Bang!! Bang!! Bang!! Construction work across the street was what forced Maddie to shoot up from her bed, followed by even more motor noises that would surely piss off the entire street. If she wasn't awake before, she sure as hell was now "uhh- alright!! I'm up!!" she said to no one in particular. The fifteen year old stood from her 'bed' and stretched her aching and tired limbs as she looked around her new bedroom - it was crap but better than what she used to put up with; it was a small box room that consisted of a door that led to the rest of the apartment, a small window which Maddie knew she would crawl out of a multiple of times in the near future, a mattress lay on the floor in the far corner of the room with a thin blanket and an old pillow, a lamp was turned off next to her 'bed' and a very small pile of folded up clothes was on the other side of the room next to my school bag. She and her foster father had only just moved to the small town called Forks; John had easily found a cheap renting two-bedroom apartment and, as soon as all the paperwork was filled in, they moved from Arizona. Glancing at her cracked screened phone, Maddie noticed it was eight O clock; she left her room and entered the bathroom across the hall where she removed her clothes and hopped into the shower. After both her hair and body were clean, Maddie wrapped a towel around herself before finding herself staring at her reflection within the mirror above the sink; she was analysing her body - her stomach, chest, arms, waist, and legs....all littered with bruises, scars, cuts, and grazes. Thankfully, there was nothing on her face that indicated she was injured as her past bruises had faded and the cuts had healed; facial injuries were always more difficult to cover and hide. You're probably wondering why Maddie Hunter - a fifteen-year-old - has such bruises and wounds, right?? You see, when the girl was five years old, her home was consumed by flames which took the lives of her dear parents - they were only teenagers themselves as they were both fourteen when Maddie was born; she spent five more years of her life living at an orphanage before being fostered by a seemingly loving couple - John and Rosie Smith.

However, the couple soon split after less than a year and parted ways; the ten-year-old stayed with John as his ex-wife had hurried to pack her things and leave - never to be seen or heard from again. The man, heartbroken and hurt, turned to drinking in order to ease his pain until it was undoubtable that he was an alcoholic; he blamed his failed marriage on his newfound foster daughter and began to neglect his duties of caring for her. He would 'forget' to give her food, not allow her to join a school, he would have her do near to all of the house hold chores, he would sometimes restrict her from having anything to drink, he kicked her out of her specially decorated bedroom he and Rosie had arranged for her and turned it into a storage space, forcing Maddie to sleep in the actual storage cupboard - she eventually grew out of it and slept by the door to the cupboard, and at every chance he got, he would snap and snarl at the poor girl. And soon followed the physical beatings - John would hit and kick the child, throw her against the floor, as well as throw objects at her, he would choke her until she would sometimes pass out and if one were around, he would use a knife on her skin. But one of the worst 'punishments' Maddie hated the most was when John would use his belt as a whip, attacking her back until he became either tired or bored, though he would - if he were feeling extra evil - he would rub salt into the wounds. Yes, that was Maddie's least favourite for sure. In all honesty, the teenager would be lucky if she managed to get through a day without getting hurt by her guardian one way or another, though those were extremely rare days, so she knew not to hold her breath.

Shaking her head to hid her mind of her past, Maddie hurried back into her room and dried off before putting on her clothes - a pair of blue jeans which weren't originally ripped, her white top, a pair of brown heeled boots and her army green jacket; she threw her bag over her shoulder before leaving her room. Upon entering the main room, which was the living room and the kitchen connected, Maddie grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and an apple from the fruit bowl before placing them both into her bag; she heard a tired groan come from behind her. Glancing over towards the sofa, Maddie noticed that her foster father was sitting up as he rubbed his throbbing head - he must have passed out from drinking again late last night; the teenager "uhh....god, my head" he complained. The fifteen-year-old turned back to the fridge and grabbed yet another bottle of water, as well as two pain killers from the medicine cabinet, before handing them over to the man "thanks" was all he said before gladly swallowing the tablets - he wasn't always horrid....it was just rare. John took note that his foster daughter was dressed and had her bag, reminding his hungover self what day it was exactly "stay out of trouble!!" he demanded "don't give your school a reason to call me and have me come in". The teenager held back an eye roll as she knew it would have earned her a slap "I won't" she promised as she turned away from the man "though I never course or get into any trouble anyway" she mumbled to herself; the fifteen year old grabbed her set of apartment keys from the table by the front door and left her new....home??....She left the new place she now lives in. The walk to the high school was less than fifteen minutes; Maddie ventured through the busy car park - careful of the passing and parking vehicle - and entered the large building, following the obvious signs until she reached the reception. The receptionist looked up from her paper work as Maddie stood on the other side of her desk "hello" she cheerfully greeted "how can I help you??" the woman asked; the teenager bit down her anxiety as she returned the greeting "I'm new here so could I please have my time table and planner??" she asked politely.

