AN:/ Now I know it's not the weekend and I won't be updating this weekend but I thought that I'd update this... It's long... the longest chapter so far actually... I just hope you all like... and sneak peek: You get to learn something about Bella's past... just some incentive to read this chapter :D :D Now onto the story! I hope I get some juicy reviews and above all I hope you ALL enjoy this chapter!
Chapter 11- Mean?
Months flew past and I rarely ate, drank or showered but I did get that cast on my hand removed and I can move it freely again. I didn't utter a sound except for when I woke up screaming because every night I relived that night and I remembered everything from the dust mites in the air to the rustic smell of her blood… their blood. I finally decided that I wouldn't stay in this room; I'm going to explore the house I'm being held in. I approached the door silently. I slowly opened it to a blinding brightness.
I waited for my eyes to adjust to the light before continuing through the house. I looked behind every door on my floor before going down the stairs. I found out that I was on the second floor and I didn't want to go up… just down. When I got down the stairs I found out that I was in a large living room which connected to a kitchen and that was connected to a dining room. The living room had one wall made of nothing but glass but it also had a rise and on that rise was the most beautiful black grand piano I have ever seen, it was clearly well taken care of with its shine that worked as well as a mirror. I walked over to it and gently touched its surface as if it would shatter under my touch. It was smooth, silky even. I sat down on the piano bench and let my fingers gently touch the ivory keys before I started playing.
I played 'Claire de Lune' by Debussy followed by the piano version of 'My Immortal' by Evanescence. After the last note of 'My Immortal' I sighed and looked up and saw Edward staring at me from the doorway and I flinched. I quickly got up, looked down and started speed walking back to my room as if he hadn't seen me but when I went past him he grabbed my upper arm and turned me to him and stared into my eyes
"That was beautiful" Edward said gently and I suddenly heard a car coming towards the house. I froze and was going to run back up to my room but I couldn't. I tried to get out of Edward's grasp as I tried to go back upstairs but he just tightened his grip and I started panicking more but he grabbed me and tried to keep me still but it didn't work as well as he had hoped. I heard the front door start to open and I struggled and panicked even more then I heard footsteps stop suddenly and I struggled and pushed against Edward harder but it was like he couldn't feel me struggling and pushing.
I eventually got worn out from all the struggling but I still tried and my muscles started hurting but I ignored it and then I suddenly felt like someone ripped a hole in my chest and I gasped at the sudden pain and would've hunched over in pain but I was currently pressed tightly against Edward's body so I just grunted and gasped in pain and I saw out of the corner of my eye the dirty blonde haired guy with the southern accent had doubled over and was close to crying and his face was nothing but pain and I saw a pixie looking girl trying to comfort him and calm him down and… take away the pain? It was as if he could feel my emotions
"Bella" Edward said panicked. I ignored him as I looked at the others in the room. There was Emmett, who was holding the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, she had blonde hair and curves in all the right places, I felt a strong jab of self-consciousness hit me hard, I knew I was plain but she could turn the straightest girl in the entire universe into a lesbian. Next was a girl with caramel hair and had a motherly air about her, she was holding hands with a gorgeous blonde man; he was the one that wanted to look at my hand. Beside them was the pixie and the southern guy. I started shaking as I realised that there was seven vampires in the same house as me and I started panicking all over again and struggling harder than before but this time Edward let me go and I ran out of his grasp and towards the stairs but I tripped. Instead of trying to get back up I just rolled over onto my butt and watched the leeches as I started quickly backing up when suddenly I bumped into something.
I jumped, startled and whipped my head around to see that it was just the stairs. I quickly looked back at the blood suckers as I stood up shakily using the banister to help me up. I looked between all of them and the looks of pain on Edward's face, panic was the strongest emotion on the southern guys' face along with traces of worry, pain, anger and concern, I was feeling all of that except the concern and the anger I am feeling is on a really little scale… ok so maybe I was a bit concern but it was only for my safety! Emmett wore a blank mask on his face but his eyes held nothing but concern. Worry and pain on the caramel haired girl, worry was on the blonde girl's face when she looked at me but pure anger when she looked at Edward, I wonder why… the pixie had worry for the southern guy as she was still trying to help him and the blonde guy was worried and he had a little bit of shock. I quickly turned and bolted up the stairs, tripping every so often as I kept watching them but when I reached the room that I was being kept in, I looked around trying to find something to block the door, as pointless as it may be, I quickly grabbed the chair and put it under the door knob and positioned it so that no human could get in without breaking a bone or something. I ran out to the balcony and I looked around noticing that there was nothing, no birds, no wind, nothing… not a sound except my ragged breathing and when that fact crashed down on me it crashed down on me so hard that I collapsed and couldn't breathe properly. I just laid there gasping and scratching at my chest trying to let the pain out and try open up my windpipe so I could breathe properly again. After a while I calmed down enough so I was sitting up watching the forest while rocking back and forth with wide eyes but my eyes kept darting everywhere.
