A/N: Welcome to the rewrite! For those interested this fic does have a soundtrack, but I'll be adding each song to each chapter. FFN and links are too much of a hassle for me to even try to work around.
Blanket disclaimer: If you recognize it, it's not mine. I am in no way, shape or form affiliated with SMeyer or her intellectual property. I'm diving in the sparkly sandbox again and shaking things up.
Sloane's theme: "Atlas: Body" by Sleeping At Last
There's a formula to every fairy tale. You have your heroine (easily identified as the beautiful damsel in distress). Your villain is more often than not a vain older woman in a position of power (i.e an Evil Queen). And of course, we have the knight in shining armor who may or may not be royalty.
The damsel (who is kind, humble and naive) grows up as innocent and sweet as a lamb under the watchful eye of the antagonist. For a while she's insignificant. Simply a fact of life for the Queen - nobody worth her time.
Then puberty hits our heroine like a truck. Total fairytale glo up. Our dear damsel is now the most gorgeous girl in the realm. Not only does the Queen notice but so do others. It's obviously intolerable to our antagonist. How dare she have the gall to be blessed by hitting the genetic lottery?
The youthful girl escapes when she learns of the Queen's plans to kill her. Gets random help from forest animals and friendly fae folk, yadda yadda yadda. Normally makes eye contact once with a handsome stranger which basically makes them engaged. Big bad Queenie pulls out all the stops to get the girl out of the way, but because she's so evil (or maybe just bitter) there's a convenient loophole. True love's kiss.
Gross.
The heroine is rescued by her true love (who she's known all of five minutes) and a host of magical forest friends and kindly fae wherein they all live a sickeningly sweet happily ever after.
Gives you cavities, really.
See, the problem with this isn't that it's unrealistic. Maybe once in a blue moon, some random couple gets their happy ending without an overload of drama the rest of us mere mortals have to deal with. But those people are the lucky ones.
No, the problem isn't the people or stupid overused plot. It's that in the stories they break the most important rule of all: Never ever trust the fae.
To bad no one ever told me that. Disney owes me a refund.
After four days in the car with three teenagers and a pissed off cat, seeing the sign for Forks was both welcome and bittersweet.
Adam and Lola, my very best friends in the universe, insisted on turning my move into one last road trip for the three of us before college. None of us were particularly happy about the separation though. We'd been thick as thieves for the last four years. Where one went, the other two followed.
But Forks was a tiny dot of a town in the Olympic Peninsula of northwest Washington State. A whole three thousand and forty miles away from Brooklyn, New York. Just a plane ride away, but it might as well have been another world. New York was a rush of life and lights, always moving and spinning. I loved everything about it- the noise, always seeing something different every day, the food. God, I was seriously going to miss real pizza and bagels with lox. Sure, it was tiny in size but it held more life than anywhere I'd ever been. It was gray and old and smelled like iron and cigarettes but there wasn't anything else like it.
In contrast, Forks was green. Which was interesting since green was my favorite color, but I'd never seen so much vegetation in my life as I did looking out the backseat window. It was also gray but it was a different sort of gray than back home. Here gray meant rain and wet, which in turn blossomed into a sprawling green landscape. It was beautiful in an alien way, I supposed. It just wasn't home.
Adam's grey eyes looked at me in the rearview mirror. "Still time to change your mind, Sloane. Say the word and I'll turn the car around."
I leaned forward between him and Lola to press a kiss to his scruffy cheek. "I know you would," I said with a smile. "But my parents are both former military and probably know people who'd catch us before we made it to Seattle."
The beads in Lola's braids clicked together when she shook her head. "You know my okaa-san and yuma wouldn't mind you coming to stay with us. This is too far."
While I agreed, we all knew it really wasn't my decision. Just because Adam was of age didn't mean Lola and I had similar freedom. Being only seventeen we were still children in the eyes of the law. I hugged her as best I could given the awkward angle.
We turned down a road lined with evergreen trees so thick that the weak sunlight filtering through was tinted green. The houses were all older but well kept, each one with a thick green lawn and even more vegetation in the form of bushes and shrubs. Adam followed the address plugged into the GPS to a small two-story home painted a bright yellow with crisp white shutters. Two cars were already parked in the space; my mother's Mercedes and my father's Jeep. Another car I didn't recognize was parked on the side of the road.
