I sat and studied the dust that was streaming in through the window, caught in a beautiful dance in the streams of sunshine. The tiny particles swirled in the air currents, glinting in the streams of sunshine.

I sat alone today. None of my family could come to school, with the chance of being caught in one of the rays, and Jacob was visiting Leah. She now lived in Chicago, and was going to college. She still had regular contact with Jake- specifically whenever she got annoyed, which wasn't very convienient. Today, he had driven up to see her, and they were all then carrying on back home, to La Push.

I missed him fiercely, even though he had only left after dropping me off at school. It was quiet. It was annoying, the sun. It trapped everyone but me and Jake indoors. Not that I usually minded the alone time with him, but with him gone, I felt...

Lonely. I looked around, at the crowded lunch area. Some of the students here were my age, some older. I was seventeen now, and this was my third junior year.

And yet, though we were technically the same age, we were so different. The babble surrounded me, my hearing- much more sensitive than a humans- heard every word of their many, banal, average conversations.

I picked up an apple, grimacing slightly. Still, it helped protect us. One of the first things my mother noticed was that father and the others didn't eat. So now, me and Jake were careful to eat in public, as we were to come in on the occasional sunny day, to allay suspicions.

I bit it. Ugh. Absolutely tasteless. I swallowed, before taking another bite. It wasn't too bad- just bland. I still preferred blood.

The bell rang, and everyone still in the cafeteria stood up, scraping back chairs and grumbling. I binned my apple gratefully and joined the crowds heading for the door.

French last. I took my seat at the back, sighing at the empty chair beside me. Today would be boring, without Jake there, mucking about and mispronouncing stuff whenever the teacher, Madame Kolor, called on him.

Every seat was soon filled. Noone looked at me. I was one of the haughty Cullens- we never talked to anyone. And why should we? They were all so boring, so average. My first time through high school, I'd tried to keep up with all the gossip, make friends. It hadn't worked. Even with Jake by me, reassuringly normal, the humans were terrified of the rest of my family. As it should be.

The class had started. I sat daydreaming, only vaguely aware of what the teacher was saying.

'Vanessa?'

Dammit. What was the question. She'd been talking about sports....

'Pardon, madam?'

'Quel age as-tu?'

'J'ai dix-sept ans.' Perfectly true, this year. It always amused me when the others had to answer. I often wondered if the indifferent and daydreaming humans would notice if they said their real ages.

Fixing a more attentive expression on my face, I tracked the teacher with my eyes, hoping she wouldn't bother me again, and kicking myself for not paying attention.

I missed Jake. I spent the rest of the lesson thinking about his eyes, his white smile. I walked out of the classroom when the bell went, thinking of the anecdotes I could tell him to make him smile.

I unlocked the Volvo, stepping in. I was just clicking on my seatbelt when Kayleigh Hawkins tapped on my window. I'd seen her approach, but had just assumed she was parked nearby.

'Um, Vanessa, I wanted to give you this. And one for, uh, Jake...' she tailed off, looking down. I felt slightly guilty- we didn't meen to be so intimidating.

I glanced at the cards she had handed me. Party invites. Wow.

'Oh. Thanks, Kayleigh.' She looked shocked- probably didn't think I knew her name. I knew all their names- photographic memory and all that. 'Jake'll be pleased. What's the occasion?'

She smiled. 'Birthday. Sweet seventeen.'

'Cool. So what do I need to wear?'

'Um... well, it's a disco, so...'

'Right. Gotcha. Who else is coming?'

'uh, my folks are letting me invite the whole year. So you'll come?'

'I can't think what we're doing, but I'm pretty sure it's fine, yeah. Thanks so much.'

'uh, you're welcome.' She returned my smile shyly, walking away faster than was normal. She joined a group of girls and immediately reported the shockin news that one of the Cullens was actually nice. I was still chuckling as I drove away.

There was a slight snare before I joined the main road out of town. The sun still beamed down, with actual heat. It was summer, almost the end of term.

I pulled up outside of the gates, which were whirring open. Dad must have been listening out for me. I drove around, under the trees and parked up behind Alice's Porsche. Rosalie was there, just her legs visible. Emmet was beside her, holding up the bright red Ferrari.

'Hey, Nessie! How was school?' he grinned. 'Have fun?'

I smiled back. 'Of course. High school is just so interesting.' I rolled my eyes. Rosalie laughed.

I walked in. Dad was now sat at the piano, mum beside him, resting her head on his shoulder. They both smiled at me.

I came and perched on Mum's knee, and she put her arms around me.

'How bad?' she asked, kissing my cheek.

'Bad.' I sighed, looking at Dad. He was playing softly, Esme's song, with it's quiet chords.

They both hummed in sympathy. Dad turned back to the keys, playing a happy, laughing tune. I could remember him humming that to me, one of my earliest memories. It had been shortly after I was born, with my mother still led in the background, changing. Her face was still, she was still knocked out by the drugs, and definitely human.

She'd been so beautiful. I could see, why of all the mortals on this planet, my father had chosen her.

Now she was immortal, but her face wasn't that different. Barely whiter, she'd been so pale...

I sat on her lap and she put her arms around me. Dad kept playing, the song changing, slowing into the lullaby. The one he'd sung to her, every night. I could remember, before I was born, even, when everything was blurred, like I was asleep, hearing that. The beautiful music.