* All original twilight characters belong to S. Meyer. Any original characters are my own.
* Rated M for mature content – Abuse, Rape, Smut Later On.
The next day was Sunday and when I woke up I was surprised to wake up and find that Charlie wasn't in the house. I threw on the first pair of jeans and long sleeved shirt I could find and made my way downstairs, trying to keep my composure, trying to keep the tears away.
Pouring myself some cereal I sat down at the small table and saw the note scribbled out in red marker.
Isabella,
I go fishing every Sunday morning with Billy Black. Make sure the house is clean and supper is ready by 6pm.
I threw the note back down on the table and couldn't help but wonder who he thought he was to order me around this way. I was not some slave that was donated to him, meant to feed and clean and live in silence. I sat there for nearly an hour, suddenly understanding why my mother had left him and never really wanted me around him. Charlie was a good-for-nothing pig. I couldn't help but be thankful that I only had a year and a couple of months until I graduated high school and would be going on my own way, maybe sooner if I could get a job and pay my own way when I turned 18 in September.
I spent the rest of the day doing a few small things, throwing a stew together in the slow-cooker and then loosing myself in a book for the rest of the day. When it began to get dark I panicked, not realizing what time it was and jumping when I realized that it was nearly six already. I threw my book down on the sofa and ran to the kitchen, pulling some bowls down and digging through the drawer for a ladle.
I was just beginning to ladle the hot stew into Charlie's bowl when I heard the door open and his boots stomp into the kitchen behind me.
"Isabella!" he cried out loudly and I jumped, not expecting the harshness of his voice and in my startled state dropped the bowl that I had been holding, breaking the dish and spilling the hot dinner all over my legs and the floor.
"What in the hell was that?" he growled out to me as I grabbed a cloth and ran it under cool water, putting it immediately on the burned spot on my right calf.
"Isabella! Get this pig-sty cleaned up now!" he yelled at me and I jumped again, realizing just how close he had gotten and smelling the alcohol on his breath.
"I'm sorry sir, I burnt my leg. I'll get the mess cleaned up in a minute." I answered him as I tried to take care of the blister that was already forming.
"What did you say?" I didn't have time to answer before I felt my head being yanked back by my ponytail and my body thrown against the wall.
I didn't have a chance to recover before Charlie was standing over me and his fist was connecting with my stomach.
"When I tell you to do something, you do it right away." his voice was eerily low again and I couldn't control the tears that were again spilling down my face.
"I will not tolerate this kind of behavior in my house." He gestured with his hand towards the broken bowl and the spilled stew.
"I'm sorry sir." I sniffled and tried to stand up. I didn't expect him to push me back down with his foot just before kicking me, his steel-toed boots hitting my sides and back repeatedly before he turned abruptly around, leaving me on the floor, gasping for breath.
As I laid on the floor clutching my sides I heard the television turn on and the recliner groan as Charlie settled into his chair, a basketball game coming through the speakers.
"Get up girl and get my supper in here. Then make sure you clean up the kitchen." his gruff voice called and I slowly pushed myself up off of the kitchen floor and hobbled to the counter where I leaned my weight while I pulled another bowl down and filled it with stew, setting it on the usual tray and pulling two beers out and putting them beside the bowl. Ever so slowly I made my way into the living room and silently set the tray down, turning to return to the kitchen.
I cleaned up the mess and put the leftovers in the fridge, going up to the bathroom and turning on the shower, allowing the sobs to consume me.
The next morning I woke up early and listened to Charlie as he fumbled around in the bathroom and then stomped down the stairs and to the kitchen. Once I heard him leave and his cruiser drive away I got myself dressed and grabbed my bag, heading into the kitchen. I grabbed a cereal bar from the cupboard and was about to begin my walk to the school when I saw the note sitting on the kitchen table.
Isabella. After school you will come directly home and ensure that the house is spotless. You will make my supper and then go to your room for the night. At school you are not to make friends and you are not to speak about what happens here.
