EDITED, AND REPOSTED
Title: Twisted Twilight
Author: Midnight
Beta: Moonlite
Synopses: A different version of Twilight. What if Renee never married Phil, but John Reed, a local cop. John is actually an alcoholic, and is abusive to Bella and Renee. It's after a brutal attack, that Bella decides to go to Forks to live with her Father. As Bella's life experiences have changed, so has our beloved story. See how!
Rating: T
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, or any character's from the novels. There are no proceeds gathered from this work.
Chapter: One
Chapter Title: First Sight
Warning: Includes mention of violence, and rape.
Chapter One: First Sight
I down shifted into fourth for more power, and passed the car in front of me. The music was blaring, toning out every other noise, and yet I could sense the RPM's of the engine. I shifted back into fifth as the car began to roar, and moved back into the right lane. I'd been driving for over a day, but for exactly how long I didn't know. My CD was on repeat, and I hadn't stopped for food or gas. I had filled up in Arizona before I left the state line, knowing that the car would make it on one full tank.
Not stopping was therapeutic, but it was also a safety precaution; I wasn't sure if, when the monster woke up, he'd report the car stolen, and his 'daughter' missing, or if he'd let me go, afraid of any heat on him.
Sighing in relief, I looked up and read a small wooden signing saying "Welcome to Forks". I'd hated this place since I was a child, but it was the only place I had to go, where I knew I wouldn't be pushed away. Until I was fourteen I was forced to spent every summer here with my dad, Charlie. After that we vacationed together in California for two weeks because of all of my complaining. He was also the chief of police in Forks, something which I didn't know was a good or bad thing yet.
I turned down onto Miller Lane, and with another right, onto his home street. For the first time since I'd left, I looked at the clock. 3:15 am.
Stopping outside of his house, I looked up, wondering if I'd done the right thing. But now there was no turning back, and no where else to run. John, my mom's husband, was a cop back home. This was my only choice. I inhaled deeply, then reversed the '07 civic into the drive way. Boy, Charlie was going to be surprised.
Wouldn't you be if your seventeen year old daughter showed up on your front door, covered in bruises, with nothing but a duffle bag? To top everything off, it was also only forty degrees, and I was still wearing shorts from Arizona. It was also raining.
With my luck I'd have a cough by morning.
I cut the engine, and pulled myself out of the car. Every part of my body ached in response; a mixture of bruises being touched, and sitting for so many hours. I walked over to the trunk and hit the pop button on the key pad. I pulled out my duffel bag, and slammed it closed again. A light upstairs flicked on; I'd woken him up. No surprise, around here you don't hear things in the middle of the night, unless it's something bad, and because he's a cop, he probably felt obligated to make sure everything was okay. And this was definitely bad.
I walked towards the front door, and pushed the lock button on the key pad. The horn honked, and the headlights flashed. I sighed one last time, and rang the door bell. Charlie thundered around inside the house, and several lights turned on. He opened the main wood door, leaving nothing but the screen to separate us. He turned on the porch light, and gasped.
"Bella?" Hearing him call me 'Bella' was a pleasant change; my other nick-name Izzy, now caused violent shudders.
"Hi." My voice was harsh, and on the edge of the breaking. "Can I come in?" He gave his head a shake, and opened the screen. I walked into the main room, now soaking wet from the rain.
"Bella, what happened?" He whispered. That was a question I wasn't ready to answer.
"Can I stay with you awhile?"
"Yes, of course. Here, give me your bag." He held out his hand, and I handed it to him. He looked me over, utterly in shock. I pulled off my shoes, and stumbled into the kitchen. Charlie followed silently.
Very carefully I sat down at the kitchen table, and looked around. Everything was the same; wood panels walls, and bright yellow cabinets. The cabinets had been an attempt of my mothers to bring some light into the gloomy world. I smiled weakly at the realization that he'd never gotten over my mother. Now I wished she'd never gotten over him, even if it meant I would have grown up here instead of warm Arizona.
