Anywhere But Here By SparklingTwilight.pdf

Anywhere But Here By SparklingTwilight

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5112906/1/

BPOV

Breathing in the scent of old vomit and mildew I rolled over on the foul excuse for

a bed, intending to snuggle up next to the warm body beside me. Instead, I

found the other side of the bed had long since gone cold. I opened my eyes to

search out the person who was supposed to have been beside me, the person

who was always beside me when I woke up.

My eyes quickly swept across the room, taking in the scene of urban decay

surrounding me. The bits and shards of broken glass scattered across the once

linoleum covered concrete floor, glass that had once functioned as barriers

against the sounds and elements of the world beyond the windows they'd formed

once upon a time. The rotted and fallen wooden beams that had once provided

structural support were now only useful for forming small and carefully contained

fires for warmth within the building on frigidly cold nights when the bitter air blew

right through the glassless window frames. The rusted metal foundation beams

showing through gaping holes in the ceiling where the tiles had decayed and

fallen, shattering upon the floor. And finally, the massive amounts of trash strewn

about the direful landscape, most of which had been left behind by transients

much like myself.

I could see the all the signs of life that had once passed through where I lay, but

could find not a single sign of the one thing I was looking for, the one person I

wished to see.

I'm alone. Jasper never leaves me alone when I'm asleep.

I quickly grabbed the tattered blanket that had been tangled around my feet and

wrapped it tightly around myself before scrambling into the corner, cowering

against the wall and fearing the worst.

When I brought my hands up to rub the sleep out of my eyes, I felt the wetness

of the tears I'd shed during the night on my cheeks. The nightmares I suffered at

night had become such a common occurrence over the years that I'd become

accustomed to them and rarely remembered them anymore when I awoke.

Well...most of them at least. Where at one time they had all caused me to wake

with tears in my eyes and screams of terror trapped within my throat...there was

only one left that would cause me to wake in such a state.

It wasn't the one where he cornered me in the bathroom, or the one where he

woke me in the middle of the night as he stumbled up the stairs a little too drunk

and way too pissed off, nor was it even the one where he damns the day I was

born before pushing me down a flight of stairs. While all of those were terrifying

and felt just as real as the day I'd experienced them firsthand, they couldn't even

come close to the only one that continued to haunt me...the one where I actually

feared he'd finally kill me.

The peace and serenity one can find in the forest just simply cannot be found

when darkness takes over and casts chillingly eerie shadows between the trees,

turning your one pursuant into thousands as you race past them. It makes your

heart race and threaten to explode from your chest as you try to fight the

temptation to look behind you and keep going — only to be caught and scream as

the person who terrifies you the most in life grins menacingly at you and his

sharp blows turn your screams of fright to bloodcurdling wails of pain.

"Bella? Bella, what's wrong?" Jasper called out as he came running in from across

the building. I didn't realize that I'd been crying so hysterically until he had me

wrapped up in his arms trying to calm me down. "Darlin' it's okay. Shhh, I'm

right here. I didn't go anywhere," he reassured, tucking my head under his chin

as he rocked us back and forth.

All it took was his soothing voice and gentle touch to make the demons that

plagued me retreat back into the shadows of my unconscious.

"Jas, where were you?" I asked once I had calmed down enough to speak.

"I went to take a piss. I didn't mean for you to wake up alone darlin'," he

answered, his voice laced with remorse. "Bad dreams again?"

"Yeah," I replied softly. Jasper knew full well all that my dreams entailed. He'd

told me time and time again that he wouldn't let anything happen to me, yet

morning after morning he was left trying to pick up the pieces after the

nightmares had done their damage.

"I'm sorry doll face. I wish I could make them go away," he sighed, squeezing me

tight before slowly letting go.

My eyes followed him as he stood up and walked over to one of the rusted broken

down beams where his duffle bag was hidden. After tugging his ratty sweatshirt

over his head, he grabbed something from inside his bag and tossed it towards

me. I uncurled my hands from inside the blanket to grab what turned out to be a

cold pack of pop tarts.

