Disclamer: Yeah, we all hate this part. I don't own Twilight.
All that's left in this brave new world,
Is ticking clocks and dancing girls,
And broken hearts to shut it all out.
Take some time in life to see,
The point of view from on your knees.
Electric hearts will play a song you've heard a thousand times,
A thousand times.
- Hedley 'Brave New World'
Edward sat in the seat of the plane, nervous at his arrival. The window beside him was beaming with sunlight, and he could already see the tall skyscrapers of New York.
The seat he sat on was rather padded and comfortable. Although there was only him and fifteen other passengers on the plane, Edward took in the lack of social comfort like an embrace. The loud whirl of the propellers was enough to distract him as he tried to count the whirls by minute. He found out quickly that it was nearly impossible. But with the short, but gradual hour and a half wait of the plane's landing, it was the only thing that kept Edward occupied.
A man that sat in the next aisle beside Edward looked at his watch impatiently, and tapped his foot with annoyance. Edward scowled at the man's edginess towards the plane ride; it was a luxury that not many could afford, and Edward was almost positive that this would be one of his many treasured plane rides, if not his only one.
"Ladies and gentlemen," said a blonde flight attendant from the front. "We will be landing in just ten minutes. Please refrain from getting up or using the restroom, and make sure that your seatbelt is properly fastened over you. Thank you, and enjoy the rest of your flight." Edward hid a smile with his hand at the tone of her voice; so robotic, and yet he understood that she must have said it dozen's of times. He ignored her for the rest of the trip, and lavished in the last few moments of his plane ride. He felt every bone in his body jump when they landed, and heard the ringing in his ears when the propellers died down. It wasn't long before he was climbing down a ladder with his luggage and small bags and got his first real look at New York City.
It was early evening, and the sun was just setting with the streetlights turning on to the faintest of a dim. Car's hurried up and down the long streets while people moved in between them and rushed to wherever they were needed. All Edward could do was stare in awe; this was nothing compared to Chicago! It was like the city never grew quiet, never shut down for a second! Constantly moving and never stopping… did these people ever actually return to their homes at the end of the day? It was a question that Edward had yet to find the answer to.
"Sir," said a tiny voice. "Are you alright?" Edward snapped his head quickly to the side, becoming defensive instantly. A petite girl stood before him, shoulders back and chin high with pride. She looked barely past thirteen, with black shadows circled under her eyes and her skin a sick, pasty color. Pity swelled in his heart at the sight of her, and he wondered where her parents were.
"Of course. Why do you ask?" inquired Edward, eager to get any information out of the child.
"You look a bit lost." She said, shrugging her shoulders slightly. She had already missed her opportunity and needed to keep the conversation short and quick.
"Just thinking about where to stay." He lied, instantly gripping his suitcases tighter as the little girl's gaze drifted over them.
"The Benjamin Hotel is over on East 50th Street. It's nice." She said, turning away from him with another look at the wallet in his pocket, before walking away.
"Miss," called Edward, walking quickly up to her and placing a hand on her shoulder. She spun around with fiery eyes at his persistence to talk to her, and scowled.
"What?" she snapped, all innocence fading away and replaced by flaming malice.
"Where are your parents? You shouldn't be wandering around alone." said Edward, his own eyes narrowing at her rudeness. She shoved her shoulder back to release the grip he had on her, and stomped off with one last word.
"Up." called the girl, disappearing around a nearby corner before Edward could respond. The realization hit him only too soon, and he shook his head with sympathy at the young girl's misfortune. He raised a hand towards the street, and hailed a cab to take him to The Benjamin Hotel.
Bella was standing in front of the Vivian Beaumont Theatre with at least four dozen other girls and boys. It was early in the morning, and the theatre hadn't opened up yet. In another five minutes, all of them would be rushing in to audition for the remake of the 1943 'Oklahoma!' musical production. She nervously bit her lip, and looked down at her small, black Mary Jane's.
I knew I should have worn my Hush Puppies; of course everyone else is wearing them. I must look like such a fream, thought Bella. That day she had chosen to wear a light blue pleated skirt with a white scoop neck blouse. To shield her from the cold, she had also brought her dark blue three quarter inch sleeve jacket that she had buttoned up. Makeup was never a necessity in her eyes, but because it was such an important day for her, she had decided to put on the smidges of mascara and light pink lipstick. Heaven forbid that she needed blush; she did enough of it on her own time. Almost all of the girl's near her had there hair cut short; it almost made her look ugly as Bella stood there with her long, wavy mahogany hair.
