Chapter II

When I returned home, all I could think of was Edward and his mushroom ravioli. Those Emerald eyes kept appearing in my mind.

What does this mean? Am I developing a crush on him?

It wasn't his looks that just drew me towards him. He seemed to have a great personality, and his voice was so melodious! No other man alive on Earth would share his lunch with me or even sit near me! He was the only guy I knew that could charm two of the most popular girls in the entire school to leave him alone without battering an eyelash!

Hopefully I would be able to talk to Edward some more! He might be the one that I could share my troubles with, without the fear of being teased or laughed at. It would be weird confiding in a guy, but none of the girls want to be my friend.

I was slammed out my thoughts when I felt blood rushing through my head.

I blinked.

Looking down at me with his foot on my stomach and his arms crossed, was Jacob.

"You are late!" he barked. "How many times did I tell you to get here before four o' clock?! If your little feet can carry you a little faster, you would've had time to chill and relax! Guess what?! You decided to come here late with that stupid goofy smile on your ugly, fucking face! Dad won't be happy to see you, mark my words! I'm not even happy to see you! Get a move on, you fucking, lazy slut! Are you to lazy to get up now?! Want me to pull you up? Are you trying to avoid your chores? Whatever you do, won't work, hear me?! Get up now, or I'll pull you up, and you'll feel your bones crack and in five minutes time, you won't be able to walk at all!"

He moved his foot, and I scrambled to my feet, searing pain in my head.

As I stood up, Jacob grabbed my neck and with slapped my face with his other hand. As I gasped for air, he slapped my face again and again, until I felt fresh blood trickling down from my nose and a bruise blossoming on my right eye.

"I hope this teaches you punctuality," hissed Jacob, pushing me into the house. "Go and wash your face and come back in five minutes."

I hurried off to the bathroom, tears welling in my eyes.

I tripped over a chew toy and grabbed hold of the chair to balance myself.

With only four minutes left, I ran to the bathroom and shut the door behind me. I grabbed a towel and turned on the tap. I placed the towel under the tap until the towel was soaked with water. I slowly washed my face, cringing at the pain when the water touched my injuries. I lifted my face from the towel and looked at myself in the mirror.

The girl in the reflection looked nothing like I expected. The tips of her hair was encrusted with the dry blood that splattered from her nose. Her eyes were swollen from endless torrents of tears and punches and her mouth was dry and cracked.

In a few seconds, I realised it was me.

I hadn't looked at myself properly in quite a while.

When Aunt Sarah was alive, she loved taking photos of all of us. She would print them out, and frame them nicely, or place them carefully in leather photo albums. Every year at Christmas, we would all have a family photo, and that continued after she died. Even with Uncle Billy and Jacob constantly angry, we still have those annual family photos, and at Christmas, we would have the same dishes as we had when Aunt Sarah was alive. The only exception was that I had to do the cooking, and framing the photos. Jacob said that it was womanly skills.

I looked away from the mirror and took a deep breath. I opened the door and walked to Uncle Billy and Jacob, wondering what they wanted me to do. Hopefully it would be pulling out weeds or something. That way I would be out of the house and in my world of thoughts.

I found the two of them watching TV.

"Oh, it's you," grunted Uncle Billy, stuffing himself with popcorn. "Jake, you handle her."

I didn't like the sound of that…

"Here," said Jacob, thrusting a crumpled piece of paper at me. "It's a shopping list. Go and buy all the stuff on the list. Here's the money. I want all the change back. If I found out you spent some on useless items, you'll find yourself stuffed in a box and locked in the attic until your dying day. Got it, bitch? Now get out of my sight!"

I took the money and scampered away, relieved.

Shopping wasn't that bad! At least I could be away from the house! I left the house and looked at the piece of paper for the first time. Chikin drumstics? I take it that is chicken drumsticks. Gosh, Jacob's writing is almost unreadable as decoding the atrocious spelling! No wonder he was kicked out from five high schools and unaccepted in any close college! I kept walking and decoding the items needed. Hopefully I have enough money for everything…

I walked into the closest shop and picked up a basket. All the food on the list were quite unhealthy and fattening. Neither Jacob nor Uncle Billy had written fruit, vegetables or nutritious food on the list. Then again, they never seem to grow fat.

"Isabella! Is that you?"

I turned around, and to my delight, it was Edward!

My heart sank when I saw a girl I didn't recognise beside him.

Does he…have a girlfriend?

The girl was short-very short, but not as small as a dwarf-and her hair was in a pixie cut. It was inky black and wild around the edges. Her brown eyes aligned with excitement and she seemed to be constantly jumping up and down or always moving.

