Chapter One:
"Benjamin? Benjamin Swan?" asked Samuel Uley, vice principal of the prestigious Forks Academy in Washington. His dark eyes were calculating as he looked at the scrawny boy in front of him.
"Um, yeah," squeaked Benjamin, he cleared his throat, "I mean yes, that's me," he said more confidently.
"Well, I'm the vice principal of Forks Academy, Mr. Uley. It's quite the pleasure to have you here Ben," said Mr. Uley, "I can call you Ben right?" he added as an after thought. Ben nodded rapidly. Mr. Uley continued, "I'm enormously delighted to have you as a new addition to our school. I've looked at your accomplishments. They are astounding." He nodded at the Ben. "You're here on scholarship. That's quite a feat." Mr. Uley looked back at Ben's papers and frowned, "However I can't seem to find any of your past school transcripts, medical info, attendance records nothing, social security, nothing." He looked back at Ben, "You got them from your previous school, correct?"
"Yes," said Ben meekly.
Mr. Uley stared at him critically, "The mail must have lost it or rerouted it or something we have none of your papers. Do you have them on file? Or maybe we could call your old school," he suggested.
"We can't" said Ben, "The minute I left the school they deleted my records from their database."
Mr. Uley's frown deepened, "perhaps you can give me your social security number and we can look them up. I have a friend who works in the department of education."
"I actually don't know it," Ben admitted.
"Your social security? Why ever not?" asked Mr. Uley.
"My father was a cop," said Ben, "He said that giving someone that information could be harmful."
Mr. Uley sighed and ran a hand through his short cropped thick hair, "Well Ben, I honestly don't know what to do. Letting you remain at a school such as Forks Academy with no records at all isn't very— well like I said I don't know what to do."
"Does this mean I have to go back to Arizona?" asked Ben looking forlorn.
Mr. Uley sighed, "Well I'm not the official head of the school but I suppose that if we just kept this between you and me Ben, you could stay."
"Of course," breathed Ben excitedly, "Not a word to anyone Mr. Uley I promise."
"But," said Mr. Uley suddenly looking sharp, "you have to prove to me that you are the model student that your application shows you to be."
"Of course," Ben assured him, bobbing his head, "I'll be on my best behavior."
Mr. Uley looked at Ben who was squirming in his chair, "That eager to leave?" he smirked.
"Why of course not," said Ben blushing hotly.
"The door's that way," said Mr. Uley nodding his head towards it, "a student should be in the waiting room to give you a tour and take you to your dorm."
"Of course Mr. Uley," said Ben turning to leave.
Just then the door burst open, had Ben been any closer to the head he would have been smacked in the face. The intruder ignored Ben and rushed towards Mr. Uley flailing his arms madly, "Sa—" he stopped when he noticed the rapid shaking of Mr. Uley's head. The newcomer turned and grinned at Ben, "Hullo! I'm Seth Clearwater, are you new?" Ben nodded stiffly. Seth grinned, "I'd chat with you a little longer had I not have some pressing things to discuss with Mr. Uley."
"Seth," said Mr. Uley wearily, "Is Jacob out there to escort Ben?"
"Well I didn't see him personally," began Seth and quickly changed tactics when he saw Mr. Uley's face, "I'm sure he's there; you should go out and greet him Ben!"
As Ben walked through the doorway he faintly heard Mr. Uley say sarcastically, "pressing things to discuss?"
"Oh shut up Mister Uley."
Mr. Uley and Seth glanced at Ben's disappearing back in harmony, taking in the way the hair was shaggy, the clothes ill fitting, and the way Ben almost bounced off the doorframe before going through. They both sighed, this would not be pretty.
Ben Swan sighed in relief as he passed the reception and went out of the office. He had done it, made it into Forks Academy. The school had actually accepted him which came as a surprise when Ben thought that he might have had to turn to working at a fast food joint to survive. Now the easy part was done, Ben sighed this time in resignation, now if only he could keep the fact that Benjamin/ Ben Swan was actually a seventeen year old girl named Isabella/ Bella Swan a secret.
She looked around she couldn't find the 'Jacob' that Mr. Uley and Seth had talked about that was supposed to give her a tour. Well, Bella was used to disappointments in life so she set down her battered suitcase and flipped through the pile of orientation papers Mr. Uley had given her, ah ha, she found what she had been looking for; the map of the school grounds.
