I awoke with a start to the sound of a slam. I hesitantly looked over at the clock and it read 9:35. I then realized that the slam came from the front door. Charlie was home and I had fallen asleep. Then I heard a slurred yell… He was drunk again.
"Damn it Bella! Where's my dinner?" I bolted hurriedly toward stairs when I tripped. I fell down each and every stair. When I looked up, I saw a very drunk, very angry Charlie staring down at me.
"What have I told you about being so clumsy? And where's my dinner? You have been home for five and a half hours and you can't find the time to cook my dinner?"
He pulled me up by my forearm with so much force that I knew it was going to bruise but I couldn't say anything about it. I have learned from the last four years that if you complained about the beatings they only got worse. Then I flinched as I remembered why the beatings had started.
*Flashback*
I am six. And my sister, Grace, is 10. My sister and mother are downstairs playing their music together as usual. And I am as usual upstairs in my room playing my music that no one accepted. My sister is the kind of person that everyone couldn't help but love. She was also the type that was brilliant at everything she did. To everyone except me. She and my mother are wedding singers. I personally thought that Grace was a terrible singer but I didn't want to bring that up. No one in my family cares about me. And they prove it to me more every day. My sister gets everything she wants and I get all of her hand-me-downs if I'm lucky. But I'm okay with that because she gets a new guitar for each of her birthdays so they always fit her because of her growth. So I have about 4 guitars! I love music but no one ever wants to listen to what I want to show don't approve of my style of music. I was broken out of my thoughts when Charlie (I wasn't even comfortable calling him Daddy) opened my door.
"Get down here! Grace just learned a new song she wants to show us" he growled at me.
"Are you sure she wants me to come?" I asked skeptically, already knowing the answer.
"I'm sure she doesn't but I want everyone to be there so she can get the applause she deserves." he shrugged as he said this.
"Ill be right down" I sighed. I walked down the stairs reluctantly and went to sit in the living room. When I heard Grace say
"Mom, I saw this cute pink and purple checkered guitar pick at Sam Ash(the local music store) and I wanted to get it for the new song I learned."
I thought that it wouldn't work but Its Grace were talking about.
"Sure Honey. Lets go now. Bella stay in your room until we come back, so you wont hassle Charlie" my mom said. Being a good little girl I just nodded my head and went up to my room but I tripped. Then I heard Graces' snickers and my mom muttered "Hopeless child". I went up to my room and cried. I am just a six year old girl and they are treating me like Cinderella. Then about an hour later I tried to sneak down to the kitchen for a snack but the phone rang. Then I heard Charlie grunt as he yelled "Bella go answer the phone" toward the stairs. He probably thought I was still in my room.
"Swan residence" I said in my childish voice.
"I am Officer Brown. And there has been a car crash and the two victims go by the names of Renee and Grace Swan" then he paused. "We got an ambulance to escort them to the hospital but they both had severe internal and external bleeding and I am sorry to inform you that they didn't survive." He said sullenly.
"WHAT? How?" I asked panicked. They were meanies but they were my mommy and big sister.
"They were in a car accident. I am so sorry. I hope that you will cope well with the situation." Then after he hung up I realized that the worst has yet to come. I had to tell Charlie! Then I walked slowly over to the chair Charlie was sitting in and told him. he used several curses which I blocked out of my six year old mind and he started kicking, slapping, and punching me somehow finding a way to blame me for this. He said that my car seat was in the way of the rear view mirror and it was my fault she crashed. Then I knew that these beatings were going to be coming a lot more often from now on.
*End of Flashback*
I was broken out of these horrible thoughts when I was being shaken.
"Well Bella, what do you have to say for yourself?"
"I'M SORRY Charlie" I wasn't allowed to call him Dad and I wasn't going to "After I left school I had to go straight to Guitar lessons and I guess I just fell asleep" Charlie would try to rebuild my mom and Graces' music abilities in me so I had to go to guitar, piano, and singing lessons after school every day. I had already taught myself how to play guitar and piano before the death but he didn't care. And I wasn't going to suffer the beatings that would come if I told him.
Then he slapped my face and I knew it was going to bruise and I would have to lie to the teacher again as to why there was a huge bruise on my face. "What you just fell asleep?"
"Yes Charlie honestly, I will start making your dinner now" I tugged my arm loose and ran then I realized that that was a bad idea. He grabbed my ankle and I face planted into the hard wooden floor. Then he rolled me over and kicked me continuously all over my body. He then lifted me up and slammed my head into the wall. He continued to hit, punch, kick, and sometimes slam my body until my vision reddened and I was pulled into darkness.
When I woke up I was in an all white room that smelled highly of disinfectant. I was in a hospital. I despise hospitals. I looked down and saw that I had an IV tube in my arm. Then I tried to remember what had happened. When I finally recalled what had happened, I winced. Then the door to my hospital room opened and an extremely handsome doctor came into my room. He had blonde hair and his skin was as pale as these dull hospital walls. But his eyes were captivating. They were honey golden and bright.
