Title: Painted Symbols
Penname(s): Landiana
Rating: M
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. If I did I wouldn't be so worried about money, now, would i?
Summary: Two sisters move to Forks, but one is hiding a deep dark secret.
Submitted for the 'To Kill a Cullen' Contest
Please check out the other entries here :
http://www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/community/To_Kill_a_Cullen_Contest_Community/76759/
She looked down at him, eyes empty of anything remotely resembling compassion or remorse. His body lay before her, spread-eagled, and tied to posts protruding from the floor. His blood covered chest appeared to glow in the darkness, showing the strange symbol which had been carved into his skin. A rich laugh, full of menace and evil ripped from her throat, a sound which a seventeen year old girl should not have been able to produce. It was a laugh of a being who had seen evil, and revelled in its madness. It was the laugh of one who had been to the dark side of the furthest moon and came back to this world, more than a little unhinged by the insanity they had seen. A laugh which carried a warning, of pain and of the darkness which would follow this girl wherever she went. She didn't run from it. No. She embraced it.
~*~*~*~
"Have you heard?" a bubbly blonde screeched as she came to a halt next to Rosalie Hale, Emmett McCarty and Jasper Whitlock. "There are two new girls at the school, apparently they are twins. Anyway, we have to meet them!"
"Jessica, why do you always feel the need to introduce us to the new students?" Rosalie asked, her voice indicating that she had heard the same speech over and over again.
"Rose, you never know when someone awesome is going to join the school!"
~*~*~*~
Isabella and Alice Swan walked through the halls together towards their first lesson. They were no strangers to the new student routine, but both had to admit to themselves that they were a little disconcerted by the stares. It was like they were animals in a zoo, and people had flocked to see what kind of tricks they would perform. Alice smiled at all of the people, and Bella glared. The two of them were as different as twins could be. Alice had short, spiky black hair, while Bella had long chocolate brown locks. Alice had dazzling blue eyes while Bella's were brown. Alice was all lightness and joy. Bella was darkness and misery. This was not un noticed by the people in the school.
~*~*~*~
Alice sat down in Spanish, which was her first lesson without her sister. It was right before lunch and she was feeling a little lost. That was until two good looking girls came and sat down either side of her. The tall statuesque blonde spoke first.
"Hi I'm Rosalie Hale," she held out her hand and smiled at Alice. Alice took the proffered hand and grinned back.
"I'm Alice Swan, but you probably already knew that!" she giggled.
~*~*~*~
Jessica, Rosalie and Alice got to know each other throughout the lesson, ignoring the teacher when she begged them to be quiet. They discovered a shared love of clothes and shoes, and bonded over the universal female slogan – 'aren't boys dicks?' it became clear to them that the three of them had much in common and therefore could form a tentative friendship. Jessica and Rosalie were so convinced of this that they invited Alice to sit with them at lunch.
"Oh, Jess, Rose, I have to introduce you to my twin sister, Isabella. She is so awesome, I know that you will love her! I will meet you in the cafeteria" Alice gushed as she ran into the crowd. Jessica and Rosalie exchanged sceptical looks, before linking arms and walking into the cafeteria, everyone moving out of the way of the elite.
"You know, Jessica, for once you may be right about a new student," Rosalie murmured to her best friend.
~*~*~*~
Alice found her sister in the girl's bathroom, washing her hands. She put her arm around her sister and rested her head on her shoulder.
"You know Bells, I think that we are going to like it here!" she said looking at the pair of them in the mirror. "I have some awesome people for you to meet!"
Bella simply nodded and began walking with her twin to the cafeteria. Alice didn't have to know that Bella already hated it here and wanted to be away from this stupid little small town where all the people were either assholes or cheery little bitches.
They walked side by side, and as with Jessica and Rosalie the people moved out of the way. Only they did not move out of respect, but instead some strange desire to figure out the new girls.
The two pairs met up by the doorway and began to walk towards the food. Jessica and Rosalie began assessing the twin of the girl who they had taken under their wing. As if she had felt the stares Isabella lifted her head so she looked at the two of them directly and glared.
