Bella has been beaten by her father ever since her mother died. Alice - her best friends - has been there to patch her up, but what happens when the beatings get worse. Will Bella have the courage to turn her father in and start her life, or will she endure the pain until she comes face to face with the demon that is death? Will she hurt others to keep her secret safe, or just fall away from society completely? Bella is in a complicated situation, with her mind running in circles, will she ever figure out what she has to do?
Chapter 1!
I sat in my room, face pushed into my pillow as I cried. It hurt to let the sobs rack through me, but at the same time it felt good. My sides burned from the beating I had just endured, Charlie decided to use the belt today. Leather. My back was on fire, and stung like a million bees had decided I was their next victim I groaned as I heard the window slide open, light feet drop to the floor, and a loud female gasp.
"Oh, god Bella, he did it again didn't he? I swear I'll kill him, I'll do it right now with my own two hands!" Alice whispered menacingly.
I sat up slowly, trying to avoid the stinging and burning welts. Sucking breath through my teeth, I eventually sat up. Alice was standing beside my bed, staring at the door, her tiny hands balled into tiny fists.
"Alice, no don't. I know you don't like it, but don't do anything please. If you do, it will just cause more pain for me and you know that." I reached up to put a hand over her tiny fist. She eased up a bit and dropped slowly to the bed.
"You want me to go home and get the salve?"
"No, you left the last bottle here; I still have it in my dresser, under my socks."
Alice nodded and got up carefully, trying not to shake the bed to much. She picked up my box of tissues and poured some salve onto it. I rolled back onto my stomach groaning as I did, so she could rub the salve lightly onto my back. It stung, badly, but the salve was cool and started to sooth.
"Any better?" Alice asked when she was done, tucking the salve back into my socks drawer.
"Not really but it will do for now." I rolled over again.
Alice sat on the end of my bed. Her short, black hair in it's usual spiky, disarray, her dark brown eyes looking at me with pleading on her face. I knew what she wanted and I had told her so many times that I wouldn't turn in my father. He was the only family I had left. Mom had just died and ever since, dad had taken to the bottle, when he got drunk enough he got angry and I seem to be the only thing he likes to take it out on.
"It's because you look like her." He said as he cracked the belt over my back a few weeks ago. "Because you act like her, smell like her and everything else about you that is like her." And he whipped me that night until I couldn't move. Those welts were still healing and now I had welts on top of welts it all hurt like a mother, but I get through it.
I shook my head signaling to Alice that I wouldn't do it. She sighed then her face lit up, and she jumped. Curious to what she was doing under my bed I got down and looked at what she was doing. She pulled my duffle out, and went to my closet.
"He never comes back in after a beating right?" She asked turning towards me as she fingered through my clothing, half of them bought with her money. I nodded and she continued. "Well then you are coming to my house and you can stay the night, and we can do a whole bunch of stuff." Alice continued on but I tuned her out.
This had happened before, she would take me to her house, Carlisle – her father – would look at my back, sides and where ever else Charlie had hit, bandaged me up and send me on my way. I didn't mind, Carlisle's cool, gentle fingers felt good on my heated skin. So I would go with Alice, but not just for the gentle doctors cool healing fingers, but for her majorly gorgeous brother Edward who I had, had a crush on since Alice and I first became friends, and that was over thirteen years ago. I sighed as I imagined Edwards face. Bronze hair that he always carelessly dragged his had through, piercing green eyes, a chiseled face and kissalicious lips. A small smile crept across my face, I didn't even think about how I was going to sneak away with Charlie down stairs. There was no way I could jump out the window and crawl down the tree not with the state I was in right now, but Alice usually came up with the great idea's, so I would leave it to her.