Resistance is Futile
Chapter 1
Summary: After a mysterious accident that leaves Bella alone, she is welcomed into the Cullen household as the fourth foster child. Will she able to avoid her unmistakable attraction to Edward, the troubled, overly artistic boy with a gruesome past? Angst/Romance. Canon Pairings. REVIEW.
Author's Note: Ah! Okay, so I'm praying that this story is well-liked. That is ALL I want. The point of view changes a lot in this chapter, and it may or may not in later chapters as well. Please, please, please, review. I'm a bit of a young writer with no confidence, so I'll only keep writing I get some REVIEWS! That's not blackmail or anything but whatever. I hope you enjoy!
Edward
"I'm surprised, Edward." Her fingers were shaking slightly. She was trying to mask her obvious anxiety by speaking louder, as if this made her voice confident. It didn't.
"I'm surprised too." I replied, drumming my fingers slightly on the leather couch, bored. "I'm surprised that you would pick me, a hostile teenager, to be your first patient."
"Now, why would you assume you are my first patient?" she asks, clasping her hand tightly around the pen.
"You're not the best actress, doc." I paused for a second. "Why were you surprised?"
She took a moment to recover—this was her first mistake. She shouldn't have showed me that I was right in my guess. "Most teenagers who come in here, well, they are usually in against their will." I take a moment to eye her appearance. Her hair was put up in a tight, harsh bun—which fit well the rest of her ensemble; gray pantsuit, pearl necklace with matching earrings; unbearably formal. I coughed before answering.
"Who says I came on my own accord?" I itched my chin slightly.
"Well, for one. You've answered all of my questions, not evaded them." She licked her lips slightly; maybe if she wasn't so… uptight, she might be my type.
"'Resistance is futile'" I quoted, smiling slightly. I looked up to see her attempting to mask a curious expression.
"What?" I asked quietly.
"I didn't take you for a reader. That's all." She scribbled something on her pad. I assumed it was brand new.
"Why's that? Is it the bad boy persona? Since I'm troubled and in therapy, does that also make me illiterate?"
"Does this stereotype annoy you?"
I laughed dryly. "I was dreading this. And not 'cause I'd have to share my feelings or any of that crap, but because I hate it when people answer questions with questions."
"I assumed your question was rhetorical."
"It wasn't."
"Well then, I apologize. So, Edward, how have you been feeling lately?"
"Same as ever." I said brusquely. No need to tell her the truth. As long as I answered, I may be able to get this over with faster than planned.
She sighed. For a second, I saw her let down her professional façade. "Edward. Your grades are impeccable. Up until the New Year, all of your teachers said you were strangely polite, seeing as you always sat alone. Then everything changed. It just, it doesn't make sense."
"Doc, things aren't always meant to make sense."
***
Rosalie
(One Year Ago)
"Whose he?" I whispered to Alice, a pixie-like girl in my English glass. Pretty enough to be an ally. Not pretty enough to be an enemy. She followed my line of vision to the new kid. He sat in the corner, wearing only a t-shirt, strange for the chilly winter weather.
"Uh, he's new, I guess." It was obvious she was trying to focus on the teacher's lecture.
"I figured that out." I snapped. She turned to me, a wry smile playing on her lips.
"Sorry, who were you again?" she whispered back.
I started. "You're joking right?" Not only did everyone know everyone here, but everyone knew me.
"Well, I've never been too good with names."
"Rosalie." I responded to curtly.
I tapped my pencil against the table as Alice took down a note. She looked up at me again, a slightly apologetic expression on her face.
"I think he's names Ed or Eddie. Something like that."
I chuckled. "Eddie? That sort of name belongs to a gas station attendant." Alice bit her lip at the comment. I wondered if I'd gone too far. Then she snorted.
"That and Dave." She replied. I think I'm going to like this girl. She nodded slightly to this "Eddie" character. "He's cute. Not really my type." I breathed a sigh of relief. Because he was my type.
Edward
(Present Day)
"Do you have a girlfriend, Edward?" she asked, pen poised above her pad.
"Unfortunately." I responded, twiddling my thumbs. I glanced up at the clock; 10 minutes remaining, I'd just have to endure it.
"Unfortunately?"
"I'm assuming you've been in a crappy relationship before. One that you can't bear to end because it's the only stability you have? Even if it isn't stable at all."
"I don't think I understand, Edward." She murmured apologetically.
I sighed, exasperated. "It's getting increasingly obvious that I am your first patient."
She wrote something on her special pad. I swallowed. "Let me guess; you're writing unfavorable things about me that will force me to come here for longer."
