Chapter One: The Beginning
There was something different when Edward stood in front of his locker. His fingers trailed down the slim outline before he simply pulled it open, the lock had been broken and it revealed the source of that horrible smell torturing his nostrils from the other end of the corridor.
"What is that – Eww!"
"Oh my God what the fuck is wrong with you!"
Edward tried to explain but there was no use; he couldn't get a word in. His gaze snapped over to the usual snickering suspects who were chiming in their abuse along with the larger forming crowd.
"This is sick! Even for this school." Leah commented before leaving.
"I didn't do it – I found my locker like this!"
Jessica snorted. "Well obviously we know that. This has Mike written all over it."
"Come on." Jasper grabbed Jessica's hand and guided her away from the scene.
Edward turned back around at his locker and picked up the deceased pigeon with care. No doubt that this was going to make him late for his next lesson, but who could have predicted this?
"Better hurry, Cullen. I heard Mr. Burty is heading down this way." Mike suggested with heavy venom evident in his voice as he spat his name.
Edward kept his head down and took the pigeon with him outside. It was only when he got outside did he have trouble in deciding what to do next. With all the twisted pranks and bullying he'd suffered at Forks High, not once had he had a dead animal in his locker.
As he headed towards the outskirts of the forest with the bird cupped tentatively in his hands, he caught the attention of someone else who voiced their concern out loud.
"Cullen?" Emmett was one of the few people to be kind to him. "What is it you're doing there?"
"Oh- well um, there was this thing with my locker- and I found-" Edward looked down at the bird again.
Emmett did too. "Jesus."
"I'm going to let it rest in the forest."
"Wait up then, I'll come down too."
"You don't have to do that class starts in two minutes-"
"Wasn't going to bother anyway." He shrugged while flipping his bag over his shoulder. A few more steps in the right direction and he decided to broach the subject once more. "So, this was Mike, right?"
"I don't think it could be anyone else." He thought back.
"I dunno, this school attracts crazy." Emmett sighed.
"What's that suppose to mean?"
"Nothing." He shrugged. "You know if this Mike keeps on giving you more trouble, I could help. I know we're from different circles but I don't like bullies."
"Yeah, I know." He said back but knew he'd never take up the offer. "Cheers."
Emmett nodded a little as Edward found a place to prop up the bird gently and cover it with some leaves nearby. Emmett glanced at his hands. "You'll probably want to go bathroom before going to class."
Edward chuckled with his mouth closed. "Yeah."
When they returned to school Emmett went to his truck and Edward found the gentlemen's to scrub his hands thoroughly. Why on earth would someone do something like that? Mike had always given him grief but this was something else. Edward checked his watch and hurried through the corridors to get to his History class.
"Mr. Cullen. Nice of you to join us." Mr. Banner greeted the interrupting student but added a smile towards him at the end. Edward didn't have many fans at school but those that were, were usually teachers. His perfect clean record and rigorous studying kept him in gold star standards in the teachers eyes.
Edward blushed non the less with all the eyes on him. "Sorry, sir." He scurried to his seat.
Getting to his desk did nothing to calm his nerves, especially as the person he sat next to was his lifelong crush and also a bit of a jerk sometimes. Bella Swan. She was beautiful, not often a bully but she definitely didn't share his glowing record.
Edward didn't bother unpacking yet and held his bag tight to his chest.
Bella glanced from the front to him a couple times and he could feel it. He wasn't used to her showing any interest so he assumed she'd heard about the incident this morning.
And not the only one. He couldn't make out most of it but the whispers continued throughout the first ten minutes. Mr. Banner didn't notice and therefore didn't ask any questions.
"Thanks." Edward never made eye contact as Embry handed out the worksheets.
The questions and activities were on Vietnam, a topic he could talk about in his sleep. He made quick work of the first three questions and then took a chance glimpse at the girl beside him. He bit the inside of his lip before coming out with it.
"Did you hear…?" He wondered why she hadn't asked yet.
"Yes."