"That's a '72 Chevy Blazer," Adam mentioned, running his hand through his shaggy blond hair. "Don't see those much anymore. Looks like it might have a lift kit too. The Baja lights are a nice touch."
Lola looked up from her phone. Narrowing her eyes critically she said, "Piece of junk is what it is." He whipped his head around to stare at her aghast. "Oh come on, don't get so defensive."
"Play nice kids," I said jokingly. Both of them stuck their tongues at me at the same time, causing them to laugh. It was just the way we rolled. But I agreed with Adam. It was no secret Lola's taste ran to the luxe side, but Adam and I were all about the vintage life. Just because I couldn't speak gearhead didn't mean I couldn't appreciate a nice car. The Blazer with the faded army green paint job was definitely something I could picture myself driving.
We spilled out of the car with only mild groaning about stiff legs. The temperature change fogged up my glasses; I rubbed the lenses of the black cat eye frames with the end of my shirt to clear them. Adam popped the trunk and grabbed both my bags. When I went to help he gave me a look until I backed off. I grumbled under my breath about over-machoness that he heard. He just laughed and walked up the steps. Lola took my backpack while I grabbed Catticus' carrier.
My dad, William, opened the door just as I went to knock and pulled me into an awkward one-armed hug. I wasn't expecting him home actually. He was the new fire chief at the fire department here in town after all.
"You made good time, Spitfire," William said pressing a kiss to my hair.
"Got an early start. Neighbor's in our motel last night was pretty rowdy." William's pale green eyes snapped to Adam, leveling him with that mile-long stare. To his credit my friend didn't flinch; then again my eyes were the same shade and he was used to me. But while I was a curvy five foot six, William was a severe-looking ex-Navy man just a hair over six foot. Even after retiring from the Navy he kept the high and tight haircut that only emphasized his strong jawline and high cheekbones.
He took the backpack from Lola and beckoned us to follow. Inside most of the boxes had been unpacked and the furniture was already set up in their permanent spots. New appliances gleamed in the kitchen, a pretty contrast to the walnut shaker style cabinets that were just slightly irregular enough to be handmade. It was pretty cozy actually. Nothing compared to our super chic place back home though.
It only took one trip to get my stuff upstairs. It was the only bedroom up there and faced the backyard. When Lola pushed open the door I thought maybe there may have been a mistake. My furniture and stuff proved it wasn't. The ceiling was sloped so it was lower on the right side of the room, where my bed was put under the skylight. Wide planks, freshly stained a coastal gray made up the floor. But what made us all pause were the two doors on the far wall that led out to a little balcony above the back porch.
The three of us stood out there looking out beyond the unfenced backyard that led right to the mouth of the evergreen forest the property was pushed up against. It was a little eerie looking into the shadowed trees. A yawning abyss reminiscent of the unfathomable darkness stretched beyond the end of a coral reef.
"I hate this." I slung my arm around Lola, leaning my head on her shoulder. She pulled me in for a proper hug. Incense and spice clung to her as it always did, mingling with the sweetly scented oils she put in her long black hair. Her adoptive parents, Sato Murasaki and Nilofar Diaz, had become like two more mothers to me and I was going to miss them almost as much as Lola.
"I hate it too," I told her. "But it is the way it is for now."
When I pulled away Adam dragged me into a tight hug. I clung back just as fiercely. His family was all from Houston, the same city I was born, but he'd run away to New York to escape his dad at the tender age of thirteen. It was through Lola that I met him because her moms fought to get custody of him. Adam was the strongest person I knew. The man I went to when I needed a rock to lean on. Having him be so far away… I buried my face in his neck, standing on my tiptoes to reach.
It only took twenty minutes or so to put my stuff away. Just enough time for me to start panicking over starting school the next day. Alone. Forks High School had a frightening total of only three hundred and fifty-eight - now fifty-nine - students. They'd all grown up together - shit, their grandparents grew up together. Sure, my cousin, Angela, was a junior like me, but I hadn't seen her since we were kids. We didn't look alike either. Judging by their last Christmas card Angela looked more like my mom than I did. Which sort of made sense since my aunt and my mother were identical twins.
