Avian
I heaved myself off of the pavement, bringing my backpack, guitar case, which had my guitar in it, and my duffel bag with me. I walked into the front office of Forks High School, struggling with my belongings.
"Hi," I said. The receptionist looked up from behind a enormous pile of papers.
"Oh, you must be the new foster kid of Dr. and Mrs. Cullen. I have your schedule and a map right here," she said, handing me a group of papers. I took them from her and was about to leave when she surprised me. "Don't you need help finding your classes dear."
"I think I can find my way around," I said, rolling my eyes only because my back was turned. No need to get detention on the first day, I'd save that for tomorrow, when I get in trouble for skipping math today. I continued walking out the door and tried to find my locker so I could get rid of all my extra stuff. Number 50, wow, there couldn't be more than 400 lockers in this school. They wouldn't be needed. I love this place already. Small town, wilderness everywhere, and it rains constantly! I'm not kidding. I love nature, rain, and most of all, I don't like people. I finally found my locker as the other students began arriving. I'd been dumped here half an hour early. I put my stuff in my locker and took out only what I would need for my morning classes. When I closed my locker, put my lock on and turned around, I found that everyone was staring at me. I rolled my eyes. Honestly, couldn't they find something better to do? I found my schedule, I had English, science, then math before lunch. I pulled out my map and found the classroom. A years of living in the wilderness had taught me how to navigate. I headed to the classroom. "Hi," I said to the teacher, "I'm Raven."
"Oh," she said bored, "your seat is over here." She led me to the back of the classroom, luckily I was seated right next to the window. "Here's the list of books we're reading this year. We're just finishing Macbeth today. You don't have to take the test since it's your first day."
"No," I said, "I'll take it for something to do, I've read the book twice. Actually I just finished rereading it yesterday." She seemed surprised and somewhat skeptical. I didn't care.
"Okay," she said, walking back to her desk. Shaking her head. Probably in denial that I'd read the book. Whatever. I glanced down at the list of books in my hand. Predictable, I'd read the all. This was the only class I thought I'd need. I'd home schooled myself, I was able to go to college this year, but no, Ian had to throw me out because I was too "moody." Nobody knew I'd home schooled myself but him, and he wouldn't vouch for me, so I had to go to high school. This was going to be boring. Oh well, I'd find something to teach myself after school. Homework would be a cinch since I'd already done most of the worksheets. Thank god I'd kept all my old essays on a flash drive. Most of the students had wandered into the classroom during my musings. They were all still staring, some of them even whispering and pointing to me. I was in the back of the classroom, I hoped that I wouldn't be a distraction for them during the book test.
"As you all know the Macbeth test is today," the teacher said. Groans sounded all around. How do you forget, or not study for, a test worth that much of your grade? The teacher handed five tests to the first people in each row and they passed it back. Interesting ritual, it seemed effective. Maybe I would learn things this year. After all, it was the first time I'd met anyone my age outside of a foster home. I took the test from the girl in front of me.
"Thanks," I said. The whole class looked at me. I shrugged. Am I not allowed to be polite here? The test was easy, multiple choice and matching. I knew all the answers, when I finished I looked around, a few people walked up to the teachers desk and placed their tests on her desk. I did the same and then sat back down. I took my sketchbook out of my bag. I began drawing an eagle. By the end of the class everyone was done with his or her test and I was done with my sketch.
"That's really good," said the girl in front of me. I looked up. She seemed like the Ambercrombe and Fitch type.
"Thanks," I said.
"So, why are you in foster care?" She asked, completely disregarding how personal the question was.
"None of your business,"I said. The bell rung and I left the room. I took out my map again, and found the science room. It wasn't very far from where I was. I went in, once again earlier than the other students, and went to the teacher's desk. The classroom smelt weird, I noted. I cleared my throat to get "Mr. Miller's" attention He looked up.
"You must be Raven White. I have a workbook here somewhere," he said, shuffling around some papers on his desk. A few seconds later he held up a biology book. I brought my used copy of the same thing out.
