All Things Twilight Belong to the Awesome Stephenie Meyer. There are some plot points that come from my rusty memory of a V.C. Andrews novel, and the Rest is from some odd place they call an imagination! Happy Tuesday!!
Drawing Lines
And you're hanging around 'til it's all done
You can't keep me back once I've had some
Wasting time to get it right
And you will see what I'm about
I'm Good, I'm Gone by Lykke Li
Leah and I were on the porch steps when Emmett arrived the next day. She was leaning against the post and I was laid down with my head in her lap. We'd been talking about Seth's little trick and how we were going to pay him back. Sue had put a stop to the retribution last night so we had to get more inventive this time around.
Leah had been distracting me all morning. At the first sign of pacing she'd call me out and try to figure a way around it by sending me to do obscure things or bringing up stories from the past. Everyone had just seemed to leave us alone after last night's emotional goodbyes.
I sat up as soon as the roar of the diesel came through the trees. We didn't have a lot of traffic so I knew it could only be one person. I gave him a small wave and a smile as he came to a stop outside of the house and I could see his dimpled smile returning the gesture.
"Which one's this?" Leah asked, leaning in surreptitiously and bumping shoulders with me to cover up her question.
"Emmett," I said trying not to move my lips. "He's the nice one."
"Dammit I was hoping they'd someone else so I could do some threatening."
"Leah."
"What? I have to make sure they treat my best friend better than they did the first time you were there."
"I love you."
"I know. I love you back."
"Bella," Emmett said, hopping out of the truck with his grin still in place. "You're right, it's beautiful."
"Told you," I laughed, getting up to go and greet him. "How was the drive?"
"Not bad, Pete's actually good at remembering directions so I found you easily," he said, pulling me into a bear hug. "I was happily surprised you decided to ignore the idiots and come anyway. I've never seen Carlisle pace before."
I couldn't help but laugh at that. I couldn't even imagine Carlisle pacing; he seemed too well balanced for things like that. Even when everyone in the house had talked at him the day I showed up he was composed. Just closing himself off to the four voices and sighing quietly until he was forced to react.
Emmett gave me one last squeeze before I stepped out of his hug and turned around to give Leah a grin.
"Emmett, this is Leah, my best friend."
Emmett stepped around me and approached Leah who was offering her hand, but he bypassed that and pulled her into a hug. The shock on Leah's face was something to behold. Not many people had the privilege of hugging Leah; she liked to exude a false front of hostility. The only people she ever let close enough were Jacob and I, which was why she was perceived as a bitch most of the time.
"Bella's told me a lot about you," he commented, stepping back and stretching. How this guy came from Tanya was beyond me. He seemed to fit here, just as easily as he seemed to fit in Carlisle's house.
"She told me a lot about you too," Leah smirked. I could see she was trying to hold back on the welcoming until she was certain Emmett was what he seemed to be, but even she couldn't resist his charm. He was too amiable to be rude to. Even when he thought I was Izzy and antagonized me, it wasn't cruel like the others had been. It was a patience I imagined he'd pieced together from knowing her for so long.
"She did? What did she say?"
"I'm stood right here, Emmett."
"I'm aware of that," he grinned turning to look at me briefly before turning his dimpled smile back to Leah.
"That you're the nice one. That you and Carlisle are the only ones making her feel welcome."
Emmett's booming laughter seemed to make Leah jump. His jovial nature wasn't something she was used to at all. Yet, I could tell she understood why I liked him.
"Maybe you should come down this weekend and spend some time with us. We're not all bad, I promise. Just her evil twin and my emotionally stunted brother."
"Really?"
"Yeah, why the hell not? Jessica stays over all the time, I can't stand the bitch, but she's Izzy's best friend. I know Carlisle will be happy that Bella's getting comfortable."
I grinned at Leah, pleading her with my eyes to say yes. I hadn't even thought about it with all the excitement from the move and the complete terror of a new life, but it was just what I needed. If I was being honest, it's what she needed too. I needed her to see where I would be staying, I needed her to feel welcome.
"I don't see why not," she grinned back. "Why don't we go get your things? Jacob's on his way over, I'm sure he'll want some man talk about the lift on that truck."
"Sure you don't need any help?"
"We got it thanks," Leah smiled, tugging on my arm and marching us into the house.
