Hey guys,
This is a test chapter to see if this story will work, let me know what you think and if you want the story to coninue.
I own none of the wonderful characters created by Stephenie Meyer.
How mundane this city is, why did I agree to move to Florida? We can't go in the sun so what was I going to do for 12 hours a day? This house is a prison, and if it isn't a prison it must be a tremendous interpretation of hell. How many years have we been here? It must be coming upon the time that we have to move … right? As Carlisle says, 'When you have endless time you must have endless patience.'
I've been travelling with Carlisle for two and a half centuries, ever since I found him in that barn in London. We've been friends for several people's lifetimes. For our kind it's odd for even two of us to travel together, being alone for two centuries makes you want to have someone to keep you company though.
"Bella?" I heard Carlisle speak my name in the living room and in less than a second I was in front of him.
"Yes?" I asked moving into the small room. Our living was modest, even though Carlisle and I had been working and saving for the past 250 years, we preferred it this way with just the two of us, it made it easier to fit into any community we decided to live in.
"We need to move on again, people are starting to ask questions at the hospital."
"How long have we been here this time?" I asked, knowing that it was natural that people took extra interest in us, we tended to draw attention in each town we visited, however here especially we would draw attention as night dwellers.
"I think it's been almost a decade now." Usually Carlisle made the arrangements for when and where we would move. He just took that role naturally over time.
"That long already?" I asked not able to hide the sarcasm from my voice, Carlisle and I tended to adapt well to the change in mannerisms, although my sarcasm seemed to irritate him a little. "Okay, where are we going this time? Maybe its time I updated my Medical license." I said musing to myself.
"Maybe you should go back to high school again Bella." Said Carlisle looking at me. I pulled a face that quickly turned into a scowl.
"Yeah maybe you should go with me, how would you like to go back there?"
"Come on Bella we can stay in Chicago longer if you go back to school."
"University, fine. But you promised I would not have to go back to another high school after we were in Chicago last time, which I might remind you, was only about thirty years ago. Why are we going back?"
"It was the easiest place to get a job."
"Don't you think we will be a little too recognisable?"
"Bella we were there for 6 months at the most, I'm sure no one even remembers our names and plus this time we can be siblings instead of newlyweds and that our parents were Bella and Carlisle Cullen, they can't argue with that. Plus people won't glare at you as you pass in the halls like they do now." he said smiling smugly.
"Like I care what the humans think." I said glaring at him.
"Bella, you need to take more time to appreciate the humans, thoughts and lifestyle."
"If I do does it mean I don't have to go back there?"
"You have to go back through college anyway Bella."
"That's different and you know it, I can breeze through college. Four years of pain and it's over, but you want to add another 2 years to my punishment?"
"That's nothing to us Isabella." Carlisle said sternly, however his eyes were pleading with me to agree. Moving every decade did get tiresome after the first 50 times.
I stopped myself from rolling my eyes and looked at Carlisle before giving in, "Fine…but next time can you please wait half a century before we go back to the same place?"
He saluted as if she were a general in the army and quickly walked from the room to make arrangements.
Chicago. We left there for a good reason and now we were going back. Imagine the chaos that would ensue if anyone new our secret. I'm not sure that there is even one human alive that could accept what we are.
We are monsters in the loosest sense of the word; humans instinctively knew to shy away from us. We have fangs and sinister looks in all of the human's laughable interpretations of our kind.
Vampires.
If only they knew what our kind were really like, we couldn't be frightened away by a tiny wooden stake, silver does nothing but make great jewellery and garlic is unlikely to even hurt one of those fragile human beings. Ever since film has been discovered, that and motion pictures the idea of vampirism has become even more laughable. The gelled back hair? Black and red cape? Sleeping in coffins? We don't even have fangs, for goodness' sake. Okay, we may not be able go in the sun, however that is only when humans are around.
I slowly walked back up the stairs to start packing. It wouldn't take long to pack we left most of the furniture at the houses we bought to go back to and only took the essentials. 20 minutes later I was ready to go, we would feed on the way, there were plenty of national parks between here and Chicago.
The invention of cars certainly made our moves much easier, it was faster than walking or riding on horseback. We made it to Chicago in a day and settled into our house there.
Usually I would go with Carlisle to the hospital so that I could work there with him, after a century of being a teacher I needed a change and Carlisle taught me everything I needed to know for medicine. Every few years we would have to renew our doctors license, but this time I was going back to high school.
