Learn to Trust
Ch 1
This part of the story was written by non other than Lori-Cullen. We are now co-writing the rest of the story. Thanks for your support.
I woke up in the dark. How did I get here? Were was my family? I was going to try to forget all about this and wait this nightmare out when an annoying beeping noise interrupted my thoughts. Beep, beep, beep. I was getting quite frustrated. I was about to do something I knew I was going to regret when I hear voices. I must be going crazy. I wonder if this is a mental hospital.
"What are we going to do with her? She's the only survivor," a woman's voice stated.
What were they talking about. I had a loving family that was waiting for me. I instantly felt absolutely horrible for the other girl that these complete strangers were referring to.
"Were did you find Ms. Isabella Swan here?"
Wait, that was my name. That woke me up in an instant. My eyelids fluttered open.
The first thing that I was aware of was a light above me that was way too bright. I looked around, in my arm was a IV. Dear god, why was I in the hospital?
"Holy Shit, she's awake" the woman said, obviously shocked.
'What happened?" I moaned. My head hurt, bad.
"Miss Swan,
I don't know how to tell you this, but you and your family was in a horrible car accident."
Then the pieces started coming together. Only survivor, where did they find Miss Bella, I don't know how to tell you this, car accident. Something was seriously wrong.
"Where is my family? Are the all right?" I asked, frantic to get some answers.
"Well, Miss Swan, I'm sorry to tell you this but, you were the only survivor."
The only thing that ran thorough my head was that she had to be lying. I tried to think back to the crash, but no thoughts came at all, I couldn't remember a thing.
"You're lying!" I shout.
"I swear to you I am doing nothing of the sort."
I broke down crying soon after that. Where was I going to live? I was only fourteen (Sorry about making her so young, I had to. Trust me, it was for the story.) I missed my family so much it hurt.
"Well, since you are so young you'll have to be put up for adoption." I looked at her to make sure she was serious. Seeing nothing but truth, I panicked.
The woman seeing my panic, tried to comfort me.
"You are very beautiful, I'm sure you'll be adopted very soon"
Those words made me cry even harder. I wanted my mom and dad. I missed my mom's cookies, my dad's really bad jokes. I missed my big brother playing videogames and tickling me until my sides hurt when I won. I didn't want a new family, I wanted mine back.
When I finally finished crying, I fell asleep. Dreaming that none of this ever happened. I wish I could get amnesia or something and forget. But looking back at all the happy times and memories, I realized that I wouldn't trade them for anything. After that realization, I fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.
I awoke to tugging in my arm. My eyes flew open in shock.
"What are you doing?" I asked, she jumped.
"Don't scare me like that! I'm unhooking you, your well enough to leave."
"Oh" was all I could say.
The nurse continued to unhook the wires that surrounded me. I really didn't want to watch, so I let my mind wander. Of course, my mind wondered to the crash. Yet all I could remember was getting in the car with my family for my brother's seventeenth birthday dinner, and after that my memories were blank up until I woke up in the hospital, it was like someone wiped my memories straight out of my head like a whiteboard.
I couldn't tell how long I sat there trying to remember. I felt like it was on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. So instead of remembering, I sat there, trying. I must have sat there for quite awhile because the next thing I knew, the nurse walked in.
"It's time," she said
I sighed and stood up slowly.
"I'm sorry you couldn't change into anything better than a hospital gown" the nurse said. Apparently, my clothes were too saturated in blood to be worn.
The nurse walked me out and told me to stay out in the waiting room for Children Services to come pick me up and take me to my house to get my belongings. I sat there wondering what I could have done to deserve this fate. Nothing that I can recall was ever this cruel. Nothing I could have done to bring this kind of pain among another living being. Yet I sit here hoping to God that my parents would walk thought the door saying that it was all one of my dad's horrible jokes. But, instead of my parents walking through the door, a women walked in about mid-forties.
She walked up to me.
"Are you Isabella Swan?"
"Yes" I murmur, and for once in my life, I wished I could take on a new identity.