"Oh, this is my youngest sister, Alice," said Edward, noticing me looking at her. "We've been asked to buy some food. Don't look so worried, Isabella! Alice won't bite! She's friendly with everyone, aren't you Alice? She's willing to be your friend. She'll be starting Forks High School with our brother Jasper tomorrow, once the forms are all filled in."

I uncertainly held out my hand, but to my surprise, Alice hugged me!

No one outside my family had ever hugged me before!

"Hello Bella!" said Alice Cullen cheerfully. "It's always great to meet a friend of Edward's! in Alaska, his friends weren't the nicest bunch of people! I'm glad he met you! You seem like an extremely nice and compassionate person! I'm sorry if I talk to much! People always say that I talk too much! What are you doing here? Oh my! You need new clothes! I know! We should go shopping this weekend! Just the two of us browsing shops through Forks, buying new clothes and having a girls' night out! It'll be fun! I haven't had one in such a long time! You won't mind, would you? Soon, after you spend a day with me, you'll be the most dazzling girl in Forks!"

"Um…" I said, not knowing what to say. "Err…"

"Alice!" laughed Edward. "Give Isabella some space to breathe! Perhaps you should've been less enthusiastic? I don't think Isabella is used to bear hugs yet! Look! You made her speechless! You should seriously control yourself!"

"It's alright," I said, smiling at Alice. "Maybe we should go shopping someday. I'll have to check with my er, family members about this weekend. Don't you need to check?"

"Nope," said Alice cheerfully.

"Really?" I said, astounded. "You don't need permission?"

"Never do! I got a better idea! We should go to Seattle! They have better shops there, and the clothes are much more fashionable! I've went to Seattle a couple of times with Rosalie, and it was jolly good fun! I can guarantee that once you get there, you won't want to leave! They have the best clothes outlets that I had ever been to! Come Bella! Please come with me! Edward's no fun! He doesn't know the difference between a fake Gucci and a real Gucci!"

"I don't know, Alice. My family members are really protective and don't like me going out with people they don't know."

"Overprotective parents?"

"You can say that."

"I hate overprotective ones. They produce weak and dependant children. How old are you anyway? I reckon you're sixteen, seventeen? You should be able to experience freedom while you can! Soon, you'll be shackled to the ground in marriage and burdened with kids."

"I think I'm too young to consider having children at the moment! I don't even know if I want to have

any! Yes, I'm seventeen. How old are you? I don't think you're fourteen or fifteen, are you?"

"I'm sixteen. Ed's eighteen. Now, what are you doing here?"

"Grocery shopping. I have a list of stuff to buy. It's my turn to do the shopping. My family members and I take turns. You know, like a chore thing. We do rotation, that way it won't be boring for us. Do you take turns shopping too?"

"Not exactly. We normally volunteer."

"You and Edward like shopping?"

"Anything to get out of the house! We're the adventurous ones, aren't we, Ed?"

"I suppose we are," agreed Edward. "Why don't we buy the stuff we're supposed to buy? Isabella, you can come and shop with us! The more the merrier! Besides, I want to talk to another familiar and sensible person apart from Alice."

Alice playfully slapped Edward's arm and I felt myself wishing for a younger sibling. Jacob was like my big brother, but that was before he changed into a sadistic tormentor. I wondered what it'll be like to be in a family where everyone loved you. You'll never be physically chastised, but only verbally. You'll never be treated like a servant…

I longed for a loving and gentle family.

As I walked in the aisles of a shop, I began thinking of an ideal family.

There would be an indulgent, affectionate father, who was the main provider for the family, and there would be a devoted, tender mother who loves all her children and would listen to them in any troubles, no matter how small. They would have three children. The eldest would be a brother, who is protective of his younger siblings and would do anything to help them. The next sibling would be a sister, who's caring and helpful. The youngest would be another sister, the baby of the family. Of course having a family like that would be blissful and wonderful, but it would never happen. Even the most happiest and cooperative of families wouldn't be able to live out my fantasy. I wished there was a family like that. If I ever had one, I'll never take it for granted.

"Hey," said Edward, joining me in the aisle. "You're awfully quiet. Are you alright? Alice had gone to a different shop to buy other stuff. It's just the two of us and we can talk in peace. I know we just met a couple of hours ago, but I'm serious about being your friend."

"Really?" I said bitterly. "I'll ruin your social standing and reputation."

"What are you talking about? This isn't the eighteenth century!"

"Huh?"

"Social standing? Reputation? It reminds me of Jane Austen's stories. There's nothing you can do that can make me look bad. We're talking and walking in an aisle of a shop! No one's looking at us weirdly or whispering to themselves! You probably never had a close friend before, or you won't be this walled up and protective of yourself."