I scoffed at the note, crumpling it and tossing it in the trash can on my way out the door. I began my journey to the school that Charlie had pointed out on our initial drive to the house, concentrating on getting through the first day and not breaking down into tears.
When I arrived at the front office I introduced myself to the secretary – Mrs. Cope – and quietly accepted my schedule and the school map, stopping briefly at my locker and finding my way to class. Luckily my first two classes flew by, nobody approaching me and trying to make friends. As I sat in my third class waiting for the bell to ring my luck changed.
"Hey, you're Isabella Swan right?" the pimply faced blond asked sitting on the edge of my desk.
"Um.. yeah... but it's Bella." I replied, trying to make my voice sound bored and as un-interested as was possible.
"Well, I'm Mike... Mike Newton." he smiled at me and I forced myself to smile back casually.
"Hey guys!" A female voice piped in and I turned my head to see the brunette looking between Mike and I.
"Hey Jess, this is Bella." Mike introduced and I could practically see the jealousy rolling off of her as he sat down at the empty desk next to me.
"Hey I'm Jessica." The girl said and sat directly in front of me, looking over her shoulder wistfully at the blond boy who was totally oblivious to her.
Throughout that class I could feel the tension and tried to get away from them as I made my way towards the cafeteria. Jessica however had managed to stay by my side, dragging me over to a crowded table in the center of the room, introducing me to her friends one by one.
For the first few minutes of lunch I sat and listened to them all blabber away, not really paying attention to anything that they were saying, worrying about what tonight would bring at home with Charlie.
As I lost myself in my own thoughts I caught a glimpse of them coming through the doors. Five of them, all of them the same but also similar – I couldn't stop myself from staring.
Leading the party was the biggest person I'd ever seen up close, tall and full of muscles, pale skin, dark curly hair and golden eyes, although his appearance was intimidating, something about him seemed softer, teddy-bear like. He was walking arm in arm with a woman who could only be described as a super-model, the kind of woman who made every other woman feel self-conscious. Tall, curvy, blond hair, pale skin, and the same golden eyes as the boy on her arm.
The next two to come in the room were walking hand in hand. A tall and muscular blond boy, his skin pale and his eyes again golden... something about him frightened me but I couldn't pin it down. The woman he was holding hands with was petite and seemed to almost dance across the room, her hair was short and spiky, sticking out in every direction, again she was pale skinned and golden eyed. She glanced at me quickly before continuing on with the others.
The last boy to come in was tall and thinner then the other males but still muscular and defined. His bronze hair was tousled and sticking out in randomly as though he continually ran his fingers through it. Like the others he was pale skinned and his eyes a darker shade of gold. He followed the others through the cafeteria and sat with them at a small round table in the corner. When he had sat down he looked up, catching my eye in his and my breath caught. There was no other way to describe him but beautiful and I mentally chastised myself for the thoughts that immediately began to run through my mind.
"Ah, I see you've noticed the Cullens." Jessica said beside me and I looked back at her curiously.
"The Cullen's are pretty new to Forks too." She began to explain. "Doctor and Mrs. Cullen are really young and can't have kids or something so they take in foster kids. The Cullens keep to themselves and seem to think that they're better than anyone else at this school." she droned on, her tone full of distaste with a hint of jealousy mixed in.
"The dark haired one... that's Emmett Cullen and he's like with the tall blond girl... that's Rosalie Hale... she's a super bitch. Her brother is Jasper Hale, the blond one who looks like he's in pain. Jasper's with Alice Cullen... she's really weird." she described and I noticed that she was right, the two couples couldn't seem to keep their hands off of each other. I thought it was strange considering that they lived together, but not necessarily wrong... just strange.
"Who's the other guy?" I asked as nonchalantly as possible.
"That's Edward Cullen... he's gorgeous... but again he thinks he's too good for any of the girls here, so I wouldn't waste your time with him." she glared at him before turning back to the conversation at our table.
I honestly hadn't planned on anything to do with Edward Cullen but I couldn't stop my eyes from staying glued to him and found myself wanting to talk to him to see him, to be with him, if only for a little bit.
