Categories > Books > Twilight > Eye Of The Tiger
Bella waited around the baggage claim for her two suitcases. She had sent most of her stuff ahead of her but she wanted to make sure she had the essentials just in case they didn't come in time. She also had her carry on with important things she didn't want to chance ever getting lost.
This move was her chance. Her dad Charlie Swan was her chance to have a better life. To be away from her abusive mother who kept her away from him for selfish reason. To have a paycheck and her own personal assistant. She had Bella managing the household since she was ten. She was the one who paid all the bills and budgeted the money coming in. Not that that mattered to Rene.
Her grandparents were beyond wealthy and as their only child they made it so Bella's mother Rene wouldn't want for anything. However that came at a cost. She had to have custody of Bella to get the monthly allowance.
It wasn't a big deal when they were alive because they were such a big part of her life. Bella had felt loved and loved them in return and saw very little of her mother.
Her father was a man Rene had met on a trip to Seattle and had a one night stand with. He actually didn't even know Bella existed until recently. Bella's grandparents desperately wanted to know who he was as much as she did but Rene refused to tell anybody. It wasn't until about a year ago that during a drunken rant she finally told Bella all the graphic details.
It was easy to locate him in Forks Washington. He lived in the small town as the chief of police. After a few back and forth visits she asked him if it would be alright if she moved in with him. He didn't know what life with Rene was like but when he visited you could clearly see the concern.
She always wondered what her father would be like and hoped maybe he looked like her but she couldn't have been more wrong. Although they had very simular facial feature everything else was different.
Charlie was a tall man at the height of 5'10" but Bella was taller at 6'1". Where Charlie had a thick mop of brown hair and light green eyes Bella had pale almost translucent white hair and two different color eyes. One a rare shade of violet and the other a deeper shade of blue. Charlie also had tan brown skin which was obtained from being outside most of his life. Her skin like her hair was almost translucent. All of Bella's attributes made her an albino but her looks made her even more unique than most albinos.
She was used to the looks and stares of people when they saw her so as she stood waiting for her baggage with her long sleeves and dark sunglasses, she just ignored them like she was taught by her grandparents to do. Her grandfather always told her how special she was to look the way she did and that she was destined for greatness, a greatness that would come when she was older so until then she had to wait it out and hold her head up high.
After collecting her luggage she made her way outside and smiled at the sight of her dad leaning against his police cruiser. He was looking nervous but thrilled when he saw her. It was funny the first time they met. He had stood stock still staring at her with his mouth open for a few seconds before shuffling around not knowing what to do.
It wasn't until she broke the stalemate with a hug that he started to cry and say how sorry he was for not being there for her. It was that moment that Bella knew she wanted to be with her father. He was a man of few words but the love he had for her he proudly showed easily and it reminded her of her grandparents so much that she instantly felt a connection with him.
He ran up to her, grabbed her bags and tossed them into the trunk of the cruiser. She followed him and when he finished she gave him a huge hug that he enthusiastically if a little self-consciously returned. The man definitely wasn't used to being touched but he welcomed hugs when she gave them and always returned them happily. After they settled into the car Charlie nervously looked over to her like he just realized he was stuck in a car with a teenager for over an hour on the way home.
"So, uh I got you a little present at the house. It's not much but I was hoping you would like it and it could help you out with living here."
"Dad " Charlie was getting better but he still blushed a little when she called him dad. He still gave her the same big smile he did the first time she said it and it made her just as happy because it meant that he accepted her and that was everything to her. "You know you didn't have to do anything. Just being able to be with you and spend time with you is more than I could've ever wanted."
The blush was back but Charlie managed to stutter out. "I feel the same Bells." His eyes widened. "Is it ok to call you Bells? I should have asked I'm sorry."
"It's great I love it." She reassured him.
"I bet you’re excited to be able to wear short sleeves and not have to wear your sunglasses all the time. Seeing as how the sun is never shining in forks."
"Yeah it'll be nice, maybe I'll go crazy and buy some dresses and shorts" she laughed.
Once Charlie had learned from her mother in a drunken rant about Bella being albino he had researched it as much as he could,even going to talk to a doctor at the local hospital. He wanted to be the dad he never had and hated that he missed out on her life. He was firm in his resolve that he would never leave her again even though it wasn't his fault. Having a child was always a dream of his that he resigned himself would never come true as he was completely unlucky in love. The day he got the call at work from a 16 year old girl claiming to be his daughter he thought it was a prank. She then explained the circumstances and offered to do a dna test and he knew in his gut she was his.
