Bella is the product of the foster-care system. I've been doing a little research here and there to see the effects the system has on kids and I'm trying to incorporate those effects in Bella's character. It's a little tricky. Right now, she's all over the map, but apparently that is normal. Anyways, happy Sunday! Enjoy!
Chapter Four
Apparently, when he said across town, he meant a five-hour drive. We had only stopped twice to use the restroom, and both times, I was escorted into a family bathroom and forced to relieve myself in the presence of a man.
"Eat." The blond man said as he threw a wrapped sandwich and a bottle of water at me.
I took the water and chugged it. The sandwich didn't look appetizing at all, so I gave it back to him.
"I-I'm not hungry." I said.
He shrugged. "Alright, fine."
He rolled the window down and threw it out the window. I regretted not eating the sandwich; even though I wasn't hungry I didn't like that it had gone to waste.
"When will we be there?" I asked him.
"In twenty minutes." He said as he looked down at his phone.
I pulled my knees up to my chest, resting my chin on top of them. I was tired. It was about five in the morning. I hadn't slept because I was worried about what would happen to me if I did.
Twenty minutes later, the car pulled up to a tall gate. There was a guard standing in the guard box who stepped out.
"Can I help you?" The guard asked.
"James Hunter here to see Caius." The blond man said from the backseat said.
I riffled through the rolodex of the name of every person I had ever met, but there was no one named James or had the last name Hunter.
The guard waffled a bit. "It's late, I think Caius and his wife are asleep—."
"Wake them." James said.
"Sir I can't—,"
"Do it!" James snarled.
The guard huffed in annoyance and buzzed the car through.
The car pulled passed the gate and started down the long driveway. I stared at the house that became larger the closer we got to it. I realized before we had pulled in front of it that it was in fact a mansion.
It was the biggest house I had ever seen. Sue's and Harry's house was small, but it was very cozy. I had really liked their house.
Thinking about Sue's house made my heart ache. Would I ever see their house again? Would I ever see Sue, Harry, or Leah again? Was my sacrifice enough to save them? I really hoped so. They deserved the best; they were the nicest people I had ever met.
The car came to a sudden stop, and I was pulled out of it by James. Once my feet hit the ground I jerked my arm out of his grip.
"I'm not going to run away. Stop touching me," I almost hissed; I was too tired to be polite about it. I wanted him to stop touching me.
"You might want to watch your tone," He said. "The only reason you're getting away with talking to me like that is because of how much you're worth."
My fingernails dug into the palms of my hands. I knew because I was in the foster care system, I was basically government property though my case manager never said it. But someone actually treating me like an object just made me outright furious.
I followed him up the stairs to the front door. It was opened by a man in black clothing.
"Mr. Volturi will be down in a moment."
We stood in the large open space. The floor was black marble with white trim, while the large, rounded staircase was a matching black with white trim. Hanging from the ceiling was a very large chandelier that was somehow intimidating. The room was filled with expensive statues and paintings. The only color in this room besides black and white was from the black vase that held big purple flowers on the table that sat in the center of the room under the huge chandelier.
A man appeared from the upstairs hallway and turned to the stairs. He paused at the top of the stairs, staring down at us.
"What is the meaning of this? It is nearly six in the morning. I don't appreciate being woken up, James." The snow white-haired man said. His nose was turned up into an ugly sneer. His icy blue eyes staring with such an intensity I couldn't help but shrink under his gaze.
"I have something here that might make you pretty happy."
The man took one step. "And what would that be?"
"Caius, meet Isabella Swan," James said as he stepped aside. "As in, the lost principessa and only child of Charlie Swan's."
"What do you mean?" He asked as he quickly took several more steps.
"I found her at a dance competition. Apparently, she's been in the system for a while."
"How do I know this is really Isabella Swan?" Caius asked.
"I thumbed through her paperwork. Birth certificate and all." James said. "And c'mon, Caius. Doesn't she look exactly like Charlie? Same eyes, same hair, same cheeks. The only difference are her lips, but those a very clearly Rene-, uh, from her mother."
Caius finally reached the bottom of the stairs. His eyes casted over me, narrowing even more.
"Come here, girl." Caius said.
I didn't have the chance to step forward as I was grabbed again and propelled forward. I nearly ran into his chest, but luckily, I caught myself.
Caius looked me up and down very critically. I kept my gaze on his chest, not wanting to meet his eyes. I knew that men could become very angry if you met their gaze disrespectfully. I still had the scar on my back to prove that.
"You have a point," He said after a minute. "She does look like Charlie. But that doesn't mean any—," He paused, his eyes drifting to my fingers. "Let me see that."
He snatched my necklace out of my hands and I was forced to take a step forward so the chain wouldn't break.
"Where did you get this?" He asked softly.
"I-it was given to the system by my mother." I said, my quiet voice quivering slightly.
