Hello, thank you for clicking on my first Twilight story (smiles) I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I'm going to enjoy writing it.
WARNING: Does contain slight abuse, nothing too graphic, but please do not read if you don't feel comfortable about it.
The characters are all humans so it's AH and AU and they might be slightly OOC (smiles sheepishly), but they will show signs of their gifts/powers, so… I hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything of the Twilight saga, that's ALL Stephenie Meyer.
He was wrapped up all warm and snug in his mother's gentle embrace, his arms were wrapped around her waist as his head rested on her shoulder. She was smiling down at him with nothing but love and care in her green eyes with her long bronze hair tickling his cheeks.
He felt his father's hand run through his equally bronze coloured hair, smiling down at him proudly and with equal amount of love like his mother. He smiled up at his father as he too circled an arm around his mother and chuckled as his wife gave him a tender kiss on his cheek.
He sighed contently, he had missed this, missed his mum and dad so much that it hurt and he knew his brothers missed them just as much.
"I missed you guys."
His father and mother smiled tenderly at him, "we missed you too," his mother's voice was as sweet and gentle as he remembered. His father ruffled his hair affectionately.
"Please don't leave us again."
His mother and father smiled sadly down at him this time, not saying anything and he knew they couldn't.
His mother's grip around him suddenly tightened and the comforting hand on his hair vanished. He looked up and was surprised to see his mother's face twisted into a scowl as she glared at him and his father was no longer there.
"Mum?"
Her grip on him kept on tightening and he struggled to get free, "mum please let me go."
"Why shouldn't I leave you? You're nothing but a waste of space. You are a burden on me, on your brothers. You won't amount to anything." His mother voice shifted into another voice he knew all too well and hated.
He looked up again and was surprised to see his Aunts face looking down at him. She shared the same bronze hair of her young sister and her nephew and her green eyes were cold and hard as she gazed down at him.
His struggle to get away from her intensified, but her grip only tightened on him. He was unable to breathe and it hurt.
"Let me go. LET ME GO."
"Now get up, you're going to make me late. Get up. GET UP." His Aunt kept yelling at him and he tried telling her if she didn't let go of him he wouldn't be able to do as she says, but she just kept screaming at him.
"GET UP."
Edward bolted straight up, covered in sweat and breathing harshly as he looked wildly around. No longer was he in his Aunts cruel embrace, but safe –momentarily he thought wearily– in their bedroom. He checked on his brothers as he concentrated on calming his breathing down. His two brothers were sleeping soundly around him, Jasper sleeping on his side next to him, curled up like a cat and Emmett sleeping horizontally at the end of the bed, snoring with one arm placed over his face and the other hanging off over the end of the bed.
Edward chuckled lightly and relaxed back on to his pillow, shared with Jasper. All three brothers shared the smallest room in the three bedroom house. They slept on a worn out double bed with two pillows, one that the two youngest shared and one the oldest had.
Suddenly there was a sharp knock on their bedroom door, startling Edward.
"ARE YOU UP YET?" yelled their Aunt from behind the door.
He quickly sat up and answered, "Yes, we'll be out in a few minutes."
"Well hurry up or you're going to make me late."
"Yes Aunt Giselle," he answered and heard her footsteps retreat downstairs.
Edward slowly gets out of bed, making sure not to jostle his brothers and quickly got changed into a faded red polo t-shirt and blue faded jeans.
He sighed as he looked at himself in the broken tall mirror they had standing against the wall. A tall pale boy with bronze hair and bright green eyes stared back at him. His hair was as ruffled and untidy as ever, he ran his hand through it, trying to tame it, but to no avail. He straightened out his clothes and looked around the room.
They had one wardrobe standing next to the mirror and one cupboard near their bed. All three of the brother's clothes were stuffed into the furnitures and some were scattered around the floor. Jaspers and Emmett's guitars were probed up against the wall near the door and posters of their favourite cars were decorating the walls. The walls of the room were a pale blue and other than the posters nothing else decorated it. Stacked up on the cupboard were Edward's music CDs and Jaspers books.
They could have put more things in the room to personalise it and Edward would have loved to get a CD shelf case to stack his priced CD properly, but their Aunt made them move a lot so it became tiring to organise their room and then strip them in a matter of weeks or months.
They were currently living in their grandparent's old house in Phoenix that their mother and Aunt had inherited, but because their mother passed away it was now their Aunt Giselle's. Edward sighed and ran his hand through his hair as he felt an ache rise in his chest remembering his mother and father.
His mother's name was Elizabeth Cullen and she used to be a brilliant music teacher and the best mother. She was very popular and the kids and adults loved learning from her. She just had a way of making music fun and easy to learn. She had taught Edward how to play the piano when he was four years old. He remembered all the times she used to take them all out to the park when she had her days off and treated them to ice cream; she used to make the best desserts after they had dinner and she did everything with a smile, never did he see his mother with it.
She was the most happiest when they were all together including when their father finally had time to join them. But what he loved and missed most about his mother was when she played the piano for them, he remembered how he and Jasper used to cuddle up next to her and Emmett sat with them as they listened to her play and taught them how to play.
Edward Cullen Senior was their father and he was a successful lawyer. He remembered his father as a tall and proud man, head full of curly brown hair and blue sparkling eyes. His father was always busy with serious cases, but every time whenever he was home or he got the chance off work, he spent every minute with his family. He missed how his dad used to pick him up and throw him in the air before catching him, how he played sports with them in their back garden and he had loved listening to him play the guitar with Emmett and Jasper, especially with their mum when they both put on a small concert in their living room.
