DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE TWILIGHT SAGA OR THE CONCEPT; ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE ORIGINAL OWNERS.

AN: This is going to be a Lily Swan x Jacob Black story but there will be many other couples mentioned as well. I will try to stick to the story line as much as possible, but I will change some things to fit my own. Sorry about any grammar or spelling mistakes as I tend to type fast and miss things. All reviews are welcome, the more feedback I get the more inspired I am to write and the quicker I will update. Critique is appreciated as long as it's constructive and all questions asked will be answered at the bottom of each chapter.

Chapter 1 – First Sight

"Bye, Bella!"

"Good luck at your new school!"

"We'll miss you!"

The three fake tan athletic blondes say as they all climb into a red Mercedes Convertible waving.

"Bye!" My younger twin sister waves as they drive away.

I was just coming out of the house with Mum when she turned around to join us, holding a baby cactus close to her.

"It won't work again, baby," Mum told me as she gave me her phone.

"You put it on hold," I say immediately seeing what she had done.

"I did?"

"Look you also called Mexico," I laugh. Mum pushes me playfully in response causing me to stumble. She automatically caught and steadied me before replying.

"I'll figure it out. You gotta be able to reach me and Phil on the road – I love saying that – on the road."

"Very romantic," I say teasingly.

Phil came out of the house then carrying two suitcases; one for me and one for Bella.

"If you call crappy motels, backwater towns and ballpark hot-dogs romantic," he says coming over to us and putting his Phoenix Desert Dogs baseball cap on Mums head with a kiss.

As he loaded the car, Mum slipped her arms through mine and Bella's.

"Now if you change your mind, I'll race back from wherever the game is," Mum says.

"We won't change our minds Mum," Bella says trying to reassure her, but the dread and doubt was clear on her face.

Both Mum and Phil drove us to the airport with the windows rolled down, the beautiful scenery in view. It was seventy-five degrees in Phoenix, the sky a perfect, cloudless blue and I was wearing my favourite sleeveless, white eyelet lace shirt as a farewell gesture. Where I was going, I probably wouldn't be wearing shirts like this anytime soon. Because of this I had a parka as my carry-on item in preparation for the cold weather.

In the Olympic Peninsula of north-west Washington State, a small town named Forks exists under a near-constant cover of clouds. It rains on this town more than any other place in the United States of America. It was from this town that my mother left with my sister and me when we were only seven years old. It was in this town that we'd spent most of our holidays until we were thirteen. That was the year Isabella 'put her foot down'. Since then, my dad; Charlie, Bella and I vacationed all over the US during the summer holidays instead. I alone visited Forks during the winter. Ironically it was to Forks that we were now heading – an action Bella took with great horror. She detested Forks.

"Bella," Mum said to her – the last of a thousand times – before we got on the plane. Phil was waiting in the car for her, giving us time to say our own goodbyes. "You don't have to do this."

"I want to go," she lied. She'd always been a bad liar, but she'd been saying this lie so frequently lately that it sounded almost convincing now. Almost.

"Tell Charlie I said hi."

"I will."

"I'll see you soon," she insisted hugging Bella tightly. "You can come home whenever you want – I'll come right back as soon as you need me."

I could see the sacrifice in her eyes behind the promise.

"Don't worry," I urged. "It'll be great. I love you, Mum."

"I love you too," she said coming over to hug me. "Look after your sister for me."

"I will," I whispered back so Bella wouldn't hear. I knew Mum would be worried about Bella. She didn't exactly make her hatred for Forks a secret. I on the other hand loved Forks. Sure I would miss the sun, the heat and the city, but Forks was home.

Dad was also really pleased about the whole thing. He was happy that we were coming to live with him for the first time with any degree of permanence. He'd already gotten us registered for high school and was going to help Bella get a car. Mine was being sent over as soon as possible.

Mum hugged me tightly for a minute before we had get onto the plane, and then she was gone.

It's a four-hour flight from Phoenix to Seattle, another hour in a small plane up to Port Angeles, and then an hour drive back down to Forks. When we landed in Port Angeles, it was raining. Dad was waiting for us with the cruiser and in uniform. This was to be expected. Dad is Police Chief Swan to the people of Forks.

"Daddy!" I shouted as soon as I saw him, running to jump into his arms. However, the weight of my bag threw me off balance and I went crashing into a guy trying to walk past.

