Photosynthesis

A Twilight Fanfic

By sylamesio123

A/N: Wow, I got a really good response to this, so I am updating as quickly as possible. Keep the reviews coming!

Also, as one of my reviewers pointed out, I put Dr. Carlisle Cullen and Emmett Cullen. That was confusing, I know, so I am changing Emmett's last name to Hale. Okay. And I know that Jasper and Alice are together usually, but I'm a rebel so now they are siblings.

Disclaimer: Hmmmm…let me look in the mirror…no…I was right…I'm not Stephenie Meyer. Freaking mirror.


Chapter 2. Selfless

I woke up to rain again, but for the first time I was warm and not afraid when I woke out of my dreams.

Emmett had fallen asleep also, and his big arms held me in place like an important item he couldn't let anyone else touch. I sighed and just stared out the window for a while.

I shook Emmett awake after a while, and it took him a minute to realize where he was and let me go free. It wasn't a bit awkward being shirtless with Emmett; he was too much of an angel to be nervous around him.

"Emmett, I need to get to school." I said, knowing that he would have to be the one to drive me. Alice didn't bother going to school anymore, she had dropped out when she was fifteen, but I liked school, it turned my mind off of other things.

You couldn't tell by just looking at me what I was going through. I seemed perfect, fine, on the outside, like nothing could touch me. But on the inside, I felt like one little touch to my ever so fragile body would make me shatter into a million pieces. I was broken inside, but I had to hide it.

"Do you think he is up yet?" He said, not really a question. We both knew that he was up, and we wouldn't be able to sneak past him, or at least I wouldn't be able to.

"Just go out to the car, I'll be out when is done with me." I said flatly. His eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched as he irrevocably shook his head no.

I did the same, but I nodded and glared at him. "It really isn't a big deal. He never does anything too bad in the morning." This was a lie, made to comfort and protect Emmett. The last time Emmett had faced his father he was stabbed in the arm and was forced to lie to the hospital about how it happened.

"Bella, please—" Emmett tried to protest but I raised my hand and closed my eyes, not letting the discussion go any further.

"—it is five o' clock in the morning. School doesn't start until seven. It won't take that long, now go." He finally agreed and snuck out the window. I would have gone out that way too, but my uncle would have done worse things that night if he hadn't seen me that morning.

I quickly put on some skinny jeans and a tight cami, stuffing an extra shirt and bra in my backpack just incase my uncle took them off and I didn't have the chance to get another one.

I kissed Alice—who was still asleep, lucky her—lightly on the forehead, "Good luck." I whispered, though I knew that she was deeply asleep and couldn't hear a word I said.

I walked down the wooden steps slowly, trying not to make them squeak, but of course I mad the bottom step creek when I put too much weight on it. I heard a bottle drop and footsteps coming toward me. I quickly headed for the door, so that when he attacked me I could be close to an exit. I heard Emmett's truck purring almost too soft to hear outside on the street, but as my uncle came into sight he didn't seem to even notice the sound.

"Hey, I hope you didn't sleep well." He was only a few inches away from my face now and as he slurred the words I could smell all of the alcohol in his breath.

I closed my eyes and leaned against the door which was to my disappointment, locked. I also found that it was not a good idea to try to unlock the door. My uncle smacked my across the face and I fell to the ground.

I felt blood drip into my mouth and after a moment the pain set in and I screamed out in pain. I'm sure Emmett could have heard me. He took a last sip of the beer in his hand and let that one fall to the ground also. But this time, when it broke he picked up a piece of glass about the size of a golf ball.

I clenched my jaw, trying to block out the searing pain as he slashed from my wrist to my elbow with the glass. I couldn't hold it any longer, I screamed out in pain once more. Then threw the glass on the ground and to my surprise he unzipped his pants. He never went this far in the morning.

"No," I begged; even to me my voice sounded small, "please don't." But he didn't listen to my pleas as he turned my over on my backside and pulled down my jeans and panties. Then, like a fucking miracle, Alice came racing down the stairs.

My uncle got up and headed toward her. She paid no attention to him as she mouthed the words, Get out, now. For once I didn't argue with her as I finally, after lots of struggling, pulled up my pants and unlocked the door.

I ran faster than I ever thought possible to Emmett's truck. He was asleep at the wheel and I sighed, and shook him awake once I had gotten into the passenger seat. "Go, Emmett, we need to get out of here."

He didn't say a word as he obeyed and sped off the street and out of the neighborhood, leaving those horrid things behind, though the image was still very much alive in my head.

EPOV

"Edward, get up, now. You need to get up for school." I heard my father's voice in my ear as I groaned.

"Fine." I finally agreed after him threatening to take my cell phone away. I was surprised he hadn't already taken it away, especially after what had happened the week before.

All I knew was that I didn't steal that yacht alone. I should have confessed that Jasper Hale, my best friend, had done it with me, but that would have been un-loyal. Anyway, they were supposed to call me at four to tell me where i would be doing my hours.

I quickly got dressed and hurried to take a shower before driving to school. On my way into the parking lot I saw the Emmett Hale and Bella Swan getting out of their car. Bella was a sophomore and Emmett was a senior. I was in between, I was a junior. I did have one class with Bella, she was very smart. We both had AP biology together. She was so smart that she took junior AP classes. It was kind of scary to have a girl a year younger than you be so much smarter than you.

I wasn't at all surprised when Bella came out of the car with a huge bruise on her face. She was really clumsy and almost always had bruises. Anyone else and you would have thought they were abused, but this girl was fucking perfect—and we had all seen her trip so very many times. I mean, she got strait A's, she was in blue buds—where you hang with troubled children, she was secretary for student council, and above all else she was amazingly nice.

Her cousin, Emmett, was pretty much the exact opposite. He was a really funny person, and didn't do anything nice outside of school like Bella did. He was an amazing football player and didn't even bother getting involved with student council.

Then there was Jasper, Emmett's brother and Bella's cousin. He was a bad boy just like me, really messed up and depressed. He could write songs like a maniac and was really nice…once you got to know him. He really cared about his family and Bella especially for some reason I couldn't imagine. He was always super protective of her for some reason.

I never told Jasper this, but I really got annoyed with Bella Swan. I just really hated perfect people, which was why I didn't get along with my sister, Rosalie, who just happened to be best friends with Bella, and Alice, Bella's cousin and other best friend. But Alice had dropped out two years before, which was still a mystery to everyone but her family. Even Rosalie didn't know what happened to her.

Suddenly I felt my butt vibrating and jumped right out of my seat. Thankfully I had already parked. Then I realized that it was just my phone.

I pulled it out and it read Jasper

I flipped it open and moaned, "Hello?"

"Hey, man I can't come to school today." I opened my mouth to ask why, but as if he was psychic he said, "I can't explain right now, I don't have time. I just needed to ask you if Bella is there."

My eyebrows arched in confusion my I answered immediately, knowing he was not in a patient mood, "Um, yeah, man. I just saw her go inside with Emmett." I told him truthfully.

He took less than a second to process it, "Did she have and cuts, bruises."

I thought back and then remembered that beside the bruise on her face she also had a gash on her arm, something that probably needed stitches and should have been checked out, it looked fresh and might get infected. "She had a huge bruise on her face, and a huge fresh gash on her arm." I didn't want to worry him to I added, "But you know how clumsy she—"

"Fuck." He gasped into the phone, "Bye, man, I have to go."

Before I had the chance to say anything the line went dead.