Nodding her head, the receptionist looked at her computer as she clicked away on the mouse "aha!! You must be Maddie Hunter, correct??" she asked earning a nod; the woman printed a piece of paper and pulled the planner book from under her desk before handing both over to the young girl. "Thank you" Maddie smiled respectively as she looked at her timetable; the receptionist hoped the new student to have a good first day and to return to the front desk if she has any problems. Scanning through her timetable, Maddie realised she had maths first with a Mr K Jones; it might have seemed weird considering most teenagers hate school, but she found herself becoming excited - Maddie was finally attending a school!! Hurrying through the hallways, the fifteen-year-old searched and read each door until she found one that read 'Maths: Mr K Jones'. Taking a deep breath, Maddie opened the door to see the entire class full of students with a teacher sat at a desk which was located next to the door; he looked up and sent the teenager a calming smile "can I help you??". It didn't help the girl's slight anxiety that all eyes were now on her. "Sorry I'm late" she apologised, easily remembering to be respectful "I'm new here and it says I'm in this class" she informed; the teacher rose a confused brow as he glanced the newbie up and down "em...okay, how old are you exactly??" he asked. After revealing her age, the students who were silently watching shared confused glances "are you sure you've been given the right planner??" the man who Maddie assumed to be Mr K Jones asked, confusing and worrying the teenager as she double checked "it's just that this is a year thirteen class, fifteen year olds would normally be in year tens". Upon reading the front of her planner three times more, as well as her time table for her current class, Maddie spoke up "both this planner and time table are labelled with my name and they both say that I'm a year thirteen student" she showed both items she had only just received from the receptionist to the man as proof; he nodded in a confused understanding "alright then" he seemed to just accept it "well my name is Mr Jones, please take a seat wherever you can find one".

Feeling slightly relieved, Maddie nodded her head and did as she was told, hurrying to take the last seat that was unclaimed; her neighbour was a girl with short deep brown hair - she, just like everyone else within the las, appeared to be slightly older. Focusing on the front of the class, the newbie watched as Mr Jones began to write up some examples of algebra equations on the white board before telling the class to work on them "once you've completed and checked them, move onto page seventy four in your math books" and with that, he returned to his desk - he appeared to be making a pile of filled out tests. Maddie, determined to do as John had ordered this morning, kept her head down and worked on the algebra questions, soon moving onto the book as they weren't as difficult as she had head someone complain about. However, that did partly change when the girl with the pixie hair cut turned to the fifteen-year-old and held out her hand "hey, I'm Alice" she greeted happily; the smile was returned as Maddie introduced herself whilst she shook her hand. "I've never seen you before, so I'll take a guess in saying you're new to Forks??" Alice asked earning a nod "pretty much, my foster dad and I moved here from Arizona over the weekend" she explained "and todays my first day of school". The woman seemed interested as she abandoned her maths work "were you in higher classes at your old school??" she asked; Maddie shook her head as she explained how she had never been to an actual high school and that this was a first for her. The older teenager's eyes widened in shock "wait, really?! You must be really smart if they're already putting you in the highest classes, as well as in the highest year of the entire school" they both smiled, though the fifteen year old shrugged "I don't know about that" she was unsure and it was clear "I'm gonna go back to the reception during break and ask if there was a mistake". Understanding, Alice nodded her head "well break is after second period" she explained before asking "what do you have next??" Maddie pulled her timetable out before informing her newfound friend that her second class was in fact art with Miss J Smith "her classroom is on the West side of the school" she stated "I'll draw you a quick map if you want??".

