Note: This idea's been kicking around in my head for some time now and I think it's high time I made it a fanfiction reality. Let's gooooo!
I don't own Glee. Would be awesome, but I don't. So nyeh. I also don't own any lyrics that appear in this fic unless otherwise noted, but I do own Annabella. All copyrighted material belongs to its original owner, so no suing, please thank you! :D
Songs used in this chapter (with original performer and album):
Learn to be Lonely – Minnie Driver – Phantom of the Opera 2004 soundtrack
Suddenly, Seymour (re-named and relyric'd Suddenly You're There by me for sake of story) – Ellen Greene and Rick Moranis – Little Shop of Horrors soundtrack
Annabella's Lyrics/thoughts
Will's lyrics/thoughts and Anyone else's lyrics/thoughts
More than one person singing at once
Please enjoy, as a lot of thought went into this one and I promise it'll be more than one stupid chapter this time.
Annie- Chapter One: Dropping the A-Bomb
Will, standing in front of his mirror, trying to choose between two different (equally hideous) ties while going over choreography in his head for Glee club, jumped about a mile in the air when he heard his doorbell go off. He dropped both ties and ran to his door.
In his doorway stood a terrified teenage girl with a duffel bag, flanked behind her by a severe-looking woman in a crisp grey suit.
"William Schuester?"
"Er, that's me, yeah."
"My name is Helena Dubois. I am an agent with social services. I specialize in inter-state relocations. Were you aware you had family living in Boston?"
Will blinked and invited the woman and the girl in, trying to think. "You know, I think my sister Mary lives out there but I haven't spoken to her in twenty years."
"That much is clear, seeing as how you seem to not recognize this girl I have here."
"No, I don't recognize her. Who is she?"
"This is your sister's only child, Annabella. She's fifteen years old, and you're listed as the next-of-kin on her official documentation. We had to take her from her home and she's very upset."
"Oh my God, what? What happened?"
"We had agents investigating, and-"
"Mom was a cheap alcoholic whore and Dad left before I was born." Annabella suddenly blurted, "So this lady came to my house, told me to pack a bag, and that I was moving halfway across the country to live with my uncle. I didn't even know I had an uncle."
"Well, I didn't know I had a niece, but don't worry. I'll take care of you." Will said. "And seriously? THAT'S what Mary's been doing all these years?"
"I'm not exaggerating, either. She's literally an alcoholic prostitute." Annabella said bitterly. Her voice was raspy, Will noted, and hoarse. It was low for such a young girl, but it had a strange ethereal quality to it as if it were coming from somewhere behind her rather than from her own lips.
"I… yeah. I get it."
"I'm sorry. She's your sister. But that doesn't change the fact that I grew up in the slummiest parts of Boston picking pockets to feed myself."
"Here are the papers to make Annabella's permanent residence here, and a statement saying you'll give her the basic necessities." After Will nodded dumbly and signed his name where the woman pointed, Helena stood and left with a curt farewell and a veiled threat to come check on the girl at another time. Will and Annabella sat on the couch in awkward silence, Annabella shifting uncomfortably as if there were thousands of prying eyes staring at her.
"Wow." Will said, "This was just a giant bomb dropped on me."
Annabella stood up and stood in the light, sighing. Will took a good look at his new niece. She was of average height, maybe a little taller (though still shorter than he was), thin (unhealthy, sickly, he thought), with limp, greasy brown-blonde hair and kohl-rimmed hazel eyes that seemed to view her surroundings with a sense of steely unease, her guard tightly wrapped around her as tightly as the old, ratty clothing she wore. A threadbare sweater three sizes too small coupled with a pair of pants torn and too short to fit her, along with torn, dirty old sneakers and ratty, fingerless (she'd chopped off the fingers herself, Will noted.) black leather gloves completed her ensemble. A thick black choker adorned her neck, with a little silver bell as decoration. Will somehow sensed she was hiding something underneath it. She was scared, cold, and upset.
"Imagine how this is for me. I was taken away from my home, broken as it was, and shipped halfway across the country to live with a complete stranger who happens to be the uncle I never knew I had. I'm fifteen, sir-"
"I'm your uncle. Please don't call me 'sir'." Will said, a bit more harshly than he meant to, and immediately regretted it.
"I'm sorry, sir. I'm so sorry… I'm sorry!" Annabella cried fearfully. She flinched back into the shadows, trying to make herself invisible.
"No, no, no, sweetie, don't shrink back like that. It'll be alright, I'm sorry. Come on out." Will tried to coax her out. He reached his hand out and Annabella jumped back further.
"Don't hurt me!" Annabella squeaked.
