Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, I just play with them. This story is rated M, and is not suitable for younger readers. Story contains violence, coarse language and sexual "situations". Please do not read if any of these things offends you.

Note: [ Beta'ed by: Say Goodbye Again & bikechick3 ]

Chapter 7 - Ritual

Isabella Swan POV - One single day before the accident.

It was fascinating to watch my dad trying to cook his own breakfast. I leaned against the doorframe of the kitchen, with his back to me as he stood by the stove. He was trying to make, what I assumed were scrambled eggs, and he had yet to notice me.

He grumbled something under his breath when some of the oil sputtered up at him; it was like watching a kid learning how to walk or something, everything needed to be done with baby steps.

The smell was appalling, and I wondered how the hell he was even capable of producing such an odor from eggs, or any food for that matter, but I wasn't going to ask. At least he was trying to get better at something; at least he was trying to take care of himself.

And that was a heck of a lot more than one could say about me.

I cleared my throat and he whipped his head around.

"Morning, Bells," he said cheerily.

"Morning. Do I dare to ask what you're doing?" I asked, stepping over to him.

I looked down at the pan and wrinkled my nose. I was wrong. There was no freaking way that he was attempting to make scrambled eggs, because I had a hard time believing that that disgusting brown mush had ever been eggs.

"I'm making scrambled eggs," he said proudly and poked the mush with the spatula.

"No, dad, you're not," I said with a quiet chuckle. "Why didn't you just wait 'til I came down, and I could have done it for you?"

"Because I am a grown man and I'm fully capable of taking care of myself," he said defensively.

"Yes, I'm sure you are," I replied, taking the spatula from him and poked the brown mush with it. "But you're still not capable of making scrambled eggs."

He sighed and removed the pan from the stove, putting it in the sink and turning on the faucet. I chuckled as I opened the fridge and grabbed the things needed for making scrambled eggs the proper way. I told Dad to go sit down and let me prepare the food. He then proceeded to do the only thing he was able to do in the kitchen; he poured some coffee in his mug. It was the one with the Forks Police Department logo on it, kind of cheesy, I know, but I guess he was nothing if not his job, before sitting down by the table.

I glanced at him and smiled wistfully to myself. At least he was trying to take care of himself, and it wasn't really his fault that he was incapable of doing something simple as making scrambled eggs.

I did notice, however, that his uniform was unusually clean and crisp today; he had his gun firmly attached to the holster of his belt, and even his mustache was trimmed neat and tidy. He was the epitome of a small town Police Chief taken right out of a bad sit-com, or something.

It was pretty endearing, really, though a little stereotypical.

At least he was trying to take care of himself, and he removed a little of my doubt about whether or not he would be able to survive on his own when I was gone…

But with the luck I'd had this past week, I doubted that I would be gone anytime soon.

"How did it go with the Newtons last night?" I asked casually over my shoulder, not that I really cared, but at least I could make an effort in trying to be a normal daughter for him during the little time that we had left together.

His reaction was unexpected, and frankly; a little weird. He made a very uncharacteristically half-snort, half-chuckle noise, and I glanced over at him and saw him shake his head.

"The patio door was unlocked, and Mr. Newton swears he saw some kid running away from the house… but that's not even close to the most disturbing thing that I've found…" he said, shivering slightly. He closed his eyes and shook his head, as if he was trying to get a nasty picture out of his head.

"What did you find?" Now I was really curious. He shivered again.

"Nothing I would like to divulge to my innocent teenage daughter," he sighed. "Just promise me that you'll keep away from that Newton boy."

I snorted. That wasn't something I needed to be asked twice.

I expected nothing special of my day, when I came to school. I parked my truck in its usual space, and nobody paid me any attention at all as I stepped out and made my way up to the main entrance.

As I reached the steps, I heard the most beautiful sound, and I stopped dead in my tracks, smack dab in the middle of the flight of steps that led to the school entrance. This, obviously was a mistake, which I became painfully aware of when someone bumped into me from behind. I almost fell face first down the stairs, but I managed to find my balance at the last second.

