Feathered oak leaves descended from their perch on the tree branches overhead, scattering upon the stiff, deadened grass we tread upon and touching the air with a crisp and sensual feeling of pre-winter. Their colors, now having transitioned from a brilliant array of scarlets and auburns, were caressed in a bland/brownish shade – an indication of the autumn season's near end. A thick cloud cover that, despite its dampening feel, held no promise of rain, nor of any chance of escaping sunlight, only darkened the scenery. Winter was not far off, and soon snow would be seen masking the ground like a thin sheet of bleach-white cloth.
Even the fragile humans were making note of the season change; I observed them in their thick coats from a near distance as we approached the school building on silent footsteps. Each were a variety of colors, draped over their delicate bodies that stood vulnerable to the chilling weather, if not protected by several more layers of underlying clothing. Not that the frigid temperature had any affect on us – we had no blood that would freeze over in the presence of unfavorable conditions, nor the insubstantial tendencies that gave humans their feeble properties. No. We had many other qualities in place of those that labeled humans as breakable. Qualities that the humans lacked. Qualities that made us us; who we are, what we are, what we've been turned into. And on a greater scale, qualities that put us at risk for detection.
Precisely the reason for putting up the charade; I ran my burgundy glove-enveloped hand over the unneeded and almost uncomfortably thick, yet perfectly contemporary cranberry wool scarf that had begun falling limp at my shoulders as a result of the walk over here from the Volvo. With a swift twitch of my wrist, I adjusted the scarf so that it fell back in place, recoiling around my thin neck.
Holding up an unbreaking and forcefully slowed pace, we approached my – correction, our new school that loomed just ahead, a strange off-white-painted void of unfamiliar territory that under any other circumstance wouldn't have sparked the slightest amount of uncertainty or anxiety in the air around us, had there not been a sixth individual in our company.
"You don't have to do this, you know. We can turn around right now and head back to the house. Carlisle would understand if we skipped another-"
"I'm not turning back, Edward. I know I don't have to do this, but I want to. I'm ready."
I glanced back breifly to see my ever-so-pessimistic brother respond to my newest sister's affirmation with a casual shrug that held back so much more worry than he would ever allow to seep through. But I could see where he was coming from. I, too, worried for Bella's well-being. Despite her impeccably astounding capabilities of self-control, we had only waited a little more than a year after leaving Forks to start up school again. Even accompanied by her confident stature and expression, I still had difficulty deciphering whether or not Bella's impressively determined outlook was more than a mere act. Surely she must share the same doubts, to some degree, as the rest of the family did about her… restraint. I didn't have time to continue rolling over my string of thoughts before Edward interjected.
"If you're certain, of course. But I'm sure Reneesme will be missing you back at home, on account that both of us are here-"
Bella's contradiction came out as a huff, "Edward, please. I can do this. I won't make all of us wait another year on my behalf. Besides, Esme's at home to watch her and keep her company. And if she needs backup, Jake can always drive up here and give her a hand. Tacoma isn't that far from Forks, you know." I couldn't help but smirk inwardly at that – Nessie, being half mortal and half vampire, could be a handful, and Esme could use all the help she could get. I wouldn't be surprised if the entire pack showed up at our front doorstep with baby books and child care magazines in each hand.
"Well, we've already missed the first two and a half months of the semester deciding."
More like trying to argue her out of going at all. I was unable to suppress the dejecting thought from crossing my mind before it formed itself into a coherent flow of words. Reminding myself how absolutely wondrous it was to have a mind reader for a brother, I kept my head forward and could only imagine Edward's harsh glare score the back of my head at my analysis before continuing.
"We might as well wait a bit."
"Aw, lighten up, Edward." Emmett's gruff voice coming from behind us shattered the negativity pinning the air around us like a set of claws. "Two and a half months isn't that long. Bella's been a sophomore before. She'll catch up." Emmett's incompetence probably flustered Edward more than he cared to put into words, and a barely audible "oof" out of Emmett helped me form the image, though I was not looking back, of Rosalie elbowing him in the ribcage. Nevertheless, it was blatantly obvious that Bella was set on her decision, so Edward said no more on the matter.
