Chapter 1: Run and Hide

Hello my dears! Some of you know me as HoldmeRansom on Twitter, some as Lostluggage on Twilighted. Welcome to my OTHER personality and the world of AMISHWARD.

Bella runs from her life in Forks. Away from her father, away from her possessive boyfriend Jacob Black. Fleeing across country she is stranded in a small town in Iowa, and seeks refuge in a community that is nothing like her world. Bella is taken in and learns how the Amish live. And love.

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I ran.

It's all I could do.

That or stay and die.

It might be considered over dramatic, but I feared for my life.

Jake's eyes had never been so black as they were the night I fled.

Charlie wouldn't help. He though Jake and I were perfect for one another.

But what Dad didn't know was that for all the smiles and pleasantries, Jake was cruel and unfeeling when it came to the Police Chief's daughter.

I was property. I was a possession.

And that night when I refused to go any further, I was thrown out like the trash.

He even spat on me and declared me nothing but a filthy whore to be disposed of.

With his friends gathering around me, I did what I could.

I ran.

I ran from my life.

I ran from what I thought was love.

I ran from myself.

Only to find myself in your world.

How could you ever find me worthy I would never know.

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The bus jostled me awake roughly, the stench of burning oil filling the cabin at an alarming rate. I sat bolt upright in my seat, grabbing onto the back of the seat in front of me until I felt the brakes finally stop the bus at the side of the road.

We clambered out in a panic, unsure of whether the Greyhound monster would explode at any moment. I squinted into the bright sun and moved far from the smoking mass until I could breathe a little easier. Looking around, we were surrounded by nothing but corn.

Miles and miles of corn.

Where were we?

"All right, folks! It's all right! Looks like we blew something in the engine, but we're all right!" the bus driver said several yards from me.

I looked around for any sign of civilization but found none.

How were we all right?

It felt like Children of the Corn!

The bus driver got on his cell phone and was waving his arms around for several minutes before he finally turned to us, the heat of the early afternoon already turning his face a glistening pink.

"All right, folks! Another bus is on its way. It'll be here in a few hours. There's a little town about a mile back. If you all want, we can make our way back there and the bus line will pay for lunch!" he announced.

I huffed and pulled my backpack a little higher onto my shoulder.

A mile wasn't much, but it was ninety plus degrees outside and the sun was blaring down on us. We set out, and less than five minutes in I was helping the old lady beside me with her bag so she could walk a little easier. It took us about a half hour to walk the mile, and by the time we arrived, we were all hot and thirsty.

Unfortunately, the little town we had converged upon couldn't handle the fifty or so stranded travellers in their tiny diner. I decided to find a bottle of water in the general store and wait my turn in the diner while we awaited the new bus. It gave me a chance to sit in the shade and take in the town.

It wasn't much.

And I was definitely confused by the horse and buggies the came and went down the main street. Sleek black buggies, with strong looking horses would pull in to the general store across from me, a man in light colored shirt and straw brim hat would get out and enter the store before coming back out, hands laden with seed or something in large bags. The riders looked like Amish people. But we were in Iowa.

There weren't any Amish people in Iowa, right?

Who knew? Iowa was full of corn and already I was bored.

And antsy to get back on the road and away from Forks.

The farther the better.

I finished my water and peeked in to the diner, finding no empty seats yet and let out a weary breath. The general store across the street had rocking chairs on their porch. I made my way back in to the general store and bought another water and some interesting looking corn cakes and settled into one of the rocking chairs, finding one that had a perfect view of the highway as it made its way into town. I figured if I could see the bus first, I could get a better seat.

I chewed on the corn cake thoughtfully, enjoying the sweetness of it on my empty stomach. I hadn't eaten in over a day, since getting on the bus in Bellingham, and the cake was quite filling. I was working on my second one when another buggy pulled up, this one with a back end full of fruits and vegetables. I watched as the man got out of the buggy, his striking blond hair shining under his dark hat. His beard was fairly long, but his face looked young.

He looked a little like a young Santa Claus.

Especially with his kind eyes as he regarded me when he passed.

"Good day to you," he said, his voice friendly and warm as he smiled down at me.

"Hi," I said, not sure how to address this odd stranger.

Charlie had always said don't talk to strangers, and I certainly didn't want to become someone's sixth wife.