"My name is Mary, I am so sorry for your loss," was all she said, but it was enough for a tear to fall down my cheek.
I couldn't let myself think about this now unless I wanted to break down completely.
I nodded.
"Follow me," she said.
We walked out of the hospital and to a Black car of some kind. I knew nothing about cars, let alone what kind of car this was.
I stood there not really knowing what to do, I didn't want to walk into someone's car, and I had a feeling if I had any chance of getting adopted than I'd have to get on this woman's good side.
"The door is open Bella"
I opened the door and sat down.
"We're going to your parents house to get your possessions," she said, referring to the hospital gown I had on.
I didn't answer.
She gave up on small talk soon after.
As soon as we pulled into the driveway, I started hyperventilating.
"Honey, are you alright?"
Ignoring her, I got out of the car and stalked to the door.
I took a deep breath. Was I ready for this? It was now or never. I wasn't old enough to keep the house, so I didn't want to lose the few things I had left.
My hand lingered on the door knob before I opened the door.
I gasped as I walked through the door. Tears ran down my cheeks like a waterfall, but I didn't have the emotional strength to stop them. I walked through the living room where the flat screen TV was, to the kitchen. I ran my fingers ran along the counter that my mom was cleaning a few minutes before the accident.
The tears were running faster now. I looked at the sink. My mom had left her wedding rings on the counter from when she was doing the dishes last.
I debated on whether or not to keep the rings. Would my mom mind? I decided that she would want me to have them. I put them on my middle finger since my fingers than my mom's was. I couldn't get used to it when I referred to my parents as was, but I knew I would.
Next, I made my way upstairs. I decided to go into my parents room first and save the least painful room for last. I opened the door and fell to the floor as sobs broke through my chest. The room I ran to when I had nightmares, and when one of the many lightning storms that happened in Forks. The room where my mom spent hours brushing my hair. All the happiness of this room, the many Sundays when I would make breakfast and bring it upstairs and eat with my family and laugh for hours. Now my favorite room of the house felt utterly empty, quiet, and meaningless.
I got my moms old empty chest that was beautiful and had horses carved into the side. I went through the room and grabbed things like my dad's class ring, my mom's heart pendant, pictures of me growing up and of my parents wedding.
By the time I was done, the chest could only fit one more thing. I went to my parents safe and opened it. Out of everything in it, I only had one thing in mind. When I got to the back of the safe, my hand brushed against what I was looking for. I pulled out my mother's beautiful anklet that she got when she and my dad were honeymooning in France.
I really didn't want to go into my brother's room knowing he wouldn't be there planning one of his famous pranks against me, but I had to. For the third time to day I opened a door in the house that was once my sanctuary. Now it was my own personal Hell. I looked around the room as fresh tears rolled down my face. I grabbed his elephant stuffed animal that I so often teased him about and his hoodie that had his High School logo on it. It had grease on it from the garage where he worked at. I smiled as I looked at it. It was much too big for me since my brother spent most of his free time lifting weights. I walked out of the room and shut the door nice and tight.
I walked into my room nest and grabbed clothes, a picture of my brother and I, and my laptop. I changed into the first pair of jeans my hand touched, and my shirt that was purple and had green polka dots on it. I threw my brother's hoodie over the top. I ran to the bathroom, pulled a brush through my hair and grabbed all of my bathroom necessities.
I grabbed all of my stuff which was in one suitcase, a backpack, and my mother's now full chest. I threw on my converse, took one last look at my home, and walked out the door.
Hopefully leaving the past behind me.
I completely ignored Mary on the way to the orphanage. I didn't want to talk to anybody. No one could help me. We pulled into the orphanage a half an hour later.
"Here comes the end" was all I was thinking.
2 months later (sorry for the time jump but I really didn't want to write about her time in the orphanage.)
I was hanging out with my best friend at the orphanage, Angela, when Mary yelled my name.
"Bella!"
I sighed and walked into Mary's office.
"Yes, Mary?"
"Today at three you have an interview with a couple looking to adopt."
"Fine" I have had these interviews before, they never adopt me.
