This is my life
Chapter 16
CPOV:
It was the day of the trial. It had finally arrived. We have waited weeks for this. Bella would finally get the justice she deserved after all the abuse she suffered through. Edward, it's time to wake Bella. We only have to be there at a certain time I thought.
"Come on Bella it's time to wake up" I heard Edward say to a sleeping Bella.
"uhh no Edward. Let me sleep" Bella mumbles.
"Bella we have to get ready for the trail" Edward said.
"Oh, right it's today" she mumbled.
"BELLA!!!! LETS GET YOU READY!!!" Alice yelled.
"NOOO!!!! EDWARD DON'T LET HER GET ME!!!" Bella yelled.
"ALICE! LET HER DRESS HERSELF! SHE IS NOT A BABY!" Edward yelled.
"BUT NO!!!!!" Alice yelled.
"MARY ALICE BRANDON! LET HER DRESS HERSELF OR NO SHOPPING FOR A WEEK!" Esme yelled. I sighed dreamily That's my wife…God I love her I thought.
"FINE!" Alice yelled.
EPOV:
Bella got up and dressed herself in a nice white shirt, with a navy blue skirt and sweater. She looked fabulous (pic of outfit on profile). It was hard to resist her but I had to unless I wanted to ruin her clothes and make up…but I had to tell her how amazing she looked.
"Bella…you look stunning. You have no idea how hard I am trying to resist jumping you" Bella blushed a bright pink.
"Thanks I guess Edward" she said. She went back to putting on her make-up- not adding blush- and fixing her hair. Her hair was up in a side bun, completing her outfit (pic of hair style on profile). She grabbed a pair of while flats and walked downstairs with me behind her. We headed into the living room where everyone else was waiting.
"Okay are we all here? I see that we are so let's go. We have to be there at a certain time" Carlisle said. We all walked out into the garage and got into our cars. Rosalie, Emmett, Esme and Carlisle were going in the Mercedes while Bella, Alice, Jasper and I went in my Volvo.
"So Bella, are you ready for this?" Jasper asked.
"I hope so. I'm so scared right now, I don't want to face him but I know that in order to end this I will need to see him" she said.
I was so proud of her after that statement. She was willing to face her fears and stand up against someone who should have loved her like she deserved to loved, but instead beat her senselessly.
"I'm so proud of you love. You truly are an amazing person. I am so happy that I met you" I told her. She smiled and blushed a deep red.
"Well, after this trail hopefully it will be over. Then we can go shopping!" Alice yelled. I chuckled when Bella paled.
"Do we really have to go shopping?! Can't it wait until tomorrow?! I am in not good shopping clothes" She cried, panicked.
"That's why I brought you some change of clothes so you can change when we get through with the trial. It would make more sense to do that then waste gas, time and money driving home, getting changed then driving back when we could just change in the car or something then drive to the mall! It would make life so much easier" Alice rambled.
"Okay okay. We will go shopping. Just not too long because I am tired, I had the hardest time sleeping since I was so nervous" Bella said.
I shook my head. Bella can give into Alice so easily and they both know it. Alice squealed.
"Okay Jasper can you please calm you wife…like now!" I snapped. Alice was starting to annoy me! She hadn't stopped squealing since Bella said she would go shopping.
I suddenly felt the air around me go calm and peaceful…this is why I am glad that I have a brother who is an empth.
I pulled into the parking lot of the courthouse and got out, rushing over to Bella's side to open her door. She grabbed my hand and walked out, with me right behind her.
We walked into the courthouse and checked in, before going through security. After that annoying process, annoying since Emmett thought it would be fun to sallow a handful of dimes and make the security guards think that he had some type of metal on him when he didn't…he just had them in his stomach. After that ten minute fiasco we headed into the courtroom. Bella went up to sit with James while we all sat a few rows behind her.
I looked to the back when I heard the door open and saw a teenage boy with a russet skin bring in an older man in a wheelchair…and eww…he stunk, bad. We all wrinkled our noses and tried not to pass out. Bella turned her head around and saw the boy and brightened immediately. I was curious and a little jealous. Who is he and how does he know my Bella? I thought.
She got out of her seat and walked over to the boy and hugged him. I overheard them talking to each other.
"Hey Bella, how are you?" He asked concerned.
"I'm fine Jake" she said.
"Well, thank goodness. I heard what happened and freaked. Billy had to calm me down because I was so freaked out! Why didn't you tell me?" He asked.
"I couldn't talk to anybody with Charlie. He made me a prisoner in my own home! It was painful. I wanted to tell you but I couldn't!" she whispered yelled.
"Well then…what are you doing with leeches?" he asked.
"Because they helped me out and gave me a place to stay…wait…how did you know that they were…you know?" she asked.
"Because I can smell them, and I'm a werewolf so I can smell this kind of stuff. I'm not supposed to tell you but still" he said.
"Okay well I have to go sit down now, the trial is about to start. I'll see you later Jake" Bella said.
She walked back to her chair next to James and the young boy sat down to the left, a few rows back. He sat with his dad and they both were worried about how this would work out, from what I could hear from their thoughts. I just turned around and watched Bella talk to James about the case.
"Don't worry Bella, you'll do fine" he encouraged.
I could hear her heart beating erratically, from the nerves.
"I know that, I'm just scared of how he will react" she whispered.
