Nova
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.
SMACK.
"Ugh." Rolling over in my barely big enough bed, I reached out, smacked the nightstand next to me, and fumbled around for my phone. My fingers searched blindly, in the still dim light of morning, until I eventually touched the cool rubber of my phone-case. Squinting down at the too bright screen, I snoozed my alarm. Just five more minutes. Five more minutes of half-awake comfort, and I would force myself up, and out of my warm blanket cocoon. Mornings always came too early, especially on first days.
Yes, today was my first day at Forks High. My mother decided it would be such a good idea to up and move at the end of my high school career. So, instead of finishing up, and graduating with all of my friends, all of my classmates, and people I'd grown up with, I'll be spending my senior year of high school with absolute strangers. Lit. As if being a new kid wasn't bad enough. Still, I was glad to leave the small town in New Hampshire I'd grown up in. Nothing ever happened there. Nothing at all, really. It was a neat, safe, tightly knit, boring place to live. Not that the dreary, damp streets, and overcast skies of Forks, Washington had much more to offer. At very least, it was something new.
Before I knew it, my alarm was ringing again. I quieted the foul thing, and swung my legs onto the floor. As I wiped the sleep out of my eyes, my mother knocked gently on my door, waiting a moment before opening it. "Nova, honey?" she called out gently. "Are you up?" It was still a bit too dark out to see properly, and I hadn't switched my light on yet.
"Yeah, ma. I'm up." I replied groggily. Reaching over to the nightstand, I felt around for my light switch. When I found it, I clicked the light on, eyes squinting again in protest of the harsh yellow light it cast. Once my room was illuminated, I gazed around warily. Everything was still new to me here. We'd only just arrived a week before, and I'd not really left the house, except to go with mom and sister to the grocery store. "Is Riya up yet?" I asked, looking up at my mother's face. She was so beautiful, even in the morning, much unlike me, who looked as if I'd been mauled by a bear. My hair fell, half out of it's messy bun, and splayed across my face.
Seeing my wild hair, mom chuckled, nodding before answering my question. "She's up." She laughed again when she saw me bolt out of bed, to beat my little sister into the bathroom. She barely had time to step to the side, before I barreled by her. I ran, full speed, down the hall, closing the bathroom door behind me, locking it just in time to hear my little sister open her bedroom door.
"God damn it Nova, I've gotta get ready!" My sister's squealed in protest, her voice higher, and airier than my own. Riya jiggled the handle, and kicked the door in protest when she found it to be locked. "Ugh, you're such a little shit." I could hear her laughing, and walking back to her room. She wasn't wrong about the little part, though. Even though Riya's only a sophomore, I'm only 5 foot 3 on a good day. She's two years younger, and three inches taller than I ever would be.
"Amariya Eden Winter, that mouth of yours!" I heard our mother scold her lightly. She really wasn't angry, but she hated it when Riya cussed in front of her. Hearing my sister's middle name always reminded me of how jealous I was of it. Nova alone was lame enough, but Nova Grace Winter? Ugh. UGH. There's nothing graceful about me!
I ignored the rest of their conversation as I brushed my hair, and teeth. Throwing on some light makeup, I gave myself a once over, making sure I looked at least decent before opening the bathroom door.
"All yours, Riri." I called out to my sister, as I headed back to my room to get changed. I heard her mumbled reply as I passed the threshold of my door, heading straight to the chair where I'd laid out my outfit the night before. Pulling on the ensemble, I headed to my floor length mirror to double check my appearance. Gazing at my reflection, I took in the outfit.
Black boots, black tights, black skirt that fell mid thigh, and black scoop neck, long sleeved shirt. I guess you could say, I had a style. I wasn't really "goth" per-say, I preferred the term "alternative." I tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ears, running my fingers through the black strands that fell straight past my shoulders, and chest. I hadn't realized my hair had gotten so long. I made a mental note to get a trim, and freshen up the thick streak of cobalt blue that I'd dyed on the right half of my head.