She stared at the map her eyes drifting as she tried and failed to find the boys' dormitories. As she continued her search her mind went to the memories she had tried so hard to block.
Charlie and Renee getting in the old red Ford pick up truck…
The funeral, where Uncle Aro had held her close and let her cry on his thick black coat that smelled like mothballs…
Her caretaker telling her she had to go and live with her Uncle Aro since he was her only living relative ever since Grandma Swan had died…
Her uncle's horrible treatment towards her those past three years…
Oh god, the tears were beginning to come up, Bella took a deep breath and closed her eyes. It was going to be alright she would get through this; she had to be strong.
This was by no means the first time she had run away but it had thus fair been her only attempt. Oh god, she couldn't bare to think of it. If Uncle Aro found her again he would chain her up and lock her in the basement where there were no windows and were plenty of cobwebs. Uncle Aro had always said that when you went underground no one could hear your screams. She shuddered.
Bella was under no circumstances allowed near the computers, neighbors, or telephones. She was not allowed to communicate with anyone. Uncle Aro had been afraid that she would turn on him and he was right, she would in a heartbeat. After her old friends had realized that Bella couldn't talk to them they had stopped trying. Even Mike and Angela who had tried for almost three months after she had been put in her uncle's custody, they had stopped eventually. And Bella couldn't help but think bitterly that Lauren and Jessica were spreading rumors about her; that she was sleeping with Aro's friends James and Laurent. She gagged. But Uncle Aro had never pressured Bella to hang out with him and his friends, but though Bella was glad of that she couldn't help but wonder why he wanted to hide her away from the world.
No! She could do this! Already her luck had turned for the better since she had gone online to get the complimentary tickets to Forks, Washington provide by Forks Academy. She thought that she was done for when he noticed that he was out of the ink that Bella had used to print her ticket, but he hadn't caught on. He never once realized that she was packing her things, planning to runaway and taking some of his things with her. The stealing was bad, she knew but if she had money she would have given it to Uncle Aro to find in his wallet to pay for them. He probably knew that she was gone by now although he probably didn't that she was in an entirely different state. The though perked Bella up. It could only get better from here or so she hoped.
It didn't, get better that is.
Bella stood before the smooth wooden door that bore the plaque D69. She looked at the small key card before sliding it in and trying to get the door to open. But of course, what was she thinking? She was going to the celebrated Forks Academy for crying out loud, she should have known that they would have high end technology like sliding cards with codes to open the doors, next thing you know the lockers wouldn't have combinations but a keypad. She frown at the door and tried it again, maybe she was sliding the card in the wrong way. Gotcha, she opened the door.
A teenage boy that looked a little older than her looked up and glared at her for the intrusion. His blond hair looked dark and heavy as water dripped down to his face. He scowled and flicked back his hair. Bella turned flushed as she realized that he had just come out of the shower. His pale chest with the slight sprinkling of light barely there hair and defined six pack further supported her hypothesis.
"Oh my god," said Bella clutching her chest, "I'm so embarrassed and sorry— I didn't realize that you were changing— Oh my god— if I had I wouldn't have— Oh my god,"
Bella finished turning red.
"Yeah, I think I got that," said Alec Coleman zipping up his black pants, looking not at all uneasy, in fact he looked a little too calm, which made Bella wonder just how many times people walked into him in various stages of undress.
"Sorry," repeated Bella.
Alec looked her straight in the eyes and said, "Stop that, there's nothing I hate more than an apologizing busybody."
That was the first time that Bella Swan had ever been on the receiving end of Alec Coleman's hypnotizing gray eyes but certainly not the last.
"Well I'm—"Bella stopped when she saw Alec cock his head and cup his ear.
"I'm sorry, was that it?" smirked Alec, "Well if we're going to do introductions than I suppose I should tell you I'm Alexander Coleman, call me Alec. If I hear you say Alex I'll chop off your fingers one at a time."
"I'm Bel— Benjamin Swan," stammered Bella.
"A pleasure to make your acquaintance Mr. Swan but what are you doing in my dorm?"
"I'm sorry?"
Alec sighed, and loudly too, "So you're Ben Swan; but who are you and what exactly are you doing in my dorm?" he repeated.
"This is my dorm too," said Bella holding up her key, she added, "I'm the new student."
