… did they say her name was? Isabella Swan?
I flinched at the sound of my name.
What was that voice? I had never heard it before, and I'd heard every single one of my schoolmate's inside voices every day for the last years. I recognized them all; but not this one. This one was new.
I looked around to see who it was coming from. The cafeteria was packed this time of day, though the space closest to me and my siblings was as usually empty. I could feel Emmet watching me, curiously looking in the same direction I had just turned my face.
There. Though he sat with his back on me, I knew it was him. Upon his sloping shoulders were a head with a set of reddish, untidy hair. I focused on him to hear what he was thinking, shutting the others at his table out.
... that face. Looks like she could need some sun. The eyes. The way she moves. Hauntingly beautiful.
Snorting to myself, I looked away from him again. Typical. Yet another human boy with a crush on me. How many times a day did I pass by someone in the hallway, being forced to listen to their silent declarations of love? How many times had I stood in the food line, quietly enduring a shy teenager's inward debate on whether or not to say hello to me? Frankly, it was tiring. They were all so shallow, the whole lot of them. I kept hoping to one day be surprised at hearing at least one intelligent thought in this place, but so far I was without luck.
Anything interesting? asked Emmet silently. He was bored; his mind kept wandering off to the hunt he and Carlisle would go off to tonight. I shook my head discretely, without looking at him, and sighed, turning my gaze onto my other brother. Jasper's face bore an anxious, almost impatient expression.
... a new scent. Just when I'd gotten used to the old ones, this new boy has to come and … Should just get it over with. Could lure him into an empty bathroom stall and just …
"Hey!" I hissed, kicking his chair.
He flinched, staring at me with startled eyes.
"What?" You and I both know it would make things a lot easier.
"What's easy isn't always what's good." I said to him. "Get a fucking grip."
But Jasper had made me curious. Once again I looked over at the new boy, focusing on him, trying to make out his scent from all the others.
It was nice. For a few seconds, I indulged myself in a fantasy of chaos and blood, but quickly pushed it out of my head.
Alice and Rosalie stood up, grabbed their trays, and walked off. The boys followed close behind while I dwelled at the table for a moment, searching the room for a thought that would reveal the name of this newcomer. It didn't take long. One of the girls at his table – Jessica Stanley – seemed already to be infatuated with him.
… such pretty eyes. Edward Cullen. I wouldn't mind taking his name. Jessica Cullen, kinda has a ring to it …
Geez. These teenagers. Just listening to them made me nauseous. I gladly rose from my seat and went off to biology.
I was early as usual. Only a few other students had already settled in their seats as I went to my regular spot in the far end of the room; as far away from the teacher as possible. I put my books in a pile on the desk in front of me. People dropped in one by one as time passed, and when finally the bell rang the last group of people staggered through the door.
I didn't register it at first, but as that set of blonde-reddish hair walked up to Mr. Banner, I realized the Cullen boy was going to be in this very biology class with me.
Whoopdy-freakin'-doo.
The spot next to me was the only one free and as he turned and realized who his neighbour was going to be for the rest of the semester, I saw the hope flare up inside his eyes and the blood rush to his cheeks.
His face evoked no feelings whatsoever in me, apart from a slight tingle at the sight of his blushing skin. He had a strong jaw line, a straight nose and squinting pale eyes. I could see why mortal girls like Jessica Stanley would find him attractive, but felt no desire of any kind for anything other than his blood.
As he came toward me, he thought about ways to make himself seem interesting; what to say, how to sit and other shallow gestures of the sort.
"Hi," he said as he sat down.
"Hi," I mumbled in response.
He was just about to introduce himself when Mr. Banner raised his voice and began today's class. I sighed in relief and decisively looked away from Edward Cullen.
Jasper and Emmet was waiting for me at the end of the period. Edward Cullen, as he passed them on his way out from class, was amazed at their unusual appearances. He stared curiously at the three of us as we began making our way through the corridor.
… related? One's tall and skinny, the other's like a bear. All of them so pale. Such a strange set of people. The Swans ...
I smiled at his confusion; listening to the humans theories about us was the closest thing to entertainment I could come in this place. People would make up the most ridiculous explanations to my family's oddness. They seemed prone to believe anything that was impossible, but when it came to the highly improbable – such as vampirism – they would immediately reject the thought as a silly fantasy.
Emmet, Jasper and I met up with Alice and Rose in the parking lot, where Alice smiled and showed me a vision she'd had earlier, in which Edward Cullen and myself sat at a table in the school cafeteria, leaning toward each other, deep in conversation.
I frowned at her and got in behind the wheel. What was she implying?