"I'm so sorry!" I spluttered out, feeling the familiar heat rushing to my face. Luckily we hadn't completely fallen over, but the force left us both awkwardly trying to regain our balance. The guy wasn't much older than me, but he was a lot shorter. He stepped up to my chest with his chin raised high. I could see tattoos on both sides of his neck. A small woman with hair dyed solid black stared menacingly at me from his other side.

"Sorry?" she repeated, like my apology had been offensive somehow.

"Uh, yeah?" I respond nervously looking over towards my Dad, who was walking over to see what was going on, for help.

He didn't have to say anything. He just looked at the guy, who backed up a half-step and suddenly seemed a lot younger, and then the girl, whose sticky red lips settled into a pout. Without another word, they ducked around me and headed into the tiny terminal.

Dad and I both shrugged at the same time smiling at each other. It was funny how we had some of the same mannerisms when we didn't spend much time together. Maybe it was genetic.

"Good to see you too, Lily," Dad said chuckling, hugging me tightly before I could get into any more trouble. "It's good to see you, Bella," Dad said smiling as he pulled her into an awkward hug. "You haven't changed much. How's Renée?"

"Mum's fine. It's good to see you, too, Dad." Bella said.

We had only a few bags. Most of our clothes were too permeable for Washington, so it all fit easily into the trunk of the cruiser.

"I found a good car for you Bella, really cheap," Dad announced when we were strapped in.

"What kind of car?" Bella asked, suspicious of the way he said 'good car for you' as opposed to just 'good car.'

"Well, it's a truck actually, a Chevy."

"Where did you find it?"

"Do you remember Billy Black down at La Push?" La Push is the tiny Indian reservation on the coast.

"No."

"He used to go fishing with us during the summer," Dad prompted. "He's in a wheelchair now," Dad continued when she didn't respond, "so he can't drive anymore, and he offered to sell me his truck cheap."

"What year is it?" I could see from his change of expression that this was the question he was hoping Bella wouldn't ask.

"Well, Billy's done a lot of work on the engine – it's only a few years old, really."

"When did he buy it?" Bella asked not giving up so easily.

"He bought it in 1984, I think."

"Did he buy it new?"

"Well, no. I think it was new in the early sixties – or late fifties at the earliest," he admitted sheepishly.

"Ch – OW – Dad," Isabella corrected herself when I pinched her on the arm. I never approved of how she called our dad Charlie. He's our father and should be addressed as such. It wasn't like he was a bad father either! He always tried to get time to see us, but it was Isabella that never wanted to see him. The least she could do was called him Dad to his face! "I don't really know anything about cars. I wouldn't be able to fix it if anything went wrong, and I couldn't afford a mechanic..."

"Really, Bella, the thing runs great. They don't build them like that anymore."

"How cheap is cheap?" Bella asked after a couple of minutes.

"Well, honey, I kind of already bought it for you; as a homecoming gift." Dad said peeking sideways at her with a hopeful expression.

"You didn't need to do that, Dad. I was going to buy myself a car."

"I don't mind. I want you to be happy here." He was looking ahead at the road when he said this. Dad wasn't comfortable with expressing his emotions out loud and Bella inherited that from him. So she was looking straight ahead as she responded.

"That's really nice, Dad. Thanks. I really appreciate it."

"Well, now, you're welcome," he mumbled, embarrassed by her thanks.

I smiled happily before joining the conversation. Whilst Dad and I caught up, Bella stared out the window in silence.

Eventually we made it home. Dad still lived in the small, three-bedroom house that he'd bought with our mum in the early days of their marriage. There, parked on the street in front of the house was Bella's new – well, new to her – truck. It was a faded red colour, with big, rounded fenders and a bulbous cab. It was one of those solid iron affairs that never gets damaged – the kind you see at the scene of an accident, paint unscratched, surrounded by the pieces of the foreign car it had destroyed. It really was perfect for my equally clumsy sister.

"Wow, Dad, I love it! Thanks!" Bella said, surprising him with her enthusiasm.

"I'm glad you like it," Dad said gruffly, embarrassed again.

It took only one trip to get all our stuff upstairs. I got the south bedroom that faced out over the back of the house. The room was familiar; it had belonged to me since I was born. The wooden floor, the - what looked freshly painted - light blue walls, the peaked ceiling, the yellow lace curtains around the window - these were all a part of my childhood. The only changes made were switching the crib for a single and now a double bed with green covers and adding a desk as I grew. The desk now held my homecoming gift of a new apple laptop and a phone, which was a stipulation from my mother, so that we could stay in touch easily. The rocking chair from my baby days had been switched for an old pine dresser and was now in Bella's room.

