Disclaimer: Invisible people can't own Twilight.
Chapter Eight
Bree woke up uncharacteristically early.
She skipped her morning shower, throwing on a random outfit of mismatched blues and creeping down the stairs as quietly as possible. She cringes when the last step creaks, her eyes darting to the door at the top of the steps – her father's room.
Luckily, the light is still off.
With swift feet, Bree rushes through the kitchen and into the basement.
Her heart sinks.
Bella is still sleeping soundly – or is she sleeping?
Her chest moves with shallow breathes, her face is smooth; she seems to me sleeping peacefully despite the glaring dark bruises on her skin and the lacerations covered in wet ointment.
Yet oddly, as Bree gazes at her twin, the feeling that Bella isn't there is insistent in her mind.
It scares Bree, distracts her enough that she jumps when Riley's hand shakes her shoulder gently. He, too, looks at his slumbering youngest sibling, his brows furrowed. Even though he was looking right at her, Bella didn't seem to be in the room.
Like it was only her body, not her spirit.
"We have to do something about this," he tells Bree. "Soon."
Bree bites her lip. "What are we going to do about breakfast? Charlie will be expecting…"
Riley pushes a hand through his hair. "Right. Bella did that," he frowns, glancing at the watch on his wrist. "We have time to cook that. Something simple."
Fifteen minutes later, Bree is panicking – the eggs are runny, the bacon is burnt and Riley's idea of toast is too sad to mention. "Bella made all of this look so easy," she whispers to him harshly, nearly cringing when Riley puts the plate on the table. "There's no way he's going to believe she cooked this!"
Riley shakes his head. "What else can we do? We just need to get him out of the house, call the school about Bella's absence and get her to the hospital."
"So Charlie can be notified? Everyone knows who his kids are, Ri," Bree sighs, rubbing a small fist over her eyes. "We can't take her to any hospital around here."
Riley closes his eyes, leaning elbows on the kitchen counter, his nose inhaling the sorry excuse for breakfast that he and Bree managed to whip up. "You're right," he says slowly, the weights of responsibility on his shoulders making him feel much older than he should. "You're right. But what about the hospital in Port-"
Riley bites his tongue, cutting off the words as the heavy clomp of steel-toe boots on old stairs greets his ears. Bree cringes into his side, her eyes darting to the plate of under and overcooked food; when Charlie enters the kitchen, Bree clutches her brother's arms so harshly that she leaves marks from her nails.
Riley doesn't flinch, doesn't move his eyes from his father's much larger form.
Charlie doesn't seem…like Charlie today.
It was true; Charlie seemed to be lifeless, his gaze listless as he looks at the plate of food, his face blank as he nods a greeting to his children.
All of his fire, all of his hate, seemed to have seeped out of him.
Riley couldn't help but recall the day before, when Charlie had yelled at Bella, using his mother's name – Charlie's eyes hadn't been quite right then, either, even with anger in his veins.
Just like Bella didn't seem to be here, neither did Charlie.
Bree relaxed marginally when Charlie turned away from the plate, grabbed his gun holster and slid into his jacket – she hardly jumps when the door slams shut behind him.
Neither sibling moves until the sound of tires on gravel fade.
"Jesus," Riley breathes, tilting his head back. "What the fuck is going on today?"
"Ri, call the school," Bree prompts.
He nods his head. "Right. Right," he says, moving to the outdated orange phone on the wall. "How weird was he acting though? I know I wasn't imagining that. He almost seemed…"
"Sad," Bree whispers, wrapping her arms around her waist, feeling chilled suddenly. In all her life, while Charlie had always treated her well and with love, there had always been an undercurrent of anger, as if he was constantly on the edge. His behavior this morning was a far cry from that and she didn't know what to make of it. "You think he might feel guilty?"
A dark shadow crosses Riley's face. "No," he says shortly. "That bastard doesn't feel anything but hate. I don't know what's wrong with him and I don't care. I want my sister out of this house right now, away from him." Riley's eyes lock onto Bree's, the same shade of icy blue. "Bree, go downstairs and pack a bag for her, some clothes or whatever…just make sure her I.D. isn't with it."
Bree nods slowly, her brows furrowing. "Okay…but why no I.D.?
Riley seems much more in command, his back straight, head high, as he replies. "I want her to recover. If they figure out she isn't a Jane Doe, they'll call Charlie and then we'll all be in a shitload of trouble."
Bree nods again, following the logic. She doesn't stick around to listen on Riley's call the school; she already knew he would be imitating Charlie's deep voice and she didn't particularly want to hear it.
Bree was sure she would be happy to live the rest of her life without hearing her father's voice.
Perhaps it was a bit cold to think that way – perhaps she should forgive him, but her heart couldn't. After all of these years, she had finally reached the last straw and the fear that her sister would be taken from her was clogging her throat.
She would rather Charlie die and she had no remorse over that.
She keeps her eyes averted as she packs up Bella's school bag with her most favorite clothes, several of Bella's crossword books and a few blue pens and the identical teddy bear that both Bree and Bella had since birth.
By the time she is done, Riley is down in the basement, jacket on, shoes tied. "Bree, go put that bag with our backpacks in the trunk, then grab a pillow and a blanket for her," he instructs, kneeling down beside Bella's makeshift bed.
Carefully, very gently, Riley hooks his arms under Bella's knees and back, suddenly very grateful that she was small and that he could bench his own weight. With Bree's help, Bella's battered body is set in the back seat of his car, her head on an overly fluffy pillow, covered by a large tattered blanket from the basement.
While driving, Riley is very careful to take back roads – even though it takes more time. He doesn't want to risk Charlie seeing the car. Both he and Bree relax when they merge onto the highway, the siblings settling into their seats as Riley drives them to the hospital in the next county.
An hour and a half later, two nurses find Bella's broken body slumped over on the bench outside the emergency room, completely covered by a large blue blanket. They act quickly, calling for a gurney and the trauma doctor.
In that second, Bella's body became Jane Doe.
A/N: So, the last two weeks have been…Well, you know when everything is going great and things seem too easy and then it's not a surprise when Life serves up a steaming pile of shit? Yeah, that has been my last two weeks.
Thankfully, my birthday is tomorrow, I'm turning 19 and going to see Star Trek: Into Darkness…Wonderful readers, you can probably bet that one of my next stories is going to be a sci-fi lol
Shout out to the first 10 reviews of the last chapter:
LunaDiSangue85 – It was a surprise that he would have the nightmares? I suppose so, but then again, Bella has a very important job, preventing tragedy all the time. Just because she's out of commission doesn't mean there's not a job to do! Lol
boo1414 – Yes! Edward will be able to help Bella re-join!
Savannavansmutsmut – Thank you! I think keys flush…I'm amazed at what my four year old cousin manages to flush!
Sarah Amin – Mmmhmm, that Edward. Tough guy, sweetheart. Love him!
Flavia Ribeiro – Me too! She needs someone!
BMSCullen – LOL I read between the lines here! You can't wait until Charlie gets his ass kicked!
Debslmac – Charlie's gonna get something all right!
Twilight Rocker 12 – LOL It seems like everyone is waiting for the Charlie bomb to drop! I had a talk with a close friend of mine who wants to be an editor and she helped me out with some rough spots in the plot since I didn't outline this story! Be patient!
Superspecial shout out to the first review of the last chapter - Sassy Mami – Girl! Good question! No, Charlie doesn't have the precognitive dreams; it totally comes from Renee's side of the family!
Alright, I'm off to frost a cake!
As always, be brutally honest. I can take it!
~cupcakeriot