Chapter Ten: Marie's POV
"Good morning sweetheart." Mum's voice called as she pulled back my curtains. I groaned. I didn't want to wake up.
"Happy Birthday Marie." Mum said as she kissed me on the forehead. I smiled.
At least it was going to be a good day. It was my sixteenth birthday. I'd had my party the weekend before. It wasn't huge. I didn't really care for huge celebrations. I just went to a nice restaurant with a group of my friends. It was a nice celebration. My friends had all been quite extravagant with their celebrations.
Mum left the room so I could get ready. I got ready quickly and sat at the breakfast table. They were already sitting there eating breakfast. I looked around for presents. Mum caught me looking.
"This afternoon." She said with a smile. Dad shook his head with a small smile as he ate his cereal.
"Can I get my license this afternoon?" I asked.
"Sure." Mum said with a frown. I wondered what was wrong. I guess she just didn't want to think of me being old enough to drive. I really wanted to though.
"See you." Dad said as he grabbed his briefcase and went out the door. He worked as a lawyer and he was quite good.
I went to school. For some reason I was still concerned about mum's frown. She had been very quiet on the way to school.
"What were your parents like on your birthday?" I asked one of my friends.
"They kept going on and on about how I was old enough to drive a car. They said it made them feel old." She laughed. I nodded. That was probably what my mother was worried about. I went back to paying attention to the teacher.
"So are you getting your licence this afternoon?" My friend asked.
"Yeah, I think so. Mum said I could." I shrugged.
"Kool." She replied and went back to her work.
I jumped into the car quickly when mum picked me up this afternoon. I was very excited about getting my license.
"Hey, sweetheart." Mum greeted me with a tense smile.
"Hey." I replied back.
Mum drove out of the school and it wasn't for another ten minutes that I noticed we weren't going in the right direction. I was too excited and worried.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"On the back seat." Mum said and I turned to the backseat to see a piece of paper. I picked it up and looked at it. It was my birth certificate. I'd need it for my license. I read through it wondering why this would mean we had to go in the direction mum was taking me.
"What?" I asked when I saw the names of my mother and father on my birth certificate didn't match up to the names of my mother and father.
"Why does it say Isabella Swan and Mark Ambrose? Your name's Janine and our last name is Hills." I said.
"Because you're adopted, your biological father shares the same name. It was a coincidence." Mum said with a deep sigh.
"What, how?" I asked. It couldn't be real. It couldn't be. How was I adopted? This was a bad joke so then why was mum the one playing it?
"Like I said it was a coincidence." Mum exhaled.
"I meant how am I adopted?" I wanted to yell and as it was my voice was so loud the silence after seemed tangible. It was a heavy silence.
"She was eighteen. She didn't think she could take care of you." Mum, Janine (ughh this is so confusing) said after a long while.
I sat in the passenger seat reading the birth certificate. Apparently my real mother lived in Forks an hour or so away. How could she live an hour away and I not know?
"Are we going to see her?" I asked. I noticed my birth certificate said that my dad had been in Port Angeles state prison. I didn't think we were going to see him.
"Yeah." Mum answered quietly.
"Why's is he in prison?" I wondered.
"I'll let her tell you although she may not be able too." Mum said.
"Why not?" I asked.
"That's part of the story. You'll have to wait." Mum said her brow furrowing. I was worried that she wouldn't be able to drive.
The rest of the trip was silent. I couldn't believe my birthday which had promised to be so good had turned so sour. I was very interested to see my biological mother though. It would be interesting to see the similarities.
I had always sort of wondered about the subtle differences between myself and my family. They were very subtle though so I often ignored them.
My hair was a light chocolate brown and it lighter than mum and dad's. I assumed mum dies her hair and that I had the same colour as her.
My eyes were a light icy blue. I wondered where I got them from too because my dad's eye's were green and my mothers were hazel. I don't know how I had ever ignored that one. I'd never really thought about it this deeply before I suppose. You just don't question it.
I also knew that my mum was a social person who loved to entertain guests. I hated that. I hated attention. I was a klutz and that wasn't very good if you were the centre of attention.
Mum pulled up in front of a house. I looked it over. It was a double story white house. It looked very cozy and homely. I saw a police car parked outside the house. It was in the driveway so it looked like the person who owned the house was a police officer, not in trouble with the police.
Mum knocked on the door and I felt a knot form in my throat. An old man answered the door. He looked to be in his fifties.
"Hey Charlie, do you know where Isabella is?" Mum asked the man.
"Yeah. She and Edward got married. They have a house down the road. Come in and I'll draw you a mud map." He said glancing at me. I wondered if he knew who I was.