Charlie walked over the fridge and pulled out a water bottle. He was careful to approach me slowly, worried about startling me as it was obvious I had been through some sort of ordeal. Holding out his right hand, he offered me the bottle. I smiled in thank you, and took it. He sat down across from me, just watching. I could almost see the wheels turning in his head as he pieced the mystery together.
"Bella, are you alright?" He finally asked.
"No." I took another swig of water, it's liquid was refreshing on my dry throat.
"I should take you the hospital."
"It's too late, I already showered." I whispered, fighting back the tears. Charlie's eyes clamped shut, and he bit his lip. But, show how, he managed to restrain his temper. He knew exactly what I was saying, what I was getting at. Which meant he also knew getting angry would probably only cause me to become afraid.
"I-" My voice cracked. Charlie's eyes flew open, waiting patiently. "Don't want to talk about it." Chickening out, as always, I scolded myself. I thought about the small box in my duffle, then shut the image from my mind.
"You should get out of your wet clothing."
"Right." I slowly stood up, and looked around on more time. Charlie followed closely behind me as I walked up stairs. "Thanks." I whispered. Charlie nodded, and walked back downstairs.
My movements where slow, mechanical. I was in the same room I'd always had when I lived here over the summers, it was the west bedroom which faced over the front yard. The floors where hard wood, and the walls a light blue. The ceiling was peaked, and around the window, a yellow lace curtain my grandmother had made. The only change made was from a crib to a bed, and a heavy wooden desk.
I dropped my duffel on the bed, and pulled out a pair of sweat pants, and a long sleeved t-shirt. Once I finished changing, I ran a brush through my wet brown hair, an pulled it back into a pony. Slowly, and deliberately, I walked out into the hall, and into the bathroom; one which I would end up sharing with Charlie. I shuttered at the thought.
When I looked into the mirror, I almost looked away. The bruises up my arms and legs where getting swollen, but thankfully nothing was on my face. I made a mental note to wear a turtle neck tomorrow as I carefully looked at the tight red marks around my neck. Worst of all was the dead look in my eyes. Guarded.
I brushed my teeth, then headed back down stairs.
Charlie was sitting in the living room when I got there. The TV was off, and only the standing lamp neck to his chair was lit. His expression was blank as he stared out the window to my car in the drive way. I approached nosily to make my presents know. Charlie looked up, and I stepped back instinctively. For a moment, rage had sown in his eyes, and I panicked. Then, once he saw my retreat, his eyes became soft, apologetic.
"Sorry Bella, I didn't mean to scare you. I was thinking about-" he paused, debating if he should keep going. I stood, still wondering if I should leave. "your mother."
"What about her?" I asked. Charlie motioned for me to sit down on the coach, and I obeyed.
"I called her," my jaw dropped in shock, "to ask about your friends. I wanted to find who did this. But when I started to ask, she cut me off. She spoke very fast, and quite, so much so I barely heard her." Charlie stopped, the anger starting to resurface. He took several deep breaths to calm down. "She told me to keep you here, because it was safer. And that you can keep the car."
"That's nice of her." My voice was dark, angry. The power behind it startled even me.
"When I asked about her husband, she said that John is really a wonderful man, cares a lot about both of you. But he has a temper. She wanted you to know that's sorry he yelled at you, and that he wants you to come home. I hung up on her." Charlie's eyes where now black, completely enraged. "I'd say he did a lot more then yell, didn't he?"
"Often." I muttered. Charlie walked over to sit beside me. Carefully, and slowly, he put his arms around me. I leaned into his chest, thankful to know I'd made the right choice coming here. "I just want to start over." I said. Moisture filled my eyes, and my chest was becoming tight.
"I'm so sorry Bella, I should have protected you better." Charlie's voice sounded like he was trying not to cry. Neither of us where the overly-emotional type, making this an awkward enough moment.
"You didn't know. And I don't want anyone else to." I pulled back, and made direct eye contact with him. I just wanted this to go away, and never come back. "I'm a little shook up, sure, but I'll be fine." I was careful to sound grounded and steady.
"You don't have to make that choice right now. Sleep on it for awhile. If you want to file reports, I'll help you. If you don't, then we'll figure something out." Charlie rubbed my back, and gave me a small smile.
