WARNING: References to bullying. If you are offended, then get the hell outta here ;)
I'm a nice person, really.
Un-Beta'd.
...
CHAPTER ONE
…
Forks High School did nothing to lighten my damp mood as I trudged in on a drizzly Monday morning. I was tired, bored and ready to give up on life.
My schoolbag swung carelessly on my shoulder, bumping against my hip with every step. Every day was the same, monotonous crap and I was dying inside, little by little.
Right now, school is beginning and the bells are fucking ringing. God, I sounded like fucking Tracy Turnblad about to hit on Link Larkin in a toilet paper wedding veil...
I strode quietly into the hallway, instantly being barged into by a bunch of idiots form the 'in' crowd.
"Hey Swiglet, move out the way!" Newton crowed when he jogged my books onto the floor as I got them out of my locker. I sighed, ignored him, and bent down to silently pick up my books.
'Swiglet' was my unattractive nickname.
It was a combination of 'Swan' and 'Piglet', cute right?
Swan happened to be my second name and I hated it. All it did was cause me trouble and get me tormented by everyone in the entire student body. I slammed my locker shut when I stood up again and made my way to my first class of the day - Biology.
I didn't actually mind this subject as it was fairly easy to follow and I sat alone so I didn't have to sit and listen to the sniggering bitches that usually sat beside me in other lessons. I wasn't the new kid in the school as you might think by the way I got treated, but it sure felt like it. Everyday.
I didn't have any friends, social buddies, or anyone to rely on. The only person I had in this green, rotting hell-hole of a town was my Dad, Charlie Swan - Chief of Police. As if things couldn't get any worse - and I'm not entirely blaming him - my Dad just had to be the Chief of Police in a town this small where news spreads like wildfire.
The fact that no one could just give me a good punch to the gut instead of all the hateful comments and snickers filled me with even more sadness. Charlie would cuff anyone who touched me within an hour.
Physical pain would be so much better than this.
I was the first to class as usual and took my seat at the front, laying my books out accordingly and pulling the sleeves of my jumper down to hide my hands. I was always cold here, no matter how much the sun shone on those rare sunny days.
The whole town made me feel cold and hateful. Maybe the people here were lucky that I barely said a word to them.
Today, would be another useless step in my useless existence. Or so I thought.
Until the Greek God walked in.
I heard the stool beside me screech across the floor and flinched, figuring it was some bitch coming to torment me by flicking paper balls at my head until the lesson started. I felt a dominating presence sit down in the seat and turn slightly to face me.
I cringed into my seat, my long hair shielding my face from their assault. I squeezed my eyes shut, not wanting to see the smug look on his or her face.
I waited for the first piece of garbage to hit my head but it never came. I dared open my eyes a fraction to see the figure had their arms out in front of them on the table, their body angled towards me. The arms looked like they belonged to a very toned, very strong male.
Unlike the weedy wannabes that were bred in Forks.
I chanced a brief glance up at the face of my new lab partner and almost fell straight off my own stool.
The most beautiful boy sat unmoving beside me, his fists clenched loosely in front of him, his books stacked neatly beside them. He twirled an elaborately decorated fountain pen between his long, pale digits and his face was angled to look out the window.
I ogled his lightly stubbled jaw for almost a full five minutes, memorising every perfect pore and plane and curve and dip of his face.
He suddenly snapped his head over to look at me as if he had been burned and I flushed crimson before turning my own head away swiftly, letting my hair fall back into the dark curtain separating us before. I thought I heard him chuckle softly but couldn't be sure because Mr Banner strode into the room then, armed with glass-slides and the microscope trolley.
More Mitosis, I thought dryly.
He began talking as animatedly as he always did, grabbing a marker pen and drawing a diagram on the board.
I wasn't paying attention.
I was too busy trying not to hyperventilate from sitting next to a definite fashion model.
I hadn't heard about any newcomers arriving this week from Charlie so I guessed they had come at a spur-of-the-moment type thing. Such a bad idea really. No one should have to, nor need to, move to the rainiest hell in the continental U.S.