Her room was a lot like mine. She had the same light blue walls but with matching blue and white chequered curtains. And instead of a double bed she still had the single from when she last visited with new purple covers as well as the rocking chair.

There was only one small bathroom at the top of the stairs, which I would have to share with Bella and Dad. However, I'd had to share with my mum before, and that was definitely worse. She had a lot more stuff, and she doggedly resisted all my attempts to organize any of it.

After thanking Dad for our presents, he left us alone to unpack and get settled, a feat that would have been altogether impossible for Mum.

Whilst waiting for Bella to be finished in the bathroom, I looked out the window. It was beautiful, of course; even Bella, who hated everything to do with Forks, couldn't deny that. Everything was green: the trees, their trunks covered with moss, their branches hanging with a canopy of it, the ground covered with ferns. Even the air filtered down greenly through the leaves.

When Bella was finished, I took my bag of bathroom necessities and went to the bathroom to clean myself up after the day of travel, thinking of what tomorrow would bring.

Forks High School had a total of only three hundred and fifty-seven – now fifty-nine – students. There were more than seven hundred people in my year alone back home. All of the kids here had grown up together – their grandparents had been toddlers together. I would be the new girl from the big city, a curiosity, a freak that they would no doubt whisper about.

Maybe if I had been one of the cool kids, I could make this work for me. Come in all popular, homecoming queen style. But there was no hiding the fact that I was not that girl—not the cheerleading type, not the class president, nor the mysterious bad girl on the motorcycle. I was the kid who looked like she should be good at volleyball or basketball, until I started walking and somehow managed to humiliate and hurt not only myself but anyone who got too close. I was the kid who got shoved into lockers and picked on because of the severe acne I used to suffer from and the braces. The kid who was too quiet, and didn't know anything about make-up, fashion, the latest trends or anything else I was supposed to be into.

Unlike the other girls, I didn't have a ton of free time for hobbies. I was working two jobs whilst trying to take care of my baby sister and my eccentric, forgetful and slightly childlike mother. I'd been taking care of them my whole life. I'm sure there must have been a time, probably when I was still in diapers, when I wasn't in charge of the bills and paperwork and cooking and general level-headedness, but I couldn't remember it. It made me wonder whether leaving my mum to fend for herself really the right thing to do? It had seemed like it was, at the time, but it felt all kinds of wrong now. This wasn't a vacation like I used to go on where Bella would stay behind and take care of her. This was permanent.

Of course she had Phil now, so the bills would probably get paid on time, there would be food in the fridge, gas in the car, and someone to call when she got lost.… She didn't need me as much anymore...But still...

Because of all this I didn't relate well to people my age, especially the people in Phoenix, and it was because of this I was so excited to come home, back to Forks. I have friends here. People who understand me. People that I grew up with and stayed in close contact with. However, those people were in La Push and won't be going to the same school as me anymore. As much as I hoped tomorrow will be less like Phoenix and more like the Forks I remember, only time would be able to tell and tomorrow would be just the beginning.

On top of not having the personality advantage, neither, Bella nor I looked like a girl from Phoenix should. We didn't have the sporty, tan, blond look that comes with living under the valley of the sun. We didn't even look similar like sisters should. Whilst I was left with the 'unique' prettiness of thick mahogany curls falling halfway down my back, large-widely spaced sky blue eyes and ivory almost translucent skin, Isabella got the extremely attractive genes of pale chocolate doe eyes and straight waist length hair. Her skin was much fairer than mine. The wide forehead, narrow jaw, thin nose and pointed chin that came with her flawless heart-shape face made her cheeks more prominent and lips fuller. Whilst this made Isabella look softer, it made my lips look out of proportion on my round face. My widows peak did not seem to help matters at all. Whilst Isabella got Mum's slender figure standing around 5'4, I inherited Dad's broad shoulders, athletic build and unfortunately his height, towering over most at 6ft.

Facing my pallid, sallow, unhealthy looking reflection in the mirror, I was forced to admit that I'd never fit in. I mean, if I couldn't find a niche in a school with three thousand people, what were my chances here?

Maybe there was a glitch in my brain, and that was why I didn't relate well to people, period. Even my mother, who I was closer to than anyone else on the planet, was never in harmony with me, never on exactly the same page. Sometimes I wondered if I was seeing the same things through my eyes that the rest of the world was seeing through theirs.

