'Ink on your back' is a slight remake of 'Shadows at Midnight.' It brings back Bella, but puts the twist of her having been a Shadowhunter her entire life. How will she react to Edward, when she can figure out what he is so quickly? Please enjoy. I own nothing; Twilight belongs to Stephanie Meyers and the Mortal Instruments belong to Cassandra Clare.
. . . .
The Arizona sun blistered across my skin, pleasantly warming me to my very bones. I tried to take it all in again; the glare of the sun, the sharp blue of the sky, my mother's watery eyes as she clasped me to her in a hug. ''I'm going to miss you, Isabella. I wish you didn't have to leave,'' she said with a muffled sob.
''The Law is hard, but it is the Law,'' I said, ignoring the prickle of tears forming in my eyes. My sentence seemed to act as a whip to my mother. She straightened her back and smoothed down my shirt where it had been mussed.
''Indeed,'' she said, her mouth a hard line.
Behind her, Phil stood impassive as he nodded at my words. '' I taught you well,'' he said calmly. He stepped forward and gathered my mother and I into a firm hug. ''You will be missed, Isabella,'' he whispered into my hair. ''No matter what the Clave says, you will always be our daughter and you will always have a home with us.''
I nodded and buried my face into his shoulder. I breathed in the scent of the man I had always known as my father: the musk of aftershave and leather mixed with the sharp scent of metal.
My watch chirped at me, reminding me that I had only a half hour to make my flight to Washington. We stepped apart, my mother drying her eyes as Phil handed me the handle to my suitcase. ''Carry yourself well in Washington,'' my mother told me, smoothing my hair down. ''You represent more than just Arizona.''
''I know,'' I said, shifting my weight to head towards the terminal. We walked inside, checking my bags in complete silence. The glamour on my bag hid my stash of weapons I had stubbornly decided to being with me, the Clave be damned. I waved goodbye to my mother and Phil as I passed through security like a breeze, glamours hiding all 'objectional' items. I reached my gate as the crew began to load and I waited near the desk to hand them my first class ticket. I may be banished from the Nephilim world, but the Clave would never refuse a traveling Shadowhunter luxury for their services.
I settled into my seat, nodding to my fat, elderly neighbor as he sneered at my outfit. I suppose my shorts and shirt from Goodwill did not compare to his tailored suit. I shrugged and pulled out my copy of Crime and Punishment that was written in Russian. He gave me a startled glance, but I ignored him and immersed myself in the psychotic mind of Raskolnikov. The flight was long, but immersing myself in the novel helped. By the time I reached my destination, my mind was buzzing in Russian. I looked around for my birth father, Charlie Swan as I exited the gates and entered the waiting area. Many people milled around, but I slowly and carefully examined each face. I finally spotted a man with curly dark hair holding a small piece of paper that read 'Bella.' I had told him that was my preferred name, and it surprised me that he remembered.
I made my way over to him, dragging my suitcase and duffle bag. He watched my approach with a neutral expression until he realized that I was indeed his daughter. He shuffled his paper into his other hand and held out his hand in a tentative offer of a handshake. ''Bella?'' he asked nervously, watching my face carefully with brown eyes so like my own.
''That's me,'' I said quietly, shaking his hand. ''I assume you are my father, Charlie?''
''That's me,'' he repeated, his faint smile hidden beneath his moustache. There was a small, awkward pause as we waited for the other one to speak. Finally, Charlie asked, ''Shall we go, then?''
We headed down to the luggage claim in silence, where I caught my two giant suitcases with ease. I let Charlie pick up the second one; both because I didn't want to offend him and it was the lighter of the two. With my duffel bag over my shoulder and a suitcase in tow, I followed Charlie out to his police cruiser. Police Chief Swan, as my mother had informed me. I vaguely wondered if I would get to witness a high speed chase on the way home, or maybe even a robbery. From what I had heard of Forks, though, it would end up being an elderly woman who forgot to pay for her cat food due to her Alzheimer's. We loaded my luggage and I seated myself next to Charlie, buckling myself in with a wry smile. It would probably be unwise to display a lack of care for traffic safety in the same car as a policeman.
Charlie pulled away from the airport, and I took in the surroundings of Washington. The trees stretched high over my head, while bushes and flowers populated the rich grasses and loam. I glimpsed a mansion as we drove; the immaculate lawns and fountains reminding me of my few, brief trips to Idris. A painful lump emerged in my throat, so I turned to focus on the black asphalt stretching ahead of us.