They called each other back and forth a few times before Charlie flew out to meet her. Right before he left, her mother Rene whom Charlie embarrassingly didn't remember, called obviously intoxicated and told him all kinds of things about what she called his less than perfect daughter. How much of freak she was and how he didn't have a right to any of her money.
Charlie didn't even know the girl had money as it never had come up. After that call Charlie decided he would try to convince Bella to move in with him if it was as bad as he thought it was. And even though Bella claimed she was alright, Rene was not. It was obvious she had a drinking problem but what was even more obvious was that she had no love for her daughter by the way she acted and treated Bella.
After seeing their home and learning that Bella had inherited not only a huge estate with acres and acres of land outside Phoenix Arizona, but hundreds of millions of dollars Charlie was a little at a loss of how he could help her. He assumed that was why she contacted him because she was in trouble and needed a place to stay and someone to support her. That thought went out the window when he got that first hug. It was at that exact moment he realized he could give her exactly what she needed, a family. The one thing he always wanted. So when after he had her visit she asked if he would let her live with him he quickly agreed and said he would have a lawyer start working on custody right away. After he hung up the phone he cried for the second time since his mother died over twenty years ago. And both times were because of his happiness at having Bella in his life.
It took more effort than he had expected to get custody. He figured Rene was happy to have a way to get rid of their daughter. It wasn't until it was brought up that she got some kind of monthly allowance to take care of Bella that he realized why she was fighting so hard. Apparently her parents had loved Bella a whole lot more than their own daughter and had left Rene what he considered to be more than enough money to live on for the rest of her life but she had blown through it quickly and relied on the monthly payments to continue living her destructive lifestyle. When he asked the judge if there was a way to stop getting that money so it went back to Bella and he wouldn't have to touch it the judge quickly realized that Charlie was not all the things Rene was claiming he was and he in fact was not after any money and the custody was ruled in his favor.
He had worried Bella would think less of his home, his job and him in general when he wouldn't have the means to take care of her as she had been used to but he quickly learned that although she had grown up around money she didn't really care for material things. She had asked if it was alright to update the entertainment area in the living room so they could watch sports together( he was thrilled to find out she loved sports as much as he did) and fix the kitchen and her room how she would like it. He agreed readily to the room and after seeing the amount of food she ate had realized that a better kitchen would benefit her greatly. He made her promise though that he would take care of all the bills and if she needed something she would tell him because although she had money she was his daughter and he intended to take care of her. Her answering smile was enough for him to know that this situation was going to work out great for both of them.
Hearing her joke about her being an albino made him happy because after speaking to Dr. Cullen he realized that her life was a lot more difficult than he assumed. He was proud that they shared similar facial features making it obvious they were father and daughter .He had thought she was strikingly beautiful but worried about any issues she might have. The doctor told him about sun sensitivity and eye sensitivity that could lead to partial blindness but speaking with Bella he learned that she wore long sleeves and pants because the sun caused her skin to almost shine and the sunglasses were because people freaked out when they saw that her eyes were two different colors. He personally thought she looked perfect and never for a second considered she was anything different from anyone else.
They drove in comfortable silence for the rest of the ride breaking it every now and then with an observation on random things nothing too in-depth. When they pulled up to the small two story house Bella noticed a car covered with a tarp in the driveway. She figured Charlie bought a project car to fix up, but as she got out of the car he grabbed her hand and raced them over to it.
"Now Bells I know it's not much and you deserve better but I wanted to do this for you to at least help you get around while living here." With that he removed the tarp and sitting there under it was a beat up, semi rusted, broken down looking powdered blue ford thunderbird convertible.
Charlie stood waiting with a slight grimace on his face. It wasn't until she started crying that he jumped into motion pulling her into a hug.
"Dad it's perfect. I love it" she choked out making his eyes well with tears he fought not to shed.
"I'm glad you like it. Lets get you settled in. You have school tomorrow and I want you to get some food in you before you go to bed." He said releasing her and grabbing her bags.