"Work with your lab partner!" Mr Banner added when he had finished his speech. I was surprised Banner hadn't introduced the new boy to the class yet. I sighed, shook my head and produced a measly grey Bic pen from my pocket which looked so cheap and ugly compared to the new guy's fancy fountain scrawler.
I didn't realize what we were doing until the hot guy leaned over and tapped my arm gently.
I jumped and looked at him with wide eyes, expecting a snarky comment - but it didn't come, once again.
"Want me to get the equipment?" He asked softly, his voice distracting me from his question. His eyes blazed an abnormal shade of green and I gulped silently. He looked like he was holding back from something, although he sounded calm enough.
His jaw was clenched, I noticed.
"Uhm…It's okay, I'll get it," I mumbled quickly - embarrassed and flushed - before rising from my stool to collect what was listed on the board:
Two glass slides
A microscope
Two pin pricks
Blood typing chart.
Wait. What?
Blood typing?!
Oh shit.
I gulped and carried the stuff back to the desk on unsteady legs, placing it in the middle of our desk and the new boy smiled, causing my stomach to flip unexpectedly. I clutched it discreetly as I sat down, biting my lip to refrain from panicking.
I can do this, I can do this, I can do this.
No, I couldn't.
"Are you alright?" The boy asked suddenly, his face becoming masked with concern. I nodded meekly, not wanting to confess my fear of blood to this stranger.
He looked pained by my answer and set up the microscope without another word. I was slightly frightened of him.
One minute he ignored me, silently watched me, and then he spoke to me gently, softly and almost…as if he cared.
I gagged as Banner experimented on Newton with the pin prick and felt a familiar sickly sweet taste form in my mouth.
I was going to puke.
Just as I was about to get up, a smooth velvet voice butted in.
"Excuse me, Mr Banner, I think Bella needs to go to the nurse," He murmured matter of factually, just as easily as if he was telling Banner his dog's name.
Not that he had a dog. Maybe he did.
Gah.
Mr Banner glanced at me and his face paled a little.
"I think you're right Mr Cullen, please take her along," He mumbled, his face grimacing and a sheen of sweat appeared on his forehead.
Cullen.
Cullen, Cullen, Cullen.
That was his second name but I lusted for his first one. I wanted to know him, even though he was a super-star-glamour-model type guy who never glanced twice at girls like me.
I stood up shakily and reached for my bag but Cullen - swoon - already had it hitched up onto his own back.
"C'mon," He said gently.
I don't think he meant that one little phrase to sound so seductive, but it sure as hell did to my ears. I followed him out of the room, all the bitches gaping at me and tossing their extensions in annoyance at this parade.
We walked in silence down the hall, me trying to even out my breathing.
I still felt sick. The mint green walls were moving in all directions and there was a low buzz in my ears.
"Oh help," I groaned as I stumbled into the lockers on the left, placing my cheek against the cool metal as Cullen came to my side.
"I'm sorry," I choked out, trying to breath normally as his close proximity was intoxicating as well as the memory of the blood oozing from Mike's finger...
"No worries, but you need to come with me," He commanded.
He didn't ask, didn't wait for me to reply, he just seized my arm gently in an iron grip and lead me out through the fire exit.
"Where are we going, the nurse is…that way…" I trailed off but he shot me a look that told me not to argue. I swallowed and sweat built up in my palms for the first time since moving to Forks.
His grip was firm around my bicep, cold and chain-like. I was trapped.
He pushed through the doors at the bottom of the flight of steps and out into the car park. I tugged at my arm.
"I'm fine, really, I need to go," I panicked, trying to uncurl his vice-tight fingers.
He didn't react. He tightened his grip to the point of pain and I whimpered a little.
"Please stop, I have to go back," I pleaded.
What the hell was going on? Was he kidnapping me? Oh help!
This was the last thing I needed right now.
He kept walking, trailing me behind him like a child with a rag doll. I felt scared; shivery, but warm all at the same time.
He paused only once to dump my bag at the side of a shiny silver Volvo.
"Hey! My bag…" I whispered in no more than a squeak as he tugged harshly on my arm again, walking with long, purposeful strides towards the forest surrounding the school grounds.
I was practically running to keep up. I had never ventured this far beyond the car park, no one did really. It wasn't out of bounds, but no one wanted, nor needed to go into the woods. Especially during hunting season.
