Bella's POV

"Wake up, you worthless whore!" I heard Charlie yell from the bottom of the staircase.
I raised my body slowly, careful not to put any pressure on my latest sore spots.
Charlie's beatings were always brutal, but this was just ridiculous.
Once I was changed and ready for another treacherous day in school, I ran downstairs to greet Charlie. I was way past calling him my dad at this point. I haven't seen him as a father since my mom died and he started drinking daily. Then the beatings started.
But I tried not to let that get to me. I was seventeen after all. Just one more year to go before I'm free of him. That is, of course, if he hasn't killed me by then.
I had to joke about it. The only other option was to be terrified out of my skin. And I don't think I could handle that.
"Morning," I said to him as I walked towards the door. He grunted.
I was used to this. The lack of communication.
I got into the old Chevy truck he had gotten me a while back.
A part of me hoped this was all a horrible nightmare. That I would wake up tomorrow morning and that car crash would have never happened and my mom would be alive, and Charlie would be happy and less mean.
But I knew that this was reality. A cruel and disgusting reality that I would never forget.
I arrived at school just as the bell had rung and thanked the Gods that I wasn't late. The last thing I wanted was for Charlie to receive a phone call about my tardiness. I could never bear the punishment.
I got out of my truck and scurried through the school to my first class.
And got ready for the start of another boring day at Forks High.
But somehow, and I couldn't quite put my finger on it, I felt like today was going to be different today.

Edward's POV

"Why am I in this crappy town, again?" I asked for the millionth time.
"Because, son," Carlisle said, "there was a good job offer and it's a good opportunity for you and your siblings to start afresh." He had explained this a million times before.
I couldn't believe this. My father gets a job offer and suddenly our lives have to change.
Did I want to move from California to this cruddy town? No.
Did I want to 'start afresh'? No.
But did anyone care about what I wanted? No.
"Cheer up, Edward," Alice said to me. Carlisle and Esme adopted her most recently. They have always been givers. They adopted every one of their children, including me. In fact, I was the first. Then came my favourite brother, Emmett, who was about a year older than I was. After him they brought home Rosalie and Jasper. They lived at the same orphanage together. Jasper was a year younger than Rosalie, who was the same age as Emmett, but they are the best of friends. Then, of course, save the most irritating for last. One of these days I'm going to burn all of her clothes which she loves more than life.
She glared at me, as if she knew what I was planning.
Then she quickly brightened up. "I'm going to make a ton of new friends! This is going to be so much fun!" she squealed, just as Jasper came down the staircase and kissed her cheek.
Gross.
Apparently, my family had a thing for dating siblings. At least they weren't as bad as Emmett and Rosalie.
It was impossible to live in the same house as them.
Everyone had a partner. Except me.
But that was fine because I didn't want a girl. I didn't need one. They're all just a waste of space.
"Come on, Ed," Emmett said as he and Rose entered the living room. "Forks High awaits."
I gathered my things and went into the garage to find my baby. My family was particularly wealthy, and out of all the cars we have, I loved my silver Volvo the most.
I got into the car and drove to my new school, followed by my siblings in Emmett's car. I drove alone. Everybody knew that.
As we arrived at the entrance, just as the bell had finished ringing, I saw a girl running to the front entrance.
Brown hair, what looked like brown eyes, incredibly pale skin and as skinny as you can be without being labelled with some sort of disease.
To anyone else she would be ordinary, nothing special about her.
But, to me, she was the best thing I'd laid my eyes on since we arrived here.
I parked, watching her disappear through the door.
Maybe life here wouldn't be as bad as I'd thought…