"Bella? Will you come into the garage for a moment?" I rolled my eyes before walking in to see Carlisle, no doubt he was going to gloat about not having to go back to the torturous place that was school.
Before I could step into the garage properly Carlisle put one hand over my eyes and placed the other on the small of my back leading me into our large garage, we had built a second garage into this house to hold the cars we bought. Generally we had agreed to live modestly, however Carlisle and I discovered that we liked the speed and luxury of good cars.
"Carlisle, why are you doing this? You know I hate surprises."
"Let me have my moment Bella, I never get to surprise you with that special talent of yours." He said attempting to guilt me into complying. For years Carlisle had complained that he could not attempt to surprise me with anything, as I would merely pluck it from his mind.
As a human I had a knack for hiding my thoughts and emotions from the people around me, but I was also good at manipulating others to tell me their thoughts and feelings. This gift was intensified during my change, letting me peek into people's minds and emotions as well as blocking them from my own.
"Am I allowed to have my sight back anytime soon?" I asked as we wound around the workbench and Carlisle's Mercedes.
"Almost…Okay ready?"
"Yes." I said trying to hide my excitement; this must be good for Carlisle to get so worked up.
He released me from his hand and I had to blink twice at what was sitting in front of me. A smile crept onto my face as I realised that Carlisle had bought the two cars I had been looking at for the past two months.
"Is that…?"
"Yes Bella I thought since you were going back to school for us this time it was the least I could do." I launched myself into his arms.
"Thankyou. Thankyou. Thankyou. I can't believe you got me an Aston Martin V8 Vantage…"
"And a Lamborghini Murcielago LP640." He said looking happier than he had in months.
"Can we take them for a spin later?"
"Anything you want Bella."
"Do you want me to pick up a movie on my way back from school?"
"That would be good thankyou, I should be home about an hour after you arrive." He said looking at his watch. "You had better be heading to school Bella, wouldn't want to be late on your first day."
"What should I take?" I said smirking and looking at the cars longingly.
"Take the Aston Martin, at least here we don't have to worry about being conspicuous because of our choice of cars." He said smiling at my reaction and holding the keys out toward me.
"Thankyou," I whispered kissing him on the cheek and starting up the engine. "It's beautiful I said listening to the sounds of the car. I got in and sped off to the school Carlisle and I had driven past the previous day.
St Ignatius, my personal hell. I'd never have the opportunity for my soul to get there by itself so someone has brought hell to me. I parked my car at the front of the school's empty car park and walked to the administration building.
The smell of blood perfume and coffee hit me at once in the small air-conditioned room. A petite red head sat behind the front desk humming an annoying tune she had no doubt just heard on the radio.
"Hello my name is Bella Cullen, my brother called two days ago." I said smiling at the lady.
"Why hello dear, I'm Miss Tyler." she said her eyes going wide as she looked up at me for the first time, in her mind I could see my mousy face and brown hair, my skin glowed and my eyes were a bright topaz from having fed so recently. My, what a stunning girl, I'm, sure she'll be very popular with the boys round here. Probably another rich snob though, shame that beauty, money and good personalities don't generally mix well. "Let me just get your transcript dear and I'll send you in to see the headmaster." She said shaking her head as if her thought would disappear from the action.
"Thankyou." I said going to sit on the chair by the desk. 5 minutes later she came back holding my forged transcripts and led me towards the headmaster's office.
I already knew where I was going; this is the school I had attended thirty years ago, apart from a few upgrades it hadn't changed in essentials.
"Miss Cullen, welcome." Said a balding grey man I knew to be Headmaster Levers, he had been the new headmaster when I had left the last time.
"Hello," I said politely moving to shake his hand. "How are you sir?"
This girl looks just like her mother did, I wonder if the boy bears any resemblance to Carlisle, such a well-mannered girl too. "I'm fine thankyou Isabella, I was very sorry to hear about your parents."
"I think most people were sir." I had gone through this routine enough times to want to get this over with as soon as possible.
"What made you choose to move here dear?"
""My brother received a job offer for the local hospital so I needed to move with him from Florida, I had no other relatives to stay with there." I said as he pulled my transcript notes towards him and flipped through them.
"I see you were an Honours student, Miss Cullen." I nodded my head as he looked up. "Very impressive GPA, will you be continuing your Honours course here?"
