Disclaimer: Nothing is mine. (Which is, unfortunately, very obvious.)
a/n: You all know I love reviews (I mean who doesn't?) but it would be really REALLY nice if you guys could make an extra special effort. I just fractured my leg and I can't go ANYWHERE (besides school. Blech.) so I'm counting on you people to give me reviews to look forward to!
Longer summary: This first chapter is of Edward and Bella in an orphanage 12 years ago (so they'd be five and six.) They were BFF's until someone came to take him away…. The family that adopted him was abusive and now Edward's a loner. How will this couple rekindle their friendship and turn it into something more? This chapter is in third person but the rest will be in Bella's POV.
Chapter 1: 12 years ago…
"Edward?" The small girl called from her even smaller room (we're being proportionate here, people). No answer.
"Edward?" she questioned again, but still too tired to throw herself from her warm bed. She moaned and rolled over, now facing the empty room, save a bed and two dressers. The echo of her voice confirmed what she thought; everyone was getting breakfast. Just as the five year old finished pulling on the standard white T-shirt and sweatpants, a handsome child walked through the door. His emerald green eyes and strangely colored bronze hair had always intrigued the girl.
"There you are!" he cried. "Miss Patterson has been looking all over for you."
"I'm sorry. I… had the dream again. I couldn't sleep so now I'm all tired."
The boy's features immediately softened. "You know that dream isn't true, Bella," he murmured, sitting next to her on the hard bed. "You'll get adopted by a loving family and everything will be fine. Trust me. I know."
"How do you know?" Bella demanded. "You're only six! That hardly makes you Supreme Mister Know-It-All of Edward Land."
This was the greatest insult of all. Edward's chin was pointed impertinently at the ceiling. He tried to think of a reasonable retaliation to his friend's anger. He was mature; or so he thought. He could deal with this maturely. Yeah. Right.
"I… just… know! Now stop pestering me. I'm going to play with the six year old blocks!" Edward turned, his chin still in the air, and marched off to play with the other children, leaving Bella to deal with her emotional distress alone. At the orphanage, the five year olds were considered too "immature" to play with the solid wood blocks and were instead stuck with the cardboard ones which, as Bella would call later in life, "crappy".
A few days later, a mousy looking couple with a loud, annoying baby came searching for a "big brother for our little baby girl here". Edward tried to hide under his bed with Bella (their small fight now forgotten) but in the end Miss Patterson dragged him out and he was gone within the hour. His only goodbye to his only friend at that orphanage was comforting her when she cried onto his shoulder.
"Bella. We'll be fine. I'm sure we'll see each other again."
"How do you know?" she sobbed hysterically.
"Because I'm Supreme Mister Know-It-All of Edward Land," he grinned as she smacked his shoulder with the strength of a newborn kitten. "Love you, Bella."
"Love you, too, Edward," she sniffed.
"Bye," he whispered and was almost out the door when Bella screamed,
"WAIT! I have to give you something! Anything…."
"Okay, I'll give you something too," he said and began to dig around in his suitcase.
Bella came up with a bracelet with a few girly charms on it. She pulled them off and handed him the simple chain.
"I know it's not much… but I want you to remember me, Edward," she murmured shyly.
"How could I forget? You're my best friend!" he laughed incredulously. "Ah! Here we go! You can take my— hey!" he cried out in pain as his new mother jerked his collar back. The shock caused his hands to automatically wave around wildly. Something cracked and splintered against a wall near one of the two dressers.
"No," Bella whispered.
"Enough goodbyes! Let's get out of this shit-hole," she said harshly, stretching the elastic around his neck.
"But I—!" he protested.
"I'll say goodbye for you," she said to him, her voice sickly sweet; like adding sugar to honey. Then she focused her glare upon the poor girl trembling in the corner. "Goodbye! He'll never see you again!"
"No! Wait! She's my best friend! Please!" he begged and shouted as the surprisingly strong woman dragged him back. She smacked him much harder than Bella ever had, and on the back of his head.
"Ow!" he moaned, tears in his young eyes.
"No!" Bella cried out for the first time. "Don't hurt him! He's your son!" She had immediately taken a disliking to Edward's new mother. He deserved better.
The woman laughed raucously. "Yes, he is my son and I will do with him what I please." Her voice sounded ominous and even her new son didn't argue with her after that. And then he was gone. Bella didn't know if his predictions would come true or not. She hoped they did, but would they even recognize each other by then?
"Edward," Bella whispered, feeling entirely lost for the first time in her life. She would not forget.
She moved like a ghost to the place where the unknown item had fallen. A cheap, metal chain was coiled gracefully on the floor along with a broken, heart shaped piece of wood.
No, she would not forget.
So… what did you all think? I hope you liked it but if you don't, I respect your opinion. But, I can't respect your opinion if you don't express it in the first place so be a good person. Review. Review. Wait, did I mention to review? No? Oh okay. R-E-V-I-E-W!!!!! (please)