I sigh leaving the bathroom.

I called Mum like I promised I would to tell her Bella and I were fine, before joining Bella. I knew tonight would be difficult for her, but what I didn't expect was how difficult it would be for me.

Neither of us slept well that night. Even after we were both done crying, having no more tears left to shed, my head would not shut up. For Bella it was the constant whooshing of the rain and wind across the roof that was making her nostalgic. I pulled the quilts we were sharing over our heads as we comforted and reassured each other under the covers, later adding a couple of pillows, too. But it wasn't until long after midnight that either of us fell asleep, when the rain finally settled into a quiet drizzle and my horrible thoughts faded into background.

Thick fog was all I could see out my window in the morning and I could feel the claustrophobia creeping up on me. I suddenly felt like I was in prison or a cage, either of which I had exiled myself into.

Dad was just leaving for work when I came downstairs for breakfast. He wished Bella and me good luck at school before going off to the police station that was his wife and family. I thanked him, knowing his hope was a waste of time. Good luck tended to avoid me.

After he left, I sat at the old square oak table in one of the three un-matching chairs and examined the small familiar kitchen, with its dark panelled walls, bright yellow cabinets, and white linoleum floor. Nothing had changed. Mum had painted the cabinet's years ago in an attempt to bring some sunshine into the house. Over the small fireplace in the adjoining handkerchief-sized family room was a row of pictures. First a wedding picture of Mum and Dad in Las Vegas, then one of the four of us in the hospital after Bella and I were born, taken by a helpful nurse, followed by the procession of our school pictures up to last year's. Those were embarrassing to look at! The bad haircuts... I felt my face heat up just at the thought of them and I cringed thinking back to when they were taken. Despite this, it was impossible; being in this house, not to realize that Dad had never gotten over our mum. It made me feel slightly uncomfortable.

I didn't want to be too early to school, but Bella, who was my ride, couldn't stay in the house any longer. I put on my jacket, which had the feeling of a bio-hazard suit due to it being so thick and made of what felt like non-breathing plastic, before heading out into the rain.

It was just drizzling now, not enough to soak me through immediately as I reached for the house key that was always hidden under the eave by the door, and lock up, but I was in a hurry to get out of the misty wet that swirled around my head and clung to my hair under my hood. The sloshing of my new waterproof boots sounded weird in comparison to the normal crunch of gravel as I walked.

Inside the truck, it was nice and dry. Someone had obviously cleaned it up, but the tan upholstered seats still smelled faintly of firewood and the sea. The engine started quickly to my relief, but loudly, roaring to life and then idling at top volume. A truck this old was bound to have a flaw, but the antique radio worked, a plus that I hadn't expected.

Finding the school wasn't difficult, though neither Bella nor I had ever been there before. The school was, like most other things, just off the highway. It was not obvious that it was a school; only the sign, which declared it to be the Forks High School, made Bella stop. It looked like a collection of matching houses, built with maroon-coloured bricks. There were so many trees and shrubs I couldn't see its size at first. What surprised me the most was the lack of chain-link fences and metal detectors. It didn't have the feel of an institution like the schools back in Phoenix did.

Bella parked in front of the first building, which had a small sign over the door reading front office. No one else was parked there, so I was sure it was off limits, but we decided it would be better to get directions inside instead of circling around in the rain like idiots. I stepped unwillingly out of the toasty truck and walked down a little stone path lined with dark hedges. Taking a deep breath, I opened the door.

Inside the office it was brightly lit and warm. The office was small; a little waiting area with padded folding chairs, orange-flecked commercial carpet, notices and awards cluttering the walls, and a big clock ticked loudly. Plants grew everywhere in large plastic pots. The room was cut in half by a long counter, cluttered with wire baskets full of papers and brightly coloured flyers taped to its front. There were two desks behind the counter, one of which was manned by a large, red-haired woman wearing glasses, the other a round, balding man wearing a purple t-shirt. I immediately felt overdressed for the weather.

The red-haired woman looked up at the sound of the door slamming behind Bella and I, like the clang of iron bars locking into place. "Can I help you?"

"I'm Lillian Swan and this is my sister Isabella," I informed her, and saw the immediate awareness light her eyes. We were expected, a topic of gossip no doubt – daughters of the Chief come home at last.