"Hello Isabella," I winced. I hated Isabella. It's what Grace, Renee and Charlie all called me. and it wasn't the pleasant beautiful way that Doctor Cullen said it.
"You don't have any really major injuries you just need a lot of stitches in a lot of different places." Then he giggled. I didn't see the humor in this situation.
"Excuse me Doctor Cullen," I had read his mane tag "Can you please tell me where Ch- my father is?"
"I am sorry to tell you this Bella but he is in jail. He has been charged with abuse to a ten year old" I started crying but Doctor Cullen took it the wrong way.
"I know you are sad about your dad going to prison but-" I cut him off again
"Im not sad about that! He has been beating me since I was six! I am sad that I have to go to an adoption home now." I cried harder as I said this. He looked smug yet professional at the same time.
"No you won't. I have consulted with my family and they think it would be a great idea for us to adopt you. That is if you want too."
I didn't know if I could trust him. I have been wary of all men since Charlie and some of his friends. But Doctor Cullen lives in Forks I wouldn't have to leave my friend. Only one.
"I would love too." I finally replied. Thinking that if his whole family were as nice as he was, I would be perfectly content with them. Just as I said that, six people walked into the room and they were the six most beautiful people ive ever seen. They all looked completely different but at the same time, they looked exactly the same. Then a woman with long caramel hair that looked like snow white knelt next to my bed and said "Hi Dear, my name is Esme. And this is Emmett and Rosalie" she said as she pointed to a giant very intimidating man and a woman that looked like a super model ", Jasper and Alice," she pointed to a pixy and a lean teenager with curly blond hair "and Edward. And we would love to have you in the family." Then she leaned in to hug me and I complied by hugging her back. She was ice cold and was hard as a rock but I didn't mind. Then each individual person came up to me and said some welcoming things. Then Carlisle came up to me and said
"If you would like, we could take you home in an hour." Then I said
"Thank you. I hate hospitals" Then everyone laughed. But I was serious. `
Then an hour later, we arrived at a mansion. (AN: I won't go into detail of the Cullen home. Everyone knows what it looks like.) Then Alice dragged me inside and said "Do you want to see your room?" she was hurting my arm as as she pulled it but I didn't say anything. I know the consequences.
"Sure" I said while wincing. And she pulled me up the stairs and down the hall to a door.
"CLOSE YOUR EYES" she commanded and I did as she said scared when she yelled. Then she opened the door and I walked into the room. I was GEORGEOUS! It was just my style! The walls were the cream color that I assume they were before. and the decorations were gray and black but mostly gray. Then I looked around the room again and noticed my moms piano and my hand-me-down guitars in the corner of the room. Then I heard Alice say "Isabella can you play us a song?" Even though I just met Alice I could tell that she was the kind of Grace-like person that always got what they wanted but she was different. So I nodded and walked over to the piano and sat down. Then I started to play a song by Jordin Sparks called Battlefield.
Don't try to explain your mind
I know what's happening here
One minute it's love and suddenly
It's like a battle-field
One word turns into a
Why is it the smallest things that tear us down
My world's nothing when you're gone
I'm not here without a shield
Can't go back now
Both hands tied behind my back with nothing
Oh no
These times when we climb so fast to fall again
Why we gotta fall for it now
I never meant to start a war
You know I never wanna hurt you
Don't even know what we're fighting for
Why does love always feel like ...
a battlefield
a battlefield
a battlefield
Why does love always feel like
Can't swallow our pride,
Neither of us wanna raise that flag
If we can't surrender
then we both gonna lose what we had, oh no
Both hands tied behind my back with nothing
Oh no, these times when we climb so fast to fall again
I don't wanna fall for it now
I never meant to start a war
You know I never wanna hurt you
Don't even know what we're fighting for
Why does love always feel like ...
a battlefield (battlefield)
a battlefield (battlefield)
a battlefield (battlefield)
I guess you better go and get your armor
Get your armor
I guess you better go and get your armor
Get your armor
I guess you better go and get your
We could pretend that we are friends tonight
And in the morning we'll wake up and we'll be alright
Cause baby we don't have to fight
And I don't want this love to feel like
A battlefield (oh), a battlefield (oh), a battlefield,
Why does love always feel like a battlefield (oh),
A battlefield (oh), a battlefield
I guess you better go and get your armor
I never meant to start a war
You know I never wanna hurt you
Don't even know what we're fighting for
Why does love always feel like ...
a battlefield
a battlefield
a battlefield
I guess you better go and get your armor
Get your armor
I guess you better go and get your armor
Get your armor
Why does love always feel like
Why does love always feel like
A battlefield, a battlefield..
[(whooaa ooow) throughout to end]
I never meant to start a war
Don't even know what we're fighting for
I never meant to start a war
Don't even know what we're fighting for
When I was done, I looked up and everyone's faces were written with awe. Then I was pounced with that was great and one very funny "She can sing!" from Emmett. But I didn't smile. I am not allowed to smile. This is just my foster family. They will give me back to Charlie just like all the other ones did. So I better not get used to breaking the rules.