EPOV
"So what do I do know?" I asked them desperately. My family was looking at me with great concern. I sat down between Esme and Carlisle and thought of today's earlier events.
After Biology I had sat in my car and watched Bella through the minds of the other students. When I saw her walk into gym class I almost lost it. I had jumped out of my car and was half way to the class when I froze and realized I didn't know what to do. All I wanted was to pull her out of class and drive her to see Carlisle so he could help her, but I knew she would never come. I also knew that there was no way of dragging her out, not only would I never gain her trust, but I'm sure I would cause her more physical damage.
As I walked back to my car I watched her. The class had separated into four teams and began playing volleyball. Once I knew the signs that she was in pain and how she hid it from the others, it was harder to watch. Every time she winced in pain, when the ball came towards her, I would cringe in my seat. I sat in horror as I watched another team mate hit the ball with the side of her arm and directed it off course, right into Bella. My hands gripped the steering wheel, and it took every ounce of control not to rip it off.
I decided to call Carlisle at work and ask him to come home when school had finished, I couldn't wait any longer. I knew Esme would already be home, and Alice, Rose, Jasper and Emmett would drive back to the house when school was done, seeing as we had already hunted not to long ago. I stayed in my car and waited until I saw Bella coming out of school limping slightly with the other students. She didn't talk to anyone, or even look up from the ground, she just let her feet carry her to her truck. It was like she had done this a thousand times, like she was some kind of pro at hiding her pain, at hiding herself.
As I watched her drive out of the parking lot and onto the main road I couldn't help but think how I was going to let her trust me? How was I going to ask her to let me in when I myself would have to hide certain things from her? These questions and the deep concern I had for Bella, brought me back to my house and in front of my family.
They had all been waiting for me. It turns out that when I called Carlisle and asked him to come home after school, he had told the staff members that he needed to come home right away for family reason, him and Esme had been waiting for me ever since. Alice had told Rose, Jasper, and Emmett that they needed to get back to the house right after school and not to bother me in the parking lot if they saw me. I had to thank Alice for that one. I didn't need anyone knocking on my car window while I thought about Bella's pain. They were all sitting at the dinner table waiting for me to arrive.
At first it was hard to talk. I didn't know where to start, and it felt like déjà vu all over again. But once I began telling my family of Bella's bruise, the scar I saw, and the silent scream that had escaped her lips, I couldn't stop. My family listened intently. They never interrupted me verbally but each one was thinking very hard. When I had come to the part of when I realized I couldn't read her mind, all of them seemed to want to ask me questions. Carlisle had put his hand up from stopping them, and allowed me to continue my story uninterrupted. I was thankful for it, if I had stopped then I don't know if I would have been able to continue.
When I was done I collapsed in the empty chair next to Esme and covered my face in my hands.
Everyone was taking in what I had just said, no one seemed to want to voice out loud just yet so I listened to what they were all thinking. Alice was the hardest to hear. She kept going over her conversation that she and Bella had had that morning, looking for signs that she seemed to miss. She blamed herself for not seeing this happening.
"Don't Alice" I said through my hands. It was bad enough blaming myself and feeling guilty of how I reacted the first time I had seen her. If only I could have controlled myself better, instead I scared her even more and trying to repair it seems like precious time she might not have.
"How can I not blame myself Edward. I never saw this, any signs that she might….might be." Alice started to dry sob into Jasper's chest.
"What do you know about Bella Edward?" Carlisle was thinking of ways we could help her. He didn't even know her, but what I could gather from Jasper he seemed extremely worried about her.
"Not much, she doesn't talk to anyone. The teachers don't pay to much attention to her, they think she's a good hardworking student who's shy. As for the other students, some have tried to talk to her but she doesn't say much." I tried to think back, know body really didn't know much about her considering this was a small enough town and gossip seemed to spread like wild fire here.
"Should we ask around?" Emmett asked. He hated people who prayed on the weak, we all did.
"No. That might cause more problems for Bella, and even if we did find something, we cant force her to trust us, she needs to gain our trust before she lets us in.