"Of course," she said. She dug through a precariously stacked pile of documents on her desk till she found the ones she was looking for. "I have your schedules right here, and maps of the school." She brought several sheets to the counter. She went through our classes with us, highlighting the best route to each on the map, and gave us each a slip to have all our teachers' sign, which we were to bring back at the end of the day. She smiled at us and hoped, like Dad, that we would like it here in Forks. I smiled back as convincingly as I could before going back out to the truck, where other students were starting to arrive.

Most of the cars were older like Bella's, nothing flashy. Back in Phoenix it was a common thing to see a new Mercedes or Porsche in the student lot. The nicest car here was a shiny Volvo, a different model to mine but it still stood out.

Still, Bella cut the engine as soon as we were in a spot, so that the thunderous volume wouldn't draw attention to us. Before leaving Bella and I looked at our maps, trying to memorize it now; so we wouldn't have to walk around with it stuck in front of our noses all day. We quickly compared lessons seeing if we had any together before agreeing to meet up at lunch. We only had two lessons together, English last and Geography first thing tomorrow morning. It wasn't much but it was more than what we had together back in Phoenix which was something. I put everything in my bag, slung the strap over my shoulder, and stepped out of the truck.

Bella came round to my side as it was closest to the side walk which was crowded with teenagers.

"It'll be okay," Bella whispered to me grabbing my hand in hers.

"I know," I whispered back smiling nervously and squeezing her hand. This was the part I was most nervous about. School. Only school could get me to be so melodramatic.

Our plain black jackets didn't stand out I noticed with relief, though there wasn't much I could do about my height. I hunched my shoulders and kept my head down as we headed to the cafeteria so we could figure out our meeting spot.

The cafeteria was right in the middle of the school so our lesson buildings were easy to spot. With one last reassuring squeeze of the hand, Bella and I went our separate ways to our first lesson at Forks High.

"You're Isabella Swan, right?" a good-looking baby faced boy with blonde hair and blue eyes says, joining me as soon as Bella left.

"Lily, Bella's my sister," I corrected him.

"I'm Tyler," a tall athletic guy with black curly hair and dark eyes says slinging his arm over the blonde guy's shoulder. "Tyler Crowley. And this is Mike Newton. Aren't you from Arizona?"

"Yeah," I say uncomfortably as he looked me over.

"Aren't people from down their supposed to be really tanned?" he asks.

"Guess that's why they kicked me out." Mike laughed as Tyler smirked. "Am I going in the right direction to the gym?"

Luckily, Mike and Tyler were in my gym class so were able to show me the way. The PE teacher, Coach Clapp, found me a uniform, which looked a little too small for me, and showed me to the girls changing rooms. Thankfully he didn't make me change and play today, instead letting me sit at the side and watch the four volleyball games running simultaneously. Remembering how many injuries I had sustained—and inflicted—playing volleyball, I felt a little nauseated.

PE went by really fast, and all too soon it was time for my next lesson. I was in a surprisingly good mood since I didn't have to humiliate myself in PE and have that as a first impression.

"You're Lillian Swan, the new girl?" A tall Asian boy with hair as black as an oil slick, brown eyes, and a poor complexion said coming up behind me. "Hi. I'm Eric Yorkie, the eyes and ears of this place. Anything you need. Tour guide, lunch date, shoulder to cry on."

"Oh, I'm good," I reply slightly overwhelmed but grateful all the same. "Would you mind pointing me in the direction of History, I think I'm lost."

"Mr. Molina?" He asks and I nod. "Of course, this way. You're lucky! He's a really good teacher, nice as well! You've missed a lot of the semester but you'll be fine in his class. If not I can hook you up – tutor, cliff notes, medical excuse…"

The classroom was small. I hung my coat up on one of the hooks like everyone else before taking the slip up to the teacher, a man with black curly hair, dark brown eyes hid behind black glasses and an olive tone to his skin. The nameplate on his desk identified him as Mr. Molina. He sent me to a desk near the back without making me introduce myself to the class, in between two of the most devastatingly beautiful people I have ever seen.

One was a petite girl. Thin to the extreme, with small, pixie-like features. Her large eyes were a medium gold colour, and were further enhanced by long delicate eyebrows. Her hair was cropped short and spiky, pointing in every direction, the colour a deep black, like ink.

The boy, much like the girl was extremely attractive with his high cheekbones, strong jawline, perfect eyebrows, and full lips. His hair was untidy and an unusual bronze shade. His eyes however were very dark. From where I stood they looked as black as onyx's and purple bruise-like shadows were beneath his eyes.