"Not necessarily."
"Would you mind if I left a few minutes early?" I asked, false politeness coloring my tone.
She took a moment to contemplate the request.
"No, you may leave." She smiled forcedly. I got up, nearly sprinting out of the typically designed office.
I suddenly remember a poem I had written when I was in fourth grade. My foster parent, Carlisle, had called it deeply disturbing. Not to my face, of course, but I had always had impeccable eavesdropping skills. It was called Sea of Sameness, and it was brilliant, for a forth grader at least.
I am drowning
In this sea of sameness
In this sea of lies
Gasping for air
Just water, water and more water.
That's it. Water in my lungs. That's all.
This sea of sameness
Is escapable.
I just don't know how to swim.
Of course, upon discovery, Carlisle forced me to sit down and have a "serious conversation" with him. He then proceeded to ask me a series of ridiculous questions.
"Do you ever wish you were drowning, Edward?" Carlisle was oddly professional at the moment.
"No. Well, other than right now."
"What is the sea of sameness?"
"The World. This town." I responded
"I don't think I understand, Edward."
"Of course you don't. No one's original. People fool themselves into thinking there unique. They aren't. Sorry to inform you, pops, but you're one of them too. So am I. I'm sure there's been a 'deeply disturbed' boy like me before. And I'm positive there's been successful doctor's before with a need to please his wife." At the last comment, Carlisle coughed uncomfortably before muttering something under his breath. "What?"
"I said, Edward, that you are much to intelligent to for you age."
"And much too screwed up, I assume?"
Silence.
That was just another form of therapy that he'd meant to be more comfortable. I had to hand it to him, he may just be another one, another follower, but he cared. More than I liked to think about.
Speak of the Devil. I felt a hand clap on my shoulder. I felt the urge to shake it off, but where would that get me? Another week of my driving privileges revoked? No thank you. Oh, and Carlisle was a genius. A god damned genius. Taking away the car? Perfect bait.
"How was it?" he asked, enthusiasm dripping from his voice. I wondered idly whether it was sincere or not.
"Great. I'm a brand new man." I said curtly, walking faster. Carlisle fell into step with me easily and I bit back a frustrated groan. What the man had in compassion he lacked in being able to take a hint.
"Ah. I see." Disappointment colored his tone. I sighed.
"Uh-sorry. It was okay. It was long. She was a little inexperienced." I told him honestly. A slight smile played on his lips when he realized I was telling the truth for once.
"I can look into getting you a different therapist. Perhaps one with more experience." He responded quickly, pulling the keys out of his jacket pocket.
"It's alright for now. She's fun."
"Oh, Edward. Must you?"
A dry laugh escaped from my lips. "I must."
***
Bella
I was an accident. It wasn't a secret or anything, but what teenage girl tries for a baby at nineteen. I guess it had worked out for my parents. Until two weeks ago, of course. They had abandoned Forks and moved to sunny, delightful Phoenix when I was only four. Why was I returning to Forks? It was a sensitive topic.
So sensitive in fact that the thought of it made me cry like a baby. Let's just say I won't be living with Charlie or Renee.
The whole foster care system was a little fuzzy to me. Okay, a lot fuzzy. All I knew were the names of my new foster parents; saints apparently, were Carlisle and Esme. They already had three other foster children that had been with them for five years. Or something. The first had been there since he was in fourth grade.
Great. I'll fit in perfect.
And I also knew that they handpicked me. My aunt knew them someway, somehow. My aunt is that type of person. Kind enough to plead with her long-lost friends from gloomy Forks to take her teenage niece, but not kind enough to take care of this niece by herself.
I lucked out. Or so they kept saying.
Oh and they were supposed to be rich. I wondered if they went to ritzy charity gala's and had nightly, catered dinners at some sort of grand, dining room table. Another reason why I would fit in perfectly.
It's funny, right before I left Phoenix, I found myself hating it. Despising it, even. I connected it with something Renee and I used to talk about. She was always saying how right after you decide to break up with a boyfriend, you despise him. Or how once you're in the bathroom you have to pee a million times more.
That never made sense to me… until now.
But here I sit. Alone in an airport terminal, waiting patiently for said foster parents to arrive and magically incorporate me into their already perfect lives. My baggage was scarce and the majority of weight came from the books I had brought with me. I checked my watch. I had never been the most patient person, either. Every time an older couple passed me my heart would sputter.
This time the two, extremely young looking, pair was walking right towards me. I was oddly calm. They were attractive. I bet their three other children were beautiful as well. I was the ugly duckling picked out of sympathy.
