Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING. Stephanie Meyer owns all the fun Twilight Saga cast and I'm just taking them out for a fun little stroll. I make no money off of this, and am FAR too broke for anyone to bother with a lawsuit. The only thing I expect from this are reviews, hopefully happy ones. That being said, enjoy the story.

"Forks." The view out the window was of a cloudy night and falling rain.

I couldn't believe I was back here. I had promised myself when I was younger that I'd never subject myself to this again. Then I'd let my honor and pride get the better of me. It didn't matter that I could handle the weather better now, I still preferred the desert heat. Even after six months of my new existence, I still had my little quirks.

My mother thought I had finally entered my rebellious stage. If only she knew. The truth was much stranger, and even more terrifying. A small part of me was glad to be here because it was easier to hide it from a father who'd only seen me two weeks every summer for the past three years. He didn't see how suddenly the changes came. Mom did, but with her flighty personality it was understandable she'd brush over things or play it as rebellion.

Charlie, my dad, thought my eyes were a little lighter than he remembered, and mentioned I'd finally gotten past my clumsy stage, but he thought it'd happened over the past year or more. He didn't realize it'd taken less than three days. Three days of heat and flame, trapped in an egg of hardened scales and covered in blood. It was torture, but it had saved my life.

I opened my window as I heard Charlie's breathing finally even out into deep sleep, and started to shed my clothes as I raised my body temperature. One of the many new traits I'd acquired. I had a lot to do tonight before I got a couple hours of sleep. I turned and looked at myself in the mirror now that I was naked and let my eyes take in my new body one more time. My muscles weren't ripped like a body builders, but they were well toned and firm. My breasts were firm and barely moved even without a bra to support them. That was just what everyone would be able to tell though. My eyes saw more.

My skin was actually thousands of tiny, smooth, diamond hard scales that could stop a bullet if anyone were actually stupid enough to shoot me. My entire body felt smooth as silk and hard as steel, my hair only growing at my eyebrows and on top of my head. My nails looked normal, till I flexed my fingers, then they grew into razor sharp claws that could slice through an armored car. My eyes were a yellow gold flecked with black, and the pupils were partially slit. It was hard to see if you didn't have very sharp eyes, but mine were very sharp. Even with my pale coloring, and my dark hair, my new traits made me beautiful.

That was so strange to me after so long thinking I was merely plain. Now that I was something new though, the prideful nature of my species showed me what was there if I decided to use it. Nodding to myself I turned to the window as my temperature skyrocketed at will to over a hundred and ten degrees, then I leapt from the window out into the rain.

Water steamed off my scalding hot body in the cooler air around me, creating a shroud of mist around me as I landed lightly in the yard. I ran, quickly blurring into a speed too fast for normal humans to follow and rushed into the woods behind the house. I was almost a mile deep when I found the clearing, it was just big enough. As I walked into the center I let my senses loose.

I could hear my father's snoring back at the house, the scrabbling of a mouse in the grass, the wind trailing across the feathers of an owl in flight. My sense of smell picked up on every faint trace or trail of animal or human that had walked through this clearing in the past week. Not even the rain was enough to wash away the smells completely; a few deer, a wolf, dozens of rabbits and birds, Charlie twice. As my eyes trailed around the forest I could see every leaf, every blade of grass as it was shifted by the rain.

This was the first part, letting the tight reign I held on my senses relax as I embraced my new nature completely. Then my temperature that was already hot enough to steam the rain jumped. My eyes transformed from partial slits to full cat's eye slits and my sharp vision became telescopic. My nails became claws and started to turn black, and my scales started to shift color from pale skin tone, to iridescent crystal. Then my body grew as gauzy wings erupted from my back and my human form vanished completely.

I'd only seen my dragon form in reflections but I knew what it looked like just the way I knew my own name. I was lithe and long like a jungle cat, with a tail that made up half my length. My crystal scales were shining white in the sparse light from the stars and moon but in the sun they refracted light into a rainbow of colors. A row of smooth curved spines ran down from the top of my snout, all the way down my back and along my tail like armor, and along the pinions of my wings to the first joint. My tail ended in a fanned series of curved blades, and two long spiked claws jutted from the ends of my wing pinions. Around my bullet shaped head, five horns curved forward on either side, protecting it.