Edward frowned at her. "We're you in on it?"
That had been the wrong thing to say. "Are you kidding me?"
"Sorry." He grumbled and shifted in his seat, almost trying to hide in his coat. "I didn't know if you could be involved or not, isn't Mike one of your friends?"
"What makes you say that?"
"Well… He's popular…"
"So?"
"So are you."
She studied his face for a moment or two and then surprised him when she smiled.
"What?" It was his turn to be angry. "What's so funny?"
"I don't like Mike. Guess you don't know everything, Cullen."
"I never said I did." It sounded weird to hear her call him that but he couldn't actually place a time when she'd actually used his first name. They never did talk much, more so in the earlier years when their parents were friends so they'd see each other… but after they'd grown up it was barely ever.
Edward licked his lips and looked at her again. "If you don't like Mike then why do you hang out with him?"
She looked a little more annoyed as she was filling in the answers but didn't shoot him down yet.
"We have the same friends."
It made sense. Rosalie used to date Mike and she was also Bella's number one best friend since kindergarten. "Right." Edward gave a nod and felt more self conscious with every passing second. He heard a couple say his name on his far right and wished today would be over already. The problem was it had only just begun.
"They're all talking about it." He muttered and combed a hand through his hair.
Bella glimpsed over at him as her pen neatly crossed over the paper. "Ignore them then."
"I don't like attention."
"You don't like attention?" She repeated with amused eyes.
"Stop it. You should remember." He grumbled bitterly.
Now she looked perplexed. "What?"
"When we were kids." He hinted.
Now she looked even more lost.
Edward sighed. "Doesn't matter." How come he held on to those memories fondly when she didn't even bother to remember them?
"What? No, tell me."
"You don't remember when we were about eight or nine, my parents came around yours and the others were there too-"
"Rosalie, Emmett and Alice." She finished thoughtfully.
"Yeah! And when you found me upstairs you handed me a birthday card because your parents had told you – but then of course everyone found out and started singing to me and I-"
Bella suddenly grinned as she recalled. "You ran out to the garden. It took a while to catch you."
"I had the added advantage of motive." Edward was smiling too now.
"I'd say so too, I really wanted to catch you."
"Well if anyone can it's you."
"What?"
Edward laughed nervously and pretended to look for something in his bag. "Wha- um, nothing." His face burned a dark red and he tried to hide from her but she continued to watch him with a smirkish smile showing her somewhat amusement.
She didn't pry any further and let him have a break he deserved.
The bell rang and Edward was the first to shoot up out of his seat.
"Wow." Bella commented with an entertained smile. "You getting ready for me to chase you again?"
Edward closed his eyes with pursed lips. "I'll forever regret this day."
"Maybe. But I sure won't."
"Bye." He turned around.
"Goodbye, Edward." She quipped in return and his footsteps became a lot lighter after that.
He replayed their latest conversation on his way to Biology and then after that the cafeteria. Even if he couldn't confess his undying, passionate feelings for her – maybe they could be friends like they were when kids. That would be better than what they had now.
"What got you smiling, Cullen! Like finding dead stuff in your locker, do you?"
"I don't have time for this."
Mike got in his way, backed up by two others.
Edward had been through this so many times he knew what came next. "Why don't you just get it over with? Stop playing games and just do it."
"Finally got some backbone, eh?"
"I'm sure we can break that." Paul cracked a smirk.
Edward grimaced and waited for the first punch but it never came this time. This time something else happened that was enough to grab every passerby attention. Edward didn't even use it as an escape but rather got closer for a better view of the scene.
"You'll pay for that fucking one-"
"Rosalie!" Edward recognised her voice as Bella came rushing over to try and break up the fight.
"Chicken!"
Rosalie looked furious as she struggled against her best friend to have another go.
"If I ever catch you even looking at him again and I'll-"
"You'll what? Slap me and run away-"
"You fucking-"
"Rose! Stop it." Bella held her back while Jessica was being kept away by her friends as well.
