Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

Obsession

By Mama4Dukes

Chapter 02:

The weeks flew by, and counseling with Ms Lahote at the police station helped Bella compartmentalize her emotions tremendously. Ms Lahote shared her own experience as a teenager. She was raped when she was around Bella’s age by a total stranger and, as a result, birthed a child. Rather than resent the rapist, she made him the catalyst for change.

Bella recalled Ms Lahote’s words. “ I refused to brood over the event and let it take control over my psyche or my choices. I made a choice not to be a victim of rape but a survivor of rape. It wasn’t easy, and I was on an emotional roller coaster for many years, but eventually, I came out on top. If I didn’t, I’d be victimizing myself to this day.

“ That being said, it helped that I had a child to raise. When he was born, it dawned upon me that I could raise my son to become a good, well-mannered gentleman who worked hard, knew the difference between right and wrong, and respected women. To that end, I put my energy into becoming self-sufficient. I graduated from high school and found a way to support myself and my son while attending college. I vowed never to allow myself to be a victim again and became empowered. That is what I want for you, Bella. I want you to become empowered.”

Bella pointed out that her situation was not nearly as dire as Ms Lahote’s experience. After all, she had only witnessed a heinous crime being committed and a dead body.

“ Yes, our situations are different, but we were both victims of fate. You didn’t ask to witness the murder-call it what it is-murder, nor did you ask to see the body of the dead girl. I certainly didn’t ask to be raped, but for whatever reason, those events happened to us. While it’s okay to consider those incidents, dwelling on them for an extended period of time can hinder recovery. And Bella, just because your circumstance is different from mine does not lessen the gravity of it. For the first time, you recognized the fragility of life and how precious it is. You’re angry at the five murderers, and you’re feeling guilty for living while the crime victim is no longer alive. You should not minimize your grief. I think the best gift you can give to yourself and the murder victim is empowering yourself so you can live your life to the fullest.”

During this time, Bella vested herself in her quest for self-improvement. She started attending karate classes again. As a child, she had taken karate from the time she was seven years old through middle school. She stopped when she began high school due to lack of time. Between her part-time job, school, and softball, she no longer had the time to devote to karate. But now that she was in Forks, she decided to restart her karate lessons, especially since her father still went to classes twice weekly. Charlie was a black belt and a long-time practitioner of the art, believing it centered him emotionally and mentally because he dealt with criminals on a daily basis at his job. Bella was demoted down to a green belt after re-testing. It took a while to get back into the swing of things and recall all her katas, but eventually, they returned to her. In any case, karate class was an excellent way for father and daughter to bond.

Bella also made sure not to overthink things. She tended to reflect on things too much-so much so that she brooded. Ms Lahote had suggested doing an activity if she found herself introspecting too much on one thing since softball season didn’t start until mid-March. In any case, Principal Black and her father suggested that she join a club to keep busy, so Bella became a member of the volunteer club. What better way was there to stay active within the community?

She also made sure to spend time with her father. She didn’t do enough of that with her mother, who had always gone out on dates or with friends in favor of spending time with her daughter. Bella found she enjoyed her father’s company. Charlie always found time to provide guidance when she needed it. He also helped with homework, and when he couldn’t understand something, he found someone who did. Just this past Wednesday, when Bella was having trouble with her math homework, they drove to the police station, where one of the rookie patrol officers helped her understand the equation. When Bella asked why he chose the police station, he replied he figured the young rookies were bound to understand math concepts more than he did since they were fresh out of school.

Sometimes, father and daughter would watch a movie together at home; other times, they’d go to La Push to have dinner with the Blacks or the Clearwaters. She made friends with the Clearwater kids. Leah and Seth were very friendly, although Leah had a sad aura about her. She already knew the Black kids-Jacob, and she used to make mud pies together when they were little. Rachel and Rebecca were both away at college.

