Mute girl

Chapter four

Bella's PoV:

I woke up the next morning aching all over. Charlie yelled at me from downstairs and I got out of bed quickly to make him breakfast. After that was done I headed back up to the bathroom and got changed into my usual jeans and T shirt, applying a thin layer of makeup to my arm and neck. Usually, I wouldn't wear makeup at all but I had a few bruises swelling up just under my hair and sleeve that I didn't want to show at school.

I skipped breakfast, as usual now, and hopped into the truck nearly twenty minutes earlier than I needed to. My stomach was growling because I hadn't eaten much the day before - but I had to put up with it if I didn't want things to get worse. Pulling up in the school parking lot I kept the engine running for a little bit longer to stop myself from freezing up before I finally got out and turned it off. I was still way too early for school so I sat on one of the benches by the entrance and doodled absentmindedly in a notebook. I zoned out as more and more pupils began to arrive and I watched my simple sketch of swirling flowers grow into a full, detailed piece of art.

"That's very good." Came a voice behind me. I jumped in shock because I hadn't realised that I was being watched. "Hey Bella," it was Alice, I felt my back stiffen as I waited for the inevitable questions she would ask. "So, you do remember that I can tell the future right?" I gulped. Please no please no please no - she can't find out she can't find out she can't find out. "I saw you stop speaking a week before it happened." She said kindly as she slid down next to me. "I saw you give Edward that note and I saw why as well." She knows she knows she knows, I chanted to myself.

"Bella why didn't you tell me?" I couldn't speak, there was a lump of ice in my throat. My jaw wouldn't work, my brain stopped thinking and I was frozen all over from the ice in my throat. "Bella we can help."
My brain went into overdrive, a thousand thoughts a second - No! No! No! You can't! you can't! you can't! You'll only make it worse! Edward will be so angry! He'll be so disgusted with me! How can you say that?

I ripped out the piece of paper I was doodling on and wrote out a simple message for Alice.

No you can't. You will only make it worse. Please, I'm trying to protect you - just let me go.

I passed it to her and watch her face fall and furrow in both anger and grief. "Bella enough. How can you ask either me or Edward to let you go? I promise to do my best to help you, it's not up to you to protect everyone." She said it all so kindly, like she actually meant it, but each word was worse than the one before it and it all meant one thing.

She was going to tell Edward.

I grabbed the paper back and wrote out a new note, not caring any more about my handwriting.

Alice you don't understand. You might want to help but if you tell Edward it will make things so much worse - he'll be disgusted with me.
Please promise me that you won't tell anyone, ever.

Alice winced in pain as if she'd just watched a really gory movie. "Bella I didn't know he'd done that to you." I looked down into my lap in shame - so now she knew everything.
"I can't promise not to tell anyone, but I can promise that I will get you out of there - and Bella, don't ever think that anyone could be disgusted with you. It's not your fault."

I felt horrible, traitorous tears gather in my eyes as Alice rubbed my back slowly to try and calm me down. "It's alright, Bella. You can talk to me now." I didn't reply to that but instead packed away my notebook and wiped away the tears before they could fall. Alice looked over to the silver Volvo only just pulling up at school, obviously hearing something I couldn't. I wondered briefly how she had got here before the others but shook the thought of quickly - she's a vampire, she probably just ran.

I got up from the bench and walked into school just before the bell rang.