She didn't say a word until we were in her room gathering my bags. I was beginning to think she wasn't going to say anything at all until I made a move for the door.
"I see why you like him," she sighed, smiling. "He seems like a decent guy, and he's adorable."
"Lee, brother – Gross!"
"Step-brother. Yours, not mine."
"Leah Katherine Clearwater," I laughed, trying not to think about Emmett in that capacity. He may only be my step brother, but it still seemed wrong to even look at him in that way. It wasn't as though I hadn't thought he was handsome when I bumped into him, but as soon as I found out he was - in some way - my brother it was put out of my mind.
"What? Like you haven't noticed how hot he is," she laughed rolling her eyes. "What are you anyway, a nun?"
"Bitch."
"Whore."
We both burst into laughter as the words came out of our mouths. If it hadn't been for her agreeing to come to the Cullen house this weekend my reaction would have been to burst into tears because I was losing this kindred spirit. Thankfully, she had agreed so the wait to see her wouldn't be as excruciating as I was anticipating.
We made our way out with the bags I had loaded in our arms. I didn't have much, but it was enough. When we got there Jacob and Seth had joined Emmett and were fawning over his truck. The hood was open with Jacob and Seth admiring the engine, while Emmett stood to the side looking bemused.
"We're gone five minutes and you already have the hood open," Leah exclaimed from beside me as we stopped where Sue was stood on the porch. "Sorry, Emmett. My boyfriend and brother have no restraint when it comes to things like this."
"Oh it's not a problem. The whole thing is custom, I've had so much work done to it the real beauty is under the hood anyway."
"Maybe you could teach Bella some things," Jacob mumbled from somewhere in mechanical heaven.
"Shut up, Jake. Get the hell out of there, they have to leave now."
"Lee."
"Jacob."
Jacob reappeared from under the hood and turned to look at us. He raised his eyebrows in a challenge he knew he would lose, whether it was now or later. He may have wanted to grasp onto that man card in front of Emmett, but he knew it was in Leah's possession ninety nine percent of the time. It was all dependent on whether she would revoke it in front of Emmett or not.
I laughed as the stare down commenced and turned to Sue who was shaking her head in amazement. We embraced, her hugging me tightly before kissing me on the temple in a final farewell.
"Thank you, Sue, I love you and I'll see you soon."
"Okay, sweetheart. I'll miss you everyday till you come visit. I love you too. Never forget that."
"I won't, I promise," I said, releasing her and giving her the strongest smile I could. I knew she could read through it and see my terror, but she let it go, well aware that my mind was made up. I picked up my bags and made my way down the porch steps, handing them to Emmett as he came back from taking the bags Leah had given him to the truck.
Jacob, having lost the battle with Leah, stepped forward and wrapped his long arms around me, pulling me into his chest. "It's gonna be weird, Bells, but I know why you have to do it. I'll see you soon, but don't forget to call."
"I won't, Jake. Look after Leah for me, keep her out of trouble," I whispered, pushing up on my toes to kiss him on the cheek. "I'm going to miss you. Love you."
"Love you too, brat."
Before Jacob could even release me, I found myself pressed up against Seth's chest, my nose almost flat against his collar bone.
"Seth, can't breathe."
"Oh," he chuckled, loosening his grip. "Don't go, Bells."
"Seth."
"A guy has to try," he said, the smile evident in his voice. He dipped and kissed me on the cheek before slapping my ass. I could hear Sue and Jacob laughing just as well as I could hear Leah's mental eye roll.
For old time's sake I gave Seth a slap on the shoulder and danced out of his embrace.
"Always pushing your luck," I laughed. "Still love you though."
"Love you too."
Then it came to saying goodbye to Leah.
I threw my arms around her waist as hers linked around my neck holding me close. We didn't say a word, we just stood there hugging for the longest time, rocking from side to side as I choked back my tears. My heart seemed to literally ache in my chest as I thought about not seeing her everyday, or eating lunch with her, or sneaking her out of the bedroom window most nights so she and Jacob could do whatever it was they did every night. I didn't need a visual so I didn't think too hard about that.
My everyday would be drastically changed because she wouldn't be in it. It was like losing a part of myself and I was beginning to think chopping off an arm or a leg would be less painful than this. When we finally broke apart we were both teary eyed.
