They said this was going to be easy.
Go to school, get a job, marry that special someone, and have bunches of kids to populate the world we think we know. Think we know. Boy was I wrong when I found out about all of those...supernatural beings…
Then again, how could I have dodged that bullet? When your sister is dating a sparkling vampire, it's kind of hard to ignore that fact.
The world is just as ugly as you make it, and from personal experience, it's pretty damn ugly.
Hey! My name's Kayla, Kay for short. I have a fair share of nicknames, my favorite being Aly. I just turned fourteen and currently go to Forks High School, a junior there. I'm the polar opposite of my big sis Isabella, Bella for short.
Speaking of Bella...she has a thing for sparkly immortal humans. I honestly don't know how she could date him...I mean, I've met my dear Eddie, and he is a real hunk of a guy, but really? He sparkles for fudgenugget's sake. Oh yeah, I just went there. If you ask me, he's a nice guy and all but he is kind of out there…a vampire vegetarian? That kind of defeats the purpose of being a vampire in my mind.
Honestly, I love Bella but she's not like the big sis I remember. She was much laid back and more fun to be around. Well, not like the fun part has changed, it's just she's…different. Being a vampire can do that to you I guess.
I just got here, Forks, about five hours ago, so I guess it's too early to judge. I live with my dad, Charlie now since my mom and her husband are travelling Europe. Based on Bella's appearance, she is a senior at the same high school as me, having to fail every year so suspicion doesn't rise. I'm supposed to meet the Cullen clan at their house.
"Merf," I sigh, standing up from my bed. The whole room is purple oriented. It was Bella's, but when she moved out with Renesmee, it became an extra one.
Standing up, I see myself in the mirror. I'm basically a shorter version of Bella, minus her eye color. She has green but I have blue. My hair is also curly and brown, reaching my hips. My height is the grand total of 4'8ft. I know. I'm a freaking giant.
Walking over to my suitcase, I unzip the front, getting out my clothes - a grey and peach cotton shirt, skinny jeans, and my converse. Putting it on, I slip into my black converse shoes, I grab my phone and walk out of the door.
Walking down the staircase, Charlie called out, "Dinner with the sparklies?" I smile. My dad has always been able to bring a smile on my face. That is the real difference between Bella and I. I've never resented our dad. Bella's a mama's girl and I'm a daddy's, which could be two different things - very good or very bad. No inbetween. When they divorced, I had wanted to live with Charlie, but I wasn't allowed to because I wasn't old enough to make my own decisions, in the eyes of the court. Which sucked.
I say, "Yeah, I won't be out for long though," my phones buzzes. It's from Bella. She's here. I continue, "Okay, well Bella's here, I have to go." Charlie stands, walking over to the door, opening it for me. I mutter a thanks and skip down the porch steps. Walking over to the passenger door, I open the door, hopping inside. Shutting the door, I pull on my seatbelt, feeling Bella's arms wrap around me.
She says, "Aly! I've missed you!" I smile.
"It's been a few hours, Bella." She smiled, rolling her eyes. Bella cranked the car, allowing me to see her fully. She had mascara on and a tight blue dress on. Did I miss something? I ask, "Um, did I miss something? Did I dress down?" Bella starts driving.
She says, "No, not at all. Well, the people you meet will be dressed up a bit, but don't worry, they dress like that all of the time." I bite my lip, unsure. Looking out of the window, objects seem like they're flying. Bella's driving really fast...I guess it's a vampire thing.
Parking, Bella tries to grin and says, "We're here." I look up. It's huge, basically made of glass. Wow. It's gorgeous.
I say, "Wow, Bella, you're living the highlife," opening the car door. Stepping outside, a cool chill hits me, making goosebumps appear on my arms. It's raining. Fantastic. Bella and I run up the staircase, going in the front door.
I look around, first seeing her boyfriend, Edward. He's wearing a button up shirt with dark blue jeans. He walks towards me, pulling me into a hug. He's cooler than me!
Edward pulls back and says, "Need a jacket?" I nod. In a flash, he appears with a jacket in hand. I nod, thanking him. Pulling it over my shoulders, I look around. It's huge…
I follow them to the kitchen where six other people stand. They step up one by one, introducing themselves.
First, a girl with a pixie haircut, wearing a white dress reaching her knees and black lace covering the upper part of her chest, introduces herself. She gorgeous! I don't really like her dress though...too formal, I guess.
"Hi, I'm Alice!" She smiles, but it seems subdued…she doesn't look well at all. I look at Bella and then at Edward.
Before I can ask, I hear someone else say, "I'm Rosalie." I look at the tall pretty blond wearing a red dress similar to Alice's. Next, a big guy introduces himself as Emmett. Then, the people seeming like parents, Esme and Carlisle introduce themselves.
I soon say, "I'm Kayla, nice to meet all of y'all." Emmett chuckled. I look at him. What?
"You have a southern drawl. I can tell Jasper's 'gonna like you." I tilt my head. Who's Jasper? Edward steps forward, speaking.
"Jasper's...another one of us. He's out hunting, don't worry, he'll be back soon." He casts a glance to Alice. I look at Bella. What did I walk into? What's wrong?"
Esme chirps in and says, "Well we don't have to wait for Jasper for the party to begin. Come on, Kayla, it's nice to meet you. We have chips and pretzels on the countertop for you." I nod, walking over to the countertop. I look at it and pick a few up, not really hungry.
"Thanks," I finish them and then wipe my hands on my pants. I hear a squeal from Alice. I turn to her and find her eyes wide. Everyone else is smiling. I say, "What?"
Alice said, "Your pants! They're adorable and now they have stains on them!" I quirk my eyes, looking at Bella. She smiles. I quirk my eyebrows and look at Alice. I'm not a huge fashion geek...I can tell Alice is. She continued, "I love them, they're so cute!" She pipes, "We have to go shopping!" My eyes widen. What?! She smiled and said, "Hey, you signed up for it! I mean, you're wearing adorable jeans, you can't expect me to not want to go shopping with you! Bella isn't a huge fan of shopping...or anything girly, really." If there's one thing Bella and I have in common is our hate towards shopping.
I say, "What? I didn't sign anything!" She giggles.
She says, "Alright, but expect a tiny shopping trip in the far, not so far future." I sigh, smiling. I like her...she radiates happiness. Edward smiles.
Once everyone had out talked themselves, Esme and Carlisle announce that dinner's ready. Well, a glass full of animal blood for them and for me a pasta salad. Excusing myself, I go to the bathroom to get washed up. The house is huge. Where the heck is the bathroom?
Walking around, I walk into a room with dimmed lighting. It has a black futon on one side and the other a huge shelf of books. Well Bella did say Edward liked reading…Looking around, I realize it couldn't be Edward's...they have a cottage with Renesmee. Oh, Renesmee. Bella had told me she had spent the night with her best friend that night, which kind of sucked. She's about my age - well looks my age. Looking through the books, I completely forget my bladder, reading the titles. The Civil War?
A cough comes from behind me. Spinning around, I trip on my two feet and fall. Like a flash, two arms find themselves around mine, holding me up. I look up, two golden eyes staring into mine.
I stand and say, "Who are you?" Unnerved, my voice shows it.
The man smirks and says, "Jasper. Calm down, I'm apart of the family...you must be Bella's sister, right?" I nod.
"Kayla." Jasper nods, sighing. He's tall, I can tell you that - twice my size. He has honey blond hair, same kind of hairstyle as Edward. He looks no older than twenty, but I know better...he must be older than all get outs.
He says, "We should go downstairs." I nod, following him. Stopping in front of what seems to be the bathroom, I say, "I'll come down in a second...I need to, um, go to the bathroom." Jasper slightly smiles and nods.
Quickly using the bathroom, I make my way downstairs, sitting down at the dinner table. Sitting across from Jasper, next to Bella and Alice, we start eating.
After dinner, Bella takes me home.
Once I get there, Charlie is already asleep. Frowning, I walk upstairs, changing into my bunny pajama pants and brush my hair. Climbing into my bed, I pull the comfy covers over my body and close my eyes.
BEEP!
I groan. You've got to be freaking kidding me. It's only what, 4:00 in the freaking morning? I look over to the clock. Crap. 8:00. I'm so late. Springing up from my bed, I rush to my suitcase and dump everything I have in there. I grab my light red skinny jeans, pulling them over my bare legs. I slip into my converse and reach for my gray t-shirt that says "Veni, Vidi, Vici." Pulling that over my chest, I reach for the brush, combing my hair. I quickly brush my teeth and pull on my black fluffy jacket that has cat ears on the hoodie. I grab my backpack and rush downstairs, grabbing a waffle on the counter before leaving.
I run to school, not running too far. It's raining. I groan. When I finally get there, I walk into the hallways, bumping into Bella.
Bella smiles and says, "Watch where you're going, Aly," I look at her. She's wearing nice clothes - Alice must have made her go shop. It is a month after school had started, so I don't know. She continued, "Lucky for you, you have a few minutes to breathe. Did I mention that my bedroom clock was an hour behind?" Double facepalm moment right here. She continues, "We have a few minutes, but here's your schedule and locker number with all of your information." We start walking to where the rest of the Vamps are standing. She says, "You have all of your classes with at least one of us. Each day you're going to have four classes, A and B days. Today's an A day, so you have history, drama, PE, and physics, in that order. For history, you're going to have Edward and I, for drama you're going to have Jasper and Alice, and for PE you're going to have everyone except Rosalie and Alice. And for physics, you're just going to have Jasper, since y'all are too smart for us," she laughs. I smile.
I ask, "Where Renesmee?" Bella nods.