"Yes sir."
"Very well, I can see that you will do just fine here, you have a flawless transcript and recommendations." I've never seen such a perfect folio before. He thought looking through it again before launching into a speech about school policies and Missions. Here I would have to do Religious Studies, even though I no longer believed in a system of faith I still had to learn about them.
By the end of his rant I was actually looking forward to the embarrassment of classes, the day already felt like it was half gone. "If you go back out to Miss Tyler I'm sure she has your schedule and a map of the school all ready for you, have a good day Miss Cullen."
Freedom, finally. I walked quickly from the room after saying my goodbyes and went to the front desk. As I passed several of the staff turned to look at me, the males in particular had very imaginative minds. It was an effort to stop a scowl forming on my face.
"Hello again dear, I've got your things all ready for you." Miss Tyler said as she handed me a small pile of papers. "This is your schedule, you'll be taking English lit, Spanish, Biology, Calculus, Shakespeare and Religious studies this semester."
"No Physical education?" I asked with an excited smile on my face.
"No dear." Such a pretty girl, she thought again. "Do I need to get someone to show you around for the day?"
"No need I think I can find my way, if not I'm sure someone will help me."
"Okay dear have fun." She said as I left the building.
I walked the halls with people watching me dubiously from the corner of their eyes; obviously they didn't get many transfer students here. I made my way to English arriving first even after the long talk with the headmaster.
The bell rang and the class filed in slowly, as I expected no one occupied the seat next to me. Although many of the boys in the room seriously considered it, I shut out their thoughts and moved to the front of the room.
Mr Johnson took my slip of paper, signed it and turned towards the class. "Everyone this is Isabella…"
"Bella."
"Sorry, Bella Cullen a transfer student from Florida."
Everyone looked interested, as if I were a caged animal at the zoo. I certainly felt caged here. One girl with spiky black hair sitting closest to me was almost bouncing in her seat as she looked at me.
I made my way back to my seat and settled in for the lesson, Mr Johnson came up and handed me a booklist. I had read them all already, when you had endless time you needed something to fill it. By the end of class I hadn't been told anything I didn't know, not that I had expected anything else.
As the bell rang the girl with black hair came and stood at my desk, it shook me at first, she was built like a pixie, short and petite and looked lovely for a human. What shocked me was the intensity of her scent, it hit me in waves. My control had been perfected over the centuries and I had never smelt anything as strong as this.
"Hi" she said in a cheery voice. She's so pretty, imagine the makeovers I could give her. "I'm Alice, your Bella I know. I saw you coming here. You moved into the Cullen house didn't you. It's very nice, apparently my parents knew the people that used to live there…" she spoke so fast I had to think before I started taking at my normal pace.
"What do you mean you saw me coming?" I said amused by the tiny girl in front of me. She quickly pursed her lips, Oh no I did it again, I'm going to be thrown in an asylum if people think, I think I see the future. She thought.
"Um I saw you in the hallway." She covered up and nodded smiling at her before making my way to the door. "You should come sit with my brother and I at lunch." She said squealing, quickly trying to take the focus off her.
"I don't know Alice." I started but she quickly turned to me looking like a sad puppy.
"Do you have a better offer?" she said pouting at me.
I rolled my eyes and sighed in resignation, "Fine but…" is all I managed to get out before she started bouncing again and hugging me tightly for such a small girl.
"Oh thankyou Bella. We'll have fun I promise. What do you have next?" she quickly turned serious. Does this pixie have multiple personalities?
"Ah Spanish," I said pretending to have to remember.
"Oh, sad." She said shrugging. And started bouncing down the hallway again, she turned back and motioned for me to follow.
Spanish flew past I had learnt all the languages that were offered here many times over. I walked into Biology and sat down at a table at the back of the lab. As the class filed one boy moved over to my desk.
"Hi, I'm Mike." He said holding his arms out for a hug; instead I went to shake his hand and almost laughed at the crestfallen look on his face.
"Bella," I said. This boy had been annoying me with his explicit thoughts all day. I keep wondering what he is doing in advanced placement classes, having seen him twice already.
The teacher settled everyone down and I turned quickly to notice a young boy with bronze hair and beautiful green eyes sitting next to me. More than that his scent hit me like a brick wall. If the pixie's scent was strong his scent was made of iron. I stopped breathing and made my way to the front of the room glad to be away from the temptation that was sitting next to me.