"I left the spare key to mamére's house in your nightstand," I whispered stepping back and giving her a wink and squeezing her hands in mine. "Love you, Lee, I'll see you this weekend?"
Leah nodded and smiled through the tears that had now spilled over the bottom lid, leaving wet tracks down her cheeks.
"Love you, Bells," she choked out, pulling her hand free and smacking my ass hard.
"Bitch," I whispered, rubbing my ass and backing away from her.
"Whore," she mouthed, giving me the finger in front of her stomach so her mom wouldn't see it.
I laughed and climbed up into the huge cab of the truck, almost falling on my ass as I tried to bounce from the ground. Emmett's long arms reached out and pulled me inside on the second try, making me land face first in the leather seats, my legs dangling helplessly out of the door.
"Sorry, Bella," Emmett snickered, as he tried to help me straighten up. "You got it?"
"Yeah, thanks," I mumbled, the familiar heat crawling up my neck towards my cheeks. I hated being so clumsy and the laughter of my friends outside the truck didn't help either.
Emmett's truck started with a growl that had Jacob and Seth elbowing one another. Leah was stood next to Sue, their arms around one another as they watched the truck jerk forward and start down the long dirt road to the highway.
This was it, I was leaving, I was actually going through with it. I was leaving the only place I'd ever called home and moving in with a father I'd only met once and his family. I was going to be living with the girl that shared my genes and face, going to an educational institution that probably had more people in one grade than we had in our entire school.
I was leaving behind the familiar and stepping into the unknown blind and unsure of everything.
"You alright? You're really quiet over there," Emmett asked as we got on the freeway and followed the signs towards our destination. The garish sun seemed to stream through the windshield and bounce from the cars surrounding us as I thought about how to answer him. Was I alright?
Physically, yes; mentally, pretty much; emotionally, no. Emotionally I was suffering. The fear that had been underlying these last couple of days was now gripping me in its embrace, making my heart thud against my ribs to a mercurial beat.
I had been gone only twenty minutes and I missed my best friend more than I could form words to describe. It hadn't been bad that one night I had come alone because I knew I would be going home the next day. This was different, this was a more permanent change. I was moving.
"Bella?"
"Sorry, Em, I wasn't exactly sure how to answer that."
"We're not so bad once you get to know us," he said smiling at me. "I know it seems intimidating, especially after the close knit family you have back there, but it'll all work out. You'll see tonight."
"Tonight? What's tonight?"
"It was supposed to be a surprise, but I'm thinking that's probably not the best idea right now."
"Emmett," I sighed, wishing I understood his code. "What are you trying to say?"
"I organized a get together with my friends, I figured . . . Are you alright?"
My head was currently residing between my knees. The words 'get together' didn't seem to fill me with as much mirth as he'd been expecting. It didn't seem to fill me with with anything other than a wave of nausea. Last night was one thing, they were people I'd known since birth. I'd spent time with all of them in one way or another growing up because mamére was owed a lot of favors. If she had to run an errand and Sue was out, one of them would be stuck with me. Tonight, these were people that would look down on me, these were the people that stepped over me and criticized my clothes. These were people I'd never met before.
"Please don't throw up in my truck."
"I won't," I mumbled, forcing myself to sit upright and look at him.
"You're really white. What's got you so freaked out?"
"I know you mean well, Emmett, but big crowds make me nervous."
"It's not a big crowd, Bells and anyway wouldn't you rather start school knowing people?"
He was right. Knowing people would make it easier to start at a new school, especially one my sister frequented. I knew a lot of them would be confused to begin with. There may even be some cases of mistaken identity, which really wasn't an appealing thought considering the reaction of those who thought I was Izzy, but I still couldn't help my trepidation.
"I have nothing to wear," I said, looking down at myself and thinking about everything I'd brought with me. It wasn't exactly the truth, but I hoped it would get me out of this.
"I asked mom to help out. I told her you were meeting my friends and she was her usual colorful self and insisted I not take you dressed like a . . ." He didn't finish the sentence. He didn't need to. I knew what she would have said. It was probably something akin to what she'd said to my face the first time she'd met me.
"Fine."
"Really?"
"Yes," I said rubbing my face with both hands hoping the rough movement would encourage the color to return. "Just promise me one thing."