Bella also hung out with her new school friends: Angela Weber, Jessica Stanley, Katie Marshall, Mike Newton, Eric Yorkie, Ben Cheney, and Tyler Crowley. They usually hung out at one of their houses and watched a movie together. Sometimes, they’d hang out at the diner or go to Sully’s for burgers. Today, they were at First Beach in La Push, where the subject of the Cullens came up.

The Cullens were an odd collection of five foster kids who lived in Forks. They lived with Dr and Mrs Cullen in the only mega mansion in town. They all dressed in designer clothes and looked like movie stars. They also drove expensive cars that looked out of place in Forks. In fact, they didn’t fit. They always hung out together in their own little clique and rarely spoke to the rest of the students. Of the five of them-three guys and two girls-there were two couples. The one single guy named Edward was creepy with a capital C. He was so eerie that Bella had to ask Principal Black for a schedule change due to a couple of incidents in chemistry class.

On Bella’s first day of school, she was seated next to him, and Edward Cullen acted like she smelled awful, scowling at her the entire time before abruptly leaving class. The second incident happened a week later when he returned to school and attempted to converse with her. He followed her to her locker after class. He made her feel super uncomfortable when he leaned in close to her and told her she was hard to read in a very accusing manner- for whatever reason. Then, Bella noticed Edward’s eyes, a unique golden color earlier, had turned coal black. She asked him about it, to which he curtly replied, “It’s the fluorescents,” before marching away in a huff. In the following days, she caught him staring at her, always glaring icily, which gave her goosebumps.

When Bella mentioned this to Ms Lahote, she encouraged her to speak to Principal Black immediately, especially since Edward Cullen discomposed her. So, she did precisely that, and Billy quickly moved Bella to a different section of chemistry so she wouldn’t have to endure Cullen’s attentions. It helped tremendously that her father’s best friend was the high school principal.

Sadly, Edward’s stalking-because that’s what Bella was beginning to feel like it was-didn’t stop there. During a field trip for the junior class to Seattle, he stuck by her side and asked intrusive questions, like why she moved to Washington and what was in Jacksonville. Bella hadn’t shared with anyone that her mother had recently moved to Jacksonville, Florida, so she felt especially discomposed. She was saved from replying when she tripped over her shoelace, which had come untied. Edward grasped her arm tightly so she wouldn’t fall and snapped, “Can you at least watch where you walk?”

“ Dude, I never asked you to walk with me,” Bella pointed out. Jessica Stanley saved her when she strolled up excitedly to tell her that Mike Newton had asked her to the prom. Thankfully, Edward stormed away from her. Bella stuck by her friends until the end of the field trip and vowed never to let Edward Cullen catch her alone-never, ever.

It wasn’t Bella who brought up the Cullens, but Katie Marshall. Apparently, she had mustered up all her confidence and invited Edward Cullen to join their group at First Beach. He replied that he couldn’t go to La Push, implying he wasn’t allowed. This all happened when Jacob Black approached their group with a couple of his friends, Sam Uley and Embry Call, who overheard their conversation. Sam told Katie, point blank, “The Cullens don’t come here.”

“Well, thank God for that,” Bella burst in relief. “I wouldn’t want my stalker following me here.”

“You’re only saying that because you’re lucky enough that he pays attention to you, Bella,” Katie replied.

“You can have him. I don’t want him near me,” was Bella’s response. She, indeed, was concerned about his strange predilection for her.

“Cullen is stalking you?” Sam asked Bella, concerned because he knew what he was. “Have you talked to Chief Black about it?”

Bella nodded her head, confirming that she had. “Edward Cullen is weird, and he scares me. He’s always staring at me like a wolf chasing his prey.”

Embry and Sam’s eyes widened with that analogy, and their eyebrows shot up to their hairlines. They quickly turned to each other with stunned expressions when a wolf howl in the distance interrupted everyone.

“Great, Bella, you’ve brought on the wolves. Maybe it’s Edward Cullen. Ahwooo!” Tyler howled.

