Hey guys! So first, I want to let you know that I'm not dropping any of my stories. I'm still working on the others, especially my Doctor Who fic. Anyhow, so I've been working on this fic for a while now and wanted to know what you guys think. It might seem a bit strange with the way she merges into the universe and all, but I promise it will be explained. I'm already working on chapter 9. So please just read this and let me know what you guys think! Thanks!
Whoever had said that it was a bad idea to walk home in the dark using the back alleys where there was no one in sight was definitely a genius. Ember Matthews, on the other hand, obviously was not because there she was walking through a dark, wet, alley on her way home. She knew it wasn't safe, but at the same time she knew that most things never were. Not for her anyways.
She was used to being on edge, whether it was out on the street or in her own home. It didn't matter. She lived on the bad side of town, something she was sure was intentional on Mark's part. And when she wasn't there, she was at home either cleaning, doing homework, laying around or being beat senseless. Sadly, it was normal for her now. She could barely remember a time when she wasn't living in fear.
Sighing, she flipped her black hood up over her brunette hair to protect against the rain before tucking her hands into the pockets of the close fitting hoody. She paired it with black jeans and sturdy combat boots to finish the look. She liked to think that it made her look a little tougher than she actually was. For a while, she'd considered piercings or tattoos, but she knew she couldn't afford it and even if she could, she didn't want to change her appearance in any way that was permanent. Despite how dark and hopeless her life was at the moment, she dared to dream that she would get away from it one day.
A scream rang out and she froze, her head snapping up as she looked for the source of the distress. She waited for confirmation that she had actually heard someone scream before she went to investigate. Not even five seconds later another cry sounded and she silently walked down the alley, peeking her head around the corner. The left lead to a dead end and Ember was slightly shocked to see a girl, about ten years older than herself, lying on the ground while an obviously angry man towered over her.
The girl - no, the woman, Ember corrected herself - was sobbing and the man was clearly beating her. Ember knew that it would be safer if she continued on her way, but she just couldn't do it. Not when she knew from first hand experience how it felt.
Taking a deep breath, she headed forward, not bothering to be quiet now. "Hey! What's going on here?"
The man whirled around and Ember forced herself to keep her gaze on him, not letting him see her fear. It would do her no good. Men like him were not merciful because their prey was scared. No, that would just prove to make him more eager to inflict pain, only it wouldn't be on the poor woman sobbing on the ground. It would be focused on Ember herself. "And who are you, princess, that you think you can be questioning me?"
"Oh, no one really." Ember said in a nonchalant tone, shrugging her shoulders and looking down. She was playing it off as casual, uncaring, but really she just wanted to get a look on how badly the woman was hurt. She seemed okay. A little bruised, but it could have been much worse. She could probably run if it came down to it.
Satisfied that the woman was mostly unharmed, Ember rolled her head back up to look at the man with a dark smile. "Just Dagger's girl."
She felt a brief flash of joyful vengeance at the fear that spread across his features. Dagger was the head gang leader of the Black Dragons and she knew that no one would cross him. It was true, of course, that she had never met the guy, but Mark was close to him. They were in business together. "I don't think he would be too happy to find out that you were beating on my friend, so if you want the two of us to forget about this ever happening, I suggest you leave."
The man nodded, easily believing the lie before he ran off, Ember watching him disappear down the street before kneeling beside the soaked woman. At first the woman recoiled away from her, fear in her eyes.
"It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. Everything I just said was a complete lie." Ember rushed to reassure the woman. "I don't even know Dagger all that well."
"How did...? He should have known it was a lie. He didn't even check!" The woman said in a slightly hysterical bubblegum voice. "That isn't like him, he's planning something."
"No, he's not. Trust me." Ember said, helping the woman to her feet and taking note of her blonde hair, manicured nails, and baby blue eyes. "Dagger's known to have a new girl nearly every week unless they're really good. I think he has one permanent, but I'm not sure. And if you know who Dagger is then you know that anyone who follows him, would never cross him unless their life was threatened. Was that the first time that's happened?"
"He just snapped!" The woman cried, sobbing more and shivering as the rain continued to pour down. Ember felt a pang of sympathy and she quickly slipped her coat off and wrapped it around the woman's smooth shoulders. "Why would he do that?"
"I don't know, but my place should be safe. You can get cleaned up and wait for the rain to stop." Ember offered, positive that Mark would be gone til early morning. It was only ten and that should give them plenty of time. "It's not far. Would you be okay with that?"
The woman looked around fearfully a couple more times before meeting Ember's eyes and nodding. The blonde was a few inches taller than her and Ember found herself looking up to see her properly, raindrops hitting her face. She smiled gently before turning and continuing in the direction she had previously been going, making sure to accentuate her footfalls for the woman behind her.
They arrived at her house a minute later and Ember gladly got out of the rain, closing the door behind them, but being careful not to lock it. Mark would explode if he came home to a locked door and she was sure she would find herself being dragged from bed because of it.
"My room's this way. I have some sweats and a couple of T-Shirt's that are too big so..." She trailed off, turning around upon reaching her room and watching the woman examine the only place that was even remotely hers. "If you want to shower, it's just through the second door down the hall and to the left."
She knew she had directed the woman to Mark's shower, but she didn't feel like the woman would appreciate hers. It wasn't very pleasant. As long as Ember cleaned up after, Mark would never know and she would hopefully avoid punishment. The woman looked at her with a curious expression before she nodded a little.
Ember grabbed the clothes from her dresser and then pulled out some shampoo and conditioner. "Here. You can keep the clothes and use as much of these as you need. Don't worry about it."
The woman proceeded to head to the shower and Ember found herself releasing a sigh of relief. The space was once again hers. She knew that it was ridiculous for her to feel that way, but when she owned so little already she tended to be very selfish with what DID belong to her.
Brushing her wet hair behind her ears, she slipped out of her boots and set them at the end of her bed to dry, her clothes soon followed. She wasn't sure how long the woman would take to shower so she didn't waste anytime with pulling on a fresh pair of underwear with a matching bra. They were plain grey and for a moment she found herself wishing she could be like a normal girl. All the other girls at school had lacy undergarments or at least ones that were pretty in color. Then again she supposed she was lucky that Mark had one of his flings get some for her in the first place.
