Blood Fulfillment
A/N: Ok, so… I'm a wholehearted "Life With Derek" and "Instant Star" fan, believe me, but the wretched Twilight craze has taken over even a couple of my friends, so I just had to watch the movie (I didn't want to put myself through any more torture than was necessary) to understand the jokes made about it, if not why it's so loved. And man, was it worth it. My eyes, not to mention sense of literary and cinematic quality, will hate me forevermore, but I got an understanding of the latest craze since Hannah Montana. And a pretty good fic idea, if I do say so myself. =3
So please, no hating or nitpicking. This is all just for fun, and based (rather loosely) off of the first movie. Being 75% mestizo, I, a little offended, wondered why Jacob's character, which had so much potential, because of the wonderfully rich culture he was obviously immersed in, was shoved to the side for nearly the entire movie. It's like, if you're gonna attempt diversity in having characters with different heritages, why ignore the heritage and treat them as if they were exactly the same as the other characters? It makes no sense at all. So I took that, and put my own spin on it for y'all. Tell me whatcha think of it. =)
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight in any way, shape, or form. I only own this fanfic, and its banner, which I made using Internet photos and Picnik(dot)com.
Chapter One: Here Comes The Sun
There had been a long week of rain. Now, on Monday morning, the sun shone brightly, and lifted the spirits of the young students, even as they sat outside the school in anticipation of class. They were chattering amongst themselves, and there were many happy murmurings of, "Can you believe this weather?"
"Actually, no," Bella quipped. After nearly a month in Forks, the change in climate, though not at all unwelcome, was nonetheless unexpected.
"Don't worry, Bella," Eric told her soothingly. "The weather here gets better later on in the season." Everyone looked at him. "Ok, no, it doesn't, but you'll get used to it after a while."
Bella wanted to roll her eyes, but instead simply gave a half-hearted smile at the eager young man at her side. He did try hard to keep her interested, after all.
"We can at least enjoy the good weather while it's here," Jessica suggested. "It's not every day that we see the sun like this."
"Definitely not," Mike muttered absentmindedly. Everyone followed his gaze, and dropped their jaws at the sight of a new girl stepping out of a car. She waved goodbye to the driver, shouldered her tote bag, and as she turned around and caught sight of everyone in the schoolyard watching her, flashed them a bright, sincere smile. She was tall, slim, beautiful, and—this was what made her really stand out—naturally tan: Latina, with maybe a drop or two of pure Native American blood.
Eric quietly slipped away from Bella and approached the girl, in very much the same way as he had done with Bella. There was a quiet collective groan from all the males, and consequent chuckles from the females. "Hey there. I'm Eric."
"Hi, I'm Maya," the girl answered, smiling even more dazzlingly. "Nice to meet you."
"You too. You know, you're the second new girl in two months."
"Really? Who's the other one?"
Eric smiled. "Bella. She's a friend of mine. Ours, actually, we're part of a group. Would you like to eat at our lunch table?"
"Sure, that'd be great." The groans came louder from the guys, while Eric's group perked up. They had dibs on the new girl? That was pretty awesome.
Maya spotted them, and advanced towards them, Eric quickly following. "Hi, everyone!"
Everyone in the group offered a hand, and a half-friendly "Hey". Maya paid attention to their faces and names, before turning to Bella and beaming. "So. Bella. How long you been here?"
Bella raised an eyebrow. "Um, four weeks, more or less."
"And would you say you've settled in?"
Bella shrugged, and Maya beamed ecstatically. "Good. Now we can be the new girls together." Bella opened her mouth to protest, but suddenly anticipating Maya's disappointment, decided against it. "Uh…sure." The bell rang, leaving Bella to follow through on her new promise. Maya passed an arm through Bella's, and walked with her to class. Bella casually looked around her, wondering how the rest of the school was taking all this, and met Edward's eyes. He was lurking in the shadows, wearing a turtleneck and a baseball cap, and she didn't know if, from under the visor, he was staring at her, or Maya, or even both of them. She looked away and listened to Maya's happy chatter, offering a smile or word when it was necessary.
Inside, Bella was going to leave her at the attendance office to pick up her class schedule and other papers, but Maya protested strongly against being left "all alone", so she went with her to Biology, assuming that they would have the same class anyway. She was right, for when she approached Mr. Molina's desk with Maya at her side, the teacher looked up, and instead of looking surprised, gave them a wry smile. "Ah. The two new girls. So you found her yourself, eh?"
