Here is chapter three. A big thank you to Veespa, thedarknessofthemoon and ProjectTeamBeta. This chap would not have made it without them.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned, it all belongs to Stephenie Meyer.


Chapter 3: Damaged.

I'm scared and I'm alone
I'm shamed and I need for you to know

I didn't say all the things that I wanted to say
And you can't take back what you've taken away
Cause I feel you, I feel you near meI didn't say all the things that I wanted to say
And you can't take back what you've taken away
Cause I feel you, I feel you near me

Damaged by Plumb

BPOV

"Bella! Wake up!" What? Victoria? Where was she? My back was aching like she had just hit me.

"Bella!" I groaned and one of my eyelids lifted up. Alice, I think her name was, was inches away from my face. I squeaked and jumped backwards, wincing as I landed on my back, right on my bruise. Alice caught my look but luckily she chose to not say anything, instead grabbing my duvet and pulling it off me. I winced as I landed on my back, right on the bruise. It was then that I realised it had been a dream. They were gone. I was here; I had friends of sorts.

"Alice!" I curled into a ball, trying to get the warmth back.

"But Bella, we have to go shopping! Or we won't have enough time! I just want to let you have some fun."

"Alice it's a Saturday! We have all day! The shops won't close early!"

"So?" Alice's pout distracted me and she looked so miserable.

"Please Bella?" She looked so miserable, with her puppy dog eyes. I groaned again.

"Fine. Give me a chance to wake up though."

She squealed and jumped onto my bed.

"Can I choose your clothes? Please, please, please Bella?"

I nodded reluctantly. She squealed again and ran to my newly unpacked wardrobe. She flung open the doors then ran back to me.

"Bella! You need to get up! Go shower!"

I sighed and swung my legs over the side of the bed.

"Uh, where exactly is the shower?" I asked hesitantly. She was back at my wardrobe and flicking through all my clothes at top speed.

"Second door on the right from this room," she told me, not looking up from my clothes. "Hey, Bella, do you have anything other than long sleeved shirts in here?"

I looked down at the ground, biting my lip.

"Uh no. I don't wear short sleeves."

She looked up at my response, something foreign to me in her eyes. Concern I think. Luckily, she once again didn't mention it and went back to looking at my clothes. I sighed in relief and walked to the door. I picked up a towel that Alice, I guessed, had dumped on my bed.

"Thanks," I murmured to her holding up the towel.

"Sure sure," she said, engrossed once more in my terrible wardrobe. I walked out into a deserted corridor and tried to creep quietly along. Of course nothing ever works in my favour. I tripped over the flat floor and let out a loud squeak as I almost fell on my face. I looked up, worrying that I had woken someone. Luckily no one was there. I shook my head and walked into the bathroom, this time managing to make the 10 metres without tripping over. I didn't realise that my shoulders were still tense from the dream until the hot water ran down my back. I groaned as they relaxed and I rolled my shoulders back gratefully. I washed my hair quickly, not wanting to keep others from getting a shower. As I stepped out I realised I hadn't brought anything to walk back to my room in. Alice had my clothes. I didn't fancy the prospect of putting my dirty pyjama's back on. I looked at the towel and sighed. It wasn't that far? No one would see me in a towel? Right? I wrapped it around me tightly and gingerly stepped out of the room. I nearly jumped in shock when I saw who was leaning against the wall, smirking that smile that had me at my knees. His gaze undressed me as he looked me up and down and I blushed, just at the look in his eyes. His eyes were lingering at the hem of the towel. I cringed as I realised it didn't leave much to the imagination. His mouth was slightly open as he looked at me and his eyes wide.

"Sleep well?" I looked up to see him smirking at me again. I blushed redder and looked away from his gaze. In the pit of my stomach I felt a slow build of fear but I pushed it down. Edward wouldn't hurt me...right?

"It was okay."

"May I ask, what was with the squeak?" he said with an eyebrow raised slightly, still smirking at me. He knew what he was doing to me. I flustered and clutched my towel around me tighter.

"You heard me?"

He nodded and I groaned.

"I...uh... tripped."

The corner of his mouth slid up as he smiled, but tried not to laugh. "You do that a lot?" he asked.

I narrowed my eyes, "Yes. What's it to you?"

He walked up to me slowly until he had me pressed against the wall. He leant his forward until his mouth was at my ear.