"Thanks, Dad." I tried to smile a little back, and hoped it work.
"Why don't you try and get some sleep, Bells? I get the feeling you drove straight here." He gave me a bemused smile, and I chuckled lightly.
"Yeah, I did. Driving helps me think, something I get from my dad. But yeah, I should sleep, you're right." We sat awkwardly for a moment, then Charlie pulled me into a one armed hug, and let me go.
Shakily I rose to my feet, and made my way to the stairs. Each step creaked softly as I went off, and echoed eerily in the now silent house. Half way up I looked over my shoulder to see Charlie staring at the blank TV screen.
Guilt twisted my stomach into knots; I had completely devastated his world. Not only was he now responsible for a teen age girl, a emotionally disturbed teenager at that, but his ex-wife who he was clearly still in love, had brought the monster into my life.
Silently I tip toed into my "new" room, and closed the door. I pushed my duffel bag onto the floor, and crawled under the blankets. The duvet was chilly at first, but that was comforting. I loved climbing into a cold bed, and letting it warm up over time. I took a slow, deep breath, and embraced the scent of clean sheets, and my strawberry shampoo.
If I wanted to start over, then I needed to suppress this. I bit my lower lip and felt my eyes starting to burn. My breathing became shaky, and I felt the hot liquid roll down my face. I felt an explosion inside of me, and I burst out crying.
Nothing like a real crying jag to help you fall asleep.
I woke up the next morning around six am instinctively, developed from years of school. At first, I was confused as I looked around my room groggily. I knew this place, it was oddly comforting. When I looked over at the window, and saw the falling rain, everything came into prefect perception. I knew where I was; Charlie's. I was in Fork's. I detested Forks. But I detested John more, which brought me to Forks. A chill ran down my spine as I remember everything in a painful flash.
Slowly I sat up in my bed and kept the blankets pulled tight to me. I sighed heavily, and stepped onto the cold hard wood. The smell of bacon and eggs over came me suddenly, and I smiled. Charlie was making me breakfast. I ruffled through my bag, and pulled out a pair of jeans, and a blue t-shirt. Socks where harder to find, taking me about a minute to find one pair. I pulled them on and tip toed into the hall.
Deep breath, I reminded myself. Keep cool. This is the first day of tomorrow, of the rest of your life. Of change. I smiled at the thought, and wandered into the bathroom. My heart almost stopped at the sight of myself. Black-purple bruises covered my revealed, pale skinned arms. The red around my neck had gone down to a soft pink-like irritation. I brushed my hair out, and left it down.
Then I returned to my bedroom and pulled on a black hooded sweater to cover me up. Last thing Charlie needed was to see them in the light of day; he was likely to snap.
Not wanting to startle him, I put extra weight on my feet as I walked downstairs. Charlie stood over the stove in the same PJ's I saw him in last night, so either he never got to sleep, or he hadn't changed. Something told me he hadn't moved, let alone slept, last night.
"Morning, Dad." I said softly from the kitchen door.
"Morning, Kiddo. Made you some breakfast, thought you could use the energy. Take a seat." I obeyed without complaint and thanked him when he sat it in front me. Charlie put a plate in front of himself, and sat across from me. We each began to eat silently.
"It's delicious, thank you."
"You're welcome." Charlie blushed easily, something I'd inherited, pleased by the compliment.
"Dad, I-" Charlie put down his fork, and intertwined his fingers. Uncomfortable, I shuffled back and froth, and poked the eggs around on my plate. "I was just wondering how long, what I mean is, because I know you're busy and have your own life, and I don't mean to intrude, but I really don't want to go back there, so I was just wondering how-"
"Bella," Charlie's eyebrows creased, "I thought you hated Forks? I had just assumed you'd be leaving this week or next. But, if you want to stay here, you're welcome to as long as you like." He added quickly. I surprised both of us by smiling brilliantly.
"I'd like to stay." I said warmly. Charlie's eye lit up; I'd finally come home. I felt safe in the place, comfortable. Charlie nodded, and smiled.
"I guess we should get you enrolled in the school," Charlie said finally, well looking out the window, "and I guess I should call your mother again, let her know you'll be staying here."