"Oh my god" I heard a soft, voice that sounded like bells and suddenly the blonde girl from before was in front of me and I felt my eyes grow bigger and I started backing up as quickly as I could, I didn't hear the chair break but I know it did "No… don't… I'm a friend" the girl said and I started bawling my eyes out like a baby with the exception of the noise and I felt her wrap her arms around me and I instinctively hugged her back and I cried my eyes out on her shoulder and she let me until I was out of tears. I lifted my head and I looked at her then her shoulder that was now wet from my tears
"Sorry about your shirt" I said weakly while wiping my nose and eyes and she looked a bit shocked that I was talking to her but she quickly recovered
"My name is Rosalie" she said "What's your name?" she asked hesitantly
"Bella" I said and she smiled "What are you leeches going to do to me?" I asked and she flinched at the word 'leeches'
"I don't know… I didn't want this to happen to someone like you… you were going through a lot and then this happened" Rosalie shook her head "I'm not sure what's happening to be honest and I have no part of it and I don't want to be a part of it either" Rosalie added and I nodded and I wrapped my arms around my torso when I felt something that I've never felt before, I quickly lifted my shirt up and looked at my torso, you could see every rib and even a bit of my pelvis
"Holy shit" I whispered poking the bones with giggling in my head… it tickled!
"Carlisle!" Rosalie yelled and soon the blonde haired man was in the room and over at us but I was too busy looking at my ribs that I didn't care
"She's severely underweight" was all he said and my head snapped up to catch the man- Carlisle-'s glance
"Where's the kitchen?" was all that came out of my mouth and Rosalie grabbed my hand "I'll show you" she said helping me up and leading me out of my room and downstairs and to the kitchen and I smiled as I saw a kitchen that looked like the type of kitchen a professional chef would have. I went straight to the fridge and looked inside, there was every type of food you could have. I grabbed some items and put them on the bench top and went to the pantry and I grabbed some things and put them with the other stuff before looking for a chopping board, sharp knife, peeler and all the other stuff that I would need to make a Pesto Pasta Salad and Macho Chicken Nachos without the jalapeños for 1 which saddened me a bit because I'm usually cooking for 2 or more. I was quick with chopping and preparing (probably faster than any professional chef could) and the vampires were crowded in kitchen watching but stood out of my way, for which I was grateful.
Once the nachos were in the boiler I turned towards the vampires and they were looking at me shocked and amazed and I felt a blush creep up onto my cheeks and I put my hands on my cheeks and checked if anything was on my face "What?" I asked self-consciously
"Nothing… just you really know your way around a kitchen… and your fast with a knife in your hand cooking!" the caramel haired lady said
"I've cooked my whole life… think of it as an… an escape" I said choosing my words carefully and I turned to check on the chicken as a tear rolled down my cheek but I rubbed my eye as if I had something in it and rubbed my cheeks before finishing off the meal and dishing it out on a plate and following Rosalie to the dining room where I sat down and she sat down opposite me and made conversation with me while I ate.
I found it extremely easy to talk to Rosalie and I washed my dishes with Rosalie's help and we continued as we sub-consciously walked back to my room.