I didn't think I was particularly pretty. Not hideous by any means, but my features were more striking than anything else. My dad and I both had the signature Dawson strong jawlines, high cheekbones, and odd mint green eyes. I rather liked the thousands of freckles that crowded my ivory skin from head to toe. But my favorite feature had to be my hair; the copper mane tumbled in a riot of curls past my hips, very much like Merida.
Most of the Dawson women were on the curvy side of the hourglass shape, with wide hips and large breasts. I was no exception. Not that I was obese - regular practice of yoga and morning runs kept me healthy. Still, my breasts, thighs, and backside stubbornly remained larger than I liked. The doctor said I was healthy and that sometimes it was just genetics. It didn't exactly make me feel better. I was strong despite the softness, and could keep up with any other skinny athletically inclined person. I just wished it showed more sometimes.
The evening progressed despite my wishes for time to pause. My mom, Sandra, was visiting with her sister and her family. My dad ordered a pizza for the three of us and left for his shift at the station. Even though I had school tomorrow, we stayed up most of the night until we fell asleep in a pile of blankets in the living room.
They left in the morning while it was still dark. I watched them long after the tail lights had turned past the corner at the end of the street, bare feet numb from the early morning dew. A gentle reminder from my mom had me moving to go through my morning routine.
I normally went all out on my makeup, but I really wasn't feeling like doing a full face this morning. I toned it down instead and went with my signature gold winged liner, mascara and false eyelashes and a quick swipe of tinted gloss. I carefully pulled my hair into a high ponytail, then went to pick out my clothes. For the first day of school, I didn't want to stick out but I knew it needed to be warm. It took me a few minutes, but I decided on my green and black plaid skirt, black leggings, and my favorite chunky black sweater I'd picked up at an estate sale. My boots were downstairs by the door with the rest of the shoes.
Dry swallowing my meds, I went downstairs to find my mom standing in the kitchen fixing her travel mug.
"Your dad wanted to give these to you last night, but I didn't want to interrupt your time with your friends." She tossed me something that flashed silver. Keys. Car keys. I raised an eyebrow at her, confused. "Surprise!"
"You got me a car?"
She nodded, smiling. "The green one outside. I thought you'd want something newer, but your dad insisted."
My parents are sort of strangers to me, but they are good people and want what's best for me. Unfortunately, their ideas of what's best for me don't match mine; such as this move. They do love me and I love them dearly, but we aren't what I'd call close. But it seemed like they'd paid some sort of attention to what I liked. Well, at least William had.
I gave her a hug that smelled like Burberry perfume. Sandra wished me good luck on my first day and left for her hour and a half commute to Port Angeles. Which left me with some time before I had to leave for school. I crunched on toast at the small table, looking around. It was pretty enough I supposed - the tiny living room had a fireplace anyway. It might even work. It just didn't feel like home.
It was raining when I walked outside in my new navy blue coat. Not unusual for late January Forks. I tossed my bag in the cab and slammed the door behind me. It wasn't as loud as I thought it might be. Someone had installed a new radio that I could connect my phone too; I did just that, selecting a playlist to help get me into a better mood.
Like everything else in town Forks High school was off the highway. A brightly colored sign out front declared it to be the home of the Spartans. The identical squat buildings made up of maroon colored bricks threw me off at first. They looked like houses, not a school. Shrubs and bushes spilling in from the dark forest beyond made a natural perimeter the property.
Slightly unnerved, I parked in the first spot I saw and spent the next few minutes looking for the office. It wasn't labeled well; just a door with a hand-written sign with the word 'office' scrawled on it in the glass.
My boots didn't make any noise on the orange flecked carpet when inside. It was brightly lit and much warmer than was comfortable. The room was cut in half by a long counter, cluttered with wire baskets full of papers and brightly colored flyers taped to its front. There were three desks behind the counter, all of them unmanned. A clock ticked loudly somewhere behind them, the only sound breaking the silence.
"Hello?" I called out.
There was a shuffling and a large woman with short red hair in a sweatshirt appeared from somewhere in the back. She looked me up and down critically before she asked archly, "Can I help you?"