"It's not the breakfast of champions, but it's all I've got. Make sure you eat all of

it, you're too thin as it is," he said sternly when I didn't immediately make a

move to open the package.

"I'm going to go out for a bit," Jasper announced once he saw I had taken a bite.

"You should be safe here, just stay in this part of the building. I don't want you

wandering off because some of the flooring in this place isn't so great anymore,

and I don't wanna have to worry bout you hurting yourself."

"Okay," I grumbled, unhappy to be left there all alone for who knows how long

but knowing there was no point in fighting him on it.

"It's nothing your pretty little face needs to worry about," he scolded when he

saw the disgruntled frown etched across my face. "You stay here, eat, and keep

safe. I'll be back before you know it," he said leaving a reassuring kiss on my

forehead before walking out the door.

Jasper had always made a point to shield me from the bitter reality of our lives,

never wanting me to have to worry about what exactly he had to do in order to

provide for our meager existence. He never came back with much, but it was

always enough to get us from one day to the next. Out of respect I never

badgered him as to what exactly he'd done while he was out, knowing that there

were only so many odd jobs a person could come across before having to resort

to more illicit activities. Jasper was a good man, but like any other person in our

situation would, he did what he had to do in order to keep us sheltered, fed, and

safe from harm. As much as I hated to be left alone during those times, I

understood his need to keep me safe from the ugliness of our world.

I laid out the remainder of my pop tart across the unfolded tin foil packaging and

proceeded to pick at it, only forcing myself to take bites because Jasper had

asked me to.

I never knew what to expect when Jasper would return. Some days he came back

with a pocket full of small bills while others he had a random selection of bagged

snacks or maybe even some canned goods we could pry open with the Swiss

army knife he kept in his bag. It wasn't often we actually had a warm meal, and

as much as it disgusted me to admit, I was eternally grateful when those days did

come around.

I never wanted him to have to swindle, cheat, and steal in order for us to survive.

In fact I hated that Jasper got dealt the crappy hand that he did, but I knew that

he'd do it all a thousand times over again because he did it for me.

"It's my job to make sure you're fed. Once upon a time you did it for me. Now it's

my turn to return the favor."

He was right. I had done it for him.

Eight years ago we were just two little kids looking out for each other.

It was the first warm day of the spring, and the teachers were letting us eat lunch

outside at the picnic tables. I sat down with my lunch box and pulled out my

cheese sandwich and favorite book.

As I was flipping through the pages, a boy with blonde hair that I didn't recognize

from my class sat down across from me. He didn't say anything so I kept reading.

Once I finished my sandwich, I reached into my lunchbox for my snack cake only

to find the boy looking at it. His eyebrows were wrinkled together, and his mouth

was curved into a frown. I unfolded the wrapper to take a bite but noticed his

eyes were still zoned in on the treat in my hand. I tucked it back in the wrapper

and held it out to him.

"Here. I don't want it," I said wrinkling my nose. I did want it, but I think he

wanted it more. He smiled and took it from me wordlessly.

The next day after my mom finished packing my lunch I snuck into the kitchen to

grab a second snack cake just in case. That day at lunch we didn't get to sit

outside, but when I walked into the lunch room, I saw the boy sitting by himself

at a table near the back. I sat down across from him, just like he had done the

day before. He looked up when I started pulling my things out but quickly looked

back down at the table when he noticed my eyes on him. I pulled out the extra

treat and slid it across the table to him.

"Thanks," he mumbled, barely looking up at me. I smiled in return.

We continued on like this for a couple of weeks. I would always take an extra

snack from the cabinet from home when no one was looking to give to him. He'd

thank me, and I'd smile. I think he brought his own lunch maybe twice the entire

time. On those days he gave me some of his soda.

The first day he actually talked to me was the day he gave himself the title of my

protector.

"What's this for?" he asked when I handed him half of my sandwich instead of the

usual Twinkie or swirly cake.

