Silence Is a Virtue
Revival
Charlie didn't know what to do, the first day I refused to go to school. He dithered about in my room, trying to think of ways to get me to look at him or speak to him. When he failed miserably, he called Emmett.
Emmett's solution was simple, and it worked in my favour.
"Dad, I think it's best we just leave her. She needs time away from school." he'd said quietly. I assumed he didn't want me to hear.
"Yeah... Yeah, you're probably right. Will she be okay on her own?"
"I'll get Alice to check on her at lunch."
So I spent the day in bed, feeling sorry for myself. I fell asleep several times, and it became hard to distinguish the difference between my dreams and reality. Both states were painful to endure.
The second day I refused to get out of bed, Emmett got annoyed.
"Come on, Bells, I let you off yesterday." I didn't reply.
"Bella. Get out of bed." I pulled the cover over my face.
"Isabella, I'm serious." He pulled the cover off me and threw it down beside the bed. I opened my eyes.
"Please, Bella." He looked awful. His face had crumpled, as if he had given up. Tears welled up in my eyes and I closed them in an attempt to stop myself from crying. Emmett misunderstood the action.
"Fine. Stay in bed all day. I don't care." He stormed out of the room and left me.
I cried myself to sleep.
Hours later, I woke up, with a cold, gentle hand on my forehead. My eyes fluttered open and I saw Alice's beautiful face looming over me.
"Bella, get up. It's serious." she whispered. I sat up slowly and my head span. She grabbed my shoulders nervously, holding me up. I cleared my throat.
"W-what is it?" I rasped. My voice was horrible, it sounded as if I hadn't spoken for much longer than two days.
"Emmett's doing something that will make you feel better. And you have to look healthy." she said, supporting me as I stood up. She gave me a once-over. "We don't have enough time."
I scowled as she sat me back down on the bed, then darted around my room, picking up various items of clothing.
"We want you to look mature, sure of yourself, relatively happy..." she paused, picked up a red blouse, examined it, then put it down. "With just a hint of heartbreak."
"What?" as I spoke, she shivered.
"We need to do something about your voice, too. And your eyes, Bells! Good thing I brought my emergency make up." she shook her head disapprovingly at me, throwing a knee-length black skirt over the arm of my rocking chair.
"Alice, stop-" she cut me off with mutterings about what to do with my hair. "Alice!" my broken voice jerked her out of her thoughts. She looked at me, alarmed. "Stop it!"
"But Bells, we have to-"
"You don't have to do anything. Can I go back to sleep?" I asked her, yawning theatrically. Her face hardened.
"No. Isabella Marie Swan, I am doing this to help you. I am not letting you turn into a vegetable. Now get out of bed, take your clothes off, and hold your arms up." she snarled, her voice taking on such a tone of authority that I had no choice but to obey.
Before she dressed me, she pushed me in the shower, waiting impatiently outside of the door until I was done then thrusting a towel into my hands. She shaved my legs quickly, surprisingly not cutting me, and dried my hair. As if I was incapable of doing it myself.
She'd chosen a white sweater for me to wear with my skirt, and a pair of black flats that I didn't know I owned. She pulled a brush through my hair, arranging it carefully, saying that my natural curl was lovely once it had been tamed. I just wanted to go back to bed, I didn't care what came out of her mouth.
She powdered my face lightly, taking extra care to erase the purple shadows beneath my eyes, then applied a light layer of mascara. She stood back to admire her handiwork.
"Perfect."
Emmett's solution was simple, and it worked in my favour.
"Dad, I think it's best we just leave her. She needs time away from school." he'd said quietly. I assumed he didn't want me to hear.
"Yeah... Yeah, you're probably right. Will she be okay on her own?"
"I'll get Alice to check on her at lunch."
So I spent the day in bed, feeling sorry for myself. I fell asleep several times, and it became hard to distinguish the difference between my dreams and reality. Both states were painful to endure.
The second day I refused to get out of bed, Emmett got annoyed.
"Come on, Bells, I let you off yesterday." I didn't reply.
"Bella. Get out of bed." I pulled the cover over my face.
"Isabella, I'm serious." He pulled the cover off me and threw it down beside the bed. I opened my eyes.
"Please, Bella." He looked awful. His face had crumpled, as if he had given up. Tears welled up in my eyes and I closed them in an attempt to stop myself from crying. Emmett misunderstood the action.
"Fine. Stay in bed all day. I don't care." He stormed out of the room and left me.
I cried myself to sleep.
Hours later, I woke up, with a cold, gentle hand on my forehead. My eyes fluttered open and I saw Alice's beautiful face looming over me.
"Bella, get up. It's serious." she whispered. I sat up slowly and my head span. She grabbed my shoulders nervously, holding me up. I cleared my throat.
"W-what is it?" I rasped. My voice was horrible, it sounded as if I hadn't spoken for much longer than two days.
"Emmett's doing something that will make you feel better. And you have to look healthy." she said, supporting me as I stood up. She gave me a once-over. "We don't have enough time."
I scowled as she sat me back down on the bed, then darted around my room, picking up various items of clothing.
"We want you to look mature, sure of yourself, relatively happy..." she paused, picked up a red blouse, examined it, then put it down. "With just a hint of heartbreak."
"What?" as I spoke, she shivered.
"We need to do something about your voice, too. And your eyes, Bells! Good thing I brought my emergency make up." she shook her head disapprovingly at me, throwing a knee-length black skirt over the arm of my rocking chair.
"Alice, stop-" she cut me off with mutterings about what to do with my hair. "Alice!" my broken voice jerked her out of her thoughts. She looked at me, alarmed. "Stop it!"
"But Bells, we have to-"
"You don't have to do anything. Can I go back to sleep?" I asked her, yawning theatrically. Her face hardened.
"No. Isabella Marie Swan, I am doing this to help you. I am not letting you turn into a vegetable. Now get out of bed, take your clothes off, and hold your arms up." she snarled, her voice taking on such a tone of authority that I had no choice but to obey.
Before she dressed me, she pushed me in the shower, waiting impatiently outside of the door until I was done then thrusting a towel into my hands. She shaved my legs quickly, surprisingly not cutting me, and dried my hair. As if I was incapable of doing it myself.
She'd chosen a white sweater for me to wear with my skirt, and a pair of black flats that I didn't know I owned. She pulled a brush through my hair, arranging it carefully, saying that my natural curl was lovely once it had been tamed. I just wanted to go back to bed, I didn't care what came out of her mouth.
She powdered my face lightly, taking extra care to erase the purple shadows beneath my eyes, then applied a light layer of mascara. She stood back to admire her handiwork.
"Perfect."