"Rosalie, Jessica, this is my twin sister, Bella," Alice said happily, totally oblivious to the murderous looks her fraternal twin was aiming at the two girls. They both took a step backwards, taken aback by the malicious aura the girl seemed to radiate. Her face was covered by a long, dark swathe of brown hair, so only one eye was uncovered. That eye had thick black eyeliner around it, with a swirly pattern painted up above her eyebrow and down onto her cheek. Her lips were painted a blood red, and were twisted into a sneer. She wore tight black skinny jeans and worn away black converse, with a black hoodie over the top. Overall she had the appearance of one who was slightly unstable.
"Me and Bella live alone together, which is awesome for us, because we can totally have parties whenever we want," Alice chirped, seemingly oblivious to the stares her sister was receiving.
"Where are your parents?" Jessica asked, her eyes glowing with the promise of new gossip.
"Well, our mom is a senator so we never see her," Alice explained as she grabbed a tray and began loading it with food. Bella did the same thing, copying her sister's movements exactly.
"And your dad?" Jessica probed, tactlessly.
"He went away a long time ago," Bella snarled at the overly inquisitive girl. It was the first time she had spoken all day. Jessica was taken aback, shaken by the menace in the other girl's voice.
"So, Rose, what is good in this town to do outside school?" Alice asked, breaking the silence as she paid for her sister's and her own meal. They all walked over to an empty table as Rosalie began explaining the wonders of the small town of Forks.
Bella just sat back in her chair and listened to their vacuous conversation. Jessica couldn't help but shoot looks at her every so often. There was something strange about Isabella Swan.
~*~*~*~
After lunch Bella walked alone to her next class, wondering what Forks High School could possibly throw at her next. She had biology, which was her best subject, so she hoped that it could not get any worse than the hell she had just had to sit through. Lunchtime listening to the conversation of Jessica, Rosalie and Alice could have driven anyone to insanity with their meaningless drivel and nonsense.
"You know Bella, I met this really cute guy in P.E. today," Alice chirped as they drove through the streets of Forks.
"Really?" Bella asked her twin dryly. "Don't you meet a really cute guy in every new school we go to?"
"Yeah, but they all end up assholes. I know that Jasper is different to all of them!"
"If you say so Ally. Personally I think that are all idiots." Bella turned her attention back to the road and only half heartedly listened to Alice's description of the god like Jasper Whitlock.
~*~*~*~
The girl sat in the bedroom she shared with her sister and laughed softly. The first day had gone perfectly. She could already see many victims within the masses, and she enjoyed the contemplation that her games would soon begin.
~*~*~*~
It had been a week since Alice and Bella had moved into town and things were starting to get back to normal. People stopped staring as they walked through the halls. At Alice's insistence the two of them sat with Jessica, Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper and Edward every lunchtime, although Bella never contributed to any conversation. She was too busy looking around at the people, trying to judge which bitch was the most vacuous. But even though she never spoke she was still noticed.
Edward found himself intrigued by Bella Swan. She was moody and dark, the sort of girl who had many hidden secrets, and for some inexplicable reason he wanted to find out. She had shown no interest in him, and he saw that as some sort of twisted challenge. He wanted to get to know this dark, brooding girl, to get to know her inside out. He sat next to her every biology lesson, and took in everything about her. She only ever spoke when she was spoken to, and then only if she couldn't answer with a nod or a shake of the head. Edward began to crave the moments when she would speak to him in her soft melodious tone, when they were doing a lab, or when he asked her a question because he hadn't understood anything.
Isabella Swan had made him need her. And Edward Cullen didn't give up until he got what he wanted.
~*~*~*~
As she walked about the quiet house in the small hours of the morning the girl thought over everything which had bought her to this sleepy town and made her want to bathe in the blood of all of the busybodies and bitches who lived there. Within her diseased mind she rationalised everything she planned to do. It would shake up everyone, which was something which could not be helped. She had to play her games if she intended to survive in this cruel world. If she didn't play then she knew she would die.
It was in the darkness when she though best. The dying of the sun was like a veil being drawn back. She could see clearly in the dark. It made everything obvious. The games would have to be played soon otherwise things would go wrong. And she could not let anything go wrong. She would have to choose her playmate soon, or everything would go downhill for her and her sister. And that could not be allowed to happen.