"I'm not, I promise. That should never be, and will never be, your first response here. I don't know how my sister treated you but I refuse to hurt you. You were entrusted to my care because I'm not my sister. I'll never be like her. Please come out of those shadows. I swear to you, I will not hurt you."
Annabella didn't move. Her eyes glowed with golden fear and disbelief. "How can I trust you? I've never met you before. You could be trying to trick me."
Will shook his head. "I'm not. I swear. I don't know how to prove it to you, but I only want to help. I'm a public high school teacher, sweetie. It's my job to take kids who think there's nothing left and turn them around."
Annabella still didn't move, but the stark terror in her eyes softened. "I'm really sorry I have to live here… I know you probably don't want me. No one wants me. Mom didn't even want me."
"I'll admit, it was a shock to my system, but I'm not resentful nor do I not want you. I love you, sweetie. You're my niece. How could I reject you knowing that?"
"Love me? You've known me for half an hour."
"Doesn't matter. You're my family and I love you nonetheless."
Annabella gasped a little. "Mom never did."
"Your mom hated you because she felt like she had to. Your mom… my sister… she's…" Will shook his head. "Forget about her. You're hundreds of miles away from her. She can never hurt you again. Please, take my hand and come back towards me."
Slowly, Annabella tottered towards Will's hand, watching his eyes carefully. He never even blinked, keeping his gaze on her as she slowly came back into the light. Will could now clearly see the scar that marred her right eye, along with a patch of skin that looked as though she had covered up a failed skin graft with copious amounts of makeup. God, what did Mary do to this girl?
Slowly but surely, Annabella reached out and touched Will's outstretched hand. Will closed his fingers slowly, showing her that there was nothing to fear. He drew her slowly into his arms, into a loving hug. Annabella immediately started to cry.
"I'm sorry!" Will said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, was the hugging too much? Shit, I'm sorry. Oops, excuse my language! I'm sorry again."
Annabella just shook her head. "I…I don't know! I don't know what this is! No one's ever done this."
"No one's ever hugged you?"
"No one. Mom would come home at night reeking of booze and sex, slap me to the ground and tell me how she has to work so hard because I'm a damn disgrace and I don't do anything around this fucking house even though we lived in this… dumb little studio apartment and I slept on the floor."
Will stared at Annabella. Whether it was the tearful story or the hateful cursing he was shocked at, he couldn't really tell.
"Oh, God." Will managed to croak out. "I never imagined my sister would turn into such a monster. She was always a drama queen growing up, but I never imagined… God, that's horrible. She's a monster… How did this happen? She was never like that before… Is she really that bitter?"
Will clutched onto his pale, sickly little niece tightly. "You will never be hurt like that again. I promise."
Suddenly Will's phone rang. "Hello? Oh, hi, Figgins. What? Look, actually I was about to call you. Yeah, a huge plot twist in the Book of Will just came crashing through my door. No, the plot twist is not pregnant. Why do you always assume I have sex with my plot twists? Actually the plot twist is my niece and she had to be relocated by child services. Yes, I want to enroll her, but today I need the day off. Well, yeah! She just got here less than an hour ago. I can't just leave her alone. Yes Figgins. Yes, sir. Thank you. Goodbye."
Annabella tilted her head.
"My boss." Will explained. "I told you, I'm a high school teacher. That was the principal."
"I always got good grades in school… A's and B's. It was never enough for Mom. She'd see me doing my homework and yell at me for not bringing home any money. She said 'you bring home enough goddamn papers, but none of them are green!' and kick me in the ribs a few times."
Will shook his head. "Child services should have sought me out sooner."
"Mom covered up her abuse well. I don't know how, but no one figured it out until I tried to pick Miss Dubois' pocket and she realized why I was out on the street."
"I'm glad you're here, Annabella. I'm glad you're here, with me, where you'll be safe, rather than out there, with your mother, a raging lunatic. Come on, I'll let you borrow some clothes that actually fit you and we'll go out to eat something, okay?"
"That's not a good idea…" Annabella started, "The doctor said I'm so malnourished 'cause Mom brought home nothing but beer and cigarettes that I have to be on a liquid diet for a while, until my organs stop eating themselves."
Annabella picked up her duffel bag. "In here is all my medicine. I'm sorry to drop another bomb on you, but I have a lot of health problems."
Will sat down next to her on the couch.
"This one is vitamins, this one is birth control, this one is Adderall (I have really bad ADD), this one is Pamprin-"
Will looked confused at that last one.
"Girl medicine. Never mind. Anyway, this one is a bottle of antihistamines for my allergies, and this last one is for my sinuses."