"I'm Sloane Dawson." I squirmed slightly at the disapproving look she gave me as she took in my makeup, overly festooned backpack, and heavy boots.
She seemed to make up her mind about me after a moment, shifting to a more professional tone. It was better than cool disapproval at least. "Of course, one moment dear," She said as she dug through the mess of papers on the desk. "This here is your schedule and a map of the school."
She answered all my questions, confirming my credits and transcripts had transferred correctly. I was grateful she took the time to show me the best routes to get to my classes and before I left she handed me a slip I needed all my teachers to sign. I was to bring it back at the end of the day, which wasn't a big deal.
"And if you need anything, feel free to come ask, honey. You're not the only new student here either." Her smile was strange as if she wasn't quite sure she liked who she was talking about. "All the way from Phoenix that one."
Phoenix? Like Arizona? That threw me for a bit of a loop. How did someone go from Arizona to Forks? I filed it in the back of my head for later.
"Thanks for the help," I held up the stack of papers in my head. "But I don't think I caught your name?"
She pushed her glasses up her nose with a pudgy finger, then tapped the nameplate on her desk. "I'm Mrs. Cope, dear. Now go on and get to class. Mr. Mason is just around the corner."
Outside the parking lot was filling with cars, most of them older with the exception of an obviously new Volvo, a flashy red convertible and a big black Dodge truck, all three parked side by side out of the way. It was still raining, so I tugged my hood up over my hair again, glad my blue coat wouldn't look out of place here. I was kind of unnerved at seeing how everyone else was dressed. Practical layers and heavy coats seemed to be the Forks friendly fashion. At least my coat wouldn't stick out. Just the rest of me.
Shoving my nose in my map, I followed it to my first class. English with Mason. The heat inside fogged up my glasses, but I was able to see enough that the people in front of me hung up their coats. I heard the room quiet the second I removed mine, my hair a flaming beacon against my mostly black outfit. The nameplate on the desk declared the teacher to be Mr. Mason, a tall balding man who stared at me with a slack-jawed expression as he signed my slip. I quickly slipped to the back at a desk occupied by another girl who didn't pay me any attention.
She was very pretty with deep chocolate eyes and wavy brown hair that glinted with red strands. Her skin was pale like everyone else here in this rainy town and her eyes had heavy bags on her thin face.
Maybe she was just tired, but she didn't look like she'd appreciate any attempts at small talk. I'd resigned myself to an awkward year when she surprised me by speaking up first.
"He had the exact same reaction to me when I got here." I blinked owlishly at her. "Mason," she clarified.
"Oh." That was me - eloquent and verbose.
"I'm Bella Swan," She continued. I held my hand out for her to shake. "Don't worry, the rumor mill will probably stop soon."
"Probably?" I laughed a bit self consciously. She smiled sympathetically at the discomfort I could feel on my face. I felt a little better knowing I wasn't the only new person here.
"It's a small town and you're from somewhere more exciting. New York, right?"
"Brooklyn. I'm Sloane by the way, sorry."
"You're fine. What classes do you have?" I dug out my schedule and handed it to her. She looked it over and nodded, handing it back.
"We share a few classes together, including gym. My sympathies," she joked. "Just duck and run when I'm on the court. Everyone else does."
"I'm not exactly coordinated, but I can probably try and keep the ball away from you. Good reflexes." She looked a little more relieved than I expected. Bella flicked her hair over her shoulder and I smelled the faintest scent of strawberries.
"I saw that you're in the AP seniors physics. You must be pretty good at science then."
"Not really." I shrugged. "I just really like the subject. I struggle a lot with it but because I like it, it motivates me to work harder." Having ADHD didn't help either, I thought to myself as I drummed my fingers lightly against the tabletop.
Our conversation was cut off by the Mr. Mason calling for attention. I dug around in my bag for my notebook but couldn't find a pen. I tapped Bella on the shoulder. "Do you have an extra pen?" She wordlessly handed me a spare and returned her attention to the front.
It wasn't quite as easy for me to focus. My toes kept tapping the crack in the dingy linoleum as my eyes flicked around the room. Directly in front of me were two girls. One was a white-blonde in a trendy dress and the other was shorter with light brown hair. Both were as pale as the moon and I was beginning to realize that was the norm here. Which made sense. It was pretty sunless here.