"Ladies, gentlemen," came a voice, and all of their heads instantly swerved to the front to see an elderly man holding open the door to the theatre. "The big audition, I'm assuming?" The small crowd ignored the man, and pushed past him to get inside. Bella fumbled with her footing as young adults pushed by her eagerly to get inside, eager to audition first and be compared to the ones that followed. A force on her side pushed her away, and she stumbled to the ground without another moment's hesitation. Embarrassed and cheeks red as tomatoes, Bella got up as fast as she could in heels and hurried inside.
"You alright, miss?" called the man that had held the door open as she quickly moved by.
"Fine!" she yelled back before tucking her hair behind her ears and entering the amphitheatre. Bella gasped at the sight, and raised a hand to her mouth. Dozens, hundreds of seats formed around the red thrust stage in a circular movement, the lights above shining almost as brightly as the city's own lights. High above the seats were large stained glass windows, with painted pictures of famous paintings. She could only recognize a few of them, and it was those that captured her attention the most…
'Irises' by Van Gogh…
'Starry Night' by Van Gogh…
'Girl with a Pearl Earring' by Jan Vermeer…
'The Lady of Shallot' by John William Waterhouse…
And so much more than she could have imagined. She pondered the thought on who could have stained the windows. To get such great detail, such close similarities to the replica… it was extraordinary.
"Alright!" came a loud voice. In the middle of the stage with his hands on his hips stood a man with short black hair, and grey bleak eyes that looked too sunk in to be natural. He stood tall in his black shiny dress shoes, looking at all of them like they were rabid dogs. His nose wrinkled up as if one of them smelled, and he clasped his hands together in a cold, welcoming gesture. "I am delighted to see all of you young folks so eager to try out for 'Oklahoma!'" Some were already giving the man warm smiles and cheery waves, motions that were clearly made to kiss his ass. Others were not so welcoming and were tapping their feet impatiently and narrowing their eyes with a look that said 'get on with it'. Meanwhile, Bella just stood there with a nervous look on her face and her head down. First audition, first time jitters, and first time for being clueless. It was all to be expected of course, but she couldn't help but feel mortified.
"My name is Aro Volturi. I will not respond by simply Aro. You may all call me Mr. Volturi." He said, his eyes searching them all warily for any signs of distress at his cool demeanor. Bella's nose twitched as her memory screamed at her, claiming to have seen that name before somewhere. "I am going to be your director."
Bingo. And with the first hit of realization on who he was, Bella's heart sunk.
This better just be an act for today, because I am not playing to abide to this guy's attitude the entire time…thought Bella with anger, her tiny fists clenching at her sides.
"Girl's to the right, boys to the left. You will tell me and two others your preferred part, sing a part of a song from the play, read a few lines, and then leave. Posting's will be up tomorrow and if you don't make it, well," said Aro, a small smile turning his lips up. "There's always backstage work that needs to be done for the thrown rookies." Bella mentally shuddered at the thought. It was always considered a disgrace to be demoted down to work behind the curtain.
The group quickly filed into two lines, all of them going over their lines mentally and practicing their high notes. It was quite obvious that every girl was there for the part of Laurey, the lead. Bella had a hunch that most of the girl's would be singing the number one song from the play 'Oh, What A Beautiful Morning' but Bella had rehearsed 'Many A New Day' so many times that it was too late to change her mind now.
"Name?" barked Aro, sitting in one of the front row theatre seats with two other people. One looked like a tall, blonde man whose hair was greased to its absolute limit, and wore a faded black jacket. Greaser. The highest and the lowest of society. Beside him was another tall person, this time a woman with fiery long red hair that matched her green, cat like eyes. Her hair was so curly, and so untamed, it was a wonder how she walked down the street without a single comment. Makeup scorched every inch of her face, the white color of a shade of blush parching her skin to a color of snow.
"Anita, sir." squeaked the girl that had moved to the center of the stage. Aro raised an eyebrow and the girl with red hair sighed in boredom.
"Mr. Volturi." said Aro through clenched teeth, gripping his pencil tightly to avoid an outburst. The young girl's eyes filled with shiny tears, but she quickly blinked them away to evade any signs of weakness.
