A/N - This is my first one-shot fan fiction so no harsh criticism please, I know my writing isn't the best in the world. It's just a random one-shot I began to write and I finished it in a night and spent a couple hours the next night editing it, yeah it took a while.
Details: This happens in New Moon a few months after Edward leaves her in the forest.
Disclaimer: Twilight... Stephanie Meyer.. Yeah yeah you know how the story is.
Bella POV
I ran as fast as I could through the alley, as fast as my legs could run. My boots hit hard against the pavement as I sprinted. The sounds of light foot steps trailed shortly behind me. The rain started to pick up and it began raining harder. Soon enough, it was pouring. The rain drops were dripping down my face.
The alley merged into the street and I was almost home. I could see the moon from where I was. It was the only light besides one streetlight that lit halfway down the street. I could barely see my house off in the distance, I didn't have enough time to sprint there.
The man who was chasing me got closer and closer and I was slowly running out of stamina. I needed to find a way to lose him so I could rest for a while. There was a secret vacant house I knew about, but it was too risky. Getting there would be a challenge, I didn't know my way there and back to my house that well. I could always climb down to the creek and hide out under the bridge, but with this rain I could fall in easily. My last option was turning down several streets, going down an alley and sneaking into a restaurant that has been closed for a while now, nobody would ever think to look there.
I made a quick left and ran down the next street, which happened to be a dead end. I guess I don't know this place as well as I thought. I looked at my surroundings and found another alley. Dark, but it'll do. I pushed my legs to start running again. A few feet into it, I was grabbed from behind. I was frozen solid. His cold hands were like a stone on my shoulder. "You're done running." The voice said, he sounded out of breath. I took a big breath in, kicked him from behind and starting sprinting again. I ran out of the alley, took a right turn on the next street and kept running.
I kept my eyes sharp for anything that might help me. Straight ahead were train tracks and just my luck, a train was coming. If I run fast enough, I might be able to beat it and separate me from the man. I tried to run faster, but my legs began to fail me. The train was approaching faster, and faster. I wasn't sure if I could make it. Despite the pain in my legs, I pushed myself, and against all odds, I crossed the train tracks a few seconds before the train came. I fell to the ground, watching the lights inside the train pass by. I saw the man just standing there as a train cut me off from him.
A thought had just come to me, I could jump aboard the train and go wherever the train takes me, but knowing this location it wasn't the best idea. I don't know where it was going and I was not too familiar with this place either.
I forced my body to get up and walked down the hill, which led me to a creek. I squatted down, cupped my hands in the water, and washed my face off. I could see my reflection in the water. My dark brown hair was starting to come out of my ponytail, my eyeliner was running down my face, and the cuts on my face had blood coming from them. My bangs fell in front of my face as I took a closer look.
This is who I became, and I'm not proud of it. I used to live such a good life with my mom, Renée. We lived a great life in Arizona, I thought the good times would always last, but them my mom divorced my dad and he couldn't take it. He moved out to Forks to "get away" from the memories. My dad became an alcoholic and because of that, he became abusive. My mom met this new guy and I didn't like him, so I thought I would do a good thing and get my dad's life back together. Apparently that's a mistake in his life, he says "It's my god damn life and I will do what I want. If you can't respect that then I will make you respect it." That's when he would usually bring out a baseball bat.
I have been dealing with this for over a year now, and the fact that Edward isn't here for me anymore doesn't help. It's been a few months since he left my in the forest and I became anti-social. I just became a "mindless walking zombie" to everybody. I still talk to Angela and Jessica every week, not much Eric or Mike, and Jacob just disappeared. I haven't had the heart to drive to his place and figure out what is going on. Besides, whatever is happening if probably none of my business.
I have somehow become accustomed to all of this and lived to deal with it. But tonight he crossed the line. The flashback keeps repeating in my head over and over. It was at a party, it was a raging college party I had managed to sneak into.
"He-ey Bella!" I turned around scanning the place for the person who said my name, they sounded drunk. Angela came from behind me, stumbling, and I caught her by her arm. She has a plastic cup in her left hand full of alcohol I assumed "Nice of you- to turn up here!" I knew she was drunk.
"Angela.. What are you doing here? How did you get in?" I practically screamed at her with the music being so loud.
"Aha, silly. I know people, girl." She looked past me and waved for somebody to come over. "Meet Ryan, the man who snuck me in." He took my hand and kissed it.
"Nice to meet you beautiful." His breath also smelled of alcohol, but who wasn't drinking right now besides me?