She pulled on a pair of skinny jeans that had a plaid pattern like the kilts the Irish wore and a plain black tank top that was longer in the back than the front. The last thing to do was to pull on some dry socks and a pair of black converse.
Once done, she headed down to the kitchen and started some tea. It was from what she had bought for herself so she knew that Mark wouldn't mind, besides he didn't like it anyways.
While it was steeping she wondered about the blonde woman. There was something off about her. Ember wasn't resentful of her or uncomfortable with her, but she was curious about her. She had been dressed in an elegant and most likely expensive black dress. She looked like she'd been at some fancy party or something so what had she been doing in that alley? Obviously, she knew that guy, so Ember guessed that would make more sense. He'd probably lured her out or something.
The shrill whistling of the teapot broke her from her thoughts and she quickly prepared two cups of the Grey Tea. She considered slipping some Creme brule into hers but shuddered as she thought of the last time she'd done that and the punishment she'd received when she'd been caught. She'd been sore for weeks.
With a sigh, she picked up the two mugs and headed back up to her room. Upon arriving she felt shock and slight anger surge through her and she quickly set the cups down on her nightstand. "What are you doing with that?"
Her Twilight book was lying on her bed and Ember had to resist the urge to snap at the woman. The one thing she valued over everything else was that book. It was the only thing she'd found that could distract her from the hell that was her life and now it was in the hands of this strange blonde woman.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean any harm." The woman offered with a small smile that didn't make much sense to Ember. "It's a good read. A better choice than some. You would be happier in that world. Even with the danger at least there would be something worth the pain."
She wanted to live in a novel? While it was an enticing idea, it was completely unrealistic and not worth hoping for due to that very reason. Ember frowned and picked up the woman's cup, holding it out to her. "Thanks...I think. I don't see what it matters to you."
The woman just continued to smile as she accepted the drink, a look in her eyes hinting at hidden knowledge. "Why did you save me tonight? Anyone else would have kept walking when they recognized the mark identifying him as one of Dagger's men."
"Well, I'm not anyone else." Ember replied, taking a sip of her tea. The warmth felt good after being out in the rain. "I couldn't just leave you at his mercy."
"Because you know what it's like." It wasn't a question.
"You know what it's like to have nothing but pain in your life. You've probably started to think that you deserve it, probably don't notice the way you flinch away from contact anymore. You're afraid and you don't even know it." The woman said, picking up Twilight and leafing through it as she balanced her drink on her knee. "You need someone to help you."
Ember frowned, shifting on her feet a bit as she glanced at her prized possession. She really hoped the woman didn't ruin it as she hadn't finished reading it yet.
"And you think you know me?" She asked after a long silence.
"Not quite like you're thinking, but I do know body language." The woman said, completely relaxed. "Your hands were shaking when you handed me the tea, you didn't let your fingers touch mine, and you're still standing all the way across the room."
Ember frowned as she realized that the woman was right. She was still standing in the doorway, her body angled away from her strange guest. She glared at the blonde and her hands tightened around her cup. Though she was shaking with anger, she forced her tone to remain calm. "Are you mocking me? Proving that I am completely weak and stupid? That you're better than me?"
At this the woman looked up, her smile replaced with a startled frown. "No, of course not, dear. I would never do that. You are neither weak nor stupid." She smiled softly at her again. "I suppose I should say thank you. And I wish you the best of luck on what's to come."
She set the book down along with her untouched tea, letting her fingers brush over the cover. "Yes, a good choice indeed. I believe you will enjoy it there very much."
"Enjoy it where?" Ember asked, completely bewildered by this woman. She was so very strange. She tried to think of another word but nothing else fit. Weird was too normal and eccentric was too out there. The woman was just strange enough to seem normal but not.
The woman just smiled and rose, walking out her bedroom door. "It was nice to meet you, Ember."
Ember's eyes snapped up to full on meet the woman's for the first time that night. Hers were wide with shock while the woman's were kind and knowing. How did she know her name? She was about to ask the woman before she realized that she was already gone.
Ember shook her head and moved to sit on her bed, checking to make sure that her book was alright and intact. Why had the woman been so interested in it? She sighed and guzzled down her tea, ignoring the scalding heat. Pain was temporary.
Tucking the book back under her mattress, she headed off to clean the bathroom and started a load of laundry for good measure. Hopefully if the house were clean Mark would leave her alone for the night. It was a nice fantasy.
"Where are you, Em?!" Mark's voice called up the stairs, causing Ember to freeze.
He wasn't supposed to be back for a while now! Panicked, she scooped up the towel the strange woman had used and shoved it in the washing machine, closing the lid and starting it before she raced downstairs, grabbing her empty mug on her way.
"I'm here." She said softly, looking at him, but not at him at the same time. He didn't like her to make eye contact with him since it made them equal. "I was just going to wash this cup."
"Oh. Here let me." He said, holding his arm out. Ember carefully handed it to him, trying to control the shaking of her hand as she frowned and tipped her head to the side. What was he up to? He took the cup from her and headed towards the kitchen.
She was just starting to relax when he turned and hurled the mug at her. She recoiled, ducking down and covering her face as the mug smashed against the wall, an inch from her head. What had she done wrong?
"Why'd you do it? Answer me honestly and I'll let you off with a simple slap. Lie and you'll regret it." Mark threatened, his black eyes narrowing at her.
Ember's breaths started to come out in short gasps as she debated her answer. She had no idea what she'd done, but if she told him that then he would assume she was lying. But what else could she tell him?
"I...I don't..." She took a deep breath and straightened up. "I honestly don't know what you're talking about, but I'd be more than happy to take care of it."
Mark was silent, watching her for a moment before marching over and grabbing a fistful of her hair, half-dragging her after him. She struggled to keep up, but it was useless and she found herself stumbling beside him. He tugged her outside before shoving her down the porch steps.
She landed hard on the cement and it was a moment before she could breathe again, the air having been knocked from her lungs. Painfully, she turned her head to the side to see his bright shiny red porsche. Or it was supposed to be shiny and red. Now it was painted over with an ugly, stale black and was scratched to hell.