"Next time, I'll catch you," he whispered, his cool breath making me shiver. He moved backwards slightly and smirked knowingly at me. I blushed and made to go off but he suddenly grabbed my elbow and turned me back to face him. He wasn't smirking anymore. His face was hard and his eyes dark with anger. I wasn't afraid of him though. He brought me close to him and his fingers ran over the top of my arm gently. And then I remembered. I went pale and almost sank to the ground. My cuts. They were showing.

"What happened to you, Bella?" he whispered. He lifted my chin so he could search my eyes. I was shaking and whatever he saw in my gaze made him angrier.

"Bella, who the fuck did this to you?" I tore my arm from his and backed away slightly.

"I did this to me," I managed to stutter out as the tears threatened to spill from my eyes. "Don't tell a soul," I pleaded before turning away from him and running to my room. I shut the door and turned round breathing deeply.

"Bella!" Crap, I'd forgotten about Alice. I went to my bed, hoping to hide my scars if I slid under the covers.

"Are you okay?" She looked at my pale face, frowning. I nodded quickly, whilst praying to god that her brother wouldn't tell anyone. She looked at me suspiciously but once again didn't take her concern any further. It was like she was afraid of something, like she was treading on eggshells around me. Everyone had been like that. Everyone except Edward. He had treated me normally yesterday, but now he knew part of my secret. He would never want to speak to me again. He could now see the real me, the one who is broken inside, broken so much that it was impossible to piece me back together.

"Anyway, here." She tossed me a shirt and a pair of jeans. "We need to get you some skirts Bella, and some t-shirts." I looked down at the jeans in my hand and frowned.

"Alice, these aren't mine." She looked sheepishly away from me.

"They are now. I bought them ages ago but they were too long. You're really skinny so they'll fit you perfectly. Now just get changed and I'll be back in 5 minutes to do your hair." She skipped out the room and I quickly got dressed, though taking time to examine the scars on my arms. The most recent one was still tender. My arm was burning where Edward had touched me but he left no mark on my arm, just on my heart. I threw the shirt over my head at the same time as Alice skipped back into the room.

"Perfect, Bella! But wait; undo a couple of buttons on the shirt." I did as she asked and Alice clapped her hands together. "Now you're perfect!" She moved me over to sit on the bed, facing away from the door.

"Are you always this hyper?" I asked her. She nodded and I laughed, something I hadn't done in a long time. She had brought a hairdryer with her and she plugged it in. Just as she was about to start there was a knock on the door. Alice went over and opened it. To my surprise Edward was standing there. He had a towel round his hips, and his hair was dripping water over his bare chest. My breath caught as I looked at him. Almost immediately I blushed and turned back around. He chuckled lightly before speaking to Alice.

"Bella left her stuff in the bathroom," he told her.

I turned back around and sure enough, he passed my pyjamas to Alice. She nodded and shut the door before I could say anything. She put them on my bed and came back to the hairdryer, without saying anything, as if the most heart stopping moment of my life hadn't just happened. As she dried my hair I found myself dreaming of Edward and the possibility that he didn't find me completely weird and crazy. It was a small possibility but it was there all the same.

"There, I've finished!" Half an hour later Alice had finally finished my hair and make-up. I don't know how some people actually enjoyed getting made up. It was awful. But I could live with it. If it meant I could have friends. And Alice did make me smile. It was good to be able to relax for a change.

"Good, I'm hungry. And I need coffee." I yawned, proving to her that I was still exhausted. We walked down the stairs together, Alice talking about what she wanted to get me when we went shopping. There was just one problem with her plan. I didn't have any money. None at all. I was never given pocket money and I wasn't allowed a job but I'd tell her later. As we were walking into the dining room I caught my foot on the floor and fell forwards. But strong arms caught me before I could hit the floor.

"Told you I would catch you," a warm voice whispered in my ear. He helped me up, not releasing me from his grip when I was standing. His hands were splayed across my stomach, his fingers wide. I could feel all of him as he pressed me close to him.

"Exactly how often do you fall?" he whispered to me.

"A lot," I admitted.

"Looks like I'm going to have my work cut out." I could feel him smile against my neck and I laughed quietly. I moved my head away from his voice and I caught Alice's gaze. She was smirking and then I realised that the whole room was watching us. I blushed and dropped my head to the floor, my hair covering me and broke away from his grip. I walked over to Alice and she handed me a plate while smiling knowingly at me.

"Thanks," I muttered whilst grabbing a mug. I wandered over to the coffee machine and looked at it quizzically. I hadn't a clue how to work this.

"Let me," said the same warm voice from earlier. Edward worked it quickly and as we waited he looked down at me.

"I won't tell," he said quietly and my eyes widened.