"You don't know what she did, Bella, she was bloody-"
"Just leave it, go calm down first."
"Really? From you? You gotta be-"
"What's going on here?" Mrs. Tucker pushed her way through and Edward kept focus on Bella who didn't look too happy with Rose who had commented something only she could have heard. He had a good guess on what it could have been about given her history.
Jessica was circled in on by Mrs. Tucker and Rosalie tried to slip away to avoid more trouble.
"Not so fast, Ms. Hale!"
Rosalie huffed and left anyway and Bella soon followed her. He couldn't lie, he was half tempted himself to go down the same corridor but that would definitely not be a warm welcome if he did.
"-I don't know she just started freaking out on me for some reason-"
Edward looked away and at least something good had come of the situation, and that was he avoided another beating for now. The day was still young however and if he knew anything then it was that Mike Newton considered a day without punching nerdy Eddie was a day wasted.
Sometimes he wondered what he'd done to deserve such abuse like this from his classmates but more often than not the lack of answers would anger him, as he'd done nothing wrong except maybe be different. He wasn't cool or particularly gifted at anything, but he was always kind to everyone. Why couldn't people extend him the same courtesy?
"-okay everyone break it up, it's over. Nothing to see. Get back-"
Edward didn't go to the cafeteria in the end but instead went up to the library to eat his packed lunch in the corner huddled over some books. As he took the last bite of his sandwich he felt someone sit next to him.
"Hey."
"Hi." He looked at her confused.
She laughed. "You don't know me very well, it's Leah."
Edward shook her hand. "I know you." He protested.
"Ah well, of course you do. The school weirdo-"
"I don't think you're a weirdo."
"You're about the only one."
"I saw you this morning, you have to know that what I found it wasn't me I would never-"
"I know, Edward. I saw Mike laughing over your shoulder the whole time."
He relaxed a little and nodded.
"It's just vile. I was almost heaving at the smell."
"It was pretty bad."
"Worse for me… Oh I um, I have a very good sense of smell."
"Oh, right."
"Yeah… Always have. I'm not sure whether it's a sucky thing or a good thing."
"Guess it's great when you're baking."
"Unfortunately I wouldn't know, I can't cook."
He chuckled. "Me neither."
"Do pot noodles count?"
"If you're counting it then I am too."
"So we're not completely useless then."
"No, not completely."
She grinned and looked down at what he was reading before she came over. "It's funny, I always see you here but I never thought to come over, I wish I had done it earlier now. You see like a nice guy."
"I didn't know you liked it here."
"I prefer books to people. Usually."
"Me too." He found that amusing.
"Did you hear about the fight at the start of lunch?"
"Yeah, I caught the end of it."
"Apparently Swan pulled Rosalie out the way."
"Yeah, she did."
"I never liked either of them."
He frowned. "Why?"
"I don't know, there's just something about them… Especially Swan, I can't quite place it."
"I can't say I know them very well these days, but we used to be really close."
"You and Swan? Or you and Hale?"
"Both but… I'd say mostly Bella. We got on really well."
"What happened?"
Edward shrugged because he didn't actually know what happened. "We were kids. It's just different now."
"That sucks."
"Yeah."
"I still hang out with my childhood best friends. We're all from the reservation and our parents were too."
"Would I know any of them?"
"Probably. Embry goes to our school, so does Paul-"
"Paul?" He cringed.
"Yeah he's a bit of a dick sometimes."
"He's friends with Mike."
"I know, only because they share the same desire to get into brawls every evening."
"Who else?"
"Jacob Black, much different from those two-"
"I think I've seen him around. He's really tall."
"That's the one." She smiled. "He's a good guy, I wish he came here but he never cared much for school."
"I know a few people like that."
The bell rang and they both seemed surprised by this. Edward smiled at her politely and picked up his bag as he stood, gathering the books he'd laid out to put away. Leah returned the smile and pointed. "To be continued?"
Edward chuckled. "Sure."
Leah waved as she backed up to get her own things.
