This is a little something I've been working on for a couple weeks. I already have six chapters of this pre-written, so I figured fuck it, I'm gonna post the first chapter. I have no self-control whatsoever.
Anyway, this is inspired by the show 'American Horror Story'. If you watch it, I love you, can we be new best friends? If you don't watch it, go do so now and realize how empty your life has been until now. Seriously though, if you don't watch it, this story will still make sense on its own.
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN Twilight! (Or American Horror Story, just to be safe).
BPOV
This sucked.
Why the hell did I have to move all the way across the country with my mother just because she and dad couldn't work their shit out?
I don't resent her from getting away from dad, but I do resent her dragging me along. I was almost eighteen, I could have just stayed with dad for a few more months until my birthday and I would have moved out anyway.
She insisted on me coming with her, not wanting to leave me with his cheating ass. My mother, Renee, had caught my dad, Charlie, cheating on her.
The catch?
He was cheating on her… with a man.
Yeah. We Swans don't do anything half-ass.
Charlie's porn 'stache and his obsession with throw pillows make sense now.
Renee was outraged and embarrassed all to hell, demanding a divorce right on the spot, worried more about what the old bitches at the country club would think more than trying to work out a twenty-two year marriage.
I liked Charlie, a lot more than I liked Renee. So when she flat out told me to pack my things because I was going with her, to say I was pissed off would be an understatement.
So now, we were on our way from Seattle to Chicago. My Aunt Charlotte -Renee's younger sister- lived there, so she thought it was the best place to go for a while.
I didn't mind the part about Aunt Charlotte. I love her like she was my best friend. Charlotte was only thirty-four and I swear to God she was what I'll be like in fifteen or twenty years. It was like looking into the future.
At least there was one good thing about this move.
"Oh, wipe that horrible frown off your face, Isabella." Renee chides me.
I rolled my eyes, making sure she couldn't see. I hated it when she called me Isabella. It made me feel like I was five again and I had just got caught with my hand in the cookie jar.
"I can't wipe the frown off my face when I have nothing to replace it with." I sighed to her.
"Did you honestly expect me to continue living in that house, with that man after what he did?" She asks, like I was asking her to kill basket full of kittens.
"No, but I did expect you to not drag me along against my will." I retorted.
"You are my daughter. I wasn't about to leave you with that man." Renee shuddered.
Oh yeah, that's another thing. She hasn't said his name since it happened, which was four days ago.
"What man? My father? So, he's gay. That doesn't automatically erase the last seventeen years of my life with him!" I shout, fed up with her.
"I'm not going to continue to have this conversation with you. What's done is done. Get over yourself, Isabella." She huffed, turning to look out the car window.
Get over myself? Ha! I wasn't the one acting like a stuck up bitch and treating my husband like he was Voldemort, with all this 'he-who-shall-not-be-named' bullshit.
Was it really wrong for me to not want to be ripped away from all my friends, my school, my boyfriend? I only had months of that left. Four more months and I would have been free. Now, I have to start all over for those months and I don't even know where the hell to begin.
To keep from reaching over and tearing chunks of Renee's fake blonde hair out, I cross my arms and dig my nails into my upper arms, glaring holes into the back of the drivers head.
We sat in silence for the next twenty minutes or so as we were driven to the new house. I refused to call it my home.
As we pulled up, I sighed, knowing I shouldn't have been surprised.
The house was way more than we needed for just the two of us. It was closer to a mansion, actually.
A huge, three story red brick Victorian sat at the end of the long, winding driveway. I knew a house like this had to have at least six bedrooms. It was just me and Renee. What the fuck would we do with all this space?
"Mom, why did you get a house this big?" I asked her.
"What? Did you think I was going to let us live in some hovel?" Renee asked, sounding genuinely offended.
"No… I was just thinking something a bit smaller. Maybe only two floors… something that didn't resemble Hogwarts?" I said, climbing out of the car.
Renee glared at me over the car, pissed off by my general attitude, plus the fact that she hated when I would make references she didn't understand. She thought it made her look stupid. And God fucking forbid my mother look stupid.
She is stupid… Not knowing what Hogwarts is…
Grabbing my bag, I stomped up the pathway and the stairs to the front door.
"Hello there!" An overly cheery voice scared me.
I flinched away and let out a startled squeak.
A red-headed woman in her mid-forties, wearing a suit had opened the door.
"Hello Tanya!" Renee calls from behind me as she came up the stairs. "Isabella, this is the realtor that sold me this house, Tanya Denali. Tanya, this is my daughter, Isabella." Renee introduced.
I give a half wave to Tanya before walking past her into the house. I could care less about some fake, cheery realtor who was just kissing Renee's ass to get her commission.
Stepping into the entryway of the house, I sighed, taking in the dark wood floors, walls with what looked like hand carved wooden trim around the doorways and windows. There was a large winding staircase off to the left and as I stood beside it and looked up, I could see all the way up the three floors to a sky window.
"See, it's amazing." Renee says as she passes me with Tanya trailing behind her.
"Can I just go pick out my room?" I ask.
"Go do whatever you want." She waved me off.
Yes, mother dearest.