The man I decided to name Kris Kringle smiled and nodded and made his way back into the store, leaving me to my corn cake. He passed by me twice more, his arms laden with baskets of food. On the last pass, he paused once more, his smile breaking out across his face again.

"Are you enjoying your cakes?" he asked.

I looked down to find only a few crumbs left and blushed.

"They were good, yes," I replied, again unsure of what to say.

His eyes brightened and he nodded.

"I'll make sure my wife learns of your enjoyment. She made them. Pleasant day, miss," he said and tipped his hat and walked back into the store.

Weird people.

But the cakes were good.

I glanced down the road once more, hopeful to see the bus. It had been almost two hours. And the bus driver had said it would only be two hours. Looking down the long expanse, there were no long lumbering buses coming our way. I moved to turn and step in to buy another cake when I caught a reflection in the corner of my eye, though. A car was coming down the road, shimmering in the heat mirage.

A rusty reddish car.

And as it neared, maybe a quarter mile from the city limits, I heard it. That unmistakable muffler that haunted my dreams now. My breath caught and I searched around for somewhere to hide. He would surely get out and look around. Ask about me. Find out I was here, stranded.

Oh god, how had Jake found me?

My heart hammered as I searched in vain for somewhere to hide.

And just as the car moved close enough that I could confirm it was definitely the Rabbit, I panicked and hid in the only safe place.

I hid in the back of the strange buggy.

And as I watched through the small window, watched the thing I feared most step out of his car and look around, a cold feeling of dread passed over me. He was going to find me, and I would be his. I trembled in the corner behind the burlap sacks in the buggy, sure that at any moment, the bus driver would nod and point over my way, and Jake, who always seemed to know where I was like a blood hound in the hunt would find me.

I wasn't prepared for Kris Kringle to come back so soon.

"Thank you, Eli! Pleasant day to you! I'll be sure to tell Esme about the cakes!" he called out and then slipped onto his bench seat in front.

I bit my palm to keep from crying out, I had no way to escape now, not without raising suspicion and being caught. My breath left me completely when the buggy stopped abruptly and the slippery sound of hell reached my ears from the front.

"Hey buddy. I'm looking for this girl. Have you seen her?"

I slunk in further to the darkness of the bags, praying that I could not be seen. It was stifling in the back the sweat dripping down my spine as I silently wished the buggy to continue its trek. But Kris Kringle had seen me. He was sure to tell Jake where I was. I clenched my eyes shut and waited for the end.

"Pretty girl. Did you check the diner, son?" Kris Kringle asked.

"Yeah I was heading there. Thanks."

"Pleasant day to you," Kris Kringle replied and once more we were moving.

I tried to hold in my tears, but the stagnant heat and the overwhelming need to escape forced out a tattered whimper. I watched in horror as Kris Kringle's head whirled around his mouth opening up in an exclamation until he saw my fear.

And heard my plea.

"Please," I pleaded in a strained whisper. "He'll kill me if he finds me. Please, help me."

"How did you get in my buggy, child?"

"Please. Please I just need to get away from him. He'll kill me," I pleaded again.

He pursed his lips and turned to look back out towards the expansive road ahead, licking his bare lips above the gleaming beard. His eyes drifted from me to what I assumed was Jake behind us, thoughtful. His eyes returned to me briefly before he redirected them back to the road where he urged his horses along at a brisk pace.

"You cannot run forever, child. But if he is out to hurt you in some way, I cannot let that be. You have asked for sanctuary. I am obligated to offer it to you. I am Carlisle Cullen, child. And you are?" he asked, his tone suddenly very formal.

"B-Bella. Isabella Swan, sir," I whispered.

"Welcome to West Grove, Isabella Swan."

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I struggled with the snaps once more, frustrated at their hidden closures.

This would be so much easier with my t-shirt and sweatshirt.

But I had been told as long as I stayed in the community I had to wear their clothes.

Layers and layers of clothes it seemed.

I missed my shorts and tennis shoes.

Finally the snaps came together and I looked around for a mirror.

Of course not.

Smoothing my hair into a ponytail I straightened my dress and made my way down stairs, the stair treads creaking as I made my way down. Turning the corner, still fiddling with my silly bonnet, I didn't notice the tall figure in front of me until my face met with his sweaty heated chest.