We followed Charlie into the kitchen and he drew a map. He handed it to mum and we left.
"Happy birthday." He called to me as we left. I blushed. He did know. Then I felt angry. He knew and I had only just found out. How did he know?
"Who's that?" I asked once we were in the car.
"You're biological grandfather." Mum answered crisply as she started the car and we drove off using the map Charlie had drawn.
"Isabella's father?" I guessed.
"Yeah." Mum nodded and that was it for our conversation until we pulled up to a much fancier house. It still felt homely though. It was a white two-story house as well but it was much grander.
Mum knocked on the door and a little boy answered.
"Hello?" He said looking up at us with confused eyes. He looked about ten.
"Is your mum here?" Mum asked.
"Muuuuum." The kid called and a woman appeared behind him. She was beautiful but that wasn't what made me stare at her. Her hair was the exact same colour as mine. Her eyes were a chocolate the exact same shade as her hair.
"Trent. What have I told you about answering the door?" She scolded the boy.
"Sorry mum." He said and ran off.
"What's going on?" a bronze-haired man asked stepping up beside her.
"Marie." She answered him as she saw me.
"Isabella?" I asked. I was sure it was her. She nodded.
"Call me Bella. Come in. Can I get you anything?" Isabella asked as we followed her in.
"No thanks." Mum said as we took a seat on the couch.
"How can I help you?" She sighed. I think she already knew but she didn't want to talk about it. Of course she wouldn't. She had put me up for adoption hadn't she?
I noticed she leant into the man that had to be Edward. That meant he wasn't my father but I wasn't surprised. Dad was in jail. I didn't think she would stay with him.
"Is Trent my half brother?" I asked. I was a hundred percent certain he was but I didn't want to start with the hard questions yet.
"Yeah, Edward and I had Trent after we got married at the end of college." Bella said.
"Why is my biological father in jail?" I asked. I couldn't think of an easier question and I didn't want to. I wanted answers.
Bella frowned. I could tell she didn't want to answer this question.
"You're dad was drunk and he did something he shouldn't have." She replied thinking of her words carefully.
"You mean?..." I asked not wanting an answer.
"He was drunk and he raped me in the industrial district of Port Angeles." She said trying not to let any particular emotion sow through in her tone and expression.
It would explain why she gave me up. Who would want to keep a reminder of something like that? I felt so guilty. I had shown up here, a reminder of things she didn't want to be reminded of. I also felt so dirty. I wasn't some miracle like most children were to their mother I was unwanted.
"Don't feel guilty. It's okay. I was the one that decided to keep you. I was the one that decided to have an open adoption." She said with a slight frown.
"Why?" I asked confused.
"At the time I told myself I would be worse than him if I killed you but I know now that you were a miracle and I wanted you. I also had an open adoption because I wanted you to be able to come here whenever you wanted." She answered simply but with a lot of thought.
How could she think of me as a miracle? I was glad she had chosen an open adoption though. I was glad I got to meet her.
I didn't know what else to say to this woman... my mother. Everything was confusing.
"Some sixteenth birthday, huh?" Bella chuckled. I nodded. I had thought this afternoon would be simple. I would go get my license return home, get my presents and then have dinner with dad.
"Why did you have to choose a set of parent's where the father's name is the same as my biological father?" I asked exasperated. It was so annoying. I could refer to both my father's as Mark. Then again this was confusing enough.
"I didn't really have a choice. There aren't many people looking to adopt around here. I didn't like it much at first either." She said her expression her nose wrinkling.
I should have known. I knew it was hard for her to talk about my biological father. I had seen it in her expression, the way she bit her lip, when she had talked about him before.
"Did you want to meet some of your aunts and uncles?" Bella asked after a while, "Well they're not really I suppose. They're Edward's siblings but they're my family. I know they'd want to meet you."
"Sure, why not." I decided. I guess they were my aunts and uncles. Bella was married to Edward.
Edward hopped of the couch to go and call them. It wasn't long before there was a knock at the door.
"What is it Bella? You made out like it was a 911 emergency." A tinkling soprano voice spoke from the door.
"Not an emergency but very exciting. You're going to love this." Bella laughed as she led the guests into the house. There were four people.
"Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, Emmet this is Marie." She said pointing to each person as she said their name.
"Hi." I said with a small wave. Emmett was huge and quite scary.
"Marie." Emmett exclaimed and then came barrelling towards me picking me up in a bear hug. I screamed.
"Put the girl down." Rosalie scolded.
"I can't believe it's you." Emmett said doing as Rose said.
"It's me." I said. I didn't get what the big deal was. I didn't even know these people until just now but it was like they had known me my whole life.
