GPOV
Thank god school was finally over. This had been the longest fucking week of my entire life. It started off bad and just never got better. September thirteenth, the one day of the year that I hate more than any other. Ok, so that's not true but it's one of the hardest, that's for sure. Monday would have been my sister, Isabella Marie Swan's seventeenth birthday.
It's not that I don't think we should remember her but it's just that every year is the same. Charlie and Renee cry and talk about how much they miss her. Angela turns into a little bitch because she thinks they don't want her and I am stuck in the middle, trying to make her feel better while dealing with my parents grief, not to mention my own. Kate was the only person who seemed to give a shit one way or the other about how I felt.
I was only a year older than Isabella when she died so I really don't have any memories of her or what she looked like. I have seen all the pictures of her but they aren't they same. Sometimes, if I close my eyes and try hard enough, I can almost hear her laughing or calling me brother. From what Charlie and Renee tell us, Isabella refused to call me Garrett and insisted that my name was brother. I shook my head as I headed down to the gym with Emmett to get Rose and Kate. We were going to Port Angeles tonight and I was ready for a night way.
"Hey, baby," smiled Kate, coming out of the dressing room with Rose and Bella.
Edward was immediately at Bella's side. She smiled and looked up at him. I hadn't made a good impression on her but the moment I heard that her given name was the same as my sister's, I just…it was hard. I turned back to Kate.
"Hey," I smiled, pressing my lips down onto hers. "Are you ready?"
"Yes," she laughed. "Let's go!"
I slipped my arm around my girl's waist as we followed Emmett, Rose, Edward, and Bella out to the parking lot. Angela was climbing into the front seat of Ben's truck. I guess they weren't coming with us. I had hoped that they would so that Angela would feel wanted but I guess I can't force it onto her. Kate and I climbed into my car and followed everyone as we headed over to meet Mr. and Mrs. Cullen.
Bella had been all embarrassed about us having to meet them before she, Emmett, and Jasper could go with us. We tried to reassure the that it wasn't a big deal, and it wasn't. We've all been there. Parents are just embarrassing in general. I parked my car behind Edward's. The Cullen house was a huge, white two story house. It had to be twice the size of my house.
We followed Emmett, Bella, and Jasper up the front walk and to the porch. Bella pushed open the door after sharing a look with her brothers. We walked in and found her parents waiting for us in the living room. Mr. Cullen was tall and thin, much like Jasper. He had wavy blond hair and bright blue eyes. Mrs. Cullen had darker hair, almost the color of caramels, and light brown eyes. I saw several features in the two of them that matched Emmett and Jasper, but none that matched Bella.
"Come in, everyone," cheered Mrs. Cullen. "How was school?"
"Fine," we all muttered. Was she seriously asking us about school?
"Ok, Mom, Dad, this is Garrett Swan, Rosalie Hale, Alice Brandon, Kate Denali, and Edward Masen," Bella said, quickly. "Ok, we are going now."
"No, wait just a minute," said Mrs. Cullen, calling us all back. I heard Bella groan and bit down on my lip to stop from laughing. "Everyone have a seat please."
"Mom," Bella muttered, glaring at her mom.
"Bella," she said, firmly.
I heard Bella, Emmett, and Jasper all muttered under their breath as they moved over and plopped down in the couches. Mr. and Mrs. Cullen seemed to find it funny as they sat down on one of the smaller couches. I followed Kate over to join them and was about to sit down when something caught my eyes. Something that I hadn't seen anywhere else but in my house.
I moved over and picked up the photo of three kids around the age of three. Two boys and one little girl sitting on a seesaw. I could tell the boys were Emmett and Jasper. The little girl had long dark brown hair and big brown eyes. Dark brown eyes. My father's dark brown eyes. I felt all the blood leave my face as I looked over at Bella with wide eyes. I could see that she still had dark brown eyes and her hair was still dark but…
"Is this you, Bella?" I asked, pointing to the little girl in the picture..
"Yeah," she said. I threw my hand up to my mouth as I shook my head. How could she…No, it couldn't be.
"It's not possible," I muttered, looking back at her.
I had to get out of there. I had to see for myself. Without saying a word, I took off running out of the house with the picture still glued to my hand. I heard Mrs. Cullen yell for me to bring her picture back but I kept going. There was no fucking way it could be her. It was impossible. She was dead. She had died fourteen years ago. There was no way that Bella Cullen could be our Isabella. But her name was Isabella and the fucking picture was just like the one that sat on our shelf in our house. Was I just seeing things? Was it wishful thinking?