"Hi, I'm Alice," The girl said smiling as I sat down next to her. "You must be Lily, it's nice to finally meet you! The whole towns been waiting for you and your sister to arrive!"

I blush grimacing slightly. I knew it had been something like that. "It's nice to meet you too, Alice!"

"And that's Edward. He's my brother." Before I could even turn round to say hello, Alice brought my attention back to her.

"So, this is a lot different from Phoenix, huh?"

"Very!"

"It doesn't rain much there, does it?"

"Three or four times a year."

"Wow, what must that be like?" Alice asks looking in wonder.

"Sunny," I tell her smiling. "And hot!"

Suddenly Alice grins at me an excited glint in her topaz eyes. "I have a feeling we are going to be great friends!"

Before I could respond Mr Molina called the class to attention and started the lesson.

By lunch time, I started to recognize several of the faces in each class. There was always someone braver than the others who would introduce themselves and ask me questions about how I was liking Forks.

Mike pulled a chair out for me as I walked over to the table with Eric who had thoughtfully come to my class after his had finished to help me find my way to the cafeteria, and sat next to me.

"Mike, you met my home girl Lily?" Eric asked opposite us.

"Your girl?"

"My girl!" Tyler said popping out of nowhere and kissing me on the cheek. He pulled Mike's chair from under him and ran off with Mike chasing after him.

Eric introduced me to his other friend, a tall pretty girl with light brown hair and gentle brown eyes named Angela Weber before leaving with the boys. Bella soon joined us being dragged along by a tiny girl with wildly curly dark brown hair and blue eyes called Jessica Stanley.

"It's like first grade all over again, and you're the shiny new toy," Jessica says with a clearly fake laugh, watching the boys run away, obviously seeing what had just occurred.

It was there, sitting in the lunch room, that I first saw them. Well truly saw them now that they were all together, and separated from everyone else.

They were sitting in the corner of the cafeteria, as far away from where I sat as possible in the long room. There were five of them including Alice and Edward. They weren't talking, and they weren't eating, though they each had a tray of untouched food in front of them. They weren't gawking at Bella and me, unlike most of the other students, so it was safe to stare at them without fear of meeting an excessively interested pair of eyes. But it was none of these things that caught, and held, my attention. They didn't look anything alike. Of the three boys, one was big – tall and muscled like a serious weight lifter, with dark brown, almost black, curly hair. Another was taller, leaner, but still muscular, with honey blond hair that fell just above his collar. Edward in comparison was lanky, less bulky, and more boyish than the others, who looked like they could be in college, or even teachers here rather than students. Alice and the other girl were complete opposites. The tall girl was statuesque. She had a beautiful figure, the kind you saw on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, the kind that made every girl around her take a hit on her self-esteem just by being in the same room. Her hair was golden, gently waving to the middle of her back. And yet, they were all exactly alike. Every one of them was chalky pale, the palest of all the students living in this sunless town – paler than Bella and I. Like Edward, they, with the exception of Alice and the honey blonde boy, also had dark shadows under their eyes – purplish, bruise like shadows; as if they were all suffering from a sleepless night, or almost done recovering from a broken nose – though all of their noses, all their features, including Alice and the honey blonde boys, were straight, perfect, and angular.

But that wasn't why I couldn't look away.

I stared because their faces, so different, so similar, were all, inhumanly beautiful. They were faces you never expected to see except perhaps on the airbrushed pages of a fashion magazine, or painted by an old master as the face of an angel. It was hard to decide who was the most beautiful – maybe the perfect blond girl, or the muscular guy.

They were all looking away – away from each other, away from the other students, away from anything in particular as far as I could tell. As I watched, Alice rose with her tray – soda unopened, apple unbitten – and walked away with a quick, graceful lope that belonged on a runway. I watched, amazed at her lithe dancer's step that would break any ballerina's heart, till she dumped her tray and glided through the back door, faster than I would have thought possible. My eyes darted back to the others, who sat unchanging.

"Who are they?" Bella asked Jessica.

I listened in. She seemed like the gossip of the group.

As she looked up to see who Bella meant – though already knowing, probably, from her tone – Edward looked up at her. He looked at Jessica for just a fraction of a second, and then his dark eyes flickered to Bella's.

He looked away quickly. In that brief flash of a glance, his face held nothing of interest – it was as if she had called his name, and he'd looked up in involuntary response, already having decided not to answer.

My neighbour giggled in embarrassment, looking at the table.