Luckily, Charlie chose this moment to strike up a conversation. "I got this great deal on a car for you," he said, still staring at the road. Trust a cop to never be distracted.
"You didn't have to," I said quietly, taken aback. "I could save up to buy a car. I've all ready got a lot in my savings."
"I got it from a friend," Charlie confessed. "Billy Black. He has a son a few years younger than you."
"Did you get the car from him?" I asked.
"Yeah. It's his old truck."
"How much did it cost?" I asked. You could usually tell the year of a car by the price of it.
"It was a really good price," Charlie said, shifting uncomfortably. Meaning that it was free. That truck must be ancient. I dropped the subject after that, allowing the car ride to sink back into comfortable silence.
When Charlie pulled the car into the driveway, I found myself staring up at a two story white house. It looked very simple from the outside, and I was willing to bet the inside was the same. As I exited the car, I was startled to see the truck. How I had managed to overlook it, I had no idea. It was a behemoth; with rusting metal sides and a swollen cab. It had to be at least forty years old. I found my lips curling into a smile as I viewed the decrepit old truck, well-used and well-loved.
Charlie was watching my reaction carefully, surreptitiously. I gave him a small smile and said, "I love it." His mustache twitched as he returned the smile. Then he busied himself with getting my luggage out of the back of his car. He struggled with the first one while I easily lifted the second suitcase out of the trunk before helping him. Even without the Runes, I was strong from years of training and fighting.
"You're pretty strong," he commented, slightly winded.
"Renée had me on a good workout," I said, not meeting his eyes. I didn't know how much Charlie knew about Nephilim and I didn't want to enlighten him, especially since I was not permitted to be in their world.
"I'll bet she did," he muttered, half to himself and I knew that he probably knew enough for us to ignore it together.
We pulled my two suitcases into the house and I found myself in a small entryway with a few pictures decorating the walls. I stepped closer to a picture and found myself looking at an old picture of my mother when she was with Charlie. His smile was evident through his mustache, the same then as it is now. The only difference was that his curls were darker and thicker. Her brown hair tumbled down her back and emphasized her swollen belly. She had been pregnant with me in this photo. A lump gathered in my throat and I turned away. Charlie stood by the staircase, hand on my suitcase handle.
"To your room, then?" he asked, his voice gruff and his eyes on the suitcase.
"Yes, please," I said, picking up my suitcase. I was genuinely curious to see my room. My mother had given him details on my room, and I had no idea what I would see. My old room had been decorated with books on Shadowhunting, bibles and sketches of Runes.
My room turned out to be fairly small, but cozy. The walls were painted a soft color, like one that might be found in a nursery. A twin sized mattress was in the center of the room, allowing a few feet of space between the foot of the bed and the desk. There were two empty bookshelves on either side of the dresser, and I was immediately grateful for them. A computer sat on the desk, a reliable old model that had been at the city library back at my mother's. The room had a gentle feel to it, with soft light and pastel colorings. I had a feeling that this was the old nursery, before my mother ran away with me.
I set the suitcases next to my bed and took the duffel bag off my shoulder. Charlie was respectfully quiet as he waited for my judgement. "I like it," I said finally. I did, in truth. The room had a relaxed, almost sleepy air to it. The single window portrayed a beautiful view of the forest, one that didn't remind me too forcibly of Idris.
"I'll go start up dinner," Charlie offered. "Does fish sound all right to you?"
I could care less about what I ate. "Fish sounds just fine," I told him. He shuffled away, and I set about unpacking. I set the clothes out on the bed until each suitcase was empty. I sorted them on the bed before I carried them over to the dresser, the wood boards creaking softly under my feet. One particular section squeaked more violently that the others and I took note of that.
When my clothes were unpacked and my toiletries were in the small bathroom, I set about finding a spot for my gear. I wasn't supposed to have them, but I couldn't bear not having any. Better safe than sorry. I hadn't brought a large stash, but it certainly wasn't small. After quietly but firmly pulling up a board and checking the space underneath, I decided it was a worthy hiding spot. Closing the door, just in case, I opened my small black bag and laid all of the weapons on the rug. Two Seraph Blades, electrum whips, throwing knives, a number steles, holy water and iron. From my suitcase, under a glamour, I pulled out a small bow and quiver of arrows. I repacked the weapons in the bag and pushed it far under the boards, close enough for me to catch the strings and pull it out. The bow and quiver went next, on the other side of the hole and just within reach. Satisfied, I replaced the board and tugged the rug back over it.
Charlie called me down for dinner and I left the room, my hand lingering over the light switch to my new home.