"SHIT!" I screamed, beating the top of my car.
"Garrett, stop," growled Kate, chasing after me. She grabbed my arm before I could climb into my car. "What the hell is wrong with you? You just stole from them!"
"Get in the fucking car, Kate," I snapped, pulling my arm out of her hand.
"Gar-"
"NOW!" I yelled.
Kate didn't say anything else as she ran around to the passenger side of the car and climbed in. I felt horrible for yelling at her. She didn't deserve it and I had never spoken to her like that before but I had to know. I climbed into the drivers seat, keeping the picture of Bella in my hand as I started the car and pulled away from the Cullen's house.
I could hear Kate sniffling as she cried in her seat. I reached over for her hand but she pulled her hand away from mine. I deserved that for treating her like that. I sighed as I pulled my car over onto the side of the road and cut the engine. I was the world's biggest asshole for treating her like that.
"I'm sorry, Kate," I said, shaking my head. "I'm such an ass."
"Yes, you are," she whispered, looking up at me. Her eyes were red. "You've never treated me like that, Garrett. What the hell is going on? Why did you run out of there and take that picture?"
"I…" I trailed off as my tears sprang up in my eyes. "I don't know. Maybe I'm going crazy…"
"What are you talking about?" asked Kate. I looked over at her.
"Come to my house with me." I was nearly begging her to come with me. "I just need to see something and I need you with me. Please?"
"Ok," sighed Kate, shaking her head. "But if you ever talk to me like that again, we are done. I love you more than anything, but you will not treat me like that."
"I'm so sorry, Baby," I said, grabbing her hand. "I love you, too."
Kate sighed again and motioned for me to go. I let go of her hand, tucking the picture of Bella into my chest and heading off to my house. Maybe I was losing it but I swear Bella looks just like her. Was I simply going crazy?"
I pulled my car up in front of my house. It wasn't nearly as big as the Cullen's house but it was home ever since we moved from Phoenix, Arizona eight years ago. It was hard to leave our home but Charlie was offered a job here as a coach and Renee opened her coffee shop. I think Charlie and Renee were hoping it would give us a chance to start over, new or whatever. Living in Phoenix had been hard on them after Isabella died. On all of us.
Kate and I climbed out of the car and headed up the front walk to the porch. I unlocked the front door and headed straight for the living room. I pulled the picture of Isabella at her third birthday party off the shelf. It had been taken just a couple of months before she died. I held it up to the one I took from the Cullen's house. It was exactly the same.
"This is fucking impossible," I muttered, dropping to my knees.
"Garrett," said Kate, dropping down next to me.
"Look at it, Kate," I cried, shoving both pictures into her hands. "LOOK!"
Kate pulled both photos into her hands and looked down at them. The more she looked at them, the more her mouth dropped and her eyes widened. She looked up at me but didn't say anything. I fell back on my ass and ran my hands through my hair. Bella Cullen was my sister and she wasn't dead.
"I don't understand," said Kate, ending the silence that had crept up on us. "You said she was dead."
"I thought she was," I muttered, shaking my head.
"Ok, well, maybe it's not her," said Kate. I looked up at her doubtfully. "Maybe it just looks like her."
"Exactly like her," I said, harshly as I ripped the photos out of her hands. "I used to spend hours talking to this picture, Kate. Not only that but Bella's full name is Isabella."
"But-"
"I know," I cried, letting them fall to the floor. I threw my hands up to my hair and pulled. "I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!"
"What the hell is going on here?" asked Charlie. I jumped to my feet, wiping the tears off my face, and looked at my father. He looked concerned as he looked from me to Kate, who had tears on her face. "Are you two fighting? Because I was hoping to watch the game but I can leave if you want me to."
"No, Dad, we're not fighting," I muttered, bending over and picking up the photos.
"What are you doing with Isabella's picture?" he asked, looking down at my hands. I had to tell him. He had to know.
"Dad, just sit down," I said, pulling the pictures up to my chest.
Charlie looked from me to Kate before he sat down on the couch. Kate and I moved over and sat down on the coffee table in front of him. I wasn't sure how to tell him what I thought. How do you tell you someone that the daughter they thought was dead, wasn't really dead? I let a tear down my face and Kate reached over and slipped her arm through mine.
"What's going on, Garrett?" asked Charlie, leaning up towards me. "You're scaring the crap out of me."
"Dad," I started. "I don't know how to tell you this."
"Kate, honey, are you pregnant?" asked Charlie. I snapped my head up.
