Chapter Two – Renee Arrives
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or the characters.
I lay in bed and watched the sun rise over the tree tops. Renee was meant to be arriving today... I didn't really know how to react. The plan is for me to stay up here in the room while everyone else is in the lounge room with Renee and Phil. Edward had to be there and pretend he hate Renee for making me move back here, Alice would be crying, Esme and Carlisle will be attempting to control their children's emotions (Jasper will be having fun since it's his job to make it seem more real), Rose will be sobbing in the kitchen and Emmet will be comforting her just as Jasper will be comforting Alice. Then there is me. Up here all by myself, hip-hip hooray for me!
Ok maybe I was being a little bit over dramatic about it, and it would help me prepare for the funeral. Only I'd actually be going to that with a wig, makeup and other stuff to make me look like someone else completely. I have to lay low for a year or so until my murder blows over. Or we might move to Europe somewhere. I'm not sure entirely Carlisle is sorting it out.
The boys still hadn't given up on getting us to tell them about tonight so we stayed in Alice's room and had a girl's night. Watching movies, playing sing star and playing Bella Barbie.
Alice and Rose were fighting over the shower – just as they have been for the past hour.
"Rose, why don't you just use your own shower?" I asked her annoyed and tired of their bickering.
They both stopped and looked at me shocked. "What? Quit looking at me like that..."
"Bella; why are we both wet? And the forecast for today was sunny, not a thunder storm." Alice said running over to me.
"What does that have to do with me?"
"Think about it... Last night your room was all steamy, now you're annoyed and we are wet and the sky is filled with dark clouds and thunder... This is so COOL!!" Alice said and finished it off with an ear drum bursting squeal.
"You mean that's Bella's 'gift'? She can control the elements and weather?" Rose asked.
"YEP!" Alice said and popped the 'p'. She was jumping up and down like a child on Christmas.
"Well I'll tell Carlisle you two get dried off and changed..." I told them and walked out of their room. I didn't think I would have a gift, just be plain old Bella for the rest of eternity. But this seemed kinda cool. I mean who wouldn't love being able to change the weather and control the elements... Well I'd never have to worry about shimmering in the sun anymore...
"What is Alice so excited about love?" Edward asked as I walked back into our room and sat on the bed and lay down.
"Oh they were arguing about who gets to shower first, I got annoyed and without realising what I was doing I created a thunder storm and they somehow got really wet... They looked like drowned cats..." I told him and started laughing, because their face had truly been funny.
"Hmmm, and Alice thinks that's your gift?" I nodded in response. "Well we are going to have to talk to Carlisle before your mother gets here."
"Don't remind me. It's gonna be hard enough as it is. Seeing her and Phil all lovey-dovey since they haven't been told of my 'death' yet; then listening to my mum cry, or she'll blame herself or whatever... Only good part will be listening to you be all grumpy and actually act like a teenager for once."
"You'll be fine, love, I promise. Jasper will be in trouble if he messes with me too much though."
I laughed and got up off the bed and got changed in the bathroom. When I got out Carlisle was in our room talking to Edward...probably about me – again.
"Well Bella, it seems you have a very interesting talent. But we will have to test it later; right now we have a more pressing matter." I groaned as I remembered mum was coming today and the Cullen's would be telling her all about Charlie and my murder.
"I don't want to hurt her..."
"You're not going to hurt her Bella; she has a right to know what happened to her only daughter." Carlisle reasoned with me.
"I know, I know... but that doesn't change anything I still feel horrible... And watching Ang at the funeral... God that will be horrible..."
"Love, just relax everything will work out. We will lay low for a month or so before we head over to England."
I sighed and just leaned into Edward taking comfort in his hard form, even now I still needed him for support – I know I always will. And I'm not sure how long it will take me to 'recover' from what Charlie and Jacob did to me, but Charlie going to prison eased my mind a bit.
Carlisle left us and we stayed there for a couple of hours till Renee showed up.
"I'm sorry Love, but I have to go. Just call me if you need me ok?"
I nodded and he kissed me on the forehead as Renee and Phil pulled into the driveway. I laid back down and sighed as their car doors slammed and walked up the front steps to knock on the door.
"Hello, I'm Carlisle; this is my wife, Esme, and my children, Emmet, Rosalie, Jasper, Alice and... Edward." He paused as all his 'children' came into the front room to stand behind him and Esme, and lastly Edward could be heard stomping down the stairs. "You must be Bella's mother, Renee and Phil. I wish we could have met under better circumstances."
"Don't we all..." Phil mumbled. I was yet to hear Renee say anything. Although Jasper was doing a good job at messing with everyone's emotions; they all seemed very gloomy, grumpy and irritated. Alice sniffled and walked back up the stairs.
"I'm sorry but Alice was very close to Bella, this hasn't been easy for her..." Esme explained.
"It hasn't been easy for any of us!" Edward said.