"Freak," someone spat at me as they passed, and I thanked my lucky stars for getting by with only a stumble and some taunting.

I heard the noise again, and I felt the hair rise on my arms. Someone was laughing, and it was the most beautiful sound I'd ever heard. I looked around, trying to locate the noise and the person creating it and I frowned when I found my target.

Edward was standing with his brother, Emmett, and their friend Jasper, by his Volvo - which he of course had parked in the Principal's space again. He threw his head back as another round of perfect-sounding laughter escaped his lips. I couldn't help but be a little jealous at how carefree it sounded.

He looked genuinely happy, and I envied him for it. I bet he'd never had a hard day in his life; everything was always served to him on a silver platter.

Or maybe a platter made of diamonds - carried by dozens of naked girls.

But it was something more than just jealousy that flared in my stomach as I watched him drag his hands through his unruly hair, and smiling widely at his friends.

What I wouldn't give to be a part of it.

The normalcy, I mean.

That train had left a long time ago, however, and there was no hope for me to ever be normal. Not after everything that I had been through, and it was with that thought that I turned my back to them, and climbed the rest of the way up to the entrance.

I was bombarded left and right by laughing and smiling students, mingling with their friends, telling jokes and sharing secrets. This was such an odd world for me. I didn't fit in here, yet I was still somehow part of it.

I considered myself as the appendix of Forks High. I'm sure I had some sort of purpose being here, but no one – not even I – knew what it was, and the school would survive just fine if I was removed. But unlike the body, the removal of me wouldn't leave a scar. Instead, it would be as though I never existed.

I went through my first classes in a haze and before I knew it, it was time for lunch, and was once again painfully aware of how much I didn't belong here.

I had never belonged. Not in kindergarten, not in elementary school, not in junior high and definitely not in high school. I remember once when I was about ten, I had begged and begged for my parents to let me go to school with Jacob, on the reservation in La Push, what with him being my only friend and all. But my parents wouldn't let me, and in retrospect, I guess I'm pretty glad that they had said 'No'. I would probably have ended up far worse than I did if I had gone there…

I shuffled my feet to the cafeteria, and took my place in line. Some cocky freshman pushed me and cut in front of me. Being who I was, I didn't say or do anything about it.

"Excuse me, Freshie? It's rude to cut in line."

I jumped when I heard the bell-like voice from behind me and turned my head to see Alice Brandon standing a few feet away, her beautiful face scowling at the nameless freshman.

"Sorry," he muttered and immediately took his place behind me. Alice smiled and stepped up beside me.

"Hi Isabella, that pop-quiz was a bitch, huh?" she said cheerily, as though it was totally normal behavior for Alice-freaking-Brandon to defend me. I stared at her as though she had just sprouted another head, but she didn't even flinch.

"What?" I croaked.

"The pop-quiz in History, first period?" she clarified, "I'm in your class, remember?"

Yes, of course I remember. I could name every single person who was in every single one of my classes. I could even count the people who had willingly spoken to me in any of them on one hand. Hell, on one finger. Alice being that very one.

"Yeah… I…uh… I don't think it was that hard," I whispered.

"No, of course not, I bet you're totally smart," she said, and the fact that her tone held no rudeness or even a trace of condescension didn't escape my notice.

Smart? No. not really. More like, having no life so that the only thing distracting me from being reminded of my pathetic existence was to drown myself in homework and become a walking encyclopedia.

Why was she even talking to me?

Then I remembered the conversation she had with Rosalie in the bathroom two days ago, and it all fell into place, and the world finally made sense again.

I'm her freaking charity case. Her new hobby.

"You don't need to be nice to me, I'm not a charity case," I said through clenched teeth. Why didn't she just leave me the heck alone, couldn't she see that I didn't want to be bothered?

Her wide smile was finally wiped off her face and she gaped at me.

"I was just…" she trailed off and furrowed her brow, "I know you're not a charity case. I was just trying to be nice," she added quietly. I glared at her and she took a step back - I guess I could be intimidating too, if I wanted too.