Bella took his question to be addressed to her, and somehow found herself smiling rather sheepishly. "Yeah, kinda…"
"Hola, Señor Molina," Maya warmly interjected. Mr. Molina's eyebrows jumped excitedly at the girl's words, and he smiled genuinely. "Hola, señorita Flores. Bienvenido a Forks. Esta es la clase de biología."
"Ay, qué bien," sighed Maya happily, earning another smile from Mr. Molina. Bella, listening, wrinkled her brow. "In English, please?"
"I just welcomed her to Forks, and told her this was her new biology class," explained Mr. Molina. "Apparently, to Maya, that's a good thing."
"Yes, I like plants," Maya stated simply. Bella stared at her, as did Mr. Molina, until their eyes met and they chuckled. Maya threw an arm gladly over Bella's shoulder. "Can we please sit together?" Her full, red lower lip threatened to push itself out if her request was denied.
Mr. Molina chuckled. "Well, Bella already has a lab partner"—the lip trembled—"but I don't want to leave you by yourself. So let's see if you can sit with her and Edward for now."
Maya lit up, actually showing off pearly whites, and joyfully took the textbook Mr. Molina offered her and turned toward the table he indicated. Too late, Bella wondered what Edward might think, and looking at him, was rather amused to see him a tad surprised that the "new girl" was coming over to his table.
Bella reached Edward a few steps before Maya did, and quietly leaned in. "Hey, can you move over a little and make some space?" she murmured into his ear. Edward had no time to comply before Maya stood before him, and offered him her hand. "Hello."
Edward looked up at the hand's owner, peering steadily into her face, yet Maya appeared unfazed by the burning look that had unsettled Bella the first time she had had to undergo it. After a few heated moments, he resigned himself to casual words and gestures. He shook her hand with a simple "Hey" and swiftly moved over his books and chair to make room for her. After a quick glance at Maya, Bella took the seat next to him, and Maya settled herself next to her on a chair brought by Mr. Molina. The rest of the lesson was uneventful, aside from Maya talking and laughing with her seat partners, or at least attempting to do so, and in fact only earning embarrassed laughter from Bella, and thoroughly unreadable looks from Edward.
When the bell rang, Bella thought that she heard Edward breathe a quiet sigh of relief, and pack up his books more quickly than usual, without even giving her a final glance or bidding her goodbye. He was halfway out of the room, when Maya called him back,
"Wait, Edward," in the quietest tone she had used all morning.
He stopped abruptly, looked behind him, and after a moment, walked back to the table.
"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I was just trying to be friendly." The quiet look of contrition on the girl's face was enough to make anyone forgive her immediately, and as Edward looked at her, he smiled softly. "It's ok. It's partly my fault. I guess I need to learn how to act more…" He glanced over at Bella. "…human."
"I think you're fine the way you are." Edward's gaze returned to Maya, and lingered. He briefly raised his eyebrows, and gripped his bag. "What you say we go to lunch?"
Bella dropped a pencil at that moment, and Edward calmly watched her pick it up. Maya smiled. "No, thanks. I'll have enough to do, getting used to Bella's lunch group." She hesitated. "But maybe later on."
Edward nodded. "So, see you tomorrow?"
"Sure." The two girls answered in unison, and watched him leave. Once he was out of earshot, Maya turned to Bella. "Did I scare him?" she asked in a childlike voice.
Despite herself, Bella laughed. "No, I just…don't think he's ever met anyone like you."
"That's not a bad thing, though, is it?"
The answer was immediate, as if instinctive. "No. Definitely not." Bella looked at the girl in front of her, really looked: the sweet face, the eager-to-please expression, the lithe body that sat so politely and quietly. "I think it's a good thing you're here."
Maya grinned. "So I can act myself with your other friends?"
"If you've been acting yourself all morning, I think you'll be fine," Bella answered, a smile dawning on her own features. As she took Maya down to the cafeteria, and allowed herself to be amused by the innocent and amusing conversation the girl came up with, it suddenly occurred to Bella that she felt perfectly happy, for the first time in Forks since she herself had arrived.
A/N: Ok, so reading it over, it's rather short, but I suppose the chapters will get longer once I get used to writing these characters. Now click the nice button and tell me what you think. Please?