I was a perfect predator, ten feet high at the shoulder and nearly thirty long, with a matching wingspan. My hind legs were digitigrades, like a big cat or a wolf's to provide power for leaping at take off or pouncing from cover. My forelimbs were jointed differently, made for dexterous movement and combat. I stalked around clearing, walking in a circle and bending nearly in to a spiral as I scented out the air and tasted the prey that was nearby.

With a powerful bound from my hind legs and a flap of my gauze like wings, I rocketed into the air. Soon I was high enough to see all of Forks below me, and off into the distance toward the ocean and the Quileute Reservation far in the distance. A speck of light in the forest well out of town was most likely a family home. Then I turned toward the national forest and flew at speed toward the mountain territory. I needed to find a cave, or a hillside I could build into a den. I wouldn't use it much, but I needed a place to shed my scales and keep a hoard if I picked up things I didn't want to keep in my home.

I could tunnel one out, but it was better to start with an existing cave if I could. Thanks to my eyesight and flight speed, it was only fifteen or twenty minutes before I'd found a shallow, but large cave. I'd have to use flame and claw to tunnel it deeper, but it'd do for now.

I beat my wings a few times to gain height then pulled a sharp turn that fell into a rapid dive, my wings running back along my body line my legs curled tight against my underbelly. It only took heartbeats, but thanks to my heightened reflexes and eyes, it seemed to happen in slow motion. At the last moment I flared my wings and broke my speed in an instant, lighting on the cliff as light as a feather.

I moved into the shallow cave easily, my size fitting with room to spare. It was large enough, and only a truly gifted climber or something with wings would be able to reach this outcrop. The only trouble was it wasn't deep enough. I could deepen it easily, and if I was lucky come onto deeper tunnels that lead toward the center of the mountain. I'd have to be careful not to cave it in on me, but even if I did I was more than powerful enough to escape given time. With my goal set, I widened my stance and unleashed a flame so hot it vaporized the stone at the back of the cave, deepening it. Another blast, and another; white hot flames blasting from my mouth as I walked slowly forward and down, tunneling deeper and deeper into the mountain rock.

It was the second time I'd done something like this. The first time was just a few days after my transformation, in the cave my sire called his home.

I'd been in an accident on a school trip and fell inside a cave system. I was unconscious when the giant green dragon had found me, broken, bleeding, and near death. It was chance, or fate that he'd chosen to live in that cave system when he had decided to leave the human world behind to live his life as a dragon completely.

I wasn't awake for the start of the change, or I'm not sure I could have gone through with it. Dragons aren't born, you see. They're hatched. But no dragon has ever laid an egg. They make them out of their shed scales. The scales can be made to fuse together with the right pattern of flame and ice. The egg is then filled with the dragon's blood and the human is sealed inside. Then the dragon will breathe flame onto the egg for three days. When the transformation is complete the egg is shattered by the hatchling shifting into their dragon form for the first time.

I was still unconscious for the first day of the change, but the heat and flame of the second day woke me as the dragon blood I was bathed in healed my wounds and started to change me as it cooked into my body. At first I thought I was dead, trapped in hell from the heat and the darkness. But soon I realized the pain was from my wounds healing rapidly, and the heat became pleasurable. I lost all tack of time as my body changed without my realizing it, and when the metamorphosis was complete I was shocked as I felt myself explode into my dragon form for the first time.

It was only after I'd calmed down and he'd shown me how to change back to human that I learned I'd been missing for three days and of what I'd become. And believe me, it was a shock to see this huge beast with scales like emeralds speak in a voice that echoed like rocks in a landslide. He looked nothing like my form, and he later told me that each dragons form was different; though no one knew why a dragon took the form it did when it hatched.

He was bulkier, with a shorter tail and wings that spread wide on either side of him like a cape. His head was more alligator like, with fin like frills that ran back from his brow and down under his jaw. A beardlike dewlap hung down under his chin and three fangs peaked out on either side of his mouth.