Edward gave a small chuckle; his dad met his mum when he had wanted to learn to play the guitar after finishing his law degree. His mother had just got a job as a music teacher and dad was her first adult student. It was a story both parents loved to talk about.
And then… they were gone.
He was seven years old when his mother and father died in a car crash. They had gone to a function hosted by one of his dad's friends and it had started to rain heavily that night. His parent's car had collided with a truck and they had died reaching the hospital. He remembered when a police officer had come to their house and told them the news. All three of them had been devastated and crushed and after the funeral they had been placed with their mum's sister Giselle.
It was suffice to say she did not want them, she never got on with their mum, always hated the attention and talent their mum had. Aunt Giselle never even came to any of their family get togethers, not even for Christmas dinner. They didn't know why their Aunt hated their mother and they wished – even to this day– that they never moved in with their Aunt.
She was a complete opposite of their mother. She provided for them, but that's how far it went. She didn't want them and she made that clear countless times. At first it hurt to know that one of their own family members hated them and didn't want them, but after a while they came to accept it. She had made them move around a lot, she never held on to one job, always wanting something different, so they never stayed in one place for too long and it didn't give them a chance to make any friends.
She never gave them any treats or cooked any meals, which resulting in all three of them learning how to cook for themselves when she used to leave them home alone while she went out or for work. It's not when they got older did she start to become more aggressive and nastier. She would get angry with them quickly, which sometimes resulted in her hitting them. He remembered the first time she slapped him for accidently breaking her best dishes, he was twelve and she had grabbed him and dragged him to their room, locking the door from the outside and promising no food. His brothers had been so angry with her that day, they had tried to sneak him some food, but they got punished when they got caught trying to steal the key for the door. But it was never the physical abuse they couldn't handle, it was her verbal abuse.
Life with their Aunt was a nightmare and they couldn't wait to finally leave this place.
Edward turned round and looked at his sleeping brothers. Emmett had just turned nineteen years old; he was much like their dad in the looks department. He was very tall and muscular for his age, with curly dark brown hair and blue eyes. Edward and Jasper always described him as a big grizzly bear that was way too soft, which made their older brother grin at them before pouncing. He worked at a garage just a few blocked from where they lived. Emmett loved cars and he loved where he worked.
He looked at Jasper who was now spread out on the bed, one foot on Emmett's stomach while the other hung off the bed. Jasper was eighteen years old; he had honey blond hair and brown eyes. Their dad had always said he got his looks from their paternal grandfather and their dad's brother Carlisle Cullen as both of them were blond heads and his eyes from their paternal grandmother who had both brown hair and brown eyes.
Jasper was tall, lean and pale –a trait all three brothers shared. He worked at the nearest book store and Edward volunteered there as much as he could. Jasper loved to read, curling up somewhere nice and quiet with a good book. He kept all his books in their room after Emmett installed a lock enabling them to lock the door from the inside. Aunt Giselle had once ripped one of Jaspers favourite books when she had accused him of messing up the living room. Jasper had tried to defend himself, but that only caused her to tear his book to shreds. Their dad had gotten him that book for his birthday and he used to love reading it. After that he made sure he never had anything of his anywhere near her.
Both of his brothers were old enough to leave, but they wouldn't. They didn't want to leave him alone with their Aunt, not until he was of age and that was still a year away. Edward was sixteen years old; his birthday was next month, all three brothers had to wait until there were of age to move away from their Aunt. Well according to their parent's lawyer, who had explained to them when they found out about their inheritance. Their parents made it in a way that when all their children were of age they could have full access of the Cullen family accounts and funds if anything happened to them.
The Cullen family was very wealthy. His father's line was filled with lawyers and medical professionals and his mother's lines had a lot of members with successful businesses and musical skills and seeing as they were the only three descendants of the Cullen line as their Aunt Giselle never had any children –thank god for that— and their Aunt Esme could not have any children of her own, Emmett, Jasper and Edwards were the only next generation of Cullens.
Edward had tried to convince his brothers to move away without him when the abuse from their Aunt got too much, but they were stubborn and kept shooting him down whenever he brought the subject up, telling him that when they moved they'll move together. Secretly he was happy his brother's wouldn't leave without him and leave him alone with his Aunt. But he didn't want to be a burden and hold his brothers back, something that he often thought about.
Edward sighed and stretched, better wake up his brothers or Aunt Giselle would come back and harass them. He looked at the clock sitting next to the CD player and it read half seven. Their Aunt usually leaves for work at nine, but she always woke them up early so they could get started on their chores.
Edward moved to Jasper, he grinned at his brother's positioning before shaking his shoulder to wake him up.
"Jasper, get up. Come on Jazz," Jasper grumbled and rolled away from Edward.
Edward grinned and got on top of the bed; he positioned himself near his brother's face, brought his hand up and promptly flicked his brother's ear… hard.
Jasper eyes snapped open, he bolted right up and his hand automatically went to his offended ear. He turned to look at Edward and growled at him, "Of all the ways you have to wake me up you choose the ear flick?"
Edward shrugged with a grin, "it's the fastest way to wake you up and plus I don't want Aunt Giselle coming back up."
Jasper grimaced and nodded and got up to get dressed. Edward moved to the large form of their older brother who was still sleeping in the same position. "Emmett, get up. Emmett," called Edward, but all Emmett did was continue to sleep, from all three of them Emmett was the heavier sleeper. Edward huffed and shook his brother harder. "Dude, come on wake up or Aunt Giselle's going to have our hides."