"What's that?"
"If I feel uncomfortable, will you take me home?"
"I promise," he grinned, his dimples appearing clearly. "You won't regret it."
I highly doubted that, but I held my tongue and tried to feed off of his positive energy.
It didn't take us long to get into the city again. It was a longer ride than it had been with Peter, but the decent conversation and lack of fear had made it less torturous than it had been. Emmett seemed genuinely excited to have me coming to stay with them and I wondered just how starved he was for conversation.
We pulled into the drive just before the five o'clock traffic created a complete gridlock on the freeway. Not that I knew what a gridlock even looked like living in the country my whole life, but the way Emmett described it, it didn't sound like fun at all.
Carlisle came outside the moment we pulled up, which had Emmett chuckling beside me in the cab of the truck and I could only imagine it wasn't something he did often. I guess he didn't have the need to. I couldn't help but feel flattered at the attention though, he seemed excited that I was here.
"This is new," Emmett mumbled, giving Carlisle a nod through the windscreen and winking at me.
I raised my eyebrows at the comment, but said nothing to respond to it. I unclicked the seatbelt as Carlisle approached the door and pulled it open. Once again his smile reminded me of the picture I had studied for days before my first trip down here and it eased some of the panic that was still ingrained inside of me.
"How was your drive?"
"Not bad thanks," I grinned, not tacking on the 'better than the way up there' that seemed to linger in my mouth after the statement. It would do me no good to insult Peter's driving when our non-existent relationship was rocky at best.
"Sorry I didn't come myself, I had a few appointments I just couldn't reschedule."
"It's not a problem, Emmett was a great chauffeur," I said, grinning at Emmett as I slid out of the truck.
"She threatened to fire me when I didn't have the hat," Emmett laughed, jumping to the ground with a thud on the other side. "Now let's get this stuff inside so she can settle in before tonight, maybe even throw up a few times."
"Not funny, Emmett."
"I thought it was hilarious."
"What's this?" Carlisle asked, a bemused smile painting his lips as he watched Emmett and I go back and forth.
"Seems Bella's not to keen on parties."
"You told her? I thought you wanted it to be a surprise?"
Emmett laughed loudly and it echoed around the courtyard the pool was situated in. He clapped Carlisle on the shoulder making him jerk forward, before opening the back doors.
"She was freaking out, I thought it would be better if it wasn't sprung on her like that."
Carlisle nodded thoughtfully and picked up some of the bags that Emmett was unloading onto the driveway. He looked at me curiously before becoming more animated again.
"I hope you don't mind, I had Tanya fix up your room while you were gone. It's no longer a stuffy guest room. She was excited about a new project. You have the same bed I'm afraid, but she did buy a more contemporary frame for it."
I almost laughed at the remorseful look he offered me for the bed. It was the one thing I had been looking forward to coming back here for and I wasn't sure how the comment would be received if I verbalized it. I was, however, curious about the changes he'd asked Tanya to make and how she'd decided to put the room together. After our last interaction I knew there'd be nothing of value in there because I was sure she'd expect me to steal it.
I picked up the last of my bags and followed Carlisle and Emmett into the house. There was no one around; I couldn't even hear a television playing. For a brief second I panicked that they were all up in the room waiting to greet me, then I came to my senses.
We took the back stairs I hadn't noticed hidden behind a wall in the kitchen and made our way up the stairs to the second floor, then through the door next to it until we were in the room I had occupied previously.
My eyebrows rose high on my forehead as they scanned the place, it was barely recognizable. The television was now four times larger than the one that had been in here and a lot more expensive looking. Hooked up to it was a playstation three and a cable box, with stacks of movies and games beside that. The couch, that had previously been a simple loveseat with neutral colored fabric, was now a black leather sectional with a chaise lounge at one end. Two paper lamps stood tall behind it with shelves towering to the wall full of books.
On the other side of the room stood the bed, the comforter, once a simple white down, was now black in color with lines in different shades of gray and silver along the foot of the bed. There had to be at least ten pillows on there including the decorative ones that sat neatly on top. The new frame was padded black leather that rose high into the room with two spotlights hanging down to read from.
It was breath taking and far more than I expected from a woman who seemed to dislike me intently.
"What do you think?" Emmett asked, nudging me in the arm as he placed the bags in front of a huge black dresser that had obviously replaced the old one.