~*~*~*~
"Hey Bella," Edward said as he sat down next to her at the biology table. She nodded in his direction before turning back to her notepad. She was drawing random symbols in the margin of her binder, completely absorbed in creating the perfect design. "So Bella, me and Jasper were thinking, would you and Alice like to go out with us this weekend?"
Bella looked at Edward for a few long moments before she felt her phone buzzing in her pocket. She pulled it out and saw a text message from Alice.
Pretty please Bella, say yes to Edward! I want to go on this double date! Xxxxx
"Alright Edward, I will go on this double date. Where are we going?" Bella said, a little grudgingly.
~*~*~*~
Later that night the girl sat on the balcony which attached to the bedroom, listening to her sister's deep breathing. She was glad that she had agreed to the date. Because in doing that she had inadvertently chosen who she would play the game with. She would get close to him, prepare him for the game, and then they would be able to play. And she could enjoy the blood once more.
~*~*~*~
"Bella, we have to get going!"Alice shouted up the stairs at her reluctant sister. Bella looked at herself one more time in the mirror before sighing and making her way out of the bedroom. She could never look more than mediocre, specially next to Alice. Alice had vehemently denied her sisters words when they had been stated, but Bella couldn't help but feel that she was only saying that, because that was what sisters like Alice did. They lied. Alice had cheerfully forced Bella into what she thought was appropriate date wear, and Bella had let her. She wanted to look good for Edward.
She walked down the stairs and was met by the watchful gaze of three people. Jasper's mouth dropped open and Alice looked satisfied, as if Bella had achieved something great with her help. However, she did not notice this. It was only Edward's response which caught her attention. After all he was her date, he had chosen her, and she wanted to look good for him. She wanted to get closer to him. His mouth gaped wide with wonderment and a love struck cartoon character would have had smaller eyes. He was awestruck by her transformation.
For the date Bella had been forced into a tight black leather skirt which clung to her curves and accentuated her small waist. She wore a black tank top with lace adornment on the neckline and a deep red shirt over the top. On her feet were black ballet flats. Her hair was straightened, although her fringe still swept dramatically across her face, which was made up with dramatic dark eyes and deep red lips.
"You look beautiful," Edward said honestly as he took her hand. Bella shook her head, but smiled tentatively at her.
"Let's go to the cinema!" Alice cheered as she dragged Jasper through the door. He let her with a happy smile adorning his face. Bella and Edward followed a bit more sedately.
~*~*~*~
After the date it was clear that Jasper and Alice were a couple. They would walk around holding hands, and looking at each other with love sick eyes. Bella and Edward were a bit more discreet. They too were a 'couple', if you went by high school rules. However, their relationship was tentative, to such a degree that they would only touch when it was the two of them. But they were both happy with that.
And the girl was ecstatic.
~*~*~*~
"Bella!" Alice shrieked as she barrelled down the corridor towards her twin and the two men in their lives. Bella grinned darkly, before leaning back in Edward's arms and whispering to him.
"I take it she has heard about the party then." Edward laughed and turned to the bundle of energy before them.
"We have to go to the party. Understand!" the rest of the group did not argue. They knew Alice too well.
~*~*~*~
The girl lay outside in the darkness under the stars and took in the fresh scent of the trees and grass around her. She had really left it too long, and she could smell death in the air when she was in the house or in school. The time had come for her to play her final game. She would not allow it to take her or her sister. That would be unacceptable. The party could not have come at a better time for her. So she planned for it, knowing that soon she would be able to revel in the true delight of the parting of flesh and the spilling of blood. It would be worth the wait.
~*~*~*~
"Bella, I'll take you home if you want," Edward said as he took in his girl. She looked damn bored that was sure, her dark brown hair lying across her face dramatically. Edward smiled at her as he slung his arm around her.
"Edward I have to go tell Alice that I am leaving. Wait for me out front?" she asked him in her low melodious voice. He nodded and walked out of the front door, going to wait in the front garden for his girl.