Her offer was exceedingly kind, as well as surprising, and one Maddie knew she would need "that would be great" she smiled "if it's not too much trouble??" it wasn't as Alice was already pulling out a piece of plain paper and a pencil from her bag. She drew a simple layout of the building, marked where all the doors would be and labelled each one as to what teacher those rooms belonged to. It took ten minutes before Alice handed the drawn-up map to the newbie "here you go" she grinned gleefully at helping someone; Maddie smiled as she glanced over the map "thanks Alice, this'll make my school life much easier" she wasn't wrong. Feeling slightly proud of herself, the older teenager shrugged as she attempted to be modest "always here to help" and with that, they returned to their work - though they continued to quietly talk until the bell rung, informing all of the students and teachers that it was time to move onto their next class. Maddie returned her belonging into her bag, placed it over her shoulder and left the classroom with Alice beside her "see you around Maddie" the older teenager wave off as they parted way - Alice had I.T next which was on the East side of the building. After Maddie told her newfound friend the same thing, she looked at the drawn-up map in the hand to navigate her way through the many similar looking hallways until finally, she found the door that read 'Miss J Smith'. Art, along with a few other subjects, was one of the classes she had chosen to attend; student wasn't obligated to attend certain classes once they passed year 10. Taking a deep breath, Maddie entered the open classroom to see a woman who - much like Mr Jones - was sat at the desk which was located at the front of the class; there was also a young man who she assumed to be a student sat in the front corner of the room. And....that was it. She assumed art wasn't an immensely popular subject at Forks high school....that or the other students were even more late than she was - the map helped save the girl ten minutes of aimlessly searching at least.

Very much like the previous class, Miss Smith asked the young student if she had the correct timetable and planner due to her age; Maddie explained all and showed both items that the receptionist had given her earlier that morning. Accepting the circumstances, the teacher told Maddie to grab a seat by the front before turning to gather some supplies; the teenager did as told, taking a seat three chairs away from the other student who....it was strange but Maddie couldn't help but receive the vibe that he wished she hadn't entered the class at all. He just seemed rather....on edge?? But why?? Pushing the thought and feeling away as Miss Smith returned, Maddie pulled her pencil case out from her bag "here you go" the teacher placed an A4 sketch book in front of her new student, along with a set of professional art pencils, a rubber, a charcoal pen and a smudge pen "these are yours to keep". Maddie, somehow able to shake her amazement off, thanked the woman; Miss Smith, smiling, took a seat by her desk as she explained what and how she went about teaching her lessons "I'll assign and teach you and Jasper a new technique every Monday, allow you both to practice it until Wednesday where I will then give you a small assignment which you will have to hand in by the end of the day on the Friday" she smiled "though, depending the circumstances, I might prolong that time for Monday and allow you the weekend". It seemed simple enough. As today was in fact Monday, Miss Smith taught both the other student - whose name Maddie believed to be Jasper as the teacher had addressed him as such - and the newbie how to correctly shade their drawings. After demonstrating, the woman allowed her two students to decide what they would draw, so long as it involved what they had just learnt. The tense and silent hour passed by quickly; Maddie decided - after choosing to draw a wolf in the scenery of a forest on a full moon night - to keep her head down and work. Soon enough, however, the bell rung which informed everyone that it was time for their first break; the on-edge student was out the door within seconds, covering his mouth and nose as he passed. Maddie wouldn't have rose a brow and thought anything of it if she didn't hear Miss Smith wonder to herself "that's strange, Jasper usually says goodbye before leaving".

After saying her own goodbye, Maddie left the art room and made her way back towards the reception - using Alice's map of course. "Hello again" the receptionist greeted with a smile; it was returned as Maddie held up what she had been given earlier "I was wondering if there was any chance a mistake was made with my planner and time table??" she asked before explaining what Mr Jones had told her about her age and that she should be in year eleven, not thirteen. Humming in curiosity, the kind woman searched the system for the new students file before a look of realisation and understanding washed over her face "there has been no mistake" she informed "when you took the entry exams, they were all marked and graded with A's" Maddie's eyes widened in shock as the receptionist continued "so the head master held a meeting with the school board and they all decided you needed to be place in higher classes, regardless of your age". After printing off the teenagers entry exam results, the woman handed them over and reassured Maddie that she would send an email out to all of the teachers so that they would all know of her predicament - at least she wouldn't have to explain the same thing a multiple of times over to all of her teachers. Thanking the receptionist, Maddie stuffed the results into her bag before once again using the map. She wanted to get used to the building and learn where everything was; she couldn't rely on a drawn-up map forever.