Angela tried to push Ryan by the shoulder but just managed to fall down. "Me- and Ryan- we's gonna have fuuun tonight." He grabbed her arms and helped her up to her feet. "He said I 'owe' him for getting me here."
Ryan starred at me and winked. "If you know what I mean." He said to me.
I just stood there looking like an idiot with my mouth open. "Have fun Angela.." I said to myself. She gave me a confused look, I knew she didn't hear me. I didn't want her to. "Go enjoy the party Angela!"
"She definitely will." Ryan said while grabbing her hand and leading her inside. I watched them as he took her upstairs into a bedroom.
That was the last time I saw her that night. I tried not to think about it that much. But after that, I knew that wasn't the place to be, so I started to walk home. It was pretty dark out at the time, and I knew I was going to be late. I was supposed to be home at eleven and it was at least midnight. I couldn't check because I lost my cell phone. The worst of it hasn't even come yet.. The party was nothing compared to what happened at my house. It was tearing away at my heart.
I was walking up my driveway and I knew he was waiting for me. My dad was protective when it came to me being out at night. Being an alcoholic, I knew what was coming. I prepared myself for the worst. No lights were on in the house, he must of forgotten and gone to bed.
I knelt down on my porch, slipped my hand under the mat, and grabbed the key. I heard rummaging in the house, at this moment I knew he was awake. I inserted the key in the lock and twisted it carefully and slowly until I heard a click.
I put the key back under the mat and opened the door slowly, but it made a loud creak noise. I stopped dead in my tracks hoping he wouldn't hear it. After a few long seconds, I continued to open it. When it was a foot open, I squeezed through the gap and shut the door back quietly.
The lights were still out, I had no idea if he was downstairs or upstairs. I took my chances and started walking to the stairs. Out of no where, my dad charged at me with a baseball bat and knocked me into the stairs. Busted.
"You're late!" He screamed while he hit my leg with the bat, making a loud thud, I screamed in pain. "You know-" He swung again, "I don't like it-" and again, "when you're late!" he swung one last time.
My screams of pain echoed in the neighborhood. "I'm sorry!" I screamed, trying to wake the neighbors.
"Sorry does NOT cut it, you're late and must be punished!" He grabbed me by the throat and pulled me up. "Must I get the whip?" I tried to shake my head and say no, but he held me so hard I couldn't move a muscle in my neck. "Is that a yes?" I tried to pry his hands off, but he only squeezed even harder, cutting off my air supply.
The room was getting a bit fuzzy, but he let go and I fell to my knees gasping for air. He left and I knew this was my chance to run. I scrambled to my feet but not fast enough before he sent the whip to my back. I felt this warm stuff flowing down my back, and I knew it was blood. I just laid there on the ground, slowly becoming unconscious. More strikes to the back and more blood was drawn, but I was becoming more numb by the second. Before long, everything went black.
I awoke on the couch with my dad sitting next to me, sleeping. I felt nothing but fear, I now knew this was my one and only chance to escape and runaway from home forever. I didn't know where I would go or what I would do, but I had to leave. I couldn't take any more of the abuse.
I knew I hadn't been out that long, because it was still dark outside and the police hadn't showed up yet. I got off the couch, still sore from the beating, and headed for the door. I looked over at my dad and I saw him awake up, so I opened the door and took off sprinting. I heard him say "Come back!" while running after me.
That's my painful story. I went from a life of luxury to a runaway. I don't know how long my flashback was, but it was quite a while. I couldn't stand the look of my face anymore, and I turned around. He was standing there, just a few feet away from me. I couldn't help it, but a few tears ran down my cheek. He took a step toward me and I took a few steps back into the creek which started soaking my shoe. "Stop trying to run!" He scolded while reaching out to grab me.
My instincts told me to run, so I did. I dived into the creek and started swimming away as fast as I could. "You can't run forever!" That, I knew. I can't run forever, but I can hide. That's exactly what I intend to do. As soon as I find a place to rest, I have a lot of thinking to do about how I'm going to get out of here and what is in my future.
The water was freezing cold, and if I didn't get out soon, I would start to freeze. I didn't have that much time. I heard police sirens go off and I knew they were for me. Many thoughts ran through my head at this point: What's going to happen? What if I got caught by the cops? How long can I hide from them? How am I going to get out of town? Who am I going to stay with?