I sat with the rest of the crowd until just before the lunch bell rang and we all headed in separate directions to our classes, unfortunately Mike was in my biology class and insisted on escorting me.
"Ah Miss Swan." the teacher said as soon as we entered the classroom and I felt my cheeks flush bright red.
"I hear that you were in advanced placement back in Phoenix, I'll get you a book and then you can have a seat over there with Edward Cullen... last seat in the class." he said absently looking in the cupboard behind him for an extra textbook.
Once I had my book I made my way down the aisle and sat at the only empty lab spot there was and watched as Edward pulled as far back from me as he could, clutching the desk underneath him as though he was holding on for dear life and it appeared that he was also holding his breath. Not understanding his reaction I rested my head on my arms and focused on the lesson being taught. As the bell rang to signal the end of class I jumped when Edward took off immediately moving too fast to be considered normal, yet still too gracefully.
I didn't have very much time to consider why before Mike came over and insisted on walking me to gym class, following beside me like a little puppy. I ditched him at the locker room and came out on the other side, not looking forward to being the klutz of the gym class. Not only that but my muscles were still stiff from what he... Charlie... had done to me the night before.
I got through gym and made my way directly home, not bothering to get anyone's phone numbers or say goodbye even. When I got home I put my things in my room and went downstairs to work on tidying up Charlie's mess from the night before and doing basic cleaning, starting a load of laundry, and then heading into the kitchen to start on Charlie's dinner.
When Charlie got home I had his tray ready to go and took it to him silently in the living room before going upstairs to do my homework in my bedroom. While I was working on my math homework I lifted the lid to my laptop and loaded up one of my play lists, turning the sound on low so that it wouldn't bother Charlie and went back to work.
I must have fallen asleep at my desk with the music still on because the next thing that I remembered was Charlie's hand pulling me back from the desk by the hair and throwing me on the floor. As his foot came down on my stomach I groaned in pain.
"What the Hell is that noise Bitch?" he nearly screamed at me.
"I'm sorry sir." I moaned not really sure why I was apologizing for playing quiet music.
"You are not to listen to music while you are in my house." he growled, pulling me up roughly by my arm and slamming me into the wall behind me. Before I knew it his hand was around my throat and I was having a hard time breathing. I struggled to get free as his free hand continued to hit me, my stomach, side, chest. Eventually he got bored or tired and dropped me to the ground where I curled up in a ball. Before leaving he turned around and I saw his hand come back and aim for my face. Reflexively I lifted my arm in front of my face and felt something shift as his hand hit it. I yelped in pain and Charlie stormed out of my room, leaving me in a heap on the floor.
I was crying hysterically at this point wondering what exactly I had done and why Charlie had even bothered letting me come back to live with him. With that thought I lifted myself up painfully off of the floor and left my room without a second glance, creeping down the stairs and opening up the door to outside. Stepping outside I began to close the door behind me when something stopped it.
"Where the Hell do you think you're going?" the question wasn't meant to be answered because as soon as he said it I was yanked back inside by the arm and thrown into the stairs, the pain in my back was instant and I cried out.
"Isabella Swan you are not to leave this house except to go to school. If you attempt to leave for any reason I will hunt you down and I will kill you." I heard a click and opened my eyes to see the gun in my face, Charlie's hand on the trigger, his face a mask of rage.
"If I ever catch you talking about what goes on here I will kill you and anybody else who tries to stop me. If you ever try to leave, I will kill you and anyone who gets in my way. Do you understand?" He pressed the gun into my temple and I began whimpering uncontrollably.
"Yes... yes sir..." I stuttered, praying that he wouldn't kill me this way.
"Then get your lazy ass back up to your room and don't come out until the morning." he cried kicking me once before returning to the living room.
I made my way back up the stairs practically crawling, my mind swimming with fear. When I saw the look on Charlie's face with the gun pressed to my head I had no doubt in that minute that he would fire it and I would die. The only way to live was to try and behave, try and do things his way.