"I meant at school. People-teachers and classmates-judge you by your personality, looks and who you hang around with. Your marks will be higher if you sit with the nerds, or hang out or be a member of the jocks or some sports team."

"Seriously?"

"If you sit with people like me, your marks will be lowered dramatically."

"That is so biased!"

"I'm trying to help you keep a good impression and get the marks you deserve for a good college in a couple of years. Forget about me. Go and enjoy your time with Jessica and Lauren. They can pull strings for you to join the football team or the soccer team, and you'll constantly get a hundred percent. It'll do you no good being near me."

Edward stepped in front of me.

"I don't want a leeway in being top of the class," Edward said, staring at me in the eye. "It's cheating, and I want to earn my marks fair and square. Now that you mentioned the social system, I want to prove to them that I'll have good marks and make friends from anyone."

"Will you really?" I said, before I could stop myself. "Do you really want to be my friend? Endure all the

staring and rumours that those bitches would start? Three quarters of the girls at school have crushes on you, and would kill to sit next to you for even a few minutes! They would spread word around the school as quickly as Cleopatra killing herself with a poisonous asp! Edward. You're from Alaska. You don't know what high school here's like."

I forced myself to conceal my tears.

"All American high schools are the same," said Edward quietly, handing me a tissue. "I would risk everything for a person I care about. Rumours are meaningless. I seriously want to be your friend. You seem to be trustworthy and honest."

"Okay," I said, wiping my eyes. "I guess I need help with a couple of sheets in bio! I only chose it to get away from Jessica and Lauren. I would've chosen a much easier and more fun subject. There's some parts of biology that I seriously hate."

Edward smiled and peered over my shoulder at my shopping list.

"Crakas and chokalate?" said Edward questioningly.

"It's crackers and chocolate," I said, with a sigh. "Jacob should've paid more attention to his spelling than to the television. No, he's not ten. He's twenty. I better pay and get back now. The others will be wondering where I am, and they might change the chore rotation again. I guess I'll see you at school tomorrow. Bye."

Edward nodded and patted my shoulder.

"You bitch! You fucking bitch! Look what you've done! I spent ages convincing the owner to give me a two percent discount! You ruined it!"

I tried to put together the broken pieces of the glass wolf.

Jacob stamped my hand with his foot (he wore the soccer boots).

He pulled me up by my hair and dragged me to the bathroom. I felt the roots of my hair literally get ripped out and strands of my hair falling to the ground like leaves of trees in the forests. Hopefully I won't get chopped down like those trees…oh God! What's Jacob planning to do with me?! Will he chop off my head with the window like the killer did in Urban Legends 2: Final Cut? Does he have that Rottweiler below the window, waiting to consume my head? Urgh! The thought of it was too disgusting! Please let me live another few days! Hours at least!

Jacob dumped me onto the ground and took hold of the back of my head. Before I could cry out or speak, he dunked my head into the toilet!

I felt sick and wanted to scream.

Someone had urinated into it earlier, and hadn't bothered to flush.

Jacob pulled my head out and pushed it in again. He kept hold of my head with one hand and turned on the tap to the bathtub. What is he planning? Is torturing me a hobby of some sort? What is Jacob planning to do now?! It can't possible get any worse!

"You are filthy," sneered Jacob. "Your face smells like piss and shit. You need a bath. Girls can't go around, looking as if they had a swim in the toilet!"

I realised what he would do to me-a second too late.

Jacob plunged my head into the bathtub.

It was full of scalding hot water.

I struggled desperately to breathe air, and my chest felt like it would burst like a balloon! Jacob laughed maniacally and pushed me further in…

I woke up, beads of sweat on my forehead. I was soaked with sweat all over. I opened the window and took a deep breath, shaking the nightmare from my head.

No…

It wasn't a nightmare…

Somehow, it felt oddly familiar…now that I think of it, I never had a bath in the tub for years. When was the last time I had a bath, not a shower? That bathroom…I never used it…did I? I always used the bathroom that I shared with Aunt Sarah. Even after she died. It had been decided many years before, that the men would share one bathroom, and the women would share the other. Of course the one I shared with Aunt

Sarah was much cleaner and neater. Perhaps it was a female thing or something.

Even now, I still maintained the tidiness of the bathroom.

As for the one Jacob and Uncle Billy shared, I don't think they ever cleaned it. That was one of the rooms I was forbidden to go in.

