Author's Note:
Thank you everyone for your support with Pretend for Me. I'm so grateful for everyone's kind words. Chapter 3 is already in the works.
Please let me know your thoughts:)
Special thank you to Mel Cee for betaing and listening to my craziness.
Age 6
"Bella, please, you're going to get us both in trouble," Edward whisper-yelled through the bushes.
"Oh, Edward, stop being a fraidy cat. I thought I saw it this way." She pointed to a tree even farther from their current location. Edward groaned but followed her.
They had been looking for Mr. Sprinkles for two hours now. If they didn't find him soon, Jessica would have both of their heads for supper. She liked the fluffy white Persian cat more than the children on a good day.
Bella ran ahead, trying to see if the cat would recognize the treat container she was shaking around.
Meow.
The cat was in one of the trees above them, but seeing as it was nine-thirty at night and pitch black outside, they couldn't tell which tree. The flashlight in Edward's hand was no use.
"Bella, let's go back. We're already going to be in so much trouble for letting him out anyways. Maybe if we tell the truth, it will be okay." Edward knew that last part was a lie, but he also knew what her subsequent request would be, and he hated that more than the wrath of Jessica.
"Edward, give me a boost. I'm going to climb the tree and see if I can grab him."
"No, you're going to get hurt. The cat can wait. Let's go."Jessica will beat us if she realizes we left and let the cat out." Edward began pacing back and forth.
Bella walked over to him, flashing him a grin and grabbing his hand. "Please."
He leaned down, cupping his hands so that she had a place to put her foot, and Bella boosted herself toward the branches. Grabbing the first one she could find—-
Snap. Boom. The branch snapped off the tree, and Bella was now on the ground next to Edward.
"Ow, it hurts, Edward, It hurts!" Bella began crying and reached for her left arm.
"Come on. We need to get Jessica." Edward dreaded telling Jessica about this. He already got cracked for not running the dishwasher before dinner on Thursday.
The doomed pair stumbled home in the dark, leaving the flashlight somewhere in the park, two blocks away. Edward was doing his best to comfort Bella but was having difficulty not panicking over Jessica's reaction to this. He hated when Bella got in trouble.
Despite being in the foster home for the past two years, she never got used to it. Bella did develop a nervous tick where her hands shook when she got anxious, which was pretty frequently around Jessica and Michael. Oftentimes, her nerves were the cause of a lot of punishment since they made her to drop and spill things.
Edward and Bella turned the doorknob slowly, thinking that maybe Jessica would be sleeping or too busy fighting with Michael to notice they were gone, let alone her precious kitten, who she had just adopted four months ago. So they would pretend Bella fell out of bed or down the stairs.
However, luck was not on their side. The second the door flung open, and they were met by Jessica, Michael, and James. Alec and Jane were probably still fast asleep.
"You bastard! How often do I need to beat your ass before you learn?" Jessica yelled before turning to the ignored little girl. "And you Pippi Longstockings, you worthless little girl, where's my cat? I saw you petting him this afternoon." Jessica spat in their faces.
Bella moved her non-injured arm to wipe the saliva from her cheek. Edward saw the motion and winced, knowing she was adding insult to injury. Of course, Bella didn't intend to; she was just horrible at pretending.
"Jessica, please, Bella is hurt. She needs a doctor," Edward pleaded, hoping she could spare a lecture and eventual beating for one more day.
"It's Miss Jessica to you. You know better than to talk back." She rolled her eyes and moved him out of the way so she could see her latest inconvenience.
Jessica took in Bella's appearance: Bella's arm was gushing blood and must have been fractured at the very least from the way the bone was protruding. Her dress was tattered and covered with blood. That was one of her last good ones. It sucked to be a tomboy.
"How the hell did this happen? I can't believe you; you're grounded for the rest of the year. And you can forget about that silly art class at the library," Jessica resounded.
Edward knew how hard Bella had pleaded with Jessica to let her take the class. She even asked Mrs. Cope to help seal the deal. But now, with this mess, she'd be lucky if she could leave the house before Christmas. It was August.
"I'm so sorry. Please, Miss Jessica. I love art class!" Bella was hysterically crying by this point.
Edward did what he had grown accustomed to doing—-he took the blame. She was often mad when he got in trouble for her messes.
"Jessica, err. Miss Jessica, it was my fault Mr. Sprinkles got out, and I told Bella to climb the tree, and then she fell. I'm very sorry." Edward looked down, afraid to look at Bella.
"Edward, that's not—-" Bella began.
"Bella, go to the car." Jessica took the keys from Michael and then looked to Edward, who shuffled from side to side. "You're going to get it once I get back."
Edward nodded; there was no use in fighting the inevitable.
Once Jessica was gone, and Michael was back in his bedroom, James started laughing and clapping his hands at Edward.