Will looked over each bottle. "Wow. Where did you get all this?"
"I was on the state-run insurance. I went to my doctor all by myself and got prescriptions for the Adderall, antihistamines, and birth control, and kind of stole the other ones from the pharmacy on my way out."
"There is a kid in my glee club who would love you." Will said, imagining Puck and Annabella cavorting around the inner city, stealing things and setting fires. Annabella's eyes lit up with joy.
"Glee club? You mean, a show choir?"
"Yeah. I teach show choir and Spanish. Why, do you like show choir?"
"I always wanted to join one, but Mom never let me. I love to sing."
"Can you sing me something?"
Annabella shook her head. "Just 'cause I like to sing doesn't mean I'm any good at it… I want to be in the choir part, where no one can hear me."
"Nonsense. Everyone has a voice. Come on, sing something."
Annabella still looked hesitant.
"I promise I won't laugh." Will added.
"Okay."
Annabella opened her mouth and began to sing. It was not a perfect sound, as it was marred by years of being kicked in the throat. But it had that aforementioned ethereal quality and a depth of emotion far beyond any voice Will had heard. With the proper training, she could be a goddess of the stage.
Child of the wilderness, born into emptiness, learn to be lonely…. Learn to find your way in darkness… who will be there for you? Comfort and care for you? Learn to be lonely, learn to be your one companion….never dreamed out in the world, there are arms to hold you…. You've always known, your heart was on its own! So laugh in your loneliness, child of the wilderness, Learn to be lonely… Learn how to love life that is lived alone… Oh, learn to be lonely… life can be lived and life can be loved alone…..
Will could only stare.
"I knew it. I suck. I'm not fit for glee club."
"No-no-no-no-no-no-no-no!" Will blurted in disagreement. "That was amazing!" Will grabbed a piece of paper and a pen, and scribbled Anne Schuester- alto- bring to glee DO NOT FORGET and stuffed the paper in his pants pocket. "You've got an amazing voice. It's a bit sharp, but if we can flatten the tone and get rid of the rockiness in the undertones, then you'll be fit for your own solo at Regionals!"
"You think?"
"I know. And trust me, you'll love glee club. There's Finn and Puck, Rachel, Quinn, Sam, Tina, Artie… and a bunch more. Everyone is shy and kind of awkward, but they've all got golden hearts and they never give up. I couldn't be prouder of them. You know, we lost Regionals last year but that's just made us more determined to win this year."
Annabella shrugged. "I just want them to like me."
"They will, I promise! Everyone there is just like you. They're outcasts, awkward. They don't really fit in with the 'cool' crowds, but that's okay because they have their own personalities and their own individuality."
"Do they all come from prostitute families too?" Annabella asked darkly, her hazel eyes growing steely once more.
Will grimaced. "Ah, no, but their families aren't exactly '2.5 kids and a picket fence' either. Don't worry sweetheart, you'll fit right in."
Will tried to be positive, but inside his heart was breaking. He looked at the scarred, forlorn face in front of him. Her skin tone was artificial, he could tell. She was wearing more makeup than a hooker moonlighting as a clown. Underneath it, he wondered what she really looked like. With all those changes to her face and hair, he wondered if she had a true face at all. He wondered what she had been like, growing up, and regretted not contacting his sister years ago.
Will put his arm around her shoulders loosely; she flinched at the contact but forcefully stopped herself from pulling away in fear. "I'm so sorry, Annabella. We should have met sooner. You should have known that I was here. You should have known that I was always willing to help you. If I had known you, and if I could all that time ago, I would have flown to Boston myself to take you away from that place. Please, don't hate me for what's happened to you."
"I don't. I… don't hate you per se. I hate the world for allowing this to happen for so long. I hate my mother for not raising me properly. I hate my father for leaving my mother. I hate all those people I had to steal from for having more than I did. I hate all the happy, normal families I saw walking down the street, a happy, well-fed, loved child hanging from their arms. I hate the smiles on people's faces because it meant that all of them were blithely unaware of my pain. I hated my schoolteachers for never noticing what was happening, and I hated the police for ignoring a child's cries in the inner city.
"Call me selfish and call me stupid, but after what I've been through, don't I deserve something for myself?"
Will nodded in understanding. "You're absolutely right, Annie." Will said, shortening her name in affection (and because Annabella was four syllables, Jesus H!)
Annabella looked at Will with a soft, but hurt look. "Please…. Please don't call me Annie. Annie… that name brings up really bad memories I really don't want to re-live."
"What would you prefer I called you? Annabella is such a long name."
