Sorry I haven't updated in so long! Hope you like the story so far. Maybe if you like it enough, you can review ;)

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

Bella

"Hey Bells," Charlie said in a gruff voice, but he wasn't looking at me. He was looking at my mother, standing at my side, and there was a haunting look in his eyes. Like the ghost of a memory, coming to life. I shuddered—I shouldn't have let Renee come with me, no matter how many times she insisted. What if Charlie hurt Renee again? Could I stop it? Would she want me to?

"Mom just wanted to make sure I got here safely," I explained quickly, trying to latch onto anything that might distract him. Bad idea. He finally looked at me at the word 'safely' and glared. I felt a wall come up again, another blockage in my thoughts. I couldn't let anything slip—I had to control my thoughts so they were safe.

Charlie took a step toward me, and my breathing hitched. Too close, he was too close. Renee stood stiffly behind me but said nothing.

"Bella...why don't you get yourself settled in. Go unpack your things." It was more a demand than a suggestion, but I knew better than to disobey. Slowly I left Renee and Charlie, standing a good ten feet across from each other. I nodded at her, but she didn't acknowledge me.

What else could I do? Charlie was a cop in Forks—the head cop, I think—so what escape did I have? If I reported his abuse, he'd find a way to turn the story around. He'd find a way to hurt me, or hurt Renee for telling me. I shivered and trudged upstairs.

The ride to Forks was a long and brutal one. Renee was scared of flying, so she drove me all the way from Arizona to Washington. The whole time we sat in silence, me pretending to sleep, her glaring stonily out the window. We'd passed Seattle, where I saw two boys who looked about my age. One was burly with curly hair that was a tangled mess upon his head, and the other a lean blond with dirt on his clothes. I gasped as I realized they'd been collecting water from the streets, from the rain on the road. Could they be homeless? But then they came to our car, and I panicked. Would Renee's temper explode? If those boys said one wrong word, it just might.

"Excuse me, miss," The blond one had said. His voice sounded hoarse, like he hadn't talked in a while. The burly one was in the back, watching us with intense, lost eyes. I shuddered from the intensity of his gaze.

"Yes?" Renee had ordered impatiently. I tried to warn the boy with my eyes that they should be careful, but he wasn't looking at me.

"My name's Claude, and I'm collecting donations for Saint Jude's Children's Hospital down the street. I was wondering if you'd like to share some generosity? It goes for a very good cause."

The boy looked at me then, and I noticed how worn his face looked. He needed a good rest, which was for sure, and something else...something was missing from his eyes. I couldn't pinpoint what it was. Before I could search anymore, he looked away.

"I donated last week," Renee snapped, her nostrils flaring. I bit my lip and looked away. Renee never donated to charities, or hospitals, or any place that might require her money. She used what she had for cigarettes.

"Oh," the boy said, clearly disappointed. "Well, thank you anyway. I'm glad you found a chance to donate anyway."

He was just about to leave when I called out.

"Wait!" Wait? What are you doing? A voice screamed in my head. What happened to keeping your thoughts under control?

But he looked so sad, like he needed help. I fumbled around in my purse before handing him two crumpled twenties.

"I'd like to donate."

"Isabella! Is that my money?" Renee hissed, trying to snatch the money away. I held fast, hoping she wouldn't blow up at me in front of this stranger.

"No, Re—mom. It's mine." I said in an indifferent tone, struggling to hand the twenties to the man.

"You're not just throwing my money out like that! Give me those," her tone was ice cold. I ignored the lump in my throat as the boy took the paper.

"Thanks, ma'am." The boy said, his eyes shining in appreciation. "You have a safe drive now," he said to my mother. She spit at him and gunned the engine, cursing at me under her breath.

I was lucky—Renee didn't talk to me as we arrived in Forks. I was holding my breath, thinking she might explode with anger, but she only muttered under her breath. I didn't want to listen, so I pretended to sleep again.

Claude. What a funny name. Not funny, exactly, but...different. Something in my brain stirred—his name rang with familiarity, but I couldn't pin down what it reminded me of. Surely I'd never met anyone with that name, or I would've remembered.