Jasper shook his head as he finished changing into a green button down t-shirt and brown khakis which were just as faded as Edwards. "You know he's not going to wake up like that." He moved to stand near the bed and grabbed one of Emmett's legs, he grinned at his little brother who smirked and followed. "On the count of three," Jasper instructed, "one... two... THREE." And they both pulled on their older brother's legs, successfully sliding him off the bed and onto the floor with a thud. Emmett woke up with a start and sat up rubbing the back of his head.
"Is it morning already?" he moaned out, blinking a few times. He looked up at his two grinning brothers and scowled at them. "One day you guys are going to give me a concussion."
"Not with that thick skull of yours," said Jasper as he helped him up.
"I'm going to wash up and head downstairs. Get dressed quickly Em," said Edward as he walked to the door and undid the lock.
Emmett waved off his little brother with a nod as he started to look for his clothes and Jasper followed Edward out the door, quickly checking the time. "I'll wash up downstairs and get started on breakfast."
Edward nodded and made his way to the bathroom. He heard Jasper run down the stairs and heard their Aunt's voice telling his brother to hurry up.
Edward sighed; he didn't want to go downstairs. God knows he hated his Aunt, all three of them did. There hasn't been a day where something didn't go wrong or at least one of them didn't get punished about something or other. He quickly went into the bathroom, relieved himself, washed up and brushed his teeth.
After he finished, he walked out of the bathroom just as Emmett came out of their bedroom, he was dressed in a blue V-neck shirt and black jeans, "I'll meet you downstairs little bro," he said as he passed Edward to get to the bathroom and ruffled his hair.
Edward scowled playfully at him and hurried downstairs; he jumped the last few steps into the foyer and quickly made his way down the hall into the kitchen. He spotted Jasper making some eggs and bacon, the toaster already had six pieces of bread in it, there was a pan full of boiling eggs and he spotted a bowl on the counter filled up with pancake mix.
Jaspers frown turned into smile when he saw his brother walk in, "can you help me? I'm nearly finished with the eggs and bacon, could you get started on the pancakes please."
Edward nodded, "sure," and started getting to work; he got the pan out, put another one of the hobs on the cooker on and started pouring the mix to make the pancakes.
"It's another big breakfast," he noted as Jasper placed the eggs and bacon on a plate and on the island in the middle of the kitchen, he quickly got the toast out of the toaster and started putting margarine on it.
Jasper nodded wearily, "yeah, she's in a good mood. Said she's going to take some to work for someone. I'm guessing it another boyfriend."
Edward grimaced; he hoped this one went well for his Aunt. Not that he cared much for what his Aunts social life was like, but he knew this was another thing she hated about her nephews. She could not keep hold of a relationship for too long.
At the beginning her usually abusiveness is toned down and she isn't as nasty or snappy. She usually has a list full of chores for them to do and whenever she brings a guy over she expects everything to be clean and tidy, a meal to be ready with dessert and for them to be nowhere in sight. Whenever she had a break up, it's either for her bossy attitude, being too controlling and clingy or if any of the guys laid sight on one of them, they suddenly don't want the extra baggage of kids. That's when their Aunt becomes completely insufferable.
"How long do you think this one will last?" he asked absentmindedly as he flipped the pancakes.
Jasper shrugged and took out the sweet muffins out of the oven, now fully baked. "I'll give it two, three months tops. The reason will probably be that she was too clingy."
Edward grinned slightly, "Is that the mood you're getting off her?" he placed all the pancakes on a plate and put them on the island.
"Nah that's a guess, the mood I'm getting off her is that she really likes this guy," Jasper smirked and placed all the muffins on the island as well.
Edward sighed and started cleaning up, "Hope this one lasts."
Jasper scoffed, "I don't, hope this guy dumps her brutally."
Edward frowned, "don't say that."
"And why not? I want her to suffer just as much as she makes us suffer," he growled out.
Edward shook his head sadly, "not at what it'll cost us if she does."
He saw Jasper clench his fist tightly and close his eyes. Edward knew he was remembering the last time one of her boyfriends dumped her. She had deserved it and they told her that, but the end result was one being locked up in their room, one stuck outside for the rest of the hot night and one sleeping in the dusty attic. He had suffered from heat exhaustion after that and Jasper ended up having a chesty cough. Emmett was beside himself with worry, at the age of fourteen he had taken care of his brothers, didn't even let them help and forced them to stay in bed while he kept up with their Aunts demands for the rest of the week.
Jasper sighed and said nothing. At that moment Emmett walked in, "has anyone got started on the coffee yet?" he asked.
Jasper and Edward shook their heads; Emmett gave them a fond smile, "leave the easy stuff for me hu."
His little brothers grinned at him, "seeing as you can't cook dude," said Edward. He dried the last pan before drying his own hands and leaning against the counter.
Emmett stuck his tongue out at him, "I can cook just fine thank you. Just because I burned the kitchen once doesn't mean I can't cook anymore."
"It's safer for you if you don't attempt to do that again brother," said Jasper softly, his voice giving off a hint of amusement, but it didn't reach his eyes.
Emmett waved him off and moved to make their Aunt some coffee, Jasper took out a thermal bottle from a nearby cabinet and passed it to him.
Emmett looked at the array of food displayed on the island before looking at his brothers, "a new guy?"
Jasper and Edward nodded, Emmett sighed, "man she gets more boyfriends than I do girlfriends."
His two brothers grinned at him, "Well if you stop worrying about us all the time, you wouldn't have that problem now would you," said Jasper.
Edward agreed Emmett was always the overprotective one, no matter how safe they were or that he knew they could take care of themselves; he just couldn't help worry and want to keep them safe. Emmett always said he had a right to worry, being the oldest and basically being the man of the family, it was his job to worry and look after them. He had always tried his best to protect and take care of them, he took most of the brunt of Aunt Giselle's temper and abuse and he never let them worry too much about him. How could they when he was just so gosh darn happy and cheery all the time and would come out of any bad situation with a smile –so similar to their mothers– and his hearty laugh which was so infectious.
"I have every right to worry, so don't tell me I shouldn't," he said as he poured the hot coffee into the thermal bottle and placed it on the island with everything else. "We haven't missed anything have we?" Emmett looked around the kitchen as did Jasper and Edward.
"No I think we've got everything. Where is she?" Edward asked as he looked into the hallway.
"She went upstairs when I came down," said Emmett as he leaned against the fridge, "I wish she'd hurry. I'm starving."
Jasper and Edward nodded; they hadn't eaten much last night because they were hurried in to cooking dinner and tea and were made sure to finish off all the chores for the day. They had been too tired to eat anything and had just quickly shoved anything edible into their mouths before they crashed onto the bed.
Just then they heard their Aunt come down the stairs and walk into the kitchen, Edwards body tensed and he noticed so did his brothers. Giselle Mason was a slim and tall woman, shorter by a few inches by Emmett but taller than Jasper and Edward. Her bronze hair was straight and cut to her shoulders, her green eyes, so similar to Edwards and yet so different roamed over their faces before looking at the prepared breakfast. She was in professional attire of a short black skirt, white button down t-shirt, a smart black jacket and high heeled shoes; she was currently working an office job. "Is everything finished?" her voice was cold and hard –as it always was when she addressed them– "I don't want anything amiss like last time."
"Everything's ready Aunt Giselle," answered Emmett. "Will you be leaving soon?" his tone did not show he cared much for when she left or returned.
Aunt Giselle glared at him and didn't answer his question, "Pack this all up; I will have a list of chores for you when I come back and I expect this place to be spotless when I return." Her piercing green eyes looked at each one of them; it made a chill run down Edward's spine when her eyes landed on him, lingering a little before she moved to get out of the kitchen, "I'm going to get my car out. Don't keep me waiting."
She walked out of the kitchen and the three boys quickly set out on their task, they placed the food in some food containers and placed them into a large bag with the thermal bottle. Emmett picked up the bag and made his way to the hallway, he smiled at his brother, "why don't you guys get started on some breakfast for yourselves. I'll be back in a minute."
Jasper and Edward nodded and Emmett left. He returned a few minutes later with a scowl on his face as Jasper placed the plate of freshly finished pancakes on the island and Edward was just finishing with some scrambled eggs and bacon.
Jasper looked at his older brother, "what did that witch say now?"
Emmett walked to the fridge and got a carton of orange juice out and poured it into three tall glasses, "nothing that hasn't been said before bro."
Edward placed the eggs and bacon on three plates and handed them to his brothers, "when are you going to the garage?" he asked Emmett as he dug into his breakfast, followed closely by his older brothers.
Emmett looked at the clock hanging over the kitchen door, it read half eight, "in a few minutes, but I'll help you guys clean up first. There isn't much to be done today, so you guys can relax," he gave them one of his cheery smiles and they grinned at him, "I'll be back by four. When you leaving for the book store Jasper?"
Jasper quickly finished his drink before answering, "Not for another hour, I want to have a quick shower before I go though. Today's going to be another hot day."
"Can I come too Jasper?" asked Edward, he loved volunteering at the book store, he didn't care that he didn't get paid, as long as he was far away from here and near his brothers, he was all for it.
Jasper grinned, "Sure, Mrs Appleton was asking about you."
Edward grinned as well. Two old women ran the book store, Mrs Appleton and Mrs Hudson, both of them were sisters and they were quite taken by both brothers when they had offered their help at the store when they saw Mrs Hudson struggling with the boxes of newly delivered books. After that Jasper was offered a job there and Edward came and helped as much as he could. Their Aunt did not know about the book store and they were happy to keep it like that.
All three of them finished up breakfast and cleaned up the kitchen. Emmett left a few minutes after and Jasper made his way upstairs to have a quick shower.
Edward walked into the living room and crashed onto the white couch. He looked around the room making sure it was tidy before relaxing into the soft cushion. He didn't get many chances to just sit and do nothing and if he did he would usually get scowled by his Aunt and forced to do some inane chore.
The living room was a cosy and peaceful area; it wasn't a large room, but nor was it small, the walls were painted in a pale green colour with a slightly darker shade of green border running along the middle and top of the walls. A black flat screen television was placed above a black marble framed fireplace and a dark glassed coffee table resting in front of him. Another long white couch was stationed on his left against the wall and a matching armchair on his right. The window behind the armchair let him see the houses opposite theirs and the busy bustling street with people going about their business.
Pictures of scenic places were handing all over the walls, but there wasn't even one picture of their family or their grandparents. Aunt Giselle made sure to make them pack and seal them all away into the attic. There were no pictures of any of their family members in their mother and aunt's childhood home and that's how Aunt Giselle liked it.
But what he loved about the living room was the beautiful black grand piano standing proudly to the left of the window and armchair, near the corner of the room. He sighed as he looked at it; he remembered when they used to come and visits their mother's parent's house and how his grandmother and mother used to love playing on it.
Edward got up and walked to the piano, lightly running his hands over the shiny and polished surface. He was always the one to clean and look after it, whenever their Aunt gave them the list of chores, Emmett and Jasper always made sure that Edward got to clean the piano. They knew how much he loved it. His mother had told him a few months before the accident that they had three grand pianos altogether. One that he was gazing at right now, one at their own home in Chicago and one in their family holiday home at Forks.
Edward moved his hand over the fall board covering the keys at the front of the grand piano and ran his fingers over the engraved signatures of his mother and grandmothers. The signatures were so intricate and beautiful and Edward wished one day he'll be able to put his own signature with his mothers.
He sat on the seat behind him and lifted the cover off the keys. The white and black keys gleamed up at him and he placed his hands lightly on them, making sure he didn't press too hard. It was an old habit now, his Aunt wouldn't let him play the piano or go anywhere near it other than to let him clean it. He had been punished the last time she caught him playing, his brothers had found him huddled up in the corner of their bedroom sporting flaming red cheeks and dried up tear stains. After that he didn't dare play it whenever she was home and he had to remind himself now that she wasn't anywhere near him.
Edward let out a steady sigh and before he knew it his hands were running over the keys and music filled the room. He closed his eyes, his head tilted down as he let his hands glide over the keys. He was so familiar with this piece that he didn't even have to think, his hands knew where to go. This music piece was one of his favourites and the few of the very first his mother had taught him. The music was soft and light, it always made him relax whenever he heard or played it.
He didn't know how long he sat there, just playing and listening. He didn't notice when Jasper walked into the room, a soft smile on his face as he leaned against the side of the piano and listened to his brother play, waiting for him to finish before speaking.
As the song ended, Edward stopped and sat back, letting out a content sigh. He heard a chuckle and quickly looked up. Jasper was smiling at him, his brown eyes twinkling brightly. Edward blushed; he didn't know he had company.
"Clair de Lune."
Edward smiled at him as he got up and nodded, shutting the cover over the keys, "Clair de Lune," he confirmed.
"You haven't played that in a while." Jasper spoke softly, "It's good to hear it again."
Edward walked over to Jasper and stood next to him, "well it was mum's favourite."
Jasper nodded with a smile, "come on, let's go." They made their way out of the house and Edward locked the door before Jasper swung his arm over his little brother's shoulder and both of them made their way down the street.
Edward and Jasper arrived back at their grandparent's house just before four. Jasper quickly went upstairs and dumped his new books on the bed before rushing back downstairs and joining Edward in the living room.
"Is she here yet?" he asked his brother.
Edward shook his head, "not yet."
"What about Emmett?"
Edward shook his head again, "he should be here in a few minutes though," and he sat on the couch, relaxing into the cushion. Jasper joined him and sighed tiredly.
Jasper had been right, today was yet another hot day and the new shipment of books had taken them nearly all day to get unpacked and stocked. They had told Mrs Hudson to stay at the till while they did all the manual work. Mrs Appleton was at home with a fever; she had exhausted herself with all the work and gotten herself ill. Edward was no stranger to getting sick; he could catch a cold or flu easier than his brothers, so he had no problem doing some extra work for Mrs Hudson.
With the new books in stock it meant a lot of customers came in today. Edward and Jasper spent time redirecting and searching for books and articles for the customers who had no sense to search for them themselves. They were happy when the rush died down after lunch time, though Edward didn't mind the group of children that came in and explored the children section. He had to smile and laugh at how excited they got when they found a book they really liked or those books that had the pop-up pictures and musical pages. Their parents had a hard time tearing them away from that section.
They had left after making sure Mrs Hudson could handle herself with the last few customers and closing down the store. They would have stayed longer but it would have raised suspicion and that was the last thing they needed. Edward knew full well if Aunt Giselle found out about their job at the book store, she wouldn't let Jasper keep one cent of his hard earned money.
Both of them were exhausted and unbearably hot, whatever they did to keep themselves cool failed miserably. Even though they kept the windows and door open in the store, there wasn't a cool enough breeze to help them fight off the heat.
Now both brothers were hot, achy and sweaty, and they were not looking forward to the chores their Aunt will have waiting for them.
They heard the front door open after a few minutes and both of the boys jumped off the couch.
"Ed? Jazz?" called Emmett's deep voice throughout the house.
Edward relaxed and leaned against the couch as Jasper ran his hands through his hair and called out to their brother, "in here Em."
Emmett walked in and sighed in relief when he saw his brothers were home. "She hasn't arrived yet?"
"No," said Jasper as he leaned against Edward and the couch.
Emmett took in their states and a small smile tugged on his face, "busy day?" he asked with a hint of laughter.
Edward smirked as Jasper glared at their older brother, practically feeling his amusement, "it's not funny. I'm hot, sweaty and my back is killing me."
Emmett chuckled and held his hands up in defence, "sorry little brother," he then smiled at them, "why don't you guys go freshen up, looks like you need it."
Jasper and Edward sighed and looked at the long stairs leading to the second floor. They both grimaced, having the small thought. The stairs were too long and far.
Emmett rolled his eyes at his brothers and went into the kitchen, he returned a few minutes with two tall glasses of apple juice. Edward and Jasper quickly leaped at him and grabbed the drinks and practically drank them in one gulp.
Edward wiped his mouth, slightly more happy, "thanks Em."
Emmett shook his head, amusement twinkling in his blue eyes and collected the glasses, "why you couldn't just get them yourself is beyond me."
Jasper smirked, "the kitchen was too far and I couldn't be asked to move."
Emmett grumbled playfully at him, "lazy git."
Jasper stuck his tongue out at Emmett's retreating back. Edward laughed, he loved these small moments they had together. They were becoming increasingly short and very few thanks to their Aunt, who always kept them busy.
"I'm going to take a quick shower," said Emmett, he had splatters of oil and grease on his clothes and reeked of petrol.
"Busy day?" mimicked Edward with a grin.