After a big ( for Charlie) dinner Bella retreated to her small room and for the first time in a long time slept through the night not having a single nightmare. The next morning she got ready, had breakfast and proudly drove her car to school.
This move was her chance. Her dad Charlie Swan was her chance to have a better life. To be away from her abusive mother who kept her away from him for selfish reason. To have a paycheck and her own personal assistant. She had Bella managing the household since she was ten. She was the one who paid all the bills and budgeted the money coming in. Not that that mattered to Rene.
Her grandparents were beyond wealthy and as their only child they made it so Bella's mother Rene wouldn't want for anything. However that came at a cost. She had to have custody of Bella to get the monthly allowance.
It wasn't a big deal when they were alive because they were such a big part of her life. Bella had felt loved and loved them in return and saw very little of her mother.
Her father was a man Rene had met on a trip to Seattle and had a one night stand with. He actually didn't even know Bella existed until recently. Bella's grandparents desperately wanted to know who he was as much as she did but Rene refused to tell anybody. It wasn't until about a year ago that during a drunken rant she finally told Bella all the graphic details.
It was easy to locate him in Forks Washington. He lived in the small town as the chief of police. After a few back and forth visits she asked him if it would be alright if she moved in with him. He didn't know what life with Rene was like but when he visited you could clearly see the concern.
She always wondered what her father would be like and hoped maybe he looked like her but she couldn't have been more wrong. Although they had very simular facial feature everything else was different.
Charlie was a tall man at the height of 5'10" but Bella was taller at 6'1". Where Charlie had a thick mop of brown hair and light green eyes Bella had pale almost translucent white hair and two different color eyes. One a rare shade of violet and the other a deeper shade of blue. Charlie also had tan brown skin which was obtained from being outside most of his life. Her skin like her hair was almost translucent. All of Bella's attributes made her an albino but her looks made her even more unique than most albinos.
She was used to the looks and stares of people when they saw her so as she stood waiting for her baggage with her long sleeves and dark sunglasses, she just ignored them like she was taught by her grandparents to do. Her grandfather always told her how special she was to look the way she did and that she was destined for greatness, a greatness that would come when she was older so until then she had to wait it out and hold her head up high.
After collecting her luggage she made her way outside and smiled at the sight of her dad leaning against his police cruiser. He was looking nervous but thrilled when he saw her. It was funny the first time they met. He had stood stock still staring at her with his mouth open for a few seconds before shuffling around not knowing what to do.
It wasn't until she broke the stalemate with a hug that he started to cry and say how sorry he was for not being there for her. It was that moment that Bella knew she wanted to be with her father. He was a man of few words but the love he had for her he proudly showed easily and it reminded her of her grandparents so much that she instantly felt a connection with him.
He ran up to her, grabbed her bags and tossed them into the trunk of the cruiser. She followed him and when he finished she gave him a huge hug that he enthusiastically if a little self-consciously returned. The man definitely wasn't used to being touched but he welcomed hugs when she gave them and always returned them happily. After they settled into the car Charlie nervously looked over to her like he just realized he was stuck in a car with a teenager for over an hour on the way home.
"So, uh I got you a little present at the house. It's not much but I was hoping you would like it and it could help you out with living here."
"Dad " Charlie was getting better but he still blushed a little when she called him dad. He still gave her the same big smile he did the first time she said it and it made her just as happy because it meant that he accepted her and that was everything to her. "You know you didn't have to do anything. Just being able to be with you and spend time with you is more than I could've ever wanted."
The blush was back but Charlie managed to stutter out. "I feel the same Bells." His eyes widened. "Is it ok to call you Bells? I should have asked I'm sorry."
"It's great I love it." She reassured him.
"I bet you’re excited to be able to wear short sleeves and not have to wear your sunglasses all the time. Seeing as how the sun is never shining in forks."
"Yeah it'll be nice, maybe I'll go crazy and buy some dresses and shorts" she laughed.
Once Charlie had learned from her mother in a drunken rant about Bella being albino he had researched it as much as he could,even going to talk to a doctor at the local hospital. He wanted to be the dad he never had and hated that he missed out on her life. He was firm in his resolve that he would never leave her again even though it wasn't his fault. Having a child was always a dream of his that he resigned himself would never come true as he was completely unlucky in love. The day he got the call at work from a 16 year old girl claiming to be his daughter he thought it was a prank. She then explained the circumstances and offered to do a dna test and he knew in his gut she was his.