I stumbled a few times over various branches as we reached the thicket.
"Stop it, let go!" I protested as he pushed into the foliage.
"Damn this!" He almost roared when I tripped again.
Before I could blink I was hoisted into his arms and we were speeding into the forest, the world blurring into nothing as my screams disappeared into the icy air. I felt so sick and dizzy but couldn't clamp my eyes shut.
I was frozen and completely and utterly terrified.
I wondered if I had fainted and my vision had been dismantled for a few minutes.
This wasn't the case.
There wasn't a sound to be heard as we zoomed into the dense treeline, more and more nausea overtaking me. I didn't realise we had stopped until I blinked properly and looked up with wide, fearful eyes to the boy who had captured my heart in just a few hours, no less.
"I..-"
"Not a word, Bella," He snarled deliciously into my ear, "Not one fucking word,"
I moaned as he set me onto the soft grass of a clearing and pinned me underneath him.
I shivered as he ran his nose across my collarbone, trailing a line up to my ear and back down, humming contently.
I held in a sob as I thought about what would happen.
He looked up, pushing himself onto his arms to see my face.
"What?"
"Please don't hurt me," I whimpered.
In truth, I really didn't care if he did - as long as I got to stay with him.
"I…can't promise that," He murmured softly, his eyes swirling from a natural green and fading to a startling golden butterscotch.
"Your eyes!" I gasped and stopped struggling against him. He eyed my face cautiously, probably waiting for me to try and run but it was fruitless.
"What are you?" I whispered.
His inhumanly beautiful looks, his changing eyes, his perfect skin, his potent scent.
"A vampire my love," He told me simply as I let a sob escape.
"No." I shook my head in disbelief.
"Yes."
I bit my lip, unsure of what to do.
Fuck it.
I reached up behind his neck and clasped the bronze hair at the back of his head and brought him down towards me. His lips touched mine for a brief second and he growled dangerously.
I was still afraid, scared he would hurt me, but he didn't.
He never had. Not once.
"Why are you trusting me?" His upper lip curled as his body spasmed with snarls.
"Because I have nothing to live for," I explained in a weak voice. "If you're going to kill me, then do it. You would be helping me," I sniffled as the cold air and the chill of his body upon mine invaded my nose.
He chuckled darkly, skimming my neck once more and lapping at the join between my neck and shoulders.
I held back a shiver and concentrated on what he was doing.
"Do you want me to feed from you?"
"I'm…I'm not sure if you're real I…I'm scared that I'm dreaming," I whispered, caressing the soft hairs on the nape of his neck.
"You are most definitely not dreaming Bella,"
"How do you know my name?"
He didn't answer me and I asked again.
"I read minds," He explained. "Don't question me anymore - just feel," He commanded, running one of his hands up the curve of my hip towards my ribcage.
He read minds.
Could he read mine?
I wanted to know.
I wanted to know every detail about him.
He was a vampire.
A beautiful, snarling, dangerous, tempting and oh so sexy vampire.
He wanted me. Me. Bella "Swiglet" Swan.
And I was more than happy to give myself to him.
"I think we need better accommodation, don't you?" He crooned into my ear as I gasped for breath, all dizziness and blood typing forgotten.
"Wait, what's your name?" I managed to get out coherently
"Edward,"
Edward.
Edward, Edward, Edward.
My carefully built walls, defenses and my personal little world fell apart and crumbled under his touch as he lifted me from the cold, hard floor and into his arms, taking off without warning at full speed down the mountainous slope beyond the meadow we were just in.
…
Right, so, I know this is unrealistic but this is a supernatural fic with vampires so stick with it okay? I wanted to jump right in so we can get going and not waffle about the unnecessary.
If anyone wants an Edward POV, let me know and I will think about doing an outtake later. For now, Bella will be narrating. I know this is also moving quite fast so I don't mind if anyone has any questions.
By the way, Edward's eye changed because he had contacts in (green ones of course).
Yes, there will be romance.
Yes, there will be slight possessiveness/marking.
Yes, there will be a HEA.
Leave me some love! *down there* ;)