Meanwhile Edward was heading out the doors after stacking the books back on their correct shelves, the corridors were busy with students in a rush to get back home. Edward couldn't blame himself for wanting to do the same, he'd not had the best day but it also hadn't been his worst.
The rain filled clouds lurked over the school car park and he took off his glasses he'd been using in the library. His shoes tapped down the stone steps that led to the entrance of the school and he checked his phone to see a couple missed calls from his father.
"Crap."
Edward dialled back but no one answered. He tried again but there was nothing.
He put his phone back in his pocket and hoped his father would call him back once he got the chance. It was because of those missed calls, that he was surprised to see his mother's car outside the school gate.
He picked up the pace to open the door to the passenger side. "Hey, what are you doing I thought you were…. Mum?"
"Hi, honey."
"What's… Your eyes are orange?"
"New contacts. I picked up the wrong ones." She excused and pointed. "Close the door, come on. It's raining."
"Yeah, sorry." Edward pulled his other leg inside and shut the door. "It's good to see you."
His mother, Esme, put the car in first gear to pull off and it wasn't until they were on the main road that she asked about his day. "It was fine, I guess."
"Just fine? That Mike isn't giving you anymore trouble is he?"
"No, I told you schools been a lot better ever since you spoke to the headmaster."
"Good. I never actually thought they'd sort it out."
"The schools not that bad. But I will be glad when graduation finally comes."
His mother smiled and stole a glance at him. "Have you given any more thought on what you'd like to do after?"
"Not really. I still like the thought of being a doctor but…"
"But?"
"I might be punching above my weight."
"If I know anything, Edward, it's that you're smart enough to go into any profession you want."
He chuckled and looked at her. "You have to say that, you're my mum."
"True." She laughed as well. "But in this case I mean it. You've always done well, and your hearts in the right place, you'll accomplish great things. I always knew that."
"Thanks." He glanced down at her hands. "Are you cold?"
"No. Why would you ask?"
"I dunno. You look…"
"Tread carefully."
"Aren't people who go abroad for two weeks suppose to be more tanned?"
"You know me, have to pay for a spray tan if I want one."
"How was it, you last message made it sound like you'd met some new people."
"I did, actually. Very interesting people – nice people."
"Oh, yeah?" He prodded for more but he had to resort to asking. "Who were they?"
"Just locals."
"Are you going to see them again when you go back?"
"I'm keeping in contact with them." She nodded.
"That's good, I'm glad you had a good time while you were away. Did you find what you were looking for?"
"If you're asking what I think you're asking then yes, you're dad and I are fine. I just needed a little vacation. And I did find something, something unexpected."
"And what's that?"
"A new outlook on life. It was refreshing to be around people so different to us."
"I get that. There are so many cultural differences between us and-"
Something crashed. Edward felt his body fling up but his seatbelt threw him back down with a rough jolt. He thought he'd banged his head because everything was blurry and he felt something running down the side of his face.
He heard a sharp sneering sound and tried to find the source but he couldn't see.
"Mum?" He called out but he wasn't sure if his words were recognisable to any other than him.
"Not my son!"
"Get away from him! Now!"
"The others will be here soon, you don't understand. That was always your problem."
"You swore you'd keep this life away from him!"
"I am trying-"
"He's our child!"
"I'm protecting him!"
"You've done the opposite by bringing them here! Step away now!"
"No."
"I'll use this, Esme! To protect our son, I will!"
A low chuckle came from elsewhere and Edward snapped his head to the sound of his door being ripped off its hinges. "Such a handsome one."
"You leave him alone!"
"Dispose of the weakling."
"No! You told me my family- Carlisle, no!"
The snickering was closer now and he had a feeling he wasn't in the car seat anymore.
"You know what to do."
"Leave him alone!"
"Do it."
Edward heard a echoing snap that haunted his ears, only to be followed by an even louder one.
"Whu- Whatshis…"
"Shhh. This is only the beginning for you. When it's finished, you'll be the one to find us."
