CHAPTER FIVE – THE HOWLING
BELLA POV
I like math, mainly because it was the same in every country but I didn't like the teacher Mr. Bryans because he scared me. He was huge, he made Emmett look normal. He was dressed in smarts pants with a long sleeved black polo neck. He had a shiny bald head with high cheekbones. Both my hands put together where the same size as one of his hands, no wonder he was the gym teacher as well as the math teacher. Nobody knew anything about the teachers so we just made our own assumptions about their backgrounds and as to why the hell they chose to become a teacher in one of the worst schools in America. Mr. Bryans was more open than Ms. Conner's and Mr. Harding he would always tell us about his time in the military and he would always use that to control us like we were in the military.
The bell rang and everybody trampled on each other as they ran out the classroom. I gathered my things and walked out. I kept my head down as I moved through the hallway and down the stairs. Just as I left the stairwell and into the downstairs hallway I bumped into someone. I stumbled backwards and felt a hand grab my arm. I flinched because I wasn't used to close contact with anybody.
"Sorry" I whispered not looking up.
"I didn't know the floor could be so interesting" came a musical voice.
I hesitated for a second then recognised the voice instantly. I looked up to his perfect face and was relieved to find it was Edward and not some gang member wanting to rip my face off for bumping into him. I smiled as I look into his eyes.
"Sorry, I, um" I tried to say.
I was lost for words, like I usual was. I didn't no why he had such an effect on me. I must have looked like a complete and utter moron. His book fell out of his hand and onto the floor. Without thinking I bent down to pick it up but he beat me to it.
"Its fine, um, thanks." He mumbled standing back up.
I blushed and stood there waiting for either of us to say something. I sin that he was frustrated by something and I could see that he was debating about something in his head.
"Sorry I, I've got to get to class" he mumbled again looking away from me.
Without another word he was gone. I watched as he stormed down the hallway and out the side access. I just stood there motionless, tiring to work out what just happened.
"Move it" Someone said bringing me out of my thoughts.
Whoever they were shoved past me, I didn't even bother looking who they were I just put my head down and walked to history. The second bell rang but I didn't rush as I was nearly by my class. I walked in and took a seat at the front of the class. I kept my head down as gang members went past me to sit at the back of the room. The teacher wasn't here yet so I pulled out my book and began to read.
"I see your mom dressed you again today Mike" Someone laughed.
"Fuck you Alec" Mike spat back.
I didn't know who they were but from what I could hear they sounded like enemies. Just then Mr. Harding entered and set his briefcase down on the table and began to gather his paperwork.
"Good morning class" He greeted us.
"Shut up" I think the kid called Alec shouted.
"Why don't you shut up" Mike countered.
"Fuck you Newton" Alec spat.
There was a moment of silence before a bang made me jump. I spun around to see Mike and Alec throwing punches at each other. Mike had crashed on the floor taking the chairs and tables with him. They fought on the floor as everybody routed them on. I spun back around to see Mr. Harding slowly walking up to them. He picked them up from the collar and guided them to the front of the class. He threw Alec on the floor and kept him there with his foot then he sat on his desk. He bent Mike over his knee and began belting his backside with his hand. Mike screamed out in pain as the smacks got harder, it felt like it went on for ages. He then threw Mike off and pulled Alec off the floor effortlessly and did the same as he did to Mike. Alec screamed in pain again and it lasted longer than Mike's punishment did. He threw Alec back on the floor and fixed his tie without breaking a sweat.
"Anybody else" He said scanning the room.
The whole class took their seats and didn't say a word. I kept my head down so I didn't notice Mike or Alec return to their seats. I didn't have to look to notice the blood coming from them because I could smell it. It smelt like rusty salt, just the thought of it made me queasy.
"Right, back to the lesson" Mr Harding said clapping his hands together.
The lesson went faster than I had anticipated. The bell had soon rung telling us that it was now home time. Everybody rushed out except for Mike and Alec who wobbled out. I waited for the rush to clear before I left the classroom. I slowly made my way down the hallways and went out to the courtyard. I always hung out here and waited for the rush to go because most students would spray bullets in the air to celebrate being out of school. Knowing my luck the bullets would miraculously somehow ricochet off something and head straight for me.
I walked over to the far table and sat down on the top of it. I shuddered as I heard gunfire in the distance. My eyes scanned the empty courtyard then they eventually fell upon the table I was sitting on. There was a cigarette, it was standing up and it had burned all the way down leaving a tower of ash. I took a small breath and blew right in front of it. I watched as the ash danced and swirled around the air before finally disappearing as it hit the ground. The remaining ash collapse around the cigarette leaving nothing just the butt. I waited a few more minutes then huffed and headed back in the building. The hallways were empty so I quickly continued through the main hallway and out the exit.