"That's what I'm talking about." He said, his voice laced with anger as she pushed herself up to the sitting position. "Or did you already forget about it? It wasn't like that when I left."
Ember stayed silent, knowing he would only become more angry if she were to speak. As it was, she'd gotten off easy so far. After another moment of just sitting there, Ember was suddenly yanked to her feet by her hair again and dragged back into the house, only this time the destination was her bedroom.
Once there, Mark let loose, letting all of his anger flow from him to his fists to her body and for the next few hours she knew nothing but fear and pain with a thin layer of numb calm overlaying it. That was the only thing keeping her from crying out, for she knew that if she did then it would only be worse for her. She could hardly remember a time when she didn't find herself in this position at least once a week, though admittedly it usually took place down in the basement.
"I'll deal with you tomorrow or the day after or whenever I feel like it. Until then you don't get to leave this room, not for meals or anything else." Mark said once his arms had tired before pulling the door shut and sliding the lock in place, his footsteps fading away down the hall and stairs.
When she finally came back to herself, she found herself wishing she hadn't when all of the pain nearly overwhelmed her. Her skin had burst in several places and she knew that there would be several bruises littering her form when she woke. The only place that was untouched was her face since it would be difficult to hide the evidence when she went to school.
Eventually, she found the strength to push herself up off the floor and crawl over onto her bed, clutching her book in her hands and trying to get comfortable enough to sleep. It was impossible as her bed was barely even a bed, but rather a hard lump with metal under it that was barely big enough for her.
She clutched the book to herself and closed her eyes, wishing that the woman's words could be true and that it could be possible. It wasn't long before she fell asleep, despite the pain her body was protesting.
Groaning softly, Ember crawled out of bed, stumbling to her bathroom and over to the shower. She fumbled with the faucets until water sprayed out before stripping and climbing in, a little surprised that the water was actually warm, but hey, she wasn't going to complain. Maybe it would help ease her sore muscles.
The lights had never worked so she didn't bother with them. Most people would see it as a downside, but she really didn't. It was more of a relief. She could stand in the dark and forget about the scars and brusies littering her body, she could pretend she were somewhere else, even if it was only for a little while.
Since she was locked in her room, she decided there was no harm in lingering, might as well enjoy the warmth while it lasted. Not a few seconds later her peace was interrupted when her eyelids became bright. If she didn't know any better she would have said that the lights had been turned on but that was ridiculous. They didn't work.
Peeking open one eye, she frowned. It couldn't be. She squeezed her eyes shut and reopened them. It was. The lights were on.
"Since when do you shower in the dark?" An unfamiliar voice said, causing Ember's head to snap to the side. She couldn't see through the shower door, but she could make out a blurry figure of a girl. Wait, shower door?! She'd never had one of those! And definitely not one as perfectly intact as this one. "Hurry up. We're gonna be late for school."
"Um..." Ember opened the shower door a bit and peeked out. "Who are you...and where am I?"
The girl's eyes narrowed and when she spoke her tone was a mixture of sarcasm and confusion. "I'm Bella. You're cousin? We've known each other since we were little? We're practically sisters."
"Right." Ember murmured, glancing around at the light blue bathroom before looking back to her. "And where am I?"
"You fell asleep on the drive so Charlie and I carried you up. You were sleeping so heavily we couldn't have woken you if we tried." Bella said, cracking a smile. "Anyways, I noticed you forgot these so..."
Ember watched as she set a towel and a robe on the counter before leaving the room, swinging the door shut behind her. Who the hell was Charlie? Charlie and Bella...this had to be some kind of joke. She didn't have a cousin named Bella and she didn't know anyone named Charlie. If she did, she would have already been making a ton of Twilight jokes at their expense.
Shaking her head, she quickly toweled off, pulled the robe on and exited the bathroom, only to walk into a man she had never seen before in her life. He was tall, had a mustache that really suited him, short brown hair, and large, brown eyes that were filled with warmth she was sure would quickly disappear. She froze in place as he looked at her before quickly turning, his expression showing how awkward the situation was for him.
She felt a fear that she'd only experienced once before swell within her, causing her throat to constrict and her heart to pound in her chest. Who was he? Had Mark called in one of his friends to help with her punishment? And if so why had she never met him? Mark always had his friends over and they always loved to taunt her. They would sometimes go so far as to join in with her beatings. If he were here to torture her, why did he turn away? Was he pretending? No. She probably just repulsed him. Maybe he didn't like his girls marked up. 'Marked up', she thought with a grimace. What an accurate term for the bruises and cuts littering her body.
"Morning. I'll, uh, leave you to it."
Ember didn't respond, only watched as he hurried down the stairs. What the hell was happening? He hadn't done anything! He hadn't attempted to grab her or even touch her in any fashion, even though she was certain he'd noticed just how vulnerable she was at the moment. He was most definitely stronger than her and it would take almost nothing for him to take advantage of her, but he'd just turned around, greeted her, and...left. Where was the catch? What was he planning? If Mark wanted his friends to do something, especially if it included her, then no one would refuse him. No one, no matter what their preferences might be. Also, where the hell was her bedroom?!
It took her a moment to realize that she was hyperventilating and "Bella" was standing in front of her. This was insane!
"Em, what's wrong?" She wondered, concern lacing her tone as she stared at her with her chocolate brown eyes. When she didn't get an answer she led her into a room that was right off of the bathroom and sat her down on the bed. "Look, just calm down."
Ember forced her breathing to steady and locked eyes with the girl in front of her. What was her part in this? Drawing on the little the girl had said, Ember nodded slowly before forcing a shaky smile onto her face. "Sorry, Bells. I'm just a little disoriented still and nervous about school. I hope I didn't worry Charlie."
When she said the name, she motioned in the direction the man had departed in.
The brunette in front of her chuckled a little. "Probably more like scarred him for life. Did you forget that we share a bathroom?"