They called each other back and forth a few times before Charlie flew out to meet her. Right before he left, her mother Rene whom Charlie embarrassingly didn't remember, called obviously intoxicated and told him all kinds of things about what she called his less than perfect daughter. How much of freak she was and how he didn't have a right to any of her money.
Charlie didn't even know the girl had money as it never had come up. After that call Charlie decided he would try to convince Bella to move in with him if it was as bad as he thought it was. And even though Bella claimed she was alright, Rene was not. It was obvious she had a drinking problem but what was even more obvious was that she had no love for her daughter by the way she acted and treated Bella.
After seeing their home and learning that Bella had inherited not only a huge estate with acres and acres of land outside Phoenix Arizona, but hundreds of millions of dollars Charlie was a little at a loss of how he could help her. He assumed that was why she contacted him because she was in trouble and needed a place to stay and someone to support her. That thought went out the window when he got that first hug. It was at that exact moment he realized he could give her exactly what she needed, a family. The one thing he always wanted. So when after he had her visit she asked if he would let her live with him he quickly agreed and said he would have a lawyer start working on custody right away. After he hung up the phone he cried for the second time since his mother died over twenty years ago. And both times were because of his happiness at having Bella in his life.
It took more effort than he had expected to get custody. He figured Rene was happy to have a way to get rid of their daughter. It wasn't until it was brought up that she got some kind of monthly allowance to take care of Bella that he realized why she was fighting so hard. Apparently her parents had loved Bella a whole lot more than their own daughter and had left Rene what he considered to be more than enough money to live on for the rest of her life but she had blown through it quickly and relied on the monthly payments to continue living her destructive lifestyle. When he asked the judge if there was a way to stop getting that money so it went back to Bella and he wouldn't have to touch it the judge quickly realized that Charlie was not all the things Rene was claiming he was and he in fact was not after any money and the custody was ruled in his favor.
He had worried Bella would think less of his home, his job and him in general when he wouldn't have the means to take care of her as she had been used to but he quickly learned that although she had grown up around money she didn't really care for material things. She had asked if it was alright to update the entertainment area in the living room so they could watch sports together( he was thrilled to find out she loved sports as much as he did) and fix the kitchen and her room how she would like it. He agreed readily to the room and after seeing the amount of food she ate had realized that a better kitchen would benefit her greatly. He made her promise though that he would take care of all the bills and if she needed something she would tell him because although she had money she was his daughter and he intended to take care of her. Her answering smile was enough for him to know that this situation was going to work out great for both of them.
Hearing her joke about her being an albino made him happy because after speaking to Dr. Cullen he realized that her life was a lot more difficult than he assumed. He was proud that they shared similar facial features making it obvious they were father and daughter .He had thought she was strikingly beautiful but worried about any issues she might have. The doctor told him about sun sensitivity and eye sensitivity that could lead to partial blindness but speaking with Bella he learned that she wore long sleeves and pants because the sun caused her skin to almost shine and the sunglasses were because people freaked out when they saw that her eyes were two different colors. He personally thought she looked perfect and never for a second considered she was anything different from anyone else.
They drove in comfortable silence for the rest of the ride breaking it every now and then with an observation on random things nothing too in-depth. When they pulled up to the small two story house Bella noticed a car covered with a tarp in the driveway. She figured Charlie bought a project car to fix up, but as she got out of the car he grabbed her hand and raced them over to it.
"Now Bells I know it's not much and you deserve better but I wanted to do this for you to at least help you get around while living here." With that he removed the tarp and sitting there under it was a beat up, semi rusted, broken down looking powdered blue ford thunderbird convertible.
Charlie stood waiting with a slight grimace on his face. It wasn't until she started crying that he jumped into motion pulling her into a hug.
"Dad it's perfect. I love it" she choked out making his eyes well with tears he fought not to shed.
"I'm glad you like it. Lets get you settled in. You have school tomorrow and I want you to get some food in you before you go to bed." He said releasing her and grabbing her bags.
After a big ( for Charlie) dinner Bella retreated to her small room and for the first time in a long time slept through the night not having a single nightmare. The next morning she got ready, had breakfast and proudly drove her car to school.
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