"If you want to give me like, a pet name or something-"
"I, er, we would prefer the term 'nickname' here, sweetie." Will said, wincing at the term 'pet name'. Annabella wasn't a pet. She was a human being.
"- You can call me Anne, or Belle, if you want. I always liked Disney movies… I liked the name Belle."
Will nodded. "Okay. Belle. And you can just call me Will, there's no need for the 'uncle' formality if you don't want to."
Belle looked him in the eyes for the first time.
"Can I… I mean…. I never had a father figure… and it's not like I'd be betraying anybody's memory because if there's one person's memory I want to betray, it's my father's…"
"If you want to call me Dad, I have no problem with it. After all, because my sister never got married, you and I still share a last name and it's easier to explain that you're my daughter than having to explain that you're my niece. Plus it would give us a deeper sense of family and show you that it's ok to look up to someone for proper guidance and that you don't have to be alone anymore."
"What do I have to call you when we're in school? You said you were a teacher."
"If you want to still call me Dad, that's ok, but if you feel awkward you can always just call me Mr Schue, Mr Schuester, Mr S, etc. It doesn't particularly matter to me, I'm pretty cool about it." Will said, smiling.
"I…." Belle bit her lip to keep from crying. "I never had all this love and attention before… I have to admit, I'm kind of scared. I don't want to be hurt again."
Will smiled softly and began to sing. He petted her head lovingly, handing her a box of tissues.
Lift up your head, wash off that mascara… here, take my Kleenex, wipe that lipstick away… Show me a face, clean as the morning, I know things were bad, but now they're okay…
Suddenly I'm here, standing beside you. You don't need no makeup, don't have to pretend, 'cause suddenly I'm here, here to provide you with sweet understanding, I am your friend…
Annabella knew the words. She got up from her place on the couch, and a run through of the house ensued as Annabella simultaneously danced and explored through her new home.
Nobody ever treated me kindly. Daddy left early and Mama was poor. I'd meet a man and I'd follow him blindly! He'd snap his fingers and me? I'd say 'sure!'
Suddenly you're there, standing beside me, you don't give me orders and don't condescend! Suddenly you're there, there to provide me with sweet understanding, you are my friend…
Tell me this feeling will last 'till forever, tell me the bad times are clean washed away!
Please understand that it's still strange and frightening, for losers like I've been, it's so hard to say! Suddenly you're there…
Suddenly I'm there…
You purified me….
I purified you….
Suddenly you went and showed me I can!
Yes, you can!
Learn how to be more, the girl that's inside me/you….With sweet understanding…. I am your friend/You are my friend!
With that last line, Will lifted his tiny niece and spun her around with a smile. "See, sweetheart? You don't have to be alone, because I will do everything I can to make sure you're happy. I may be a stranger to you now. I met you an hour ago when that stocky lady with the bad hair dropped you in my lap and told you that I was taking care of you from now on. To you, it must be no less than foster care or an orphanage. But I am going to prove to you that you are safe and are going to be so happy here. Today, we go down to the school and get you enrolled in classes. Tomorrow, new school and new hope for you. Deal?"
"Okay… but I'm nervous."
"Don't be. Stick with me, and I'll keep you safe."
"What if I freak out? I have a history of panic attacks, Daddy." It was the first time since the idea's conception that Belle had actually said the word 'Daddy'. Will's heart swelled, and he smiled sympathetically.
"I have a friend in the guidance department who will help you every step of the way. Now let's get you out of those dirty old clothes and into something better. I think my ex-wife left some clothes somewhere in the crawl spaces when she left."
"Ex-wife?"
"Yeah. I'm divorced. Trust me, you don't want to know her."
Will ducked down into the cupboard set into the wall and came out with one of Terri's old sun dresses. It was short and had no sleeves. Belle flinched at the sight of it.
"Um… Daddy, I don't know if I can wear that."
"Why not, hun? You've got the right frame; I'm sure it'll be fine."
"Um…." Belle took off her sweater to reveal a ripped maroon camisole beneath it, and Will couldn't help but gape at the battered and broken condition this young woman's body was in.
Thick scars and half-healed gashes littered her body, some hastily stitched shut with a household needle and thread. Bruises stained her skin a sickly blue-green, rimmed with coal black and painful yellow and splashed with angry red and sorrowful purple. She looked like she'd been pulled apart by a wild animal and then sewn back together like the rag doll woman on that stop-motion Disney movie they play at Halloween and Christmas every year, like if she pulled a single thread she'd fall apart at the seams. She reached down and unbuttoned her pants, softly assuring Daddy that she was wearing decent shorts underneath. She pulled them off and the same hideous, grotesque look adorned her legs.