"Thank you," I whispered. He poured me some coffee without another word. He was about to move off but appeared to change his mind.

"Would you like to sit next to me?" I nodded and couldn't help the smile that my face made. He smiled back at me and put his hand on the small of my back, guiding me to where he sat. We were surrounded by his group. Emmett and Jasper smiled at me but Rosalie ignored me.

"So, Bella, I see you've been 'Aliced'," Jasper said while Emmett laughed loudly.

"Poor you!" Emmett exclaimed.

Alice slammed her plate down on the table next to me and I jumped slightly. She sat down huffing.

"I'm not that bad. And she enjoyed it, didn't you, Bella?"

I looked at her pouting and struggled not to laugh.

"Sure I enjoyed it, Alice," I said sounding fake to my ears and everyone else except Alice apparently. While everyone laughed, and even Rosalie cracked a smile, Alice just gave them looks as if to say 'I told you so.' She could be so gullible sometimes. Edward offered me some toast and I took some, after taking a long mouthful of coffee. Emmett and Alice continued to make snipes at each other as we all ate. I was taking a bite of my toast when I looked across the table and saw Lauren glaring at me. "Keep. Away. From. Him." She mouthed at me. Suddenly I wasn't so hungry anymore. I put the toast on my plate and folded my arms over my chest. Alice turned to me and raised her eyebrows.

"I thought you were hungry, Bella?"

"I was. I've just lost my appetite." I lowered my head, flicking my hair down. I chanced a glance at Lauren but looked away quickly.

"Bella," Edward whispered into my ear. His hand brushed my hair back, once again his fingers leaving a burning trail. "Please don't hide." I looked at him and he met my gaze. I tried to convey through my eyes what I thought. That he would leave when he got too close, when he saw how broken I truly was. He lifted his fingers again and brushed them against my cheek.

"I'm not going anywhere, Bella," he murmured softly. I breathed in sharply. How did he know what to say to me? But then, he hadn't seen right inside me yet. He didn't know everything yet. He hadn't seen the mess I was. He would leave, despite saying that. I knew he would. Everyone always left.

Someone scraped their chair noisily against the floor and our gaze broke as we turned to look. Everyone was looking at us with their mouths agape. Lauren was standing glaring at me. She was the one who moved had her chair. Jessica and Mike stood up as well and they left the room together, Mike turning and winking at me. I shuddered in horror while Edward narrowed his eyes and I felt him shake slightly next to me.

"Bella, are you ready to go, dear?" Esme broke the silence and I nodded standing. Alice jumped up as well.

"Let's go!" She grabbed me and practically ran out the room. I turned back to face everyone in the room.

"Help?" They all broke into laughter and Alice glared at me before pulling me to get my coat.

"We haven't got much time, Bella!"

"Alice, we have all day."

"Yes but, Bella, we have a lot of shops to go to!"

"As far as I'm aware we have one shop to go to, Alice," Esme said as she led us to the car.

"Esme! Please! We have to take her clothes shopping! Please, please, please?" I tried not to laugh at Alice's pleading. "Bella's never been shopping properly before!" The feeling of wholeness left me then. It was embarrassing, having to say I'd never been shopping.

"Fine, Alice, but do not wear poor Bella down. The minute I see her tired or not enjoying herself we're going home okay?" Alice nodded wildly. Esme laughed slightly while I wrapped my arms around my body. My worries about money were coming back. I couldn't pay for what Alice would no doubt want me to buy. How could I tell her? Do I just say it? Yes, I'll just say it. I took a deep breath.

"Alice?" She twisted round from the seat in the front to look at me.

"Yes, Bella?"

"I...uh...I...um I...don't have...any money." It was Esme who answered.

"Bella, we have a fund for people who are settling down with us with financial difficulty. I'm sure I could delve into that for some clothes." She winked at me through the mirror. I felt my eyes go wide in shock.

"But I can't let you do that! I'm sure there are others who need it much more than me."

"Bella, its fine. We want to give you this. It's about time something good happened to you." She muttered this last line under her breath but I still heard. My face reddened and I looked down. What did she mean by that? What did she know? I believed Edward when he told me he wouldn't tell, but where did she get that line from? Did Carlisle tell her my strange behaviour from yesterday? He must have. My cheeks grew even redder. Why did I have to be the strange one?

"We're here!" Alice screamed from the front breaking me out of my reverie.

"Already?" I asked, amazed.

"We all like to drive fast," Alice explained as she jumped out the car. Esme and I managed to get out more calmly.