"Don't worry Bella, there will be tons of policemen present and you will be given one or two of them to look after you. You have nothing to worry about" James reassured her.
I felt thankful. He was doing something I could not do at the present moment. I would never forget him and the kindness he has shown her.
"All rise for the honorable Judge Stephanie" the bailiff yelled.
We all stood up while she walked in and sat down.
"You may be seated" she said. I saw, as did my family, that she had topaz eyes…she was a vampire! I could hear her thoughts…they were quiet amusing actually.
Just then the jury walked in a sat down, all of them different nationalities and ages.
The side door opened and in walked Charlie, dressed in an orange jumpsuit, surrounded by guards on each side of him. Behind him were two other guards and on of them went over and stood next to Bella.
Just as Charlie was about to sit down, he turned his head towards Bella. He then procced to glare at her, all the while thinking the most horrendous thoughts I had ever heard.
That fucking bitch. As soon as I get out of jail I will personally wring her neck and kill her.
I just wanted to kill him right then and there, but I knew I couldn't because I could get put in jail and that's the last thing I needed right now.
"okay, will the defendant give his opening statement" Judge Stephanie ordered, all the while thinking Man it's good to be in charge.
James stood up "Yes your honor. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Isabella Swan. A teenager who never had a normal childhood because her father, that man over there, beat her to the point of hospitalization. All this because her could not get over the fact that their child survived while she did not. It was not her fault that her mother died, she could not control that. I hope that you all see the evilness of his way and put him away for good" James finished and sat down.
The judge turned to Charlie's lawyer, a young dark skinned man named Laurent, and said "Prosecutor, you may give your statement".
He stood up and walked in front of Charlie.
"Yes your honor. Charlie Swan is a well-respected man of Forks, he is chief of police, friend to everyone, a loyal figure to look up to. He was happily married when Bella was born. When his wife died, he did his best to make sure that his daughter was cared for. It is not his fault that Bella is too clumsy for her own good. Do not blame Charlie for something he had no control over. Today you will be shown the real Charlie Swan" He walked back to his chair and sat down.
S (Judge Stephanie) POV:
"All rise for the honorable Judge Stephanie" hey that's me! I thought.
"You may be seated" I said. It's fun to be in charge. Just as I said that the young man in the front snickered. Then he concentrated on my eyes and thought She's a vampire!
Oh shit…they know!..Wait…they are vampire's too!...What a small world.
The jury walked in and sat down, while the prosecutor walked in and sat down in his chair. Oh he is so guilty I thought. Me being a vampire I could feel people's emotions and hear their thoughts. And from what I can tell…this guy is guilty. It helped when I became a judge so I could see whether or not a person was lying.
"Will the defendant please give his opening statement" I said.
After both the defendant and the prosecution had given their statements I asked for the first witness.
"Will the defendant please bring up his first witness"
BPOV:
"I call Bella Swan to the stand" James announced.
Shit I thought.
It was the moment of truth, what happened today was what happened for the rest of my life. I can't bear to think what would happen if Charlie won.
I stood up and walked up to the witness stand. Sitting down, I was facing the audience. Edward gave me a smile, Jake gave me a smirk of encouragement. I turned to the side and saw the bailiff handing me the Bible.
"Do you swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth so help you God?" he asked. I nodded and said "I do".
He walked away with the Bible in hand and the James walked over to me.
"Miss Swan, how long has Charlie been abusing you?" he asked.
"Since I was 6 years old" I said.
"Was it just physical abuse or was there verbal as well?"
"Verbal abuse was included" I said.
"What did he say?" he asked.
"He told me that I was a mistake, that I was the reason for my mother's death, that I should be punished" I listed, starting to tear up.
"Well, can you identify him for me?" he asked. I nodded and pointed to Charlie. He nodded his thanks and continued.
"Did you do anything to provoke your dad? Wear any clothing too provocative? Say things you shouldn't have?" he asked.
"I never wore anything other than jeans, t-shirts and long sleeved night gowns. I never had enough money to buy other clothing" I said.
"Now, can you tell me what happened on the day of September 3, 2000?" James asked. (A/N: that was the day she got raped)
"It all started, when I was at Edward's house. They had just taken me in after I went to the hospital. I was upstairs resting when the windows kept opening. I thought it was the wind or something so I went to look. I opened the window and looked out, I saw nothing so I closed the window and turned around. When I turned around, my world went black. I don't know what happened after; all I remember is waking up and saw Charlie over me and he was pulling down his short" when I finished I was close to hysterics. The jury had sympathetic looks in their eyes. Charlie looked pissed, and Jake looked regretful.
"I'm through with my questioning Your Honor" James walked over and sat down.
"Laurent, your turn" Judge Stephanie said. He stood up and walked in front of me.
"Miss Swan, you say you are a major klutz am I right?" he asked.
I nodded.
"Well, how do we know if these marks are not caused by Charlie and by your own clumsiness?" He asked.
"Because I don't think that these bruises that are shaped like handprints are considered to be in that category" I said.
He glared. "Did Charlie really rape you or was it someone else?" he asked.
"It was definitely Charlie" I said.
"Well, you were poisoned, what makes you think it was Charlie?" He asked.
"Because the poison did not affect my vision. I do not think it would give me the impression that Charlie was someone else" I said. Laurent paled.
"No more questions" he said and walked away.
I got up and went to my spot next to James. He patted my shoulder and Stephanie called up the next witness…Carlisle.