The stars blazed through the night sky, creating a picturesque scene for the celebrating couple. Sixteen years they have been together, with a beautiful home and an only daughter named Bella. She was not with them this night, for their anniversary. She was at her best friend's house, Jacob Black. Bella wanted them to celebrate together, as husband and wife.
After a delicious dinner at Giovanni’s, the couple decided to go home. They did not need anything special for their anniversary, no large parties, no holiday trips. The only thing they wanted to remain special was their relationship. They strolled to the back of the Italian restaurant, where their car was parked in the lot.
"Want me to drive? I think that Sangiovese wine is getting to you a bit," the husband commented playfully. He gave his wife a large infectious grin, how could she say no to that?
"Fine," she attempted to be stubborn and crossed her arms across her chest, but her husband saw right through that, he knew her too well. He shook his head, playing along by crossing his arms as well, his grin remained large.
"Fine," he mimicked her high voice. His wife's face flashed anger and irritation, but mostly amusement.
"I can't help it! You know I love Italian wine," She gave up her stubborn act and put her arms around his waist. This made them both stop as their eyes met. Their daughter, Bella, felt so embarrassed when they did this, stare at each other with huge puppy dog eyes. There was no escaping their intense love for each other.
They could have stood their for hours, but finally after a few moments, they finished their journey to the car. Time was meaningless when they looked into the windows of each others souls.
After unlocking their car, the husband got into the driver's seat and the wife took the seat next to him. Another perfect night, she thought. She turned to look at her husband, every night was perfect with him. He started the Toyota Rav4 and noticed her staring.
"What?" he asked, returning her gaze. Her face was suddenly drained of happiness, fear quickly replaced it, making her eyes widen. She wasn't looking at him anymore.
"What," he asked again, his face draining in response. His wife's hands made their way to her face, covering her mouth. Tears started to flow down her cheek.
"Put your ******** hands up!" Someone shouted. The voice came from the outside. The husband followed his wife's gaze to see a masked figure holding a handgun in their direction. His muscles froze for a moment as a quick shot of adrenaline filled his veins. This heightened his senses dramatically.
"I said put your ******** hands up!" The voice shouted again. The figure came closer to the car, only few feet from the car window of the husband's side. I have to get her out of here, the husband thought. Both of them slowly put their hands in the air, knowing that any fast movements might make the figure pull the trigger.
The engine was still running, maybe I could hit the gas and get the hell out of here, he thought. His head turned to his wife whose face was now wet with tears. Anger filled him, the decision was made.
"Get down," he murmured to her. His foot slammed on the gas and the Rav4 bolted forward. Before his hands could make the wheel, a loud shot sounded.
The glass of the car window shattered and the car started to slow. The wife took her arms from protecting her face and what she saw made her scream.
Blood quickly flowed down the husband's neck. She flung herself at him, trying to protect him from anymore gunshots. He started to hyperventilate, the bullet had struck into his trachea making air escape it. She quickly unfastened her seat belt and held both hands at the neck wound.
Her world started to collapse in on itself.
"Stay with me, okay, just stay with me," she said as calm as she could possibly manage. His eyes rolled for a few seconds before finding her eyes. She barely noticed the tears streaming down her face. The blood made its way through his mouth, making him cough and breathe even faster. She took off her jacket, always keeping one hand on the wound, and tied it around his neck as quickly as she could.
She reached for cellphone and quickly called for medical attention. The second the operator answered she asked for an ambulance and gave them the address. The cellphone slid down her bloody hands, she had given them the vital information, that's all they needed.
She didn't realise that she was still connected with the operator.
Her husbands eyes were shut, fear took her for a moment before she saw that he was still breathing.
"Wake up, honey, come on, everything is going to be okay. Help will be here soon. Just stay with me," His eyes flickered open and he saw how sad her face was. How can such misery steal my angel? His thoughts started to slow, unconsciousness was near. His bloody lips formed a small smile.
Holy s**t. ********. I just shot someone. s**t. This wasn't meant to happen. It was meant to be an easy car jack. In and out. That's it. Now I've ******** shot someone?
What do I do? WHAT DO I ******** DO?!
Destroy the evidence.
Pretend it never happened.
I have to hurry. People would have heard the gunshot.
My feet moved themselves to the back of the restaurant, I checked for people before going in. The kitchen, empty, clean. I picked up two barrels of cooking oil and took them out to the parking lot.