"Alice! ALICE!" Alice turned back to us, frowning.

"We're not at the mall," she whispered, her head drooping.

"That's because we need to get paint and things like that first! Then you can take Bella shopping and do whatever you like."

We were looking at paint when Alice came running up to us after going off somewhere.

"Bella! Oh my God, you have to see this wallpaper! It's so cool!" Esme looked and me and motioned for me to follow Alice. She was in the next isle holding a roll of the most amazing wallpaper ever. It was making me dizzy to look at, but it was so amazingly cool! It had purple and orange and black and white hexagons in circles! It was crazy and I loved it.

"That is amazing, Alice!" She looked at me smugly.

"I told you I was good."

"You could do one wall that, and just leave the others white." I nodded in agreement. "And then we can get you purple pillows, and a rug!" Alice clapped her hands together in excitement. Esme rolled her eyes at her daughter's behaviour and made her way towards the till.

"Alice, come on. We'll get pillows at the mall," Esme announced.

Alice grinned in delight and ran after Esme. I still thought it was really weird that they didn't call their parents mum and dad. I made a note to ask them about that later. I followed after them at a slower pace.

"Bella! Hurry UP!" Alice shouted exasperated at my slow pace. I moved even slower and laughed at the glare she gave me. She stomped out the store as I reached Esme at the till.

"Sorry about Alice, Bella. She tends to get very worked up about shopping and fashion. She's a smart girl really. Except when it comes to shopping. Ask her about the Brontë sisters and you would be amazed."

"No, no! It's okay. Really, I think it's kind of funny."

Alice was standing by the side of the car, with her arms folded and pouting. When we reached her she didn't say anything, just looked away and climbed in. I stifled a giggle but I think she heard me. We reached the mall in 5 minutes, after going through mountains of traffic and paying a fortune on parking. Alice chirped up and turned around to face me.

"So, Bella, I have a list for what we need to get." And to my astonishment she took out a long list from her pocket and began to read from it.

"Pillows obviously, and other things for your room, some skirts, a few dresses, some smarter outfits, high heels, underwear, accessories, make-up—"

"Alice! Stop! You'll scare her off!" Esme stopped her mid flow. "Listen, you will not get anything that Bella does not want, do you understand?" Alice nodded meekly then smiled brightly when Esme handed her a gold credit card. She jumped out of the car and Esme and I followed suit.

"I have to go do the food shopping and get some other things for people. It's Elizabeth's birthday next week. Anyway I'll meet you two at the car in 4 hours okay? No later, Alice." Alice nodded then grabbed my arm and pulled me to the lift.

From then on I managed to block out most of it. She dragged me through numerous shops and had me trying on the most ridiculous outfits. Including cocktail dresses! When am I ever going to wear one? Unfortunately, when I asked that question she came up with an answer.

"Elizabeth is having a party of sorts." Luckily, I managed to find a short cardigan that she approved of so my secret was still safe. For now anyway. We were eating lunch when she brought up the inevitable.

"So, Edward?" she asked casually.

I choked on my sandwich and took a gulp of my coke. I looked up at her, my cheeks red, and tried to answer as nonchalantly as possible.

"What about him?"

She smirked at me. "You two seem to get on well."

"We do," I answered, trying to keep my face as calm as possible. She frowned.

"He likes you, you know."

I choked again and this time it took longer for me to recover. Did she just say he likes me? She laughed at my response.

"What are we? Second grade? And he doesn't, Alice. He's just being friendly," I told her, my voice low. She whistled.

"No, no, no. Edward doesn't do friendly with the new kids. He hates them. He doesn't do the talking thing and he definitely doesn't catch them when they fall and continue to hold them. Nor does he walk up to their room in a towel! And he looks at you differently. And look what he did yesterday with Mike? He likes you!" She sang the last line and I glared at her.

"Alice, be quiet! People are looking at us."

She settled down but continued to bother me for details.

"You like him too."

"I know," I admitted. What the hell? Did I just tell her that I liked her brother? Damn it. How could I like him though? All the others scared me! But Edward...he was...different. I felt...safe with him.

She smiled smugly at me.

"I know you do. You have this weird electricity whenever you're near each other."

"Alice, you cannot possibly know that. We've been a room together twice."

She shrugged her shoulders.

"It's true. He likes you, Bella," she said. I sighed.

"Alice, he does not. Now can we please change the subject?" Thankfully she agreed and soon we were off for another 2 hours of torture. I'm not even sure what she bought. I just went along with it. She tried to get me into a t-shirt but I politely refused, while secretly fighting off the demons that were threatening to consume me after that small reminder of what I was.