No one cared to share any thought or start up a casual conversation as we neared the mass of students clustered outside the school building. Their gazes, reflecting mixed sensations of awe and uneasiness at the new arrivals, raked over us the entire stretch to the building's entrance. Their breathes clouded in a mist as they inclined their heads forward to speak hushed, suspicious-filled whispers in their groups – whispers that I of course, with my eccentric and highly attuned hearing, could pick up without any difficulty. We had not even begun the school day and already wonder masked the faces of every high school teenager we walked by. But the apprehensive and incredibly skeptical gazes that followed our perfectly fluid movements didn't faze me. My family and I had grown accustomed to the accusatory eyes of the humans that would greet us whenever we were present, as well as the indulging scent of their blood that we've learned to almost completely ignore. Bella, on the other hand, was plainly feeling uneasy by the unnatural attention as I looked back to read her tense expression. That, or the incinerating burn that threatened to tear her throat open as a result of the vast number of humans accompanying the scent of their fresh and ever-pulsing blood in one location. Her breathing stopped altogether and I caught the visible movement of her jugular as she swallowed down a sudden rush of venom. Leaning against Edward's side, her hand was clasped firmly over his in a vice that seeked reassurance. I was nearly knocked off of my feet by the sudden rush of presentiment and anguish that overcame me; maybe she couldn't do this after all, like her earlier aura of confidence had suggested.
Feeling the sudden need for my own sense of reassurance and without a conscious thought to direct it, I found myself slipping out of present time and looking on into a period that had not yet come into play. My walking slowed to an uncalled for standstill and my vision blurred, coming out of focus until my thoughts became consumed in the inevitability of a vision directed into the future.
Bella and I were sitting at the same black-surfaced desk – more like that of a lab table – inside a packed classroom that, by the informational posters and other décor that covered various areas of the walls, was Biology. I noted the standardized clock positioned in the background, who's hands indicated the time of day was still early and most likely the first class period. Bella's eyes were focused up ahead – probably on the instructor – and her expression was hardened into a mask of concentration and restraint.
The vision darkened out of focus and I found myself slipping back into present time. After regathering myself with a few blinks of my eyelids, I twisted my head to survey my surroundings, regarding any changes that might have occurred during the time my mind had wondered into a forthcoming allotment. It was apparent I had continued up walking toward the school again throughout the duration of my vision (for I was now standing before the stone steps leading up to the doorway) even though my mind had been further away than the entryway - strange the way I physically remained attuned, even when my mind was so far off. I scanned the mass of students still clustered in separated areas of the front campus, alleviated when I came to understand that none of them had taken notice of my slip-up. It was then that I registered a physicality that had not been present at the start of my vision. Looking at a downward angle ever so slightly, I scrutinized a scarred hand that was clasped around my own. Tilting my head upward, a habitual smile spread across my face as I took in Jasper's unguarded facial features. He reflected my smile with a look that surpassed fondness, but his eyes betrayed his mixed concern and uneasiness for, what with my momentous talent, I had just witnessed. Looking back over my shoulder, I scanned the faces of my siblings, from Rosalie at Emmett's side to Edward and his stance over Bella. With the same expectancy lightening their eyes as had in Jasper's, it didn't take long for me to register the cause of their concern.
After first confirming that the humans, busy with their gossiping, were out of earshot, I turned around, my hand still embraced by Jasper's, and my eyes became solely focused on Bella even as I spoke, though the explanation of my vision was directed at all five of them. "I don't see anything in particular to cause for concern. Bella will struggle a bit" I had decided against leaving that bit of information out, because despite how much it might worry Edward, I couldn't lie about Bella's unavoidable difficulty, "but everything should turn out fine by the end of the day."
Suddenly jumping to the conclusion, once he tightened his hold on Bella, that Edward would start trying to convince her again to wait on starting school, I hastily released my hand from Jasper's grasp and exchanged it for Bella's. Eager to push away the discouraging thoughts raging through all of our minds, I began tugging Bella by her sleeved arm toward the stone steps leading up to the school's entrance and away from Edward's protective stature. I didn't care to take a second's glance back at his expression that I already knew would undoubtedly be embargoed with agitation because of my interference. Whether my sudden burst of elation had been on part of Jasper's ability or by my own bubbly persona, for the moment it didn't really matter; this would be Bella's first school year since her transformation and it didn't deserve to be spoiled by crestfallen and melancholy sentiments. I spoke up in my bell-chime of a voice without allowing her time to protest at my sudden urge to get her inside the building.
"Hurry up, Bella! We have a first class together!"