Chapter 2 Teacher and Pupil

I gritted my teeth, exasperated, expecting it to be one of my family members, which I really couldn't handle right now, but I was relieved to see a different name on the screen, Aro Volturi. I calmed down considerably.

Aro had become the family I never had, from the time I was fourteen, though the beginning had been a little difficult between us, mostly from my point.

You see, Aro is a retired detective for the Forks Police Department, so you can imagine what my off hours activities would mean to him, not to mention what it would mean for my life.

-Flashback-

One day, I was hanging out at the police station with him, because I had nothing better to do, and I felt strangely calm, for that time anyway.

Soon I began to feel the dark urge that drove me, and I started shaking.

"Edward, are you alright?" the old man asked.

I snapped out of it and looked to him. "I'm fine Aro," I said dismissively.

He looked at me with eyes that seemed to read my every thought, so, naturally, I shied away from it.

That night was just one of many where Carlisle and Esme got to play good parents in front of their friends, but my siblings and I knew what would be coming later on when they had gotten a few drinks in then and their friends had left.

"Edward," Aro called to me again, and I looked at him quickly.

"I think I know what the problem might be here," he said in an all knowing tone.

Yeah, like you can read my mind, old man, I thought disdainfully.

"Edward," he called, shaking my shoulder.

"Huh, what?"

"I said, I think I know what goes on inside that head of yours Edward," he said, his hand still on my shoulder.

Oh shit! Not again, I thought.

I was usually pretty good at reading people's intentions, but Aro seemed so harmless, he was like a father to me, and now he goes and pulls this shit!

You suck at reading people, Cullen!, I scolded myself.

"I think I can help you son," Aro told me, and the name made me flinch.

"Help me with what?" I said, playing the innocent. I did not need a shrink, which was probably what he was thinking of recommending.

"I think I know what goes on in that head of yours" he said.

I saw red then. "How the fuck could you know what goes on in my mind? You know shit about me or my life!" I yelled.

I was breathing heavily, realizing quickly that if nothing else made my secret obvious, my outburst would.

"I'm sorry Aro, I shouldn't have snapped at you like that" I said penitently.

"Do not worry Edward. As I've already told you, I understand your reasons."

I decided to play dumb. "I don't know that you're talking about."

"Let me ask you something Edward, and if I don't see the response I'm expecting, I'll simply leave it at that, all right?"

What kind of fucking question is that? I asked myself. "Alright," I said in a confused tone.

"Do you get angry often?"

I flinched and nodded.

"What do you do to release that anger?"

I shrugged and looked at the floor.

He placed his hand on my shoulder in a comforting gesture and I flinched away.

He nodded. "Edward, I'm going to need you to be honest with me, can you do that?"

I let go of a breath I didn't know I'd been holding. Stupid as it might seem, I trusted Aro; even with the short time I knew him. I nodded.

"…Sometimes I cut, other times, I hurt people," I shrugged.

Oh fuck, now I'd done it.

I was expecting shock, abandonment, but as I looked up I saw… understanding?

"Edward, I understand, and I think I can help you," he said comfortingly.

"How?" I asked condescendingly.

He nodded at me, pure patience in his expression. "You will see, son."

There was that name again. I had to fight the rolling nausea it produced inside of me.

I set my jaw, and said, "Alright, let's go old man."

He chuckled. "Don't you want to let your parents know where you'll be?" he asked, as if already knowing the answer.

"Aro, I'm fourteen, I'm capable of going wherever," I said stubbornly.

"Just as well I guess" he said, and then we were on our way.

"Where are we going Aro?" I asked, once we were in his car.

"I want you to meet some people Edward" he said casually.

"Okay…" I said confused.

He laughed. "They're close to your age Edward, you'll be okay."

"Yeah," I sighed, resigned.

I never got along with people in general, let alone kids my age, I envied them too much.

As Aro drove, he told me about two foster kids I was going to meet, Jasper and James.

