Chapter 20
Edward's POV
"C-calm down dad... please I-I swear I wasn't trying to get away." I choked out, backing away. It was just us now. He killed the others. He said they were hogging our 'bonding' time. I'd never seen a vampire fight but I never imagined it being so swift and clean, especially with three on one. It all happened too fast for me to really see the details, all I know is that James went first. Then he got Laurent and Victoria at the same time.
I was watching their bodies burn in the middle of the park just behind our old house back in Chicago. The air smelled sweet and was thick with purple smoke as Edward stalked towards my trembling form. Yeah, I'd been trying to get away, though my fucking legs made it difficult. Edward grabbed my hair and started dragging me back 'home', not responding to my earlier comment.
"D-dad please-!" "Shut. Up."
Shutting up.
I bit my lip and held onto his wrist to keep him from completely yanking my hair from my scalp, though I mostly wished I had the leverage to avoid the rocks and sticks he was dragging me over. Asshole even walked through one our neighbors rose bushes just so I'd get even more cut up.
Our house was almost exactly as I remembered it. Two floors and an attic. Chipping white paint. A crappy front porch with two lawn chairs and a swing. A few lawn ornaments long ago vandalized by local punks but never removed. And inside... shit... papa got busy. Freshly painted walls, mostly a rich red. New black leather furniture and dark mahogany tables with no signs of ever being used. From what I saw, he got a flat screen TV in almost every room except for the closets and my old room. My room...It hadn't been touched. Everything was covered in dust; the carpet still had bloodstains and tears in it; my full length mirror leaned against my closet door; my window was still stuck open or had gotten stuck again... fuck. I think my pillows and blankets were in the exact same place I'd left them before I left... yeah... I could see the little indents from where Shadow's paws had sunk into them.
Edward flung me into my room and stormed inside, slamming the door shut behind him, "Finally, some guy time." I didn't move. 'Guy time' had ended with me losing my virginity and self-worth. And I wasn't going to stick around if that's what was about to go down again, I couldn't handle that kind of pain and humiliation again. Please God...
I flinched when he kneeled in front of me and offered a kind smile, though it didn't match the evil glint in his red eyes, "Such a pretty face. Just like your mother's. You scream like her too you know." Rage boiled in me. "Don't you fucking dare speak of her that way you fucker!" I snarled. He laughed and grabbed me by the throat, picking me up with ease, "I knew you still had some fight in you! Good. More to break." he smirked, giving a small squeeze that left me choking and clawing at his marble-like hand. "Now, now son, play nice." he smiled, dropping me. I sucked in greedy gasping breaths, coughing, "No more dad... no more... I'll do what ever the fuck you want, just don't hurt me anymore, please!" I heard myself cry. Carlisle would be so disappointed. He always told me how proud he was of me for not letting bullies get to me, for not letting them break my spirit. I was only ever able to do that thanks to him and his teachings in patience. I always told Carlisle I'd do him proud and grow up to be just like him, I'd be the best man I could ever be. I just broke my promise in so many ways.
The monster was intrigued by my proposal, "What ever I want? Well... there is one thing I wouldn't mind seeing..." I gulped, wincing at the pain in my throat, "Wh-what?"
He took out his phone rather than answer me. I watched him punch in a few numbers before handing it to me, "Tell your precious Cullens to fuck off. You're happy here with your daddy."
My eyes widened in horror, "No. Anything else, please! I can't do that, I just can't." It would break Esme's heart to hear that I didn't want to be in their family anymore. If she believed it that is. And she probably wouldn't... she wouldn't! No one would! I forced myself not to smile, thinking of the possibility of losing the Cullens, my real family, to help keep the tears flowing, "Please daddy!" He laughed and smacked me, rejoicing at the sound of my cheekbone cracking, "You're gonna do it, or I'll kill them. And I'll make you watch every fucking thing." I whimpered at the very thought and held my uninjured hand out for the phone, ignoring how badly I was trembling. God I hope this worked.
I hit 'call' and put the phone to me ear, not surprised that someone answered halfway through the first ring, but very surprised to hear my sweet mother's voice snarl out, "I don't know who the hell you are but this is Esmé Cullen, if you have a wrong number you better hang up right now because I need to keep this line open!" Afraid that she would hang up if I didn't answer immediately, I quickly choked out, "M-momma?" in a slightly concerned voice.
"Edward? Baby?"
"Mom... E-Esme. I just called to tell you to back off." I said as calmly as I could, gripping my pant leg hard enough that my knuckles went white. Please...please... "What? Edward, where are you?" I could hear the frown in her voice, along with my older brothers asking questions a mile a minute in the background.
I cleared my throat, "Look, you guys gave me a good life. I'm grateful, really. But my dad just needed time to sober up. And now that he has... I'm ready to go back home."
"Y-you're father!? What are you talking about Edward? Please baby, just tell me where you are!"
