Taken In By The Cullens

Chapter One

Bang!! Bang!! Bang!! Construction work across the street was what forced Maddie to shoot up from her bed, followed by even more motor noises that would surely piss off the entire street. If she wasn't awake before, she sure as hell was now "uhh- alright!! I'm up!!" she said to no one in particular. The fifteen year old stood from her 'bed' and stretched her aching and tired limbs as she looked around her new bedroom - it was crap but better than what she used to put up with; it was a small box room that consisted of a door that led to the rest of the apartment, a small window which Maddie knew she would crawl out of a multiple of times in the near future, a mattress lay on the floor in the far corner of the room with a thin blanket and an old pillow, a lamp was turned off next to her 'bed' and a very small pile of folded up clothes was on the other side of the room next to my school bag. She and her foster father had only just moved to the small town called Forks; John had easily found a cheap renting two-bedroom apartment and, as soon as all the paperwork was filled in, they moved from Arizona. Glancing at her cracked screened phone, Maddie noticed it was eight O clock; she left her room and entered the bathroom across the hall where she removed her clothes and hopped into the shower. After both her hair and body were clean, Maddie wrapped a towel around herself before finding herself staring at her reflection within the mirror above the sink; she was analysing her body - her stomach, chest, arms, waist, and legs....all littered with bruises, scars, cuts, and grazes. Thankfully, there was nothing on her face that indicated she was injured as her past bruises had faded and the cuts had healed; facial injuries were always more difficult to cover and hide. You're probably wondering why Maddie Hunter - a fifteen-year-old - has such bruises and wounds, right?? You see, when the girl was five years old, her home was consumed by flames which took the lives of her dear parents - they were only teenagers themselves as they were both fourteen when Maddie was born; she spent five more years of her life living at an orphanage before being fostered by a seemingly loving couple - John and Rosie Smith.

However, the couple soon split after less than a year and parted ways; the ten-year-old stayed with John as his ex-wife had hurried to pack her things and leave - never to be seen or heard from again. The man, heartbroken and hurt, turned to drinking in order to ease his pain until it was undoubtable that he was an alcoholic; he blamed his failed marriage on his newfound foster daughter and began to neglect his duties of caring for her. He would 'forget' to give her food, not allow her to join a school, he would have her do near to all of the house hold chores, he would sometimes restrict her from having anything to drink, he kicked her out of her specially decorated bedroom he and Rosie had arranged for her and turned it into a storage space, forcing Maddie to sleep in the actual storage cupboard - she eventually grew out of it and slept by the door to the cupboard, and at every chance he got, he would snap and snarl at the poor girl. And soon followed the physical beatings - John would hit and kick the child, throw her against the floor, as well as throw objects at her, he would choke her until she would sometimes pass out and if one were around, he would use a knife on her skin. But one of the worst 'punishments' Maddie hated the most was when John would use his belt as a whip, attacking her back until he became either tired or bored, though he would - if he were feeling extra evil - he would rub salt into the wounds. Yes, that was Maddie's least favourite for sure. In all honesty, the teenager would be lucky if she managed to get through a day without getting hurt by her guardian one way or another, though those were extremely rare days, so she knew not to hold her breath.

Shaking her head to hid her mind of her past, Maddie hurried back into her room and dried off before putting on her clothes - a pair of blue jeans which weren't originally ripped, her white top, a pair of brown heeled boots and her army green jacket; she threw her bag over her shoulder before leaving her room. Upon entering the main room, which was the living room and the kitchen connected, Maddie grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and an apple from the fruit bowl before placing them both into her bag; she heard a tired groan come from behind her. Glancing over towards the sofa, Maddie noticed that her foster father was sitting up as he rubbed his throbbing head - he must have passed out from drinking again late last night; the teenager "uhh....god, my head" he complained. The fifteen-year-old turned back to the fridge and grabbed yet another bottle of water, as well as two pain killers from the medicine cabinet, before handing them over to the man "thanks" was all he said before gladly swallowing the tablets - he wasn't always horrid....it was just rare. John took note that his foster daughter was dressed and had her bag, reminding his hungover self what day it was exactly "stay out of trouble!!" he demanded "don't give your school a reason to call me and have me come in". The teenager held back an eye roll as she knew it would have earned her a slap "I won't" she promised as she turned away from the man "though I never course or get into any trouble anyway" she mumbled to herself; the fifteen year old grabbed her set of apartment keys from the table by the front door and left her new....home??....She left the new place she now lives in. The walk to the high school was less than fifteen minutes; Maddie ventured through the busy car park - careful of the passing and parking vehicle - and entered the large building, following the obvious signs until she reached the reception. The receptionist looked up from her paper work as Maddie stood on the other side of her desk "hello" she cheerfully greeted "how can I help you??" the woman asked; the teenager bit down her anxiety as she returned the greeting "I'm new here so could I please have my time table and planner??" she asked politely.