"Jasper's parents died in a fire that had almost taken his life too, and it left him with horrible scars all over his body," Aro explained.

I nodded, a blank expression on my face. "And the other kid, this James?"

"He's…" Aro paused, trying to figure out how to explain James I guess. "Difficult." He concluded.*

The car ride always seemed to take a long time, and this time was no different. But I didn't mind, as long I was away from my family.

Aro lived in a pretty swanky two-story house with an ocean view, which sort of looked like a castle almost.

I remember staring wide eyed. Hey, what do you expect? I was just a kid back then.

"Nice place" I said.

He chuckled and then said, "Thank you Edward, you can come here anytime you need to."

"Um, thanks. I think." I said, looking at him like I thought he was crazy.

I mean, who the hell would want to deal with a kid like me? I was a freak. I preferred to hurt myself than to get to know others. I'd purposely fall and break something, because it seemed that pain was better than dealing with my 'home' issues.

It was my escape.

Then he started driving again. Where the fuck is he taking me? I asked myself with shaking hands.

After what seemed like a two hour drive, we got to what looked like a dilapidated building.

"You live here too?" I asked confused.

He looked at me and said, "No, this is more of an office to me."

An office, what the hell?

He opened the door and ushered me in, and I got a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Aro had turned his back to me to close the door, and I contemplated getting the hell out of there.

I closed my eyes for some reason, to await the inevitable.

"Edward?" Aro's voice asked.

"What?" I asked between clenched teeth.

My mind had immediately gone to the most obvious of situations for me.

"Why do you tense whenever someone speaks to you?" he asked, but his tone let me think he already knew.

Shit! He noticed.

He sat back and waited patiently, as if he knew I would tell him.

I sighed. The shit was about to hit the fan.

"Cuz I've been through a lot of shit," I said, and let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

He got this look of pity in his eye, and it made me see red. "Don't feel sorry for me!" I yelled.

He held up his hands in surrender. "I apologize. I did not mean for it to come across that way. It's just that, I know what you must be going through."

Still angry I spit out, "How could you possibly know what I'm going through? You know shit about me or my life!"

Completely shocking me he asked, "When did it start?"

"When did what start?" I asked, turning away from him.

"Your hobby," he said, in a voice that told me he knew more about it than he led on.

I blew out a deep breath. "Why do you want to know?"

"Because like I've already told you, I want to help you," he said decidedly.

I shook my head and laughed sarcastically, "You couldn't handle it old man."

"You think so?" he asked, looking as if he liked a challenge.

"I know so," I tested.

"Try me," he said and gestured for me to sit in one of the chairs in the room.

"You asked for it," I said, bluffing to see if he would back down.

A cold sensation ran down my spine when I saw that he wouldn't. Shit!

I remember telling him everything then, sounding like a pussy in my opinion.

I never thought I'd tell this to anyone, give me a break.

I told him how my parents treated me, how my father would beat me while my mother lay on the couch, a worthless drunk. It was as if once the flood gates were opened, there was no stopping it.

He sat across from me, listening intently. Never interrupting, never reacting.

It was like he'd heard this all before… Nah!

He's probably just waiting to get the full story so then he can call the cops on me.

I noticed his breathing was calm, as if not even affected by what I just confessed.

When the silence began to get awkward, I rose from the chair. "I'd better go." I said, but then he grabbed my arm, so I stopped.

As I was backing away, I came up against a wall of skin.

"Hello." Said the wall of muscle in front of me, "Name's Felix" he said, tilting his head up. I felt like I'd swallowed bricks.

"Hey." I said, trying to sound normal, and failing.

"Ahh Felix, my brother, you've come at a good time. This is Edward. Edward, Felix." Aro said smiling.

"Well, hello there Ed", he said in a seemingly pleasant voice.

I caught his look to Aro, and Aro's nodding response. "Welcome to the family." Felix said with a knowing grin.