*********I do not own any of the rights of the characters. No copyright intended. *******
PLEASE DO NOT READ ME IF YOU NOT AT LEAST EIGHTEEN YEARS PLUS. THIS STORY CONTAINS PROFANITY, VIOLENCE AND ADULT SITUATIONS. SO IF THIS OFFENDS YOU SHOULD STOP READING NOW.
Chapter One.
BELLA POV:
She never used a map, she just went wherever her instincts told her to go and so far her instincts had saved her ass many times over. She never stops in one place for too long, whenever she starts to feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end and the feeling of being watched, she packs up her worldly possessions and whatever little money she'd earned in her time staying in the place she'd called her home, even for how ever temporary it was, it always started to feel like home and when this happened she would always have to leave. She gives her notice in to wherever she's working at the time, more often than not this turned out to be the local diner or on the odd occasion, a hardware store, which often made her chuckle, because what she knew about DIY couldn't even fill a page of a book.
She hated leaving the last place she'd deemed fit enough to call home. She was happy there for the first time in four years, she had friends and people she loved as much as, if not more, than her own flesh and blood. She'd do anything to protect them, even if it meant her leaving her little haven. That little haven was called Biker Mamas Pit Stop; it was a little rough around the edges, but what you got inside made everything else just melt away. Her, own little diamond and piece of heaven.
This would be only the second time that she cursed the fates for putting her through this shit. Why couldn't she just be allowed to have somewhere to call home, for more than a six month period? She didn't usually open herself to new people because she never knew how long she'd be around and it hurt more if you started to love, but then have to leave. She couldn't help but open herself and learn to love, the owner of the diner, Donna. As soon as she'd stepped through the pit stops doors, Donna was on her like a rash, she'd made her laugh in the first time in, god knows how long.
Donna seemed to have a sixth sense about things and she just seemed to know that she needed help, so she gave her the position as cook, after a little test run so to speak. That's not where this woman's generosity ended, she also told her that she could stay in the apartment, that was above the diner, and she wouldn't take no for an answer. Bella had asked why she was helping her, someone she didn't know from Joe and her reply. "Everybody needs help once in a while, doll. Whether they accept it or not, is up to them. All I can do is give you the opportunity to grasp it with two hands. Plus, I see a little of me in you."
That's where their friendship began, she brought her into her world with ease and people just readily accepted her. Donna and her husband always made her laugh, she loved the camaraderie they had together, even though she was the most independent woman she knew, Donna would always be Peter's girl. She dreaded the day in which she would have to leave here.
Nearly six months to the day in which she rolled in to the town Buckhannon, WV and in through the Bikers doors, she woke up on that morning and had the dreaded feeling of the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end, as though she was sitting in a pool of static. "Great. Why now?" She said as she choked back a sob. She dragged herself from her bed that morning and begrudgingly started to pack away her belongings, she did this while tears fell heavily down her face. She made her way out to her car, opened her trunk and threw in her life with a heavy sigh; she closed the trunk with a resounding thud, which vibrated through to her bones. As she turned to go to speak with her friend, even though they were more like sisters, she had the feeling of being watched. So in her head she knew she was doing the right thing, but her heart ached from the wrongness of the situation.
She made her way through the doors of the diner and into the kitchen. She just stood, watching while Donna worked through the breakfast orders with her motion as fluid as water. She tried swallowing through the blockage in her throat, why did she have to do this? "Donna?" She turned to face her with a smile of welcome on her face.
"Hey baby doll, what you doing in her before you start? Not that I'm complaining as I get to see your sunshine face, while being surrounded by these behemoths." She said in her usual carefree way. Why did it have to hurt so badly? She was just going to have to do it like a Band-Aid.
She couldn't say anything; she literally couldn't make the words come out of her mouth. This must have alerted Donna that something was wrong. "Peter, honey, can you take over the grill for a few minutes, I'm taking my break." She moved towards her and gently hustled her into her office. Bella held onto her with everything she had, as though her life depended on this last connection. Donna sat her down and looked her in the eyes. "Right, Doll. You tell me what's got you terrified and what can I do to help?" She always just seemed to know her, as though they were connected somehow, if this was the case, why was fate calling her away from the people she loved.