Emmett grins, "Nah just had a good workout." He flexed his arms, empathising his words with his strong muscles. That was another thing about working in a garage that Emmett enjoyed, with all the lifting, carrying and manual work it kept his body in tip top condition.
Edward rolled his eyes as he stood a little straighter; Jasper's weight was making him lean too much to the right. If he didn't know any better he would have thought his second older brother had fallen asleep standing.
Emmett ruffled Edward's hair playfully and gave Jasper a little nudge, making the tired boy grumble and swat at the older boy. Emmett chuckled and made his way upstairs to have a quick shower.
Edward sighed and looked at his brother. Jasper's eyes were closed and he had his forehead resting on Edwards shoulder. Jasper's whole body was leaning on him and he contemplated if he should guide his brother up to bed for some rest. He had to admit Jasper had tired himself out with all the work and deserved a nice long nap, but he knew their Aunt would be home in a few minutes and it would not bode well for Jasper if she found him sleeping.
Reluctantly Edward straightened up further and grabbed his brother's arm, "Jazz? Come on don't fall asleep," he said softly.
Jasper sighed, opened his eyes and straightened up, he ran his hand through his honey blond hair and gave a tired smile to his young brother, "don't worry I'm wide awake."
Edward didn't look convinced but let Jasper wake up his own way. There was no use in having to work all day and have a grumpy older brother to deal with too. He looked over at the clock and found it read half four, there Aunt should be here at any–
"BOYS," came a sudden shrill voice from the foyer.
Edward lurched forward nearly tripping over droopy Jasper, but as soon as they heard their Aunt's voice Jasper sprang to attention and tried to look awake when their Aunt walked into the living room.
"There you are," she said as she thrust the bag of now empty container at Edward who managed to catch it before they spilled out onto the floor and she rummaged through her handbag before taking out a sheet of paper and handed it to Jasper. "You boys better have not been fooling around. I don't want to go upstairs and find a mess."
Ignoring her words, Jasper took paper half-heartedly; they already knew what it was. "Where is Emmett?" she asked not looking at them and continued to rummage through her bag.
"He's having a shower," said Jasper shortly.
Aunt Giselle's eyes left the bag and she looked at them, her piecing green eyes cold and uncaring as ever, "I want that list completed today and I expect dinner to be ready on time, do you both understand?"
Edward nodded and he nudged Jasper to do the same as he looked defiantly at her. After a few seconds Jasper nodded as well reluctantly.
Aunt Giselle gave them a sickening sweet smile and leaned closer to Jasper, Edward felt his brother tense up and cringe away from her, "learn to do as your told boy and make sure you tell your brother when he comes down."
She straightened up, flicking her hair back before making her way toward the foyer and upstairs. Jasper's hands were clenched tightly, crushing the piece of paper in his hand.
"I hate her," he hissed out.
"You're not the only one," said Edward as he glared in the direction their Aunt left. He moved to his brother's side and gently unclenched his fist, releasing the paper, "come on we better get started on these," he looked over the list and sighed, most of them were indoor chores, like cleaning the tiles in the kitchen, mopping the kitchen and bathroom floor, doing the laundry, cleaning the windows and cleaning the attic, but the rest were mostly outside, mowing the lawn, painting the small shed and bench and weeding the garden.
He heard Jasper sigh disdainfully at the list as he looked at it over his shoulder, "this is going to be a long day," he commented.
Edward smiled, "don't worry I'll do everything outside," Jasper looked ready to protest, "I'll start after we have dinner, it'll get a little cooler by then."
"But..." Jasper looked at his brother and could practically feel the stubbornness leaking off him. Shaking his head a little, he smiled at Edward, "alright then."
Emmett had come down a few minutes after and they all split the list. They had managed to clean the kitchen and bathroom floors before starting on dinner. Edward and Jasper prepared cottage pie with boiled potatoes and cauliflower cheese and Emmett made a vanilla cheesecake for dessert. Of course they knew they weren't going to have any after dinner, their Aunt never let them have anything sweet, but that wouldn't stop them from taking some when she went to bed.
They all ate in silence and only talked when their Aunt asked them something or scold at them about the state of their clothes or their hair, Jasper defiant attitude, Emmett constant smiling and Edward looking too much like their mother. Edward tried his best to keep quiet, he wanted to defend his brothers, but whenever he tried to open his mouth he was either given a stern look from Emmett or a kick under the table from Jasper. Edward inwardly scowled at his brothers and glared at his Aunt.
After the meal, their Aunt ordered them to clean the dishes and finish up with their chores. They silently picked up the dishes and cleaned the table as their Aunt fiddled with her mobile phone, seemingly texting someone. She had then moved into the living room and they heard the television come on.
They delegated the list of chores to each other; Emmett would finish off mopping the bathroom, wash the dishes and clean the attic. Jasper would clean the windows and do the laundry and Edward would start on the chores outside.
Edward made his way to the shed across the spacious garden to take out the paint supplies, he noticed it was still hot outside, but at least there was a slight cool wind passing through. Few litters of clouds floated in the sky as Edward shielded his eyes to look up; they lived in Phoenix for nearly two years after moving from Austin, Texas and he was still not used to the heat. Granted Austin was hot too, but they only lived there for over six months before moving. Jasper had loved it there and was sad to leave.
Edward got the paint supplies out and started work on the shed, after half an hour of painting all four side of the thankfully small shed; he started on the roof when he had got a ladder out of the shed.
A few minutes passed before he heard a sudden tapping sound in the direction of the house. He looked at the three storey house and spotted his brother tapping on their bedroom window with a big grin on his face. Jasper waved at him with a rag in his hand when he noticed he finally got Edwards attention.