Over the next two months, I'd sneak out at night and fly to his cave again and again, and he'd teach me to use the most basic of my abilities. While at home, I still pretended to be human, the first real secret I've ever kept from my mother. But dragons aren't social creatures, at least not with each other. I would have had to find my own lair soon enough. When my mom started wanting to go on the road with her new husband, I decided it was time to come to Forks and live with my dad, to make the Olympic Peninsula my domain.

Building this den was just the start.

I'd been asleep for an hour and a half when my alarm went off to wake me for my first day at Forks High School. After I'd tunneled out the start of my den, I'd gone hunting. Coming down on a grizzly from the clouds and tearing into its flesh with my jaws wasn't something I thought I'd enjoy the first time I'd been out to hunt with my drake, but dragons are predators of the highest caliber. The first hunt had been the best, and I made time for it at least once a month now when I had to shed my scales.

Now though, I had to shower and get ready for school. I frowned as I looked out the window at the truck my father had bought me. It wasn't the best looking or the fastest, but it's just what the old me would have wanted. Now it was mine, I would use it till I could arrange something better. I could run faster now than my truck could drive. Maybe a motorcycle, if I could convince Charlie. He said that Jacob had fixed the truck. Maybe he'd know where I could find an old bike and teach me to put it back together. In the mean time though, I had to decide to whether to run or take the truck to school.

After a quick shower and a quiet breakfast with Charlie where he wished me luck at school and I thanked him, I watched him leave to the police station that was his wife and family after my mother left him. Looking around the house made it obvious my father still loved my mother. He probably always would, but part of me knew he needed to move on.

The dragon in me was confused by the situation, even if I understood it as a human. Dragons have a unique way of finding mates. At least it was as unique as far as I knew, and a single dragon could have several mates in their lifetime. Some even had harems from time to time. The concept of love at first sight must have come from dragons though, and for us it wasn't just a saying. When we saw one of our mates for the first time, there was a fundamental shift in our mind. It was an instant spark that we called The Desire.

When The Desire hit, we would do anything to woo, and claim our chosen mate. That isn't to say that we couldn't get to know someone and fall for them the way a normal person would, but it would never be the strong attraction that we held for our Desired, and only our Desired could be kept with us forever, allowed to share our immortality.

I hadn't found anyone I desired yet, and the great Green who'd changed me told me his only mate had been killed when a dragon hunter had come for him over two hundred years ago. It was why he lived completely as a dragon now, hidden in caves and away from humans for the most part.

As I looked at the clock I realized I'd let my thoughts get away from me and quickly left for school. When I pulled my truck in, the parking lot was empty except for a few cars in front of the administration building. I pulled up in what I thought was the student parking and raised my temperature enough that the light denim jacket and jeans I wore would keep me comfortable in the sprinkling rain. If it'd been hot like the desert in Phoenix, I would have lowered my temperature, but I didn't foresee much need for that in Forks.

At the admin building, the secretary gave me my schedule, and a map with the 'best' routes highlighted. She was very nice and obviously cared about helping the students. That wasn't something you saw a lot of back in Phoenix. There teaching was just another job. I smiled at her as I left; telling her thank you, and promised to have all my instructors sign the slip she'd given me.

I made my way to my first class in building three, English Lit, according to my schedule. It was as I was coming around the cafeteria that I came across the scent for the first time. It was strange, sweet and cold all at once with a hint of something poisonous. There were six distinct scents each a little different, and definitely not human. It seemed that Forks was going to be more interesting than I thought, but I'd have to wait to go looking for the source later.

I strolled into my Lit class and smiled when the teacher looked shocked at my name. At least he didn't try and make me introduce myself. I'd hated that as a human, and putting on a show for gawking teenagers didn't appeal to me as a dragon anymore than it did then. I took the seat he'd offered me in the back and relaxed as I went over the book list, and tried to ignore the rest of the class.