~*~*~*~
Bella walked through the party, looking with disgust at all of the drunken party goers. They were sickening. All the frivolity and idiocy made Bella mad. These people had no idea of true suffering. Someone would show them the true meaning of the word pain eventually.
She saw her twin around the corner, talking to Jasper and Emmett. Bella smiled a true smile at the sight, one of very few real smiles which she graced the world with. It was good to see her twin smiling again, after all the trouble which had forced them to move across the country. Bella walked slowly up to her twin and tapped her on the shoulder. Alice turned and Bella was happy to see that her sister had a cup of soda in her hand, rather than an alcoholic drink.
"Alice I'm gonna head off. I've got some things to do tonight anyways. Have you got a ride?" She asked her sister concerned.
"I'm gonna drive myself home pretty soon sis," Alice trilled as she leant into her boyfriend. "I don't know that I want to stay much longer anyway."
"Edward is giving me a lift home. Are you sure you are okay driving?" Bella asked, her concern for her little sister evident in her voice.
"Yes Mom, I'm fine!" Alice laughed. Bella nodded and turned around, heading back to grab her coat.
"Hey Jazz," Alice said sweetly. "Could you go out and get the car warmed up for me. I just remembered I need to talk to Bella about something."
~*~*~*~
The girl walked towards her boyfriend, thinking about the situation. It was a perfect time for her last game. Everyone was so drunk in the party no one would be able to tell who had left with whom.
He stood in the front garden wondering what was taking his girl so long. He turned around to look at the cars. He had already turned the car on, and was just waiting for his girl to finish talking to her sister.
He heard footsteps behind him and began to turn around. Before he could greet his girlfriend something hit him on the back of the head. Then everything went black.
~*~*~*~
As he opened his eyes the world slowly came into focus one thought ran through his head. What the fuck? All he could see was the empty night sky above his head, devoid of even the stars which usually gave the black canvas some character. He became aware of his position. He was lying on the ground, spread-eagled, with his limbs tied to posts which had been driven deep into the ground. He tried to fight against the bindings, but they were tied tight. He began to look around him for the person who had knocked him out and bound him in such a helpless manner.
"Honey!" a cheerfully outraged voice said right by his side. "What are you doing up so early?"
He slowly turned his head and saw his girlfriend lying next to him on the floor. She did not appear to be bound as he was, and her face was scarily happy. As if she was enjoying his predicament.
"Alice, what's happening?" Jasper asked, her, slightly scared by the maniacal glint in her eye. Alice moved herself so that she was almost lying on top of him, her face right by his.
"Shh, baby, shh. It's okay. We just need to play a little game," she whispered, before sitting up and leaning over him. She slowly stroked from his chin, down his chest and stopped just above his waistband. "You like games, don't you Jazz?"
"Alice, why am I tied down like this?" he asked, trying to keep the frantic edge from his voice.
"Baby, I told you. We need to play a game. It's a very special game. I like to play it with all my boys. It will help me to get to know you better," Jasper swallowed. For some inexplicable reason he did not like the idea of this game.
"Now I need to get you ready for the game. Don't worry honey it will be fun!" she giggled as she took hold of his shirt with two hands.
She laughed as she ripped his thin t-shirt apart, the laugh far from her normal bubbly giggle. This was the laugh which could disturb dreams, haunt waking moments and embodied the deepest, darkest pits of hell. Jasper felt himself shaking with fear at the transformation his girlfriend had inexplicably gone through. Her black hair had been slicked up into one single spike, and had stripes of blood red running through it. Her face was a mask of blood red and black, shapes and angular lines were painted over her pale skin, giving her the visage of a demon. As she stood up and walked towards a bag which Jasper had not seen before her was able to take in her whole figure. She wore a black tank top which had been cut off just underneath her breasts, showing her flat stomach. The paint on her face extended down her neck, underneath the tank top and down onto her stomach. The malicious designs finished just above the line of her brilliant red skirt which fell down her body to stroke her knees softly. Jasper felt bile rise in his throat as he noticed the dark red patches dotted over her skirt, the colour of dried blood.
"You know baby, I used to have a pair of leggings I would wear, but they just got too covered in blood. It made them so hard to move in, so I started to play my games without them on. And you know what?" she said as she walked closer to Jasper carrying the bag. She knelt to just by his side and leant into his ear.