When we got to my room we sat down on my bed and continued talking and I could tell that she would be the closest thing to me in this entire house
"So how did you and Emmett meet?" I asked lying on my stomach but perched up on my elbows with my hands under my chin
"Well… I was out hunting and I came across the scent of a bear so I followed the trail until I finally came across a bear mauling on a man- Emmett- so I attacked the bear and killed it and I knew he would die, but he was the most handsome man I had laid eyes on and I knew that he was my mate but… I didn't think I was strong enough to change him myself so I took him back to the house we were staying in at the time and Carlisle changed him for me, we've been together ever since" Rosalie said smiling at my awed expression and I could tell my eyes were sparkling with emotion
"Wow… what you did for him was so romantic" I said smiling
"What about you? Any boyfriends? Lovers?" Rosalie asked and I closed my eyes and shook my head
"I have an ex-boyfriend… my best guy friend… we called it off because our love turned from romantic to sibling" I said smiling sheepishly
"Aw! I'm sorry Bella… So… how did you and your ex-boyfriend slash brother slash best friend meet?" Rosalie asked excited and I shifted so I was sitting on my knees with my hands in my lap
"Um… My friends and I had gone to the reservation for a bonfire and to surf and I was the designated cook" we laughed at that "and I had just finished cooking a feast of hotdogs, and some lamb chops when a bunch of reservation kids around our age came up to join our 'party' and since I had made too much for my friends and I we invited them to eat with us- I got that many compliments on my cooking that I was as red as a tomato for the rest of the night and being teased about my blush didn't help either" I giggled "Anyway I got talking to one of the boys and his name seemed familiar so we went to investigate on it a bit more so we left saying good-bye to all of our friends and me getting another round of compliments on my cooking, making me blush harder before we left and went back to his place. He introduced me to his father and his father seemed to recognize me the moment my name was said but I didn't have clue who he was… turns out that he was best friends with my" I gulped down the lump that started forming in my throat "my father" I said looking down at my hands and then back up to meet Rosalie's gaze "Anyway… I got closer to them and then about a month later Jacob and I started going out… we went out for about 2 years before he got all buff and then he cut his hair and… damn he looked so sexy!" I giggled "But at the same time that happened I realised that I didn't love him romantically anymore but more of a brother and the night after I realised this I told him and he said that he realised the same thing the other day too… so we broke up and became 'siblings'" I said using air quotes for 'siblings'
"Oh my… that's… wow" Rosalie said and I smiled "Do you miss your parents?" Rosalie asked
"No… not really… I never knew them and I only have one memory of them and it's… a big piece of who I am" I said as I stared at my lap. It wasn't until I felt cold arms wrap around me that I realised that I was crying. I nuzzled my face into Rosalie's neck and she patted my hair and whispered soothing words to me until I calmed down.
I looked at Rosalie and hugged her tight before getting up and scratching my back. I noticed my shirt was halfway up my torso I heard a gasp. I went to quickly pull my shirt down but Rosalie was quicker and moved my hands out of the way and lifted up my shirt and looked at the healed 'E' on my back "What happened?" Rosalie asked sad as if she was just told her child died or something, her voice cracked and it sounded like she was about to cry
"Nothing" I said nonchalantly pulling my shirt back down and turning to face Rosalie
"Bella… don't lie to me… please" Rosalie said still sounding heart-broken so I did the only thing I could think of. I hugged her tightly to me and whispered
"Punishment" the moment that one word passed my lips she started shaking
"Go take a shower Bella. I have to go do something and I'll be back by the time you're finished" Rosalie said and I looked at her, scared
"Don't" I said but she just looked at me and sighed before leaving. I sighed myself and went into the bathroom and started on the task of having a shower.
Rosalie's P.O.V.
The way her skin stretched over her back was depressing enough but there was also a big 'E' covering her back. It was healed but it was still disgusting and horrifying to look at with the way it was stretching across her back like that. I swear I was going to kill him for doing that to her… I mean she has a very troubled past, you can tell by her eyes, her shape, her… everything! He had no right to do that to her! I haven't known her long but she feels like a daughter, sister… a- a best friend to me… I will protect her with my life!
I found Edward in his room, a level above Bella's room. I burst into his room thinking about her back and imaging it in my mind
"Why!?" I asked
"Why what?" Edward asked and I rolled my eyes, he better cut the crap before I rip him apart! "Honestly Rosalie there is no need for that… What do you want explained?" Edward asked putting the book he was reading down and stood up
"Bella's back" was all I said and was all I had to say and he rolled his eyes
"She needed to be put in her place and learn… she keeps repressing her true feelings and she's very… secretive and very, what's the word… touchy?... yeah touchy… about her past for some reason. She needs to get her act together and when someone or something does something wrong they get a warning followed by punishment if they do it again or they just get punished without any warning" I rolled my eyes
"She's not a pet! She's a human BEING! And did you ever stop to think 'Hey maybe she went through some tough shit and has a horrible past and she doesn't want to relive it or tell anyone because of the pain it will cause and all of the memories that will come back to her that she doesn't want to remember'?" I asked fuming and I clenched my hands into fists as I started shaking
"I did… but she has to open up to me! Plus I can't exactly read her mind so I don't know what to expect" Edward yelled at me 'Yeah… just how it should be' I thought and Edward growled but I rolled my eyes
"If you ever dare to touch her again I will have your head on a golden fucking plater!" I roared before going back to Bella's room and I waited on her bed until she finished her shower.
Bella's P.O.V.