It was when the bell rang, an annoying tinny sound to my now sharper ears, that the pace for the rest of the day was set. A geeky sort of guy with hair like an oil slick and acne came up to me; he had a friendly look, and Asian features, pointing him out as the overly helpful type, and I was quite sure he'd decided he liked me. If I was lucky, I could let him down easy. If not, well, I was a dragon. I had no interest in him beyond possible friendship, and he'd have to live with that.

"You're Isabella Swan, aren't you?" He asked hopefully, and I noticed everyone else tune into the conversation.

"Bella," I corrected easily, as I finished putting my books away.

"Where's your next class?" He asked, a hopeful tone in his voice. Definitely the over helpful type.

"Government with Jefferson. Building six." I recalled easily, another trait of my species was their intelligence and memory. I could remember every thing I'd ever read, or seen, even as a human. As I answered though, I met the eyes of everyone who was eavesdropping, waiting for them to look away. A dragon's pride is hard to overcome.

"I'm headed toward building four, I could show you the way…" Even if I couldn't smell his pheromones spike, I'd have realized he was interested by now, so I started to work on easy let downs for later, "I'm Eric." He finally told me his name.

I gave him a slight nod, "Sure, thanks."

We grabbed our jackets and headed out into the now heavier rain. I sighed and pulled the hood on the jacket up. My temperature was already high enough that I was easily comfortable, but I didn't dare raise it too high. Steam coming off my body might have been noticed.

"So, this is a lot different than Phoenix, huh?" He asked, and I finally gave him my full attention again.

"Very." I chuckled.

"It doesn't rain much there, does it?"

"Hmm… maybe three times a year." This was a simplification, but true enough.

"Wow, what must that be like?" He truly sounded amazed.

"Sunny." I laughed, "And much warmer. I think this was the heaviest jacket I owned before moving here."

"You don't look very tan." He pointed out.

I smirked, and considered a joke before I decided he'd miss it. "I'm not." I decided to use the excuse that was true before I was changed, "My skin burns, it doesn't tan. Least I won't stick out because of it here."

"Well, I think you look nice even without a tan." He smiled in what I'm sure he thought was a flirty manner.

I sighed inside when we finally reached my next class after passing more of that strange scent, "Well, this is me. Thanks for showing me the way"

"Good luck, and… maybe we'll have some classes together." He was way too hopeful.

I just nodded at him, "Maybe." And walked into class.

The rest of the morning was more of the same. My trigonometry teacher, Mr. Varner, tried to make me stand in front of the class and introduce myself, but I told him no, and took my seat. I don't think he liked that, but I wouldn't have cared for him anyway given the subject. The old me would have probably blushed and embarrassed myself, but I was a dragon now and I didn't do anything I didn't want.

One girl, Jessica, sat with me in both Trig and Spanish. She was the chatterbox type, and seemed to be a gossip and social climber. I got the impression she was using me to improve her own social standing while I was the new topic of interest. I was happy to let her, for now, but she'd learn not to push things rather quickly if I had much to say. Still, I was happy to let her walk with me to lunch while I gleaned what I could of the social groups.

I smirked as we made it. I'd finally get my chance to see who was causing that unique scent, assuming they followed the social norms and joined everyone in the cafeteria. We sat at a table full of her friends and I carefully let my eyes roam the room as my senses expanded to take in everything I could. That's when I got my first shock of the day.

She had light brown hair with honey streaks, and kind brown eyes concealed behind a pair of stylish glasses. She had the most intoxicating scent I'd encountered yet, though whether that was natural or the change my brain chemistry was undergoing I didn't know. It was like honey and jasmine mixed with pure LUST. I felt my heart speed up and my body tighten, and the urge to shift to dragon form and carry her away without a care for what anyone would think was almost overwhelming. Suddenly the stories about dragons kidnapping maidens made a lot more sense.

Only hard won control kept me from blowing my secret to the whole school, but I knew instantly I had to have her. For now though, as hard as it was, I'd hold off. Better to get to know her than spring something unexpected on a stranger in the middle of the cafeteria. Besides, I still had to find the source of that strange scent.