Her heart broke and she started to cry a river. Donna handed her some tissues and she took them and blew her nose like a car horn honking. "I… I… I need to leave Donna, I don't want to, but I have to. There's something out there and it comes for me, I don't know who they are, I just know that if I stay bad things start to happen and people start dying, I just know when the time is right for me to go. I really hoped this time they would allow me to stay."
She seemed shocked by what I was saying. "Bella." This shocked her enough, as she rarely used her name. "We can help you against whomever it is that's after you, the boys will take care of it. Peter and I will make sure that your safe doll." She wanted to hug her for the way she instantly went into protection mode, that's what you did for family and that's what they were. That's all Bella ever wanted was a family, yet here it was being snatched from her grasp, no matter how tightly she wanted to hold on to it.
She took a deep breath, as she was about to tell someone, something she'd never told anyone before. "No one can help, if people try to help me they end up hurt or dead. See, these people who are after me, aren't like you and me. They aren't normal. So before I see anyone I love hurt, I need to leave, for all of your safeties. I won't see you hurt. Once I'm gone you'll have no threat to deal with. So please, Donna, just let me go."
"Oh doll, I don't want you to go, I can promise you that much. We are your family here and no matter how much we love you, I know you need to go. But you remember you will always have us, no matter what you need any time of day or night you phone home, E.T." She said as we both chuckled to her easy humour. "Now, you know me and you know that I just know shit, so if you feel it's the right time to go, well then doll, you got to go. I'm not going to get in the way of fate. If, fates calling you, you just got to answer, because fate waits for no man or woman, honey. I had a feeling that this day would be coming soon." She stood up and turned away towards her filing cabinet, she unlocked the bottom section and pulled out a large brown envelope, she turned back to me. "Now, doll. I spoke to Pete about this when I got my feelings, about you going and we want to give you this, it's not much but it'll see you through until you get settled. I don't want any complaints from you, you will take this or you'll hurt my feelings."
She handed her the envelope and looked inside and she was shocked to see that it was nearly full with money. "Donna? How… What… But..." She stopped to take a breath. "Donna? Really, there's like two thousand dollars in here, it's too much."
"Ah Ah, I won't hear a word of it and to be precise, there's two thousand, three hundred and seventy dollars in there and I believe it'll be enough to get you where you need to be. This is mine and Pete's parting gift for you and you will take it with a smile." She came over to hug her. As they stood there within each other's embrace, she whispered. "You need to go now, doll face and you don't look back on your way out of town and you only stop, along the way, when you feel it's safe to do so. You keep on going until you get where you need to be. I have a feeling this could be your last stop, trust me when I say, it'll all work out. Promise me one thing though. Don't run anymore, let your roots make home. Pete and I will see you again and I'm never wrong. Pete knows the truth of that." She finally said with a wink and a laugh.
I took her advice and left without any fanfare. As I travelled through different cities and states, which I didn't pay any attention to, I thought back through my life and how this tragedy came to be. From a young age it was only me and my mother, I had no father in my life, because according Renee, my dad, Charlie Swan never wanted me, so she left. He never tried to make contact throughout my life and I never felt the need to look for him, why would I, knowing he never wanted me.
Renee wasn't a good mom; she never really showed me affection and always blamed me for fucking up her life, yeah whatever. She went out most nights, so I fended for myself from an early age, which was until my grandparents stepped in and took me away from her, she didn't fight for me. Her wild lifestyle soon caught up with her, when she was found in her apartment dead, from an overdose. I didn't grieve for her. How can you grieve for someone you never really cared for?
At sixteen, still with the grandparents, life was good. I got good grades in high school and I'd just started my first part-time job, working for some local restaurant, as a waitress, but my aim was to be a chef, I loved cooking. I learnt everything I knew from my grandmother.