The reading list was basic; I'd already done it last year. New York schools were great, and I wondered just how far ahead I was the curriculum here. I struggled in school but I didn't want to spend a whole year with a refresher. Challenges were supposed to put your brain to work. I enjoyed it. And while I did enjoy school, I didn't think I would if the rest of my classes were anything like this one.
The bell was awful, a loud nasally buzz that caused me to jump out of my skin. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see someone approaching as I packed my bag.
"Sloane?" The voice was soft and pleasant. I looked up to see my cousin.
"Hey, Angela." My cousin seemed pleased I remembered her. Even if I didn't it would have been easy to guess who she was. Like my mom, she was tall and slender like a dancer, with wide brown eyes and mousy brown hair streaked with honey. A pair of cute round glasses were perched on her button nose.
"I didn't know you were starting today, otherwise I would've met you this morning." She sounded so apologetic but I didn't hold it against her. We got out coats and ventured back out into the rain.
"It's fine, don't worry." I dug through my bag for my schedule and map. "Any idea where" I held the map closer to my face, "Varner is? I've got trig next."
The sympathetic look on her face made my stomach clench with anxiety. "Building four. Come on, I'm headed that way."
I hurried after her, trying to match my shorter strides to her longer ones. It really wasn't fair how everyone else in my family was so tall.
We made it Trig just as the last bell rang. My cousin disappeared into the class next door. Steeling myself again, I walked inside and again hung up my coat. After I had him sign my slip, Varner forced me to introduce myself to the class. I silently begged for the ground to open up and swallow me as I slunk to the back empty seat. The rest of the morning continued on like so.
My Government class was where things got interesting. After handing my slip to Jefferson, I waited uncomfortably by his desk as he deliberated where to put me. Of course, he would be the type to assign seats.
Finally, he looked up from the print out of the seating chart. "Mr. Cullen," he called. "Raise your hand if you would."
A bronze haired boy in the back row did so. The teacher turned his attention back to me. "This will be your assigned seat for the remainder of the year. Remember it."
I groaned mentally but did as I was told. Students stared as I walked past them but I tried not to let it get to me. So far I was doing pretty well -
Then I got a good look at my new seatmate.
How the fuck can someone be so pretty? I thought. He was pale as death, with perfectly straight, angular features. Light golden eyes were shadowed by dark purple bruises as if he hadn't slept well in a while. He also had the most ridiculous bronze bouffant hair I'd ever seen; it was like he'd stepped out of a commercial for hair gel. Sitting beside him it was obvious he smelled nice too. Like… peppermint, rosemary, green apples and that peculiar scent of a frigid winter day.
Perfect, pretty and nice smelling - all these things that should have maybe set me at ease. Or at least not make me feel the way I did. Something about him made me wary. My gut screamed a warning that was impossible to mistake. There was something about this guy that was off. I just didn't know what.
The internal screeching got louder when he looked at me with a half-smile. I tried to return it, but it probably looked more like a grimace.
"Hello." Quiet and polite. Nothing suspicious about him at all. Thin lips curled into a wider smile. I wanted to slap him. Or run. Or both.
What the hell was wrong with me?
Fighting the urge to shove myself to the furthest edge of the desk I looked up at him. "Hey," I replied.
"My name is Edward Cullen," he introduced himself smoothly. "You must be Sloane Dawson."
Of course, he knew my name - it seemed like everyone so far did. But coming from him it seemed sinister almost. I didn't like this Edward.
"Ten points to Slytherin." He arched a perfect eyebrow. In what universe was it fair that he had better brows than me? Mentally I facepalmed as I tried to get a grip.
"Do you always make assumptions about people when you first meet them?" I shrugged.
"Don't we all? It's human nature to judge things."
He laughed softly. "Indeed. But isn't it considered polite to not do so?"
I rolled my eyes. "Everyone judges things every day. Whether it's choosing between fruit or between a partner, it's inescapable. Everyone is judgmental over everything. The difference is your attitude about it."
Those eyes of his flicked up and down assessing me. Whatever he saw I had no idea. His face was set in a very obvious pleasant mask. What gave him away was how guarded his eyes were. Uncomfortable, I turned back to the front.