Taking the steps two at a time, I went all the way up to the third floor, wanting to find a room as far away from Renee as possible.
The hallway off the stairs was long and narrow, random artwork hanging on the walls with a door breaking it up here and there. I opened each door, peaking inside. The first door was just a closet, so I moved onto the second. It was a small bedroom, but not big enough for me. The third door was a large bathroom, complete with marble flooring and one of those old claw-foot tubs.
Moving on to the last door, I twisted open the brass doorknob and took a look inside.
This is going to be my room.
It was twice the size of my room back home.
Done in hardwood floors like the rest of the house, the room had an open feeling, dark red walls surrounding me as I stepped into it.
It was pretty much empty of furniture, except for a window seat under the expansive picture window. It looked like it was done in a cherry wood, differencing itself from the dark brown mahogany of the floors. It had little cabinet like doors on it.
It had probably been used for storing small things; books, pictures, toys… stuff like that.
Slowly walking over, I kneeled down in front of the window seat, reaching out for the little silver handle on one of the cabinets.
A creak echoed throughout the room, like someone had stepped on a floorboard and I snapped my head around to see who was there.
No one.
I frowned before turning back to the window seat.
"Isabella! Come down here for a moment!" Renee yelled.
I jumped again and growled. This was stupid. It's an old house, there's going to be a few creaks here and there. Nothing to be afraid of.
So I abandoned my task and headed out of the room, going down the staircase as slow as I could.
I liked to piss Renee off once and a while.
She and the realtor were standing in the entryway, going on about how nice a flowerbed would look out front.
"What mom?" I ask.
"The moving truck is here. Have you picked out a room, yet? They need to know where to put your things." She said.
"I want the room on the third floor, at the end of the hallway." I told her.
The movers are going to hate my ass… having to carry all those boxes up two flights of stairs.
Renee looked me up and down for a second before making a sound of agreement.
I noticed Tanya looking at me strangely and I had to resist asking what her problem was.
The rest of the day was spent directing the movers. Renee had several fits when they put things in the wrong room. Lord forbid she'd have to pick up a box and move it from the living room to the kitchen.
All day, I felt this odd sensation in my spine. Like someone was watching me… but whenever I'd turn around to see if Renee or one of the movers were around, there wouldn't be anyone.
I'd hear creaking as well, but I tried to brush it off as it being an old house, much like I did upstairs.
It was almost eight o'clock at night when everything was finally in the house and where Renee wanted it.
She allowed me to order pizza, only because she was in no mood to cook anything, and I took a couple slices and escaped to my new room with the excuse of unpacking.
I sat down on the floor and stuck my earphones in, turning up my Ipod loudly and pulled a box over to me. I only had about ten boxes, but Renee insisted I keep my huge canopy bed, my dressers and the big plushy chair. Plus, being Renee, she tried to bribe me into all of this by getting me a 55" flat screen. The movers had fun lugging that up the stairs.
Normally, I don't take bribes, but I wasn't about to pass up a TV like that. At least I could spend most of my nights away from Renee and still get HBO.
I continued unpacking and eating my pizza, still getting that weird spine tingling feeling of someone close by.
Maybe…
The house is old. I heard Tanya going on to Renee about the house originally being built in 1895. It was a nice house, a lot of people have probably lived here… which means a lot of people have probably died here.
My eyes scanned the room carefully, looking for shapes in dark shadowy corners, but saw nothing out of the ordinary.
Laughing it off, I got up and started to make my bed.
You don't believe in ghosts, Bella. That's just silly.
A shrill ring startled me before I realized it was just my phone. Digging it out of my jacket pocket, I smiled when I read the name flashing on the screen.
"Hey Jake." I answer.
"Hi babe." He says in that deep voice of his. "How's Chicago?"
"I'd much rather be back in Forks with my dad and you. Renee's being her usual self, I had to go hide in my room." I said, flopping down on my newly made bed.
"Just a few more months, babe." He reminded me.
"I know, but it's kinda creepy here. I keep getting this feeling like I'm being watched." I said.
"Bella, you just moved into a strange, new - and if I know Renee - gigantic old house. Of course you're going to get some creepy feelings. They'll go away after a few days when you get used to everything." Jake says reasonably.
He's right of course, but it still feels weird.
"I just wanted to call and see how you were doing." He continued.
"I'm as great as could be expected. I was just about to go to bed, I'll give you a call tomorrow, okay?" I asked.
"Okay. Goodnight babe." Jake says.
"Goodnight Jake." I say back and hang up.
Letting out a huff of air, I got up and changed into the cotton sleep shorts and tank top - my usual sleep wear - and headed to the bathroom to do my nightly routine. Peeing, washing my hands and then my face, and brushing my teeth.
I leaned down to spit out the toothpaste into the sink and when I came back up, my eyes locked with a pair of green eyes staring at me in the mirror.
Well…? I know, it's not too much yet, but it was just the first chapter. There are many more things to come. Please don't be turned off by Jake being in this. Trust me, he won't be in here much.
I'd really love to know what you think, give me some ideas, theories, whatever.
As usual, you can find me on Facebook under Malin Halibell.