Chapter 3
"Isabella!" Edward's voice rises as his warm hand encases my dirty, damp skin. "Wake up, Isabella. We are here."
I blink the sleep away from my eyes, and take in my surroundings. We are still in the limousine, however I am sitting in the middle of the leather cushioned seat next to Edward. Even in my sleep I can't stay away from him.
"Where are we?" I question. Accidentally our eyes meet and I can't seem to look away. Why does such a handsome man have to be such a dick?
"Home," are his only words. My eyes widen with shock and he quickly redeems himself. "My home on the outskirts of Seattle, don't panic. I told you I wasn't going to take you back to Forks, just…trust me." Edward's eyes plead with mine and he releases a lengthy breath.
I nod, although I know full well I can't trust this man. He is only a familiar face and a chance to get out of the cold and wet Seattle night. I have found out the hard way that you can't trust anyone. However the people in this town, especially on the streets, can be much more harmful than a rude arrogant man. Once I have showered, ate, and slept in a warm bed I will leave.
We climb out of the limousine together and I look up onto Edward Cullen's estate. It is a white timeworn Victorian home with a large porch and balcony that extends along the length of the house. The shutters are painted a deep red and are, oddly enough, closed. I don't hesitate as he pulls his umbrella out and offers me shelter from the storm.
Inside, I am shocked yet again by the beauty before me. His house has dark wood floors and gorgeous antique furniture. My mouth drops open wide. I knew his parents were loaded, but this is ridiculous.
I'm brought out of my bewilderment by a hasty Edward, closing his umbrella and giving me a gentle shove inside the foyer. He slams the door and takes off his shoes before scrutinizing me, head to toe.
"I don't have clothes for you to change into," Edward says with a shake of his head. "You'll have to do with a tank top and sweats. My shirts would swallow you whole."
"Okay," I answer quietly, after a long awkward pause.
Edward's eyes narrow. "When was the last time you ate?"
I wish I could answer this, but my embarrassing reply gets caught in my throat. I don't want to tell him that I can't exactly remember. I shrug and look away. Instead, my stomach replies for me.
"Isabella…" Edward says with a frown. His voice is stern and he almost sounds like the way a father should. A real father who actually cares, but I'm not his to worry about. I bite my tongue. I would say something, but I really need some food. "We'll get you showered and dressed and I'll make you something. You have to eat."
I find myself dressed in baggy grey sweat pants that have Forks High School written on the leg, and a long white beater that thankfully is snug enough to keep me covered. His house is warm, but so dark. I pull back the curtain in the spare bedroom that I used to shower and get dressed. The view extends to the dark red shutters I noticed earlier.
I suddenly feel very confined, and my throat closes as I drop the drapes and swiftly run downstairs. I need air. I have to get out! Edward catches me by the waist before I can leap from the porch into the rain.
My body jolts and writhes from his strong grip, as I slide down his body. He lets my feet touch the ground, but keeps his firm grasp locked around me. My back is flush against his front, and one arm is wrapped around my stomach while the other is across my chest holding my arm.
"Where are you going, Isabella?" Edward is so close, and his voice is a low murmur in my ear.
Between the pouring rain and his close embrace it is easy to be distracted. Edward's body is hard and warm, but the cool air swirls and reaches every part of me he is not clinging to. The sensation makes my emotions stir, and I quickly shut them down. The very idea of any sort of feelings for Edward is absurd. He made high school unbearable for me. Why am I here? My stomach rumbles again, answering yet another question for me.
"I felt…imprisoned. I needed air." I wiggle in his embrace, thankful that he released me. "Why is your house so dark and sealed? What are you, a vampire?" I snicker at the thought. Edward takes a swift step back as I laugh and he glares, quickly slicing my short lived joy in half.
"Yeah, I thought you were stealing something. Sorry to grab you like that." He turns and walks inside leaving me completely stunned. What the hell just happened? Did he seriously just accuse me of trying to rob him?
I storm inside a moment later, to find him calmly standing at the island in his kitchen dicing a tomato.
"What the fuck, Edward? Do you really think I'd try to rob you?" My fist slams down on his cutting board, however it doesn't deter him.
He continues to dice and answers me without looking at me, "Perhaps."