"Alice! What are you doing? C'mon, the guys are waiting. We're grabbing lunch off campus, remember?" Rosalie called from the opposite side of the hallway.

"I'm coming!" Alice called back before looking at me again. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you." She said to me in a small voice, before skipping over to Rosalie.

She didn't mean to offend me? What did that even mean?

As soon as Alice was out of sight, the freshman cut in front of me again, and the people behind him followed suit. Within seconds, I was back at the end of the line. A female freshman looked at me and snickered.

"Goose," she blurted, and then she and her friend burst into a fit of giggles.

I rolled my eyes, and stepped out of the line. I guess that was my cue saying that I wasn't going to have any lunch today. Fortunately, I had learned the art of surviving without lunch, so it would not be that hard to make it through the remaining classes of the day.

And survive I did. Our last class was canceled, because of some teacher-conference or something, and I got to go home early. Although, I had left school early, Dad was home even earlier, his cruiser already parked outside our house when I got home.

I stepped inside and heard Dad moving around the living room, and when I peeked in I was surprised to see that he was dressed in a casual college sweater and a pair of jeans. I was so used to seeing him in his uniform that it was beyond weird to see him dressed in anything else; especially on a Thursday afternoon, when he was supposed to be at work.

"Hey Dad, you're home early," I noted.

He whipped his head around to me, and he had a flustered look about him. If that wasn't a cause of concern, I don't know what was, since my dad never got flustered.

"Yes, and so are you I see," he said.

"Yeah, school let out early…" I replied, "So how come you're home so early… and not in your uniform?"

He sighed deeply and scratched his head.

"I'm going to Seattle", he replied, gauging my reaction.

My face went blank, as did my mind.

"Oh…" was all the response I managed to get out.

"I guess it would be a lost cause, if I asked you to join me join me?"

"Yes, that would indeed be the epitome of a lost cause," I replied calmly.

He sighed again and looked at me with pained eyes.

"She's your mother, sweetie, she feels very bad about what happened, and she won't forgive herself until you do…"

I snorted loudly, and crossed my arms over my chest.

"I won't ever forgive her, and I can't believe you're actually asking me to do it," I said, not even bothering to hide the feeling of betrayal that must be evident on my face. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Bells, sweetie, I know what happened was… horrible. She was trying to help you but just ended up hurting herself in the process. The doctors think she's getting better now and-"

"And nothing!" I cut him off, "She's insane! And she can con the doctors all she wants, and make them believe she's getting better when she's not. But I thought you of all people would be the very one she could never fool… I guess I was wrong."

"Now you listen to me, Isabella, she is your mother! And I demand you treat her with respect. You made a mistake that she is being punished for! She doesn't deserve your hatred! She's your Mother!" he argued loudly. I could tell he was holding back in order not to yell at me.

I took a step back and gave him an incredulous look. I knew he didn't know what he was talking about, but his words still struck a nerve.

"She… she doesn't deserve it?" I repeated slowly. "And you think I did?"

He furrowed his brow and looked at me without answering. I guess that was all the answer I needed. I felt my throat close up. I quickly turned around and ran up the stairs. I would not let Dad see me break down.

"You're seventeen years old, Bella, maybe it's time for you to grow up and realize that the world doesn't revolve around you!" he called after me, just as I slammed my door shut behind me.

I threw myself onto the bed and buried my face into my pillow. My body shook with silent sobs, but the tears did not fall. It was as if my body was no longer capable of crying correctly. Yes, my eyes welled up, but the tears never fell, and they disappeared just as quickly as they came. All I was left with was violent sobbing without tears; a pretty uncomfortable feeling, if you ask me, to cry without tears, but I was getting used to it.

Three months ago, when I had come home from the hospital, I promised myself that I would never shed another tear for my mother. And I never did. Not for anyone else either, for that matter.

I didn't even hear my dad leave; I was too busy feeling sorry for myself. I tended to do that a lot lately, and today it felt like I had every reason to.

It's time for me to grow up, and realize that the world doesn't revolve around me.

Did my father know me at all? Had I ever acted like the world revolved around me? No! Instead, I most likely acted like the world revolved without me. I was stuck in the past, while everybody else was moving forward.

