Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight

Chapter 5

I went back into the locker rooms to change and when I came out Alice and Emmett were waiting for me. I didn't know why, so I just walked along while they followed. I walked to my locker and grabbed my board, carrying it outside. They were still following me. Before I got on my board Alice asked "Hey Bella, do you wanna come over and hang out today? We'll drive you home when you need to go. " she said. I contemplated for a moment. I didn't have work today, and Charlie wouldn't be home until eight tonight, since its Tuesday, which meant I wouldn't have to get home until seven. It was 2:30 now. Plenty of time.

"Sure Alice, I'd love too" I told her. She squealed loudly and started bouncing and talking, constantly talking. Its like she had no energy limit. Bouncing around me in circles and talking at high speed about makeovers and fashion. I couldn't tune her out because she was right in my ear. I sighed and walked behind Emmett to the shiny silver Volvo and the red M3. I glanced at the Volvo for a moment but then I was looking at the M3.

I liked M3s, they were nice cars. I stroked my hand on the hood of the car and walked around it once, looking at all the visible details and studying the car, estimating its stats. I smiled at the thought of riding in it. Rosalie seemed to notice my distraction and smiled.

"How do you like my car Bella?" she asked me while she stroked the hood of the shiny red M3. I was shocked; I didn't realize this was Rosalie's car, though now once I compared the two, I could understand why she chose it. It had the nice color of rose red, perfect for her name, and it was sleek and beautiful. It showed her personality and was something she could easily say "mine" to and get away with it. It wasn't hard to imagine Rosalie driving this car down a sunny highway with her golden hair flying out the window.

"It's beautiful. A red M3 convertible with a nice interior and I'm expecting a killer engine, probably with double headers, am I right? "I asked complimenting her.

She nodded. "That's right. Double headers and wow does my baby purr. "She rubbed the hood again, admiring her baby like there was nothing else in the world. I chuckled quietly at the sight. It's not every day you got to see someone like Rosalie totally out of the blue with her car. I shook my head slightly to rid myself of the picture implanting itself in my head, of me stroking the car I wanted. A black solstice convertible; the perfect car for me. One of those cars that say "Catch me if you can".

I grinned slightly but I don't think the others noticed. After a minute or two Rosalie came out of her reverie and hopped in. She waved her hand at me for me to sit next to her, and I practically melted. Rosalie was asking me to ride in her shiny red M3 convertible. I just about died, and hopped in gratefully and gracefully. Alice hopped in the backseat, obviously excited that we were heading home so she could play Bella Barbie or something with me. I didn't care, I just wanted to ride in the car. Something told me I was going to like Rosalie more than I'd like Alice, but only by a smidge.

As we were pulling out Rosalie shouted to the guys "See you at home boys! " and she sped off. It was thrilling, the speed she was going at. She had her radio turned up and she was practically flying through the streets. The car had no problem with the sharp corners and blind spots in the forks neighborhoods, and zoomed along as if there wasn't any possibility of a crash or collision. Why couldn't I experience this more often? Why couldn't I ever even get to see cars like this? Much less ride in one. Why couldn't I get out and make great friends like Alice and Rosalie and Emmett? I already knew the answer. Charlie.

Charlie was just so damn set on me not having any friends, on no body even having the possibility of finding out. He didn't care about me, hell he didn't care about anything besides himself. I can see the difference in his behavior around me and around every one else. To anyone else you'll see him as the most helpful, brave, and kind man in town. The one who goes out of his way to protect and help people. And then when he comes home its like a light bulb being turned off; the once sunny side of Charlie was gone, and in its place stood the deep darkness.

I just didn't understand it. Why was Charlie always like this to me? Why couldn't I be his little princess growing up like every other girl in the world? Why did I have to suffer?

I had no answer, so I just let that thought hang in my mind for a little while. Trying to figure it out. I barely noticed when the car turned down a side road towards some of the bigger, more beautiful houses. The bigger and nicer the houses got the more spread apart they became, until each house's driveway seemed like its own personal street. Rosalie turned down a mostly hidden side-road that went through the woods, though it seemed as if someone had hand created the pathway, because all the tops of the trees were bent over to make arches all the way down the driveway. Suddenly I could see more light up ahead as we came out of the cover of the shady trees and into a meadow.

The meadow was a gorgeous place, and had the biggest and most beautiful house for probably miles upon miles around. Rosalie stopped the car in front of the front porch and turned off the engine, and everybody filed out. Right about then the shiny silver Volvo came flying around the corner and stopped beside Rosalie's convertible. I turned my attention back to the gorgeous house in front of me. This house looked like it had been built by superior architects, not by some home building company. I whistled quietly. Dang.

The front porch itself was almost as big as my room. It was a wrap-around porch, so it went half way around the house. It was a nice, clean beige. The railing was nicely curved and it looked exquisite. The porch wood itself was also beige, and looked like it hadn't had a single foot step on it. Very nice.

The house was three stories high, and seemed to be attracting what sunlight it could from the dark, cloudy sky. The house was white and had a much more welcoming shade than the porch did for some reason. The driveway ran by the house and around the back; from where I was standing I could barely see the edge of the garage, but I was guessing it was huge too.

I pulled my attention back to the front of the house. It had a double-door with somewhat see-through glass on it, with some beige wood on the actual carvings. The white, beige, and glass mixed together nicely. Alice bounded up the steps and opened the door without hesitation. The inside was even more amazing. The walls and carpets were all various shades of white, which seemed to make the room brighten up. The room could have at one time been several small rooms, and was now the way it was after some walls were knocked down. The back wall was made entirely of glass, where it overlooked the most beautiful backyard and garden. Beyond the garden was a small river and the ever-present forests looming ahead.