Bella laughed, smacking Tyler’s arm with her hat. “Aren’t you going to teach me how to surf?”

“Yeah, yeah. Come on, girl, let’s see if we can get you standing on a board.”

“Jake, I’ll see you tomorrow night, okay? It was nice to meet you,” Bella said to Embry and Sam before taking off towards the beach with Tyler.

---

The following evening, the Swans had dinner at the Black residence. The Clearwaters were also guests. While the parents chatted, the kids strolled around the reservation when Jacob brought up Bella’s comparison of Edward Cullen to a wolf.

“I thought it was ironic because legend has it the Quileutes are supposedly descended from wolves, and the Cullens are descendants of an enemy clan.”

“Oh, not that story again, Jake. Bella will think we’re all nuts!” Leah cackled.

“Now you have to tell me,” Bella insisted. “I need to know.”

“Oh, fine. I’ll tell you,” Leah grinned, “but it’s like a ridiculous superstition. Anyhoo, supposedly, our great-grandfathers caught the Cullens hunting on our land a long time ago.”

“Like how long? Twenty-years? Thirty?”

“Longer. Apparently, it was when our great-grandfathers were still kids. Anyway, the story goes that they caught the Cullens hunting on our land, but the Cullens claimed they were something different. So, we made a treaty with them. If they promised to stay off our land, we wouldn’t expose what they really are.”

“But didn’t they just move here a couple of years ago?” Bella asked.

“Or moved back. Woooooo!” Jacob joked creepily.

“Well, what are they?”

“Who knows?” Leah brushed her away. “I’ve never met them. Thank God.”

Bella blew out a breath. “You don’t want to meet them, ever. Especially that Edward guy. He’s weird.”

The four of them stopped at the tribal store for some ice cream. Leah told Bella about how she was enrolled in a two-year RN transfer program at the local community college. “Eventually, I want to go to Washington State like Jake’s sister Rachel, but I haven’t figured out a major yet. What about you, Bella?”

“Oh, I don’t know. I know I want to attend college, but for the longest time, I lived in Arizona, so I thought I’d be attending the U of A. Now that I’m living with Dad, I’ll have to rethink that plan. Besides, I kind of like it better in Washington.” Bella didn’t mention that she hoped to earn a softball scholarship when it came time to apply for college.

And then Leah became quiet as she caught sight of a couple kissing each other. Bella recognized the guy as Sam Uley, whom she had met on the beach yesterday. He was with a pretty Native American woman with a deep gash on one side of her face. He was kissing her scars, hugging and holding her. Leah stared at the couple, transfixed.

“Come on. Let’s get out of here,” Seth muttered, gently guiding everyone towards the Black’s house.

“Leah, what’s wrong?” Bella asked when she saw her friend with tears streaming down her face. She glanced back at the couple and saw Sam staring at the group with concern.

“Ugh! Sam Uley pisses me off so much!” The ordinarily happy-go-lucky Seth spat. “He hurt my sister, Bella. That chick he’s with is our cousin Emily. Until last year, Leah and Sam were engaged, and then suddenly, Sam disappeared. When he came back, he had no explanation whatsoever about where he’d been, and then he took one look at Emily and started dating her. They’re now living together and engaged.”

“Seriously? That’s like next-level backstabbing if you ask me,” Jacob opined. He knew something had gone down between Leah and Emily, but no one confided in him.

Bella put an arm around Leah. “You don’t need anyone like that in your life. We’ll just put them in the weird and creepy category with the Cullens.” Then she faced her friend and looked into her eyes. “If you ever need to talk or just want to hang out for some girl time, you can call or text me anytime.”

Leah smiled at her. “Thanks, Bella. I’ll take you up on that offer. Maybe we can go get mani-pedis next weekend?”

“Ooh! That sounds interesting. I’ve never had a mani-pedi before.”

“Never? Didn’t your mother ever take you?”

Bella shook her head slowly and admitted to her new friend, “No, my mom never really had the time to spend with me. She had her own things going on.”