Thank you to all those who are still reading this. Its been a while since I've posted anything. I really have high hopes for this story, so please keep on reading and recommending it people! Here is chapter three.
I do not own Twilight.
Chapter Three
Light Upon The Truth
The gray light illuminated the stretch of highway in a ghastly glow as she drove down the slick road. It was well into the evening, and she had only stopped once for gas and a quick meal of soda and chips. Her overnight bag was safely tucked away in the passenger seat as she went on with her journey.
The familiar sights and sounds of her hometown of Forks, Washington rushed past her as she crawled through each landmark of her life. She saw with some relief that almost everything remained intact, just as it had for years. The sense of comfort she felt as same back to her childhood home was incredible. The green of the forest was comforting, and the soothing strains of Debussy helped relieve her tension.
What would have been a soothing trip turned into a self imposed torture. She was reeling. Truly, what had gotten into her? She couldn't stop the mental assault of repercussions as the previous night replayed itself like a movie clip in her brain. She didn't know why she had accepted the ride from the stranger, and she could not for the life of her understand the surge of emotions she felt when she recalled his face. It was all making her dizzy. Which, in retrospect, might not have been the best of ideas while driving, she told herself.
Young, gullible girls did not accept rides from random, albeit gorgeous, guys. What if he hadn't been the perfect gentleman? What if he hadn't respected her and simply asked questions about herself?
Bella wished she could just forget the stupid, irresponsible, wonderful mistake she had made last night when she accepted the car ride from the beautiful guy named Edward. She desperately hoped she could wipe that flawless face from her memory. She wished she hadn't met the man at all.
But she knew that she was lying to herself. Edward had turned out to be interesting, and had a sad edge in his deep emerald eyes she understood all too well. Maybe he had gone through something bad like she had. Bella shook her head. Maybe the edge was nothing more than pity for her.
Bella sighed, well aware that she was bound to crash her ancient red truck into a tree if she didn't pull her head from the gray cloud it was in. She ran a cold hand though her unkept hair as her truck struggled to make its way to her uncle's home. Her old home.
Her mind relaxed and once clear of green eyed, copper haired strangers, Bella eased her death grip on her steering wheel as she urged along her red tank home.
***
Her uncle was home. It was a shock to see his sleek, black Mercedes in the driveway, looking out of place in the greenery it was surrounded by. Bella immediately felt the tension creep back as it stiffened her limbs. This was not going to go over very smoothly.
She parked next to the Mercedes, acutely feeling the shabbiness of her vehicle as she strode apprehensively towards the colossal oak door. She remembered when Uncle James had the entire house remodeled, claiming that it would be better for his niece if she didn't have any reminders of the place where her parents had been brutally murdered. Bella thought he just wanted to build a house with his specifications in spite the fact that she became the rightful owner of the house as soon as she turned eighteen.
He practically dismantled the previous structure and had a grandiose mansion built in its place. It was an imposing midnight blue building with white trimming, enormous bay windows and manicured lawns. Uncle James had managed to turn the previously middle class, humble adobe of Bella's childhood into a display of wealth and power. Good thing that it was a very expansive piece of land. She tried very hard to suppress the flare of resentment that this thought ignited within her.
She rang the doorbell, well aware that Aunt Victoria would be furious is she so much as touched the expensive door. Bella thought it was silly to ask people to ring the bell instead of knocking on the door. Then again, Bella thought a lot of the things her aunt did were silly and superficial.
Thirty seconds passed before she heard the click of locks being turned. Twenty seconds later, the heavy door was slowly being opened by a small, plump maid. Bella smiled as she saw Greta struggle with the weighty piece of wood.
"Welcome, Miss Isabella. Mister James is in his study waiting for you." She greeted formally as Bella wrapped her arms around the grinning maid.
