We had finally arrived in Forks. The town sign welcomed us as we drove past it. Carlisle was driving and Esme sat next to him on the passenger seat. I was in the back seat with my backpack. It had all the belongings I had taken from my home which meant it was almost empty. I had only two hoodies and one pair of jeans, a toothbrush, a box of cigarettes and two books that I had read far too many times. Esme had asked me where all my stuff was when we had gotten into the car but after I had pointed to my backpack she had gone quiet.

Before we left Aro had also promised to see me in a couple of weeks. He had said it was normal for him to make occasional visits to the new families he had put children and teenagers. I was not looking forward to that. All we had done during my time in his office was yell. Although, I was the only one who did the yelling. He had only tried to understand me and had failed multiple times. Luckily, he had not tried to give me any goodbye hugs as well.

"It's only a few minutes till we're there," Esme informed, turning slightly to look at me. I gave her a nod.

We had not talked much during our drive from Seattle to Forks. They had tried in the beginning to spark a conversation between us but I was too tired to talk about anything. After they noticed me yawning, they suggested that I try sleeping but I didn't want to. The whole drive I had repeatedly pinched myself so I would not fall asleep. I was not going to be unaware of my surroundings when I was in a car with two strangers. They had not given me any reasons to be scared but I couldn't help the anxiety filling my stomach.

Forks looked depressingly small. It was not a good thing because everyone would know each other which meant they would notice me. I would rather blend in with the crowd than be the one who was the centre of the attention. Now everyone would probably know I was some long lost son who finally returned. They would have expectations of me. And when I would screw up, the news would reach every nosy people in this town.

"It's one in the morning so I believe Alice and Emmett are already asleep," Carlisle suddenly said.

"Who?" I asked.

Carlisle glanced at me from the rear mirror. He had done it many times as if he had to check that I was still in the car.

"Didn't Aro tell you about them?" He asked, disbelief in his voice.

"Maybe… I wasn't listening for the most part," I said slowly. I hadn't been able to focus on Aro's long monologues. He must have been telling about Carlisle and his family and life. Now, I realized I didn't know anything about Carlisle. Paying attention would have been wise.

"Alice and Emmett are our children," Carlisle explained.

Their children? So I was not only going to disturb Carlisle's and Esme's peaceful life but I was also going to intrude in their children's lives. I bet they were the perfect children they could ever hope for. That was shy they were still thinking that they could 'fix' me.

"Emmett is a year older than you and Alice is the same age as you are," Esme said.

"What?," I accused with venom in my voice, "You fucked my mother while having kids with another woman?"

"No!" Carlisle declared loudly. "They are adopted. I hadn't even met Esme when I was with your mother."

He kept glancing at me through the mirror to see my reaction.

"Oh." I hadn't even considered that option.

"You're my only biological child. But we consider Alice and Emmett as our children that we sometimes forget they even are adopted," he continued.

Now, I felt bad I accused him of cheating.

"I'm sorry."

"No, don't be silly dear," Esme said with the same warm tone, "We should have realized that you'd naturally come to that conclusion. You'll meet them both tomorrow morning as it's Saturday so they don't have school."

Carlisle turned to a small road that led upwards into the forest. The longer the road seemed to be getting the more anxious I got. The fact that the house was deep in the forest was not great because it meant I couldn't easily leave. Maybe I could run into the forest to hide if I needed to but I would probably just get lost. In Seattle, we had a small forest near our house where I used to go. It was my safe space where I could almost relax. Not fully because I knew I had to go back to the house eventually.

"Welcome home." Carlisle's words brought me back to the present.

The house was enormous. At least compared to the place I had lived in. Only the lights outside were lit, giving us some light to see in the darkness. The trees around us gave a haunting vibe.

I realized Carlisle and Esme were already out of the car, waiting for me. Fumbling with the seat belt before it finally opened, I pushed the door open and stepped out with my backpack.

I flinched away as Carlisle tried to put his hand on my shoulder.

"Sorry," he said, "Shall we?"

I followed behind them as we entered the house. Carlisle flicked the lights on.

