Red Room ₪ Breaking Dawn Fanfiction

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐬𝐬

Chapter Ten — 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐬𝐬

As parents we have a tendency to overprotect; it's okay to try and show them all positives but we cannot forget that the real world has teeth
—Johnnie Dent Jr.

"Charlie, what are you doing?" I asked, pausing mid-step as I walked into the kitchen. The sight before me sent a chill down my spine.

He was standing at the counter, packing a duffel bag full of weapons like his old service revolver, silver-tipped bullets, knives I didn't recognize, even a stake. His hands moved quickly, like he'd done this a hundred times before.

"I got a letter," he said, his voice sharp and flat. "A strange letter."

His eyes met mine, and I could see the storm brewing behind them.

"Did you know, Thea?" Charlie asked.

I blinked. "Know what?"

He slammed a knife into the bag, the clatter loud in the otherwise quiet kitchen. "The Cullens. Did you know they were vampires?!"

My heart stopped. I couldn't speak. It felt like the oxygen had been sucked from the room. The letter. Whoever wrote it must've told him everything. There was no point in lying. Not now.

"Yes," I whispered.

Charlie's face twisted with fury. "So you knew," he said, his voice rising, "and you still let my daughter marry one?"

He was beyond angry. He was betrayed, gutted, and livid. My stomach turned at the sight of him, not as a chief of police, but as a father who'd just realized his little girl was living in a nightmare.

"And the tribe?" he snapped. "Is it true? All the legends?"

I sighed. The line had been crossed. The veil was torn. There was no going back.

"Yes. It's all true."

Charlie zipped the bag shut and grabbed his keys. He stomped out of the kitchen, through the hall. I followed him in stunned silence.

"Are you going to see Bella?" I asked as we reached the front door.

"Get in," he said coldly, opening the door of the cruiser.

I didn't hesitate. I climbed in and buckled my seatbelt. "After I deal with the Cullens," he said, "I'm taking you and Bella away from here. Do you hear me?"

"Yes, sir."

He started the car with a roar and tore down the street like the law didn't apply to him. Maybe tonight, it didn't. I gripped the handle on the door, bracing myself as he took turns way too fast. The cruiser's siren wasn't on, but the fury in Charlie's eyes was louder than any wail.

When we finally turned onto the road near the Cullens' house, Charlie eased up on the gas.

"Oh, thank God," I muttered, clutching my chest. "You're insane."