Innocent Heart

Chapter One - The Brave Girl

Bella Swan

It was hard to believe that it had already been a week since Charlie had made the phone call that changed not only his life but mine as well. One could argue that this phone call was the most difficult thing Charlie had done in his entire life or one may have believed it was an easy solution to a problem he himself had caused. I didn't really know which side I stood on, all I knew was there was a problem and by the sounds of it I was the only possible solution.

Charlie hadn't coped well after my mom left Forks with me, he didn't expect she would file for divorce so quickly or set up a home for her and I to live that put us thousands of miles apart from where I had grown up. When I was young my mom had tried her best to hide the truth of Charlie's condition from me she wanted to protect me the best she could and I understood why. Through the years following the divorce Charlie had began drinking here and there, there were unsolved murder cases from apparent animal attacks throughout Forks, families of the victims had threatened to sue the Sheriff's department for their lack of effort towards capturing the animal that took their loved ones from them.

This had sometimes led to Charlie turning to the bottle to help him through the night. One day my mom's friend had come over to the house after a drunken phone call exchange between Charlie and my mom, I had stood at the top of the stairs and listened to my mom shaming him, talking about how he had shown up to work with a hangover twice that week, how his neighbours were apparently complaining about the lack of attention to his garden and property.

I understood the need to vent but hearing the way my mom spoke of him had made me pity Charlie all the more. Through the years we had talked less and less and perhaps that was my fault and I could have made the effort to reach out to him but I never knew what kind of mood he'd be in when I called and if he'd been drinking or not. Instead, I sent him packages on the holidays to let him know I was thinking of him.

I'd send him warm jumpers, sometimes I'd bake him cookies and on occasion some homemade jams. Every time I'd post them though I'd be filled with an uncontrollable guilt of everything I wasn't doing to better things between us. I would just tell myself that I had a lot of going on in my life at the time too, I'd make the regular excuses, school, studying for tests and even going on the road with my mom and Phil on occasion.

But as it turns out Charlie's problems were worse than any of us could have possibly imagined. Things weren't as they use to be in Forks, there had been a large crime wave that ripped through the town and put several companies out of businesses within the first couple of weeks and had been taken over by a new family in town.

Apparently to Charlie this family was nothing but bad news and a big problem for everyone in town. They had started by buying a large patch of ground in the forest and disturbed a lot of animal life that had inhabited that area, many town members were happy about that or the amount of tree's that were destroyed in the flattening of the land.

The family had brought in outside contractors from New York and San Francisco instead of providing work to the people of Forks. There were rumors that the interior designer they brought in for the property was pricing each room from everything from guest bathroom to master bedroom costing over easy over a hundred thousand per room. But that was just a rumour that had been impressed throughout the weeks that followed their arrival.

Some of their moving trucks had escorts on the front and back of them as they entered town. Some trucks coming into town in the weeks following their arrival had brought in all manner of items, some carried brand-new cars such as Mercedes, a Bentley, four black SUVS all with tinted windows and a Volvo.

Other items that had caught the attention of the town was a large water fountain that some say was brought over from Italy.

There was also art brought in that came with five escort vehicles to every truck.

Then in a matter of weeks things had changed drastically according to Charlie. He had gone over to meet the new family, especially when he learned the father had the role of Chief of Surgery at Fork's General and his wife was to be made principal of Fork's High School. He wanted to introduce himself as the Chief of Police and make them feel welcome.

Apparently it took thirty minutes for their security detail to let him through the front gate without a warrant to enter the premises. None of them would take him at his word that he was merely there to welcome the family. Eventually he had met with Dr Carlisle Cullen who upon their first introduction seemed like a very pleasant man, he had thanked Charlie for taking the time but had to excuse himself very quickly as he had a meeting he had to attend in Port Angeles and his family were all out of the house at that moment in time.

Charlie said it was no house he'd ever seen before it was a four floored mansion, with the large pond fountain at the front of their property, to the right of the property he could make out the garages in the distances all of them stocked with cars he had seen come into town and a few others all brand new, to the left of the property he could see tennis courts in the distance and a large outdoor pool with what looked like a connecting Jacuzzi.

Charlie had a bad feeling about the family from that moment on. They didn't seem to the type of people who belonged in a small town such as Forks, they'd clearly taken the time into their property and by the looks of it sank a lot of money into getting it just the way they wanted it. Charlie said you would never have imagined that up until a few weeks ago there had been nothing but trees and wildlife as far as the eye could see. Now it was a heavily armed mansion with a mile long drive way leading up to it, in other words keeping it out of the way of pranging eyes.

Dr Cullen was the first to make an appearance in town, he went into all the local businesses and introduced himself to the owners, he wanted to offer his advice and support as he held a degree in Economics and Business as did his wife. He wanted to help struggling business owners even if that meant supplying them with the money they needed to thrive.

