I awoke from daydreaming to find the first moments of a rising sun peering in through the frosted window. Another Monday morning come to spoil my good mood. I clambered out of her bed, my eyes still firmly fixed on the golden rays dancing across the room. I longed for a time where I'd be able to bask in that light, surrounded by all my friends-human or not-and not have to worry about revealing my true identity. Why, I thought, does vampirism have to be so secretive?
I tip-toed out of my bedroom to the door across from mine, opening it slowly to avoid the ear-splitting creak it usually emitted. I peered through the gap to see the small figure of Zoe, resting peacefully. Her mouse-brown hair turned bronze under the light of the sunrise, warming the room. I crept across the floor, pushing the door shut behind me, and crawled into Zoe's bed. Zoe let out an involuntary sigh and buried her face in my shirt. It was these moments that I appreciated most; the moments where the house was silent, when Sophie was lost in an Austen novel, when Nigel and Scott were out hunting, when Zoe and I could just be. However, these moments were always short-lived.
Zoe woke with a start, causing a sudden coughing fit. At the same time, I heard the front door swing shut, followed by the stomping sound of the men's boots on the wooden floor.
"Get up!" Nigel yelled, his voice echoing throughout the house. I could hear Sophie scrambling around to hide the book before her husband caught her. Zoe took a deep breath and looked up at me with concrete-grey eyes, searching my face for reassurance. I gave her a pained smile and Zoe giggled.
"I'll see you this afternoon," I said, stroking Zoe's hair.
"See you then, Clare," she replied feebly. I climbed out of the bed and made my way downstairs.
Nigel was reading this morning's newspaper at the dining room table while Sophie was busy preparing Zoe's breakfast. Scott was nowhere to be seen and I began to hope that he'd been killed by the bears he was so fond of feeding on. This hope quickly gave in to disappointment as Scott seized me from behind, kissing my neck and whispering a mischievous greeting in my ear. He walked over to Nigel and the two began discussing today's news. I could feel my stomach bruising from Scott's violent attempt at affection. The pig.
I walked over to Sophie and offered to take Zoe's breakfast up to her. Sophie looked panicked and her eyes darted over to Nigel who was evidently eavesdropping. She declined and went back to the microwave, watching the bottle intently as it heated. Sometimes I felt sorry for Sophie, who is probably the most nervous and suspicious person I know. No thanks to Nigel, I thought. Nigel, my so-called foster "father", was a domineering, scheming shell of a man who spent his days plotting his eventual rule of the world. Cheesy as it was, I could kind of understand why he was so hell-bent on vampire supremacy. In every one of my kind, there was a secret wish to be known, to be feared even. The chance to walk in the sunlight without fear of persecution was insatiable. Regardless, we had to stay hidden. Another unspoken law of the supernatural world.
As always, I started to itch with anticipation at the thought of getting out of the house, even if it meant going to school. I knew Nigel liked to maintain control over everyone in the house, so my leaving early would be severely frowned upon, but I couldn't stand staying in the house a minute longer.
"I might see if I can fit in a hunt before school," I said, taking my car keys from the bowl near the door. Nigel stared at me for a moment, trying to judge whether I was lying or not, but he gave up quickly.
"You should've come with us earlier," he said, one eyebrow raised in suspicion. "You may leave."
I left the house as fast as I possibly could, rolling my eyes as I walked to my car. Words couldn't express how much I hate my family. I got into the car and pulled out of the driveway, turning up the radio. Just in case Nigel decided to follow me, I took a left turn and headed for the mountains. I had enough time for a quick bite to eat.
"Are you alright, Jasper?" Esme asked, her eyes filled with anxiety. Despite the number of schools we had attended, I still felt nervous. What if I found the one, my own Bella? What if I hurt someone on our very first day? Edward nudged me in the stomach and I forced a smile.
"What? Oh, don't worry, I'm fine," I replied. It was times like these that I wished I could make himself feel calm, not just others.
Alice patted me on the back as she got into the car. Carlisle put his arm around Esme as a solitary tear ran down her cheek. I started the car and drove off, Edward's Volvo following behind. I tried to share Alice's optimism about the new town, but I wasn't all that impressed with Evelyn. Sure, it was pretty, but the weather was just the same as Forks. In fact, the whole town was scarily similar to Forks which seemed like a bad omen to me.
The school's car park was almost deserted except for a few station wagons near the office. I parked in the furthest space from the school buildings, hoping that being near the entrance would give me the chance to leave as soon as I could.
"Are you sure that you'll be alright?" Alice inquired, putting her hand on my thigh.
"I'll be fine, Alice. You'll tell me if I won't anyway," I laughed. She smiled weakly and headed towards the office where the others were gathered.
Collecting their paperwork had been a brief but torpid affair. The receptionist almost had a heart attack at the sight of Edward, and Bella almost caused her another heart attack from the look she gave her. Emmett found it very amusing and continued to tease Bella about it for the entirety of the walk to homeroom. During our time in the office, the car park had filled and the courtyard was buzzing with the news of new arrivals.
I arrived at the classroom for roll-call with Rosalie and the entire room went silent. The next ten minutes were the longest of my life. As usual, we had to endure the constant glances and whispered chatter, but the butterflies in my stomach made the whole situation worse. I wasn't even sure why they were there.
Rosalie and I parted, and I made my way to my first class of the day. I wasn't looking forward to studying Wuthering Heights, regardless of how many times Bella had praised it. My musings were suddenly interrupted by a faint scent. My senses were on high alert and my walk stiffened. There's a vampire here.
I looked up as I walked into the Literature classroom and the scent consumed me. There's a vampire in my class. I quickly scanned the room, overlooking all the gossiping teenage girls, my gaze landing on the dark-haired student up the back. The feeling of panic dissipated, replaced with nervous excitement. She's gorgeous.
She wasn't deathly pale, but a gleaming ivory. Her sweater flowed over her torso, an almost silver colour that complimented her skin so perfectly. The fact that she was so plainly dressed-grey sweater, black jeans and black combat boots-set her apart from all the other students, like a racehorse in a field full of donkeys. And her eyes. A deep gold which bore into my soul, leaving me exposed and vulnerable. This frightened me more than anything I'd ever encountered. With a glance, this girl knew everything about me, every insignificant detail of my life, without revealing a shred of her own. However, the thing that frightened me most was that she knew, and I knew, that I was hers. In that short glance, I was as good as gone.
The only available seat was, of course, next to her. I sat down at my desk, trying to avoid making my feelings too noticeable, but to no avail. The teacher entered the room, and the girl took her chances.
"Morning soldier. I'm Clare," she whispered, her voice as soft as silk.
I was gone.