...
The roar of my truck attracted the stares of all of the students as I pulled into the parking lot. Forks High was a small school; small enough for the whole student body to know who I was and for me to know I was the only new kid. I tried to ignore their stares as I walked into the main office. I was given my schedule by a friendly secretary named Mrs. Cope and then released to the hordes. I disentangled myself from all attempts of conversation and simply made my way to my first class.
I arrived nearly ten minutes early to Calculus. Only a handful of students were in the classroom at the time and they all looked surprised to see me. They mumbled to each other, watching me nervously for any sudden movements. I ignored this and approached the teacher, holding out the slip that the secretary had given me. He smiled and dismissed me to my seat. No need to announce the new kid; we all knew who that was.
After a few minutes, I was approached by a girl. Her dark hair fell around her shoulders and her eyes were soft and gentle. Her mouth curved into a shy smile as she said quietly, "Hi, I'm Angela."
"Bella," I said, smiling slightly at her.
"Welcome to Forks," she said, and she sounded like she meant it. "If you need anything, just find me. I'm always willing to help out."
I smiled wider, taking an immediate liking to this girl. "Thanks Angela," I said sincerely. "Would you like to sit next to me?"
She took her seat next to me, and we spent the remaining time before class chatting. Angela was very honest and had a tender heart. She was quick to be compassionate and slow to anger. She invited me to sit with her at lunch and I agreed. The bell rang, cutting our conversation off. The teacher brought our attention to the board, where he was demonstrating sine waves. The lesson passed by quickly, where the teacher, Mr. Varner was surprised at how apt I was at Math. I could only inwardly thank God for the fact that my mother insisted on tutoring me in mundane schooling as well.
Angela and I walked to our next lesson of History, where we were joined by three other students she knew. She introduced me to the two boys, Mike and Tyler and the girl, Jessica. Mike and Tyler mugged me for attention, their eyes bright and childish with teenage fantasies; while Jessica attempted to charm her way into being my friend.
I missed only having class with Angela all ready.
Throughout History, Mike would turn and throw me a practiced, charming smile my way. His blonde hair was spiked and gelled, reminding me vaguely of a curly haired blonde I knew from New York. Tyler constantly undermined Mike's attempts of flirting and Mike returned the favor. Jessica watched Mike beadily, jealousy plain in her eyes as the attention stayed away from her. I felt bad for the teacher, trying her hardest to get our small group to pay attention.
It was with unutterable relief that I headed to Biology, escaping the clutches of Tyler and Jessica. Unfortunately I was separated from Angela, and Mike took her place in leading me to class. I walked into class with Mike at my side, and my skin prickled in warning. I stayed my hand from drifting to where my Seraph Blade should be; instead I went to the teacher's desk and handed him the customary slip of paper. The teacher, Mr. Banner, assigned me a seat near the window, next to a boy named Edward.
The first thing I noticed about the boy was that he wasn't human. My Shadowhunter instincts were flaring inside of me, screaming alarm bells. I forced myself to ignore them and to walk to the desk. My eyes observed him as I did, taking in every minute detail. His skin was pale, almost white. There were dark circles under his eyes, hinting of a lack of sleep. His hair was a stylish mess of copper, and his clothes were immaculately fashionable. His eyes were what struck me the most. They were pitch black and blazing with a mixture of fury and disgust.
I understood what he was by the time I was seated next to him. He was a vampire, but not of the well-known variety. Unknown to mundanes, there were two types of vampires. There were the types akin to Dracula; with pale skin, fangs and an aversion to sunlight and holy water. Then there were the hybrid vampires. Long ago a vampire and an angel had joined in an unholy union, and their kind was created. I hadn't met any of them, but I knew they were different. They drank blood, but lacked any visible fangs. They could withstand sunlight, but I had heard that there were some strange side effects.
I only had three questions. First; were there more of his kind here, in Forks? Second; why was he in Forks in the first place? And the most important question; was he dangerous?
It didn't help that he was glaring at me like I had done something unspeakable. I hadn't drawn any Marks recently, so he shouldn't be able to sense them on me as most Downworlders do. Any scars left by Marks would have been made invisible by the glamours surrounding me. I forced myself to act as if nothing was wrong, as if I didn't know I was sitting next to a vampire. Biology was tense as Edward and I both tried to subtly shift away from each other without attracting attention or flat out moving to other tables.