I found the end of the creek and tried to swim faster, but I only went slower. A couple minutes passed as I struggled to get out of the water. As soon as I could touch the bottom, I began to crawl out of the water and I collapsed on the muddy ground as rain fell all over my sore body. I looked around and I noticed I was next to a road that seemed to stretch for miles. I saw a car coming in the distance so I scrambled to my feet and stood in the middle of the road waving my arms around. The car came to the slow stop and I got in. "Thanks." I said as I put my seat belt on.
The driver was around 25 years old and had a cigarette in his mouth. He wore a stained white shirt with a black leather jacket on and some denim jeans with holes in them. He took the cigarette into his hand and threw it out the window. "Sure. Somebody like you shouldn't be out here alone. By the way, I'm Adrian," he said with a wicked smile on his face. "Where you headed?"
I looked down the entire time. "No where."
"Surely you have some place to go." He lifted my face and wiped away my tears with his hand. I trembled a bit.
"N-no. I'm a runaway." I pushed his hand away and scooted further toward the window. He faced toward the road again and began to drive.
"Hmph. What's yer name?" He took his right hand and put it on the top of my seat.
I gave him a grave look and answered "Bella."
"Well, Bella, what's your story?" He started driving faster back into town.
"Well.. I'm Bella. Eighteen years of age." I began. "My —"
"By that I meant what are you doing out here at midnight?" He cut me off.
"I was getting there. I was at a party and I came home late. My dad doesn't like me being late home and because I lost my phone, I couldn't check the time. He was a buzzed and as soon as I walked through the front door he started to yell at me. The cops were called from the neighbors but before they came, he, umm.." The rest was hard for me to say, tears started to fill my eyes again.
"Keep going." He pulled into a driveway. I was guessing it was his.
"Well, let's just say, he is abusive." I pulled the bangs away from my face and showed him. His face never left my face as he was examining the cuts and scars from before. He took his seat belt off and left the car. I did the same.
"If you need a place to stay, you're welcome to stay here." He said. I wasn't sure if this was a good idea. Staying at a random person's house. He could be just like my dad, or worse. What choice do I have? I can't go back home, not after this event.
"Sure. Yeah. Thanks." I made myself say. He pulled the keys from his pocket and unlocked the front door.
"Ladies first." He said while pulling another cigarette from his other pocket and lighting it. I stepped in and it was dark and smelled like an old motel. I can't believe I'm making myself stay here. He flipped the switch and everything in the room was visible. The carpet was a mixture of brown and light brown. The couch was on the left side of the room with a TV to the right. The kitchen standing behind it. To the left of the TV was a hallway.
The couch had a tear in the middle of it, which made it hard to sit on. An open pizza was on the cushion. The TV has some minor scratches on it. "Bathroom is down the hallway to the left. My bedroom is to the right. There is only one rule, don't go in there." He said while stepping into the kitchen. "Hungry?" Despite how hungry I was I replied no. "Suit yourself. Food is in the cabinets if you change your mind."
I walked down the hallway to the bathroom. I flipped the switch and I saw myself very clearly for the first time. I was disgusted by the marks on my face. I sighed and yelled "Mind if I shower?"
"Make yourself at home." he said back. I turned the knob in the bath to "hot" and stripped down. This is my new life, getting rides from place to place by strangers, staying at their place. No matter the cost, I was not going back.
I saw steam rising from the top of the shower so I stepped in. The water felt good on my sore body. I just stood there for a couple minutes, letting the water slip down my body. A silent moan escaped from my mouth, that's how good it felt. I heard a man laughing and as I turned around, I saw Adrian's face smiling at me. I screamed and threw a towel over my body, hiding it from his eyes.
"What are you doing!?" I screamed at him as I ran out of the room grabbing my clothes.
"I haven't seen a woman as beautiful as you in quite a while. I had to get a closer look." His eyes were still dazed.
"Next time, don't!" I stormed out and headed for his bedroom for privacy. As I open the door he ran in front of me and slammed it shut.
"I told you to never go in there!" He shouted in my face.
"Okay sorry." I turned around and he went into his room. I shouldn't be the one apologizing here.
"Go to bed!" He shouted at me. He sounded mad. I guess not letting him look at me in the shower is a crime. I went back into the bathroom and got dressed again. There goes my shower plans.
***
A couple of hours passed and I couldn't sleep. I could hear rats running around in the wall. Adrian's constant snoring also kept me awake. To make it worse, my stomach was empty. I couldn't take it anymore. I got up and rampaged through his cabinets. I took a box of crackers and began devouring it.