"Ravenclaw." Annoyed in his insistence to keep up a dialogue, I turned back.
"What about it?"
"You're a Ravenclaw." Well, yeah, he was right. But I didn't like he'd guessed it. I didn't like this entire situation at all. "Am I annoying you?" He sounded amused.
I threw him a glance. He was looking at me with a crooked smile that might have been handsome if his eyes weren't quite so sinister. I realized that he was enjoying this. That bastard.
As if he heard my train of thought his smile widened just a little.
"Deduce that all by yourself, Sherlock?"
Edward tapped his pen against the wood grain of the desk. "I find most people easy to read." Bright white, perfect teeth flashed in the light. "You included."
I narrowed my eyes at him, abandoning all attempts to focus on the lesson at hand. I shifted in my seat so my body was angled toward him, but kept a distance between us. My fingers drummed on the desktop anxiously.
"You're an asshole."
"Among other things," he said simply. "Although, I wonder just what has given you that impression. We're having a perfectly civil conversation." Edward paused. "Rather, I am. You… well. Your manners could use some work."
I opened my mouth to tell him exactly where to shove his opinions when a strange hissing noise cut through the air. When I looked around no one else seemed to have heard it - save for a tiny girl sitting alone at the desk across from me.
She and Edward had to be siblings - she also had the pale skin and sleep deprived look. Only her eyes were much darker, almost black. They should have been sinister, but with her almost elvish delicate features and inky black pixie cut, it just looked quirky. I was struck for a minute how lovely she was. Like Edward, she had impossibly perfect angular features.
I had the same revulsion for her as I did for Edward and for the life of me, I couldn't figure out why. She was even less threatening than he was.
When the bell rang I bolted, barely remembering to grab my coat in my mad dash out. Following the horde of students, I found myself in the cafeteria for lunch. Angela waved me over. We got in line and our lunches, where I followed her to a crowded lunch table in the center of the room. She made introductions and I was pleased to see I recognized a few people. Bella, a blond boy I was pretty sure named Mike and a tiny curly haired girl I had two classes with.
I made the polite small talk, fielding questions left and right. It was normal actually. A few minutes of it and I found myself actually having a good time. Everyone had been very nice and welcoming with one exception. I felt my mood sour at the thought of Edward. To get my mind off of it I turned my attention to Bella who was looking a little annoyed with Jessica's questions.
"I just don't get why he's talking to you," Jessica prattled. "I mean, he's super hot but he's never talked to anymore. Not that you're not hot Bella because you totally are, but like. Wow."
"Who are we talking about?"
Her face brightened. "Edward Cullen," she gushed. "His entire family is hot but he's, like, the hottest."
I frowned. "Bit of an asshole though."
The entire table stopped in their conversations to look at me. I took a drink of my Dr Pepper.
"Are you serious?" A girl with corn-silk hair leaned around Mike to stare at me like I was an idiot.
"Wait you talked to him?" Jessica gasped. "What the hell?"
Mike rolled his eyes and took a bite of his sandwich. "We get it, Jess, you've got a crush on Cullen. Can we move on please?"
"No," the table choused.
"What is it with everyone and fixating on them? I don't get it."
Corn-silk girl scoffed, looking at her nails. "Uh, hello. Have you seen them?"
"I've only met Edward," I answered. "And maybe his sister. Not sure."
Jessica's curls bounced when she pushed her hair out of her face. "Nobody's told you about the Cullen's yet?"
With that awed emphasis, I wasn't sure if she was referring to a family or a gang. "Obviously or I wouldn't be asking."
She flapped her hand at me to hush as she rushed to spill the gossip. "There's Edward, Alice and Emmett Cullen, and Rosalie and Jasper Hale. They came down from Alaska two years ago. Doctor Cullen is a surgeon at the local hospital, and his wife adopted all five of them."
"Five kids?" I whistled. "Besides normal teenage drama, I don't see how that's so bad. They're not all related are they?"
She let out a nervous giggle. "No, thank god. They're all together - Emmett and Rosalie, and Jasper and Alice, I mean. And they live together! It's so weird. They're all adopted. The Hales are brother and sister, twins - the blondes - and they're foster children."