When the bell rang, Edward took off and was out the door faster than anyone could comprehend. I took my sweet time getting my bag together, delaying both sitting with Mike at lunch and looking into this vampire business. When we arrived at the cafeteria, I did a brief scan of the cafeteria and noticed Edward sitting with a group of four others. Between deterring Mike's attempts at conversations and getting my food, I had noticed their pale skin and the way the other students were sitting clear of them. I took my seat next to Angela and forced myself to listen as they all chattered. Edward was glaring at me still from his seat, his eyes visibly black from across the cafeteria.
"Who are they?" I finally asked Angela, nodding slightly towards Edward's table.
"Who?" Angela turned, her large eyes innocent and curious. Her face brightened with comprehension and she said quietly, "They are the Cullen's; they're all adopted. They moved here not too long ago, actually. Their dad works at the hospital; he's a doctor." Interesting. A vampire as a doctor? "They're really close, but no one really talks to them. See the blonde haired boy, with the curly hair?"
The one who reminds me of Jace, but without the arrogance? "Yeah," I said, peeking casually over my shoulder.
"That's Jasper. The really pretty blonde girl is Rosalie, his twin sister. The girl with the short dark hair is Alice, and the boy with the dark hair is Emmett. You've all ready seen Edward in Biology today," Angela explained. Her voice dropped another pitch as she added even more quietly, "But Jasper and Alice are together, so are Rosalie and Emmett."
"As in, they're dating?" I asked, a little surprised.
"Yeah, but Edward's not dating anyone, I think. He's a bit... withdrawn," Angela said, struggling to find the right words. "He's not a bad guy, he's just not very social."
As I watched the family, I took in the way that their lips barely moved as they talked to each other. They angled themselves away from the other students, as if they were expressly discouraging any advances. Even from this distance, my eyes could pick out their eyes: all varying shades of gold. From what I had studied and heard of their kind, it meant they were 'vegetarian,' or that they refrained from human blood.
"I can't imagine why," I said, my voice barely revealing my dark humor.
My eyes met the eyes of the dark haired girl, Alice, and held for a heartbeat. She regarded me thoughtfully, almost curiously. Then her face split in a broad, white smile that revealed her even, white teeth. I wasn't sure if it was a threat, until she winked one topaz eye at me. The moment passed, and Alice went back to talking to Jasper. I focused on the conversation at our table, which had split into two different ones. The boys were talking about a new movie that was supposedly really intense and chock full of action. Jessica and a blonde girl, Lauren, were talking about a shopping trip that they were planning. Angela was listening to the girls, but her eyes kept straying to a boy across the table. I was pretty sure that his name was Ben, and that he was in our Calculus class. Before I could bring myself to fully immerse myself in the conversation, the bell rang for our next class.
I forced myself not watch the Cullen's as the left the cafeteria in a graceful group. Instead, I dumped my tray with Angela and walked with her to our English class. I was surprised to find that I had Alice in that class. She nodded politely to me, but otherwise ignored me. I didn't mind, so I sat down with Angela and for once willingly surrendered my entire attention to the teacher. Literature was something I adored, and I had high hopes for this class. It started off shakily, when the teacher made the mistake of making me stand in front of the class and tell them my name and my favorite book.
"I'm Bella Swan, and I don't really have a favorite book." The teacher's face fell into a bit of a frown, expecting a literature hater to burst forth in me. Instead, I surprised him by saying, "It's currently between 'Crime and Punishment' and 'Wuthering Heights.'"
"You read Dostoevky?" Mr. Berty asked in astonishment.
I nodded. "I have the copy in original Russian, if you'd like to see it later. The meanings are much clearer in Dostoevsky's mother tongue."
There was silence in the classroom as the students looked at me with a mixture of admiration and repulsion. Lauren blurted from the back of the classroom; "Isn't this supposed to be an English class?"
I bit down a grin. Alice met my eyes and deliberately rolled her eyes, sharing my cynical amusement. I took my seat as Mr. Berty assured Lauren that she would not have to learn Russian to read 'Crime and Punishment.' English passed by quickly enough, seeing as we had to play catch-up while Mr. Berty explained that the class had been reading 'Grendel' by Josh Gardner. I was sent to the library to get a copy while Mr. Berty would go over the last night's assignment. I took my time, knowing that he'd need all the time he could get.
When I arrived, the class was immersing itself in groups to 'discuss' the reading. Mr. Berty took this time to give me the assignments needed to catch up, as well as to lovingly examine my Russian copy of 'Crime and Punishment.' We talked briefly about it before the bell rang. He reluctantly gave me the book back, and I headed to P.E. with Angela.