"Enough with the 'Miss Isabella' crap, Gretty. I missed you." Bella said as Greta smiled at her brightly. Greta was like a second mother to Bella. She had come to work for the "family" as soon as the new house had been complete. Her whitening ashy brown hair was pulled back in a bun and her dark blue eyes sparked with mirth and kindness. It had just about broken Greta's heart when she heard the terrible story of Bella's circumstances all those years ago, and had taken it upon herself to fill the role of mother to the orphaned child.
"I wished you came to visit more often, honey. The house is so lonely without you. I have to stand that spitfire your uncle calls a wife all by myself. Both of them are waiting to burn you." She whispered conspiratorially to the blushing Bella.
"I know. I better go see what they want. I just hope it isn't another business errand." Bella murmured darkly as she began to climb the marble staircase. Greta nodded her head demurely, an unspeakable rage boiling in her.
That monster she called her boss was a corrupt son of a bitch. He used his poor niece in his crooked business, uncaring for her and her safety. She prayed that he wasn't sending her off on some dangerous mission as her unofficial daughter disappeared from her view.
Bella had gotten over the fact that her only uncle used her for illegal business long ago. She figured it was the least she could do to repay him all those years of care he had provided, unpleasant as the work was. She never got to do those deals often, but when she did it left her shaken to her very core.
Bella stopped in front of her uncle's study. Chopin was playing, which he did every time he had important business to discuss with Bella. Fear made her hand shake as she turned to brass handle.
The study was cold and austere, the harsh lights blazing and illuminating her Uncle James in sharp shadows. He had the room decorated in dark, cool tones, ranging from midnight black to steely grey. Thick books lined the shelves behind him and state-of-the-art technology sat on his desk. Yet nothing was more icy than the man itself. Sitting on a plush black leather chair.
Uncle James was an attractive man in a harsh way. His face was all sharp angles and shadows, with deep, sunken grey eyes. His blonde hair was neatly brushed back, and his al black ensemble highlighted the fairness of his skin. All in all, he was creepy.
"I see you made it home without incident Isabella. Please have a seat." He politely requested, motioning for her to sit down.
Ignoring his barb, she wearily sat across from him, carefully wiping any trace of fear from her face.
"What is so urgent Uncle James? Is something wrong with your business?" She asked bluntly, a bitter edge near the end.
He smirked. He knew what she was referring to. "No, I'm afraid everything is going splendidly at the moment. But there is another matter I wanted to talk to you about."
He unfolded himself from his chair, walking languidly to her side. He looked like a lion stalking his prey. He sat down on the edge of his desk, folded his arms across his chest and looked at her with calculated measure.
"I hope you recall my hiring a private investigator in the matter of your parent's death. The case was never solved, and I simply could not stand by and let the murder of my dear sister Renee go without punishment." He explained, trying to jog Bella's memory.
Recognition flickered across her eyes.
"I see you remember. Good, because he has some rather astounding news for me." He drawled, reaching across his desk to fetch a manila folder. It had no marks or indications of what it might be.
"What does this have to do with anything?" Bella asked, shifting in her seat.
"It has to do with everything, my dear. You see, he believes he has enough evidence to pinpoint the murderer. He knows who killed your parents, Isabella."
James let the new sunk in his "niece's" brain as he mentally applauded his handiwork. The girl was gullible, but he didn't really hold that against her; she had been but a four when her parents died. Not only that, but he couldn't deny that all those lessons he had taught her made her an effective dealer in his business.
The news from the investigator had surprised him also; it had not taken nearly as long as he though it would for the fool he hired to find the man responsible. It made him happy thinking of Bella's face when he had told her the news.
Meanwhile Bella sat unaware of her uncle's thoughts as they flitted across his face. She hadn't thought this day would come; it was almost frightening to think it true. How many days had she wished that she could know who had taken her parents from her so suddenly so that she could extract her revenge? She couldn't think of anything but the nights when Greta held her as she cried when the nightmares became too much and having no Renee or Charlie there with her in those big moments of her life.