Will felt tears of sorrow and anger sting at his eyes. How could Mary, the ambitious but gentle woman he grew up with and knew his whole life, have turned into such a disgusting horror show of a human being? Or perhaps… it wasn't Mary alone who did this. Was Will's older sister forcing her daughter to work on the streets to be abused and destroyed for money? How did Will not notice her pain before? Did she even feel the pain anymore? Or had she become so numb to herself that it didn't bother her anymore? Not to feel pain….
At first, the ability to not feel pain would seem like a blessing, but Will knew that that sort of gift would quickly turn into a curse. Pain was the body's way of saying that something was wrong. If one did not feel pain… how would one know when they were in trouble? Will was lost in the road map of sadness that littered Belle's torso, tracing the translucent skin with gentle, pitying eyes.
"Daddy? Daddy? Uncle Will? Please say something… I know I'm really ugly. Please don't hate me because I'm so ugly."
Will dropped to his knees in front of his new-found daughter (for now he was determined to legally make this fallen angel his own) and kissed her scars and bruises, assuring her through each one that they would heal and she would never feel this sort of pain for the rest of her life.
"I can never hate you. I can never, in a thousand years, hate you. I could never reject you or find you ugly, because you are my child now, and as a proper parent I can never, ever reject anything about you. You are beautiful, and I never want you to allow anyone to tell you different. These scars do not mean you are weak. They are badges of honor to be worn proudly, to show to the world that you survived. That you're impossibly, and wonderfully, strong."
Belle twisted her fingers into Will's curly hair and pulled him back, away from her. Will tried to look up into her eyes, but saw only pale eyelids instead. Belle's eyes were screwed shut, her lower lip caught between crooked yellowing teeth, biting down to keep from sobbing. Belle dropped down to his level and buried her face in his shirt, letting the tears and heaving sobs flow freely. Words flew from her mouth, words she's wanted to say for so long. They poured out of her like a waterfall, and she couldn't stop them.
"I don't want these badges, Daddy! I don't want to be strong anymore! I want to be a kid again, a real kid. I want to go to Daddy for help when I can't figure out my math homework! I want to go shopping at the mall, and play video games, and drink soda like a real kid! I want to be able to go out with boys without being handcuffed to a motel bed!
"I want to have a real Mommy and a real Daddy who love me and take care of me and let me be weak because they love me so much they don't want to make me be strong on my own! I want someone other than myself to depend on, someone to trust so I don't have to hate anymore!
"I want to be immature and silly again! I don't want to have to steal from people to buy fast food that's bad for me. I want to eat real food made from home so I know it'll be good for me. I want to eat my vegetables and grow big and strong. I want to feel good about myself, and I want a Daddy who will tell me I'm beautiful even when I'm not wearing any makeup and my face is all burned and ugly and my scars are showing and I'm sleepy and haven't showered yet.
"I don't want to have to give up my body and my soul for money anymore. I want to have a real job, like bagging groceries or stocking shelves. I want to smile when I wake up in the morning and come out of my real room to see my Daddy singing and making breakfast. I want to hear an inspiring voice telling me to be good and do my homework, not a hateful one telling me that I'm worthless and too stupid to learn. I don't want to be cursed at and insulted when I walk in the door.
"I just want to be a real kid again, Daddy…. I don't want to be a grown-up anymore."
Will had started bawling with her, holding her tightly, as if she'd disappear if he let go. He pressed his lips to her head, giving her the fifteen years worth of love and support he'd missed through the years. He looked down at her, regaining his composure. "I can't give you a Mommy… not yet. I'm sorry for that. If you'd have come a few years ago, maybe you would have had a Mommy. But I'm divorced now and can't give you that much. But what I can give you is a Daddy. I can be a real Daddy, a proper Daddy. I can give you real, good-for-you food and a nice soft bed to sleep on. I can give you love and attention and money for yourself so you don't have to be in pain anymore. I can do that much."
"I don't want to be a spoiled brat, though… I just want enough to be happy."
"Sorry, no can do. I'm going to spoil the hell out of you, Belly. You're getting your own room, your own savings account, and I'm getting you all new sheets and blankets, and we're going shopping over the weekend to get you some new clothes. Anything you want, from any store. Kohl's, Macy's, Aeropostle, you name it, I'll get it for you. I want you in a whole new wardrobe by next week. I'll buy you books and games and toys, anything you want. I'll get you a cell phone with unlimited minutes. I don't ever want you to feel like you're without again."
Soon enough, Belle had cried herself to sleep, and Will tucked her into his own bed, planning to make this room hers. He called the city and asked to pick up a set of adoption forms. This girl was going to be his, whether his sister liked it or not.