On one of the first nights working, I managed to drop food on the floor, so I had to go and clear up the mess. As I was collecting the cleaning products from the store room I started to hear screaming, lots of blood curdling screams. I was frozen in place. As quickly as the screaming had started, it had ended. I forced my body to move, I peered around the store room door and was shocked to see that everything was suddenly red. I started to panic, why was it so quiet? Where was everybody? As I came into the main room, the sight I saw made me sick. Tears were rolling down my face as I looked into eyes, void of life all around the room. I started to tremble, god, where was my phone?
I turned to look for my phone and turned straight into a brick wall, well I wish it was a brick wall. Unfortunately, I'd run into my worst nightmare. He was tall, with blonde hair, pulled back into a pony tail and I could never forget those red eyes or the feral sneer he had on his face. "Well, well. What do have here? You do smell rather divine, but, unfortunately for me, I've had my fill for tonight. I tell you what, I'll give you a few days head start, and we are going to play a game. I do love a game. This life does become very tedious sometimes. You have this time I give you to get out of town and flee anywhere. I don't give a shit where. But if I find you I will kill you, understood?" I nodded my head mutely.
Before I could blink he was gone. "Oh. My god." I muttered to myself. Before I knew it, police were swarming the restaurant and I was taken in for question, what with me being the only survivor. He must have phoned the police. After I gave numerous statements and accounts of tonight's events, I was finally allowed home. My grandparents didn't say a lot to me, so as soon as we got through the door I went to my room, to start packing my things. I retrieved the money I'd hidden beneath one of my floorboards, my in case of emergency fund. This to me was an emergency, hell; my life was in the balance here.
I waited until all had gone quiet through the house and I slowly made my way out to my car, with my stuff in tow. I loved my little mini; my grandparents gave it to me as a sweet sixteen birthday present. I started the engine and made my way from the life I loved and little did I know this would be how my life would happen on repeat for the next four years. I'm just glad I met that Native American at one stop on my way to nowhere; she gave me a charm which she said would protect me, when I thanked her and went to pay for the item she gave me, when I'd turned back to her, she'd gone. I always listened to my body's instincts after this and so far it's never led me wrong.
As I made my way into the next town, my body started to hum in contentment, I was near to where I needed to be. I looked at the welcome sign.
Welcome to Forks.
Forks. Now why did that name seem familiar? I carried on through the town and spotted another signpost this one indicated La Push was fifteen miles from here, which was where I needed to be. Halfway there, I spotted a diner; this one was called the Clearwater-Swan. It must have been a sign, especially having my name on the place and would you look at that, they were hiring. Everything seemed too fitting into place. I chuckled to myself, Donna was right, like she said, she was always right.
The car park was busy, all types of different cars were here, included a forks police cruiser. I made my way through the door as the bell above my head rang. I went to sit by the counter and there was the cop sat two seats down from me. A Native American woman came to ask me for my order. "Oh, I was just wondering about that vacancy you have in your window, is it still available?"
She looked at me questionably. "Sure is Hun. What's your name? Seeing as you're new in town."
"Oh. My name is Bella Swan. I'm twenty years old and yeah I'm new in town, which you obviously know. So could I apply for the job?"
The police officer that was sat next to me jumped from his seat as though he'd been burned. He stared at me. Okay, why was he staring at me? I think he could tell I was on the verge of a freak out. "Your name is Bella Swan. Bella, as in Isabella?" I nodded mutely, what was he getting at here. Maybe he was going to arrest me for running out on the police inquiries back in Arizona. "Is your mother's name Renee Higginbotham?"
"Uh, it was but she died when I was younger. I'm sorry, but am I meant to know you."
He frowned. "You could say that. My name is Charlie Swan. I'm your father."
At that little titbit of information, everything went black.
Well I hope you enjoyed it. Let me know what you think.
This story is dedicated to petersgirl, for all the encouragement she's given me.
Loves ya chica.