"Bravo! What a hero, protecting the pathetic baby. Such a good boyfriend. I told Mom and Dad that you both snuck out and how you let Mr. Sprinkles out. I get to have my curfew extended because of that shit," James taunted him.
At almost eleven years old, the aggressive boy still hadn't matured. If anything, James had made a turn for the worst. The anger management counseling three times a week did nothing for him.
"I'm not her boyfriend. She's my best friend. And she's not a baby!" Edward was pissed that he was in this position in the first place. But, he wasn't about to have his annoying foster brother make things worse for them.
"Boys aren't friends with girls. No real man would ever help a girl!" James bought into the macho bullshit that he saw Michael portray and watched inappropriate shows and videos whenever he could get a turn at the computer at school.
Edward knew he was going to be up early to do his daily chores, plus whatever Jessica decided was adequate compensation for his indiscretions, so he made his way to bed. This would be one of Edward's first nights alone in two years. Thankfully Jessica never checked on the children at night, so she was never the wiser about the pair sharing a bed. Jane and James started sneaking into each other's room last year which made the chances of him ratting them out slim to none.
Rain hit the house's siding, which should have lulled Edward to sleep; unfortunately, he had difficulty dozing off. In fact, before Bella came along, he never got a full night's rest. When he did sleep, the dreams, more like nightmares, took over.
Next thing Edward knew he was being shaken vigorously. He heard a voice whispering to him, almost pleading. He tried to reposition himself, thinking this was part of his dream.
"Edward. EDWARD," the voice bellowed.
Edward's eyes popped open, it was Bella leaning over him, looking very concerned. Once his breathing regulated, he realized that his forehead was dripping.
She gave him a hug and resumed dabbing a wet washcloth on his forehead with the arm that wasn't in a cast. Having been witness to this a few times, Bella quickly learned how to help her friend.
"Thank you. I'm sorry," Edward whispered, looking Bella up and down, assessing her injuries. The little girl had a cast on her arm, a bandage on her neck where a tree branch scraped her, and a worried frown on her face. Edward didn't want her to frown.
"I'm sorry, Edward. Jessica's going to hurt you tomorrow. Why did you lie again? You didn't do anything wrong? It was all me." Bella hung her head.
The pair was a mess. They both couldn't picture the other hurt but still made messes for the other. It was a theme that would likely carry on into adulthood.
"I can handle it, Bella. You know what happened last time Jessica hit you." Edward shuddered, just thinking about the incident.
Edward decided to go and get a snack from the downstairs kitchen when Bella finally fell asleep next to him. He peered around the corner as he walked down the stairs, continuing until he heard voices.
"Can you believe the hospital was asking me questions about her history? Like I'm supposed to know if her mother or father had a history of any diseases or shit?" Jessica was sitting at the kitchen counter with her back to Edward, whereas Michael was inside the fridge, digging for his last beer.
"What'd you expect? Weren't they like fifteen when they had the brat?" Michael snorted.
Bella's parents did have her young—at just sixteen years old. With no help from Bella's grandparents, they were forced to quit high school and did their best to raise a baby. Charlie and Renee succeeded until Charlie lost his job as a security guard when the movie theater closed. No one wanted to hire two teenage kids with no high school diplomas and no prospects for college.
They all moved in with Jake, Charlie's former coworker and friend since elementary school. He had a two-bedroom apartment, and things were tight but they made Bella's life happy. Money wasn't coming in and Jake knew a guy who would lend money to people in need. He was naive and got Charlie and Renee involved. After borrowing too much money without repayment or collateral, the loan shark, Gary, made his way further into their lives.
Months passed, and the threesome attempted to collect enough money to repay their debts. But, sadly, their efforts weren't adequate. Then, one night, Gary knocked on their door, turning everything upside down.
The loan shark wanted his money right then and there. Unfortunately, Bella's parents didn't have the cash, so Gary threatened to kidnap Bella. Afraid and desperate, Charlie pulled the gun he obtained in order to protect his family. However, Charlie was no threat to a seasoned thug.
Gary killed both Renee and Charlie. Jake had locked Bella in the bathroom with music blasting so she wouldn't hear the commotion. Once he came out, Jake saw Charlie's gun lying on the floor and shot Gary dead.
When the authorities showed up, they found Jake with three dead bodies. They pinned him for the murders and attempted kidnapping of Bella.
Bella had been taken away from the only home she ever knew. Only to end up with "parents" who could barely muster her real name.
"They were sixteen, and her '"uncle'" was older, I think."
"Aren't they all rotting in jail?" Michael said unsympathetically.
"No, the parents are dead. The uncle is in jail for life, which might not be that much longer. Mrs. Cope said that he has gang ties. They all want him dead," Jessica said matter-of-factly.