I hopped out of the shower and I wrapped the too-short-for-my-liking towel around my body and walked out to find Rosalie on my bed looking through my song book. I stared wide-eyed at her, I was absolutely horrified! Rosalie looked up and looked taken aback that I was standing there in my towel, I guess she didn't know that I had finished my shower and then she saw my expression as I stared at my song book
"I-I found it… I'm sorry! I-I didn't mean to…" Rosalie was very quick to explain and I sighed and walked over to her and sat beside her and she passed my book over to me and I flipped through the book until I found the picture of my 8th birthday and I handed it over to her and she took it curiously and looked at it… she smiled and handed it back "That's beautiful" Rosalie said passing it back and then I continued flicking through but just stopped because I realised that I liked all of the songs so I shut the book and then opened it back up again but at the first page and I started flickering the pages and stopped at a random page. I looked down and saw 2 of the songs I like a lot and ironically they both were named 'Mean' (P!nk and Taylor Swift)
"Do you want to hear them? But first off do you have an electric guitar? And a banjo?" I asked and Rosalie nodded and she quickly left the room and came back a second later with the banjo and the electric guitar and I grabbed both of them from her. I put the banjo behind me before I strummed a bit on the electric guitar and tuned it up "Do you want me to sing?" I asked and Rosalie nodded eagerly and she grabbed the desk chair and sat in front of me with an excited look on her face and I started strumming
"You used to hold the door for me
Now you can't wait to leave
You used to send me flowers
If you fucked up all my dreams
I used to make you laugh
With all the silly shit I did
Now you roll your eyes
And walk away and shake your head
For the spark has gone and the candles are out
And the song is done and there's no more sound
Whispers turn to yelling and now I'm thinking
How'd we get so mean?
How do we just move on?
How do you feel in the morning
When it comes and everything's undone?
Is it 'cause we wanna be free?
Well that's not me
Normally I'm so strong
I just can't wake up on the floor
Like a thousand times before
Knowing that forever won't be
Always sentimental when
I think of how it was
When love was sweet and new
And we just couldn't get enough
The shower it reminds me
You'd undress me with your eyes
And now you never touch me
And you tell me that you're tired
You know I get so sad when it all goes bad
And all you think about is all the fun you had
And all those sorries ain't never gonna mean a thing, oh
How'd we get so mean?
How do we just move on?
How do you feel in the morning
When it comes and everything's undone?
Is it 'cause we wanna be free?
Well that's not me
Normally I'm so strong
I just can't wake up on the floor
Like a thousand times before
Knowing that forever won't be
We said some things that we can never take back
It's like a train wreck tryna hit the right track
We opened up the wine and we just let it breathe
But we shoulda drank it down while it was still sweet
It all goes bad eventually
Now do we stay together
'Cause we're scared to be alone?
We got so used to this abuse
It kinda feels like home
But my baby, I just really wanna know
How'd we get so mean?
How do we just move on?
How do you feel in the morning
When it comes and everything's undone?
Is it 'cause we wanna be free?
Well that's not me
Normally I'm so strong
I just can't wake up on the floor
Like a thousand times before
Knowing that forever won't be
How do we just move on?
How do you feel in the morning
When it comes and everything's undone?
Is it 'cause we wanna be free?
Well that's not me
Normally I'm so strong
I just can't wake up on the floor
Like a thousand times before
Knowing that forever won't be"
I strummed the last note and looked at Rosalie while biting my lip "That was… the best piece of music I have ever heard in my entire existence!" Rosalie squealed and I sighed in relief
"Thank-you" I said with a light blush
We sat silent for all of a minute and a half in silence when…
"I know!" Rosalie suddenly said and I looked at her
"What?" I asked
"Do the next song in front of the rest of the family!" Rosalie suggested and my eyes became huge
"W-What? No… I-I can't" I said shaking my head
"Yes you can… c'mon! You're really good!" Rosalie said pulling me up
"No I can't" I said looking down at my towel wrapped body
"Oh yeah… let's get you dressed and then you can go and sing for everyone" Rosalie said and I rolled my eyes
"Fine then" I said but inside I was battling myself. Should I? Shouldn't I? Would they think that I actually like them if I do? Would they think that I'm finally ok with all of this? The questions kept running through my head as I walked into the walk-in-wardrobe.
I got dressed into some sweats and a flannel shirt with the top buttons from the neck to the top of my breasts undone and I had my black lacy underwear set on underneath. I walked out and Rosalie quickly put my hair in a braid since it was still very damp. When she was done and was about to drag me out of the room I stopped her "If I do this… you have to clap, like your clapping the beat… like this" I said and then showed how I wanted her to clap "When I give you the signal" I added and did a nod when I said signal hoping she would understand what I meant and she nodded so I assume she did.