I stood up once they were standing right in front of me, smiling like fools.
"Bella?" they asked simultaneously.
I smiled shyly, slinging one of my bags over my shoulder. "Hi," was my brilliant response.
The woman, Esme I believe, pulled me into a hug, which I uncomfortably returned. After she released, Carlisle shook my hand. His grip was soft, as if not to frighten me.
After the last two weeks, I think I could handle a firm grip.
"How was your plane ride?" Carlisle asked politely before taking my bags easily. It was such a normal question, small talk, but then again, I didn't know what I had been expecting.
"Nice. Smooth." I said lamely, biting my lip nervously.
"Oh, darling! Aren't you beautiful? I just can't wait to get to know you!" Esme blurted. She brushed my hair behind my shoulder and I brushed ferociously. "Alice, Emmett and Edward are waiting at home. I'm pretty sure Alice is giving them a lesson on politeness as we speak. Oh, Alice is just so excited. She's been waiting for another girl forever. She's always saying what a boy's club our house is. Oh just you wait, right now its clean, but once you've been here two or three weeks all of the video game things will reappear."
I laughed, but it was quiet. Esme seemed amazing. I was grateful for that.
"Alice is very excited, but then again, I can't remember a day when she isn't." Carlisle joked. "Maybe we should warn Bella." My heart stopped. Warn me about what? I let out a small breath of relief when I saw a mischievous grin playing on Carlisle's lips. Did I mention how astonishingly good-looking he was? Annoyingly so.
"I don't know," Esme retorted, "it might scare her."
"What might scare me?" I asked quietly, trying to put a teasing tone in my voice. Trying to get into the dynamic of the two. Trying to fit in.
"Oh, dear, we were just joking. We were just going to tell you about our children. The people you will spending a lot of time with."
I gulped. "Let me have it."
They both laughed and Esme began, "Well, Alice is… enthusiastic."
Carlisle interrupted, "Yes, enthusiastic is a good word. But it's more than that. She's a bundle of excitement."
"Uh—enthusiasm is always good."
They nodded simultaneously. "And Emmett is… larger than life. In physical size and personality. Don't let the size intimidate you. He's a teddy bear. And he's quite fond of the ladies." Esme laughed.
"Edward is quieter. He's very musical and… well, artistic in general. I guess you could say he's the most introverted of the three. He likes to act sarcastic, but he's a real gentleman. He's a great boy."
Carlisle spoke of Edward with the utmost respect, which is odd for a foster parent. There was also a twinge of pain that told me something: Edward was special.
We walked to the car in a compatible silence. Before any of us got into the car, I bit my lip. "Carlisle, Esme."
They both looked up.
"Thank you."
***
Edward
Alice bounced on her toes. She was hugging herself in anticipation of Bella's arrival. It was strange, Carlisle and Esme taking in another foster child at such a late stage.
Her parents were supposed to have died in some sort of tragic accident. Carlisle was vague in telling us, I assumed he felt that it wasn't his place. I did know, however, that it had only happened two weeks ago. The wound was still fresh.
I, of course, had gotten a lecture from Carlisle, Esme, and Alice on being cordial. What did the expect me to do? Demand for her to tell the story of her parents' deaths? I know I'm a screw up, but I have a heart.
Alice skipped over to me and sat beside me on the couch, singing the words to an unknown song. Alice was always getting songs stuck in my head.
Emmett came in, a large bag of chips in his hand, and sat on the other side of Alice. Alice slapped his arm.
With a mouthful of chips, Emmett exclaimed, "What was that for!?" and before he could say anything else, Alice had grabbed the bag of chips out of his hands and ran back to the kitchen.
When she returned she said, "Bella is going to be here any second and we don't want her thinking that we are impatient slobs."
"And she'd get that from a bag of chips?" I asked.
"Yes." She answered simply.
Emmett grunted, pouting like a small child. Alice stuck her tiny tongue out at him and I laughed at the exchange. It was so family-like.
We all head the car approach. Alice was up in a second and at the door. First through the door came Carlisle and Esme. The girl, Bella, was brining up the rear. I gasped quietly. She was beautiful. Translucent skin and brown hair. Deep eyes. My type. My type, exactly.
Great.
Author's Note: Anyone catch the reference to Hitchhiker's Guide? It might be a silly book, but that doesn't mean its not great! PLEASE review.
Current Song I'm Listening to: Set the Fire to the Third Bar by Snow Patrol feat. Martha Wainwright