"Don't worry about him. He's just very excitable. I swear Trent is more mature." Rosalie laughed. Emmett shot her an innocent look.
"It's nice to meet you." Jasper smiled a friendly smile and shook my hand.
"I can't believe it's been that long. Please tell me you haven't inherited you're mothers hate for shopping, we have to go shopping later." Alice said her eyes lighting up as she peered out from behind Jasper.
"Sorry. I don't really like shopping." I answered.
"Presents?" Alice asked pouting.
"Acceptable." I said appreciatively nodding my head.
"That's from your father." Alice said, "I remember trying to get your mum to accept presents at her baby shower. I thought I'd had trouble getting her to have a baby shower at all." Alice laughed.
"You had a baby shower?" I asked looking to Bella.
"Yeah, crazy Alice decided to have a baby shower for me. Of course she won in the end. I just gave in when it came to Trent. It wasn't that bad." She said mulling it over.
"You had a baby shower for me?" I asked questioning her sanity.
"Like I said, Alice is crazy." Bella said smiling at a memory.
"Why would you have a baby shower for me, the rape baby?" I asked. I was beginning to get used to the idea of what I was. There was no other way to really put my question in a perspective that they would get what I was asking.
"Don't ever think of yourself like that. We had a baby shower because you were a baby. That and Alice is crazy but mostly the whole baby thing. The only time I want to hear 'rape baby' is when you're annoying Alice." Bella said sternly. But I could see a smile in her eyes. I knew instinctively it came from the fact that I was annoying Alice.
I rolled my eyes. Sure her answer wasn't very serious but I knew she was meant it. Maybe not the whole 'Alice is crazy' thing, I hadn't been with her long enough yet, but the rest was right.
I saw Jasper glaring at Bella and Bella rolled her eyes.
"What wrong?" I asked.
"Jasper's very protective of Alice. I swear he's worse than Emmett over Rosalie. He doesn't like me calling Alice crazy or annoying her. He's an oversized guard dog." She laughed.
"Woof." Jasper barked sarcastically.
I noticed that Jasper and Alice were standing together and Rosalie and Emmett just a little bit apart from them. I saw a wedding ring on each of them.
"How are you guys all together. Aren't you brother and sister?" I asked.
"Only Jasper and Rosalie are biologically brother and sister. We were all adopted by Carlisle and Esme when we were young." It was Edward who spoke.
"When did you find out?" I asked looking at my mum (Janine) daring her to say something.
"My parents died when I was nine, I was adopted by Carlisle and Esme. I've always known." Edward answered.
"Our parent's died when we were five. Like Edward, We've always known." Rosalie answered for herself and Jasper.
"I was found in an abandoned home when I was thirteen. I have no memory of my parents or how I got there. Carlisle and Esme are the only parent's I've known." Alice said.
"My Mum died when I seven. My dad didn't want me. I was adopted by Carlisle and Esme." Emmett said, his usually happy demeanour gone.
"Guess no one here has a happy story, huh?" I sighed.
"Yeah we do, we get to be here with each other." Emmett said his happy demeanour back. Everyone laughed and no one disagreed.
"What are Uncle Emmett, Aunty Rose, Aunty Alice and Uncle Jasper doing here?" Trent asked as he came downstairs.
"We're here to see Marie." Emmett said picking up the little boy.
"Who's Marie?" Trent asked his eyes filled with childish curiosity.
"She's your sister." Emmett answered the little boy.
"Then how come I've never seen her before?" He asked.
"Because she lives with another mummy and daddy." Emmett answered still calm.
"Why?" He asked.
"You ask a lot of questions. Do you know what happens to little boys who ask too many questions?" Emmett asked. Trent didn't hear the not so subtle hint in Emmett's tone and so he didn't wriggle out of his uncle's arms in time to escape.
"Nooo…" The little boy screamed wriggling to escape Emmett's grasp as Emmett tickled him.
"Daddy. Emmett's tickling me." He cried out as he hugged his father's leg.
"Oh no. What are we going to do? Should we ask Aunt Rose to help us?" Edward whispered conspiratorially as he picked up Trent.
"Yes. Yes." Trent said eagerly as Emmett went to tickle the youngster again.
"Aunt Rose?" Edward said barely containing his laughter.
"Emmett." Rosalie said and Emmett returned to her side like a well-trained puppy dog.
Everyone laughed as Emmett placed a kiss on Rosalie's cheek.
"I want to know my story. Can you tell me?" I asked Bella as I looked around and saw a family I never knew I had. She took a deep sigh and then proceeded to tell me her story sparing no details.
Author's Note
I was origanally going to have this at the start and then have the rest of the story as Bella telling Marie what happened to her but this was easier. Hope you liked it!