I hated him. With every fiber of my being, I hated my father, and everything he represented. Yes, I understand that he wanted to be loyal to his wife, and take care of her, but how could he put her before his own daughter? He might not know what had really gone down that night, but why couldn't he show some loyalty to me?

I left the bed with a sigh and went down to get my bag, which I had left in the living room before walking back upstairs and began working on my homework.

Algebra used to be such a cakewalk for me, but now, as I stared down at it, it could have been written in Japanese. I just couldn't concentrate, not with all the memories assaulting my mind…

"Bella, Sweetie, come and take a look at this, doesn't it look nice?" my mom called me from the backyard. I left the food I was preparing in the kitchen, and walked out through the kitchen door.

"Wow, Mom, you have really outdone yourself this year," I smiled.

Mom put her arms around my shoulders and smiled widely. The whole backyard was lit up with beautiful rice-paper lanterns, and she had put down a big wine-red carpet on the grass, and on the carpet she had put down big pillows for us to sit on.

It was July fifteenth, and my mother was turning thirty six. But she didn't look a day over twenty five – a fact that my dad always reminded her of, and making her smile and giggle like a schoolgirl in the process. Like always, she went all-out with the celebrations. 'Asia' was obviously this year's theme, she was dressed like a geisha, with makeup and all, and she insisted we all dress up too.

"The Blacks are coming over any minute now," she said, her eyes shining, "Maybe Billy has some good legends from Asia he can entertain us with…"

I scoffed.

"Mom, they're Native Americans, not Chinese," I said with a chuckle.

"So? They're so into their legends that it wouldn't surprise me if they have picked up a few from other countries, religions and communities as well," she replied with a pout.

"Sure, Mom, or you can just ask him to tell you one of their own legends, and pretend it took place in China," I replied with a shrug.

She nodded solemnly, and I laughed lightly to myself as I went back inside to finish the food.

Billy and Jacob came over just as I was putting out the food on the low table in the backyard. We all sat down on our big pillows on the ground, and gathered around the table.

We ate the countless dishes of Asian food that I'd prepared for the evening, and they all enjoyed my cooking. My own spicy rice was the most popular dish. We talked and laughed, and had a really great time.

When we were all full, and the evening was getting darker, it was the perfect setup for hearing Billy tell us one of their legends. He always did that for my mom on her birthdays, since she had always been fascinated with legends and myths. It didn't matter to her what they were about, they could be about vampires and werewolves for all she cared, she still enjoyed them. She was certain that all of the stories Billy told her were true and that nothing was made up. Which was pretty amusing at times, especially since not even Billy believed them all, and it was his people's history after all.

"Billy, would you care to tell us one of your legends… preferably one with a lot of drama," my mom said excitedly and Billy chuckled. When he cleared his throat we all knew it was time…

"One of our oldest legends on the reservation is about youth and health. The quest for eternal youth, happiness and health has always been one of Mankind's most-attempted ones… People don't want to grow old and die, and they don't want to be miserable in their existence.

When we first settled here in La Push, several thousand years ago, there was a woman, Nukpana. She was happily married to Chunta, and though they did not have any children, they still lived a happy life together. But there was nothing Nukpana wanted more than to give her husband a child, and though they'd tried many times, she was incapable of bearing a child.

Her husband, Chunta, never mentioned it and never made her feel bad about it… and that's why Nukpana grew suspicious. She knew Chunta wanted a son, someone to carry on the line, and that's why it was strange for him to be so accepting of her not being able to bear his children.

Then, one day, as Nukpana was down by the river, she saw him together with another woman. The sight broke her heart. And though he had betrayed her, she knew she had to do something drastic to keep her husband. She loved him, and she wanted him to herself.

She went over to a neighbor tribe - which became extinct not too long after, and spoke to a woman named Powaqa. Nukpana explained her situation and asked what she could do to keep her husband, and if there was any way for her to bear a child, and Powaqa told her that there was.