Several local businesses were very quick to take Dr Cullen up on his offer. All of the owners who Charlie had spoken to had told him Dr Cullen had been more than generous. By Charlie's calculations Dr Cullen had given loans out that may have amounted to around five million dollars. Now local businesses were all finally attaching to changing times, changing the layout and designs inside to give Forks a more modern look.

Charlie didn't care for all the change around town, it wasn't the town he had grown up in or the same place he promised to protect and serve.

After the novelty of the money had worn off things began to change very quickly indeed...

The owners who didn't make their first payments were very quickly visited by men claiming to work for Dr Cullen, reminding them of the good doctor's generosity. The larger businesses that had taken greater amounts were visited by Dr Cullen's sons.

These business owners had reached out to Charlie that same day for his help. Apparently Dr Cullen's sons had not been as pleasant to deal with then the other men working for him. They had made an impression of their own and made it very clear what would happen to them and their business should they not repay their debts and their growing interest rates.

Dr Cullen had three sons in total but it was his eldest son that had been the one responsible for intimidating the owners, some of them were twice his age and size. But none of this had made the eldest son batter an eye.

He soon learned the eldest son was named Edward Cullen.

Soon debts were growing all over the town and businesses were quickly going under and being taken over by the Cullen family in a hurry.

With cuts being made in the Sheriff's department Charlie had been trying to pick up some extra shifts to help him with the bills but there just never seemed to be enough. Charlie had almost become chocked up when he told me about this on the phone, he'd confessed about his worries and his trouble sleeping with fear that he might lose his home.

Like so many people before him he had made the grave mistake of contacting Dr Cullen for a loan just to make the mortgage payments on time. Charlie had been struggling with his child support payments, for a while I had listened to my mom on the phone to him demanding the money to be sent so that I would have what I needed for school supplies etc.

School was going to be starting in a week and my mom had been in such a foul mood that she refused to take me shopping, she said until Charlie paid up then I just had to use last years supplies and make the best of it.

Sometimes I hated the way she spoke about Charlie all the more so this past week now that I knew the truth about what Charlie had been facing and his struggle. Of course my mom was completely in the dark about what had been discussed between Charlie and me.

If my mom had any idea my reason behind packing up my life to move to Forks she would never have let me leave her side.

The reason Charlie had called was because he needed my help and only I could help him out of his current predicament.

A week ago Charlie had come home to the house completely trashed, furniture turned upside down, broken windows and holes in the walls. One of Charlie's neighbours had been working from home, and they believe the people responsible were the Cullen brothers, but they weren't going to come forward and help, they were simply too afraid of the Cullen family as were many people in town these days.

Charlie had come into my bedroom and found a message spray painted on the ceiling that read...

PAY UP FAST OR WE WILL BE BACK!

Charlie had gone to the hospital to confront Dr Cullen who had security escort Charlie to his office. Dr Cullen had sat down with him and explained he was unaware of any home invasion and was certain his sons would not disrespect the rules and morals he had set for them. Dr Cullen believed in strong values and traditional ways, and he believed that if his eldest son was acting in this hideous manner then it was time he be married to bring some level of responsibility to his life.

All men in his family for generations were married on their eighteenth birthday.

Dr Cullen believed their solution to both their problems would be if I married Edward.

The second Charlie had suggested this on the phone I hung up on him and ran downstairs to tell my mom. When I got to the kitchen I heard her on her cell, she was planning to take Charlie to court and wasn't willing to wait for him to come up with the money anymore. Even though they were divorced and I couldn't remember them as a couple they were still my parents, I still got the same levels of anxiety over them arguing regardless.

When I returned upstairs I found Charlie was trying to reach me on my cell again but I didn't respond instead I turned it off, so he couldn't reach me.

The Cullen's sounded like bad news that much was obvious but for all I knew Charlie could have been drinking when he told me all of this, he could have been making half of it up. But if he wasn't then I didn't know what do about it. I certainly wasn't going to marry a complete stranger just to write off Charlie's debts.

This was some old world tradition that I wanted no part of. Charlie never said the word mafia but it was certainly implied.

I didn't turn on my phone for days after that and refused to speak to Charlie asking my mom to make up excuses for me, so I could avoid him. I found myself waking up in the dead of night without cause, my stomach would be full of knots that strained so hard I thought at times I might be sick from the anxiety of the situation. It sounded like the work of novels but it wasn't this was real life and it was up to me to make some decisions.

I'd like to say that my only thought was the worry of what would happen to Charlie if I didn't agree to the marriage but turns out none of us are as selfless as we think we are. I spent hours thinking of what might happen to me if I agreed to do this, to marry this guy who sounded like he was heir to the family throne of debt collecting and scare tactics.

What if he was violent? What if his entire family was violent towards me? But that wasn't even the thoughts that kept me awake at night it was even more primal.