"Sorry," she apologized quickly, and started to audition.
To say that she was terrible would be an underestimate. But Bella couldn't help but feel bad for the poor girl that had burst into tears as soon as Aro cruelly rejected her.
The men and the women moved forward quicker than Bella could count. She was at the end of the line, and had expected it to be a long wait. An hour passed, only it felt like mere minutes to Bella.
"Next," called Aro, looking down at his notes with a frown. It took only a second before Bella realized that there was no one in front of her and that it was her turn. Taking a deep breath, she slowly made her way up to the stage and took a front and center position, directly facing the three of them. Aro wasn't looking at her, whereas the blonde man was observing her with curious eyes as if he had never seen someone like her before… and the redhead just tapped her fingers and looked at the watch on her wrist.
"Name?" asked Aro, finally meeting her eyes. His ice eyes seemed to look right through her, but Bella didn't let his first impression get her down.
"Bella Swan." She said, swallowing the lump that had formed in her front.
"Middle name?" asked Aro again, causing Bella to look at him with questions in her eyes. He hadn't asked anyone else for their middle name… why her?
"Uh, Marie… Mr. Volturi." Responded Bella, being sure to address him in the correct way.
"Bella Marie," he murmured, writing it down before him. "Go on. You're the last one and we don't have all day."
"Okay," said Bella, pulling back her shoulders and looking around into the theatre seats as if there really were people there. As if hundreds of men and women had come to see her sing, dance, and act. "This is 'Many A New Day'."
C'mon Bella, pull it together…she thought, and began to sing.
'Many a new face will please my eye
Many a new love will find me
Never have I once looked back to sigh
Over the romance behind me
Many a new day will dawn before I do!
Many a like lad may kiss and fly
A kiss gone by is bygone.
Never have I asked an August sky
"Where has last July gone?"
Never have I wandered through the rye
Wondering "where has some guy gone?"
Many a new day will dawn before I do'
She finished with a quick inhale of breath, and read the passage she had chosen quickly and thoroughly, pouring her heart out into it.
Not a word was spoken for a moment, and for that split second, Bella wondered if she had failed.
"Very good, Bella." said the redhead, speaking for the first time out of the whole day. "The postings will be up tomorrow at the crack of dawn. You may go now." Stunned and hurt at how brief she had been, Bella walked out of the Vivian Beaumont Theatre with her head hung low in disappointment, and wondered if coming to New York City in the first place had been a mistake. She walked down 65th West Street, and pondered her life now, and her life in the past.
November 26
th 1950They were moving again. Bella had lost count by now at how many times they had loaded up their 1940 Ford Pickup, but she was almost positive that her and her mother, Renee, could do the routine in their sleep. Dayton, Ohio was where they were passing through as of now; they were moving across the country to a small town named Forks, a place where it rained more than it shined.
"Charlie, are your knickers in a knot?" Renee had yelled. "Your absolutely kooky to think that were driving all the way across the country!" Like always though, her father had raised his hand, and Renee had shut up quickly. Now they were moving through a blizzard that was blinding the windshield so much, it was almost impossible to see. The tires were trudging along slowly, trying desperately to push past the blankets of snow that heavily covered the roads like a barricade to stop them from leaving.
Ohio had been nice. The town of Massillon had taken the Swan's in with open arms, teaching them there love of football and blue pies. Renee had joined a book club; Bella was going to go on a date and Charlie was part of every fishing trip there was.
And then on November 25th, Renee and Bella had come home to find the suitcases out, the pickup half loaded, and Charlie with a grim look on his face. They had both even tried to stall time, saying that it was impossible to go out in the blizzard that had shut down the whole state.
"Not a time good enough, then. No one will be out on the roads." Said Charlie gruffly, his mustache twitching in annoyance at there pleas of desperation.
"We won't be able to get on the roads." muttered Renee countless times, wringing her hands together and cracking her knuckles; a habit that Bella was disgusted by and would turn her head at.
Now there they were, on the road, barely making it through while Charlie and Renee argued with Bella squashed in the middle of them.
"I told you this was a bad idea!" shrieked Rene, her hazel eyes wild with insanity as she furiously leaned across Bella's lap and pounding Charlie on the arm with her fists. "We'll never get there without getting stuck!"
