Animals in a Cage
Annaleise Marie

Summary: Edward, Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett have been friends their whole lives. Each has walked their own twisted path, making them the messed-up individuals they are today. When Bella Swan moves to Forks, her dad and friends are concerned that the group will ruin her, but no one could imagine the horror of the reality that lay on the horizon.

Rated for lemons, language, violence, and drug/alcohol use by minors. Canon pairings.

Prologue

AN: Welcome to my new story! It's something I've been toying with for awhile, but kept dismissing for one reason or another. But now I really feel like I can get it out there, so I hope you'll give it a chance!

This first chapter is just a prologue, so it's very short and a bit confusing. That's intentional. Please continue to the next chapter (the first real chapter) before deciding if you'll continue it or not! :D

By way of disclaimers, of course I don't own Twilight and I wish I were making money off of this but I'm not. It seems only Stephenie Meyers or EL James can manage that.

X

The room where I sleep is... sterile. That's the best way I can describe it. The walls are white, spotless and bright. The twin-sized bed and simple dresser are cold, dull metal, bolted to the floor. The sheets are white and stiff, and the blanket is a gray scratchy wool. The floors are shiny-waxed linoleum, and the whole place smells like bleach. Clean. Empty. Cold.

There's a camera in the corner that watches me and a double-plated glass window in the door over a slot where they slide in food when I'm not allowed out. That's also where the multi-colored pills come from. The ones that I cheek unless they check. The pills make me sleepy. I don't want to be sleepy.

I'm an animal. I'm crawling in my own skin. I want to scream with rage and despair and horror. I want to peel my skin off, molt, become something new. I want to run, to push my muscles until I can't breathe, can't feel, can't think, can't, can't, can't...

But then they'll come. And they'll push the meds that I cheek into my veins by force.

I am caged.

X

"Are you ready to talk?" the doctor asks. I look at him dully. He isn't surprised. In fact, he looks meds I'm supposed to be taking dull cognitive processing. He expects it to take a minute to click. I give him what he wants.

We do this every day. Every day since I've come here. How long has it been? I can't remember. I didn't think about it in the beginning, and then I lost track. Plus, I think they kept me unconscious for a few days. I have fuzzy memories of coming in and out, different staff, blood red rage pounding in my ears, screaming, straining, tearing. Then the fuzziness comes back.

They'd probably tell me how long I've been here if I asked. I don't ask. But we've done this many times before. Today I'll surprise him, though.

"Yes," I say, and my voice doesn't sound like my own. I realize that it's been a long time since I've heard it. I look down at my lap, knit my fingers and cross my ankles. The scrub-style clothing they've given me is too big. The hem of the shirt pools in my lap. I don't fidget with it. My meds shouldn't allow me to fidget.

I want to run the cotton between my fingers, pick at the thread, unravel it. I want to unravel the seam. I am unraveling.

"Tell me about that night," he prompts. I stare at him. He has rimless glasses balanced mid-way down his nose. Bifocals. I wonder if I'm medicated because of his poor eyesight. I wonder if he's watching my pupils dilate through one lense setting and my hands twist through another. I still.

"That night..." I start, knitting my brow. That's not a good way to start. He waits patiently. There's a spot of ink on the pocket of his white coat. I'm shocked but I don't know why. I want to reach out and touch it. Of course I don't.

"My story doesn't start on that night," I say finally. He waits, and I think.

How does this story start?

X

AN: Again, I know this chapter is short, but it's just the prologue. Please stick around for the first "real" chapter!

I'd of course love to know what you think so far. It's not a lot to go on, but still.

I purposefully didn't mention whose POV this was. There will be hints as the story goes on, but at this point it could really be any of the characters. A bit of mystery is always good, yeah?