There were still a few students loitering around the front as they collected their weapons. I walked through the metal detectors and down the steps towards the parking lot. I jumped as gunfire filled the air from the remaining fleeing students. I came to a halt at my silver Volvo and retrieved my keys from my backpack. My car was the only one that hadn't been fixed up or altered in the whole parking lot.
I opened my car and climbed in locking all the doors behind me. I looked in my rear view mirror and noticed a big red jeep behind me. It could have gone forward but instead it waited for me to reverse out. I took the opportunity and reversed then got in line and waited in the queue as the other cars turned off onto the main road. The jeep behind me had huge spikes sticking out of the rims and it had bars on the windows so I couldn't see who was driving it clearly. It could have easily demolished my car along with a few others in this parking lot. I tore my eyes away as the jeep as my car slowly rolled forward, I was finally clear to go.
I turned left on the main road and took off up it. I only did 30mph because I didn't like speeding and besides if I would have gone any faster then I would have turned my car into a pretzel with amount of junk and potholes on the street. I continued north for a while then I noticed the jeep again. It was close behind me, I thought that it was following me but as I turned off onto another street it zoomed past me and vanished out of sight. I continued up the street and onto another main road before I turned onto a dirt road.
I drove up the windy dirt road for about ten minutes. I followed the trees around and then my house appeared from behind it. My house was in the middle of nowhere so I was grateful for the peace, but I also felt unsafe because if anything was to ever happen then I would be stranded. Charlie said he was going to home late tonight, but that made no difference to me because he was late home most nights. I sighed and parked up outside my two story house.
There was dark wooden panelling on the outside and it had huge glass windows. When we first moved in my dad had ordered new smash proof, bullet proof windows along with installing alarm systems. If anyone was to enter and didn't enter the alarm code within a time period then it would send a direct message to the police station in Port Angeles. I didn't know what good that would do beings as Port Angeles was a little over an hour away. One thing I knew for sure was that this company my dad was working for would have had to have paid him a lot of money to take this job because we would have never afforded this place along with the luxuries inside on his previous salary.
I climbed the porch steps and opened the front door using my key. The alarm howled as I opened the door. I quickly turned to the control panel and deactivated the alarm. The alarm stopped then I reset it again once I closed the door. The alarm was connected to all the doors and windows in the house so I knew if anybody tried to gain entry. It also told me which windows were open so all I had to do was to look at the control panel to see if I accidently left any of them opened before I headed out. There were two control panels, one down stairs and one upstairs so I didn't have to keep coming downstairs to check.
I slung my bag off and placed my keys on the side table. I let my bag fall as I dragged my feet into the kitchen. I walked around the island in the middle of the kitchen and headed to the fridge. I pulled out a carton of juice and retreated back into the hallway. I picked my bag up and walked into the living room and flopped onto the black leather corner sofa. I picked up the universal remote and drew the curtains using the remote. I put the plasma TV on but I turned the volume down as I put the stereo on low. The curtains closed and I locked out the outside world as I pulled out my homework from my backpack. My English homework wasn't due for another week but I had nothing else to do so I decided to make a start on it.
I could hear the howling of wolves in my head as my eyes slowly crept open. I must have fallen asleep then the realisation hit me, the howling wasn't coming from wolves in my dream it was coming from the alarm. My eyes snapped open and I bolted off the sofa. My heart plummeted into my stomach as I heard the front door open.
"Bells" my dad called out.
Relief washed over me and I relaxed at once.
"In here" I said flopping back onto the sofa.
The howling from the alarm stopped and a few seconds after my dad appeared from the hallway.
"Did you have a nice day" He said coming into the living room.
I had no idea why he always asked me that. Having a nice day meant you did something you wanted to do with nice people that you actually no. Not being forced to sit through a death trap all day with unpleasant people. I'm sure he only asked me that just to annoy me.
"Hmm" I said.
"Have you already eaten?" he asked.
"No"
"Well why don't you make us some dinner and we will eat together" He grinned.
I didn't mind making dinner because I enjoyed cooking. He couldn't cook to save his life he either ordered food or was too busy to even eat.
"Alright" I said.
I put my homework away and pulled myself off the sofa and went into the kitchen. Charlie followed me and sat on a stool by the island and began to read the paper as I pulled out a bag of pasta and began to boil a pan of water. I thought about asking him about Edward because I was curious to find out more about him. Where had he being these last three months? Has he being forced to move here as well? I knew he was part of the black heart gang but he seemed so different to the other gang members I had come across. I didn't just want to ask my farther flat out about him because I didn't want to get in trouble to talking to gang members and I didn't want to get Edward in trouble either so I would have to get him to tell me about it without me actually asking.
"Dad" I began as I poured the pasta into the water.