The furniture in the room was also white, and there was a dark oak coffee table sitting in front of one of the couches in the living room. In the living room there were two couches and a pair of comfy looking chairs. Against the wall was an expensive looking flat screen TV, which was huge anyways, sitting on top of a dark oak entertainment center. Through the see-through cupboards on the entertainment center I could see a million movies and games. On the side of the TV was a Wii, Gamecube, and Xbox. A solid oak staircase was right in front of the door, leading up to the other floors I presumed.

There was also a beautiful black piano on a raised level near the back of the room. The ivory keys looked so smooth; I longed to reach out and touch them. To the far right of the grand piano was an open doorway that led to the kitchen, which looked warm and inviting. I fell in love with the house immediately. It was so beautiful and exquisite.

Everyone else had filed into the room and were settling into what I presumed to be their usual routines. Emmett and Jasper went to pull out the Xbox and begin a game. Alice and Rosalie sat on one of the couches watching the boys play and were gossiping; I smiled at them. They were the average teenage girls, only they were kinder.

Edward walked over to the grand piano and began playing. I walked quietly over towards him as he played; it was beautiful and I recognized the song immediately. River Flows in You by Yiruma. I loved that song, it always made me feel peaceful. Edward glanced at me as he continued playing and I leaned on the piano.

When he finished I smiled at him and he smiled stunningly in response. "That was beautiful" I told him. He got up from the bench and motioned me towards the keys. I nodded my head in thanks to him and sat down and rubbed the ivory keys for a moment; getting used to the feel. I took a deep breath and thought over the list of my favorite piano songs in my head. I choose one of my own compositions; The Heart of the Broken Revives.

It was about my life actually, about how my heart was so broken and how I was in so much pain and was treated so horribly, it always gave me a slight feeling of dread but, obviously, familiarity. Later on in the song it began to lighten up, like saying "this isn't so bad, things can always get better if you really try". And that was true, things always did get a little better. Near the end it lightened into a mood of happiness and rejoice-fullness, feeling grateful for how things can turn out, about how even when all seems lost, there's always hope. And if given the chance to grow, it could become a reality. I always dreamed about that. Hoping it would one day come true. No one said when that day would come, so I waited for it patiently and painfully, but I was still lucky. I was alive.

I began my song, weaving my way through the complicated and sorrowful melody. I played better than Edward, I already knew that much. I was paying very little attention to the music, it wasn't necessary anymore. I knew this by heart so much, I didn't even have to think about it; I just played and let my thoughts find me. I heard the Xbox get paused and muted and could here the slide of fabric against fabric as the girls got off the couch and the boys got off the floor. I listened to their every step as they walked over towards the piano.

I vaguely heard the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs and stopping at the foot. I continued to play; it wasn't a short song to say in the least.

I made my way through the depressing melody and I could tell it put the others down too, but I continued to play. I heard little Alice sniffle and the room was silent except for my playing. My melody was getting lighter, like the light at the end of the tunnel was growing; getting easier to see. Becoming real; not a hallucination after all. The melody began to have hope and thoughtfulness, strength and an attitude that says "its almost over, and you can make it. Its right ahead".

I neared the end of the song, ending the last few notes with their beautiful beats of hope. As the last note echoed around the room, all became silent. Edward began clapping, and Alice and Emmett began to join in. Soon all of them were clapping. I looked up from the keys to see Alice and Rosalie's faces full of tears. Edward looked practically heartbroken.

I turned my attention to the base of the stairs, where I had heard someone stop while I was playing. Standing there was a slightly plump woman with caramel colored hair and warm brown eyes. She was wearing some dark beige capri's and a white polo shirt. She also had on some dark beige sandals and a warm smile. She walked over to me and I stuck out my hand; she shook it, introducing herself.

"Hello, I'm Esme Cullen. Edward, Alice, and Emmett are my children and Rosalie and Jasper are my niece and nephew. And you are? "she asked.

"Bella Swan, its very nice to meet you. You have a beautiful house by the way; I love it"I told her. She smiled and thanked me, asking if I was hungry. I politely declined; I wasn't usually very hungry nowadays. I turned my attention back to the others as Esme went into the kitchen. Alice and Rosalie still looked teary-eyes but yet happy at the same time. Emmett was grinning and Jasper seemed to approve of the song. Edward looked less sad than he used to, but still a little weary. He motioned for me to sit at the piano again and play another song. I guessed they had enough sad music for one day, so I decided I'd play a rather cheery song of mine; Rambling Paths.

This song was focused more on dreams than reality. Of how nice life could be and how wonderful the world is, even though I can't see it yet. It was the song I always used to brighten up my day and get me into the groove of things. It was to tell me that even though things look dark, there's always a part of you that can shed some light on the world, a dream that lurks in your mind with the brightest and happiest of feelings.

It had such an open and beautiful feeling to it, like skipping through a field of wildflowers, watching children play on the swings in the park. It was so peaceful and beautiful; it was happy. I hadn't written this song, a man named Mark Salona, an amazing pianist, had. I didn't write it, but I memorized it. It was amazing. When I had finished playing, clapping followed.

Alice had tears in her eyes again, but only slightly. Tears of joy. I stood up and bowed dramatically, everyone laughed. Emmett's booming laugh could be heard echoing throughout the house. I had to join in; it was fun. Carefree and happy. Something I had never fully experienced before.