I eventually did fall asleep, but somewhere between consciousness and unconsciousness, I remembered where I'd heard that name. It was Debussy's first name, one of my favorite French musicians. Renee introduced me to him when I was about six, and his compositions stayed with me.

What an odd name for someone of the twenty-first century. I wondered if it was really his name at all, or if he'd made it up, for some reason. Maybe he didn't want his real identity to be revealed.

I wondered why.

--

Edward

I woke in the middle of the night, groggy. Alice's head was on my shoulder, and she was still breathing peacefully. I didn't want to disturb her, but I had to get up, to go to the bathroom although my bladder was empty. I always went at night.

I carefully disentangled myself, gently placing her head on my sweater, which would pass as a pillow. She didn't stir from the movement, and I sighed, looking at her face. When she slept, all traces of anger and fear were gone, replaced by the old Alice. The Alice who would wake up and laugh, and smile at me with those exuberant eyes. How I missed that Alice.

I shut the door quietly and made my way to the bathroom.

I locked the door behind me, and sank down against it. This was the only time when I could escape, where I could safely trust that no one would disrupt me. I put my face in my hands.

How did my life come to this? How could one person endure so much? My brothers gone, my sister slowly disappearing into her own world, my life so chaotic and out of control I didn't know how to survive anymore. Sure, we had food to eat, and clothes to wear, but did it matter? My stomach had learned to live on carrots and slices of meat, and my clothes were simply props. I would've traded both just to have a chance at happiness again, where I could trust that everything would be okay. Even for a second, if some kind of trap door appeared and led me to my old life.

But this was hopeless. If I kept allowing myself to daydream like this, it would be that much worse when reality hit me in the face, as it always managed to do. My body shook and I realized I'd been sobbing quietly. It was the only time I could.

A knock tapped lightly on the door, and I froze. No one ever came at night. I quickly washed my face and tried smiling a few times, in case it was one of the little ones.

The knock came again, and I opened the door ever so slightly.

It was one of the little ones. It was Opal.

"Edwawd?" she asked, confused, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. I smiled, though it didn't reach my eyes. Opal always had trouble pronouncing her R's.

"Hey," I said softly. "What are you doing up so late?"

"Could ask you same thing," she yawned. I chuckled. Opal was a beautiful little girl, who'd been left on the sidewalk when she was a baby. Her blue eyes bore into mine. She had so much life in them, so much knowledge for such a young age. I wondered how much of this life she'd remember when she got older.

"Well, I was using the potty," I explained, still chuckling.

"Nuh uh," she argued, but came to hug me. I picked her up and cradled her in my arms.

"You never potty at night." My eyes widened. Opal was always so observant that way, and her insights often dug too deep.

I turned so she couldn't see my eyes.

"'Course I do. That's what the bathroom's for,"

"Edwawd?"

"Yes?"

She sighed. "I don't want you to weave."

"To weave?"

"No, to leeeeave. I want you to stay,"

I smiled at her. "I'm not going anywhere." No matter how hard I tried.

She shook her small head. "Pwomise that when you leave, you won't forget me?"

"I'd never forget you Opal, whether I was leaving or not."

She sighed in contentment. "Pwomise."

I sighed myself. "Promise."

And then I quietly brought her back to Alice's room, sleeping in my arms. Opal's perspective had been right again, seen right through me.

I had to be exceptionally careful now.

Had she always known that I went to the bathroom at night, as my only escape? Had her little eyes seen into me and known that I'd been planning to escape this place after all?

I yawned, tired myself. I'd just have to be more careful than I already was with showing any signs of weakness. Especially in front of the kids, or with Alice.

I went back to my room and looked outside the window, at the rain. It always rained in Forks, but this was more. It was a storm brewing, and I shuddered.

"Goodnight Jasper, goodnight Emmett." I whispered, my voice disappearing with the rain.

Then I settled on my mattress, pulled the blankets over my head, and fell asleep.

Next chapter Bella and Edward's worlds collide, and the story really begins! Thanks so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed.