Another day at school was just like all the previous ones. Dull, boring, extremely so. I was as close to falling asleep as a vampire can be, though it wasn't possible, unfortunately. Classes didn't require my attention at all. If teachers asked me something, i just scanned their thoughts for the right answer. In such letargical condition i simply followed my schedule at school and didn't look around much.
Lunch break usually could bring some relief, as i was sitting and talking to my family. I'd learned the pattern of their thoughts long time ago, and only Alice was stull able to entertain me a little. Those pieces of her visions that i could find in her head were quite amusing. If she had nothing to do, she switched people around her one by one and checked how their future was changing depending on their decisions, even small ones.
That time though she was busy maniacally sorting the possible outcomes of her husband's actions. He was experiencing another phase of desire to human blood, and i could see in his thought how he was savouring all availiable possibilities. How he would aim for the professor's neck, how he would cover the distance to him with one long jump. Alice tenced immediately and glanced at Jasper. He was fighting for self-control desperately, and gradually his thoughts changed to more peaceful tone. I'd sigh for both of them, if i still had that little human habit.
Our family - me and my brothers and sisters - we sitting at the separate table in the school cafeteria. Not that it was a priviledge. Humans were enough instinctive, if not smart, to try to get closer to us. We scared them off with our inhuman nature. Carlisle, who had spent several centuries among them, fully learned how to mimicry - he imitated breathing, simple human gestures, mimics - it was impossible to suspect him. We were all younger and didn't try that much, so we'd been avoided. Some awkward moments were inevitable - accidental touches in corridors that made me clench me jaws tighter and nervously swallow flowing poison.
For Jasper such situations were the hardest, his abstention from human blood was not too long. Alice and Rose did well. Emmett slipped once every ten years, and we moved to another place then. I used to find those cases somewhat entertaining - it was something different at least. I grew tired from changing locations, too, eventually.
I was bored to death. No, even more, I was bored beyond death. Those humans were nothing of interest, their thoughts were the same everywhere and every time. The same short list of needs – sex, money, influence, safety. Sometimes – acceptance. Compassion – rarely. I'd seen all of that so many times before. Depressing.
It'd been a while since I'd seen something just a little bit non-standard in this world. The way our family grew gave me something to think about, to analyze. Every new vampire had brought something additional, something special to our every day existence. I thought that it was easier for each of them to manage our typical vampire melancholy, especially because they had long-time relationships. My presence didn't bring much balance to our life together, as I was the only single one. I, in return, had to watch – and listen – a very intense interaction of those three couples.
Though that day was different in its small way. The thoughts of the most students were spinning around the newcomer, a daughter of the chief of police. Human males were nervously measuring their chances to get close to her, females were quietly fuming about the unwanted increase of their population. I was able to watch the new one from all angles through the thoughts of those around her. That was enough for a verdict – nothing special. I only had to check her head – her thoughts – for any reaction to our kind, and then all the information about her would be forever transferred to my inner archive under label not important.
A direction of thoughts had changed, and I understood, that the latest point of interest – the new one, Swan, had entered the cafeteria and sat at the same table with Jessica.
Wrong choice of company, I noted for myself. Her new girlfriend's thoughts were in all the meanings unfriendly. She openly used the interest the new girl inflicted in people and enjoyed bathing her in dirt in her thoughts. If I hadn't known myself better, I'd say that I pitied Isabella Swan. She asked everyone to call her Bella though, and used every right and wrong reason to blush.
"Look, there're Cullens at that table", Jessica was enlightening Bella. Now the gossips will follow. Yeah, look, that you can do, for anything else you simply don't have a chance. Me neither though… she thought to herself grimly.
I chuckled lightly. If she had known the truth, she'd have been only glad that she didn't have a chance with me.
"They are strange, not really talking to anyone outside their family. They are very, very close to each other" she said in an ambiguous tone. And they have one vacant place in the family, she thought, obviously meaning me. I almost shuddered. Her fantasies were not the pleasant ones. Well, at least while all boys here are interested in Bella, they are looking at me. Only this idiot doesn't get it. Her thoughts had changed direction.