"You hardly knew her! You only saw what she wanted to see. She wrote so fondly of you Edward, of all of you! And yet none of you saved her!" Renee finally said taking steps forward. I could just imagine her pointing at the Cullen's blaming them... and Phil in the background not knowing what to do.
"At lease she felt comfortable enough to tell us; at least we noticed she was putting on a façade. You're her mother and you sent her back here! You believed Charlie. You only ever emailed her; you never called, never visited. At least we tried, you didn't even try!" Edward said harshly.
Even though I knew the words he spoke were true, my mother hadn't questioned anything, only saw what she wanted, she didn't try and save me, she didn't notice the things the Cullen's did and they hardly knew me at the time; it hurt all the same to have someone vocalise those truths to her – she would be crushed. I rolled over onto my side as Alice opened the door and came in to lie beside me, wrapping her arms around me as I let the sobs rack through my body, but never shedding a single tear.
"You have no idea what you are talking about!"
"We know more than you think, we saw all the scars, and the bruises! Hell we even saw her the night HE murdered her! We had to ID the body! She came to our house for help, but she'd already lost so much blood..." Rosalie was going out in fall force now. I heard her start sobbing and Emmet hissed at Renee and Phil taking Rose into his arms.
"Ok everybody just calm down and we will go sit in the lounge room." No one said anything they just followed Carlisle and took their spots in the very large lounge room.
"So where would you like us to start, Renee?"
"The... umm beginning I guess..."
"Ok then..." Carlisle took a big unnecessary breath before he continued. "When Bella moved here, Alice couldn't wait to meet her. The whole town was talking about her. Everyone was excited. Well everyone except Charlie, we all thought it was because he didn't know how to look after a teenager, or because he didn't want his only daughter to see the mess his house had become. He claimed it was vandals but know everyone knows it was from him when he was drunk. Bella had to clean out the house and get new furniture in two and a half days...
"Once she started school it was obvious she was different. She kept to herself for the most part. My children tried to get Bella to sit with them which she did once but stopped – she wouldn't let herself get close to anyone.
"Alice spoke about her non-stop, telling us about everything she did; how she winced when she had to lift her left arm or how she always pulled her sleaves down to cover her arms, limped when she walked and always wore makeup.
"We were all worried about her. And when Edward saved her from the van – " He was cut off by my mum.
"WHAT VAN!!?? I was never told of a van!" She screeched.
"It was a cold day; there was ice on the road and one of the students lost control of their van in the parking lot. It was so close to hitting Bella. But Edward saved her."
"Thank you, thank you so much for saving my baby..." Renee said while she cried.
"It's the least I could do. I couldn't let her die. I wish you'd never been stupid enough to send her back here. I may not have ever met her, but a world with Bella and me not knowing her is far better than one without her and me knowing what might've been." Edward sneered back.
"Edward, that was uncalled for. Apologise to Renee right now!" Esme said – being the perfect mother.
"No..."
"Fine just don't be so rude next time or you can go to your room till they leave. Do you understand?"
"Yes..."
"So can I continue?" Carlisle asked. There was a minute of silence before he started speaking again. "After the accident Edward started talking to Bella. He was worried about her. As we all were. When she read out a rather sad poem to her English class as part of her assessment, it was clear something was wrong, and she was trying to get people to notice. No one did though, apart from Alice. Eventually though after their next English class she convinced Bella to sit with them again. She was telling them how she wanted to tell them the truth but she didn't want them to get hurt. And when Emmet said they'd take care of whoever was hurting her. She got mad and said she wouldn't let them be monsters like them. That's when they knew there was more than one. Later Bella told us about Charlie and what he did to her and how he had given Jacob the one thing he couldn't take himself."
I listened as Renee gasped and started crying even harder.
"Oh God, no... no... no.... not my poor baby... Not her..."
"As I was saying we helped her as much as she would let us but she was stubborn. Your daughter is very strong and brave. I don't know a lot of people, particularly young teenage girls, who are able to live through what she did. That night she showed up at our door. I'll never forget it. She had cuts from her shoulders to her hands and from her hips to her ankles, stab wounds and another cut to her chest area. She'd lost so much blood – there was nothing I could do... I'm so sorry."
Carlisle finished retelling my story while my mother cried. Her sobs were all that could be heard in the house.
"I think it might be best if we leave." Phil said as he stood up and lifted Renee up as well so he was carrying her bridal style. "Thank you for letting us come over. Will we see you at the funeral in two days?"
"Yes my family and I will be there." Carlisle replied.
I could faintly hear Renee mumbling 'It's my fault, all my fault.' over and over again. I wanted to rush down there and tell her I didn't blame her that none of this could be avoided. I listened as their car drove away, the sound of the engine getting slowly quieter the further they went. I felt the bed move and looked over to see Alice getting up, she gave me a reassuring as she pointed to the door.