Mike propped his elbows on the table to jump in. "It's not their bad. Just… give off a vibe, y'know?" I did know.
"Don't look now, but new girl has an admirer," corn-silk said. "No, don't look!" she hissed, grabbing my arm. "God, don't you know how this works?" I shrugged her off and turned around anyway.
Across the cafeteria sat four of the most aesthetically perfect people I'd ever seen. All of them were the palest a person could possibly be, with perfect hair and features that belonged splashed across a magazine spread.
There were two girls and three boys; the biggest boy (and I used that word loosely) was a brunette, with adorable curly hair that somehow worked for him. He was built like a damn linebacker, with a barrel chest and arms I was positive were the result of steroid use or fanatical conditioning. Or both. If he stood up I was sure he'd at least be six foot five. Next to him sat the tiny girl from my Government class. The size comparison was a little comical, like sitting Tinkerbell next to a grizzly bear. Edward sat beside them, much to my distaste. The other boy and girl were both blondes and at first glance, I thought they might be siblings. The girl was so beautiful I felt my self-esteem take a hit just by being in the same room as her. Her attention was absorbed by the book in her hand.
My eyes drifted finally to the last boy and I nearly fell out of my seat when I saw he was staring right at me.
The stranger was ridiculously handsome with his long blond hair and the most incredible molten gold eyes. He sat lazily in his chair, his body obviously lean and well muscled, with his elbow propped on the edge of the table, long legs outstretched and crossed at the ankle. He was dressed in a long-sleeved navy button-down with the top two buttons undone to reveal his white undershirt. The way the table was angled I could see he was wearing blue jeans and -God help me- cowboy boots. His face was perfectly neutral as he looked at me as if trying to suss me out.
Like Edward and Alice, his eyes had heavy bags and I could feel my gut telling me to stay very far away.
All five of them were beautiful, almost otherworldly - and completely unsettling. All of their trays sat in front of them untouched, but they weren't talking or even looking at each other. Something was just off. I turned back around in my seat slowly, feeling oddly reluctant to give my back to the five of them.
"Are you sure Texas and Beef-Arms McLarge over there are students?"
Mike and the other boys nearly choked with surprised laughter. Cornsilk girl and Jessica looked scandalized like I'd flashed the Pope or something. Behind me, I heard a deep chuckle and I flushed a bright red as I realized my comment been heard.
"Christ, Sloane," Mike wheezed, helpfully thumping Eric on the back. "Warn a guy next time."
Angela patted me on the shoulder kindly as I struggled to find the words to reply but just gave up. I didn't know what to say about the people across the room. I did manage to not look back over at them and was able to sort of focus on the conversation around me. The unsettling feeling I had from the Cullen's magnified until it was all I could focus on. The noise that wasn't a problem earlier was now overwhelming and I felt myself getting a little uncomfortable in the unfamiliar intense environment.
I'm safe, I'm calm, I'm okay, I thought, repeating the familiar mantra my therapist had taught me. I focused on my breathing, inhaling three counts, holding it, then exhaling three. Slowly I relaxed by degrees and took my banana in hand. I peeled it slowly, taking the time to carefully pick it apart into bite-sized pieces.
Mike fell against my shoulder, jarring me out of my calm state. He apologized quickly, going to back to roughhousing with Eric. I could feel an anxiety attack beginning, my chest feeling tighter with each breath.
As smooth as silk relaxation flowed through me, bringing with it a soothing peace that made my limbs feel heavy. The pounding in my head eased, stress slipping away as if it had never been. It was like being wrapped in a warm blanket of warm vibes. Slowly, I turned in my seat again.
Texas was still staring, along with Beef-Arms McLarge. Although the latter looked decidedly more mischievous, his gleaming white teeth bared in a wicked smirk. The former was just as neutral as before.
Jessica waved her hand in front of my face and I pulled my attention back to reality. "I'm sorry, I got distracted. What did you say?"
She huffed with annoyance. "I was going to invite you to come to First Beach with us this Saturday but you're obviously more interested in the Cullen clan." I felt bad for getting so absorbed in a stranger across the room and ignoring the people in front of me. ADHD strikes again!
"I'm sorry Jessica, I space out sometimes. They just look a little… different," I said delicately. "I'd love to go with you on Saturday, it sounds like fun. Tell me more about it."