I needed a plan. The memory of my dad abusing me was killing me. I can't live knowing that man was still out there. I want to kill him for all of the torture he has put me through.
I searched Adrian's kitchen for his sharpest knife. I opened drawer after drawer and I came across a razor-sharp knife. It even looked new, the light shined off of it. It was perfect.
The room was swaying, and with that cue I walked to the couch and collapsed on it.
***
I managed to fall asleep for a few hours before getting woken up by a rat. It was still dark outside, it couldn't be earlier than 6 AM. I got up and made myself a sandwich.
I was reviewing my plan.. I couldn't just walk a couple of miles to my house holding a knife in my hand, that would be suspicious. I needed to find a bag or something. I went down the hallway and discovered another room that had a lot of junk in it. I turned the light on and found it crawling with bugs. I was terrified, but I had to go forward with it. While searching, I came across an old backpack with clothes in it. I took them back to the kitchen with me and placed the knife securely in the bag between the clothes so the knife wouldn't pierce my bag. I opened the refrigerator and took a bottle of water with me. This time, I'm going prepared.
I opened the front door, and the adventure to my house began.
***
It didn't take long to find the main road I recognized. Even in the dark, it wasn't a challenge finding my house although I wandered the streets for a while. I stood on my driveway, staring at the door. Inside, my dads fate awaits him. His life was about to end. It took courage walking up my driveway. I passed by my dads truck, he is home for sure.
The front door was in front of me. I bent down, becoming aware the knife was still in the bag, and grabbed the key from under the mat. I put the key in the lock and opened the door very silently. I stepped in the house, very aware my dad could wake up at any second, and set the bag on the chair. I unzipped it and carefully found the knife and held it in my hand.
Snoring came from my dads house, he was still sleeping. Well, the time has come. I had to do what I had to do. This is my final decision. I made my way to my dads room and starred at him while he was sleeping. I put the knife over my head, just holding it there. I was very uneasy. I had made it this far, there was no turning back now. Just as I was about to swing the knife down, sealing my father's fate, he rolled over and his eyes opened slowly.
I began to shake a little. He rubbed his eyes and looked at me. "Bella- what are you doing?!" He knew he life was about to end, I'm sure he still hadn't realized his mistakes though.
"Your fate has been decided!" I yelled as a swung the knife down, aiming for his neck. I closed my eyes and heard a scream, followed by a snapping noise. I opened my eyes and saw the most gruesome picture ever. I almost became sick. I fell to my knees and cried. I stayed there for a few minutes before sprinting out of the house back into the dark, holding my knife again.
I was back in the alley, the one I was in at midnight. It was starting to rain again.
It was over. The plan was accomplished, but for what? Killing the guy who abused his "loved" one? It made no sense. Now what is going to become of me? Is somebody of my family going to come and kill me? Are the police going to find out? I can't go to prison. My life is just beginning and I just ruined it from one stupid decision. Maybe I should have thought this over a lot more instead of just springing into action.
I made a mistake, but I couldn't live with my dad anymore. My options were put up with the abuse, or kill him. Now that I think of it, I had more options. I could have moved in with my other relatives or some friends. When the police find out I killed my dad, I will be taken away. That can't happen. I heard sirens go off. I'm sure the neighbors called the police again.
The light reflecting off the knife caught my eye. I had forgotten I took it with me. I knew what my next move was. I am going to end my life. My life is going to go down anyways and I am not going to be on the run from the police my whole life, so I might as well end it here. Somebody will eventually find me and figure out what happened. But now, it's my time. This time, I'm closing my fate.
I held the tip of the knife to my chest, I just held it there for a couple minutes while I heard police sirens get closer and closer. I sighed and I pierced my chest with the knife, screaming like I never have before, feeling such immense pain. I forced the knife further in, and back out. Blood was rushing out and I fell over against the wall. I couldn't move one inch. Somebody would find me... you can't miss me. Soon, pain became numbness. My vision was blacking and became very blurry. I looked one more time at the sky, for it would become my last. I closed my eyes, never to open them again.
A/N: Is it sad? I got a bit lazy at the end and cut it shorter than it should of been. I didn't feel as if I could describe the "adventure" to her house well enough so I just left it blank.
VERY SPECIAL THANKS to my crazy yet amazing editor (: Jazzzzzzzzzzzzzz. She's crazy. Very, very crazy.
Update: Should I add on, like, Edward finds her and goes to Italy? Not sure.
How was it? Average? Review!