"Bells? Bells? Bella?" The words called out to me. Still, no matter how much they called, nothing could break me from the trance I was in. 7 minutes from now, I would be on a stage, as the New York Philharmonic Orchestra's lead cellist. I was as pale as a ghost, although I basically am that pale anyway. If it weren't for my mahogany curls and muddy brown chocolate eyes, I'd be confused for an albino. And that still doesn't stop some people.
"Isabella. Bella! ISABELLA MARIE SWAN!" my father yelled once more, shaking me from my reverie. My father is Charlie. Charlie Swan. When I was 17, I moved in with him in Forks, Washington, so my mom could be with her husband, Phil. My mom, Renee, married Charlie straight out of high school when they were 18. A year later, they had me, and not too much later, she left him, taking me with her to California. We lived there for a few years, until we finally settled in Phoenix, Arizona. Her current husband, Phil, is a minor league baseball player, and he travels a lot. Even though Renee wanted to join him, she stayed behind with me. I know it pained her, so I decided to move in with Charlie those 3 years ago.
All my life, I'd been taking music lessons, trying almost every instrument, before settling on the cello when I was 9. It was always a mere hobby of mine, but when I moved to Forks, Charlie started making me perform. That's how I ended up in Julliard.
It's not that I don't enjoy playing the cello, I love it more than anything, but I don't like being exploiting my love. It's not what I wanted to do with my life. I hate performing. It's just not me. The only one really benefitting from my playing is Charlie, because of my big, fat paychecks he's grown accustomed to.
The only rock I've really had through the whole Charlie debacle is my best friend, Alice Brandon. I met her on my first day at Forks High, and we've been inseparable since. She actually is a gifted violinist, so we both went to Juilliard, and she also got a spot in the New York Philharmonic Orchestra as an accompanist.
Charlie's shrill voice, which he only uses at times like these, shook me out of my thoughts once more. "Bella? Hello? Earth to Bella!" he snapped, waving his hand in front of my face.
"Huh?" I asked, confused for a minute. I was too nervous to even pay attention. This was one of the biggest performances of my career.
"5 minutes, Bells." My dad explained. "Oh." I muttered in return, unsure if he heard me. My father rolled his eyes and stomped away.
I quickly stood up and checked my appearance once more in the gold, full-length mirror. Hair, check. Make-up, check. Dress, check. Shoes, check. All good.
"Bella?" my father's head peered in from the door. "Jeez, Bells. You're shaking. Relax." I didn't even notice I was. I took a deep breath and forced a smile at him. "Ok, not that relaxed. Let's go."