Edward laughed and waved back, the paint brush in his hand flicking droplets of brown paint everywhere.
Jasper opened the small top window and poked his head out, "Eddy I think you missed a spot," and he pointed at his young brother who gave him a put-out look.
"SHUT UP," he yelled back, he heard Jasper laugh and he grumbled as he continued to finish off painting the roof. He really had to roll his eyes at his brother, "he poked his head out just to tell me that."
"WHAT?" Edward looked back up to see his brother still watching him with a grin.
"GET LOST," he hollered back, the only response he got was more laughter and the closing of the window.
After he finished off the third coat on the shed, painted the white bench twice, finished weeding the rose bushes and mowed the back and front lawn, the sun was low in the sky and he finally trudged his way back indoors. He stunk of sweat, grass and paint and he couldn't wait to have a nice long shower, scratch that he was going to have a nice long bath.
His brothers should be finishing off with their chores too, he could hear Emmett sneezing and grumbling about the dust upstairs and his Aunt lecturing Jasper about the laundry. He just hoped Jasper didn't lose his temper. From the three of them Jasper could easily lose his temper, especially if it involved anything against his family, minus their Aunt Giselle of course, anyone could say anything about her and he wouldn't care.
He was just about to go upstairs when he heard a sound from the kitchen that made him stop dead cold and terror for his brother to slowly wash over him. It was a sound all three brothers were very familiar with.
SLAP
"I DIDN'T KNOW," came his brother's angry and weary voice.
Edward felt his heart skip a beat and Emmett came rushing down the stairs. It seemed he had heard it too.
"Ed?" he asked with concern, placing a hand on his young brother's shoulder.
Edward shook his head; he was alright, but not – "Jasper."
As soon as the name left his mouth, Jasper's body came crashing through the kitchen door and onto the hallway floor.
"JASPER," Emmett and Edward both yelled in alarm and moved to help their brother.
"Stay right there," they reluctantly obeyed the livid voice. There Aunt stood at the kitchen doorway, her expression twisted in a menacing scowl and her cold green eyes glared at them before settling on Jasper, who was glaring right back at her, a hand on his red cheek.
"Can't you do anything right?" she asked Jasper in a sickly calm tone as she walked up to his side and looked down at him. Jasper stayed on the floor, his eyes trailing her as he scouted away.
"I didn't know that was going to happen," said Jasper, flinching slightly at the pain in his cheek.
"You didn't? Am I supposed to believe that boy?" she held up a small t-shirt she was holding and shoved it in Jasper face. Emmett and Edward looked at the oddly colour shirt. It was obviously a green coloured t-shirt, but it had large blotches of red splattered throughout the back and front of the small shirt.
"How was I supposed to know the colour was going to come off? All the clothes in the laundry are yours. It's not like I did it on purpose," Jasper growled out and he sat up.
All this was over a stupid t-shirt getting colour on it? Edward watched his Aunt in disbelief; she slapped his brother twice for something he didn't do intentionally. She was getting crazier and crazier by the day. He let out a growl and made to advance to defend his brother. But a hand came out and stopped him; he looked at his older brother to find him watching the scene in equal anger and frustration.
"Em?"
Emmett looked at Edward and shook his head and moved closer to his fallen brother. Edward knew why Emmett stopped him, he didn't want him getting hurt too and they knew Aunt Giselle wouldn't lay a finger on Emmett now that he was old enough to leave.
"It was an accident Aunt Giselle, it isn't even Jasper's fault and you can't blame it for it," said Emmett in a firm voice, half reasoning.
Their Aunt swirled and looked at her oldest nephew, "you stay out of this boy. This doesn't concern you."
Emmett growled, "of course this concerns me that is my brother you just slapped and are accusing. Why can't you be more careful with the clothes you buy? How was he supposed to know it releases colour?"
"You complete selfish ingrates," she hissed out and with a swift movement she placed her high heeled shoe on Jaspers left shoulder and pushed him completely to the floor. Jasper gave a startled and pained filled gasp as his head hit the hard floor and the heel dug into his shoulder.
Edward and Emmett gasp in shock and both moved forward to shove their Aunt off their brother, but she dug her heel further into his shoulder and Jasper cried out. Both brothers stopped and watched in anger as there Aunt lifted the pressure off slightly.
"I give you a roof over your heads, food to eat, a bed to sleep in, I have to take you everywhere I go until that brat turns of age," she pointed accusingly at Edward, "and you have the nerve to question me. I never asked for you ungrateful beasts and I will not be spoken to like that."
It was the usual speech she gave them, of course there was more but they were in no hurry to hear it. Edward just wanted his Aunt to get lost so he could help his brother. He saw Emmett shaking angrily at his Aunt; he knew his older brother hated this as much as he did.
"I want an apology from you and you," she turned back to Jasper who was trying to get her shoe off his shoulder while glaring up at her, "for ruining my favourite t-shirt."
"I'm not apologising for something that wasn't my fault," said Jasper, a second later he gave a muffled cry as she dug her heel again. Even with him trying to shove her off, he was too tired and didn't have the energy.
"Apologise," she turned her head to Emmett.
Jasper shook his head, "no." Edward bit his lower lip as he watched helplessly. Emmett hands were clenched in a tight fist and his eyes were now only on his brother.
Aunt Giselle glared at Emmett and pressed her foot down, Jasper cried out again and his left arm fell to his side as he flinched at the pain.
"Alright fine," said Emmett desperately, "I'm sorry. Please, I'm sorry."
Aunt Giselle smirked at him, making Edwards blood boil in anger. She was enjoying this, the wretched hag. She turned to Jasper who was gasping; his eyes closed "Now you."