When lunch ended I stood up to toss my still mostly full tray in the trash- anxiety attacks always killed my appetite. I snuck a look up at the boy from earlier which was a mistake. He met my gaze with an even stare of his own, and I blushed a bit as his eyes slowly dragged up from my boots to my face in the most thorough once-over I'd ever received.
There was something about those eyes of his that triggered a memory from when I was a kid. I'd gone through a phase where I'd been obsessed with big cats. My mom had taken me to the zoo so that I could go see them, all the while laughing while I dragged her determinedly through the crowds. Little eight year old me had stood close to the glass watching the lazy beasts lounge around in their majestic glory. One had locked eyes with me and had stalked closer, a big male tiger who sat in front of the glass where I'd pressed my hands. He'd very slowly lifted a paw and pressed it where my left hand was, all the while staring me in the eye with a vivid gaze.
Tyger tyger, burning bright, I thought as I finally broke eye contact with him. Scurrying back to my table where I'd left my bag, I went to exit the cafeteria but for whatever reason, I looked back at him once more.
Texas was still staring and when he was sure he had my full attention, he winked. Face burning, I ran out to my next class - gym.
Coach Clapp was a large balding man with a ruddy face but he seemed nice enough despite wearing Crocs. After he signed my slip I received my gym clothes -two mustard yellow shirts, shorts and a pair of sweats both navy blue- and felt relieved when he said because it was my first day I didn't have to dress out. I spent the period getting a headstart on my homework, occasionally looking up to see what was going on. Coach turned out to be a sadistic teacher who believed that gym class should be used for actual team sports. Bella must have been as clumsy as she claimed because not only was she picked last, her teammates went out of their way to keep her out of the way.
Somehow a ball got through despite her team's efforts because Bella ended up trying to bat it away from her and it went hurtling towards me. I looked up when I heard the shout and was able to duck away just in time.
When she went to the locker room I packed up my stuff and went out into the hallway, nose stuck in both my schedule and map, where I collided with something solid. Before I could catch myself I fell down in a heap, my tailbone protesting at being landed on.
"Oh, fuck, sorry new girl," said a deep voice above me. I looked up (and up and up) at the giant Cullen from lunch. He reached down and pulled me up to my feet. His skin so shockingly cold that I flinched.
"Nah, it's fine. The floor needed a hug anyway." The unsettling feeling was back, oddly enough, even though he was being perfectly friendly. I shifted my bag more comfortably on my shoulder trying to discreetly look for an escape. He still hadn't let go of my hand.
"Sloane, right? I'm Emmett."
"Yeah. Nice to meet you."
"Liar." I looked at him, startled. Emmett didn't seem to be upset; quite the opposite if his grin was anything to go by. I tugged gently on my hand still caught in his grip, but he didn't let go.
"Skittish little thing, aren't you?" He mused, looking me up and down. "That's fair I guess. Makes you smarter than Swan anyway."
His eyes were the same color as Texas'. How was that possible? Weren't they all adopted? I didn't think any of them were actually related.
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
He laughed, a big booming sound that seemed to vibrate my very bones and released my hand. "No, you don't. But you will." Could he get any more cryptic? He raised his massive fist, and I bumped it hesitantly with my smaller one.
"Where ya headed next?" He ignored my protest at having my schedule taken from me and held it just high enough above my head where I couldn't reach it even while jumping, "What a coincidence. Looks like we share AP physics and American history."
"Can I have those back now?" I demanded, reaching uselessly for the pieces of paper. Emmett cocked his head, smirking.
"If you can reach them, sure. Might be easier if I walk you to class." The bell rang loudly, and I made one last leap for the papers held hostage in his fist. It took everything I had to resist kneeing him in the groin to wipe the stupid grin off his face.
"You're such an asshole, Cullen," I grumbled as he tucked them into his pocket before guiding me to class. People stared at us slack-jawed, and I could feel my face burn at the hissing of whispers. It was convenient how everyone parted before the two of us like the red-sea. My appreciation for not having to shove between people was short-lived when we reached the classroom, and I nearly had a heart-attack from the frosty glare boring a hole into me from the gorgeous blonde girl from lunch.