Summary: Bella grew up in Forks; Edward is her best friend, the boy next door. The Cullen family has taken care of Bella since she was 6. Edward is the only person Bella talks to because something tragic made Bella subjectively mute. Charlie couldn't take the pain of seeing his little girl so hurt anymore and he leaves her to live with the Cullens. This is Bella's story. All human. Italics= Bella's sign language, Bold= thoughts
Bella's POV:
Great. It's Monday morning. Time to face the hellish halls of Forks High School. As if my life isn't bad enough. Maybe if I tell you a little more about myself, you'll understand better. I am Bella Cullen. Age: 16. Height: 5'4". Ordinary facial features, mud-brown eyes, straight brown hair, pale as a ghost. I'm not much to look at, although I'm constantly told otherwise by just about everyone.
Who is everyone? Let's see, there are my parents: Esme and Dr. Carlisle Cullen. Then my siblings: Emmett (20), Alice (16), Rosalie and Jasper are twins (18), and Edward (17). The only one I talk to is Edward though, I love my family, but it's hard to open up to anyone, let alone one person. Why, you ask, well when I was about five years old, my mother, Renee, was in a car crash and I was in the back seat when it happened.
She had gotten a little drunk after the fight she had with my dad, Charlie, that morning. She accidentally swerved into oncoming traffic lane in an intersection. Although I was little at the time, I still have nightmares of those headlights as they rapidly approached the car and I still hear my mother's shrill scream and the squeal of tires as she came to her senses and hit the brake too late for it to keep us from colliding with the moving van. I still remember the jolt as she slammed on the brakes and her scream suddenly cut off as her neck snapped.
I was in the hospital in a comma for three weeks. I was traumatized and I haven't spoken in eleven years. Technically that is a lie, I do speak to Edward, but I use sign language with everyone else. The reason I talk to Edward is that the same happened to him with both of his parents when he was one year old. Rosalie, Jasper, Edward, and I were all adopted by the Cullens.
In school, I get teased and taunted by everyone except my family because I am subjectively mute. None of the teachers understand my 'handicap' and I struggle in my classes because of it. It's the end of my junior year -yes I was smart enough to skip first grade (before I became mute) and I am in the same grade as Edward. Next year, I decided to take Esme up on her offer to home school me, and Edward and Alice told me that they would do the same so I won't be so lonely.
I feel bad that Edward is the only one that I can speak to, I've tried talking to the rest of my family, but I gave up because it was too upsetting to us all when I tried and nothing came out. Carlisle told me that my brain shut off my voice to everyone but Edward (metaphorically) and that in time, it will take down the barrier and I will be able to open up to others. But for now my mind is guarding me from getting attached to a lot of people so that I don't experience the pain I felt after Renee's death and Charlie abandoning me again.
Hey guys! Short chapter, I know sorry. But I wanted you to get a feel for where I was headed with this story, and set up the background on Bella before I introduced what was going on currently. So, how'd you like it? Please Review, You don't have to write me a story- that's what I'm doing for you but just tell me if you like it. Thank You! Luvvvvvvvv you lots!