Whenever I passed their bathroom, there would always be a nauseating smell lingering near the door, and I would run past it as quickly as I could, to stay away from that odour. Please don't tell me that they haven't cleaned the bathroom for five years or more! I stretched and had a sudden urge to take a shower, but I didn't want to meet Jacob or Uncle Billy on the journey to the bathroom. I could still hear the TV blaring from the living room. It was two in the morning. Uncle Billy must be having a late night, or just too much drink for a day.

I pulled my shirt off and changed into another one.

Ah, much better.

It was a rather hot night, and I left the window open as I returned to my bed. I have to be up at seven, and I should acquire as much sleep as I could get. I closed my eyes, but still could hear the television. I tossed and turned for the remainder of the night.

In the morning, my muscles and bones felt sore again.

I had shadows under my eyes.

Even the most expensive make up won't cover it!

"BELLA! GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE NOW! YOU HAVE OUR BREAKFAST TO DO!"

With a quiet groan, I changed quickly into my normal clothes (a design Alice probably wouldn't approve of!) and set off to the kitchen, still rubbing my eyes and waking up. Uncle Billy glared at me from his usual position near the table. He never greeted me nicely in the mornings anymore, or bid me good night when I go to sleep. He only complained and grunted at me. Jacob sat next to him, his legs on the table and his hands busy on an iPad.

I quickly pulled out dishes and began preparing the ritual morning meal of bacon and eggs. Hopefully this time both of them would be perfect and I could leave the house earlier (hopefully to talk to Edward before he is pounced upon by Jessica and Lauren).

"Pack my bag," growled Jacob. "I'm going on a trip with my bros."

Finally! A day without Jacob!

I've been looking forward to this day in weeks!

As the bacon sizzled lightly, I took out small containers and placed apples, biscuits and muesli bars in it with a couple of chocolate bars and small packets of chips and stuffed all of them into the small backpack Jacob had left near the kitchen counter. I went to the cupboard and moved a bottle of water from there to the backpack. I knew Jacob would've preferred beer or coke to water, I also added a can of coke and a bottle of beer and handed the bag to Jacob.

"I'm not a health nut you know!" Jacob complained, throwing out the bottle of water and two apples, all of them hitting my head. "I fucking hate fruit! Isn't there more chips or lollies? To Hell with the apples! The only use of them are to throw at bitches who piss me off!"

I rubbed the back of my head and hurriedly handed him more chips.

The last thing you want is for him to beat you up like he does to puppies.

Trust me. It hurts like Hell.

I placed the plates on the table and looked in the fridge for my breakfast.

Hmm…what should I eat?

My eyes fell upon a delicious-looking slice of chocolate cake (it was thickened with layers of chocolate cream and coating), and I licked my lips. I haven't tasted cakes in ages! As I reached in to take it, I felt a hand on my shoulder, and in a minute, I was flung against the wall.

"You look hungry, Bella," said Jacob, his eyes gleaming. "What are you hungry for? I know! What about a nice slice of cake?"

I backed away slowly, wishing I never set eyes on the cake.

With a witchy cackle, Jacob pushed me onto a chair and pulled out the slice of cake. He took a spoon from the utensils drawer and spooned up a large lump of cake. Taking a closer look at it, I felt sick. I was glad I hadn't ate it before…at first, I thought it was pink icing that had mashed against the slice of cake from a neighbouring cupcake or something, but when I saw it move, my heart seemed to stop. My eyes widened and I felt sick.

Worms had been mixed into the cake.

They were still alive.

Jacob's eyes gleamed with excitement, as he moved the spoon towards me. I shook my head fearfully, pressing my lips together.

"Eat up," sneered Jacob. "Come now. Don't be such a baby! I always thought you have guts! Can't you handle the thought of eating worm guts? Come on Bella! You have two choices. Either you open your mouth and eat it, or I'll force you to eat it! Here comes the aeroplane! Brrrmm! Open up! Want me to shove this down your throat?"

Sobbing wildly, I opened my mouth.

The next few minutes of my life was revoltingly indescribable.

By the time I left for school, my stomach was grumbling of indigestion, I was as pale as death with a greenish tinge. Every step I took, I felt as if I wanted to vomit and faint. My hands couldn't stop shaking and I could literally feel the worms wiggling in my stomach.

When I arrived in the classroom, everything was a blur and my mind couldn't process anything except for projecting the same image of worms all over again.

Suddenly, I felt dizzy.

In a second, I found myself on the floor with people gathering all around me.

"Isabella?" I heard Edward's concerned voice. "Isabella? Are you alright? Can you hear me? Isabella, are you alright? Respond!"

That was the last thing I heard before I was submerged in total darkness.

Thanks for all the great reviews for chapter I! Here's the next chapter! Please review! :)