"Shut up!" said Charlie, trying to keep his eyes on the road and ignore Renee's fruitless moves. The more his wife screamed, the more his knuckles turned white and his teeth clenched together.
"Dad," said Bella weakly, fear racing through her veins as she spoke. "Maybe she's right. We can't see a thing..."
"I. KNOW. WHAT. I. AM. DOING." screamed Charlie, the veins in his head pulsing with rage as he turned a sharp corner recklessly, sliding among the roads with no control.
"Charlie, look out!" shouted Renee, both her hands reaching out to point the red flash of a bulldozer's presence, only twenty meters away.
"Dad, TURN!" cried Bella, ripping her seatbelt off and leaping out of her own seat to grab the wheel. Her nails accidentally swiped Charlie's cheek as her hands came in contact with the wheel, desperately trying to control the tire's movements.
"Get down!" howled Charlie, pushing his daughter to the ground and trying to hit the brake, only to find out that it was locked. Bella banged her head against the dashboard, and fell to the floor, the darkness seeping into her slowly and painfully.
The last thing she could recall was a heavy impact, her body flying into the air and impacting with the top of the truck, and the strong windshields glass cutting into her hand.
But the thing she would never forget was her mother's cries of rage and pain as life slowly left her.
The Great Appalachian Storm of November 1950 was an extraordinarily large extra tropical cyclone that greatly affected Ohio and surrounding states. It caused significant winds, heavy rains, and major blizzard storms.
They had buried Renee in Dayton, although Bella knew her mother always wanted to be buried in her home state, Arizona. Bella got off with a crescent shaped scar on her left wrist, a result from the glass of the windshield, while her father's nose had been broken, permanently bending it to the right along with complete blindness in his right eye from the glass and shattering impact.
Bella sighed, and scratched her cheek. Charlie was still in Forks, happily working as a police officer and still enjoying local fishing trips. It had cost him nearly all his money to send his daughter to New York City, but he would have done anything to get her away from him. With Renee gone, there was no reason to keep Bella around him anymore. Without a son, all hopes of caring for a child had been flushed away instantly.
Now here she was, living the dream of the shooting star she hoped she soon would become. Oklahoma! was a major play to be in, and even if she didn't get the part of Laurey (Although she sincerely hoped she did) all would not be lost. First audition… not everyone can hit the first pitch.
But that was just her angel talking. Her devil said every nasty, brutal, and unnecessary comment she could come up with. She deserved the part; she was made for the part. Damn them all to hell if anyone else didn't see it.
A taxi cab sat straight ahead, waiting for someone to jump in and sail off. Bella smiled in relief, and her shoulder's instantly relaxed. At least now she wouldn't be wandering around the city, looking for a ride. And perhaps she could take just one cab in the whole time she was here? All the other time's she had taken the subway, but the noise of the train rattling on the tracks was too much for her to go through, even for just five minutes.
"142 West 49th Street, please." said Bella, smiling at the cab driver who nodded at her, and trudged along the streets. The silence was awkward but comfortable, probably the way it mostly was with every customer, or so Bella hoped. The urge to start a conversation nagged at her, but she shushed it away quickly. The last thing she wanted to do was set the impression that she was a big mouth.
The roads were slightly busy; nothing out of the ordinary for New York. It was early morning, and not many tended to run down these streets to rush on to work. The buildings around her were brown, black, and silver, the most traditional colors of the city. They towered and screamed towards the sky, giving the creepy appearance of elusive and distant. It was only when Bella looked down at her hands that the cab screeched to a halt, throwing Bella forward against her seatbelt. I put pressure on her throat, and for a split moment, she thought it would strangle her. The car clipped the corner of something that Bella couldn't see, and the blood in her head boiled with fear. What if they had hit a building? What if they had hit a person? The cab finally stopped, and the seatbelt relaxed against Bella.
"Dear god, man!" yelled the taxi driver, his face red and purple with rage. "Watch what your doing!" Bella fumbled with her seatbelt, and quickly pushed the button to release her from its captivity.
"What's going on? What did you do? What did you hit?" she cried, leaping out of the car and rushing to the front. There in front of her stood a man that she had never seen before, and yet she felt that she had known him from somewhere else. His hair was brown and tousled, sticking out even from under his grey hat. He was a few inches over six feet, and looked complete of muscle and strength. From his full lips was a cigarette that he casually puffed on as if nothing had happened. Smartly dress, a small smile, and eyes the shade of a green that Bella didn't know existed… this man was truly exquisite, and unique.