"I still can't figure out what that weird scent I've been smelling is." The voice was so low, a normal person wouldn't have heard it if they were sitting next to them. And it coincided with the scent I was tracing getting a lot stronger.

I turned toward door just as they came in, and had to keep myself from staring in awe. The first pair was a boy with messy bronze hair, perfect angular features, and full lips, and a strawberry blonde girl with long curly hair and a brilliantly expressive face. Both were paler than me, and that was an impressive feat, and their eyes were a topaz or honey gold as appose to my brighter yellow gold.

Next was a bear of man, easily the largest in the cafeteria and from what I could see it was all muscle. He had short cropped curly dark brown hair, and laughing eyes with dimples. If he weren't so big, he'd be boyish. The honey blonde on his arm was even more beautiful than the one before her. She was tall and statuesque; with a model's figure and the most beautiful face I can ever remember seeing. If I hadn't already felt my Desire once, I'd be tempted to think this was it, and before that I'd always thought I was straight.

The next two weren't arm in arm, which was lucky for me. The male had a pained expression on his face, like he was fighting something within himself. He had honey blonde hair, and gentle features, but the most dominant thing I noticed, were the scars. They covered his neck and hands, and went along his jaw, and somehow I was sure it was only my enhanced eyesight that let me see them at all.

When I looked at the girl walking by him though, the world spun for me for the second time today. She was small and pixie like, with inky black hair cut short and spiked. Big expressive eyes with long lashes drew my eyes along her face and down to lips curled into a perpetual smile. She didn't walk, so much as she danced across the floor with graceful movements even my new abilities would be tested to match. The urge to rush to her was almost overwhelming, especially having fought it down once before, and when her scent hit me, I had to turn away and close my eyes so no one would see that they'd become slit like a cats.

Still, I kept my ears trained on them as I wrestled my eyes back under control and pretended to listen to my 'friends', while glancing at both my Desired out of the corners of my eyes.

"That strange scent, it's coming from the new girl." I heard one of the girls whisper, from the direction it came it was the first one.

"I can't read her at all… her mind is completely blank to me." One of the males, the first one I'd heard when they came in.

"Look at her skin, it's like… tiny scales, but they look so smooth…" I turned toward Jessica, who was saying something so they wouldn't see me smirk at my Pixie's voice.

"I don't like it. She's obviously not human. She could be a threat to us." The model.

"Wonder if she can handle herself in a fight." The Bear.

"She's amused by something and… I think she can hear us." Well, that was interesting.

I decided to turn and look at them, letting them get a good look at me and my eyes, before they looked away. I turned back to Jessica, deciding to gather a little intelligence, "Hey Jess? Who are they?" I gestured toward them where they'd decided to be silent and all look off in different directions, anywhere but at us.

"Oh, them." You could hear the jealousy in her voice, and the longing, "Those are the Cullens. Well, three of them are Cullens, and three are Hales. They're all adopted, because Mrs. Cullen can't have children and most of them are together. The big one with the blonde model is Emmett Cullen and she's Rosalie Hale. The honey blonde boy who looks like he's in pain is Rosalie's twin brother Jasper. I think they're the only two really related. Edward is the one with the bronze hair and dreamy features, and he's with the strawberry blonde Tanya. The pixie is Alice." She finished.

"Are she and Jasper together?" I asked, curious if I had competition.

"No, but they're like the only two who aren't, but I wouldn't waste my time if I were you. He's turned down every girl who's ever gotten up the nerve to ask." Jessica shook her head.

"Oh I wasn't even going to bother. He's not really my type. I prefer darker hair." I chuckled, knowing Jess would assume I meant dark haired men, "But they are all very nice looking, aren't they?"

"VERY!" She hissed, then laughed.

"They're a little old for fosters though, aren't they?" I asked, continuing to fake interest now that I had the information I wanted.

"They are now, yea. Jasper and Rosalie are both eighteen, I know, and I think Tanya is nineteen, but they've been with Mrs. Cullen since they were eight or nine. She's their aunt, I think."