The silence intimidated me. Where were the screams of panic? The wailing of sirens? Too soon. Too soon. I must cherish this silence.
I opened one of the barrels and poured half of it on one of the back tires, then I did the same on the other. Taking out my lighter, I become emotionless. Detached from my humanity.
The first barrel fell from my hands and I threw the lighter to the concrete. Fire immediately erupted causing me to take a few steps bad. Intense heat quickly rolled off and the bright flames bellowed out thick black smoke.
As I opened the second barrel, the sound of sirens filled the air. I tossed the barrel towards the car and ran.
I sprinted as fast as I could, feeling humanity catch up with me. What had I done?
She smiled back and quickly kissed his lips. Throwing her arms around him, helpless sobs erupting from her chest.
Please God, let him live. Please let him live. She chanted these useless thoughts through her mind for a few moments before looking at his face.
He was still smiling. It pained him so much to see his angel miserable, upset.
Please God.
His hand slowly made his way to her face, the movement wasn't as painful as he would have thought. His fingers softly traced her jawline, his eyes taking in her beauty perhaps for the last time.
His feelings were fading, becoming unfocused and difficult to acknowledge. He could not hear her loud sobs, or her constant muttering, telling him to stay with her.
But he saw the fresh wave of horror drown his wife's face. Something had changed in her eyes. He stared more intently, noticing that they blazed so brightly, as if they were burning.
Why was there fire in her eyes?
Her mouth opened as if she was trying to breathe, trying to survive the fear that was drowning her.
.
.
Suffocating her.
.
.
She was screaming.
.
.
Shrieking.
.
.
Escaping was impossible.
.
.
The fire had reached them too quickly.
.
.
Her body had already caught fire.
.
.
His a second later.
.
.
The sickest image that could ever be imagined, the most horrifying, was witnessing his wife burn.
.
.
Burn alive.
.
.
.
.
.
"Isabella, wake up. Your flight is leaving in a couple hours," How many times have I told her to call me Bella? The week I have known Mrs. Abigail Woods, a social worker, she still insists on using my full name.
"Yes Mrs. Abigail Woods," I reply. If she will not return the favour then neither will I.
"Call me Abby, Isabella, you know that," Then why don't you call me Bella, I wanted to scream. I didn't reply and took a quick shower. I turned the water on cold, there was no hot water here in the orphanage. At least there was water. The cold helped me to wake up and ignore the nightmare I just had.
People say that your friends and your family make up who you are. I am no one, for I have neither.
My parents died when I was fifteen years old.
Shot.
Incinerated.
The night they were murdered, they were out to dinner on their 16th anniversary. As they left the restaurant's parking lot, it is said by police that they were held at gunpoint as someone tried to steal their car. My father tried to drive away to safety but he was shot through the car window. The police then say the gunman panicked and didn't want anyone to find their bodies, so he set the car alight. Perhaps my mother was burned alive, there was only one bullet hole found.
They were everything to me, I had no siblings or other family.
I was never a normal girl anyway, I was an outcast, a freak and I only had one friend. His name was Jacob Black and I loved him so much. We were the best of friends and we had been since I can remember. After my parents died, he was the only one left, the only person I could trust and talk to. He was always there, I could always cry on his shoulder and he would always comfort me. He let me stay at his house as he didn't want me to go to a foster home.
It all changed when Brittany came along. She was of course a selfish, stuck-up slut, who had nothing better to do than to ruin people's lives. Mine being one of them. She hated me because I was different, I wasn't popular and I never listened to the right music, I never dressed in the right clothes. Jacob himself wasn't popular, but he was capable of socialising, unlike me. Brittany, suddenly decided that she liked Jacob and wanted him to be her boyfriend. They'd never even spoken to each other. Jacob seriously can't believe that Brittany actually likes him? I always knew that he had a thing for her, but I never thought that he liked her so much that he would do anything for her, including dumping me, his best friend.
When I confronted him, he told me that I was jealous of him for becoming popular, but I don't care about being popular, I told him, why would I be jealous of a whore like Brittany? He told me he couldn't be friends with me anymore, so I had to move out of his house. What?! How could he do this too me? He knew that he was all I had left. He knew I had no one else. He would honestly do that to me? What for Brittany? A tear fell down my cheek as he walked away.