I stumbled back, nearly falling until strong hands reached out to right me. I steadied myself before looking up to apologize to the man I had run into, and lost all train of thought when I lost myself in the swirling green sea of his eyes.

"I'm so sorry," I stammered, feeling the heat rising in my cheeks as those eyes continued to look through me.

Dear God he was beautiful.

"No, I must apologize. I did not see you there. Did I hurt you … I …. I do not know you," he said, his voice low and guarded.

I shook my head and tried to smile up at him. It was hard to concentrate with those deep green eyes staring down to me. And the tousled hair that framed his face. It was not quite brown, but tinged with fiery highlights as if he spent most of his days in the sun. Judging by the soft wrinkles around his eyes and sun kissed cheeks, I assumed that he did.

"Uh, I'm Bella. I'm… visiting," I murmured extending my hand out to him in greeting.

He paused, looking at my hand hesitantly as if I might be diseased before looking back up to offer me a small crooked smile. His eyes seemed to dance as he looked down at me.

"Welcome, Bella. I am Edward. Are you staying with Elder Carlisle and his family?" he asked, never taking my hand. Instead he moved his hands behind his back, as if fighting some temptation to touch me.

I blushed and let my hand down, thinking I must have violated some strict Amish custom in my almost handshake. I took a step back hesitantly, to put some space between him and me. I was already warm in all the layers of clothes they made me wear. And his nearness didn't seem to help the heat. I still felt the ghost heat of his chest on my face.

A tingling sort of feeling everywhere I had made contact with him.

"Isabella! Come!"

The voice startled me, and I jumped again, this time forward into Edward, who awkwardly grasped my by the waist to steady me once more before he lurched away as if I had burned him. I was sure I felt something shoot through me when his long fingers held me tight. He licked his lips nervously, looking off down the hallway towards the voice before turning and all but fleeing out of the back door without another word. I watched his back as he left in the waning light, his cream shirt stained with sweat and his neck long under the dark hat he pulled down over his hair. He glanced back once, a frown on his face before he turned around again and quickened his pace through the field away from the house into the waning light.

"Isabella, are you dressed? It is supper. Come! The family is waiting," the voice said again from down the hall.

I turned from the strange man walking up the pasture and made my way down the hall, into a lantern lit dining room. At the head of the table sat Carlisle, watching me with a smile as he waved me in. Around the table sat a few other people I had not yet met. A small girl, with dark hair peeking out of her bonnet. But her size was deceiving. She was possibly my age maybe a little older. Her large dark eyes took me in openly, and her smile was very welcoming. In stark contrast to her was the tall blond girl across from her, who scowled and glanced my way once before looking back off towards the darkening night sky.

"Family, please welcome to our home Isabella Swan. She is visiting us from the outside. Please assist her in blending in to our ways while she is here," he said warmly, glancing to his right and his left.

I swallowed at the magnitude of what he had said. I was to blend in, disappear while I was here.

Carlisle had met with the elders when we had returned, and they had begrudgingly allowed my sanctuary only when Carlisle had explained a man was looking to hurt me.

But the condition was that I followed their laws, their Ordnung they had called it.

I would be happy to blend in, but I knew I would need help.

I absolutely needed help, if the man Edward's reaction was any indication.

The short girl to my left turned to me and smiled warmly as I sat beside her.

"I am Alice. I am happy to have you as a sister while you are here, Isabella," she all but beamed.

"Oh, you can call me Bella," I corrected, only to stutter silent with the look from Carlisle.

It was not aggressive, merely commanding in an intense sort of way.

"We go by our God given names here, Isabella. If we could, we would change your name to something more acceptable, like Sarah or Mary. But since many of the Elders know you are here already, it will be Isabella. Bella is your English name," he explained.

I nodded quietly and laid my fidgeting hands in my lap, suddenly nervous that anything I did now would be construed as "outsider" or English. I let my eyes wander as I felt eyes regard me, until finally Esme, Carlisle's wife portioned out our supper. Esme was a striking woman, with long chestnut hair that plaited neatly behind her back, and large warm eyes that observed every detail it seemed. And her smile warmed me without even knowing her. She was very welcoming in just her aura.

As the bread was passed around, Carlisle made small talk around the table.