"Hmm…" I said noncommittally, and kept taking glances at them from the corners of my eyes, noticing they weren't eating their lunches. I decided to test something, and pitched my voice purposely out of the hearing range of humans, but I somehow thought they'd hear.

"Not hungry? I didn't think the cafeteria food was that bad." I turned to the pixie and winked at them as they all jumped.

"What are you?" It was the one named Edward.

I just chuckled and turned back to my conversation with Jessica, "Have they always lived in Forks? I don't remember them from visiting my father."

"No, they just moved down two years ago from somewhere in Alaska." She looked over at them, then away, "They're all looking at you."

"Maybe I should go introduce myself." I chuckled, thinking the dragon's pride had made me too bold for my own good. I was considering walking over and introducing myself to six non-humans, and I wasn't even sure what they were. I had no clue if they could be a danger to me or not, but my pride said there was nothing too dangerous for a master of flame and sky.

Before I could decide though, they all got up and left. I wasn't sure if it was worry of me actually doing it, or if it was just that they wanted to move on to class. I looked around and came face to face with my first Desired again.

"Hi; I'm Angela, Jessica said you had Biology II next? I'm in the same class, so I can show you the way if you want." Between her and the Pixie, I'd heard the two most beautiful voices in my life today.

I couldn't help but smile at her, "I'd appreciate that, Angela. I'm Bella."

"Ok, whenever you're ready." She smiled back as she started to gather her tray.

"We'll see you later Jess. Angela is going to show me where my next class is." I told the girl as I picked up my own tray.

"Later Bella." She smiled at me, then I heard her start whispering behind my back as soon as we were out of range. I just ignored it for now.

"So, Angela, what is there around here to do for fun?" I asked her.

"Well, there's a lot of backpacking and hiking, if you enjoy that, and you could always go down to La Push and First Beach on the reservation. If you're looking for something more modern, theirs a theatre and a few restaurants in Port Angeles. That's where most of the couples go when they date." She pointed out.

I couldn't help myself, she'd left me a perfect pitch, "Maybe you can show me the City some time then."

Angela blinked and blushed a bit, "Did… did you just…"

I chuckled, "Relax, Angela, just as friends." I left the 'for now' unsaid, and I knew my new biology was releasing pheromones that were a heady mix.

"Oh… right… sorry. So you're not…" She tried to ask.

"Don't tell Jessica, because she'll gossip, but gender isn't what matters to me." I shrugged, leaving out that it was because of my Desire that gender didn't matter.

"Oh. I'm not sure if… well… see, my father's a Lutheran Minister…" She stumbled, clearly out of her depth. This was going to take work.

"I told you, just as friends if that's what you want… calm down." I smiled at her again.

She took a breath and nodded, "Ok, well, here we are." She pointed at the classroom. "I'll… um… see you later."

She went to one of the generic black top lab tables that all schools seem to have, and I took a breath to scent the room as I walked to the teacher to have him sign my slip. I nearly burst into laughter as I realized one of the Cullens was in the class, and I had a sneaking suspicion where the only empty seat would be.

Sure enough when Mr. Banner pointed me toward a lab table, the only empty seat was right next to Edward Cullen. I moved easily toward the table and settled in while Mr. Banner told us we'd be watching a movie today. I settled easily into the seat as he started to set up the television. I decided to relax and ignore him unless he talked to me, or at least to appear to. Really I trained my senses on him now that I was close enough to distinguish him specifically from the den around us.

That's when I got another surprise, and started to figure out what they might be. He didn't have a heartbeat, and there was animal blood on his breath. Mountain lion, if I didn't miss my guess. He kept glancing toward me out of the corner of his eyes as well.

"So what are you?" He whispered, barely moving his lips and keeping his eyes locked on the movie we were supposed to be watching.

"What are you?" I asked him the same way.

"You don't know?" He frowned.

"Never met anything like you before." I admitted, "I probably know more than you know about me though."

"Really?" He sounded both curious and concerned.