That night I packed my clothes, the few belongs I had and left. I didn't know where to go, so I just kept walking. I was completely lost and I didn't care, I had just lost my best and only friend, what's the point of caring? It must of been hours past midnight, the artic wind was making me shiver violently. I wonder how far I had walked? The sun was beginning to rise, beautiful colours began to spread across the sky. Scarlet and a vivid amber teared it's away through the sky, it was like the sky was being set alite. I fell to the floor screaming, feeling all of my sorrow being unleashed onto me.
I remember those colours so vividly still to this day, two years later. I was moving to Forks, Washington, to live in another foster home. I had been with over twenty different foster families, I wasn't exactly a good teenager, lets say. I always got in trouble with the law, I've been arrested several times for theft, defacing public property and disorderly conduct. But I wasn't always caught, also I'd gotten away with arson, assault, aiding and abetting, drug possession and manslaughter. So in other words, I'm ******** up.
I was staying with Charlie Swan, Chief of Police in Forks, how lovely, I thought, I'm sure we will get along great! The social welfare people who put me with the foster families and looked after me when I wasn't with one, decided to put me with a copper, hoping that I could come to my senses and not break the law anymore. I doubted it.
After the shower, I changed and hurried out of the orphanage. They tried ever so hard to make the place bright and happy. Trying to make us forget that our parents are dead. I caught a bus to the airport, listening to my I-pod on the way. I flew from Seattle, the former place I was living in, to Port Angeles in a small plane. I walked through the tiny airport thinking of escape. I then saw a middle-aged man with short brown hair holding a sign saying Isabella Sparrow, he must be Charlie Swan.
I walked towards him in my black clothes and I saw him give me a disapproving look. Can't I wear black without people assuming I'm a goth, or assuming I was a trouble-maker? Okay, I might me a trouble-maker, but still? I'm not a goth and I like black.
"You must be Isabella," he said, emphasizing the "must" slightly.
"Yes, I'm Bella, it's nice to meet you Charlie," I said holding out my hand. He looked down at it questionly and slowly placed his hand in mine. I might break the law but I can still be polite. He led me out of the airport, to the outside car park, where the rain started to fall. We headed to his police cruiser, not an unfamiliar sight, and drove an hour to his home. Forks was a small town, but a pretty one. The main highway was surrounded by thick forests and you could see greenery everywhere. At least the greenery makes up for the colourless grey skies.
His house was white with two stories and again was surrounded by trees and thick undergrowth. He told me I was staying in his old daughter's room. I didn't feel very comfortable staying in his daughter's room but he insisted. He told me that she was several years older than myself and had gone backpacking across Europe with some of her friends. Her name was Emily and she hadn't been in this room since she was fourteen. Charlie told me that Emily's mother, Renee, divorced Charlie and she had been living with her mother most of her life.
It was clear from the untouched wedding photos of himself and Renee that he still loved her. After I had unpacked, he called me down to dinner. He ordered pizza and we shared it while we watched a game. I didn't watch much television, but it was clear Charlie enjoyed it.
"So, um..Bella," he said during a commercial. "Tomorrow you'll be starting at Forks High School, which I'm sure you'll find interesting." Interesting? Yeah, a bunch of stereotypical people who judge you in two seconds flat.
"Oh, that will be...great," I gave Charlie the best smile I could muster, but failed miserably.
"Look I know I don't know you very well, but to help you along your way I've bought you a car," A car? Seriously? I never get anything from any of the foster families, so a car was a bit of a shock.
"A car?" I said questioningly. Hmm, something wasn't right here.
"Yeah, I know it's a bit extreme, but there are a lot things that come with the car,"
"Oh," I simply said, I knew there was a catch.
"There will be no breaking the law of any kind, from what your record shows, I thought you needed a little levage to help you on your way," he said, so he's bribing me now?
"You'll be working for the car, taking a few shifts at the local hospital, the local cafe and you'll be tutoring some kids at school. I know from your grades that you are an excellent student, you just need to get your head down and concentrate. You'll be working for the car, and all the money you earn will go towards it. When you have earned enough money, you won't have to work as much. If you break any rules of the law, school or otherwise, I'll come down on you like a tonne of bricks and you'll say goodbye to your car. Do you understand?" he said.
"Yes, Charlie, I do," I said. I suppose it won't be that bad living in Forks I thought to myself sarcastical
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