Determined By Fate

Chapter 2: The Tantrum

Bella pensively studied the lines of scrambled words that littered the word search she and her Dad were working on, hoping to find the last two words. The sound of running water could be heard from further in the kitchen as her Mother rigorously cleansed dishes, humming softly to herself. Bella looked up at her Dad, worry shrouding her face as he reluctantly rose from the nook. Charlie sighed, " I have to leave for work now, Bells.'' Isabella pouted.

''We aren't done, Dad!" she stressed.

"I'm sorry, Sweetie. I'll be here to wake you for school in the morning. We can finish up tomorrow." He bent to kiss her forehead, kissed her Mom, grabbed his lunch, and exited the house with haste. Bella continued to sit at the table, determined to finish before her Mother declared it was bedtime.

Renee completed the dishes swiftly and began putting together Bella's snacks for school tomorrow. She pulled the pale, fluffy bread from its home in the pantry. Grabbed her sharpest knife, slicing away at the crusted edges that her child loathed. Ensembling the sandwich with honey smoked turkey, coating the bread with mayo and mustard, adding earthy green spinach, and lastly, topping it with colorful shreds of pepper jack. Renee took a granny smith apple from the fridge and cut at its lime green layer, leaving apple ribbons behind, swiftly deseeding and carving it into bite-sized slices. It was some of the only things her child liked to eat for lunch. Isabella was a conscientious eater, and her meals were always tediously prepared. She was packing everything into the glittery purple bento box. Renee's watch buzzed, signaling it was 8:30 pm and time to get Bella washed and prepared for bed. " Bee Bee, go upstairs and get ready for your bath," she said on autopilot. The girl had not heard a peep of her Mother's demand and remained engrossed on her mission.

" Bella?" Renee said, turning to face her daughter, wondering why she'd yet to move. She sighed in defeat, realizing she'd have to kick it up a notch if she wanted the girl's attention. " Isabella Marie!" Renee said solemnly. Isabella's eyes shot up, becoming aware of her surroundings, meeting her Mother's stern gaze with one of annoyance. " It's approaching bedtime, and it's time for your bath." Bell still hadn't finished her word search. She abruptly pushed her pint-sized body from the table knocking over the chair and impudently cast the booklet to the floor.

" Ugggggggghhhhhh," She groaned exasperatedly, stomping her little feet across the living space and up the stairs to her room, slamming her door in a way that shook the house and let out a resounding boom.

Renee stood in awe for a moment and made her way to the cooler so she could pour herself a big glass of wine. It had been a while since Bella had thrown one of her fits. Renee took a sip of her wine as she contemplated going up to confront her child about the heinous behavior. She was startled, spilling a bit of her drink as loud clattering and screams came through the ceiling. She placed her glass down and made her way swiftly to her daughter's room.

Bella feverishly ran into her room, letting out a banshee-like scream as she closed her door. She was bounding to the dresser, pushing the jewelry, handcrafts, and dollies hazardously across the wood panel flooring. The girl snatched all the pretty miniature hand-drawn family portraits off the vibrant purple walls. She paused, looking in the mirror to wipe the tears out of her red tear-stricken face, her body vibrating with vexation as if the ground were shaking. Bella leaped towards the nightstand, throwing the ancient lamp to the ground, and began yanking her bedspread from the mattress. Renee burst through the door and was taken aback by the scene before her. Isabella's usually immaculate room was in ruins. She sprung forward in action, wrapping her body around the 8-year-old's shoulders.

" Please calm down, Bee Bee. Mommy's sorry." She tried to rein in the girls' anger to no avail. Bella thrashed tirelessly against her restraints, looking for an escape route. Noticing her Mom's skin was in mouth range, she sunk her teeth deep into the fleshy part of her Mother's arm and bit down harshly, a metallic taste rushing onto her tongue. Renee let out a gut-wrenching howl but did not loosen the grip she had on her irate child. She didn't mind if it stopped her from crazing about and possibly hurting herself. "Go ahead, bite me! I won't stop holding you!" Renee pressed.

" Ugh, let me go," Bella seethed through jaw-locked teeth jerking violently with emphasis on her demand.

"Shhh, please, baby." Renee croaked out in earnest, a frog forming in her throat, tears strolling down; she began to rock her baby as she peppered kisses into unruly chestnut waves. Bella's thrashing came to a creep as the heat slowly seeped out of her. Anger morphing into exhaustion, she slipped into a slumber. Still rocking and shushing Bella, Renee realized that her little girl was now fast asleep. She carefully stood, cradling the girl half her size to the bed, tucking the covers over her.

Renee picked up the sleeping child's room, quietly praying not to wake her. When done, she retrieved the first aid kit and reunited with her wine glass, downing it whole. As she treated the bloody wound, she grabbed her phone, pressing #2 calling her husband. He answered on the first ring, " Hey Honey, I don't have long. What's up? "..." Renee?" Charlie coaxed, starting to get worried.

Bella's mother covered her mouth to hold back the sobs, " Our baby needs help, Charlie. We can't keep winging it. There's only so much we can do!" she said with a yelp.

" W-What happened?" Charlie uttered, afraid of what he might hear.

"Bella bit me, Charlie!" Renee cried, drowning in a fit of hysterics. This surprised Charles out of Bell's tantrums; this had to have been the worse. Isabella had never been violent. After hearing the horrors from his grieving wife. He bid her good night, promising he'd figure out what was plaguing their little girl.