"I've already finished mine," I said, handing it to him. He looked through it for a little bit before he handed it back to me.
"This is remarkable," he said, probably commenting on the writing in the margins. I'd written notes about what was on the pages. "When did you have time to do this?"
"Oh, I home schooled myself. I've already finished the high school curriculum. But I have no one to vouch for me so..."I said, scratching the back of my head nervously.
"You've already finished high school?" He asked incredulously. I nodded. "I'm going to have to speak with the Cullen's about this. Maybe we can get you into college classes or something." My eyes brightened at the mention of some actual schooling. My classmates actually decided to come in the room now, just as the bell rung again. Everyone took their seats and I took a seat at the only open desk. People were still staring. I rolled my eyes. Did they ever stop?
"Class, today we're dissecting frogs." Again groans all around. I was absolutely giddy! Yeah! Bring on the blood and guts! I smiled in delight. The other students noticed and gave me odd looks. Mr. Miller handed out scalpels and other necessary utensils He hooked up an explanatory power point through some kind of protection thingy. I already knew what to do. Then he put the dissection dishes, complete with already dead frog, on every two person desk. He stopped at mine. "You don't have to do this lab if you don't want to."
"I would like to if that's okay. But I did this already, so you could save the specimen if you need," I said.
"If you want to you can," He said, "I just didn't think you'd want to." He placed a dish in front of me and started walking around the classroom, checking progress. I went straight to work, cutting into the frog and looking again at each individual organ. I knew them all, as well as their functions. I cut them out and placed them in the spaces in the dish that the power point had said. You know, lungs in the right corner, intestines in the left. One of the girls passed out at a nearby table. I almost laughed, but I stopped myself and, since no one seemed to be able to pick up the poor girl and carry her to the office, I wiped off my hands.
"Can I use this," I said, walking over to the teachers rolly chair and pointing to it. He seemed at a loss for what to do so he nodded. I rolled it over to where the girl was sitting, piked her up and placed her in it. He seemed to get the idea then and went to open the door for me to roll her past. The class was now talking about the girl and how I was so great because I figured out that someone had to bring her to the nurses office. How silly. I rolled her to the nurses office and opened the door with my back, dragging the chair in backwards. The receptionist seemed surprised.
"What happened?" She asked.
"She passes out in biology. We're dissecting frogs." I explained. She nodded. The school nurse walked in and quickly checked on her patient.
"You can go back to class now, dear," said the receptionist. I nodded and walked out. I walked back to the science room and grabbed my things. The bell had rung once again. I smiled politely at Mr. Miller before I left. I had math next. I found the classroom exterior using the map. It, of course had windows so I copied the homework pages down without anyone seeing me.
"If you're skipping math, why are you copying down the homework?" Asked someone. I flinched, startled, and turned around. There were five people, three boys, two girls, and they were all wearing black and looking tough. I wasn't scared. I could fight if needed, besides, I was wearing black too.
"I don't normally skip," I said, "I'm giving myself a break today. So, what are you guys doing this period?"
"Actually we were going to play soccer," he said.
"I was gonna' sketch but this is better, can I play?" I asked.
"Sure," said one of the girls, "I'm Alex."
"I'm Raven," I said. We walked away from the window and to the open field.
"Okay, I'm Alec," said a blond boy, "This is Cody," he pointed to a black haired boy, "Ray" he pointed to another blond boy, "and Izzy" he pointed to the last girl. I waved.
"So, three on three with those trees as the goals?" I asked.
"Sounds good. How about girls against boys?" Ray suggested. I shrugged, hoping the girls could play well. Turns out they could, by the end of what was supposed to be math, the score was tied 3-3, and I'd made five friends. Lunch was next, I was hungry, but I had no money, or food.
"Want to sit with us at lunch?" Izzy asked.
"Sure," I said, probably sounding too eager. Alec chuckled. I blushed. We got in line. They all got their food and sat down. Izzy sat down next to Cody, and Alex sat down next to Ray. I could tell they were couples. Alec sat down across from me and next to Alex
"Why aren't you eating?" Asked Cody.