"Do you think she'll agree?" I asked, sadly. "She has full custody, doesn't she?"
"Not technically. We never really came to any sort of agreement, so by law we have equal rights. Also, if she tried to fight it I'll take it to court. And believe me, we'll win." Charlie looked strangely determined, like this was personal war for him. I'd finally come home, asked to stay, and he didn't seem to want to let me go.
"I don't want this to go that far." I muttered into my eggs. "I don't want to cause anymore problems."
"Problems? Bella, you haven't done anything wrong. You did the right thing." Ha, ha. I'd done something wrong; I let it get this far. But that didn't matter now.
"Thanks, Dad." I smiled at him again, a little wider this time. Even though this was the most disturbed circumstances, it was the happiest I'd been in months. I took another bite of the toast, and began to stair out the window. Outside it was cloudy and raining outside; you're usual day in Forks.
Neither of us said anything for at least ten minutes. When I stood up and grabbed our plates the phone rang. We both jumped slightly as the high pitched noise broke the silence. Charlie ran and grabbed the receiver.
"Hello?" Charlie rolled his eyes, and nodded along to the voice on the other end of the phone. I filled the sink with soap and water, while listening carefully.
"Yeah, I'm fine- really. No, no it's nothing like that." Charlie shifted his feet, and cut the voice off again, "No, really Dr. Cullen, I'm fine. I don't even know why Mark called you, because I said I was taking the day for personal reasons, not because I wasn't feeling well." Charlie began nodding again, and I placed the plates on the drying rack.
"Well, you see my daughter has shown up, slightly unexpected." Charlie laughed, showing the lines on his face, "I'm absolutely tickled pink she's here." I placed the utensils on the rack, and looked up to see Charlie looking at me.
"Carlisle, can you call me back in about ten minutes? I need to talk to Bella- see if she needs a doctors appointment. I don't know when the last one she had one was, and I'd appreciate it if it was you. Yea? Thanks."
"No." My voice shock slightly as he hung up the phone.
"Bella, come and sit." I dried off my hands and walked over to the couch. "Look, Bells, I was thinking about this a lot last night. Dr. Cullen is the best doctor in town, and he's a kind man. On top of that, you need a doctor, and he's the only one I trust keep his mouth shut." I looked at Charlie skeptically.
"There are no secrets in Forks." I pointed out darkly. Charlie began to peace, but said nothing. Patiently, I waited.
"Bella, Dr. Cullen wouldn't tell anyone, believe me. Besides, we need a physician to- sign off." Charlie looked chocked up, so he stopped talking. I sighed heavily, knowing what he was getting at; in order or me to stay here, we needed a plan in case Mom tried to me get back, which meant proof. "Which is also why we need a police report, Bells."
"What?" I was absolutely horrified. I pulled my legs into my chest, and attempted to rationalize what he was saying; I'd have to talk about this, write it down, and submit it to someone. I didn't even want to think about it, let alone talk. If I wrote it down, John would know. He'd see it, and probably burn it.
"John wont hurt you here, Bella. I promise you. Besides, the first thing a judge is going to ask is whether or not we filed a report." Charlie voice got softer as he spoke, and he collapsed in the chair across from me.
"I don't have a choice though, do I?" My voice was weak, and defeated. "Either I do this, or have to walk back into the fire, right?"
"I'll set an appointment with Dr. Cullen when he calls me back. And thank you, Bella."
"Two previously fractured ribs, one cracked rib, but it feels like it's been healed already, too. Other then that, I believe you've just been bruised." Dr. Cullen's hands moved quickly around my ribs, his fingers freezing cold, but gentle. He was also a very good looking man, with blonde hair, and soft honey colored eyes. And he was very kind, like my father had said, and didn't seem pass judgment. As soon as my father had left the room, he'd asked me if I preferred a female doctor, but I assured him I didn't.
Charlie had excused himself when I had to remove my shirt. Dr. Cullen walked behind me, and checked my back. His hands where extremely fast, and when he was finished, he gently handed my shirt, and began scribbling on my chart. I carefully pulled on my t-shirt, and waited patiently .