"I like it better when the blood is all over my bare skin," she whispered softly into his ear, menace creeping into her previously light hearted voice. This was not the Alice that Jasper had gotten to know over the past couple of weeks. This was the dark Alice, the true Alice who basked in carving of flesh, in the screams of a victim, in the spilling of hot, fresh blood. This was the true Alice Swan.
Jasper began to scream for help. He pulled against his restraints and tried to get free, to get away from this insane mockery of the girl he thought he could love. She laughed as she pulled the remains of his t-shirt from his body, leaving him bare chested to the frigid night air.
"Shh, baby don't waste your voice, no one can hear you scream," she whispered in his ear while stroking his face soothingly. She licked down his neck, catching the beads of sweat with her tongue. "You know, I've always wanted to say that!" he voice was full of glee.
"But it's true. Did you really think I would play my final game close to people?" she laughed that insane laugh, which sent chills down Jasper's spine, again. "No sweetie. I wanted quiet so I could take my time and get it just right."
She sat back and reached into her bag. She pulled out what appeared to be a roll of material and two large trays. She crawled down by Jasper's side and placed an arm under his body. With a display of strength which one would not expect of the petite girl Alice lifted his body up and pushed the two trays underneath his back so that some of each of the trays stuck out. The metal bit into his back and he resisted the urge to wiggle and try to move them. He knew that it would make no difference.
Alice began to unwind the roll of material and tell tale glints of metal began to appear.
"Baby, you know what. I'm gonna use my new toy on you because, you are just so special. I hope you appreciate it." Everything she said was in a conversational tone. It was so at odds with the situation that Jasper began to realise the depths of this girl's lunacy. Everything she had done in the past few weeks was a lie.
"Now, honey this is real important. I want you to remember this. I'm not doing this to hurt you," she said, her eyes glazing over. It was as if she was reciting something from memory. She stopped unwrapping the material and looked off into the darkness. "It's only a little game. No one will be hurt. But we can't tell anyone okay. This can be our little secret. Our game to play. It'll be fun honey, I promise. And we can play the game as many times as we want."
"Why Alice?" Jasper managed to splutter through his dry lips. She snapped out of the trance and smiled down at him.
"Baby, it's because this has to happen. I have to finish my game if I want to live. And you are a sacrifice I am willing to make. The game has to be played. I hope you understand." She went back to unrolling the material. Once it had been fully unwrapped she laid it on the floor and picked up the handle of one of the knives. It slid from its sheath slickly, and Alice held it up in front of her face. It was long and thin, and the point had been sharpened so much that it disappeared into a mere glint.
"Now honey, I want you to know I won't think any less of you if you scream. In fact, that would make it so much better for me." Alice smiled down at him and straddled his prone form.
She began carving into his chest with the long thin knife. Jasper screamed out as the blade bit into his flesh.
"Yeah, baby, scream just like that," Alice laughed.
She carved an intricate design into his skin, laughing as the blood flooded over her hands and was caught in the two trays. She was determined to save every drop, for she would need it later to win the game.
Jasper screamed in agony as the knife bit into his delicate flesh again and again. He was sure that there was some sort of method to the way she cut into him, stopping, and looking at the wound every so often, before beginning again. He could feel himself becoming weak from the amount of blood he had lost, the cuts had been so deep that if he did miraculously escape this with his life he would be left with scars etched deep into his skin.
Then, she stopped. She put the knife aside and reached down into the pools of blood in the trays.
"Baby, we're almost there," she whispered once more in his ear. She began methodically painting his skin with his blood. Once she was satisfied with the positioning of the blood she reached into her bag and pulled out a set of baby wipes. She wiped away all of the blood which was in place where it should not be and painted the rest of the symbol with black ink.
She stood up from the body and began to pack away. She put the knife back in the roll of material, the ink and baby wipes back into her bag and stood away from Jasper.
In his last moments of consciousness he saw the blood on her knees and lower legs and the triumphant grin on her face.
"I win the game again daddy," she said softly as she began to walk away.
Hope that you enjoyed that and it was not what you expected! please review!