She told Nukpana that she could become pregnant, and gain eternal youth and beauty in the process, if she drank the blood of a virgin girl, drawn from each of the spiritual points of the body. If she did, Powaqa promised that her body would heal and she would be able to bear a child, and no man would ever be able to resist her beauty and she did not need to worry about her husband ever looking at another woman again… but she had to be careful not to kill the virgin girl when she drew the blood, because that would ruin the ritual, and it would have dire consequences.

Nukpana left with a smile on her face. She had already picked out her victim, the other woman's fourteen year old daughter. Back then it was virtually a law, that a girl was clean of any sexual relations until the day she was sixteen. Therefore, Nukpana was sure that the girl was a virgin.

That very night, she kidnapped the girl while she was sleeping and dragged her into the forest, where nobody would hear her scream. And then she cut the girl in the spiritual points.

She didn't know how much blood she was supposed to drink, Powaqa never mentioned the amount of blood needed, so she greedily drank from each cut and it wasn't until she drank the last drops from the girl's temples that she realized she had killed the girl.

She was petrified. What had she done? She would never heal now. She would never bear a child.

She went back to her tent, and lay down next to her sleeping husband. She was terrified of what the consequences of her actions would be. She did not hold any grief for the child she had killed, she only grieved for the child she would never be able to give her husband now…

The next morning she woke up in an empty bed. Her husband was gone. She immediately left the tent to search for him. It didn't take long to find him. He was standing by the river again, with the woman in his arms, kissing her passionately as tears fell down the woman's face.

One of the tribe's hunters had found the body of the child earlier that morning, and Nukpana's husband was consoling her… Nukpana watched them kiss and she gasped when they pulled apart. The woman's stomach was bulging, she was apparently pregnant. And it was Nukpana's husband's child…"

Billy's voice trailed off and we were all lost in thought at the end of the story.

"Would it have worked?" my mom asked after a few moments of silence.

"Would what have worked?" Billy asked with a gentle smile.

"The ritual? For beauty and happiness? Eternal life and all that?" Mom asked.

Billy chuckled, as did the rest of us.

"Renée, you are still beautiful, and you're too young to worry about your age," Dad chuckled and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. She playfully slapped his hand and I watched their exchange with a smile.

"I don't know, the legend doesn't say… but I assume nobody was stupid enough to try it after Nukpana's failure," Billy replied, "For all we know, Powaqa was just full of it. There's a reason why their own tribe ceased to exists…"

Mom nodded and become lost in thought, as Dad struck up a conversation with Billy about their upcoming fishing trip. All the while, Mom was rubbing my leg, with a soft smile on her lips, and a faraway look in her eyes…

A thunder outside my window brought me out of my musings, and soon I heard the familiar sound of rain against my window. I glanced over at the clock. It was already after five, and I had spent over three hours in my room doing…

I looked down at my homework and sighed.

… nothing.

My stomach growled and reminded me I had yet to eat anything, and I dragged my feet down to the kitchen. I wasn't expecting Dad to be back until late, so I took my time and made a proper dinner for myself and ate it in the kitchen, instead of in my room.

I hardly tasted the food I was eating; I was too lost in thought to register anything that went down my throat. For all I knew, I could have been eating dirt…

My thoughts were in Seattle. Though I wouldn't forgive my mom for anything, I still wondered how she was, and if she did get the proper help she needed. How was Dad dealing with all this? He wasn't an emotional man, but he did take care of the people he loved in the ways he knew how, and visiting Renée in the institution was one of them. Even though he didn't know the real reason behind her choice to leave.

The a sudden sound rang out and I jumped.

I went over to the phone, careful to look at the caller ID before I answered. It was Dad. I really didn't feel like talking to him right now, but I still found myself picking up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Bella? Sweetie, I have great news!" he said happily. It had been a really long time since I'd heard him sound so excited.

"Yeah? What's that?" I asked. Did Mom finally kick the bucket?

"Mom's coming home!" he said.

My eyes went wide and I lost grip of the phone, letting it clatter to the floor. I could still hear his voice from the receiver.

"Bella? Bella… you there? Did you hear me? Mom is coming home!"