Having brought my own clothes, I dressed down and waited for Coach Clapp's instructions. I noticed that Emmett and Rosalie were in this class with me. They watched me with cautious curiosity, while I did my best to ignore them. We were separated into teams for volleyball, a game I had never actually played before. Angela explained the game as quickly as she could while she warmed me up and taught me the different ways to hit and serve. I picked it up quickly, thanks to years of training. Lauren was on the opposite team, and her smile was poisonous when she learned that I had never played before.
"Just try to hit it over the net and in the court," Angela whispered to me. "You should be fine."
Lauren's team served first. I watched and waited, observing people's styles. A girl named Kim was talented, so I drank in the way her body arched and tensed as she played. I saw the ball float towards Angela, on my left, and I hissed, "Set it!" to her. She set it for me, and I leaped up and spiked it, like I had seen Kim do earlier. The ball slammed into the floor next to Lauren's ankles, startling her backwards. Angela grinned at me, surprised and proud.
"Are you sure you've never played before?" she asked, smiling a little.
I nodded. "I learn fast," I offered as a way of explanation.
The game went on from there; increasing in aggression and competitiveness. It was heated and evenly matched, but Lauren made a good spike that landed next to a shy girl who was petrified of volleyballs. The whistle blew after that, and the game was over. I grinned at Lauren and Kim and said, "Great game, you guys."
Kim smiled and returned the niceties, but Lauren scowled. Shrugging my shoulders, I followed Angela to the next court. We didn't make it to actually playing Rosalie's team, at which I breathed a tiny sigh of relief. Dismissed, I dressed down quickly. The final bell rang and I waited for Angela, where we chatted as we walked outside. We headed towards the parking lot, where I saw a few expensive looking cars in the parking lot. Alice and Jasper were leaning on the hood of one; somehow this didn't surprise me.
As I walked past, Alice smiled at me. I gave her a small smile back, faintly surprised. Jasper's arms were twined around her, his solemn eyes watching me carefully. "I heard you played well in Gym today," Alice said, startling me completely. Her voice was bright and cheery, matching her petite frame in it's pitch.
"I'm fairly athletic," I said, struck by a bout of self-consciousness. "I was really active back home in Arizona."
Alice's smile widened. "No kidding. Emmett said you were a killer on the court."
You have no idea. "Like I said, I'm athletic. My mom is one of the sport-nut moms."
Alice's laugh was lighter than wind chimes. Still smiling, she waved a little to me and said, "See you tomorrow, Bella!" With that, she got into the driver's seat, with Jasper sliding into the passenger side.
Waving, I continued with Angela towards our cars, which were surprisingly close together. "I'm surprised Alice talked to you," Angela said honestly. "Alice is really friendly, she's just not always that forward."
I shrugged. "People are surprising, especially to a new kid." I gave Angela a mischievous smile, adding, "I'm the wild card."
Angela giggled, before saying her farewells. I hopped into my giant, rusty truck and started the engine with a roar. Driving away from the school, I headed home and parked the truck off the side of the road, on the gravel near the yard. Slamming the door shut, I tramped through the yard to my house. Once inside, I settled down and whipped through the homework. Thank God for the rigorous schooling Renée had forced me to sit through. I finished by the time Charlie came home. I offered to make dinner, and he grinned a little sheepishly and surrendered his kitchen to me.
As I cooked, we discussed our day. His had been a cacophony of patrols and misfiled papers. No major crimes, but he preferred those days. In turn, I told him about the people I had met. He stoutly assured me that Mike was a good kid, along with Angela. When I broached the topic of the Cullens, Charlie practically leapt out of his seat.
"Their father, Carlisle, is a godsend. He works miracles with that hospital, he does! I don't know what we'd do without him. His wife Esme is the sweetest woman, too. And they'd have to be absolute angels to adopt five teenagers like that. Most people I know can hardly deal with one." I watched with faint amusement as my father ranted on. "They're good people, the Cullens."
"Alice seems really nice," I said, stirring the pan. "She talked to me today."
Charlie grunted approvingly; nodding to himself before receding to his silence one more, as if he was out of words after his unusual rant. My mind was full as I mulled over that family. I knew they were vampires, but from my observations, they were harmless. And if Charlie trusted them, I felt a little more at ease. Even though he was a mundane and oblivious to their true nature, Charlie was more intuitive than most. He saw more than anyone could without having the Sight.
I was going to have to trust him on this. It's only life and death, after all.
. . .
Thank you all for reading! I hope you all enjoyed it! Please review, and I'll respond to your comments in the next chapter as best I can. ~Meneme-chan