"If I had money, I'd eat." I said. Looking at their lunches longingly as my stomach growled. I'd eaten yesterday at lunch but there hadn't been enough food to go around so I'd given my share to the rest of my family.
"Here, have some of mine," Ray said.
"Nah," I said. I needed to change the subject. "So, why do you guys skip math?" They seemed to know I didn't want to talk about my money problems so they let it go.
"We couldn't understand what she was saying, so we ditched," explained Izzy.
"I only skipped because I've already done the work," I said. This could work out perfectly, I could get them back into class, and they could understand the work. "I could give you a hand if you like." They seemed to consider for a moment.
"What do you want in return?" Asked Ray, suspicious. I think they really want to learn. Awesome.
"I want you to go to class." I said.
"Okay, but that depends on if you can actually explain it to us." said Alex. I pulled pulled out my tattered math book and explained today's lesson.
"I get it now!" said Alex. The other seemed happy too. I smiled.
"So, let's make a deal. You go to class, do your homework, and study for tests and I reteach the lessons at lunch." I said. They nodded.
"What do you get out of this?" Asked Ray, always skeptical.
"I get to sit with you at lunch, and possibly..." I bit my lip, "become friends with you?" It came out more like a question. They smiled.
"I already consider you a friend," said Alex. I beamed. I already had friends! Cool! They laughed. We chatted the whole rest of lunch, it turned out that we had the last two classes together. When the bell rung they walked me to Social Studies. I sat with them and found out we were taking another test. I again took it out of boredom and knew all the questions. The next class was gym, which rocked! We were playing basketball. My height helped a lot. I was 5 foot 8 inches and still growing. When I changed I used the stall. I didn't want anyone to see my scars, or the one knife wound in my back that I'd bandaged earlier today. I'd need my doctor to stitch it up later. No one knew, and no one needed to know. Besides, I could block pain pretty well. When class was over, I was anxious. I was going to meet my new "family." Some part of me still hoped that they'd be like my mom and dad, but I tried not to get my hopes up.
"What's eating you?" Asked Alec after I came out of the girls locker room.
"I'm going to meet my new "care givers" now," I confessed.
"Oh," he said, "I know exactly how you feel." I rose an eyebrow.
"I've been through the system," he said.
"You have?" I asked. He nodded.
"I found a real family," he said.
"I have to admit, I'm jealous," I said. He laughed.
"I know this wont help much but, I've become pretty good at reading people, and these Cullen's actually seem nice. Give them a chance, okay," He said. I smiled.
"Okay. Thanks," I said. He smiled.
"That's your ride," he said pointing to an approaching Volvo. Awesome car. I couldn't wait for my motorcycle to come in. I needed Avian like I needed freedom. She was my wings when I wasn't phased. I walked over to the car. They rolled down the window. I put on a stoic mask.
"Um, I need to get my bags out of locker," I said.
"That's okay, we'll wait," said a pixie like girl that was sitting on a blond guy's lap in the backseat. I nodded and jogged off to my locker. I undid my lock, grabbed my guitar, duffel bag, and struggled to get it to their car. The trunk was open and the bronze haired guy that had been driving the car was standing next to it. He grabbed my stuff and set it gently in the trunk. I blinked, he helped me? Maybe they were nice? I stopped that train of thought. No. They weren't going to be like my mom and dad. This was just a show put on for the other people in town. They would be just like all the other "families" I'd been to as soon as we got to the house. I'd probably get beaten up as welcome. I was used to that. Pain was normal. I could understand pain. I was in pain now. My back was hurting more than normal from gym. The boy opened the passenger side door for me and when I stepped in, he closed it. I told myself again that he didn't care.
"I'm Edward," said the bronze haired boy.
"I'm Alice," said the pixie, she gestured to the boy she was sitting in the lap of, "and this is Jasper."
"I'm Bella," said a quiet girl in the backseat.
"I suppose all of you have read my files so..." I said. Edward smiled and nodded.