Bella responds, "She's homeschooled by Esme...we don't want her to come here to early." I nod and shrug.
"Sounds cool. If y'all would excuse me, I need to go find my locker and put my bag in there." Bella nods.
She says, "I'll come with you." I try to maintain my smile. No offense Bella, you're my sister and all, but I don't want to depend on you - I mean, I need my own friends...right? Edward must have read my freaking mind or something because he pulls her back and tells her to come with him. Judging their expressions I can tell they're going to do more than notes.
Walking to my locker, I dial in the combination and stuff my backpack in their. I grab my history book and notebook and walk to class. On the way there, I bump into someone.
Looking up, I see a tall brown haired boy with brown eyes staring down at me. A tattoo is visible on his neck and a piercing on his nose. Wearing black skinny jeans and an Asking Alexandria shirt, his light blond almost cherry orange colored curly.
He mutters, "Sorry." I shrug.
"It's okay." I look up at him. He's not that taller than me, maybe 5'5". I continue, "So, I'm kind of new here. Where's the history room?"
He flips his hair out of his face and says, "I'll show you, I'm headed there myself." I nod and smile, muttering my thanks. This guy must be a senior.
I ask, "So, what's your name?" He continues to walk.
He says, "Adam." I nod. He asked, "Yours?"
"Kayla." When we get to the history room, almost everyone is already there. There are two empty desks in the way back, behind Bella and Edward. I bite my lip, seeing Bella cast a glance at Adam. We both move to sit down next to each other, both of us getting our books out. Looking to my left, there is a girl with black hair and blue streaks in her hair. Wearing black torn skinny jeans and a red plaid shirt, I look to her feet, seeing canvas shoes with mustaches on them.
She looks over at me and says, "Hi." I smile.
"Hi, I'm Kayla."
"I'm Juliet."
From then on, I could tell we were going to be great friends.
Walking out of the history room, Juliet and I are both cracking up at something that Adam had said. Having to catch my breath, I end up laughing more.
Juliet said, "I swear, if you say that again, Adam...you're going to pay for our medical bills." At that, Adam laughs. We walk by the lockers to our next classes, having to depart from Adam. We both have drama together.
Walking by this jock, there is a shift in her behavior. Looking over at her, she looks down and her cheeks are flushed red. Looking back, I see the jock again.
Eyes widening, I say, "No way."
"What?"
"You have a thing for that guy we just passed, don't you?" Biting her lip, she remains quiet. I smile and say, "I knew it!"
She pleads, "Don't tell anyone. Please, Kayla." I shake my head.
"I would never," I continue, "But what's his name?"
She blushes but says, "Will...quarterback for the school's team." My mouth drops.
"Wow, so, does he like you back?" She shrugs. I look up, seeing a sign on the door. I say, "Well according to the sign, there will be a dance in two weeks for us." I nudge her.
Juliet smiles and says, "Okay, okay, I'll see…"
I smile, walking into drama.
Drama is a blast.
Mrs. Whitney walks in the front of the class and says, "Your second quarter objective is as follows! You will get into a group of two, meaning you and one other partner, and will write a 'behind the scenes' script and perform it for the class. By 'behind the scenes' I mean whatever scene in between a real scene from a real play. For example, if in Much Ado About Nothing, you and your partner decide there could be an extra scene in the middle of two, that will be what you write and perform. By writing, I mean full blocking and scripture entailing everything you will need. With that, you must read whatever literature your scene will take place in. I will have specified end of course tests for you and your play, so don't worry."
Okay, my last statement. Sarcasm.
Mrs. Whitney continues, "As for your partner. I have chosen who you will be working with. First…" I wait for my name to be called. I hope it's with Juliet. I look over, seeing Juliet talking with Talia, a senior. Finally, my name is called. "Kayla Swan and Jasper Hale." My head whips towards Jasper. Jasper? He isn't the worst partner I could have gotten. I'm actually kind of relieved.
Once we can get with our partners, I walk over to Jasper and sit down next to him.
He says, "So first things first. What play should we do?"
I shrug, "I was thinking Romeo and Juliet or maybe Hamlet…" Jasper nodded, pursing his lips, reading over the directions. I sigh.
Jasper says, "Romeo and Juliet it is." He continues, "I think our roles are obvious. Maybe we could fit in a small scene in between the time she and him met." I nod.
"And then let them have a small mini conversation, realizing they have real chemistry." Jasper nods, writing this down. I quirk my eyes. Why? I thought they had to fail.
Jasper mutters, "You're confused." I look up and nod slightly.
I say, "I thought you had to fail," trying to whisper.
Jasper looked up, his golden eyes meeting mine, "It doesn't mean I should let that affect your grade, now should I?" His smile unravels me. I feel a twist in my stomach. I quickly try to forget that, changing my emotion...Bella had told me what his gift was...it's basically like Edward's, just far more developed.
The rest of the class if filled with empty conversations.