Alas, that is going to be a quick test for Swan, I thought. If she understands that she's being used and kicks off this snake immediately, she can be said as rather smart and observant. And dangerous, as a consequence. If not – that's her problem, she'll be running errands for the worst intrigant around. It could have been interesting to watch Jessica, if only she hadn't been so self-centered and predictable.
I didn't like how it was going to turn, the situation unfolded too fast for me to watch and be entertained a little. It was developing in a standard way – most of the things about a person could be said depending on who his friends and foes were. And if you added a grade of how attractive that person was to the opposite sex – you had a complete picture of his personality. Voila. Boring.
Most of my humanity was left in the past century, and cynicism filled the empty space. For Carlisle, for a chance to live among humans and feed the shreds of my humanity with their vital energy I had learned to control my blood thirst. Only Alice really knew that I didn't feel much love to humans.
I was the only telepathist in the family, but she saw what future I could create with my decisions. She could be shallow sometimes, but not stupid, that was for sure. She couldn't not notice the whole vector of my decisions, how I tended to play god among mortals, my interest in 'human chess'. But with Alice we had a silent agreement. She doesn't announce that I'm a bit more cynical that Carlisle would like to see me. I in return don't show that Jasper's always very close to a total failure. It was important for Alice to remain in the family, too. She filled empty spaces in her life with us, her Jasper and all kind of shopping. Not the worst scenario, actually. For me it was all kind of analysis of human nature (if I didn't have it myself at least I could watch), and my mind-reading skills helped me a lot with that.
"That one? Edward. Don't even dream about him, stupid bitch."
I shook at the mention of my name aloud by Jessica.
"He's gorgeous, but rather strange" she added rolling her eyes.
That was what I needed. I concentrated on her neighbor to know if she also thought me strange. Would someone finally perceive our pale frozen looks as suspicious, and those suspicions would be real? And what really interested me in that moment – did I personally look weirder than the rest of my family?
There came nothing. Absolutely.
Like there was no one with Jessica. I tried one more time. Nothing there, empty space. Bewildered, I turned around to see if Swan had already left – and met the stare of her dark eyes. The new girl blushed furiously and lowered her face. That was strange, she was there, but I couldn't hear her thoughts, even when I tried really hard.
I shifted on my chair nervously trying to get rid of the feeling of an utmost discomfort. I hated being unable to control a situation, and that was exactly what happened. Turning around I could her glance again. She was looking at me all the time, whispering to Jessica not to speak so loud. Deep blush didn't leave her face. In the times of my youth such reaction would have been considered as a very immodest, I almost chuckled to the thought. Suddenly I felt a wave a joy. It finally was something new, and it could be interesting to investigate. At least for some time. I was really going to find out the reasons of this sudden mental muteness.
Jasper realized a change in my mood and looked at me questioningly. "What does she think about us?" he asked me in his thoughts perceptively. I waved at him dismissively, knowing that he wouldn't dare to insist on an answer. Besides, I didn't have a clue what she was thinking, really.
Edward takes a hair from Bella's shoulder in passing so she doesn't even notice. Edward takes from the cafeteria a glass with her fingerprints and saliva samples. Alice was demonstrating me different alternative pictures from my future with a rather puzzled look. I shrugged without any desire to explain myself. She elbowed me slightly.
What was that? Playing mad professor from all sudden?
"Don't cross the line," I hissed through the gritted teeth. "She's just a not so typical mind example. Works alright for my herbarium."
Was Alice satisfied with my answer or not, but she turned her attention back to the future. She always lived at least five minutes ahead of us all.
You know Edward, Jasper sounded rather amused in my head, you can pretend being grouchy, but I know that at the moment you are elated.
I kept my composure and gave him no reply, but he was right. Finally I had something to occupy my mind – and that was perfect.