Chapter 1
Moving wasn't uncommon for the Cullens. It had become routine, no one thought about it when Carlisle announced that they had been in Forks for too long. And they vanished from the tiny town and headed south the Portland, Oregon. Carlisle and Esme, Edward and Bella, Emmett and Rosalie, Alice and Jasper, Jacob and Renesmee; creatures of nightmares and fairy tails; vampires and werewolves.
In Portland, the younger Cullens enrolled in High School. Rosalie, Emmett, and Jacob were seniors; Jasper, Edward, Bella, and Renesmee were juniors; and tiny Alice played the sophomore.
"You'll be alright," Edward reassured Bella, "Alice will be watching you, but I don't think you'll need it."
Bella nodded, but seemed unconvinced. Alice and Jasper were already in the car having one of their private gaze moments, Rosalie and Emmett were upstairs for some last minute sex, and Renesmee was chasing a furry Jacob around the house trying to get him to phase back and put on a shirt.
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In the huge city of Portland, nobody really noticed the eight new students. People naturally avoided them. The day was perfect until lunch when all of them bought food and handed it over to Jacob who started wolfing it down. (No pun intended) Alice was gazing around the room in a way that only Alice can when she saw a freshman sitting all by herself. Alice skimmed the girl's immediate future and saw that no one was coming for her. She wore a tattered shirt and ripped jeans. In front of her wasn't a tray of food, but a textbook that she was staring blankly at.
"Edward," Alice thought, "what is that girl thinking about?"
Edward was silent for a moment, then whispered so that no one else could hear, "She's wondering if her mom is going to beat her when she gets home."
Alice winced, then looked back at the girl. In a split second decision, she rescued a tray of food that Jacob hadn't gotten to yet and went over to the freshman.
"Hi," Alice said as she neared the table, "I'm Alice Cullen."
"I'm Maggie," the girl said, giving Alice a scrutinizing look. Alice's gorgeous figure, expensive clothes, and strange haircut clearly mad an impression.
"Can I sit here?" Alice prompted, trying to ignore the scent of Maggie's blood.
"Sure," Maggie said quietly, and then she went back to gazing at her book.
"Aren't you hungry?" Alice asked.
Maggie nodded, not looking up, "Starving, but my mom doesn't believe in lunch or breakfast." She deepened her voice in an attempt to mimic a fully grown woman, "It's a waste of money! A human can go three weeks without food."
Sympathy filled Alice's eyes. She pushed her tray towards Maggie, shoving the book down the table. "Here. I'm not really hungry."
Maggie dug in without a second thought. She ate the apple, core and all. Then she moved on to the over cooked hamburger. She ate until there wasn't a single crumb left on the tray. "Thanks."
Alice flashed her a dazzling smile. "Don't mention it." Then her eyes flicked over to the table that she had left and saw Jasper walking towards her.
"Alice, will you come with me to my locker?" he asked, holding his breath so that he couldn't smell the delicious human sitting next to his wife.
Alice beamed up at him, "Of course." She stood up, and turned back to Maggie, "Maggie, this is Jasper."
"Hi," Maggie said, gaping at Jasper's tall, handsome body.
"Pleasure to meet you," Jasper said, clutching Alice's hand tightly. Alice smiled at him and stood up on her toes to peck him on the cheek. Then they turned and walked out.