"Is Emmett coming for supper tonight, Rosalie? The wedding is a week away. There is much to plan still," he asked, a blush blossoming across Rosalie's cheeks.

"No, father. With the sick mares, he has to work later than he wished to get the field cleared. He sent his apologies," she replied, her voice somewhat cold and aloof as she spoke to her father, glancing at me once before returning her eyes out towards the window once more.

Just on instinct my eyes followed hers and in the distance I could make out a small form in the field far from the house in the last rays of the sunlight. I had to assume that was her Emmett. As I turned, my eyes locked on Rosalie's cold ice blue stare as she watched me. I blinked and looked down once more into my lap, only raising my eyes when we had finished our prayers over the meal.

We were quiet as we ate, Esme smiling at me and offering more food than I could possibly indulge in, and Alice hid a smile every time I glanced her way. Carlisle remained silent for most of the meal, breaking the silence once or twice when he complimented his wife on a good supper. I felt terribly out of place and awkward as I ate, unsure of where to put my hands, whether to eat the leg of chicken I had on my plate with a fork or with my hand, whether to butter my bread with my own knife or use a communal knife that seemed to have disappeared from the butter dish.

Instead I ate the vegetables carefully, kept my bread dry, waiting until Rosalie picked up her chicken leg before I mimicked her and chewed carefully. When the meal was done, the girls stood to clear away the table, and out of fear I moved to do the same. Esme stopped me with a smile.

"It is your first night with us, Isabella. You can help with the drying of the dishes so you can find your way around the kitchen. Do you like to cook?" she asked as she moved me towards the deep wash sink.

"I do, actually. I don't know if anything I cook will be acceptable though," I murmured, wondering how cooked fish and lasagna would go over in an Amish household.

She hugged me around the shoulders and handed me a washrag.

"Well then, tomorrow you can spend the day with me and I will show you the ways we cook. We have a Frolic to prepare for!" she said happily and turned to the dishes, washing and handing them to me as she finished.

"What's a Frolic?" I asked, feeling dumber by the moment.

Alice moved in close taking the dishes from my hand to put them away.

"They are a social gathering in our community. The men help with a task while we arrange the food. The community comes together for each other when one needs many hands," she explained.

I nodded, thinking carefully of all the Amish references I knew.

Witness came to mind.

"So like a barn raising," I suggested, smiling when Alice's eyes lit up.

"Yes! Exactly! Day after next we go to help Elder Whitlock clear his field and mend his fences. The rains and heavy snow last winter caused much damage to his land," she explained.

"And maybe someone will get to speak with young Jasper Whitlock," Rosalie teased as she wiped away the remains of supper from the table.

Alice blushed and looked away bashfully, nearly biting her bottom lip through at mention of this Jasper Whitlock. Judging by how the jobs duties where split up, I had to gather that seeing a boy was something a girl didn't do unless chaperoned by her father, or something just as sinister.

I doubted there was any buggy rocking exploits for teenagers here. Staying here, trying to blend in, was going to be a lot harder than I ever thought. I somehow knew I would offend or embarrass the Cullen's or myself every time I opened my mouth.

"Another beautiful day by God's graces. Let us turn in and get some rest. Early day tomorrow!" Carlisle said brightly and ushered us up the stairs like a small gaggle of geese.

Alice pulled me into the room I was supposed to share with her and slipped her bonnet off. Her hair, dark and almost black in the dim lighting was cropped terribly short, with the back much shorter than the sides. I realized I was staring when she turned and blushed, dragging her hands up to her hair self-consciously. I turned away, blushing at her embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean," I stammered.

I felt her hand on my shoulder, turning me softly so that I could look into her penetrating gaze.

"You have no need to be upset Isabella. I should have said something. I feel so close to you already, I forget you would not know. Come, let us get ready for bed and I will tell you. It is a bit of a melancholy story to sleep to, but it must be told," she whispered and turned away to slowly remove the layers of clothing she wore until she was down to her thin cotton shift.

I followed her routine, folding up my clothes and placing them on the chair beside hers. I was learning that observation was my friend in learning to blend in. Dressed down to our shifts, we slid into the small bed, the weight of us making it creak softly. I settled on my side, Alice turned towards me with her hands under her head as if in silent prayer. She closed her eyes for a moment, as if collecting her thoughts before she spoke, her voice whisper soft.