He came from a rich family, probably travelled all around the world and grew up far too quickly. If he agreed to this marriage, what if he was expecting a certain standard? I didn't care what he thought of me and how I looked, what concerned me was what he would expect from his bride to be.

I was a virgin and I planned to remain one for a very long time!

Maybe he was a good-looking guy, the girls in Forks would know he had money and if he had looks well that meant I would be walking onto a battlefield with a target on my back and chest. What if he already had a girlfriend? What then? I could be beaten up or worse.

There were so many what ifs that I actually did in time find myself being sick over the idea.

The bottom line was this, if I married him I could live in regret for the rest of my life, my mom would never be on board with the idea of me getting married at my age which meant there was a very strong possibility she might never speak to me again. Edward Cullen, sounded like he had a short fuse and if it turns out he was part of my father's house being ransacked then I would have more than a few things to say to him. Bottom line I didn't want to get married and I shouldn't be made to do this.

But if I didn't then what might happen to Charlie?

The idea of him being alone, of being scared to sleep at night. Fear was a terrible thing, to not feel safe in your own home was enough to drive a person insane. It was no wonder now why Charlie had begun to drink more and more. He was scared and people do terrible and sometimes unforgivable things when they're scared.

Five days after Charlie's phone call I had finally found the strength to call him. I explained to him that there was no chance my mom just suddenly believed I wanted to move to Forks. I had come up with a plan to use Phil's job and travel requirements to my advantage. I had sat down with my mum one evening after dinner and explained to her that I'd been giving it some thought and I really wanted to focus on my last two years of high school and make that extra effort but in order for me to do that I couldn't miss weeks of school anymore, I was tired of constantly feeling behind in classes and trying to catch up on all of my assessments. So to fix a lot of our problems right now including Charlie's child support, I thought it would be best for me to go and live with Charlie in Forks until I finished high school.

My mom wasn't on board not for a second, she thought I wouldn't be safe living with Charlie that she was worried about his drinking and his line of work keeping him from taking proper care of me. But I made her believe that Charlie was doing better, I had felt sick to my stomach and lied to her about all the efforts Charlie had been making with his drinking.

She wasn't easy to convince but then again no mom ever was.

But finally she agreed with the agreement that I keep my phone on me at all times and if she changed her mind and wanted me home that I'd be on the first plane.

Together my mom and I had packed my cases, she had gone out and bought me plenty of winter wear which was every day wear for life in Forks. I had gotten myself enrolled to begin at Fork's High School at the end of summer which was only in four days.

I had somehow convinced my mom to say our goodbyes at the house and that I would take a taxi to the airport. I didn't want her getting upset at the airport and having to drive herself home, I told her it would only make me worry about her all the more on the flight. So I had said goodbye to her and Phil and said a hard farewell to everyone and everything I'd ever known.

My mom thought I was heading to the airport but in reality I was heading to a private airstrip. Charlie had called me the night before and explained the Cullen family had made arrangements for me to be picked up in their private jet instead. The idea of going on a private jet that could have taken me anywhere for all I knew was enough to make me sick. But I had to keep fighting my growing anxiety and just keep going.

The airstrip was over an hour and a half drive from my house, at the gate the security had cleared us through after I had supplied them with my name and a code I had been given by Charlie. The taxi crossed the airstrip towards the furthest away jet in the distance. The lights inside of it were warm giving it a gentle glow as we pulled up.

There were flight attendants waiting by the stairs to the jet along with a woman dressed in a beige dress, she was beautiful, she had long thick brown hair with soft brown highlights. When the taxi pulled up she had snapped her fingers for the attention of one of the flight crew who proceeded to pay my fare despite my objects.

The woman then opened my door as the flight crew began to open and unload the trunk.

"Hello Miss Swan, I'm Portia, lovely for you to join us" She explained as I stepped out from the backseat.

"Hi, erm sorry"

"No need to apologize, Miss Swan. You've probably had a long day and are just in need of rest"

"I'm sorry who are you?"

She smiled at me then.

"My name is Portia I'm head of household staff for the Cullen family. I've been asked to travel with you tonight and see to it that all your needs are met before you meet with Mr Cullen this evening"

"Dr Cullen" I corrected

"Well no, Mr Edward Cullen has arranged to meet with you first"

"No" I said firmly surprising not only her but myself "I don't want to meet with him or anyone else until I see my dad"

"I'm afraid that's not going to happen, Miss Swan. Mr Cullen has left strict instructions that upon your arrival you are to be brought to him immediately"

"Brought to him immediately?"

"I believe he just wants to speak with you about the situation"

"Do you know the situation?"

She cleared her throat and looked over her shoulder to check the flight crew weren't listening in for their fill of the details.

"I've been made aware yes. Mr Cullen has made the arranagements, and they will be followed"

"Or what?" I swallowed hard and even attempted a shrug despite my knees shaking in fear "Hmm"

"Mr Cullen does not like to be disappointed"

I hope you enjoyed this new story there is plenty more to come.

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