"How do I do that Carlisle?" I asked.
"How do we do that!" Alice interrupted me. I stared at Alice.
"Edward she's my best friend, she's like a sister to me. I'm helping!" There was no stopping Alice. I could tell from the emotions that Jasper was feeling off of her that she was determined to make this right.
"We all want to help her Alice, and we will, but we need to take it slow." Carlisle had stopped thinking about Bella for one minute and was thinking of how proud he was of his family.
I was scared Carlisle would say this and I needed to voice my opinion.
"Carlisle, I don't think….what if…what if Bella doesn't have time for us to take it slow?" I knew he was right, I knew we needed to go slow, but what if going slow ended up badly for Bella. I just needed some reassurance from him to tell me that everything was going to be ok.
"Edward, I know your scared but we cant push her. From what you have told us she is extremely fragile, and pushing her might push her over the edge. I'm sorry." Carlisle had voiced the last part out loud. I just nodded and bent my head to the floor.
"By what you have said Edward, is she's scared of people and keeps to herself. So you and Alice will just have to keep talking to her, carefully, let her get to know you, build a trust between you. Hopefully she will let you in. Alice can you see into her future at all?" Carlisle asked.
Him like the rest of my family knew there was something that had changed my mind the night I was going to leave, when I realized how close I was of killing a human. Alice and I never told them about her vision, and they never asked, they were to happy about me staying, but I knew they were all curious to what had changed my mind when it was so dead set on leaving.
Alice was staring at me. "Its up to you Edward. Do you want to tell them?" Alice asked me.
I looked back at Alice and nodded a yes. There was no point in keeping anything from my family that might help Bella in the future.
"I've only seen one vision of her." Alice began.
" I have tried many times to see her, but I cant. Anytime I think I'm getting close my vision's go fuzzy. I tried to think of Edward or myself in the future, and sometimes I think I'm getting close but then they get cloudy and I cant see it anymore. I don't understand why it does that?" Alice sounded frustrated. This was the first time I had heard about this, and I didn't like the sound of it, and by Carlisle's thoughts neither did he.
"What was the vision you did see of Bella, Alice?" Carlisle was hanging on to every word Alice was saying.
Alice looked at me and then back to Carlisle. She was focusing on the vision she had had a few days ago, and I sat transfixed in my seat watching the images in Alice's mind, wondering how the Bella from this afternoon, will ever be like the Bella from Alice's vision.
"Well, the Bella in the future is different from who she is know. She was happy and smiling for starters."
" It started off with Bella and I coming home from shopping, she was being all dramatic telling Edward she would die if she had to go out again" Alice paused and rolled her eyes. "Anyway that's when she tripped, which she must do often because we all were laughing at her, and Edward ran vampire speed to catch her, so Bella knew what we are and she didn't care. I can tell you that Bella is human, you made her lunch Esme." Alice added proudly looking at her.
" She had made a comment to Edward about having her for eternity, which makes me believe that she wants to be one of us." Alice seemed to have thought about this vision and dissected every bit of it to gather what she could about Bella.
"She's part of this family, I called her my sister, and Edward, well… Bella is Edwards soul mate." At the last part Alice had looked me straight in the eyes. She had said it with such determination that it was like she dared me to contradict her. "It's true Edward, and I know a part of you believes it. We can do this, just believe in the vision. We can save Bella." Alice thought.
The rest of my families thoughts were racing. They all had the same expression of shock on there faces. Jasper recovered first.
"How do you know Alice? How do you know Edward and Bella are together?" Jasper who was keeping his opinions to himself this whole time needed to ask this question to understand.
I looked up at Alice and shook my head as a warning. She just looked at me with a mischief smile.
"Well that's easy. I saw them making out in the kitchen." Alice said this really fast so I couldn't interrupt, then she burst of laughing. I growled playfully, and hid the small smile playing on my face.
Everyone's mind was on what Alice had just said. Emmett kept thinking of good jokes to voice out loud, but was having a hard time picking just one, so he just kept going through all of them to annoy me.