"NO!" yelled me and Kate. Charlie laughed and put his hands up.
"I was just asking," he chuckled. "But what is going on?"
"Dad," I said, again.
"I'm home!" hollered my mother, Renee. I heard the front door shut just before she came into the living room. She was smiling as she looked at us. "Kate, I haven't seen you around lately. I was starting to think that you and Garrett had broken up."
"No, I've just been really busy," said Kate, standing up and hugging my mother.
"I understand," sighed Renee, shaking her hand. She looked down at the picture of Bella, Emmett, and Jasper. "What's that?"
"Mom," I said but she reached out and pulled it out of my hand.
"I've never seen this picture before," said Renee. Charlie stood up and looked down at it. "Have you, Charlie?"
"No, I don't know those boys," he muttered. "They look familiar, though."
"That's Emmett and Jasper Cullen," I whispered. Charlie and Renee looked up at me. "The little girl….is Bella Cullen."
"No," gasped Renee, dropping the picture. Charlie reached out and grabbed it before it hit the ground. Renee stumbled back a couple steps. "It's impossible. The police said-"
"Look," I argued, shoving our picture of Isabella into Charlie's hand.
Renee and Charlie looked at our picture before looking over at the one from the Cullen's home. There was no denying that they were the same girl. Renee turned and ran up the stairs while Charlie fell back onto the couch. Kate and I sat back down on the table, waiting for him to say something, anything. Renee came back a moment later with our family picture album. She sat down on the couch next to Charlie and flipped the book open until she reached the last picture in the book.
"Oh my god," she cried, throwing her hand up to her mouth. "She's wearing the same shirt as Isabella."
"But…" trailed off Charlie, shaking his head. He set the pictures down and brought his hands up to his mouth, like he was trying not to scream.
"We have to go get her," said Renee, standing up.
"Honey," started Charlie, standing up.
"We have to go get her," cried Renee. "WE CAN'T JUST LEAVE HER IN THAT HOUSE!"
"WE CAN'T!" yelled Charlie, gripping her arms. He took a deep breath as my mother cried. "We can't just go running to that house with just a couple of photographs, Renee. We need real proof."
"You don't know if they are hurting her," sobbed Renee. "They could be torturing her while we are sitting here."
"She's not even there right now," I said. Charlie and Renee looked over at me. "She went to Port Angeles with Edward, Rose, and Alice. Emmett and Jasper were going with them."
"Ok, here's what we are going to do," said Charlie, pulling Renee into her arms. "We're going to call the police. They can help us figure this out."
"Charlie," cried Renee, clutching onto him.
"I know," he whispered, tightening his arms around her as he looked up at me. "Does Angela know?"
"No, she's with Ben," I muttered. Kate slipped her hand into mine while laying her head on my shoulder. I cleared my throat. "I'm going to take Kate home."
"Ok," whispered Charlie.
Kate and I headed back out to my car. I started it and headed to her house. I pulled up in front of her house and cut the engine but neither of us climbed out. Everything had been fine and just like that, it all went to hell. I looked over at Kate, who was watching me a frown on her face.
"Tell me everything is going to be ok," I said.
"Everything is going to be ok," she said, unconvincingly. I looked away as my eyes filled up with tears.
"I don't…" I trailed off.
"Hey, look at me," murmured Kate. I looked over at her as a tear slipped down my face. "Smile."
"Kate," I cried, shaking my head. She reached over and pulled me into her arms, holding me tight.
"It's ok," she whispered.
After a few minutes, I managed to get some control over myself. I walked Kate up to her door and kissed her before she headed inside. I climbed back into my car and drove back home. I parked in front of the house and headed inside. Charlie and Renee were sitting on the couch with the phone pressed up to Charlie's ear while they talked to one of the detectives from the police department.
I headed up the stairs. Angela was sitting on the top step with her knees pulled up. Her eyes were red and puffy. I sat down next to her and wrapped my arm around my little sister. She leaned over and laid her head on my shoulder. For several minutes, we just sat there and listened as Charlie explained about the photos.
"Do you think it's true?" she asked.
"Yes," I muttered.
"Great," grumbled Angela.
"Hey, no matter what, I'm still your big brother, Ang," I said.
"Yeah, but you'll be her big brother, too," said Angela, standing up. "Once again, I'll be thrown to the back. Just like I always am."
Angela walked into her room and shut her door. I sighed as I stood up and heading into my room, shutting my own door. I plopped down on my bed and closed my eyes. Things were going to get very messy.