"Alright, I'm going to take a look at your neck. Can you look up at the ceiling for me?" Obediently, I looked up at the paneled ceiling, and squinted slightly because of the flourescent lights. His cold hands softly touched my neck for only a moment, then I'd hear him scribble on his chart. This pattern repeated three times before I was aloud to look down.
He checked both of my pupils with a flash light, then smiled. "Doesn't look like you've suffered any head trauma. Your neck is pretty irritated though, so I'll give you some calamine lotion for it."
"Thanks." I muttered.
"Well, let's get a look at those arms. Please lift both straight out in front of you, with your palms facing down."
"Like this?" I asked, reaching out.
"Good." He moved both my elbows, my wrists, and each finger joint. "Now palms up." I flipped them over, and my left elbow screamed in protest. I locked my jaw, careful not to the let the pain show, but my heart speed up. Dr. Cullen seemed to notice my discomfort, and checked the elbow.
He turned, wrote on the chart, and turned back to the bruises. I looked away as I noticed him look at the numerous little white marks on my arm. Normally, I was so pale they could all just blend in. But with the bruising, they stood out, unchanged unlike the skin around them. "Bella?" I looked back at him slowly.
His honey eyes where narrowed, and sad. I dropped my head a little bit, and pulled my arms in. "It was a long time ago." I muttered. "Please, don't tell Charlie. If he knew how long-" I cut myself off; there are no secrets in Forks. Even if Dr. Cullen could keep his mouth shut, I knew their was nurse on the other side of the door with Charlie, the door that was opened a crack. He'd be too panicked to hear, lost in his own thoughts, but the nurse would be trying to hear.
"Law say's that you're the boss because you're over 17, but I would suggest you talk to him about it eventually. He's worried sick about you." Dr. Cullen wisely whispered, as if he knew what I was thinking.
"I know," I whispered back, "but I think right now I'm putting him through enough without adding my old stupidity to it." Dr. Cullen nodded, and walked over to the counter.
"Well, your elbow is pretty tender, but it's not too bad. Be gentle with it in the next few days, and you'll be fine. I want a chest x-ray just to double check on those ribs, like I said. As for that bruising, it's going to look pretty nasty the next couple days, but it's all superficial, and will fade. I guess you bruise easily?"
"Sometimes I find some, and I don't even know where they came from." Dr. Cullen chuckled softly, and walked back over.
"As for the papers your father brought in, I will sign them. It's pretty clear what happened."
"Thanks." I shuffled uncomfortable on the bed.
"I'm going to get a nurse or volunteer with a wheel chair to take you to x-ray. You wait here." I nodded, and he vanished out the door. As he left, I heard him tell Charlie it was safe to go in.
"You alright, Bella?" Charlie asked, as he walked into the room.
"Yeah, Dad. Dr. Cullen's a really nice man, you were right." I smiled weakly, and Charlie smiled back. "He said he's sign the papers, too."
"Thanks for agreeing to this, Bella." I just nodded. Charlie shuffled uncomfortable, and looked at the clock. I pulled my sweater onto my lap, but didn't put it on.
"I'm going to grab a drink, if I don't make it back in time, I'll meet you x-ray okay?"
"Alright." As Charlie left out the one door, Dr. Cullen walked in the other. Behind him was a young boy with a wheel chair. He had the same pale skin, and honey colored eyes as Dr. Cullen, making me wonder if they were related. His hair was an auburn colour, and styled messily on top of his head.
He also took one look at me, and froze up. I could have sworn the color of his eyes where changing as he stood there. Dr. Cullen looked at him sternly as the boy's whole body became ridged.
"Go, Edward. Now." Dr. Cullen's voice was rough, and almost surprised. He looked at Dr. Cullen, and to me, then to the chair. Was it just me or was he not breathing? "Edward." He bolted from the room, leaving the chair behind. All of this happened in under a minute.
"I'm so sorry, I forgot to put my sweater back on, I know you probably don't get a lot of cases like this in Forks, I must have surprised him, I wasn't thinking, I'm sorry. I'm guessing he was a volunteer, too?"