Jasper was trying to understand how it could be done. How I could get that close to a human, whose blood affects me worse than others, and not kill her.
Carlisle was happy for me, I was just starting to pay attention to him and ignore Emmett's, when Esme's thoughts distracted me.
" Edward I'm so happy for you, you finally found someone. I cant wait to meet her, and to think I cooked for her." Esme was in her own type of shock. She cared for Bella when I had told them my concerns, but know she seemed to care for her in a different way, almost like a mother would care for her daughter.
I was looking at Esme with surprise and curiosity and I was just about to ask her what had changed, when Jasper's thoughts interrupted me. He was trying to send calming waves over to Rosalie and I didn't understand why.
The rage that was coming from Rosalie seemed to affect Jasper, he was shaking slightly, and looking between me and her.
"That's why were doing this! That's why were putting our family in jeopardy of exposure, because Edward wants to get laid by a human! This is ridiculous! We've lived around humans for centuries, the poor, the weak, and now because you want to have a future with a damaged girl who wants nothing to do with you, or anyone else for that matter, you want to put us all in danger!" Rosalie was on her feet glaring at me. I was halfway out of my own seat, my hands gripping the edge of the table. I could hear the glass breaking under my hands, but I didn't care. I was glaring back at Rosalie with hatred and growling, just hoping she tried to fight me.
"Rose" Emmett said quietly, looking between us. He stood up and grabbed Rosalie by the arm to pull her back from the dinner table.
"Sorry man, all talk to her." Emmett thought, still pulling Rosalie back. He didn't know what had caused this, and I really didn't care at that moment.
"Don't bother Emmett! I don't want anything to do with her!" I said through my teeth. I was furious! Furious at Rosalie for saying those things, and furious at Emmett. All I wanted to do was rip Rosalie apart, but Emmett had to step in. How could he love someone who was so hateful?
"I'm not helping you! And I'm not helping your plain pathetic human!" Rose added before Emmett had successfully removed her from the room.
It had stayed quiet for a long time after that. Everyone seemed to have there own opinions of Rosalie but I hardly took any notice, my head was swimming in words I would have liked to have shouted at her if it wasn't for Carlisle and Esme sitting beside me.
Esme put her hand on top of one of mine. I looked down, and realized I was still gripping the edges of the table. When I was able to remove my hands, chunks of broken glass dropped to the floor. I sat back down and tried to calm myself. I needed to think about how to help Bella, rather than how to get passed Emmett to rip apart Rosalie.
"Can I speak with Carlisle for a moment please?" I asked while looking around at Alice, Jasper, and Esme. They all got up, Alice and Jasper both gave me a small smile, while Esme gave me a quick hug, then made her way towards the living room.
"Don't worry about Rosalie Edward, we all know she's a bitch. Anyway Bella's part of this family, so she'll just have to deal with it." Alice thought as she walked out with Jasper. She tried to make it sound that what Rosalie had said didn't matter, but I could tell, thanks to Jasper, that she was truly hurt by what she had said about her future sister. As was the rest of the family.
When everyone had left the room I looked at Carlisle. I was about to speak but he cut me off.
"Edward about Rosalie." He began, but I put my hand up and stopped him.
"This has nothing to do with her. I don't even want to talk about her right now." I said, felling myself getting angry again.
"Alright." Carlisle put his hand of my shoulder, and waited for me to begin talking.
We both sat there in silence not talking to one another, both thinking of earlier events.
"Who would do something like this?" I said out loud, not really talking to Carlisle.
"We don't know who's doing this. She did just move here so hopefully she got away from the abuse, but if not we will find out Edward." Carlisle said slowly, also talking more to himself than me. He was thinking of this earlier when I told him that Bella had just moved her. We had both prayed that she had escaped the abuse, that it was all behind her, but neither one of us wanted to hope too early.