Jasper shook his head. The heel dug further.
"JASPER," shouted Edward as Jasper cried out and shook, he could not watch his brother suffer like that.
"Jasper please," encouraged Emmett helplessly.
Jasper opened his eyes and saw his Aunt looking down at him, he glared at her. "I'm… I'm sorry."
The bronze haired woman smirked pleasantly, "are you going to ruin my clothes again?"
Jasper shook his head, "no I won't."
She lifted her foot off his shoulder and straightened up, "good, you best not let it happen again."
She threw her shirt in the laundry basket near the kitchen door and looked at her other two nephews, "I'm going out. Hurry up and finish off your chores. You better not be downstairs when I came back."
Edward and Emmett didn't respond, ignoring her as they quickly made their way to Jasper who sat up slowly, clutching his left shoulder with his right hand.
Aunt Giselle went upstairs, acting as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened, humming a pleasant tune.
"Jazz?" asked Emmett, his tone lased with concern and guilt, "how much does it hurt?"
Jasper shook his head, cringing as they helped him to the kitchen. They made him sit on the tall stool at the island.
Edward quickly got out the first aid kit and a pack of ice from the freezer and gave it to Jasper who had taken unbuttoned his shirt revealing his left shoulder. Edward grimaced at the bruise, it wasn't very big, but they could easily tell where the heel dug in as the skin was torn off, but not deep enough to bleed. The surrounding skin was bright red and swollen, Jasper hissed as he placed the ice pack over the wound, but sighed in relief after a few minutes, relaxing on the island as the coldness helped numb the pain.
Emmett had emptied the laundry and took the clothes upstairs. Edward and Jasper heard the front door close and Emmett walked back into the kitchen, making a direct beeline to his brothers.
"She's gone," he informed them, and gently moved the ice pack from Jasper's shoulder, "the swellings gone down a little. But I'll clean it up and bandage it just to be on the safe side."
Jasper nodded, but didn't say anything. He sat up straight, letting his big brother inspect and clean the wound. Jasper leaned into Edward who stood on his right side; he could tell his brother was tired as he practically let his full weight fall onto him. But Edward didn't mind, he would be there to comfort and support his brothers like they did for him.
Emmett finished off placing the bandage on the wound and packed everything away. He went to the sink, took a glass and filled it with cold water for Jasper.
"Here drink this," he instructed and Jasper took the glass and drank the water down. "Is it still hurting?"
Jasper nodded, "yes, but not as much as before." Emmett, Jasper and Edward never lied to each other. No matter what it was about they were truthful to no other, but to each other. There was no point hiding anything because they always knew when the other had something on his mind or was hiding something. And they knew if they were hurting or in any pain, it will only hurt the others if they hide it and didn't tell.
"Maybe you should take some painkiller," said Edward, he looked at his older brother, "do we have any left?"
Emmett nodded, "we should. Hold on." He quickly went to one of the cabinets on the far side of the kitchen and refilled Jaspers glass. "Here you go," he handed the painkiller tablets to Jasper and placed the glass in front of him.
Jasper frowned; he didn't want to take them. He never liked taking tablets. "Do I have too?"
Edward smiled at Jasper's pouting face as Emmett gave him a stern look, "don't be a stubborn git and just take it bro."
Jasper pout deepened, but he sighed after a second and took the medicine, washing it down with the water. "You happy?" he said after he finished.
Emmett grinned, "Loads." He took the glass and walked to the sink intending to wash it. Jasper stuck his tongue out at him and Edward laughed.
A few minutes of silence passed and Jasper sighed again, "just another normal day."
His brothers looked at him solemnly and nodded in agreement.
"Just another normal day," repeated Edward in a whisper, he couldn't help but think this was sad, to expect the next day to be filled with mundane chores, neglect and fights with their Aunt.
The only time they enjoyed the day was when they were out of the house and away from here, but they were becoming few and short. The need to leave was becoming stronger and stronger by each passing day, but Edward knew his Aunt was right about one thing, they couldn't truly be rid of her or her them until he turned of age and the law wouldn't keep bring them back to her.
He knew there was something more that made their Aunt put up with them. Why else would she call the authorities to find them and bring them back and make up some sob story to hide any suspicion after the many attempts of escape they made in the past. But for the life of him he hadn't figured it out yet.
He just couldn't wait until he turned eighteen and they could finally leave this place.
"Come on guys, lets head upstairs," Emmett's voice broke him out of his thoughts and he looked down at Jasper and grinned. Jasper had fallen asleep on his shoulder. Edward looked up at the clock and it was nearly ten o'clock, he turned his head back to Emmett.
His older brother was grinning as well, "Come on Ed."
They managed to get Jasper onto Emmett's back and both younger and older brothers had to smile when their middle brother circled his arms around his brother's shoulder and snuggled into his neck.
Edward turned off the kitchen light and followed Emmett and Jasper upstairs.
(A/N) That's the end of the first chapter of my first twilight story. Pretty long isn't it for a first chapter (grins sheepishly) had a lot to fit in, but I hope you enjoyed it. Please let me know what you think, like always constructive criticism and helpful advice is always appreciated and I apologise for any spelling or grammar mistakes.
I hope you like the brotherly love between the Cullen Brothers; they've been through a lot so they will be really close. The next chapter will explain about Carlisle and Esme absence and the girls will come up in further chapters (smiles).
Update news and info about this story as it progresses will be posted on my profile under My Stories - Update News, so keep a look out (grins).
Now please review and let me know what you think (smiles and points down to the review box). You know what to do.