Once I was certain I looked presentable enough, I grabbed my coat and bag, (both black of course) and headed downstairs. Amariya was already munching on some toast when I entered the kitchen. If you didn't know us personally, you might have no idea that we were even remotely related, much less sisters. Riya's hair was a striking auburn, the kind of red that looked almost bronze in the right light. Deep, and beautiful. Her hair fell in loose curls, all the way down her back. If I had thought my hair was long, her's was impossible. Like a waterfall of fire, cascading from her head. Her skin was pale, like mine, but somehow she'd inherited the slightly pink Irish glow from our father's side of the family. She resented it, being that she burned easily, and hated anything related to our dad, and his side of our genes. Still, it made her green eyes look vibrant, and alive. Next to my pale blue ones, they might as well be emeralds.
Even our bodies were strikingly different. Riya was thin, and lithe, sporting subtle curves in all the right places. Her legs were long and toned, her arms graceful and languid. She looked like a model, or some sort of Celtic princess. I, on the other hand, was shorter, wider, and curvier than she. My legs were short and thick, and though they were toned enough, they were much softer than hers. My hips were wider, my chest was larger, everything was different. Even my hair didn't curl like hers did. Her clothes were colorful, and cute, feminine, and refined. I looked like I was about to attend a funeral. We couldn't be more different if we tried. (And we hadn't tried.)
"You okay, Novaline?" She called out to me, snapping her fingers in front of my face. I must have been lost in thought.
"Hmm? Yeah, yeah, I'm good. And don't call me Novaline, that's not my name." I grumbled, grabbing the other piece of toast from her plate, and taking a large bite before she could protest.
I heard her giggle, as she shrugged. "Yeah, but I know you hate it." I did hate it. Our father used to call me Novaline, when we were younger. It's what he had wanted to name me, but my mother refused. They settled on Nova, as a compromise.
"How sweet of you to remember." I rolled my eyes as I took another large bite, finishing off the toast and grabbing my keys. "Alright, let's get this over with." I grumbled, heading for the door. Riya wasn't far behind, stepping in line behind me as I opened the door. The sun had finally come up, though we couldn't see it, behind those signature Fork's clouds. It was always like this, from what I'd heard. I didn't mind though, I wasn't overly fond of the sun. And that's not because of the whole dark and gloomy style I preferred, I just didn't like the heat, or the brightness, or the sunburn that peeled back to pale white and left irritating freckles on my skin.
Opening the door to my old, beat up black Honda Civic, I threw my bag and coat into the back seat, and started the car. Once Riya was in, I pulled up the GPS on my phone. I entered the address for Forks High, and pulled out of our driveway, heading toward what I'd hoped would be a quick, and painless day.
We had arrived at school early enough to head to the office, and get our schedules and a map of the campus. It wasn't very large, which hadn't at all surprised me. The population of Forks wasn't exactly booming. I was thankful, though, that the school was small enough. The less people, the less potential headaches.
Riya and I walked out of the office, finding place to sit, and compare schedules before the day began. We only shared one class all day, but I was still thankful to be able to know someone in one of my classes. The whole school had lunch at the same time, which was odd to me, but taking into the account of the number of students attending, it made sense. Still, I didn't much like the idea of cramming everyone into the cafeteria all at once. That sounded like a major headache. Crowds and I weren't the best. My anxiety loved to show up anytime the headcount was higher than the number of fingers and toes I had.
"It'll be okay, Nov." Riya reached out and patted my arm gently. I hadn't said anything, but she was always really good at knowing where my head was at. "I'll be there with you, and eventually you'll have lots of friends. Don't sweat it, sis." She flashed a confident smile my way, and I felt my muscles unclench. I hadn't realized I was so tense.
"Yeah, you're right." I nodded, brushing aside my nervousness as best as I could. "I'll be fine! Besides, if anyone decides to fuck with me, I'll just tell them I'm a witch, or a vampire, or something." I wiggled my fingers, and made a scary face. Riya laughed brightly, and shook her head. She was used to my theatrical gestures, and weird antics.