"I'm scared Carlisle. What if I cant gain her trust? I don't know what she's thinking. I cant hear anything. She's scared of me already, and if I start asking questions she's just going to back away even further….and what if….what if I get to close and…and her scent…" I couldn't finish.
"I know your scared Edward, but I believe you can do this. You have us behind you, we all want to help in anyway you can. Alice is scared as well, but she believes that Bella will come around, and that the two of you will be together. Which may I add, I am very happy for you." He said with a smile.
"You have made me so proud Edward. How you handled the situation with Bella when you first met her. I knew that must have been extremely difficult for you, but you did it. You concentrated on your family's welfare rather than your thirst and you succeeded, which I'm sure many of us could not do." I knew that if Carlisle was put into that situation he could have handled it, he was the strongest out of all of us, but for him to say it, and tell me he was proud, did comfort me little.
"I know you think that Bella wont trust you, but you yourself saw what Alice had seen. Trust yourself Edward. The first time you smelled her sent you didn't know it was coming, but know you do. Its not a surprise anymore, and I know you have already taken enough precaution's, like over drinking animal blood to help yourself. You don't want to hurt her Edward, and I know you wont. You love her too much."
"What?" That was the second time someone had told me that I loved Bella. I cared for her safety but did I love her?
Carlisle didn't answer. He stood up, put his hand on my shoulder, and smiled a knowing smile at me.
"As for not being able to hear her thoughts, that is a mystery. You will just have to do it the old fashion way, and try to think what women are guessing. And believe me, its not an easy thing to do." With that Carlisle grasped my shoulder one last time and headed out of the room, but not before a small laugh escaped his lips.
I felt a little better. I decided to do what Alice was thinking earlier and focus on her vision. The Bella who had been laughing and joking around with my family, that's what was going to keep me focused, to keep me from pushing to hard to fast. I wanted the Bella in the future, I wanted her to be happy and healthy, and I will to do everything in my power to make that happen.
BPOV
When the final bell rang, I couldn't be more relived. Gym was always difficult for me on a good day, but its become more difficult to stand for an hour, not to mention that time seems to move more slowly in here.
I walked into the girls change rooms and waited until some of the girls had left, and like always changed in the dressing rooms. I walked as fast as my feet would carry me outside with the other students who I could overhear planning tonight's events, and telling one another where to meet.
I walked to my truck and carefully jumped in, I needed to get home and start Charlie's supper, and make sure the house was clean, before he got home from work.
When I pulled up to Charlie's house I could feel my heart skip a beat. Charlie's police cruiser was parked in the drive way.
My hands became instantly sweaty as I thought of how angry he must be with me. He would be looking for his supper, that wouldn't be there, and he would be furious.
I parked my truck next to his cruiser. I knew he would have heard the roar of the truck's engine so there was no use in stalling, and I needed to scramble inside and make supper before things get worse.
I grabbed my school bag, shut the truck door behind me and walked up to the house. I took a deep breath, I could feel the pain in my ribs, my body screaming at me to run, but I grabbed the door handle and pulled the door open.
I didn't look ahead of me, instead I shut the door behind me and waited, it didn't take long.
"Your late!" Charlie started to yell. I jumped at the sound of his voice, my body was already cringing inside.
"Where the hell have you been?" He was sitting on the couch, feet on the table watching a baseball game, he was still wearing his police uniform.
The minute I had shut the door behind me, he seemed to forget everything else but me. He grabbed an empty beer can, there were ten or so scattered around the floor, and chucked it at me.
"Answer me you stupid bitch!" He threw another can at me. There was no point in dodging the cans, it would make it worse. The can that he threw next turned out to be an unopened one, and hit me right in the chest, it flew to the floor and sprayed beer all around me.
"I'm sorry sir, I was at school." I said quietly while holding onto the banister for support. Getting hit with a volleyball, and then a full beer can, I was afraid that my knees would buckle and that I might pass out. I just needed to catch my breath, but Charlie had other plans.
"Get over here!" He waved his hand furiously towards himself. I immediately removed my hand, and walked towards him over to the couch. There was no point in catching my breath, or walking slow, for what was to come next.