"That's Edward and Emmett Cullen, and Rosalie and Jasper Hale. The one who left was Alice Cullen; they all live together with Dr. Cullen and his wife." She said this under her breath.

I glanced sideways at the bronze-haired boy, who was looking at his tray now, picking a bagel to pieces with long, pale fingers. His mouth was moving very quickly, his lips barely opening. The other three still looked away, and yet I felt he was speaking quietly to them.

Strange, unpopular names, I thought. The kinds of names grandparents had.

"They are... very nice-looking." Bella struggled with the conspicuous understatement.

"Yes!" Jessica agreed with another giggle. "They're all together though. Like together, together – Emmett and Rosalie, and Jasper and Alice, I mean...I'm not even sure that's legal!"

"Jess, they're not actually related," Angela defended them.

"But they live together, it's weird!" Her voice held all the shock and condemnation of the small town. But, if I was being honest, I had to admit that even in Phoenix, it would cause gossip.

Angela ignored her and turned to explain to Bella and me. "Dr. Cullen is really young, in his twenties or early thirties. They're all adopted. The Hales – the blondes – are brother and sister, twins and they're foster children."

"They look a little old for foster children." Bella said looking at Edward.

"They are now, Jasper and Rosalie are both eighteen, but they've been with Mrs Cullen since they were ten. She's their aunt or something like that."

"That's really kind of nice – for them to take care of all those kids like that, when they're so young and everything." I said admirably.

"I guess so," Jessica admitted reluctantly, and I got the impression that she didn't like the doctor and his wife for some reason. With the glances she was throwing at their adopted children, I would presume the reason was jealousy. "I think that Mrs. Cullen can't have any kids, though," she added, as if that lessened their kindness.

I shot her a glare before looking back at the table where the family sat. They continued to look at the walls and not eat.

"Have they always lived in Forks?" I asked. Surely I would have noticed them on one of my visits!

"No," she said in a voice that implied it should be obvious, even to a new arrival like me. "They just moved down a year ago from somewhere in Alaska."

I felt a surge of pity. As beautiful as they were, they were outsiders, clearly not accepted. Like me in Phoenix...

As I examined them the blonde boy, Jasper, looked up and met my gaze with evident curiosity in his expression. He quickly looked down again, his mouth moving very quickly, lips barely opening like the metallic-haired boy before.

Edward then looked up and met my gaze before answering him.

"Which one is the boy with the reddish brown hair?" Bella asked, peaking at him from the corner of her eye. He was staring at her now, but not gawking like the other students had today – he had a slightly frustrated expression. His glance held some kind of unmet expectation.

She looked down again.

"That's Edward. He's gorgeous, of course, but don't waste your time. He doesn't date. Apparently none of the girls here are good enough for him." She sniffed a clear case of sour grapes. "Like I care, you know," she said trying to laugh it off. I looked over at her eyebrows raised, wondered when he'd turned her down. I shook my head before going back to my lunch.

Booming laughter made me look back over to the Cullen table.

It was the big one, who had made me look back over; his head was thrown back as he laughed loudly getting odd looks from everyone. His dimples showed clearly when he laughed, giving him a childish look not often seen in a grown man. He suddenly looked a lot less intimidating.

I glanced at the others. The blondes were smirking and although Edward's face was turned away, his cheek appeared lifted, as if he too, were smiling.

After a few more minutes, the four of them left the table together. They all were noticeably graceful – even the big, brawny one. It was unsettling to watch. Edward didn't look at neither Bella nor me again.

I sat at the table with Jessica and Angela a little longer before heading to English with Bella.

My eyes immediately found Edward's the moment I stepped into class. He suddenly went rigid in his seat. His face jerked up toward Bella's and my own so fast it surprised me, staring with the strangest expression—it was more than angry, it was furious, hostile. I looked away, stunned, going red again.

He glared at us, coal black eyes full of fury and revulsion as we got our slip signed by our teacher; Mr Berty, a tall, balding man.

Taken aback, Bella and I quickly introduced ourselves to the class before being directed to our seats next to Edward Cullen.

I didn't look up as I set my book on the table and took my seat next to the window, but I saw Edwards posture change from the corner of my eye. He was leaning away from Bella and me, sitting on the extreme edge of his chair and averting his face like he smelled something bad. Inconspicuously, I sniffed my shirt. It smelled like laundry detergent. Did he really find that so offensive? I then sniffed my hair which smelled like strawberries, the scent of my favourite shampoo. It seemed an innocent enough odour. I let my hair fall over my shoulder, making a dark curtain between us and scooted my chair as far away as I could without bumping into the girl next to me, giving him as much space as possible with Bella following my lead.