"By god, are you alright?" she asked; worry lines etched onto the corners of her milky brown eyes. Edward's gaze took her in, and he dropped his cigarette to the ground and stomped on it to put it out.
"'Course, dolly." said Edward, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes as Bella's face turned an angry red at the word 'dolly'.
"My name is not dolly." seethed Bella, the hatred for that nickname showing in and out. Edward shrugged casually, and leaned against a lamppost.
"Well, considering I don't know your name, I don't really have anything else to call you, now do I?" he responded, the grin on his face stretching full and proud.
How can his teeth be so white and straight? It looks absurd and completely impossible… thought Bella.
"I—I'm not going to tell my name to a complete stranger!" she said, mentally slapping herself for letting this man get to her so quickly.
"Strangers are the people that you see across the street and that you share quick looks with. People like us, on the other hand, are new acquaintances. For instance, my name is Edward. It's nice to meet you…?" He looked at her for a name, and Bella shook her head furiously in response. She crossed her arms across her chest, and stared him down.
"I only came over here to see if you were alright, and it seems that you are." She said, a strand of her hair falling from her ears and hanging casually at its side. "Although I must say that it takes someone with extreme idiocy to walk right into the path of an oncoming car. Are you blind?"
"Yes." He said solemnly, the smile from his face gone and replaced with a look of longing and sadness. Bella's arms dropped, and she raised a hand to her mouth in horror at what she had said.
"Oh my god, I'm—I am so, so sorry Edward, I didn't mean—"
"I am joking, dolly." He said, chuckling at how easily she had fallen for one of his tricks. "Sarcasm is a wonderful thing."
"An annoying thing is more genuine to its description." retorted Bella, her hands going to her hips in annoyance. "And how you dare say such an insolence thing! That's an insult to—to the community of the legally blind!"
"Relax, I'm playing around with you." said Edward, still grinning, and still looking totally at ease. Bella could almost feel the steam come out of her ears in anger, but before she could say another word, someone else spoke.
"Miss, are you going to get your butt back here so I can take you to your destination, or are you going to get another cab?" yelled the man, the rage from his face gone and replaced with ticking irritation. She spun on her heel, leaving Edward in the dust of her sudden exit.
"Hope to see you again, dolly!" he cried, waving goodbye slightly with his hand.
"I hope not!" yelled Bella back, relieved to finally be freed of the man who had caused her the most aggravation and anger she had felt since she had come to New York.
"Sorry about that." She muttered, all thoughts gone towards Edward and instantly left in the past. "Do you still remember where to go?" He rolled his eyes, and sped off without a single reply.
They came onto 49th street soon enough, and Bella quickly paid the taxi driver with one last fleeting look at her one and only drive in a taxi, despite how miserable it had been at one point.
In front of her stood a grubby looking apartment building that, yet having only been built for just over ten years, looked centuries old. It had the look of something ancient and old fashioned, with dirt pillars that ran along the sides. The front door was a fading black and slightly crooked, easy for a break in and a reason why Bella hadn't chosen the first floor. All the windows showed the same thing; a dark grey curtain that masked the entire view of the inside. It was a bought out place where tenants could rent an apartment for five dollars a month. It was in a slightly good neighborhood, Bella had a tough, strong lock on her door, and the rent could be paid with the steady job that Bella held at a nearby coffee café.
She grabbed the bronze key from her pocket, stuck it in the lock, and was welcomed home by the old, dusty smell of mould.
First of all, although the Vivian Beaumont theatre actually wasn't constructed until the 1960s, I kinda pushed the date of its construction a bit back in time. It only plays a very, very, little part in the story anyways, but I just had to clear that up.
Second, I am trying to keep things to the facts here (besides the VBT). Ex, there was a storm of 1950 called the Great Applachian Storm of November, and there was a play production of Oklahoma! in 1951. I have never been to Chicago, Seattle, Forks, or NYC. I am just taking guesses, looking at pictures, and doing ALOT of research.
Third, I'm really sorry for the long wait. I actually had three quarters of it written but I had to help with the planning of this wedding, I went on a mini vacation to one of the lakes, and I've been sick. Forgive me?
And also, thank you to all those that have favorited and reviewed, alerted, etc. It means the world to me! Your all awesome :)