"You have nothing to apologize for, you've done nothing wrong. And, yes, he is a volunteer," Dr. Cullen took the chair, and rolled it over to me, "He's my son actually, in your class. He wants to be a doctor, so he volunteer's here. Someday's I swear he knows more then the staff." He chuckled lightly.
"In- my class?" Mt voice cracked, and I threw the sweater over my head.
"Don't worry, I'll talk to him. Edward won't say anything- he's got secrets of his own." Dr. Cullen smiled, as if enjoying some personal joke. I pulled himself myself off the bed, and sat down in the chair.
"Don't we all." I asked, rhetorically. I felt incredibly awkward- Edward didn't seem to be surprises by my appearance, he looked angry. Surely his father had warned him? It just didn't make sense.
"Indeed."
Radiology was only three doors down. When we walked in, Dr. Cullen closed the door, and sat down in a chair next to where he'd put me. I was so lost in thought, I hadn't even noticed that we'd stopped.
"Bella," his voice broke my concentration. My head snapped up, and looked into his sad eyes, "I would have brought this up earlier, but I was worried your father would hear. The nurse has him occupied now with the paper work, so you don't have to worry.
"I know you being here is very hard on you, and that you're here mostly to humor your father. But, while you're here, I seriously think you should have someone fully examine you." His expression was seriously, and I responded with a dark, humorless laugh.
"You mean, breaking out the rape kit." There was no sense of curiosity in my voice, just a low range gruffness, and yet it was strangely calm, "No offense, Dr. Cullen, but no. We've got enough so that I can stay here with my Dad, and I don't want- I don't need- that."
"If you're refusing that, then I'm insisting blood work."
"To see if I'm pregnant? I'm not." I maintained eye contact with him, blatantly refusing to look away.
"You can't be sure, Bella." I've always wondered if the constant use of someone's name is actually in emergency service training, because when everything gets tense, everyone starts using you name. Someone should tell them it's not comforting; it's creepy.
"Actually, I can." Dr. Cullen raised his eyebrows, and waited. "I'm on day six of my menstrual cycle. There was no egg to fertilize." I've always had extremely long periods, normally lasting up to seven days.
"Fine, but if you feel even a little bit off, you come and see me, alright?" I nodded weakly. "I know this is hard you, and if you need someone to talk to- I'm always around."
'Thanks." I smiled weakly. I knew he was taking a huge risk by not testing me, or reporting that he suspected rape, and if he was found out, he could get in a lot of trouble, but we seemed to reach a silent understanding that neither or us would say anything.
"I do need this x-rays, so let's get going." I slowly stood up, but stumbled any ways. I would have fallen if Dr. Cullen hadn't caught me. "Careful." He chuckled.
"Thanks- I'm sort of a klutz." I blushed bright red, and he helped me onto the table.
"So way my wife when she was young." A soft smile formed on his lips, and affection just seemed to glow off him. I chuckled softly to myself; it was like watching a teenager talk about his newest crush. It was a good thing he was happily married- every time a nurse walked by him she seemed to suffer from a bout of incoherency.
My x-rays where clear, so I discharged. Dr. Cullen singed the paper work for Dad, and gave me his card. "If you need anything, call me anytime."
"Thanks, Carlisle." Charlie smiled, and took the card from me. Dr. Cullen nodded, and my dad put it in his wallet. So I guess Charlie would be the one deciding if I needed anything.
We left the hospital in silence, and went home.
Under Doctor's orders, I wasn't allowed to 'exstrenuate' myself for several days, so I stayed home from school. Which was probably a good thing, considering half of me was black and blue.
On the first day I put away all of my clothing after washing it all. Which gave me nothing to do for the next while; I hadn't brought any books, and I didn't want to leave the house yet. I paced, cleaned and cooked to pass the time. I wasn't much of a TV person.
During the day of my bout of purgatory, my dad went and registered me for school. I moaned when he showed me my time table; Trig, Spanish, English, Government, Biology and Gym. Some cruel human being made it necessary for students to take gym all four years, instead of just two like it was back home.
They didn't know what they where unleashing on the poor, unsuspecting students at Forks High.