Mute girl

Chapter eleven - The Barbie Bella.

A/N As you are very well aware, I'm not Stephanie Meyer, I do not own the Twilight franchise and I most definitely did not write the original. This is fan-fiction, so I only own what I wrote.

Alice plonked me down on a pretty white chair in her room, an untrustworthy sweet smile on her face. "I went through your clothes last night when I put them away, and I swear your fashion sense has got even worse then when I first met you!" She chattered wildly at me while she went through various cupboards and drawers in her room, looking for something that obviously wasn't there.

Well of course my clothes have got worse, I thought. When you first met me I was still allowed nice things. She thrummed her fingers thoughtfully against the top of her vanity-mirror-thing, her face a mask of confusion. "...now I'm sure I put it in the second drawer..." She muttered, her apparently perfect vampire memory reaching a block. "Well anyway Bella, we are going to have to go shopping soon — there is no way you're going anywhere in the clothes that man let you wear." I shuddered at the mention of Charlie. So she knew, or had guessed, about his strict rules on what I 'deserved to have'.

I looked down at my lap, feeling my cheeks heat up in embarrassment. Yes, I knew that I had about as much appeal as a dead slug. Still, I didn't want to talk about what had happened. "...But how can I have lost it?..." She muttered again, before a slightly annoyed, but no less enlightened look crossed her face. "... Ahhh, I know..." She smirked brilliantly as she crossed the room and swung open the door, throwing her head back and yelling through the house.

"EDWARD!" She yelled. "Give it back NOW!" She stepped back into the room and held out her fingers, counting on each one of them. "One..." She whispered, a triumphant grin plastered on her face."...Two..." She winked at me, he eyes dancing with mischief. "...Three." I jumped as I heard a loud thump from upstairs, followed by a giggle from Alice.

"Alice, I am not giving that back to you. It shouldn't even exist and Bella most definitely doesn't need to see it again, so don't even try to — Crap, Alice! Was that really necessary?" Alice burst into a fit of laughter and I couldn't help but smile at whatever crazy nonsense was going on between them.

A second later the door swung back open and Edward appeared, his face softening when he saw me. I felt my heart skip a beat and a blush rise to my cheeks when he smiled, I was glad to see him. "Look, Alice, if you're going to torment me with those thoughts then you can have it back — but for Bella's sake, not yours." He handed her a large black box, an old fashioned lock set over the familiar wood to keep it from opening.

Alice smiled and Edward slid out, obviously not wanting to be in there when Alice explained what was going on. I stared in surprise at the box. But I threw that out ages ago! I thought. I had to stop Charlie from getting at it. Alice's smile was melancholy now, her face full of understanding as she passed me the box. I touched it very lightly, trying to find the courage to open it already. It's just my box. I thought. Just memories of the past.

I felt like I was being strangled by the string around my neck. Gingerly, I lifted the frayed string from around my neck and dropped the key hanging on it into my palm. The key was small and delicate, an intricate bronze that matched the lock on the box perfectly.

I slid my fingers under the clasp, my hand shaking ever so slightly as I did so. Closing my eyes, I lifted up the lid and held my breathe. Just memories. I told myself. I reached inside and pulled out the papers, the photos and the letters I'd written. They were unfolded and smudge-free, pristine as the day they were made, but to my eyes they were filthy — reminders of a life I'd have preferred to keep hidden.