"Well you certainly look the part, Elvira." she snorted, recoiling back when I reached out to smack her thigh. "Hey watch it! I bruise like a banana!" Ri's tone was playful, so I knew she wasn't mad. After a moment, she stood, looking down at her map. "Well, my first class is this way." she stretched out her arm, and pointed down the hall. "I've got Calculus. Snoooore." She rolled her eyes, and threw her backpack over her shoulder. "You gonna be okay getting to class by yourself, Nov?" she asked, auburn eyebrow quirking as she looked down at me.
"I'll be fine, Ri." I replied, standing up myself, and looking around. People had already begun to filter in, and there was a steady, low hum of conversation beginning to buzz around us. "I'll see you at lunch?" I asked, pulling my own bag onto my back, voice sounding a little too pathetic to my own ears. For a moment, I had felt like the younger sister. I hated that I was so prone to panic, when my sister was always cool as a cucumber.
"Yep yep! See you then!" she said cheerily, and tossed me a wave before skipping down the hall. I turned to look at my own map, and found the quickest route to my first class. Now all I had to do was actually get there, without getting hopelessly lost. I should have known that wasn't going to be the case.
I wandered around for what seemed like an eternity, face glued to my map, trying desperately to work out where in the hell I was in relation to the English class I was supposed to get to. I must've kept my face in the map a bit too long, because suddenly I felt like I had ran straight into a brick wall. I fell backward, straight onto my ass, clunking my arm off a locker next to me when I tried to brace myself.
"Son of a bit-" I grabbed my arm instinctively, nursing the pain, and stopped short before I could loudly cuss at whoever had bowled me over. Looking up, I blinked, words ripped straight out of my mouth, as my eyes fell upon an impossibly beautiful boy. He stood tall, bright gold eyes gazing down at me, pouted lips parted slightly, as if he too was surprised. His hair fell in honeyed curls, just past his dimpled chin. I had thought that I was pale, but he was the color of ivory, skin flawlessly smooth. My heart jumped straight into my throat, stomach dropping into a pit. He was... he was perfect. I didn't think I had ever, ever seen someone so God damn beautiful. My lips fell open, breath refusing to push into, or out of my lungs.
Time seemed to slow down, everything else blurring around me. I hadn't even noticed the other, taller boy standing off to the side of him. All I saw was this... this creature, this godly creature above me. Our eyes locked, and I saw, just for a moment, his eyebrows knit together, his face twisted just slightly, as if he were afraid of something. As if he were anxious about something. The next moment, his face was calm again, and I too felt a calmness spreading through me. The pain in my elbow was gone. The panic, and frustration that had risen up inside of me was gone. I was left in a blissfully calm daze. I don't know how long I had been staring up at him, before he spoke.
"I'm sorry miss." his voice floated out, slight hint of a southern drawl layered into the melodic nature of it. My ears perked slightly at the sound. "I had just rounded the corner, and didn't have time to move before you walked into me." He crouched down in front of me, picking up the map and schedule that had flown out of my hands when we collided. He offered them to me, and once I took them, kept his hand in place, as if to help me up.
I, still partially dazed, took his hand, and stood with him. I noted, somewhere in the back of my mind, that his skin was alarmingly cold. "T-thanks." I managed to get out, eyes still transfixed on his. Dropping my hand back at my side, I tucked my hair behind my ears, and finally looked away from him. "And I-I believe you walked into me." I stuttered out in a sorry attempt at playful banter. I wasn't angry with him, of course.
His soft laughter made my ears perk up again, taking me a bit by surprise. I looked up at him once more, unable too look away any longer. "I do apologize, ma'am." he drawled again, lips curling into a perfect smile. His eyebrow quirked a bit, and I felt my heart flutter. God damn. He reached out his hand again, this time as a greeting. "I'm Jasper, by the way. Jasper Hale."
Jasper Hale... Jasper Hale. I repeated his name in my head a few times. It sounded warm in my ears, unlike his skin, when I took his hand again. "Nova Winter." I said softly, just now registering that there was someone else there with us. "Pleasure to crash into you." I said semi-sarcastically. It had been a pleasure. I let my hand fall away, and made sure to balance myself, realizing my knees had gone slightly weak.
