Revelations

The next morning, I sat with Sue at the kitchen counter bouncing my leg. Connie had called earlier, she'd managed to convince her sister to come and see me. She explained her sister didn't know the reason for the visit.

After she hung up, I called Sue. She agreed to help me, but I wasn't quite sure what I was supposed to say or do for this person.

I sat nervously picking at my nails until I felt Sue's hand on mine. With wide eyes, I looked at her, she gave me a warm smile. Dad had taken Paul fishing, I'd insisted so it was just the two of us. I know I'll tell him everything one day but not today.

The silence was broken by a sudden, sharp knock on the door so Sue got up to get it. Connie and a younger, plainer version of her walked in. Her eyes widened when she saw me.

"You know who I am, don't you?" I asked her.

Slowly, she nodded before looking at Connie. Connie avoided her eyes and looked at Sue.

"Come on love, sit down," Sue suggested.

Connie went to sit down too but Sue stopped her. Her eyes brows creased as she stared and tried to sit again.

"Why don't we have a seat on the couch, then these two can talk privately," Sue suggested.

Connie reluctantly agreed as I led her sister outside to sit on the porch.

"What's your name?" I asked after five minutes of silence.

She hunched her shoulders down and her head shrank into her neck.

"Clara," she mumbled quietly.

With a smile, I nodded as I watched her pull her long sleeves even further over her hands. I didn't know where to start or what to say. I was still floundering when she surprised me by speaking.

"He …. he told me … about you," she whispered.

"What did he say?" I asked curiously afraid.

"He … he compares me to you," she told me and my mouth hung open. "Nothing I do … is as good … as what you did," she finished.

With a sigh, I rubbed my eyes. He would compare me with his sisters, Rosalie, and Alice.

"Edward did that to me too. He would compare me to his sisters. Even when he kissed me, he would say he had seen them kiss better," I shuddered at the memory.

She looked at me dubiously, as if she didn't believe me. after all, it seems stupid to be compared with his sister's techniques in kissing. I took a deep breath and started talking, staring out at the trees.

"Does he make you feel like nothing you do will ever be good enough?" I asked.

I could see her nod out of the corner of my eye.

"Does he tell you that he could find someone better and that he only stays with you out of pity?"

Again, she nodded.

"Has he ever gripped your arm so tight that you thought the bone might snap in two, then when he lets go there's already a hand-shaped bruise forming?"

She looked up at me with wide scared eyes. I turned just in time to see her subconsciously touch her arm, the one closest to me.

"When he first started hitting you, did he apologise straight away? Even bought you an expensive gift. Then he would hit you again, then another gift. Then another and another and another. Eventually, he stopped giving you gifts."

Clara touched her necklace.

"He then starts to beat you. Making sure to only hit you below your head, in places you can hide, so that there isn't anything visible."

Her shoulders were starting to shake and I could see the tears forming in her eyes.

"Has he forced himself on you? Saying that it's what you owe him, after all the money and time he has spent on you. You owe him!"

The memory threatened to surface as my voice almost broke. The tears were flowing down her face now, I moved closer to her and slowly wrapped my arms around her. Clara jumped at first.

"When I was with him, he always wanted me to be with him. He would get angry if I spent more time with other people, even my own dad. I lost all my friends, then I even lost myself. The first time he hit me, I was so shocked, he was so apologetic. I believed his lies straight away, and then after he hit me again, I believed him again. Eventually, he stopped apologising, he would say he was doing it for my own good."

"I started wearing clothes that were two sizes too big. I didn't wear much makeup, to begin with, but I even stopped wearing that. I stopped being me, I didn't even realise he was controlling me until I got away."

I could feel my own tears streaming down my face. Slowly, she wrapped her arms around my waist and cried into my chest.

"During my final year, prom was coming up. I didn't want to go, but he gave me no choice. I hated every minute of it, but what he did afterwards was far worse. He ... took me to some dirty motel and ... raped me. I begged to leave but he didn't care. I didn't think anyone would believe that he raped me, since we were dating."

She was gripping me tightly as she sobbed. I gripped her tighter for a moment before pulling her back so she could look at me.

"I endured everything at first because I thought I loved him. He'd convinced me that no one would love me, only he would. Then I was just too scared to leave."

My own eyes reflected back in hers, I felt like I was staring at myself.

"Have you had sex yet?" I asked dreading the answer.

Quickly, she shook her head, and I sighed in relief.

"N …no, he ... tries to … get me ... to … to do more … stuff with him, but … I'm not ready," she sobbed and I nodded.

"Then you need to get away from him now before it's too late. Be braver than me," I told her.

Her wide eyes widened even more and her mouth started to quiver. I could almost tell what she was thinking.

"How…. how…." she stammered.

"Your family will help you, and so will I. You need to end it now before you become like me," I told her firmly.

Clara gulped but nodded and hugged me again.

"I have an idea, but you will have to be brave. Can you do that?" I asked.

Clara looked up at me with knitted eyebrows.

"Will you let me take pictures of the marks you have?" I asked her.

It took her some time before she nodded. I could see her pulling at her clothes as we got up and went inside.

"Right, this is what we are going to do," I called out as we got inside. "Sue you and I are going to take pictures of what he has done to her. Then we are going to give those pictures to my dad, and he will arrest Edward."

Clara bravely did as I asked, I could hear Connie gasp as she saw the bruises, I imagine for the first time. Aside from the handprints on her arms, she had rope marks around her wrists. Her stomach and back were littered with more bruises.

Sue helped me take the pictures and we recorded Clara explaining how she got all of them, then Connie took Clara home. Then we waited for Charlie and Paul to get back.

"Sue will this work?" I asked worriedly. "I mean, these pictures and the recording. I know it's enough to arrest him, but if he gets out on bail. He might hurt her as payback."

Sue tapped my hand comfortingly.

"I'm not sure Bella, if only we had more evidence. Or we could convince his family not to post bail," she suggested.

His family? I thought before an idea occurred to me. I went outside, sat on the porch and called Rosalie.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Hey Rose, it's Bella," I said nervously.

"One minute please," she asked.

I could hear her moving about so I assumed she wasn't alone.

"Is it really you Bella?" she asked eventually.

There were no other sounds around her so I figured I had assumed right.

"Yeah it's me, how have you been?" I asked.

"Ok, I suppose. How about you? Are you doing ok?" she asked me.

Rosalie and Alice had always encouraged me to leave him. They would try everything they could to make sure I wasn't alone with Edward too much. Not that they could be with me all the time, that should have been my clue to get out earlier.

"I'm ok now. I'm calling because I need your help," I told her.

A pang of butterflies fluttered across my stomach. I wasn't sure if she would help but I needed to try.

"What do you need? You're not trying to get back with Edward, are you?" she asked.

"No!" I shouted.

My heart jumped as Paul sat down next to me. He wrapped his arms around me as I smiled at him. The feel of his strong arms made me feel safe.

"I'm with someone else. Plus, I know he's seeing someone else too. Rose, I've seen the marks on her. We've taken some pictures and recorded her speaking about them. Then we are going to give them to my Dad and he's going to arrest Edward. I'm calling because I need your help. I know he's your brother, but I think you know what type of monster he is. You tried to help me then and I know I ignored you, but I need you to help me now, to help Clara."

Nervously, I gripped Paul's hand as I waited for her reply.