The house looked clean. Too clean. No leftovers on the living room table, no marks on the marble floor, no curtains with cobwebs, no dead plants and no empty beer bottles lying on the floor. I did not belong here with my dirty clothes and too-small shoes.

Esme noticed me, looking around. "Come dear, you'll see the whole house tomorrow. Now we'll just show you your room."

We took our shoes off to put them on a shoe rack next to the door. My face felt hot as I noticed the contrast between Carlisle's white shoes and mine which had once been the same color white but now appeared to be more brownish. But they didn't say anything.

I was glad Esme didn't try to take my hand or something but just led me upstairs into the farthest room as Carlisle followed us silently.

"We didn't have much time to prepare the room," Esme explained as we stepped in. This time, I wasn't surprised to see a clean and nicely decorated room. What caught my attention first was the walk-in closet and then the bathroom. Who even had those in their rooms?

"We can change anything you don't like," Esme promised me with her warm eyes.

"No, it's perfect," I said, my throat tight. It was already more than I deserved from this family.

"You can call us or come find us downstairs if you need anything," Carlisle added.

I nodded even though I already knew I wasn't going to.

"Okay, good night," Esme said and pulled Carlisle out of the room. Carlisle also wished me good night before slowly closing the door, smiling tiredly at me.

I stood in the middle of the room, my backpack still in my hand. The bed in the corner looked soft, inviting me. I threw myself on it, gasping as the wound on my side protested. I was going to have to be more careful of my movements. The Cullens could not see me moaning in pain. They would have endless questions.

I didn't bother to change my clothes. And my gauze also needed changing but I could do it tomorrow. Now, I closed my eyes and let the sleep come.

The noises of anchormen speaking came from the living room. I closed the front door as silently as I could and slipped my shoes off, praying I would get to my room without anyone noticing.

Lingering beside the wall, I mustered the courage and walked to the kitchen. As soon I stepped over the threshold I knew I had fucked up. The fact I was an hour late was my first mistake. Should have been watching the time more carefully and not fallen asleep among the moss and ferns. And now I had assumed they both would be on the couch, watching the news. My second mistake.

He had crouched to reach into the fridge and now I watched as he straightened himself, a beer bottle in hand.

A sickening smile graced his lips.

"Well, nice to see you finally crawling back home," James sneered.

My limbs refused to move, to run. I had learned that fight-or-flight instincts weren't the only options. People forget to mention the 'freeze'.

"I'm sorry, sir," I whispered, keeping my eyes downcast.

He stalked towards me and gulped his beer. He wasn't much taller than me but he had a bulky build of muscle and fat while I had a lean body with weak muscles. I didn't stand a chance and we both knew it.

Without warning, he smashed the bottle on the wall next to us and pointed with the remaining sharp edge at me. My hands had flown to cover my face from the pieces of the glass that flew everywhere. He swung the bottle at me and it sliced my arm as I tried to dodge. My other hand dropped to hold the cut, my fingers coated in red.

He threw the bottle away and took a hold of the front of my hoodie.

"You piece of shit. You continue to disappoint me." His cold, hard eyes stared at my widened ones. "You beg me to punish you by defying the rules. You know this, right?" His breath smelled like alcohol and weed.

I nodded quickly.

"Words," he smirked. He was enjoying this.

"Yes, sir."

"Good. It's important you realize that you deserve this. Maybe you'll finally learn to behave." He stroked my cheek with his other hand. "Now, what would you like your punishment to be?" He asked with a velvety voice.

I knew what I was supposed to say but the words got stuck in my throat. "I…uh."

"Come on. Tell me what you want," he urged.

"Uh… Hit me," I whispered and closed my eyes.

His palm smacked my cheek, making it sting.

"You want more?" He asked, smirking again. I shook my head frantically but he wasn't taking no for an answer.

"Don't tell me that was enough. Why would you break the rules I've set if you don't want to face the consequences? It doesn't make sense, right?" I stayed silent. "Right?" He was raising his voice. "Now, tell me what you want and don't give me any bullshit. We both know what you want."

I had started shaking.

"Say it what you want," he repeated slowly.

There was no way out. He wouldn't be satisfied until I said what he wanted and he wouldn't stop until he had had his fun. I tried to prepare myself before muttering: "Beat me."