"Go get ready."
I stalked upstairs.
Angela tapped on my door.
"Come in"
"What's wrong?"
"I have an interview." I said through my teeth.
"Isn't that a good thing?"
"They only adopt the younger kids, and besides, what if I do get adopted, what are you going to do here? I love you Angela, I don't know if I can just leave you"
"Listen to me. If you get adopted, don't worry about me. You deserve a good home, and if you find some lame excuse not to go, I will personally kill you."
"Fine" I grumbled.
"Good"
"What am I gonna wear?"
Angela laughed.
I ended up wearing a faded pair of jeans with artful holes in them. A green and purple striped shirt, my mom's anklet and rings which I never took of and green flip flops.
I looked at my watch.
"Crap, it's two fifty-five."
"I'm heading downstairs, Angela, will you go with me?"
"Sure"
We walked down the stairs with our arms linked. When I got down the stairs I almost ran into a tall, blonde man.
"I am so sorry" I say.
"It's no problem Miss."
"There you are Bella. Bella, this is Dr. Cullen and his wife."
"Please to meet you."
"The pleasure is ours," Dr. Cullen's wife said.
Dr. Cullen reached to shake my hand.
I shook his hand.
"Come on, let's go into the other room."
I followed behind the Cullens.
I sat down across the table so the couple could interview me.
"How long have you been in the orphanage?" Dr. Cullen's wife asked.
"Two months"
"Why are you here?"
"My parents died in a car accident"
"Would you like to be adopted?"
This question I didn't know how to answer. I hated the orphanage, but I loved Angela. Angela had become my family.
"Well, I absolutely hate the orphanage, but over the couple months that I've been here, my best friend Angela has become my family. So I'm kind of torn between wanting to be adopted and wanting to stay here."
The Cullens nodded.
The questions went on and on.
Finally at around five, the Cullens stopped asking questions.
"Well, Bella. You are a lovely girl. If you would like to, we would like to adopt you."
I stared at them, my eyes wide with shock.
"Really?" I squeaked.
"What do you say?" Dr. Cullens wife asked, who's name I found out to be Esme, asked.
"I would like that very much."
"Great, we will pick you up tomorrow around ten?"
"That would be great."
And with that, they left.
I walked out of the room, stunned at what had just happened.
I found Angela in the living room watching something new on TV.
"Angela, guess what"
"What"
"I'm getting adopted!" I squealed.
At first I wasn't so excited about leaving but something about leaving the orphanage appealed to me.
"That's great!" Angela said.
"I'm gonna miss you so much! Promise to email."
"I will."
"Will you help me pack?"
Angela and I start to pack my poor excuse of a wardrobe and my other belongings.
"So what are they like?" Angela asks as she folds a pair of jeans.
"Who?"
"You're new family"
"Oh.. You mean the Cullens?"
"Ya"
"Well, they are nice. Beautiful, too"
"That's it?"
"I don't really know what to tell you. I have just met them."
"Oh"
We packed in silence for about ten minutes.
"You know, I am really going to miss you. You're all I have." Angela told me.
"I know, same here. I wish they adopted you, too."
"Wouldn't that be wonderful."
We smile grimly at each other.
We walked to dinner that night with our arms linked. As we descended down the stairs, the whispers started.
"….why would they pick her?"
"….she's a nobody!"
"….ugh. I hate her"
"…..she is so plain."
Angela looked at me sympathetically.
"Don't worry, Bella, they're just jealous."
"Ya."
We sat down together, with all eyes on us.
"Bella, Angela, can I speak to you a moment?" The home's counselor asked us.
We walked into her office giving each other looks asking what did you do?
We entered together and sat down in front of her desk.
"Well, girls. I have exciting news."
"What is it?" Angela asked excitedly. Angela has always been more into surprises then me.
"The Cullen's decided to adopt both of you instead of splitting you up"
"WHAT!" We both screamed.
Thanks for taking the time to read this. The next chapter is going to be up in a couple of minutes. Thanks.
- Lori-Cullen & Musicluvr1918