"Yeah. I have my own at home. I guess I just forgot where I was for a second." She dismissed it with a wave of her hand. "Um, you said that Charlie carried me up? Where are my clothes and the other stuff I brought?" Did something happen last night that she should know about? Well, she'd still been in the clothes she'd gone to sleep in so that was somewhat showing that nothing had been done to her as she slept.
"Oh. You're bag's over there in the corner." She pointed it out and then grabbed a black school bag. "I hope you don't mind, but I figured you'd be a little out of it today and so I got your school stuff together for you."
"No problem." Ember murmured with another smile. She didn't really care, she just wanted the girl to leave her to get dressed. Even though the man was gone, she still felt VERY uncomfortable in nothing but a robe.
"Hurry up and get dressed." She gave Ember one last grin before heading out of the room, shutting the door behind her. As soon as she was gone the smile fell from Ember's face and she hurried over to what was apparently her suitcase and practically ripped it open, grabbing the first things her hands landed on.
She wound up dressed in a pair of white skinny jeans, a black tank top, dark red converse, and a long black sweater that had a skull on the front and a hood attached to the back. One good thing about Mark was the fact that she wasn't allowed to dress in rags. She had to keep up appearances. He wanted her to be the most popular girl at school, be social, well dressed. The works. He wanted her to be surrounded by people who were supposed to be her friends because they both knew that they would never learn about what really happened at her house. He'd even gone so far as to have her invite her "friends" over and he would keep up his own facade as well. The clothes were actually one of the few things she wouldn't hate if he hadn't picked out everything she wore. She didn't dislike the choices, but just the fact that he'd chosen them made her feel sick to her stomach.
Now that she wasn't in a robe, she took a moment to calm down a bit more and looked around at the room she was in. It had light blue walls, a peaked ceiling, the window was framed by yellow lace curtains, and the floor was wooden. There were no scratch marks on the boards as there had been in her room. No signs of her Hell. She quickly moved on from that train of thought, instead grabbing a brush and yanking it through her wet hair.
She snatched her bag off the bed and practically sprinted down the stairs where she found "Bella" sitting at an old square oak table in one of the three unmatching chairs that were placed around it. The kitchen was small with dark paneled walls, bright yellow cabinets, and a white linoleum floor. Exactly how it was described in the book. Mark seemed to be going to great lengths to punish her. She didn't know how he'd found out about Twilight, but now that he had, he was attempting to ruin it for her. At least she'd only read the one book and not even the whole thing at that. Perhaps by the time the second came out, he would forgive her for the car.
She remembered that Bella's mother had painted the cabinets with the hopes of brightening the place and giving the look of sunshine. She smiled at Bella when the brunette glanced at her and shook her head as a box of cereal was silently offered to her. "Not hungry."
She walked into the family room and straight to the small fireplace. The pictures were there. There was "Charlie" and "Renee" in Vegas on their wedding, "Bella's" baby picture with her parents, and then all of "Bella's" school pictures. Mark was definitely trying to make this as authentic as possible. However, something she hadn't expected were the baby pictures of herself. There were a few school pictures too. The one that stood out most to her however was the one where her mother was holding her, a smile on her face. Mark was in the picture, but for once Ember let herself forget about him as she stared at the woman's gentle and happy smile.
She didn't really remember her mother, but she knew it was her. She'd seen pictures. It had been a way for Mark to torture her. He'd show her the pictures and then remind her that her mother was gone because of her.
"Hey, don't look at those!" "Bella's" voice startled her and she glanced over at the brunette with wide eyes. "They're embarrassing."
She quickly looked away from the small mortified smile on the girl's face and back to the picture. With a sigh, she forced her eyes away from it, brushing the few tears that had fallen from her face and heading for the front door. The house was suddenly suffocating to her. "Come on. Don't want to be late."
She frowned as she stepped outside the house and into the light drizzling rain. It would seem the universe was playing the joke on her as well, she thought, watching as "Bella" pulled the key out from under the eaves and locked up before leading her over to the large red faded truck. How much money had Mark invested in this? Surely he didn't love his car this much, did he? Ember climbed into the passenger seat and buckled up, looking expectantly at "Bella" and waiting for her to give up the joke, but the girl merely turned the engine on - it was loud as the book had described it - and flicked the old radio on to a random channel.
Ember rolled her eyes and leaned against the window, watching as trees flit by. Where was she? He hadn't moved her to Forks, Washington in the middle of the night, there was no way, but this definitely wasn't the large city she was used to. In no time at all they were pulling up to a building that was called Forks High School. Well, building wasn't exactly right. It was a collection of matching maroon houses.
"Bella" parked in front of the front office and though Ember was reluctant the two of them got out of the cab of the truck and headed into the small building. It was warm inside and Ember found herself in a small room with an orange flecked commercial carpet, soft, padded folding chairs, a large clock and plants everywhere. There was a large counter that cut the room in half and behind one of the three desks behind it there sat a large red-haired woman wearing glasses and a purple T- shirt. Ember noticed Bella glance down at her clothes through her peripheral vision.
The woman looked up. "Can I help you?"
Yes, Ember thought, a little bitingly as her anger rose. You can all stop playing this prank on me. By this point, she honestly didn't know what to think. Everything was too realistic and on point for it to be false, but it couldn't be real either.
"I'm Isabella Swan. " Bella introduced before waving a hand at Ember. "This is my cousin, Ember Matthews."
Ember watched awareness light in the red-head's eyes and immediately felt sick. She didn't want all of their attention on her and yet she knew that that was exactly what Mark wanted. He wanted her to know that everyone was watching her humiliation and they were probably all enjoying it. They were all very good actors, she thought savagely as she directed her gaze to her feet in the attempts of not glaring at or vomiting on the red-headed woman in front of her. She didn't really care, but she didn't want to give them the satisfaction of seeing how much it got to her.
"Of course." She heard the woman say before the sound of shuffling papers reached her ears. "I have your schedules right here and a map of the school."
Ember carefully schooled her expression before looking up with a very pleasant smile on her face as she accepted the schedule from the woman. By the end of the conversation with Mrs. Cope - as the nameplate on her desk referred to her - they both had maps with routes to each of their classes highlighted, and a slip for each of their teachers to sign.