He drove his fist into my stomach, knocking the air out of me. I made a wheezing sound as I tried to breathe. He dropped the hold of my hoodie so I slumped on the floor. Curling in a fetal position, I tried to protect my stomach as he kept kicking my arms and legs. He was smart not to leave any damage on my face. It would raise the curiosity of my teachers if I suddenly showed up to school with a black eye.

"You want more?" He asked excitedly, out of breath.

"No, please no," I begged. My eyes had watered against my will. I didn't want to look weak in front of him even though it was exactly what I was.

"Wrong answer, son," he taunted, "You want me to get a knife or you want more of this?"

He must have known I didn't want either.

"Answer me!" He yelled.

"More." My voice was barely a whisper.

"What'd you say?" He smiled again.

"More," I repeated louder, "Fucking beat me more!"

"I knew you would be begging for more," he laughed and stomped on me as my fingers curled in my hair.

I startled awake, taking panicked breaths. Looking around, I realized it was just a dream. Well, not just a dream but a memory.

I ran my fingers through my hair and glanced out the window. The sun hadn't risen yet which meant the others wouldn't be awake for a while. Who in their right mind rose before the sunrise during summer?

Knowing I would not be able to fall asleep anymore, I rose from the bed and went to the bathroom. I flicked the lights on and instantly knew it was the most beautiful bathroom I had seen. The simple white tiles with dark green towels and a few plants beside the small window were perfect.

From the mirror, stared back at a hollow-eyed, dirty looking face. My hair was tangled as always but also greasy. I looked at the shower. Would I wake the others by taking a shower? No, they must be in deep sleep now. And I desperately wanted to clean myself.

After rinsing my hair for the last time, I stepped out of the shower and stood in front of the mirror again. Luckily, I had found a line of shampoo and conditioner bottles under the sink which gave my hair a better look. But that was the only thing that was improved. I still looked drained of my life force. I guess I was. And the multiple scars and still healing bruises covered my skin from the neck down. My chest had mostly black and blue bruises and a couple of scars from a knife but it wasn't as bad as I knew my back was. I couldn't even turn around to take a look at the mess.

Now, I focused my attention on the gauze on my side, just under the rips. I knew it needed to be changed but I had recently run out of medical supplies that I usually used. Asking for help from Cullens was not an option because they would question where I needed a gauze in the first place. The little money I had might be just enough to buy it and some wound cleanser. I would have to get to a pharmacist in the morning.

Or maybe I could try to sneak downstairs and try to guess where they kept their first aid kit. It would have to be somewhere where it was easy to access like the kitchen perhaps. Looking at the old gauze again, I decided I could try. The Cullens were asleep anyway so they wouldn't know I had even been there.

I put on boxers and socks, pulled a black hoodie over my head and lastly, the same jeans I always wore. Before I started sneaking down the stairs I also grabbed my cigarettes. I could take a quick smoke outside. Luckily, the stairs didn't squeak a bit as I descended. It was nerve-racking to hear the silence. All birds still sleeping and no roads near the house, the only sound I heard was the blood in my ears and my breaths.

Finding the kitchen wasn't difficult. And soon I was already opening cabinets. I accidentally let one cabinet slam as it slipped from my fingers. I froze but after a minute and no one came, I continued searching. But with no luck. I found nothing but cutleries and cereal boxes and everything else kitchens was supposed to have but no first-aid kits.

After closing the last cupboard, I heard shuffling behind me. Before I had time to turn around, something smacked me on the side of my head, making me fall to my side. Unfortunately, it was the side with my wound.

The cry came out of my mouth before I had time to stop it, breaking the eerie silence of the house.

I scrambled around just in time to dodge another hit from my attacker. He looked to be around the same age as me but he was huge, full of muscle, towering over me with a threatening expression. And he seemed to have a fucking baseball bat tightly in his grip.

My breathing was already shallow if any air even got into my lungs. He had the same look James had just before deciding I deserved to be a punching bag.

"No, please," I pleaded, throwing my hands to cover me.

"Are you…" he left the sentence to hang as he stared at me. His eyes widened in shock. "You are…"

"Emmett!"