The boy next to him smirked to himself, as his eyes, also golden, flickered between us. He had been silent, until then. "Sorry about my brother, Miss Winter. He's not usually so clumsy." The other boy offered his hand to me, when I looked up at him. "I'm Edward Cullen." It wasn't until he said his name that I realized he too was incredibly handsome. His hair was much shorter than Jasper's, and not at all the same color. Edward's hair was a bronze tone, similar to Riya's, but not quite as intense. His lips were thinner, and face more angular. Though they both looked like something out of a magazine, they looked nothing alike, save their eyes. I slid my hand into his, shaking it politely. Jesus, did these boys win the genetic lottery? Aside from their poor circulation, I suppose. They're like icicles. I thought I saw Edward chuckle under his breath before letting go of his hand.
"Are you lost?" Jasper asked, as I returned my attention to him.
"Hopelessly so." I laughed, shrugging my shoulders and looking down at my schedule. I thought I noticed Jasper smile out of the corner of my eye. I chewed my lower lip, and looked at the map again. "I'm supposed to be heading to English 12, with Mr. Brighton." I looked back up at him, noticing that Edward was no longer standing next to him. "Woah, I didn't even hear him leave." I mumbled, mostly to myself.
Jasper let out another soft chuckle, eyes darting down the hall for a moment, as he readjusted the bag on his shoulder. "I'm headin' that way myself. I can walk you, if you like?" His eyes snapped back to mine, and I felt butterflies swimming in my stomach. I swear I saw his eyes soften, and grow darker for a moment, but I brushed it off.
"Oh, really? Yes, please. I'm horrible with maps." I sighed, and waved the map theatrically.
His lips twisted into a smirk, and he took a step forward. "C'mon, it's this way." He began to walk forward, and I followed, trying desperately to keep up with him. When he noticed that my short legs were struggling, he slowed down a bit, matching pace with me. We walked silently for the rest of the way, and I had to fight the urge to stare at him while we went. I had already fallen on my ass once today, I didn't need to slam into anything, or anyone else.
When we reached the door of the classroom, the first bell rang. Stopping just outside the door, I turned to face him, gazing up at his eerily perfect features once more. I didn't really want to go to class anymore, I didn't want to look away from this mesmerizing man. "Well, Miss Winter, here you are." he said softly, lips curled up just at the ends, accenting the pout they possessed. I felt a soft sadness ache inside of me, not wanting to leave his side.
What is wrong with you, Nova? You just met the guy! Get a grip! I chastised myself inwardly, biting the corner of my lip, before speaking. "Just Nova, if you would Mr. Hale." I narrowed my eyes at him, grinning as I playfully used his polite manner of speaking against him.
"Understood." he replied lightly, nodding his head as he spoke, a hint of returned playfulness in his tone. He stood a moment longer, eyes locked on mine, as if he were lost in a thought. I felt the sadness that had been there a moment before slip quietly away, as he turned his body away from me. Looking back one last time, he waved slightly, and headed toward his classroom.
"Jasper Hale." I said softly, barely a whisper, as I stood and watched him walk away. The second bell rang, snapping me out of my daze. Turning, I walked through the open door of the classroom, and found myself a seat in the back.
As I sat, I thought to myself, maybe, just maybe moving to Forks wouldn't be so bad after all.
((Obligatory "Twilight does not belong to me" disclaimer. The only one I'll write, because obviously it doesn't belong to me.))
Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think. I've never written Twilight fiction before, but I've been on a weird Twilight kick for a little while now. I read the books YEARS ago in middle/high school, and watched the movies when they came out, but hadn't thought about the series in years until a few months ago. I don't know what rekindled my interest in it, but here we are. Team Jasper all day, erry day, lol.
Anyway, I've got a vague story-line worked out in my head, but please leave me a review on what you think! I'll update as frequently as I can, but I've got a job, and a puppy, and real life garbage to deal with, haha. Thanks again!