After wondering around the school, Maddie found herself entering the canteen; it was spacious and nice. The break lasted for fifteen minutes so as soon as the bell rang, everyone left for their next class; Maddie checked her timetable to see she had science with a Mr T Gilbert. For once, she wasn't late for class, and the kind receptionist's email worked as the teacher didn't question her presence. Mr Gilbert gladly welcomes her to his class and sat her next to an older teenage boy named Edward. Quite like Jasper, the young man next to her was on edge and kept his mouth shut, seeming to find anything and everything more interesting than sending Maddie a small glance. Nevertheless, Maddie focused on her work and before she knew it, it was time to leave for lunch. After returning her belongings to her bag, Maddie left and soon found a seat within the canteen; it was in the corner by one of the windows that allowed her to stare out into the street. As she minded her own business and ate her apple that she had packed this morning before leaving for school, Maddie began to feel like she was being watched - it was as if there were a multiple of pairs of eyes burning holes into her. Glancing around the room, Maddie's own eyes soon found the source of her uneasy feeling; there was a table on the other side of the canteen, and it was filled with seven other students - four girls and three boys. All but one seemed to be older than her and she even recognised three of them to be Alice, Jasper, and Edward. And yet each one of them were staring straight at her; it was rather....intimidating. Alice was the only one who sent her a smile, as well as the younger girl, but the rest much preferred to glare. Looking back to the window, Maddie allowed her racing heart to calm down before she decided to pull out her new sketch book and a pencil; she continued to draw until the bell rang, startling her as she didn't realise how much time had passed. Lucky for her, however, Maddie had a free period so she could do as she pleased for the next hour.

Whilst she remained where she was sat by the window, Maddie subtly watched as the canteen emptied until it was only herself, a few of the cleaners and dinner staff, and one other student. That student - a young girl who seemed to be close to Maddie age - approached the newbie until she was sat across from her "hi" she smiled brightly, taking the new student back a little "I'm Renesmee Cullen" she introduced; Maddie returned the smile as she did the same before, they shook hands. "Mind if I sit with you?? All my friends have their classes, but I have a free period" the kind teenager asked earning a nod which seemed to somehow widen the girls smile as her entire face lit up like a Christmas tree "thanks!!". Whilst the newbie continued to sketch, Renesmee wrote in a book of her own before looking up "How do you like Forks so far??" she asked "you just moved here, right??" Maddie paused as she returned the other girls friendly gaze which a confused one; Renesmee seemed to understand as she added "my aunt Alice told me during lunch". Taken back by the statement, Maddie lent back in her seat "wait....Alice is your aunt??" she asked, wondering if her ears were failing her; they weren't as the long brown haired girl nodded "yeah, they're all my aunt and uncles" she briefly explained "except Bella and Edward, they're my parents". Whilst surprised by this added information, Maddie assumed that the two she claimed to be her parents had adopted her or something familiar to that; she decided to not say anything on the matter and return to their previous topic of discussion. "Well, the school is great" the newbie spoke truthfully "but I haven't really seen anything of the town yet" she explained before reminding Renesmee that she was new to Forks; the friendly teenager nodded in understanding "maybe we can hang out some time?? That way I can give you the grand tour??" she suggested, earning a nod and smile "sounds like a plan". As they discussed future plans to meet up, Renesmee asked for the other girl's phone; Maddie, confused yet curious, pulled her cracked flip phone out from her pocket and handed it over. Was it clear the long brown hairs girl was fighting to hold back a shocked face from the sight of the phone?? Yes. She typed in, what Maddie assumed to be, her number before taking a selfie for her profile; Renesmee returned the phone before she handed her own iPhone over for Maddie to do the same thing.

Once an hour had passed by, the bell rang to inform everyone that it was once again time for break; the two friends remained where they were as the canteen filled with students once more. Soon enough, however, a man that Maddie realised was one of her new found friend's uncles could be seen approaching their table "hey Nessie" he greeted as he ruffled his nieces hair affectionately "you made a new friend??" he asked as he send a glance towards the new student; Maddie watched as Renesmee nodded her head proudly "yeah, this is Maddie Hunter" she introduced before turning towards the slightly the other teenager similar to her age "Maddie this is my uncle Emmitt". Being polite, Maddie shook the man's hand - which were surprisingly extremely cold, much like Alice's - as they both said hello before Emmitt returned his eyes to his niece "are you gonna come over?? Edward and Bella want to talk to you anyway" he asked, earning a sigh from the girl as she began to stand from her seat "okay" she looked towards Maddie who sent her a friendly smile "I'll talk to you later, alright??" Renesmee suggested, earning a nod - that put a smile on the others face - before they said goodbye. The newbie returned to her sketching. As the uncle and niece crossed the canteen and sat down at their usual table where the rest of their family were waiting "what's up?? Uncle Emmitt says you two wanted to talk to me about something??" Renesmee asked as she placed her bag own next to her chair; Bella nodded as she spoke "we just wanted to remind you to be careful with the new girl". This earned a sigh as her daughter slouched in her seat "I am being careful mum" she insisted; they all smiled as Rosalie chipped in "we know you are, hun" she reassured as she began to brush her fingers through the young girl's hair "but....we've all smelt her scent and it's....well it's certainly not like others". They could all agree on that. Especially Jasper. "Her scent is more....luring then other" he stated, his arms folded as they there resting on the table "we need to be more careful" Alice wrapped an arm around her boyfriend "you did great in your art class babe, especially considering you were on your own" she stated, more than proud of her boyfriend for keeping control. Returning their attention to Renesmee, her father spoke up "we just want you to be a little more careful around Maddie" he explained "we all know that you yourself sometimes have that urge to feed like we do" she had confided her family just over a year ago as she was beginning to have that want - some may say greed - for blood; the youngest of the group smiled as she reassured that that she would, even going as far as to promise that she would be extra careful.