"My mom said no more sweets. She says I've been eating too much sugar lately,"

I explained giggling quietly.

"You can share my sandwich and apple though…I like sharing with you," I

admitted with a small voice.

"I like sharing with you too. I'm Jasper," he said smiling as he moved to sit next

to me.

"I'm Bella," I replied smiling wide. "Want to be friends?"

Before he got the chance to reply, Thomas Duncan walked by and knocked his

tray over, spilling his juice all over my dress and book.

"Look what you made me do, stupid!" he yelled at me. Thomas was the class

bully. He was actually a year younger than me, but he weighed more than most

of the kids in my class and was always taking things from people and calling

them names.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, hoping he wouldn't pull my hair like he'd done to Angie

the week before. She had been sent home early because she couldn't stop crying.

"Don't say sorry," Jasper interjected as he attempted to help me dry my stuff.

"It's his fault. If he wasn't so big he'd fit through the aisle without bumping into

everything."

"Oh, look, Isabella has a boyfriend. I bet she kisses him and everything," Thomas

teased making kissy lips at me.

"I do not!" I exclaimed, my cheeks turning red.

"Leave her alone," Jasper warned looking at Thomas. The boy just stood there

grinning all toothy with his chubby dimpled cheeks.

"Or what? You'll give me your girl germs from your girlfriend?"

"Grow up. Girls don't have germs. Go away!" Jasper yelled, standing up from the

table. Thomas realized how much taller Jasper was than him so instead of

fighting back he just stuck his tongue out before walking away.

"Are you okay?" he asked, sitting back down beside me looking at my purple

stained dress.

"Yeah…hey do you really believe that girls don't have germs?" I asked, hopeful

because most of the boys Thomas' age said that we did.

"I know you don't. You're too nice to have germs," he said smiling at me. "And

you're my best friend."

We'd been best friends ever since. When my mother found out how close we were

she started letting Jasper come over to my house every day after school until his

mom go off work.

"Jasper sweetie, did she say what time she got off work tonight?" my mom asked

peeking her head in my room. It was getting late, and Jasper's mom hadn't came

to get him yet.

"She didn't say Mrs. Swan. She wasn't home this morning when I caught the bus

to school."

"That's okay sweetie. You can just stay here tonight, but I want you two in bed

by eight o'clock. Okay, Isabella?" my mom warned before leaving the room.

Jasper's mom was hardly ever home, but he made me promise not to say

anything to my parents. She had to work two jobs to pay the bills since Jasper's

dad left them when he was a baby. I was sad that Jasper's mom was always

gone, but I liked that he got to spend a lot of time at my house with me.

By age twelve Jasper was spending nearly every night at my house because his

mother had been staying out later and later. She'd even started getting drunk

when she was at home. As hard as that had been on him, I was still grateful that

we got to spend so much time together. He was my best friend, my other half.

"Bella, why do you let him talk to you like that?" Jasper asked as we walked

through the front door.

That day at school Tyler had asked me to be his girlfriend, but I'd told him no.

When I was in gym class I'd found out that Tyler had started spreading rumors

about me, and then on the bus ride home one of the boys repeated what Tyler

had said about me. Jasper had heard and almost got us kicked off the bus.

"I don't care what Tyler thinks about me," I shrugged, throwing my book bag

down on the bed.

"I know you don't, but I do. You're my best friend. I don't want anyone saying

nasty things about my little sister," he said pulling me into a hug.

"Sister?" I asked, beaming with pride that he thought so fondly of me.

"Of course Bella. You're the most important person in my life. You are my family."

The following day Tyler went home with a black eye.

We continued to spend every day together - him looking out for me, and me

sharing my extra pillow at night. Everything was perfect…until my thirteenth

birthday.

I was sitting out front after school with Jasper waiting for my mom to come pick

us up. She was going to take us out for a special birthday treat.

I stared at the clock hanging just above the front doors to the school. Three

o'clock She was forty five minutes late.

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