. I almost turned around but the words where already out there. Jacobs voice echoed in my ears, "What the hell Jasper, she's family now, you should start acting like it. Stop pretending you two and grow up for once. You KNOW they want this to work out and you KNOW she's not going anywhere so just deal with it already."
"Why don't you stop acting like a goody two shoes and stop pretending you actually like this one better then all the other ones." Edward jumped into the conversation. He was angry. It seemed like he was the type that would alwasy be angry. "Your the perfect child in every way. Why don't you stop running your mouth to us, because where not changing. There the ones who wanted a child and they've got to find one that we get along with. All of us. And I'm not gonna pretend I like someone I don't."
I was stunned but they yelling had stopped and everything was quite again. I could hear Edward's breathing, fast and uneven. He sighed one last time before standing up from the couch and walking away. My eyes got dragged to the Tv where the multiple lights and colors flickered to life. I hadn't even realized that Jasper had turned on the t.v during the argument. Soon my mind was so into what ever reality show was playing across teh screen I let the whole argument between the perfect family I had seen just moments slip away form my mind. At least they were perfect before I had interrupted it.