"I was very sick, you see," she started, her eyes opening up but peering off in an unfocused sort of trance, as if replaying her life in her vision.

" I was always a bit dreamy, my head in the books and imagining stories that filtered through my head. The schoolmistress often thought I was neglecting my studies, but really I had seen them before somehow, the time spent in school seemed to be repetitive memory for me. I knew answers before I heard the questions; I had feelings about the weather, about how events would play out. It was not witch craft, you understand," she said, her eyes focusing on me pointedly for a moment until I nodded and she continued.

"It was not until the pain and the vision problems that my family understood that there was something truly affecting me. The doctor's in our district tried medicine, but my vision grew cloudier, the dreams more clear, and the pain in my head grew worse. It was then that I finally needed an English doctor," she said softly, her eyes closing.

I frowned and shook my head.

"You guys don't go to our doctors regularly?" I asked, clasping my hand over my mouth at how rude that had sounded from my lips. "I'm sorry."

Alice's eyes opened and her smile brightened the dim room.

"We do see your doctors. Do not be embarrassed. We keep much of ourselves private. You will see. It is better to handle ourselves here, but sometimes, like with me, we need outside aid," she explained softly and continued her tale.

"The doctors listened to my ailments and offered a grim prognosis. I had a brain tumor. They used their machines and found it, a slow growing tumor in the top portion of my head. It had spread towards the front over time, which explained the vision loss and dreams," she explained sadly.

"I'm so sorry, Alice," I whispered.

I didn't know why I felt some kinship with this small girl, but her family had taken me in, she was telling me a private part of her life. I knew that was special. These people didn't share themselves like this. Alice rubbed my shoulder with her hand and continued.

"I had surgery, they removed the tumor. You can feel the scar here," she said and lifted her fingers to a small lump I could make out on the top of her head above her ear.

"Does it hurt?" I asked, touching it softly with my own fingertip.

"No, not anymore. But that was the easy part. The medicine was the worst of it," she said and grimaced.

"You had chemo?"

It was so strange to think of the Amish undergoing chemotherapy. But here was Alice, with her short spiky hair that was obviously just growing back from her recovery.

"How long ago was this?" I asked.

"I took the last of the medicine four months ago. My hair just started growing back about a month and a half ago," she murmured.

"That must be a relief, though. To have it growing back?" I asked.

She frowned and ran her fingers through her hair tenderly.

"A woman must have all her finest qualities available to gain a suitor. I only wish it would grow a little faster. I do not look like a woman," she mumbled, her eyes regretful.

"I think it's beautiful," I said, smiling into her timid eyes. "Think of how much cooler it is in this heat right now."

A small smile crept across Alice's face.

"I knew we were meant to be great friends. You see the benefits in what God gives us. Thank you for helping me to see that," she replied and leaned in to offer me a small hug.

"Thank you for taking me in. I only hope I don't embarrass you all," I sighed, remembering the strange look that man Edward had given me.

"We have two days to help you with that. And our community is very welcoming. I think you will find you will have many friends here by the end of our Frolic," Alice quipped.

I raised my eyebrow at her and shook my head.

"We'll see," I replied, skeptical.

"Come, we need to sleep. Father will have us up for the cows in no time," she murmured and yawned as if to illustrate the point.

I watched as she blew out the candle, throwing us into the darkest night I had ever known. It took several minutes until my eyes could adjust to the dim light, and in that time images kept playing before my eyes. Deep green eyes and a strong back as it walked away from me took me into my dreams.

Why did he tug at me so?

I had obviously offended him.

He didn't want to know me.

Maybe he'd be at this frolic thing.

I'd ask him if I got the chance.

Ask him why he ran.

Because my mind lingered on his face, his brief timid smile as he spoke to me those few moments.

Sea green eyes drew me into his world.

Everything else that had happened to me over the course of the day drifted into oblivion.

But the Amish man, Edward, haunted my dreams.

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Thanks to all that are reading. This story would not be possible without the love, affection, and pervy minds of the Tri-O's. Take a perfectly benign VF picture and run with it!

I love you ladies. Claudia…. You know how to be my muse and I love you for it!

Next chapter, we see how Bella fares on her first day in West Grove and maybe even some Wet Amishward.

More soon!

MWAH!

steph