"Besides, Maddie is really nice" Renesmee stated truthfully "when I told her that you two were my parents, she didn't ask or question it....she dropped it instantly" they smiled at that as many always thought their family concept was a strange one; Alice agreed with her niece "she is kind, I spoke to her for most of our maths class" she informed "the girl is really chill". Suddenly, the bell rung loudly, signally everyone to make their way towards their last class of the day. For Maddie, she had English - one of her favourite subjects!! The teacher - Mr Tomlinson - greeted her before sitting her next to Renesmee's mother - Bella if she remembered correctly. She also noticed Alice and Jasper sat together on the other side of the room - the woman with the pixie cut sent a friendly smile and wave whilst her friend...well let's just say he hadn't changed much since their art class. For the lesson, the teacher had assigned everyone to write a chapter of a story - they were given the freedom as to what their chapter could be about; Maddie soon found herself writing out her plans before diving into an opening to a story about a poor girl who is trapped in a world where she has no control over anything. This would be what they were to focus on for the next month. Surprisingly, Bella was struggling with the task after ten minutes into the class; she continued to sigh in irritation and ended up dropping her pen after giving up. Looking to the side from her work, Maddie hesitantly spoke up "em...do you need some help??" she asked politely; Bella sighed once again as she explained how she knew what she had an idea in her head but didn't know how to write it out. She was clearly frustrated. The younger teenager nodded in understanding "try closing your eyes, imagine your idea playing out in your head and then write when you see in detail" she suggested as it was what she sometimes did in these situations; Bella seemed to think this was a good idea as she nodded and picked up her pen before closing her eyes. Did the technique work?? Let's just say Maddie didn't hear another sigh or word leave her neighbours mouth after that, which allowed her to return her attention to her own work; the rest of the lesson rolled through smoothly and before long, the bell rang for the last time that day. Maddie, much like everyone else within the school, packed up her things; before she could leave, however, Bella caught her attention by placing her hand - an extremely cold hand at that - as she thanked the newbie "that technique of yours actually worked" she seemed impressed. As they walked out of the classroom, Maddie jokingly asked "you doubted me??" earning a laugh from both before they said goodbye.

After leaving the school, Maddie made her way through the car park until she was wondering the streets; she took in everything she saw, making mental notes of where various places were - like supermarkets and supply stores. Upon her arrival back at the apartment, the teenager came to the realisation that it was empty; she soon found a note lying on the countertop in the kitchen.

'Gone back to Arizona. Don't know when I'll be back, so there's some money on your bed for food. Don't waste it!
-John'.

Sighing, Maddie threw the note into the bin - the recycling bin at that - before entering her room to find three ten-dollar bills. "At least he left some money this time" Maddie mumbled to herself as she placed the money into her usually empty wallet "and him being gone means I won't get any beatings". Always look on the bright side of things....easier said than done. Don't you think??

Author's Note:

I'm from England and only know that kind of school system, so that is what I'll use for this book. So you guys understand, here's a rough idea for England school years / ages:

Nursery:
2 y.o - 5 y.o

Primary
Reception: 5 y.o
Year 1: 6 y.o
Year 2: 7 y.o
Year 3: 8 y.o
Year 4: 9 y.o
Year 5: 10 y.o
Year 6: 11 y.o

Secondary
Year 7: 11 y.o
Year 8: 12 y.o
Year 9: 13 y.o
Year 10: 14 y.o
Year 11: 15 y.o

College
First year: 16 y.o
Second year: 17 y.o

Fun yet annoying fact to help: in England, you normally must legally stay in education until you turn eighteen-years-old.