I tried to pay attention to the teacher but every now and then my eyes wondered over to him.

During the whole class, he never relaxed his stiff position on the edge of his chair, sitting as far from us as possible. I could see his hand on his left leg was clenched into a fist, tendons standing out under his pale skin. This, too, he never relaxed. He had the long sleeves of his white shirt pushed up to his elbows, and his forearm was surprisingly hard and muscular beneath his light skin. He wasn't nearly as slight as he'd looked next to his burly brother. I couldn't help but notice how perfect his skin was. Not one freckle, not one scar.

The class seemed to drag on longer than the others. Was it because the day was finally coming to a close, or because I was waiting for his tight fist to loosen? It never did. He continued to sit so still it looked like he wasn't breathing through the rest of the lesson. What was wrong with him? Was this his normal behaviour? I questioned my judgement on Jess' bitterness at lunch today. Maybe she was not as resentful as I'd thought.

I peeked up at him one more time and immediately regretted it. He was glaring down at me again. I flinched away from him, shrinking against my chair, the phrase if looks could kill suddenly ran through my mind.

At that moment, the bell rang loudly making me jump.

Edward Cullen was out of his seat. Fluidly he rose and he was out the door before anyone else had even moved.

I sat in my chair, staring blankly after him. Why was he so mean? Is it something I'm going to have to get used to? I began gathering up my things slowly, trying to calm myself down. My heart was still pounding a little faster than usual as I walked with Bella out of the classroom.

Just when I thought I'd managed to make it through the day without any embarrassing accidents, I stumbled over a book in the walkway and had to catch myself on the edge of a table. The girl sitting there giggled as my face turned red. I took a deep breath trying to block the anger, confusion and guilt that filled me, for fear my eyes would tear up. For some reason, my temper was hard wired to my tear ducts. I usually cried when I was angry, a humiliating tendency.

Why should I feel guilty though? I hadn't done anything wrong, have I? How could I have? I hadn't even properly met Edward Cullen. Unless he was counting earlier. I didn't mean to ignore him, if that is what this is about. And if it was, why be so horrible to my sister?

Bella and I walked slowly to the office to return our paperwork. The rain had drifted away, but the wind was strong, and colder. I wrapped my arms around myself.

Edward Cullen was stood at the desk in front of us when we walked into the warm office.

He didn't appear to notice the sound of our entrance. We stood pressed against the back wall, waiting for the receptionist to be free. He was arguing with her in a low voice and I quickly picked up the gist of the argument. He was trying to trade his English class for another time — any other time.

I just couldn't believe that this was about me or Bella. It had to be something else, something that happened before we entered the classroom. The look on his face must have been about another aggravation entirely. It was impossible that this stranger could take such a sudden, intense dislike to us.

The door opened again, and the cold wind suddenly gusted through the room, rustling the papers on the desk, waving through my hair, swirling it around my face. The girl who came in merely stepped to the desk, placed a note in the wire basket, and walked out again. Edward Cullen's back however stiffened, and he turned slowly to glare at us with piercing, hate-filled eyes. For an instant, I felt the oddest thrill of genuine fear, raising the hair on my arms. The look only lasted a second, but it chilled me more than the freezing wind. He turned back to the receptionist.

"Never mind, then," he said hastily in a voice like velvet. "I can see that it's impossible. Thank you so much for your help." And he turned on his heel without another look at either of us.

I went meekly to the desk, my face white for once instead of red, and handed her the signed slip.

"How did your first day go, dear?" the receptionist asked maternally.

"Fine," I lied, my voice weak. She didn't look convinced.

When Bella and I got to the truck, it was almost the last car in the lot. It seemed like a haven, already the closest thing to home I had in this hell. I sat inside for a while, just staring out the wind shield blankly as Bella robotically, turned the key making the engine roar to life. Heat I didn't know I needed washed over me. We headed back home in silence, fighting tears the whole way there.

Hello everyone!

Hope you enjoyed the first chapter. I know it is a bit slow at the moment but it should start picking up soon. As you may, or may not have noticed yet; I have changed the school timetables a bit. This is because I'm English and don't understand the American school system as it is very different from our own. If someone could explain for future reference that would be really helpful, however I wont be changing it in this story as I have been using the English one since it's what I know.

Again, hope you all enjoyed. Review and let me know what you think.

- Pearl Girl 26