"I know you drink animal blood, and don't have heartbeats. I also know your skin is something like mine, because I could see the scars on Jasper, but I'm almost certain no one but your family and I can. I also know you can read minds except mine for some reason, and Jasper has some way to read emotions, but I'm not sure how." I couldn't resist smirking as I added one more bit of information, "I also know I'd love to go on a date with Alice, but that has more to do with what I am than what she is."

I nearly broke into laughter as he struggled to keep his face blank, "So… All that information, and you don't have a guess?"

"Oh I do, but why guess when facts are so much more useful?" A half smile curled my lips.

He growled a bit under his breath, "You smell like heat, crystal, and more dangerous than any predator I've ever heard of, but you also smell… young."

"Hmm, you smell cold, sweet and poisonous." I told him, "Alice smells cold, sweet, and like my favorite flavor of ice cream."

He winced, "Why are you doing that?"

"Because it's amusing getting under your skin, and it's true." I supplied, "I'll tell you something about my species. Love at first sight isn't just a figure of speech for us. Unfortunately, it isn't exclusive to a single person either. We call it Desire, capital D. We see someone we Desire and our instincts push us toward them. We literally must be with them. It's happened to me twice today, if you can believe the odds."

He frowned again, "So, the moment you saw Alice, you literally fell in love with her… you expect me to believe that?"

"Yes, the moment I laid eyes on her, I had to have her, just like I have to have Angela back there. They're my Desired. As for you believing it, I couldn't care less. I'll discuss it with Alice when I have a chance. She's the one who matters. Her and Angela." I smiled as I thought of them.

He frowned after that and didn't say a word for the rest of class. When it was over, he was quick to leave the room. Part of me knew he was on his way to talk with his 'siblings'.

As I sat there, thinking about things I heard a male voice speak from behind me, "Aren't you Isabella Swan?"

I sighed, "I prefer Bella." I corrected as I turned to look at a cute, baby-faced blond guy, with gelled spikes in his hair. He was smiling at me way too friendly for my personal taste, but I couldn't blame him for his interest. He didn't know I was already after different interest.

"Oh, well, I'm Mike." He gave a slight nod like a bow.

"Hi Mike." I picked up my bag as I started toward the door, Mike on my heels.

"Do you need help finding your next class?" He asked.

"I have Gym, actually, I can find it." I told him.

"That's my next class too!" He seemed way too happy about that fact.

I resigned myself to his company, which really wasn't that bad if he weren't so interested in me. He was a chatterer, like Jessica, and supplied most of the conversation. Where Jessica had gossiped though, his favorite subject was himself. He was a cali-boy till he was ten, so he remembered the sun too, and I remembered him from my English class when he mentioned it but he hadn't spoken to me then so I'd ignored his presence.

"So what were you and Cullen talking about?" He asked as we entered the gym.

"Talking?" I asked him.

"Yea, I couldn't see much, but he looked really shocked at least once, and he practically ran from the class…" He provided.

"Hmm…" I decided to be noncommittal for now, "Just about where we both came from. Maybe he's never heard of the desert sun?"

He laughed as I walked toward the gym teacher, Coach Clapp. I shrugged when he told me I didn't have to dress out today, and that we were in the volleyball part of our year. I watched four games, learning the moves I'd need and thanking the dragon that changed me for my new abilities. I was a clumsy, uncoordinated, and a danger to my teammates before. Now, I could outplay professionals no matter the sport if I wanted to show off. Of course, that might bring me more attention than even my pride wanted.

After class ended I quickly made my way out and toward the admin building to turn my slip in with all the neat little signatures. The helpful secretary was there, and she smiled at me when I came in.

"How was your first day dear?"

I laughed, "Surprisingly good…" I told her, then handed her my slip, "Met a lot of new friends, and I can't wait to get to know them better."

I strolled out of the school and toward the parking lot and my beat up truck. I let my eyes roam a bit and saw the Cullens standing around a shiny silver Volvo. I smiled at them and headed over. I knew I'd have to be careful and slow with Angela. She was too shy for anything else. Alice though, and her family, I had a feeling honesty and the direct approach would be best.

As far as I was concerned, that was even better. I mean, who ever heard of a dragon being subtle?