Mr Pullen didn't introduce me; his thoughts were … engaged. There are things that teachers should not think about their students. I continued to not breath as I made my way to sit back down.
The boy looked at me and I gave him what I hoped was a friendly smile. If only he knew what I wanted to do to him. I had only ever heard legends of people that had called to vampires this much. A singer, or La Tua Cantante was a very rare find for our kind. The smell was both torture and bliss at the same time; because of the lifestyle I chose I could not harm this boy. I wouldn't.
He leaned towards me, was he insane? "I'm Edward." He whispered shyly extending his hand towards me.
I put all my effort into lightly shaking his hand and breathing out. "I'm Bella."
"Nice to meet you," he said turning back to listen to the lecture.
Hell seemed to have turned into something worse as the seconds ticked by at a painfully slow pace. As soon as the bell rang I fled the room hoping that some fresh air would help clear my head.
I lined up and got lunch, a prop, the thought of eating that garbage was enough to make a person sick. Alice danced towards me and began to drag me over to her table, I could have easily stopped her but I thought it was better to just go along with her. Then I smelled it again; the sweet scent of pines that had filled my lungs in Biology.
I dug my heels into the ground and stopped, "Alice who is your brother?" I asked trying to keep the composure in my voice. I needed to breathe to be able to speak and the smell of the boy seemed like it would knock over either my body or my self-control, whichever gave out first.
"His name is Edward, he's really cool you'll like him." I stopped breathing as best I could with the onslaught of questions Alice began drilling me with and sat gracefully across from Edward.
"Hello again." I said smiling, thought I know he noticed my clenched teeth. He kept thinking he had offended me somehow, the poor thing if only he knew the truth.
I tried very hard to concentrate on the questions that Alice was asking, so as to take my thoughts off Edward. I would need to feed before I went home today.
Alice kept thinking how perfect it would be if Edward asked me on a date, and the shopping trips she could take me on. The torture doesn't end at school, the mall was also my personal hell, why man invented it I would never understand. Both Alice and Edward thought my odd behaviour was because I was shy, if only…
For most of the day I had blocked out the thoughts of the student body, only hearing particularly loud or vivid thoughts. However a sting of jealously shot through the room that I new belonged to that Mike boy. However it was short lived as the bell rang signalling next period.
The rest of the day was much easier having removed myself from the pixie and her brother I was able to get through the day without any bloodshed. As I walked down to the car park I saw a group of boys standing around my new baby. I quickly moved up to the car and unlocked the door before smelling Alice and Edward behind me and stopped. Out in the fresh air the smell wasn't as intense.
"Hey Bella, I just wanted to give you our number and ask if you wanted to go shopping with me tomorrow night?" Alice said bounding up to hug me goodbye past the boys that were looking in awe at the girl that owned their dream car.
"Um I don't really like shopping Alice," I said hoping that she wouldn't think that I was avoiding her.
She looked like someone had just slapped her in the face. Edward laughed heartily at his sister, the sound was beautiful; something I had never heard come from a human before.
"Alice is very … enthusiastic about her shopping." He said carefully looking at his sister who still had the same shocked look on her face. "It's mostly best just to agree."
I chuckled to myself, thinking that no one could hear me, she sounds beautiful. The thought came through my head and I looked up to see Edward staring at me with his emerald green eyes. "One hour Alice, that's all you get." I sighed getting in my car before she could hug me again.
"Thankyou Bella!" she said her face was ecstatic as she shouted which drew several people's heads. When I was younger attention like this used to bother me. However over the years, Carlisle and I had drawn so much attention that I had begun to lose interest in the matter.
"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow." I said starting up the car, which drew even more attention towards me.
I quickly fed on the way home, finding a fox on the outskirts of town. Carlisle and I sat and talked until late into the night, when he was called by the hospital for an emergency surgery and our movie night was cut short. It had always been fun having Carlisle around we joked and laughed. The pranks stopped after the first decade of living together after I accidentally blew up the town plumbing we decided practical jokes were not my forte.
As he fled out the door he promised a games night tomorrow after the day was over.
Today had been a long day, unfortunately it seemed like it would be the first of many. And tomorrow seemed like it may be even longer.
As silence enveloped the house I was left to my own thoughts as I tried desperately to distract myself from the one thought that would not freely leave me. Edward.