Ember followed Bella out and climbed back into the truck, looking through all of the cars in the lot until her eyes landed on the silver Volvo. There was no way Mark had bought a brand new car and house just to trick her, was there? But what else could it be? Maybe that blonde woman from last night had something to do with it, she pondered, trapping her bottom lip between her teeth. She had seemed very intent on her book and she'd been dressed all fancy, but why would she do that? Maybe she was working for Mark?
After Bella had parked, Ember quickly climbed out of the truck, hoisting her bag onto her shoulder and heading for her first class which happened to be Bella's first class as well. It was in building three. English. Not a bad subject.
She hurried into the class and to the teacher's desk, handing him the slip of paper to sign. "You must be Isabella."
"I'm Ember." She corrected, accepting the paper back along with a reading list. "Are there assigned seats Mr. Mason or...?"
"Just go sit in the back for now." He told her, replacing his shocked expression with a small smile before he started going through some of the papers on his desk. She hurried and sat down near one of the windows, laying her head down on the desk as she pulled her hood off. She wasn't entirely sure how long this joke was supposed to go on, but she had to give them credit. They were doing a good job of keeping up the charade. Almost too good. In fact, she almost believed that she'd somehow been transported to the Twilight Universe. She chuckled humorlessly into her arms. Wouldn't that be nice?
She didn't even look up as the other students walked in or when Bella sat down beside her or when Mr. Mason started the lesson. Basically, she didn't look up from her arms until the nasally sounding bell rang and then she was out of the classroom as quickly as possible. She'd managed to be the first outside even.
She found that she had most of the same classes as Bella and her next class was government. Most of her morning followed the same fashion until she got to Trigonometry. Mr. Varner signed her slip and then had her wait until the rest of the class, including Bella, had filtered in so that she could introduce herself.
Once the class was settled, she spoke, ignoring Bella's concerned gaze on her back. "So, I'm Ember Matthews. I moved down here with my cousin Bella and my Uncle Charlie and just got here last night."
She glanced at Mr. Varner who nodded and allowed her to take her seat in the back of the room. She immediately buried her head in her arms as she had in all of her other classes and refused to acknowledge the outside world. Mr. Varner thankfully only called on her once and she'd been able to answer his question fairly easily. Trig wasn't all that hard for her.
Again, she was out of her seat as soon as the bell had rung, only this time she was heading for the cafeteria. She had half a mind to skip as she was sure this was where the joke would be up. But she needed to know. She couldn't let this go on. She would go to lunch, see whoever Mark had gotten for the Cullens and then she would have her confirmation that all of this was some large joke. After all there was no human that could look the way the Cullens were described in the book. It wasn't possible.
She stopped in the bathroom to make sure she was pulled together and ready for whatever was about to happen. Staring at herself in the mirror, she sighed and brushed her hair over her shoulder, plastering a smile on her face and heading for the cafeteria. By the time she got there, Bella was already sitting at a table with "Jessica" and "Angela" and all of their other friends.
Ember walked through the cafeteria, knowing that she looked confident to anyone who saw her. No one had ever seen through her facade before and she wasn't worried now. She pretended to be looking for somewhere to sit as she slowed down a bit, but she was really looking for the table that would hold the five "Cullens". Or rather the poor imitation of them.
Her confident expression faltered as she finally spotted them. They were beautiful. Far more beautiful than anything she could've imagined. Emmett was far more muscular than she'd imagined and yet his soft black curls gave him a kind, gentle look if you looked hard enough. Jasper was tall and though his expression was blank, his eyes held a vast pool of emotions she wasn't sure she wanted to look close enough to identify. Rosalie was practically Aphrodite herself with her long blonde locks. Alice was child like and beautiful as well, not on the same scale as Rosalie, but rather on her own personal scale. And then there was Edward. He was everything she'd imagined and more. His bronze colored hair was effortlessly messy and yet it suited him. His small movements hinted at a gracefulness people could only dream of. His eyes were calculating and knowledgeable when they bothered to wash over the sea of students the cafeteria held, hinting at his intelligence. They were all perfect.
Ember snapped out of her thoughts as Alice passed by her to empty her tray. And it was definitely Alice. There was no denying it. She didn't know how or why, but she was certain that this wasn't a joke. She was in Twilight. They were actually the Cullens and she was in Forks. She honestly didn't expect the crushing sadness and guilt that hit her as she realized this and she only just managed not to collapse as Bella came over and invited her to sit with her and her new friends.
She nodded, quickly putting her confident smile back onto her face as she slid onto a chair beside Bella. She had to keep up appearances, even here. No one could know or Mark would find out somehow. Or was he even here? He'd been in that photo, but was he different? She really didn't know, but could she take the chance?
"What's up with you?" Bella asked softly, curiosity and concern in her gaze. "It's unusual for you to gawk at people like that."
Ember forced a smirk onto her face. "Nothing. Just weighing how much competition I have." She felt a stab of sorrow and guilt at the words, but she knew she had to keep up her shallow appearance. It was what Mark expected.
"Who are they?" Bella asked of Jessica, nibbling on an apple. Ember couldn't help turning to look over her shoulder at the family she wished she could know. Her eyes were drawn to the bronze haired vampire she'd only ever seen in dreams before today. She watched him turn to Jessica for a fraction of a second before his gaze shifted to meet hers. She startled a little, but quickly cleared her face of any shock. Shouldn't he have looked at Bella?
He looked away quickly and yet Ember found she didn't want to turn away, but she did, instead turning back to Jessica, who was still explaining the Cullens to Bella. "That's Edward and Emmett Cullen, and Rosalie and Jasper Hale. The one who left was Alice Cullen; they all live together with Dr. Cullen and his wife."
Ember turned back to Edward who was now tearing up a bagel and talking quietly to his siblings who weren't paying any attention to him as far as anyone else was concerned. This was possibly one of the cruelest jokes the universe could have played on her. He was going to go for Bella and there was nothing she could do to stop it. It was probably better that way though, she reasoned. She wasn't anything special and he deserved everything, plus up until now he'd been a fictional character to her. All she felt now was a crush because he was one of the most attractive boys-guys-people she'd ever laid eyes on and she knew that he was a good person though he carried guilt with him all the time. It would pass, she just had to be careful not to get to know him.
