Metal Pointe- Chapter 2A

Edward

"Mom, I'm goin' to the fort." I yelled as I streaked down the stairs and hit the back door.

I ran as fast as my feet would take me through the backyard and up the tree to the small fort that my dad and I had built last summer. It was my third favorite place to be in the whole world because it was mine and Bella's secret place.

When she was able to sneak away from Renee, she'd climb up the steps and we would talk and play for as long as we could get away with. I had seen her crying on the back porch steps and I yelled at her from my bedroom window to meet me at the fort. So, I wasn't surprised when I got up there and she was already there. Her tears had stained her face with streaks of brown from the dirt on the steps up and the floor where she sat.

"What's wrong, Princess?" I asked as I scooted over to sit beside her.

"Renee is making me go to that dance school full time when school starts. She doesn't care that I will miss my friends, well, that I'll miss you or that I don't want to be a ballerina anymore." Bella looked up at me with big fat tears hanging on the rims of her beautiful brown eyes. Even at ten years old I was a sucker for those looks that she gave me.

I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and tugged her closer to me. "It'll be okay, Princess. I'll figure out a way to make it all better, I promise." I laid my head on hers and tried to think of something.

Finally after a few minutes her tears slowed down and I almost screamed in excitement, "I've got it! Bella, I know how we can make it work...and ohhhh it's going to make Renee sooo mad." I couldn't fight the big dopey grin on my face as she stared at me with unknowing excitement in her eyes.

"What? What?" she asked as she giggled.

"You know that I got invited to attend that school, too? You know, for my piano and music writing and stuff?" I asked and she waved her hands around for me to finish.

"Well, what if I went too? That way we'll still get to see each other and be friends at school...and you know it'll make your mom mad 'cause she doesn't like us to be friends at school." I said as her eyes suddenly got sad again and she looked down at her hands.

"Bella? What's wrong? You don't like my idea?" I was confused, it seemed perfect to me.

She shook her head then looked up at me, "You didn't want to go there. I can't let you do that because of me."

If I didn't already know I loved Bella, I would have fallen in love with her right then and there. "Princess, where you go, I go. That's how it works, remember? I didn't want to go there because you weren't going to be there and because I hate that mean old Mrs. Tanner that is the music teacher there. But, if that's where you'll be going to school, then I'll go there too."

"Oh Knight, you are the best friend a girl could ever have," she said as she launched herself at me with a giggle.

"Mom, please stop fussing over me!" I asked as I pushed her hands off my suit jacket one more time.

"I can't help it, Edward. You look so adorable in your new suit, about to go to your first school dance." Elizabeth's eyes were wet with tears as I heard Aunt Esme laughing in the background.

"You do look really handsome," Aunt Esme said as she slung an arm over my shoulder. I knew that my cheeks were red from my blush.

"Thank you, Aunt E," I whispered. She patted me on the back as my mom walked over to get the corsage for Bella out of the refrigerator.

"Come on, Edward, we need to get over to the Swan's so we can get plenty of pictures before it's time to go," she yelled from the side door in the kitchen.

"Coming mother," I yelled back and made a funny face at Aunt Esme. She giggled and made one back, "Come on, kiddo, let's not keep her waiting."

The three of us traipsed across the yard to their front door where they stood behind me as I rang the doorbell.

"Hello Chief Swan, I've come to get Bella for the dance," I said when Bella's dad answered the door.

"Dance?" he questioned me as he turned back to look into the house. "Renee?" he called over his shoulder as the evil witch, or that's what I called her, came to the door.

"What are you doing here, Edward?" she questioned me, angrily.

"Oh, um, I've come to pick Bella up for the school dance tonight." I answered and tried to sound nice.

She looked at me in my suit and then behind me to my mom and aunt, then she pushed all the way out of the door onto the porch. She closed the door and moved around to stand beside.

"Edward, I already told Isabella that she couldn't go to that dance. She's been having problems with a routine from class and because it wasn't perfect I told her that she couldn't go to the school dance." She had her hands on her hips like this was not the crazy crock of shit ever.

"She never told me that you said she couldn't go. As a matter of fact she told me that you took her dress shopping for a new dress to wear," I said as I felt tears begin to build in my eyes. I refused to cry in front of Renee. She already didn't like me for her own reasons and I wouldn't give her another reason to be mean to me.