"Yeah"
I continue making the sauce as I spoke.
"How was your day?"
"Good"
"Did anything exciting happen?"
"Nope"
He was giving me one word answers so I had to try a little harder.
"Did you enjoy your day" He asked.
I smiled as I stirred the sauce because I actually did enjoy today all because of one person.
"Yeah I did" I smiled.
"Good, did you make any new friends?" He asked.
"Don't be silly" I scoffed. "But I did talk to someone new today"
As soon as I said that he looked up at me but I quickly turned my gaze back to the sauce.
"Who's that then?"
Right, time to play dumb I told myself.
"I don't know who he is. I've never seen him before, I think his new" I said looking back to him.
I could see him debating with himself as he thought it over then it was like a light switch went off in his head.
"Ah, Mr Cullen" he said.
I remember back to the first time I met him. Outside the classroom I heard one of the gang girls call him that so I presumed that must have been his last name.
"Why were you talking to him?" He asked through his furred eyebrows.
"Oh, um, I just helped him with his schedule and told him where his next class was" I lied.
"Oh right" He said looking back down to his paper. "I heard a lot of thing about that boy and I suggest that you stay away from him" He told me.
Screw getting told off I had to know.
"Why" I perked up.
"His just been released from prison and his on parole. From what I was told he was the leader of the Black Hearts before he landed himself in jail for selling drugs to an undercover cop" He told me.
Ok that was not what I expected to hear. I couldn't picture Edward doing drugs, making violence and more importantly being the leader of the black hearts. Maybe my father information was wrong or he was talking about the wrong person.
"What his name?" I asked to make sure.
"Edward" He said still looking down at his paper.
Damn, right person. So either Edward was just being manipulative and pretending to be friendly so he could get something out of me or he really wasn't as bad as my dad made him out to be. Somehow I believed the latter, he seemed genuine like he couldn't hurt a fly but then reality sunk in, I have only known him for half of a day so I couldn't be sure of any think.
"Bella are we planning have burnt sauce with our dinner" Charlie said pulling me out of thought.
I turned off the heat and drained the pasta. I grabbed two plates and dished out the pasta then poured the sauce on top before I carried the plates to the island.
"Looks great Bells" Charlie grinned moving the paper to the side.
I sat down and we both began to eat in silence. Dinner didn't last long and after only ten minutes were we both finished.
"That was lovely Bells thank you" he said standing up.
He took our places to the sink and I stood up and made my way back to the living room. I turned the TV and stereo off.
"I'm off to bed kiddo see you in the morning" Charlie shouting heading up the stairs.
"Goodnight" I shouted back.
I collected my things and checked the control panel before ascending the stairs. I walked up to the second floor and entered my bedroom. I placed my bag down and pulled my clothes off as I walked into my walk in wardrobe. I pulled out some sweats and an old tee before I walked back out and went into my on-suite.
I had hot shower and lathered myself in my favourite strawberry shampoo. I didn't know how long I was in there for but I started to get a headache so I knew it was time to get out. I quickly dried myself and got dressed in my sweats and tee before brushing my teeth. I half dried my hair and threw the towel on the floor before returning to my room. I threw the covers back in my double bed and dove into it then pulled the covers up over my head.
I toss and turned for what seemed like hours because I had all these images of Edward in my head. Why the hell was I even thinking about him? I have only spoken to him briefly and already I feel like I am obsessing over him. Stupid Bella, stupid Edward I cursed at myself. I lay there under the covers and debated with myself like I had two people inside my head.
I suppose I could talk to him and get to know him more, but what if he was only being friendly because he wanted to manipulate you? I could just stay away from him and hope that he would get the message? But you actually want to talk to him and get to know him. Why, what was so special about Edward that I felt the need to talk to him anyway? Because his different he actually takes the time to notice you, but is that a good or a bad thing? Maybe my farther made him out to be something his not and he really does just want a friend to talk to. A friend I could be but defiantly nothing else. I remember back to the conversation I had with Rosalie. She was becoming a black heart because of Emmett and I defiantly wasn't going to go down that road for some man.
I was usually a good judge of character so I pushed my thoughts at the back of my head and decided not to talk to Edward anymore. If he chose to talk to me first then I would speak after and maybe put my questions forward if I was brave enough. One thing I knew for sure was that he was not my friend because in my books a friend is just another name for a close enemy. It didn't matter if you have being friends with somebody for years and they know everything about you, it only takes a split second while your back is turned for them to betray you. I had many friends in Jacksonville but I never trusted them one hundred percent, hell I didn't even trust my own farther one hundred percent. The only person I trusted a thousand percent was myself.
I huffed and groaned in frustration, I was mentally exhausted from all the thoughts flying around in my head. After what seemed like forever the darkness finally devoured me.