"-they've been with Mrs. Cullen since they were eight. She's their aunt or something like that." Ember turned back to Jessica as the girl finished speaking.
"That's really kind of nice - for them to take care of all of those kids like that, when they're so young and everything..." Bella commented.
Ember tuned their conversation out as she turned back to the Cullens. As she was examining them, Edward looked up again and met her gaze, though instead of looking completely uninterested as he had before, he seemed curious. He was probably just trying to read her mind, she mused and then froze. She kept her expression blank as she watched him for any sign that he'd heard her. It wouldn't make sense for him not to be able to. She bit her lip and looked down at her lap.
Okay, she was sitting in a cafeteria with a vampire staring at her who could probably hear what she was thinking and now he knew that she knew. She peeked up at him carefully, but he didn't seem to be angry or anything else that would be fitting if he'd heard that she knew his secret, but rather his expression went from curious and expectant to frustrated before she dropped her gaze from his. Could he not hear her then? She sighed and set her uneaten apple on Bella's tray before getting up and heading for the exit, glancing over at Edward one last time to see the corner of his mouth turned up in a smile. What was that about? She couldn't help but wonder.
She knew that Stephenie Meyer had been writing a version of Twilight that would be from Edward's perspective, but she'd never gotten the chance to read it since someone had leaked the rough draft and it would never be finished. She hadn't read that either because she felt as though that wouldn't be fair to Stephenie and she also didn't have a computer. Now she wished she'd had the chance though.
But would it really be the same? She was changing things just by being here and she really couldn't know how much it expanded. All of the events were completely altered now because she was here. It was now, for all intents and purposes, an alternate reality. So, did that mean she should just not worry and let things play out? Should she attempt to get to know the Cullens?
She immediately dashed that thought, looking down at her feet in shame. They wouldn't want to get to know someone like her. She was the lowest of the low. Unworthy of their attention. She didn't deserve them.
As soon as she was out of the cafeteria, she let her facade fall and headed away from the school. She was the biggest hypocrite ever and it wasn't even her fault. Or maybe it was. All her school life, she was forced to hide who she really was, that way no one ever found out about what Mark had done to her. What he still did to her. Edward hid who he was and now she knew, but she couldn't tell him. He would tell his family and she wasn't sure how they would react. She would have to explain how she knew and she couldn't do that without lying even further. But she couldn't not tell him her secret, could she? She'd taken his from him. Secret for a secret, right?
"And where do you think you're going?" A strict voice said from behind her. She turned and saw that it was Mr. Varner. Great, she thought. Why couldn't things work out for her just once? "Well?"
"I was looking for the Biology classroom." She lied smoothly, smiling a little shyly and brushing her slightly damp hair out of her face. "Got a little turned around."
"Uh-huh. I bet." He answered in a tone that clearly said he thought she was lying. She felt irritated by his dislike towards her, but she really didn't deserve anything more than that. "It's this way."
She sighed and reluctantly followed him to the Biology class where he went so far as to lead her into the room. Upon entering she saw that the teacher, Mr. Banner, had already started his lecture. She felt her heart skip a beat when she thought of how Mark would react when he learned she'd been late to class and then reminded herself that as far as she knew, he wasn't here. That thought alone brought a smile to her face and she was easily able to slip into the confident facade she usually wore in public.
Making her way over to Mr. Banner's desk, she noticed Edward clearing his things from one side of the desk and then she realized that he was sitting alone. She glanced around the room until her eyes landed on Bella, who was sitting with Angela. Stopping in front of the teacher, she handed him her slip to sign and wondered how Edward would react to someone like her sitting beside him, but she dismissed it. At least he wasn't being tortured by Bella's scent being a foot away all period.
Taking the slip back along with a biology book, she headed for the only empty seat, feeling warm air hit her from the heater as she glanced at Edward again. The look in his coal black eyes froze her in place and she felt her facade shatter. She couldn't stop the fear that constricted her throat and made her heart pound as she stared into his furious eyes. It was supposed to be Bella that made him look and react like that, not her. Then again, maybe it was right that it was her. After all, she was practically mud to scrape off a boot already. Everyone in the classroom was far better than she was.
"Please take your seat, Ms. Matthews." Mr. Banner said loudly, snapping her from her frozen state. Trying to ignore the laughing students, she slowly went to sit down beside Edward, her heart rate increasing with every step that brought her closer to him.
He was probably thinking about killing her right now. What if she'd changed the book so much that he couldn't control the thirst? What if he killed her right here and now? He would have to kill everyone else in the room in order to preserve his secret. He would kill Bella. Everyone in the room would die...because of her. All of their deaths would be as much her fault as they would be his.
It was obvious that it was difficult for him as she slid into the seat beside him from the way he held himself. He was very stiff and leaning away from her, sitting on the extreme edge of his chair while turning his face away. She was sure that he could hear her heart pounding in her chest like a million jackhammers.
She wished she could make it easier on him, after all it wasn't his fault that she was so appealing, and she was certain that she was. There was no other reason for him to be acting like this. It couldn't be Bella since he was leaning towards her.
She was sure to stay as still as she could and attempted to take shallow breaths, but with how fast her heart was hammering in her chest it was almost painful to take such short breaths. Somehow she managed. Even when she started to grow dizzy from the lack of air she was inhaling, she kept her breaths as shallow and slow as she could. She unintentionally tilted her head, causing her hair to fall over her shoulder as an idea presented itself to her. Forcing her body into stillness, she snuck a glance at Edward. He was still in the same position. Back straight, hands clenched into fists, and pulling away from her as much as he possibly could.
She had to be careful with her plan since she didn't want to cause more problems than she was fixing, but how to proceed? If she pretended to faint, it might cause them to send her to the hospital and that wasn't what she wanted. They would most likely find out things she didn't want them to know since they would probably need to run some blood tests. In order to insert the needle - she shivered involuntarily at just the thought of the small item - she would have to roll up her sleeves and they would see what Mark had done to her.