Charlie had gone back to watching his game, while I stood there and waited. I made sure that I was standing to the side of the TV, so I didn't block it from his view.
When he finally bent down to grab another beer, he looked towards me. He wore an evil grin and looked me up and down while taking a large swig of his beer. Then when his eyes finally meant mine, he seemed almost happy. I knew at once I had done something wrong.
"There are rules in my house Isabella." He said slowly, knowing full well that he was enjoying this.
"And one of those is, my house is to be spotless clean. So tell me Isabella, how is my house going to be kept clean when some ugly stupid pathetic little slut, wear's her shoes inside this house." His voice was slow and dangerous. I looked down and panicked. I had forgotten to take my shoes off when I entered the house, I was distracted by Charlie being home before me.
Charlie startled to laugh, taking another swig of his beer. "Your choice, go pick one."
"Yes sir." With that I quickly removed my shoes at the doorway and headed upstairs to Charlie's room. I already knew which belt I was going to choose, it was the same one I always picked.
I grabbed the belt that was hanging just inside Charlie's closet. It was a thick brown leather belt, with a silver finish four piece buckle set and four silver ranger stars. I don't know why I would always pick this one, he owned belts that weren't so thick, or didn't have stars on them, but I always chose it.
As I walked back downstairs Charlie was already opening another beer, my foot caught the fourth step and I grabbed onto the banister just in time. The belt flew out of my hands and made a clunk sound onto the floor. Charlie stood up, swayed a little, and turned around to look at me. I ran down to the belt, my body already aching, picked it up and held it out to Charlie, who looked down at the belt and had a satisfied look on his face.
"This belt is more important than you, you little slut, if you ever drop it down those stairs again, all throw you down after it! Do you understand?" He spat at me, while taking the belt from my open hands.
"Yes sir." I replied quietly.
"That little stunt will cost you extra. Now turn around, and put your hands on the wall!"
I turned around and walked towards one the living room walls. I put my palms up against the cold chipped paint and waited. I heard Charlie take one last gulp of his beer, crush it in his hand, and then he threw it at me. I could hear his footsteps come behind me, and could smell the liquor coming off of him. He grabbed the back of my hair, and put his lips to my ear.
"I'm going to enjoy this, I always do. Scream for me Isabella." With that he let go of my hair, and took a few steps away from me. I could hear him laughing as he gripped the edge of the belt in one hand, threw it behind him, and with a force, crashed the heavy leather against my back.
I gasped as the first blow hit me, but I remained standing. I bit down on my lips to make sure I didn't scream.
As Charlie started whipping my back I could feel the silver stars hit my spine, I bit down harder on my lips, and began tasting blood.
When Charlie had finally had enough, he threw the belt at me and headed back to the couch. I heard a click sound as he opened another beer, and turned up the volume of his baseball game.
"My supper better be ready for me in twenty minutes. I worked up quite an appetite, my arm is pretty sore after all of that. How about you Isabella, how are you feeling?" He asked sarcastically, not turning around. He started laughing at his own joke.
I was still facing the wall, but I was no longer standing. I was kneeling on the floor, my hands at my sides. I was leaning against the cold wall for support, I kept my eyes closed and pressed my forehead hard against it. I could feel the clothes on my back ripped open, from Charlie's strength, and blood dripping onto the floor below me. I already knew without looking in a mirror, that I would have indents of ranger stars and slash marks all across my back.
I looked beside me and picked up the leather belt. It had pieces of fabric stuck around the sliver buckles from my sweater, one of the stars points was broken off, and all around the belt, drops of my blood were dripping onto my hand.
I placed my hands onto the floor and tried to pick myself up. I didn't work. My body felt so tired and weak, that it seemed to refuse to stand up, but I needed too. I couldn't sit here, I had things that needed to be done.
On the third try I finally managed to get to my feet. It felt like my body had been broken into a million pieces, but I refused to cry or scream out. No one would hear, no one would come.