"How utterly unfair," muttered Alec, "I was even given a warning that I was going to get a new roommate. But I'll tell you who did; Edward Cullen. Now Ben, I sure you're a nice person but I think you should go back to the receptionist and ask, no demand, that she put you in Edward Cullen's room." Bella stared at him. "Now, don't look at me like that, Edward's expecting you. Chop chop you can't keep him waiting," said Alec as he all but pushed her out the door. "Oh and Ben?"
Bella turned around warily, "Yes?"
"D78 remember that now."
"oh okay."
Alec grinned, now he really shouldn't have been mean to Ben, especially when Ben was his roommate and not Cullen's. But then everyone knew the drill you were either on Alec's side or Edward's side; there was no middle ground.
And since Jacob was supposed to give him a tour Alec supposed that Ben had already gotten the dirt on Alec. And even if there was a chance that Ben hadn't, Ben was a frail tiny thing that looked like the slightest breeze would knock him over. And that annoying apologizing. Alec never apologized to anyone, EVER. So he couldn't even try to understand Ben's insistence to repeatedly continue doing so.
Every new student at Forks Ac, was recruited or benched either by himself or Cullen. And if there was an unfortunate one enough to have made it passed to school requirements that neither of them wanted, well lets just say you never heard from the kid again. And unfortunately it looked like Ben was going to go that way because Cullen picked nobody's leftovers.
He picked up his phone and called Santiago Santa Cruz, "Hola mi amigo? Que va?"
"Shut the hell up Santiago," growled Alec.
"And a hello to you too," agreed Santiago. "But why are you calling me now? No likey your roommate. Too bad you should have let me stay."
"What has Black told you about him?" asked Alec nonchalantly.
"Jacob? Mi roommate? Nothing whatsoever. In fact it looks like he's still nursing that hangover from the partying Cullen's group did last night."
"So he didn't see the student?" asked Alec.
"No," said Santiago suspiciously, "Por que? You thinking of recruiting him?"
"I might have heard a rumor in the passing that Black was supposed to show him the ropes."
"What ropes? You Americans are weird," said Santiago, "Jacob is knocked out like the living dead, and he hasn't even risen from his slumber to eat. Food!"
"Well then you best wake him up shouldn't you?" said Alec coldly before turning off the phone.
Santiago shook his head; that Alec was a weird one, mean too. If you didn't know him and he you, he would charm you to your ends and be polite like no other, but the moment he realized just what you were capable of and decided what you could do for him: good bye nice one. He turned to the situation at hand; the sleeping figure of Jacob Black.
You normally get one roommate and stay with that roommate in the same dorm for the entire duration of your four years at Forks Academy. And most people did; Jasper Whitlock and Emmett McCarty, Demetri Hvorostovsky and Felix Botticelli to name a few. But there were others like Alec Coleman and Edward Cullen who delighted in seeing just how long it would take for their new roommates to disappear.
Now Santiago and Jacob had transferred to Forks Ac at roughly around the same time. But their actual headmaster, the one that was off golfing while Sam Uley took his place, hated the idea that snobby rich boys should get a room to themselves. So Santiago ended up being Alec's and Jacob ended up being Edward's. But Alec and Edward had hated them so the four of them were always getting into fights and Jacob and Santiago never got recruited. Then Sam ended up removing Santiago and Jacob and put them into a dorm together.
Imagine Santiago's surprise when Alec recruited him the day after he moved in with Jacob. Apparently after seeing what injustice Santiago was capable of Alec had thought it was wiser to make an ally out of Santiago then enemy. That night Santiago had talked to Jacob who had told him pretty much the same thing except Edward had used words like 'friend' and 'foe' instead of 'ally' and 'enemy'. So Santiago and Jacob would probably end up being the only two guys in the history of the Coleman-Cullen dispute to have to share a dorm together.
Santiago turned to Jacob and started punching him. "Whazzgoinon? whaddafuck?" grumbled Jacob lifting his arms in an attempt to protect himself.
"Jacob!" sang Santiago, "Wake up!"
"Why?" demanded Jacob angrily.
"Don't you, I don't know— owe Sam a favor? What's it going to look like when you're not putting your volunteer hours to use?" asked Santiago sitting on the bed.
"What are you going off about now?" mumbled Jacob into his pillow.
"A Mister Benjamin Swan is currently waiting for you in the office hoping, keyword being hoping, that you'll play nice and give him the tour you promised Sam you would give."
"Wait, what? Oh hell!"