"It's amazing, your mom has a real eye for this."
"It's her passion," Carlisle laughed, "I think every room in this house gets redone every year or so. She was excited to have a new project. Not to mention having to redo the guest bedroom downstairs again."
"Leah's going to freak out."
"Hope you don't mind I extended an invitation to her friend, Leah, for this weekend," Emmett said, winking at me. I appreciated him bringing it up, considering I hadn't asked and just blurted out that my best friend was sure to appreciate my new room.
"No that's perfect, maybe Sue will be a little more comfortable if she knows we're not hiding you in the basement."
"I don't think that was her inclination," I laughed, drinking in the room a little more. "She trusts my judgement."
"That's a good sign. I have a couple of errands to run this afternoon, but I figured we could all go to dinner before Emmett's little party. I know that there's still some things Izzy's curious about and I'm sure there's some things Tanya would like to get out in the open too."
"That would be great, I need to unpack anyway. Thanks so much for all of this, Carlisle. I'm just . . . I'm stunned."
"I'm glad you like it. I'll see you for dinner, if you need anything I think Emmett or Peter will be around."
"Yes, sir," Emmett confirmed from behind me, looking through the games by the TV.
"I'll see you for dinner then," Carlisle smiled, before turning to leave. He stopped at the top of the stairs and looked back at me again. "Tanya bought you something to wear tonight. She's going to take you shopping this weekend, but she thought it would be nice to have something new to come out to dinner with."
"Tell her thank you."
"Will do," Carlisle said, making his exit down the stairs.
"Check out the drawer of your nightstand," Emmett said, stepping forward with a grin. "You were supposed to find it on your own, but I'm shit at surprises."
"I noticed," I laughed, skipping over to the bed and pulling open the drawer of the simple black nightstand. There were two boxes inside, one bigger than the other, both wrapped in gold paper with emerald ribbon wrapped around them. "What is this?"
"Open them and find out."
I sat on the bed, placing the two packages beside me, wondering which to open first. I picked up the smaller of the two and turned it in my hands so I could see all of the sides. I slid my finger under the paper and ripped it back. The moment the object came into view I began to wish I'd waited until I was alone. The metallic pink of the casing was a dead give away, and there was no stopping the smile breaking out on my face. I'd always wanted an iPod.
"Do you have one already?"
"No," I grinned. "I don't and I have no idea how to work it."
Emmett laughed and walked over to the bed to sit next to me. "I'll teach you how, but you may need the next gift to use it."
I pulled the bigger box on my lap because it was entirely too heavy to do anything else with. I didn't hesitate as I pulled the paper from this package, and it took everything in me to not squeal in delight. They couldn't be serious.
"A laptop? I can't accept this, Emmett. I really don't want to offend Carlisle, but this is too much."
"Yeah, but you kinda need it for school anyway so it's not as awesome as it should be when you consider that."
"I do?"
"Yeah that's how most people take notes and the teachers hand out those little memory sticks with homework and reading material on them."
I was horrified, my computer skills were minimal at best and there was no way I could type fast enough to take notes in class. It was an impossibility. I was so far out of my depth.
"What's wrong?"
"I can't type that fast."
"You don't need to," Emmett laughed again, pulling the laptop all the way out of the wrapping and pulling off what looked like a DVD case. "This is all you need. It's dictation software and the laptop has a built in microphone."
I grinned at him and starting reading the back of the software case, hoping that he would at least help me set it up. I wasn't a complete technological reject, but I would need some advice when it came to this state of the art computer.
We sat in silence as I opened the box with reverence. I knew that coming in here with nothing they were going to end up buying me things to suit their tastes, especially on things like the way I dressed. Tanya had made it all too clear how she felt about my appearance. This though, this was too much and entirely too soon to even think about accepting things like this.
The silence seemed to hang in the air as I pulled out the pretty white laptop. Unfortunately, the silence didn't last and it was interrupted by a voice I'd never heard before.
"Why are we going to the third floor? God, Izzy, glutton for punishment much?"
Emmett groaned under his breath beside me and moved to get up, but I put my hand on his arm, curious as to why these girls were in my room.