Perhaps she could just ask to go to the nurse, claiming that she didn't feel well, but that might seem a bit suspicious so early in the period. She bit her lip and glanced over at Edward. He didn't appear to be breathing at this point and while it looked extremely unnerving, she could guess why he did it. If you didn't breath, you couldn't smell or taste for that matter.
But how long would he be able to resist? She couldn't be sure and every second she sat here, the closer to danger everyone in the room was. Suppressing a sigh, she very slowly crossed her arms on the desk and laid her head down on them, shoving her books off the table as she did so. She hoped it would cause the teacher to look over, but luck as usual was not on her side and they just landed on her bag with a soft, barely audible thump. None of her teachers, save Mr. Varner, had called her out on this position in class so she really didn't expect Mr. Banner to be any different.
Again suppressing a sigh and the urge to shoot a glare at her books, she slowly began to slide across the desk, pretending to fall asleep. Just a little more and the chair would fall over, sending her crashing to the ground. And she would go, willingly. After, she would pretend to hit her wrist and then ask to go to the nurse's office to get it looked at. Once there she would pretend to not be feeling well and she could make up excuses till the period was over. Excuses she could do. Over the years, she'd become a great liar.
She continued to slide over the desk, letting her body relax as she waited for her chair to fall over, but just as the chair was about to fall over, it caught on something. She shifted and peered through the circle her arms had made to see that it was caught on the leg of Edward's chair.
She couldn't help the half laugh half sob that escaped her as she realized this. All she was trying to do was escape this classroom so that Edward didn't have to suffer anymore and HE was the one inadvertently preventing her from doing so.
"Miss Matthews, is something funny?" A soft but authoritative voice asked and her head snapped up as she momentarily forgot the thirsty vampire sitting beside her. He stiffened even more at her sudden movement and she stared at Mr. Banner. For just a second, he'd sounded like Mark, only Mark never referred to her as 'Miss Matthews'.
Forcing a smile on her face, she straightened up. "Oh, nothing much, Mr. Banner. I just think the lesson is hilariously outdated. Much like you are."
She now had the attention of the entire class. Great. Hopefully, her plan was at least worth the trouble. Ember saw Bella's wide, disapproving eyes and felt a flash of guilt. Bella didn't need this kind of behavior from her, but Edward needed it. If her plan worked, he would be free to finish the period in peace without her ramming her scent down his throat.
"Is that so?" Mr. Banner demanded, his expression a little angry. "Then perhaps you would like to teach my class?"
"Well, I could probably do a better job than you, but then it wouldn't be nearly as entertaining for me." She responded, resting her chin in her hand and smirking at him.
"I doubt it'll be so entertaining for you when you stay after class with me." He told her, turning away to finish writing on the board. "Everyone get to work."
His words sent a brief flash of fear through her as she thought of what the implications of his statement could be. She had to force herself to remember that he was a teacher and wouldn't actually hurt her. Or, well, probably wouldn't hurt her anyways.
She pursed her lips thinking for a moment before she glanced over to Edward and then towards his books. He had his biology book and a notebook.
It would have to do, she decided since her books were still on the floor and in order to retrieve them, she would have to move around a lot. Maybe it was just her, but she didn't think that would be very helpful for the vampire beside her.
Closing her eyes for a moment, she rubbed her temples before carefully grabbing Edward's notebook and flipping it open. From the corner of her eye, she saw him glance at her with a glare but otherwise he did nothing. She pulled a page from his notebook and crumpled it into a tight ball before pulling her arm back and throwing it at Mr. Banner. Unfortunately, Mike chose that exact moment to sit up and it hit him instead. He shot a confused glare at her over his shoulder and she fought the urge to face palm.
Luck really hated her today.
"Stop it." Bella hissed, shooting her a glare past Edward as she leaned closer to her. "Just because of you know what, it doesn't mean that it's okay for you to act like this."
Ember looked at her with confusion which quickly morphed into shock and panic. Did she know? No, she couldn't know about Edward. There was absolutely no way she could know. "What are you talking about?"
"Don't play dumb." She said with a scoff. "It's the whole reason you came to live with Charlie and I."
At this Ember felt herself get even more confused, but she dismissed it for now. It wasn't about Edward, so at the moment it didn't matter. However, Bella's comments did bring reality crashing back around her. What was she thinking? She would be in so much trouble after this and she was still sitting in her seat so it had all been for nothing. Sighing loudly, she raised her hand.
Mr. Banner broke off from what he was saying to one of the groups when he saw her and after taking a deep breath he walked over. "What is it, Miss Matthews?"
How was he so calm? She wondered as she lowered her hand. "I just wanted to apologize for what I said earlier. It was out of line and I shouldn't have said it. I honestly didn't mean it either, I was just trying to start stuff. I'm sorry and it won't happen again. And no, this isn't me trying to get out of any punishment you might give me, in fact double it, if you want. I probably deserve worse."
Deserved worse, yes, but admittedly the thought of punishment sent her heart racing and she again had to remind herself of what punishments in school were like.
"That won't be necessary, Miss Matthews. I understand that things were...complicated at your last home and-"
"What?" She interrupted, the color draining from her face as she thought about the implications. Did he know? "What do you think you could possibly know about me?"
His eyes crinkled with what she guessed was pity. "I don't know the specifics, but I did hear about some neglect? If you wish to speak about it then-"
She didn't wait for him to finish speaking, instead opting to hop off of her chair and hurry out of the room, leaving her stuff behind.
This wasn't happening! They couldn't know! No one could know! Was that what Bella had been referring to?
She felt her throat constrict and the world started spinning. She couldn't breath, she couldn't think! She had tried so hard to keep it a secret and it'd been for nothing. How was she going to explain this to Mark?! He would kill her for this, she was certain. Legitimately kill her. Not only that, but he would make sure it hurt.
NO! She recoiled back into the wall and shook her head fervently. That wasn't going to happen. She would just run away. Yeah, that's what she'd do. Or she would tell the police. The mere thought had her paling and fighting the urge to be sick. What if he found out though? What if he found her after she'd run? She was no match for him and if he found out that she turned him in, he would make everything she'd already suffered through seem like a family picnic.