My mouth drops at his audacity. "You were living on the streets, Isabella. You came with me so willingly. I don't know, isn't that what people like you do?" Edward's words drain me of life. I've heard them before.
Flashback to 2005
"I can't believe someone would do that. Are you sure, Edward?" Alice frantically checks the folder for a third time. Five hundred dollars of the class's money from fundraising was taken or misplaced. The seniors of Forks High School put on fundraisers every year to pay for a class trip before graduation. Without that money, they would be forced to stay in the state. The entire class stares in shock as Edward and Alice banter back and forth beside the teacher's desk. Isabella can hear the whispers and accusations all around her. She inches further down in her chair and lifts her dingy old hood to hide from the allegations.
The motion catches Edward's eyes and he glares. "Maybe someone here took the money, Alice. Maybe we should be questioning someone who has a motive to steal it." His eyes burn daggers into Isabella, pinning her to the chair in shock. He wouldn't…
"Like who, Edward?" Alice's eyes follow his, and meet with a wide-eyed, rosy cheeked Isabella. "You can't possibly mean…" Her words trail off, afraid to finish her thought. Alice had become the only person in high school to take Isabella under her wing. They weren't close friends, but she was certainly the only one who was nice to her.
Isabella looked down and began picking at her ragged holey jeans. She was extremely embarrassed, but she knew she didn't take the money. "Why don't you just come out and say what you're thinking Edward." Isabella mentioned, but continued to avoid his eyes.
Edward continued to glare at her. She was so weird, he was almost certain she was the one who stole the money. Who else would? Isabella was the only one in the class who probably needed the money, look at the way she dressed! He was so caught up in the moment that he didn't hear the classroom door open and close.
"Well, Isabella I think you stole the money. You're a thief." He mentioned as he stepped closer to her desk. He crosses his arms in triumph.
Isabella sat up straighter and looked him right in the eye. "I didn't take a dime of it. Why do you think I would do something so…so…"
Edward interrupted her, "I don't know, isn't that what people like you do? Your family is too poor, you can't even buy new clothes. Isn't that the hoodie that was in lost and found last year?"
Isabella was horrified. A single tear ran down her cheek as she collected her belongings, gracefully stood up and walked out of the class room.
"Edward Anthony Cullen, I did not raise you to talk to anyone like that." Esme Cullen, Edward's mother and the class sponsor shouted. She couldn't believe the rude and inconsiderate things that had flowed from her son's mouth. Especially to that poor sweet, innocent Swan girl. Esme sighed and pulled her son from the classroom. Perhaps it was time to explain to Edward what happened to Isabella's family so many years ago.
Edward sat in shock as his mother recalled the night that both Isabella and he were born. Esme explained to him that after Isabella's mother passed away, Charlie began to neglect his duties as a father. He had confessed to Edward's father one drunken night that Isabella looked so much like Renee that he couldn't bear to look at her any longer. He went through the motions of life, but nothing more. When he was around his daughter he would keep his eyes down and his mouth closed. He reckoned that they hadn't spoken more than a handful of words to each other in as many years.
Edward couldn't believe what his mother was saying. He felt absolutely awful about the way he had treated Isabella. He knew from a young age that they had never gotten along, but he couldn't exactly remember why. By the time they were in high school, it became natural to treat her like an outsider. She was a weird girl who didn't dress like, or associate with the rest of the students.
It all made sense now. Edward would apologize to her when she came back to school on Monday. He would look after her, and help her any way possible.
However, Isabella never made it to school on Monday, nor the next day, or even the next one after that. She had dropped out of school out of embarrassment and utter hatred for Edward Cullen. Later, the class would find out that James, the trouble making loser was the one who stole the money. It was buried deep in his locker, and Edward Cullen would feel guiltier than ever.
Isabella ended up moving out of her father's house that week and made her way to Seattle where she could live on her own.
Times were tough, and nobody wanted to hire a high school drop out with soiled clothes and an attitude. She began begging for money and following a group of homeless bums around. Years passed, and she was getting ready to give up hope. She was contemplating suicide the day that Edward Cullen stumbled back into her world. Life is atrocious, and incredibly trying. Only the lucky have it easy, and Isabella scoffed at the thought of luck. Her mother was dead, her father might as well be, and she was homeless in Seattle.