"You have to see it now, Jess. Seriously, they're bending over backward to please this bitch, when I think she'd be perfectly happy sleeping on straw in the garage. You should have seen the way she was dressed. Even Tanya had something to say about it. Now, she's decorating her room and buying her clothes from Saks. Like she's going to know what to do with that."
Emmett looked at me with apologetic eyes as the girls crested the stairs. Jessica's mouth was wide open as she gaped around the room, it wasn't until they hit me that she almost choked on her tongue.
"Oh, it's here already," Izzy said, looking at me still perched on the bed. "And what did I tell you? The buying of the love has already begun."
"Get out of here, Izzy," Emmett said, sounding tired already.
"Why are you taking sides, Emmett?"
"Izzy, you're right she has your face but with boring features like muddy brown hair and dull brown eyes. It's like you without all of your amazing features," Jessica said, her eyes roaming up and down me. I don't know why it made me feel so violated, but she was definitely giving me the creeps.
"Right! I told you."
Jessica turned up her nose at me, her eyes rolling with boredom now she'd seen everything there was to see. She folded her arms and glared at me in an act of solidarity to Izzy. At least she had a good friend too.
"Let's go, Iz, Mike's probably wondering where we are anyway."
Emmett snorted next to me and Izzy shot him a look before nodding at her friend and following her to the top of the stairs. I watched as Jessica made her way down, but Izzy stopped, her hand gripping the railing as her head turned slowly so she was facing me again. Her blue gray eyes flashed in the dim light, they were like the steel blades of a knife as she glared at me.
"You may think you have the upper hand, Isabella," she purred, her eyes narrowing. "But you've only won the battle, I will win the war and when I do you'll be gone quicker than it took to carry your one bag up the stairs. I'm not someone to be fucked with and MY dad will see you for what you are. Don't get comfortable, you won't be staying."
She marched down the stairs as Jessica cackled from the bottom, obviously enjoying the show. I hated that she made me feel so hollow, that her words cut me like a serrated edge, but they did. There was no stopping the pain from flooding my consciousness after that, tears welled in my eyes as the sobs rolled up my throat and threatened to break.
"Bella," Emmett said, his sad eyes watching me fight the losing battle with my emotions. "You can't let her get to you like that. She lives for that shit. You have to learn to give as good as you get, treat her like Leah, but mean what you say."
"I don't know if I have it in me."
"Of course you do," he grinned, punching me in the shoulder gently. "You're quit witted and sharp. She may have a silver tongue that cuts deep, but you have the ability to hit back. Shit, you did it to me the first day I met you."
I smiled and shook my head. "You don't have my face."
"That would be kinda scary and I would be in the circus. But the point is, you don't have to listen to her crap. Carlisle knows as well as anyone the shit she's capable of. Just don't take her bullshit and it will make living in this house a hell of a lot easier for you."
"You're right, thanks Emmett."
"You're welcome, Bells. Now why don't you do yourself up and show that little bitch what someone with class looks like."
I nodded and gave him a fake punch in his arm as he started out of the room. If I didn't have him I'd already be sinking miserably in this ship.
I would take his advice though, whatever Tanya had bought me, I would make the most of it and I would go down there with my head held high, because I knew who I was, I knew what my motivation was. If she wanted a war, she had one.
A/N: Firstly I apologize profusely to the people I had unintentionally lied to and said Edward be appearing in this chapter. I was one chapter too soon on that so I apologize. I should also probably point out that this is based loosely on a V.C. Andrews storyline, and that things may not always be what they seem. However, it will be an ExB story!! Hope that helps and I'm sorry it's taking so long to get the gang in here.
Secondly, it will start picking up from here. It won't be bombs and napalm, but things will start changing and I hope they are interesting for you.
Thank you to Bob, or Hev99 for giving this a last minute look over. I appreciate it hun!!
To my prereaders, miztrezboo, bendingmirrors and Hev99. Thank you ladies and I love you lots. You keep me sane and I know that's a huge task to deal with and I love you for it.
Thank you also to everyone who visits the blog and the forum. You guys are amazing!! (I'm running late on today's update of the blog but it will be done by tonight!)
A HUGE thank you and an I love you to all of you that review. Every week you keep me smiling with your comments and observations. Your questions are appreciated and I hope the answers don't give too much away. I love you all, You're all brilliant!! Thank you!
Much love and huge hugs ~Weezy~