I cringed. Of course they didn't know about dad. Well, now they do. And now, "Don't worry about it. I'm moving on now, to a better life. And really, we had a good time together. Going to broad-way to watch that play Chicago. Watching Nightmare on Elm Street. And I had a blast making fun of Emmett for turning 115 last year. But that's all in the past now. You don't need to come after me, I'm happy where I am." Now that the words had left my mouth, I felt that this was a horrible plan. True, we had never done any of that stuff, and Emmett was already 125.
"Edward you're talking nonsense! We never did any of th-" "Goodbye Esmé." I said and quickly hung up, letting out a strangled sob. She would never decipher that. To think Carlisle used to tell me I was some sort of child genius when he first found me. All those brain cells must have died at some point because I had never heard such a stupid stupid plan.
I don't think even I could make out that someone was trying to tell me that they were in Chicago, 115 Elm St.
Edward took the phone and tucked it into his pocket. Another thought occurred to me. Carlisle could track down the address through the phone number, couldn't he? I almost smiled. Edward never was a bright one.
But he does have a criminal record. So of course, he caught on to my thought process, "Phone isn't mine kid. Got it off some bitch I drained yesterday." Fuck.
I sniffed and gave up on my hopeful wishings of my family coming to save me. Instead, I wanted some answers, "Dad? M-may I ask how you were t-turned?" I whispered, knowing he would be able to hear me perfectly fine. I wasn't sure whether to be happy or shocked when he actually answered. "Victoria was out hunting and she spotted one of the lost photos of you these bitches in this neighborhood 'helped' me print out when they heard you went missing. She found me and said she would kill me if I didn't go with her so she could use me as bait." Bait? "But why would they need bait? They could have grabbed me any time I was alone." I asked.
"Like that ever happened. You always had a Cullen or a fucking dog glued to your ass . They thought if you saw me that you'd get all excited and run to your daddy without thinking. When that didn't turn out as they hoped I explained to the morons what really went down and they decided it'd be a good idea to have me join them. Why they made me wait eleven fucking years for this I'll never fucking understand. Some shit about waiting for you to be less fragile. But obviously that didn't work out well, you're still a like a fucking porcelain doll." he smirked, flicking my chest and breaking one of my ribs. I gasped in pain, instantly regretting it as the pain tripled.
He smiled and kicked me over to the pile of blankets, "I'm gonna leave you here to get reaquainted with your old room. And you've got a lot of catching up to do, so get comfy." With that, he closed the jammed window with ease and locked it, bending the lock so I couldn't turn it again. Within a blink he was gone and my door was shut and locked tight. I curled up as much as I could without causing myself too much pain and closed my eyes. This was my life again...
TWILIGHT-TWILIGHT
Carlisle's POV
"Daddy! Daddy no!" He giggled gleefully, hiding behind a chair. Today was one of my seemingly rare days off and it was just us. Emmett and Jasper both had Saturday school for trying to beat up one of Edward's bully's older siblings last week and Esmé was in Port Angeles helping make up the designs to a flower shop that'd be opening in a few months. Now I wanted to spend as much time with Edward as I could, not that he was complaining!
He let out a squeak when he heard me growl playfully right next to his ear and tried to run, but having a vampire daddy made that impossible. I started tickling Edward and blowing raspberries into his belly, making him laugh and wiggle. "Uncle! Uncle!" He choked out between giggles, trying to push me away. I grinned, "I'm no ones uncle but good try kiddo." Edward smiled, "You're silly daddy."
I kissed his head, "I love you son."
He hugged me, "I love you too daddy."
Edward had been seven that day. It was maybe one of the best days we had together, and the last since he started to become a big boy and outgrew his daddy. Now he says he's outgrown his family? No. No my boy wouldn't throw anyone away like that, and his parting words wouldn't consist of 'I had a blast'. Whether he wanted to admit it or not Edward was a sensitive young man and he loved us death, I just knew it.
I considered his nonexistent recollection of us ever permitting him to watch any horror movie, or taking him to broad-way to see Chicago. And Emmett hadn't been 115 years old for over ten years. I feel like Edward was trying to tell us something. Some sort of hint or riddle. Not the best though. Not that I could blame the poor boy, who knows what hell his monster of a father has been putting him through? I considered the three false events. "Esmé love, what was the last thing you asked Edward before he rambled on with all that nonsense?" I asked. Esmé exhaled, "I asked him where he was."
Two of those things spoke of destinations. Chicago and Elm Street. Chicago... that's where Edward was born. Where he ran away from. Was 115 Elm St. his address? It was the only thing I could decipher from that jumbled mess. I turned to the GPS of Emmett's monster Jeep and punched in the destination, "Follow these directions Jasper. I think they'll lead us to Edward."
"Punch it blondie." Jacob snarled.