"Who was it? Tell me who murdered my parents." She asked, a deadly monotone lacing her every word.
"I have all the information you need here." He said as he handed her the manila folder.
She opened it and was greeted by a stunningly handsome face. The man was smiling in the picture, his bright blue eyes twinkling and his blonde hair waving appealingly. The image was not the one Bella reconciled with that of a murderer.
"His name is Carlisle Cullen. He owns a highly successful and very prestigious pharmaceutical company called Double Helix. He has a wife and a son, none of which a depicted in the file, unfortunately." James added as Bella stared into the eyes of the murderer.
"He was working on a potentially harmful project when your father accidentally discovered he was dealing with Communist countries and illegal groups. He was creating something that would have posed a serious threat to the world.
"But Charlie came across one of his cronies when he pulled them over for speeding. He searched the car and found formulas he immediately became suspicious about. He gave them the ticket, but decided to keep the papers to send into the labs in Seattle. When he asked around, one of the scientists there told him he had a formula for a very deadly concoction that would kill many if it fell in the wrong hands.
"Carlisle was furious when he found out that his precious formula was gone. So he sent out a hit man to dispose of your father and his entire family. It was imperative for him to maintain his white hat and get rid of anyone who knew even one detail of his plans."
He sighed, shaking his head as he remembered the past.
"The hit man killed your parents, but you were miraculously spared. If he had found you, I am sure that he would have shot you too. He never found the papers Charlie must have burned, and so Carlisle gave up his deals. So there you have it Bella. There is the man that took everything from you." James whispered as Bella sat transfixed on her seat.
It all made ridiculous sense now. She must have remembered wrong, after all she had been four when the traumatic ordeal had occurred. Her father had done nothing wrong. He saved millions with his discovery and she was going to get back at the bastard that had done this to them. Carlisle Cullen.
"What are you going to do then? How are you going to punish him?" Bella whispered, almost afraid to break the spell he had cast with his story.
"It's quite simple, darling; we are going to take away from him what he loves most. His only son, whose name I can't exactly recall at the moment. We will take from him what he loves most, just as he did to you. You will seduce that boy, and I will take care of the rest." James answered, saying it like it were nothing more than a weekend vacation.
"What do you mean, seduce him? How old is he?" She asked.
"Well, he is but a few months older than you, I think. Being the pretty girl you are, it shouldn't be much of a problem for you." James answered, running a freezing cold finger down her cheek.
She stood up abruptly and raced out the door, a red haze clouding her vision as she sought out Greta. She flew down the stairs and rushed into the kitchen, watching her stirring a cup of tea as she breathed heavily. Tears were already staining her face.
"What happened, honey? Why are you crying? Did that snake do something to you in there?" Greta asked as she sat Bella on a stool.
"No, its nothing like that Gretty. He… he knows who killed my parents. He knows." She choked out, gasping for breath as she clung to Greta like a preserver.
"Well, that's good to know honey, now you can lock that man up and do your parents right after all these years." The maid assured Bella as she poured another steaming cup of tea for the shaking girl.
"No, Greta. That bastard has to pay for what he did, but not before I've had my turn. He took away from me everything I loved, and he can't just go to jail." She spat vehemently. The red haze was returning, her urge to hurt something growing as she thought about that man. Carlisle Cullen.
"That won't help you in the least, Bella. You know that. Just let the law do what it's supposed to do." Greta pleaded with her. It was a lost fight.
"No! I have to do this; even if it kills me. I'll make Carlisle Cullen pay for all the pain he caused." Bella swore, conviction in her every word.
Uncle James' plan sounded more and more appealing to her the more she thought about it in her frenzied state. Yes, it was a good plan.
Carlisle Cullen would regret the day he ordered the murder of Charles and Renee Swan.
Seriously big chapter for this story people! It sets everything in motion for the rest of the plot. Keep reviewing and I'll keep on writing!
*Featherwing*