"It wasn't very complete," said Jasper.
"Why should I tell the agency everything about me?" I asked.
"Right, I suppose you'd want a little privacy." said Bella.
"Yeah," I said. I finally noticed that we were going really fast. I opened the window slightly and put my hand up to feel the wind. It felt wonderful. I stared at the window, calmed by the feeling I got from going so fast. Once again I wished I had my motorcycle. But I had to wait until my 16th birthday, in two weeks. Which was, oddly enough, October 31st. The motorcycle was going to be my present and I was happy about it. Last year one of my friends had given me an old sock as a gag gift. I think they'd gotten the idea from Harry Potter or something. I'd just laughed. My real gifts came from my parents. Yes, I know my parents were dead but they planned ahead and something came in the mail every year. We were soon approaching a huge house. Was that the place? Wow! I closed the window. When the car stopped in the garage I took off my seat-belt and stepped out of the car. Edward had opened the door for Bella, probably his girlfriend. The last house I'd lived in had had an adopted sibling couple so it wasn't that unusual. Actually the two had been my best friends, I considered them brother and sister, they were great. I missed them, I missed all of my family. I missed that cute little girl that I'd taken under my wing, Angel was her name and she was two. Hopefully Aaron and Samantha, the couple, would take care of the other kids. We'd had to protect and care for the younger kids. It's not like the "parents" would. During my musings we'd all walked inside the house without my notice. It was gorgeous, whoever decorated was magnificent. Almost as good as my mom in my opinion. Of course, I was horribly biased. Four more people came down the stairs, all of them as super model beautiful as the first four. One blond even more so, and probably vain because of it. Rich and beautiful, figures. It didn't look like I'd have anyone on my side, so I alone would receive the beatings. I shuddered inwardly, scared, these people looked strong. They smiled kindly though. Not that I trusted smiles.
"I'm Carlisle," said a blond haired guy, he looked like the oldest of the group, but he didn't look over thirty, "this is my wife Esme, and my other adopted children Emmett and Rosalie." Rosalie was the most beautiful person I'd ever seen and Emmett, the strongest looking. Creepy. I smiled politely.
"Would you like a tour," asked Esme. I nodded. She walked out of the room, gesturing me to follow. I did and the others trailed behind us. My back was tense, anticipating an attack. I hated having my back so exposed. We'd walked into the dining room. It had one oval table, the kind you'd see in a conference room. I noticed that it didn't have food stains or cut from knives or other sharp utensils like most tables have. Either the people were really neat, the table was new, or they didn't eat in here. I wouldn't be eating in here anyway so I didn't care. Edward was giving me a strange look.
The next room on the tour was probably the best in the house; it had a piano. Not just a piano either, this was a top of the line grand piano. I was thrilled. They seemed to sense it. "Do you play?" Carlisle asked. I nodded cautiously. "You can play now if you like." I looked at all of them; they seemed sincere. I nodded again. The laughs and the "in your face, like we'd ever let you touch something this valuable" comments didn't come, so I sat down. I ran my hands over the keys. It had been years since I'd last played. I automatically started playing "Avian Freedom." I'd written it when my parents were still alive. I got a few keys wrong in the beginning so I stopped, gave myself a few seconds to calm my nerves, and began again. The second time I got all the keys right. I lost myself playing, my emotions soaring. I love the piano. When I finished there was clapping. I was immediately snapped out of my happy mood and put my mask back on. I'd forgotten there were other people with me; I'd forgotten there was anything but the piano and me. I froze.
"That was wonderful! What song was it? I've never heard it before," said Esme.
"It's called "Avian Freedom" and you haven't heard it before because I wrote it," I whispered.
"You wrote it," she gasped. I nodded again.
"How old are you again?" Asked Carlisle.
"Fifteen, sir," I said.
