Mute girl

Chapter nine - A mute may scream.

A/N The next part has a very upsetting rape scene in it, so don't read anything captured in the line of X's if this might upset you.

As always, all rights belong to Stephanie Meyer, I'm just being very cruel to poor Bella over here.

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I stand by my bed and look down at my feet. In front of me is the closed door, locked so that I can't leave. I tap my foot nervously and glance at the little clock on the side table. 6:44. One more minute until the match on the T.V ends and Charlie comes up to 'check on me' before bed. I shuffle anxiously to the side and lightly stroked the bruise on my arm from last night, when he got mad that I hadn't come back home fast enough.

I sat back down on the bed and lifted my hand to my mouth. I'd already bitten off the nail as far as it would go, but that didn't mean I wasn't going to take off the skin as well. The sounds of Charlie heaving himself out of the sofa and into the kitchen made me start as I internally groaned — if he was in the kitchen then he was getting a beer, which always meant that I was in for a worse night.

A few sounds of movement came from below, before the familiar thumps of Charlie coming up the stairs, already working himself up into a rage. I felt my stomach drop a bit and my heart seemed to stop beating at all when he unlocked the door, his wrinkled brown eyes appearing from in between the gap. "Isabella." He growled as he stepped into the room.

"Get up, you worthless piece of crap!" I scurried off of the bed and stood before him, my hands already shaking in fright. "Did you do what I asked you too?" He demanded, spit flying off his lip as he growled his order at me. "No? You couldn't just break up with Cullen, you dumb bitch!" I shuddered at what he said, he'd never called me a bitch before.
"Did you hear me? You DUMB BITCH!" He inched even closer and pushed me back onto the bed as I tried to hold back the tears forming in my eyes.

"You've disobeyed me Isabella, and that means a punishment — doesn't it?" He stated, much slower and calmer than before, as he slid the belt out from the loops in his trousers. I cringed and closed my eyes, waiting for the beating I knew was about to come. Instead I heard the slight click of metal hitting the ground, and then the sound of clothes following suite. "This is your fault Isabella. If you weren't such a stupid piece of crap I wouldn't need to discipline you like this."

Suddenly I felt his harsh, calloused hands grab my hips as he pulled me closer to him, crushing my entire body against the bed as his lips smashed into mine for a kiss. I thrashed about underneath him, trying to get him off me as he forced his tongue into my mouth and gripped my hips so tight it hurt. His mouth left mine and he started sucking and biting on my neck, making me arch my back in pain and kick out even more. I shut my eyes back up again, not wanting to see what was happening as his ruff, dirty hands started to pull violently on my jeans, yanking my them down to around my ankles.

I opened my mouth to scream, but nothing came out. Get off me! I thought. Stop! No! Get off! I felt silent tears trace their way down my cheek as his hand reached under my shirt to grope around my chest, the other hand pulling off my t-shirt in the mean time. "You're going to be nice and quiet for me, you understand?" He whispered into my ear, his breath making me shiver in disgust. His hands circled my chest while I fought the urge to throw up — and then suddenly my bra was gone, underwear down, a harsh bite on my neck ... and the pain and the blood and the shame. On and on, a single moment of terror and regret to define all my life as I found out that a Mute may scream, but it will never be heard.

And then he was done.

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I jumped up in bed, my mouth stretched out into a wide 'O' shape as a shaky breath made its way out of my lips, my own feeble attempt at a scream. My heart was pounding and I was drenched in sweat as I tried to figure out where the hell I was. I figured out pretty soon that I was defiantly not in my usual bed at Charlie's, so where was I? I looked around in the semi dark, but I couldn't recognise anything in the night-time gloom.

I pushed the sweaty hair out of my eyes and pulled the covers back, stepping out of bed and onto the soft carpet floor. Taking a few hesitant steps towards the door I nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw the worried, pretty little face of Alice Cullen as she poked her head around the door. Oh, I thought. Now I remember.

"Bella?" She asked softly, her voice falling in my ears like music caught in the wind. "Are you okay?" I nodded tearfully, trying to force a smile out for her watchful eyes. She took a few steps into the room and paused, before she closed the gap between us and took my hand. I flinched as her cool hand grasped mine, closing my eyes for a moment before letting my hand continue to lie passively in hers.

"What is it, Bella? Did you have a dream, a nightmare?" She led me back onto the bed and gently wiped away the tears from my eye. I nodded again, touching my throat ever so slightly, only to wince away in pain. "Was it about... Charlie?" She hesitated before saying his name, obviously scared to upset me more. I took another deep, ragged breath and pushed away a few more tears, before I enveloped her in a bone breaking hug, nodding into her shoulder. "...Bella..." She said as she hugged me back, letting me cry into her. She rocked back and forth, waiting for my heartbeat to calm down as she numbered soft words into my ear.

"It's okay Bella, you're safe here." She whispered, her arms seeming more like home than ever. "Would you like me to stay until you fall asleep?" She gently let go of me, placing me back on the pillows and tucking me under the covers. I nodded again and let her lie down next to me, her arms still wrapped around my small frame. I closed my eyes and snuggled into her side; hiding my face under her arm as my breathing slowed, my tears stopped and I finally found myself able to sleep.