"This will be so much fun!" Rosalie said and I grabbed the banjo and let Rosalie drag me downstairs "Guys… come to the living room" Rosalie said as if she was talking to me. Rosalie led me into the lounge room and disappeared and quickly returned with a stool "Here you go Bella" Rosalie said putting the stool down and I smiled as I sat down onto it
"Thanks" I said and Rosalie just smiled at me and stood beside me with her hand on my shoulder as everyone filed into the living room and I took a couple of deep breaths "This song is called 'Mean'" I said and quickly adjusted the banjo and started strumming
"You with your words like swords
And weapons that you use against me
You have knocked me off my feet again
Got me feeling like nothing
You with your voice like nails on a chalkboard
Calling me out when I'm wounded
You picking on the weaker men
I gave Rosalie the signal a tiny bit before I started singing again
"You can take me down
With just one single blow
But you don't know
What you don't know
Someday I'll be living in a big old city
But all your ever gonna be is mean
Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me
And all your ever gonna be is mean
Why you got to be so mean?
You with your switching sides and your walk by lies
And your humiliation
You have pointed out my flaws again
As if I don't already see them
I walk with my head down
Trying to block you out 'cause I'll impress you
I just wanna feel okay again
I bet you got pushed around
Somebody made you cold
But the cycle ends right now
'Cause you can't lead me down that road
And you don't know
What you don't know
Someday I'll be living in a big old city
And all your ever gonna be is mean
Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me
And all your ever gonna be is mean
Why you got to be so mean?
And I can see the years from now in a bar
Talking over a football game
With that same big loud opinion
But nobody's listening
Washed up and ranting about the same old bits of things
Drunk and wrong about how I can't sing
But all you are is mean
All you are is mean
And a liar
And pathetic
And alone in life
And mean and mean and mean
But someday I'll be living in a big old city
And all your ever gonna be is mean
Yeah!
Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me
And all your ever gonna be is mean
Why you gotta be so
But someday I'll be living in a big old city
And all your ever gonna be is mean
Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me
And all your ever gonna be is mean
Why you got to be so mean?"
I stared at Edward throughout the whole song only breaking the stare to blink and he stayed expressionless throughout the whole song not blinking once. I finished and I closed my eyes took a deep breath before opening them again and looking at everyone with an expectant glance and the first one to move was Emmett and he ran up and smashed his lips against Rosalie's. Once they pulled apart he gave me a tight hug "That was AWESOME!" Emmett boomed and Rosalie giggled while I blushed
"It wasn't that good" I said looking down
"Bull shit!" the southern guy said and everyone nodded with him but I looked up at him shocked; I have never heard a southern person swear before… that made me realise that I have yet to learn their names! I mean I can't keep calling them southern guy, caramel-haired woman and pixie
"Sorry but I have no clue what most of your names are! I know Emmett, Rosalie, Carlisle and… Edward… but that's it" I said shuddering in displeasure when I said Edward's name
"Well I'm Esme, Carlisle's wife" the caramel haired one said giving me a soft motherly hug but I flinched none-the-less
"I'm Jasper" the southern guy said bowing slightly
"And I'm Alice" the pixie said bouncing
"Are you on a major sugar rush or something?" I blurted out without thinking and everyone laughed but she just glared slightly and stopped bouncing
"No" was all she said and everyone just laughed harder
"Sorry" I mumbled "Well… I'm going back up to the room" I said standing and looking down at the floor, stupid hair! Why did you have to be in a braid? Now I can't use you as a curtain! I refused to call that room that I was staying in mine but I sometimes slipped up but only in my head of course
"Which room?" someone asked confused
"The room that I'm staying in… it's not mine and I refuse to call it so…" I trailed off and started to walk away. I put the banjo at the bottom of the stairs leaning against the banister before walking upstairs slowly taking my braid out as I walked up and into the room I was staying in. I had just finished undoing my braid and shaking out my hair the moment the door shut behind me. I spent the short walk from the door to my bed admiring how the braid had dried my hair the way it did, causing it cascade down my back in beautiful, soft waves. I flopped onto the bed, curled up into a ball and just… lied there until eventually I fell asleep.
AN:/ There it is! I finally got it out there... So tell me anything in a wonderful review or if you want you can PM me with whatever :) :) Who else thinks it's ironic that I am listening to 'Stuck Like Glue' by Sugaland while I am writing this chapter? It also pops up sometimes when I'm typing up my chapters... I have songs going on a loop and this song keeps playing... lol! Anyway... I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I would to hear from all of you
Love ya all,
MrsMichaela Cullen xoxo