What I am.

*****

Finally. We were back at the car. My arms were practically dropping off with the weight of the bags. Esme was there waiting. We had to put our bags in the back next to me because there was no room in the boot. I was pretty sure Alice had just bankrupted her mother. Alice reluctantly gave Esme the card back. She played some music and I closed my eyes. When I opened them again we were back at the home. I got out and Alice and I dragged our bags upstairs, where I collapsed on my bed. She sat down next to me. "See? Shopping is fun."

I grunted in response to her absurd statement. Fun wasn't the word I would use. I sat up again.

"What do we do now though?" I asked.

"We usually just muck around. Come on, let's go find everyone else." She led me out of the room and we went along the hallway and into another room.

"Wow! Bella survived!" Emmett cheered from the bed. Rosalie was leaning against him looking bored while Jasper was sitting on the couch. Alice ran to him and hugged him while I stood awkwardly in the doorway.

"Bella." His voice brought me spinning round and there he was. Edward was standing behind me, holding some drinks. I quickly moved to the side to let him through. He dumped the cans on the bed and motioned for me to come sit next to him. We sat down on the floor and he pulled me onto his lap. My eyes widened.

"It's comfier," he told me in reply to my questioning look. I blushed as he wrapped his arms around me. I saw Alice give me a knowing smile from across the room and I fought the urge to glare at her. He didn't like me. He couldn't like me. I was broken. Nobody wanted something broken. He was being polite. That was all. Despite repeating this in my mind, I laid my head on his shoulder and breathed him in. This could be the only time I got to be close to him. He started playing with my hair and I ended up being completely distracted from the conversation. All I could think about was Edward and how close he was to me. I felt myself getting sleepy so I jumped out and went out the door mumbling something about the toilet. I washed my hands and splashed cold water over my face. That woke me up. I stared at myself in the mirror and tried to see something good. But I couldn't. There was no reason at all for Edward to like me. Rosalie was gorgeous, Alice was exceptionally cute and even Jessica and Lauren were pretty in a slutty kind of way. I was just bland. Bland and boring. Nothing special. I knew that. I'd had that yelled into me since I was 5. I shook my head to get rid of the memories invading me and walked out of the room.

"Bella?" Mike was there when I got out. He ran his hand through his hair, trying to be sexy, but honestly, it just made me want to puke.

"Yes?" I said impatiently. My breathing had quickened up with reminders of him from yesterday. The slight terror was underneath the surface, but was still there. He walked towards me and I backed down the corridor. He didn't get the message but kept walking towards me. His steps were bigger than mine and he quickly caught up. My feet froze and I tried to call for somebody but my mouth wouldn't make any sound. He leered at me, reminding me of James. I knew I was shaking but Mike didn't notice. He just kept walking and walking until we were pressed against the wall.

"I knew you liked me, Bella." And then he kissed me. When his lips pressed against mine a scream filled the hallway. It was only when Mike backed away looking at me in confusion that I realised it was me. Except it wasn't Mike that was walking away it was James. I looked around. NO! They were everywhere. I could see them everyone, running out of every room. James and Victoria, everywhere. One of them walked towards me but I shrank back. I ran, half blinded by my tears into the one room where nobody was. My room. I ran to my drawer, throwing the clothes onto the ground. I threw off my shirt and picked up the knife. I gasped when the knife cut down deep. And then my head started ringing. The ringing mixed with my sobs and then someone was in my room. I caught sight of bronze hair and green eyes but I couldn't get past my pounding headache. I moved away from him, terrified he would be like James. He came over to me and grabbed the hand with the knife in it.

"Drop the knife Bella. Please." His eyes bored into mine and I felt consumed. I let go and collapsed onto the floor. He caught me and held me up while he pressed something to my bleeding arm. He looked into my eyes the whole time.

"Bella, I'm here. You're safe. No one is going to hurt you." And I believed him. But then the pain in my head multiplied again, and again and again until I was struggling to keep my eyes open.

"Edward?" I whispered, my throat working overtime to help me speak.

"What?" Concern loaded his eyes and they filled with pain at my face.

"What is it Bella?"

"Edward," I groaned as the pain increased. And then it was over.

"EDWARD!" I shrieked, a high pitched, pain filled cry that filled the whole house, as my world faded into darkness.

******

A/N

Thank you for reading. Please review.

I am sorry if Alice appears Juvenile, she is just trying to help Bella settle in and make her feel comfortable.