"Surely you could let her go this one time, Renee," Elizabeth asked with a plea to her voice.

"No, she knew the rules. She didn't get enough practice in and she still doesn't have the routine down. She's not going," Renee said with a head shake as she turned to my mom and more than perplexed Aunt Esme.

An hour later I snuck up the lattice and into Bella's window. "Princess?" I called out in a whisper yell. I couldn't see much as it was dark in her room except for a small lamp on her desk by the window.

"Knight?" I heard a small whisper from her bed.

"Princess?" I whispered back and shuffled my feet over to her bed. She sat up and I could barely make out her face.

"She wouldn't let me go. I'm so sorry...and she wouldn't let me call you. She made me practice for hours and hours," Bella sobbed softly and I reached out to hug her to me.

"It's okay, Bella. I know it's not your fault...I only wanted to go because it would mean fun for me and you." I hugged her as she cried on my t-shirt. I hated to hear her cry and Renee always made Bella cry. I always tried hard to make her smile and laugh. She was really pretty when she smiled. And, her laugh made me want to write more music and try and match the happy sounds.

"It's not okay. She's just so mean," Bella said as she pulled back and wiped her face.

"One day, when we get older, we'll be able to leave here and never have to worry about her keeping us apart, ever again. I promise you that." I hoped that I could keep that promise because I really did want to be away from here, well, from Renee, so my Princess could be happy all the time. Maybe we could go to Chicago and live with Aunt Esme and Uncle Carlisle. They didn't have any kids so I know they'd be good to us.

"I hope so, Knight. I really, really hope so." She said before she laid her head on my shoulder..

I sighed and hummed her song until she fell asleep.

I sat on the bench at my piano and played Bella's song as she gracefully moved along the dance floor. This was usually one of my favorite times of day but today, Renee was here and I hated it.

"Again, Bella. You keep missing the turn," Renee snapped from her seat in the corner. "And Edward, quit playing that song. Play the sheet music I gave you. That's the piece she needs to practice to." Her eyes met mine and I'm sure she could feel the anger and hatred roll off of me as I glared at her.

"Mom, I like to practice to that song. It's a composition that Edward wrote himself," Bella said defiantly.

"Oh yes, well, I'm sure that's all fine and dandy, but that's not what he's paid to play. I gave him the sheet music that Mademoiselle gave me, so that's what he needs to play." Bella's eyes met mine in the mirror and she frowned.

Renee was never going to break the connection that Bella and I had, no matter what she tried. That was something that Bella and I both knew.

I began to play the required music and once again got lost in the movements that my blossoming twelve year old Bella made as she danced across the wooden floor.

I was still a good foot taller than her but she looked tall with her long, lean legs...and yep, I was falling more and more in love with her every day.

Another hour and finally Renee said we were done. "Can I walk home with Edward?" Bella asked her mom as she did her wind down exercises.

"Not today, it's chilly outside and I don't want you catching a cold," Renee said, icily.

"But, it's not that cold and I have my heavy jacket," Bella whined as I sat there and watched them, discreetly in the mirror as I put my sheet music away.

"Bella, I said no, don't argue. Now, finish up and I'll meet you outside. I'm gonna go start the car," Renee said before she turned to me, "Goodbye Edward."

I nodded and immediately let my eyes move to Bella in the mirror. We waited until Renee had closed the heavy door behind her before we spoke.

"I'm sorry, Knight. She's so mean to you," Bella spoke and I could tell she was close to tears.

I quickly moved across the room near her, "It's okay Princess, at least I got to watch you dance."

She nodded and then hugged me, I kissed the top of her head, "I'll come up to your room tonight, alright?"

She nodded again, "Besides, I have some new music that I recorded for you to listen too, okay?" I hoped that would make her smile and it did, When she let go of me and moved back there was that beautiful girl looking back at me and I felt my heart skip a beat.

"Okay, we better go, I'll see you tonight around nine," I told her as we walked out the front doors of the studio.

"See ya soon," She said with a wave and I stood there watching her get in the car with Renee and drive away.

I knew my heart was a goner...'cause I felt it leave with her.