He was silent for a few moments, staring at my necklace. A mournful expression crossed his thin pointed face before he nodded slightly.
"Do you have her paperwork? Birth certificate?" He asked.
"Yeah," James said as he passed over the folder.
Caius let go of my necklace and grabbed the folder. I took the opportunity to step away. I watched as he looked through the paperwork. As he was reading, a woman in a dramatically long royal blue robe appeared at the top of the stairs.
Her short brown hair was pinned back with silver clips that framed an attractive face. Her pinned hair and long robe pulled her right out of the pages of the Great Gatsby. As she walked down the stairs, I noticed how tall and slender she was. She was definitely the wife of a rich man, and her only job was keeping herself attractive well into her middle age.
"Caius, what is going on?" The woman asked softly.
"Go back to bed Dora." Caius said, his tone losing its harsh edge as he addressed his wife.
"Who… oh my god," Dora said as her eyes that had fallen on me widened. "Is this…? She looks like—… is it—," she couldn't form the words as she took me in.
"You think she looks like Charlie too?" Caius asked.
Dora's mouth was slackened as she descended down the stairs, her robe dragging behind her. She walked to me, passing Caius without glancing in his direction. She was several feet taller than I was. I had to look up at her.
"Isabella?" She said softly. "Oh my god… sweet, little Isabella. Look at you…You're so beautiful. What a beautiful young woman you've become. Just like your mother."
Her hand reached up and stroked my cheek softly. I moved away from her, taking a large step backward.
"W-who are you?" I asked, feeling the room starting to close in. "H-how do you know my mother? How do you… how do you know—,"
My questions never got answered because I quickly fell backwards. The room closing in on me hadn't been an exaggeration. Everything had finally become too much, and my brain decided to shut down. I just hoped when I finally came too, it would all just be a horrible nightmare.
One Hour Later
I woke up to someone putting pressure onto the back of my head. I couldn't understand why the person's fingers felt so weird. I finally realized that the spot someone was messing with was numb.
My eyes shot open, and I rolled away. When I rolled, I fell onto the floor, but I caught myself before hitting my face. I looked up to see a man in a doctor's coat sitting by the bed. His eyes were wide.
"Well, good morning," He chuckled, smiling softly at me.
"W-where am I?" I asked, my voice high-pitched. I could feel myself headed toward an anxiety attack.
"You're in your room, I'm guessing," He said. "Your aunt and uncle wanted me to come sew up your head. You hit it pretty hard."
I reached my hand back and tentatively and felt the line of stitches in the back of my head. It was numb, but I knew it would be painful when the Novocain wore off.
"I-I don't know where I am or… wait, did you say my aunt and uncle?"
"That's right." He nodded. "They're downstairs if you'd like me to go get them."
"I don't have an aunt or an uncle. I was raised in the foster care system." I said.
The doctor frowned. "How about I go get them? They can probably help you better with this than I can."
He walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him. When it shut, I heard the unmistakable sound of an automatic lock click into place. I felt a cold chill run down my back. Automatic locks were normal in the group home.
But this wasn't a group home. This was the house to two people I had never met in my entire life. The house that I had been forcibly brought to by a crazy man claiming I was worth a lot of money.
Several moments later, Caius and his wife Dora, walked through the door. They hadn't gotten dressed, so I assumed that not much time had passed.
"Glad to see you're awake," Caius said as he moved further into the room. I couldn't help but retreat further onto the bed, away from this hyenalike predator.
"How are you feeling, sweetheart?" Dora asked as she took a seat on the bed.
"W-what am I doing here?" I asked.
Dora reached forward to take my hand, but I quickly jerked it away from her. Her hand fell and a look of sadness washed over her face, but I couldn't find myself to care or force myself into the physical contact, as I usually did when I made anyone sad.
"You'll be living with us, from now on," Caius said. "We're your aunt and uncle. Now we're your legal guardians."
"But… but I don't have any family. I was put in the system when I was two. There's no record of me ever having a family." I said.
"Whoever placed you in that godawful system will pay, I promise you that," Caius said. "You don't have to be afraid now. You have a nice big home and anything you want."
My head felt like it was going to explode.
"I just… I don't understand. How do you even know I'm your niece? If I am your niece, then where are my parents? I want to meet them."
"Your parents died a very long time ago." Caius said. "We are all you have left."
I pulled my knees up to my chest and rested my chin on top of them. I didn't feel better. Something about this whole situation was off and I didn't like it.
Yet, that little girl inside of me was squealing with excitement. It was hard to ignore her delight at finally having biological family. I wanted to yell and hit that little girl and tell her that this situation wasn't right, and she shouldn't be happy.
But I just couldn't squelch her joy. Even though I knew better, I figured it would be okay if I let the little girl inside of me be happy for a moment.