It wasn't until she got outside that she remembered that Mark wasn't there with her. He wasn't in Forks. She didn't even know if the Mark she knew were here. She was free of him.
The thought helped her calm down enough to breath, but she still hurried over to Bella's truck and climbed into the back, curling up against the side of it since she didn't have a key. It was cold and raining, but at the same time, she preferred it this way. It helped her clear her mind.
Numbness crashed over her in waves and she didn't even try to fight it. Rather, she welcomed it. It would also help calm her. Not to mention, at this point it was comforting to her. It came after every beating, every punishment that Mark had thought up. Or well, almost all of them. She shied away from those thoughts, curling into herself more.
She was almost completely calm when she saw him. He was sitting in his car, just staring at the school. The fear she had felt in the classroom didn't reach her through the numb shield she'd wrapped herself in. Edward's features were conflicted and...full of shame? Why would he be ashamed? She was the one who had blundered in and nearly ruined him. He would've lost everything because of her. Carlisle would probably forgive him, if he was anything like he was in the book, and she knew that all of his family members would help him hide the bodies. Well, almost all of them. She wasn't entirely sure about Rosalie.
She hadn't read the chapter where Bella was going to meet the whole Cullen family, but the impression she'd gotten from them earlier in the book was that they were pretty caring about each other. Rosalie was very...harsh towards Bella, but who wouldn't be? Edward had stopped sitting with them in exchange for sitting with a human who was tempting to all of the Cullens. It was the equivalent to playing with your food, minus the eating bit.
She startled as something dropped down beside her in the truck bed, but it was only Bella so she quickly relaxed again. Though she had only met the girl that morning, she felt like she'd known her forever. She threw a quick glance over at Edward and was shocked to see that he was now staring at her. He didn't seem to be struggling as much as he had been in the school though. Maybe she was downwind from him?
"I grabbed your bag." Bella murmured, holding up the said item for her to see. "I thought you knew that Charlie told the teachers what he knew. Sorry."
Ember stared at her for a moment before taking her bag and fiddling with the strap. "How much do they know?"
"As much as Charlie and I do which isn't a lot." She replied, her chocolate eyes full of concern. "Why don't you just tell us what happened? Did Mark and your stepmom separate or something?"
Ember looked up at that, relief filtering through the numbness. She didn't know. Not really. Her secret was still safe. As the relief came, the numbness went and she started to feel the cold. It didn't take long for her to start shivering.
"Come on, I think you'll like our next class." Bella said, standing with a smile and holding a hand out. "It's gym."
"Right." Ember murmured, accepting Bella's offer of help but still having to steady herself using the roof of the truck as Bella lost her balance and nearly pitched over the side. "Careful or we'll be going to the hospital instead of the gym."
"Ha ha." Bella said with a roll of her eyes as she carefully hopped out of the truck bed, followed by Ember. "It's your fault for making me follow you out here."
Ember nodded and forced a smile before hoisting her bag onto her shoulder and heading for the gym, throwing one last glance at Edward. He was no longer looking at her.
Once inside the gym, Ember realized just how cold she'd been and instantly started rubbing her arms in the hopes of warming up. Coach Clapp found both her and Bella uniforms, but told them that they didn't have to dress down. For a little while, Ember watched the volleyball games - Bella looked sick just watching them - but eventually she got bored with that and went into a corner of the gym to entertain herself. Dancing was what she decided on to complete the job.
She started out slow, refreshing herself as she let the world fade away. She didn't feel the pain of her injuries and there was only mild stiffness that quickly disappeared. It was the one time she felt like she could truly be herself and it quickly got her mind off of anything but the way her body moved to perform the dance. She vaguely noticed music being turned on and immediately set herself to dancing in beat with the music, but for the most part she just let herself relax. The music seemed to go on forever and yet in no time at all the song ended and she looked up to see Bella watching her with a small smile on her face, phone in hand.
The bell rang a moment later and Ember quickly scooped up her bag and headed to the office, leaving Bella to talk to her new friends. The rain was gone, but the wind had picked up and increased in it's iciness. Was that even a word? She wondered absently as she entered the warm office. She very nearly turned and walked right back out, but something compelled her to go and lean against the back wall while waiting for the receptionist to be free.
Edward was standing in front of her, arguing with Ms. Cope in a low, attractive voice. There was no mistaking his tousled bronze hair and for the moment he didn't seem to notice her entrance so she allowed herself to just be silent and listen. The gist of the argument was easy to catch onto and though she understood his reasoning, it hurt that she was causing so many problems. He was trying to transfer out of sixth hour Biology and from the sounds of it, he didn't care what period he took as long as it wasn't sixth.
The door opened again and she felt the cold wind swirl her hair around her face. She stiffened almost in sync with Edward as the girl who came in stepped forward, placed a paper in the basket, and then walked out. After a tense moment, he slowly turned, his face absurdly handsome as he glared at her with piercing, hate-filled eyes. She felt her heart skip a beat, but struggled to stay calm as he turned away.
"Never mind, then," His voice was like velvet. "I can see that it's impossible. Thank you so much for your help." And he turned on his heel and disappeared out the door.
Why had she stayed? She should've just left, but instead she apparently thought that Edward should be tortured some. She was so cruel and stupid!
"How did your first day go, dear?" The receptionist asked as Ember walked over and handed the signed slip to her.
"Fine." She lied, before hurrying back out into the downpour and over to Bella's truck. She got there just in time to see Edward peeling out of the parking lot in his Volvo. He was going to Alaska, she recalled, guilt filling her when she thought of him being away from his family because of her. Even if it was just a week. Or would that be different too? What if he never came back? Why did she mess everything up?
She'd managed to kill her mother in childbirth, something was always amiss no matter how hard she tried to appease Mark as she grew up, and she couldn't even leave a classroom properly. Edward hated her and rightfully so. She was a waste of space, time, and energy. It was a wonder Charlie was even letting her stay with him.
She shook these thoughts from her head and climbed into the truck's cab, waiting for Bella to arrive. She did soon and they were soon heading for Charlie's, Ember fighting tears the whole way. As soon as they got back, Ember sprinted up to Bella's room and curled up on the bed, letting the tears fall.