Beloved Past

Chapter 1

The Photo Album From The Past

I sat in my room. I was typing on my laptop. It was summer, the AC was on high. The air in Arizona had been to high to go out side that day.

My mother had grounded me, for staying out to late with my boyfriend. It was Saturday and since I was grounded I couldn't go out. And I had nothing to do.

Renee and Phil were not home, they were out doing some minor league baseball thing. Renee is my mother, and Phil is my stepfather. He's younger then Renee. My mother had married my father fresh out of high school.

My laptop was about to die, and me being me, I didn't want to hunt for the charger. Getting board of all my books I went up to the attic. Surly there was something I could read up there.

I walked up the stairs to the same room, and turned the light on, the room was filled with old cloths and albums of CD's and pictures. The room held the memories of childhood but of a past life too. I walked over to an unmarked box. Most of the boxes had been marked with what was in them like 'Bella's ballet shoes' from when my mother had made me take dance, I wasn't any good.

I opened the box and dust floated up to my face; I wiped my eyes with my tee shirt. The box had old newspapers and an old photo album in it. The photo album looked older then me.

I carried the box to my room. The dust was still in my eyes, so I went to take a quick shower. I used vanilla body wash. The shower felt good. I dried my hair and put on clean jeans and a clean tank top and went back to my room.

The box was next to my bed, I pick of the newspaper first it read 'Germans Forced from the Champagne Region' the date said 1918.

I dropped it. And grabbed the photo album, and flipped to the first page. It was a picture of a boy no older then 18 standing with a girl, he was smiling down at her, she was looking right at him.

I couldn't get a good look at the girl, but the boy, he was beautiful. There was no inscription. No info on who these people where. But god did they look happy. I flipped to the next page there they were again they were standing in front of an automobile. The girl was looking away from the camera like before. But from what I could tell she was pregnant. Who ever these people where they lived in 1918.

The next page showed a big house, it was beautiful. The porch held a bench on which you could swing. The house was big and white.

My phone sang out 'white houses'

Jenny screams out and it's no pose

'Cause when she dances she goes and goes

Beer through the nose on an inside joke

And I'm so excited, I haven't spoken

And she's so pretty, and she's so sure

Maybe I'm more clever than a girl like her

Summer's all in bloom

Summer is ending soon

It's alright and it's nice not to be so alone

But I hold on to your secrets in white houses

It was a text message from Renee,

Bella, Phil and me got held up and won't be home till late, make sure to eat.

-Love you Renee

I went down to the kitchen and fixed myself pasta and bread. My mother is the worst cook, thank god she has Phil or she never eat. She can't cook at all.

After I was done I put my plate and cup it the sink and let them soak in the soapy water. And went back to my room. The photo album was better then any Jane Austen story. This couple was real. And I would never know their story.

The Arizona sky grew dark and time passed. I soon grew sleepy I put the photo album and newspaper under my bed so Renee wouldn't find it. And changed it a ratty pair of sweatpants and but on a new white tank top.

I fell asleep soon after that.

~0~

The door opened and closed. Children laugh and ran about, mothers started yelling at them, and said they were in for a whipping if they didn't stop it.

Where was I? I opened my eyes. I wasn't in my room; the sky was bright blue above me. He head hurt. And the ground was cold. I looked around. I was in an ally, not far from the main street in the city.

I pushed myself off the ground, luckily last night I had god to sleep wearing a bra, and after all I was about to walk out to a city street.

The street wasn't filled with young girls wearing jeans or pants, all the women, girls were wearing dresses, I looked down at myself, I was still in my ratty pair of sweatpants and my white tank top.

I walked out of to the street, my bare feet toughing the cold street. People stopped and stared at me. I wanted to cry. Where was I? I rushed away from the city street running for all my life.

"Edward look!" a boy yelled out

"A Girl wearing pants! Can you believe it!" a boy yelled

I had just about too much; I stopped running and went to were the boys were. I would set them straight.

"I am not weird," I yelled at the boy who had been talking.

"I never said you were" he and his friends ran off.

I fell to the ground and started to cry. I wasn't in Arizona anymore and it wasn't 2012 anymore.

"Are you alright?" a boyish voice asked, I didn't look up.

"Does it look like I'm okay? I don't even know where I am!" I said and started to cry even more.

"Your in Chicago" he said

"Chicago" I said to myself

"Do you need a hand" he held his hand out, I took it. And finally looked at him. He…He was the boy from the pictures. I let out a yelp. How, how could I be here with him. He had to be dead he was from the 1900s.

"Who are you?" I asked shyly

"Edward Manson" he said, "And you?"

"Isabella Swan, but I like just Bella" I said

"A beautiful name for a beautiful girl" he says

"Yeah" I said having nothing left to talk about

"Where are you from?" he asked

should I lie to him. If I was going to lie I shouldn't have told him my name. "Arizona" I said to him, I loved Arizona, I loved the heat.

"Is it nice there?" he ask

"Wonderful, I love the heat!" I say happily

"Can I ask you why your wearing pants?" he ask shyly

What do I say, that 'hey I'm not from here, this time period' no I couldn't "because I like it more then those awful dresses" I say

"Do you have a place to stay?" he ask again

"No, I…I don't think so, I slept in an ally last night" I say

"Then you can stay with me!" he says

"I don't know, I don't know you." I say wearily

"I'm not a murder Bella" he says

"I guess I could stay with you" I say

~0~

The house, his house, wasn't the house from the photo. The house didn't have a bench on which you could swing, this house with light fading blue, not white.

Edward opened the door of the house for me.

"Mum, Dad I'm home" he yelled out. It was kinda normal. Everyone did that, even here in the 1900s.

"Edward I told you to be home by…" the women stopped talking and looked at me. "Edward who's your friend?" she asked

"Um mom this is Bella, she doesn't have any place to stay." He says and looks at his mom.

"I guess she could stay with us" his mother says

"Thanks Mom!" he says and hugs her

"I'm Elizabeth by the way" she says and walks away