Edward didn't like how they were talking about Bella's family. He heard a different version from Bella, and despite knowing that life was way more challenging than Bella wanted to believe, he wouldn't correct her. She needed to believe in something, unlike him.
Edward walked back to his room, pretending not to have heard anything.
PfM~
"Get up, you bastards!" Jessica banged at the closed bedroom door. Bella hid under Edward's comforter just in case she decided to come inside. While she'd pretended to be brave in front of Edward last night, she couldn't handle getting hit.
Bella waited until she heard the bathroom door close, and she decided to risk opening Edward's bedroom door.
Standing outside the room was James leaning against the frame, with a sleazy smile on his face.
Bella gulped and looked back to a sleeping Edward she didn't want to wake him, considering he never really slept soundly.
"Please move, James. I need to clean the kitchen before breakfast." She attempted walking around him when he grabbed the arm in a cast and pinned her against the frame where he was leaning a moment ago.
"Don't tell me what to do." His face was so close to hers that she could smell his foul breath.
Bella's heart rate quickened and she closed her eyes, afraid. This was one of the first times she had been alone with James.
Before she knew it, Bella was being moved. Edward had risen and was now in front of James.
"Don't touch her." Edward mustered up all the courage he could. If there was anything worth fighting for, it was Bella.
James laughed and pushed Edward so his back hit the wall. "Lover boy thinks he's tough." He motioned to lean forward and scare Edward. But instead, Edward remained unfazed; James was not happy with the lack of reaction.
"James, Edward, Bella, get your asses down here NOW." Jessica's shrill voice sounded from downstairs.
After bumping Edward, James made his way downstairs.
Edward grabbed Bella by the shoulders. " Are you okay?"
She nodded. Bella always grew quiet after these types of scenarios.
Edward pulled her into a bear hug until he heard Jessica calling their names again.
"You rat bastards! Are you trying to get me in trouble with Social Services? Fucking Mrs. Cope is coming today with a prospective family. They want a boy. So wear your Sunday best." Jessica pinched Edward's cheek. "You escape a beating for today."
Michael came up behind Edward and Bella, addressing all the kids. "We want the place spotless." He looked at his watch "In forty-five minutes."
All the children started running around doing their assigned chores.
An hour later, arrived with an attractive Hispanic couple. Jessica always got intimidated when potential families came by; she didn't want to lose one of her meal tickets.
By the looks of the couple, they had money. The woman, Angela, and her husband, Jared, had designer clothing, and Angela was wearing a Louis Vuitton purse. Jessica rolled her eyes; she'd never get one of those with Michael.
All five children lined up neatly, waiting for judgment day. Bella and Jane only lined up out of respect. They weren't even in the running since the couple wanted a boy.
Angela looked the kids up and down, giving Bella a nasty look who gave her a toothy smile and wave with her hand that wasn't in a cast. Jessica grabbed Bella and dragged her so she was standing next to her where she couldn't cause any trouble.
Michelle Cope was the first to speak."Well, we have three fine young men right here. I know you said you preferred a boy. Edward here is turning seven in a few months and has excellent manners."
She always tried to pitch Edward first, knowing his backstory would cause difficulty. "How are your grades?" Angela inquired.
"His grades are—" Mrs. Cope tried to interject.
"I asked the "'fine young man'" Angela made a face of disgust and pursed her lips.
Edward disliked these visits. While he hated Jessica and Michael, he didn't know anything else. In his mind, he could handle a few slaps, here and there.
"They… they are fine." Edward stuttered, nervously running his hand through his untameable head of hair.
Angela stared at the disheveled mess that Edward looked on the outside and felt on the inside and she scoffed. She was moving to stand in front of James.
"Well, hello, beautiful." James purred, always trying to act older than he was.
Angela attempted to be pleasant, "Hello. Nice to meet you."
"Did you know that my dick—-" Mrs. Cope covered his mouth with the folder in her hand and shooed him toward Jessica.
Alec stood there, quietly waiting with his hands folded. Angela turned her head sideways.
He spoke first. The quiet little boy spoke.
"I'm on the honor roll," Alec spoke in a whisper, smiling softly.
PfM~
"NOOOOO. Please, please take me with you." Jane cried, grasping Alec's legs in an iron grip.
"Janie, it's going to be okay. I got adopted." Alec gave her a small smile, attempting to help her off the floor, but she was too hysterical.
"You can't leave me. We're twins. You're my brother. I can't be without you. How am I… How can I…" She hiccuped, not making sense.
Alec crouched down to Jane's level and hugged her. All he could do was hug her. He was expected to leave soon anyway. Expected to leave behind his twin.
Bella watched the entire exchange. Before this, she didn't really understand the repercussions of adoption and what Mrs. Cope's visits meant. Now she got a bird's-eye view of the pain and hurt that could happen.
She looked at Edward, realizing how much she had to lose. This time it was Bella's turn to be hysterical.