"That's remarkable!" Exclaimed Esme. I stood up, still tense. I'd never had a foster parent say anything nice without them trying to trick me into lowering my guard so it would hurt more when they beat me. I was on high alert; sure they acted nice now, but once I did one wrong thing they'd be just like all the others. All the others except one. But I wouldn't think about that now. There were quite a few "others". I'd been in six different "families," they'd all been the same too; the only difference was if they had other foster kids. Most of the time they didn't and if they did I became the care giver. Not that I minded that, I loved kids. They kept me going, gave me something to live for.
Nobody said anything, they seemed to sense how uncomfortable I was. We went around to all the rooms. The couples shared a room, though there appeared to be plenty of spare bedrooms. We walked into my new favorite room in the house. Three walls were painted blue and had silver and black streaks. The other wall was all glass, it had a sliding door that opened up to no balcony and had a great view of the surrounding wilderness. The furniture was new and the bed had a memory foam cushion on top of the mattress. I hadn't slept on a good mattress in a year. This was absolutely my dream room. In fact if I remember correctly, I wrote a description of a room just like this in my file right after my parents had died; back when I'd still believed there were good foster parents in the world. If only. I knew I'd either be sleeping in the basement or the attic, but so far this house didn't seem to have either. Then the most peculiar thing happened. Esme said, "This is your room. I hope you like it. Alice and I decorated." My eyes widened. My room! I kept my mask on, barely. Wait! Could this be a trick? I looked at all of them. They didn't look like they were trying to trick me.
"Thank you, ma'am," I said, addressing Esme, then Carlisle, "Thank you, sir." They smiled.
"You can call me Esme, dear," said Esme. Huh? What is with these people? They haven't hit me. They let me play piano. They gave me an actual room. They were actually being nice to me. This had to be a trick. But I really wanted to believe it, even if it was a lie. I wanted to be loved again. Loved not just by other foster siblings, but foster parents too. But I couldn't let myself trust them. If I loved them, that gave them the power to hurt me. Loving a person gives them the power to shatter you, to make you nothing. I would not give them that power, not until I knew I could trust them.
"We have a tradition of doing homework in the living room all together. Would you like to join us?" Asked Alice. I nodded. I followed them into the living room and we all sat down on the inviting couches. A folding table was placed in front of me before I could blink. I still had my backpack on so I pulled out my math book, a spiral notebook, a pencil, and my iPod nano. I pressed play on my iPod right away, forgetting that I'd had the volume up very high the day before. The rock music blasted my eardrums, but I barely blinked as I turned it down. I selected the random control and Face Down by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus came on. Perfect. I pulled out my assignment book and wrote down the math page numbers in the spiral. I flipped to the page in the book and began the first problem. I was done with math in less than 20 minutes. I listened to Concrete Angel by Martina McBride, Seventeen Ain't so Sweet by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Welcome to my life by Simple Plan, and on the lighter, happier note In My Daughter's Eyes by Martina McBride, and Do you Believe in Magic by Aly and Aj, and Watching You by Rodney Atkins. The last song to play was one of my favorites, She's Everything by Brad Paisley, it was my fathers favorite song because it described his love for my mom perfectly. Strange mix but I gave everything a chance and found out that I was okay with lots of music types. Except Rap. I brought out my science worksheet and was almost finished with it when my math teachers voice played on the message recorder for the phone. I cringed in my head. Here it comes!
"Dr. and Mrs. Cullen, I am very disappointed in your new foster girl. I expected more of her because she went to your family, but she is just like those other hoodlums. She skipped my class today. I saw her playing soccer in the field with Ray and his group. I had hoped she wouldn't turn out like them but if you don't straighten her out, I'm afraid she will!" Mrs. Brown all but yelled.
"Raven, come into the dining room please," said Dr. Cullen. Here we go. In for another beating. I stood up and walked into the dining room, trying not to shake with fear. I knew I had to be strong. I would be strong. My determination overcame my fear.
His eyes seemed to soften when he saw me. Strange, he didn't look that angry. Neither did Mrs. Cullen, who was standing next to him. "Why did you skip class today?" He asked. I knew he wouldn't believe me if I told the truth now. He'd just think it was an excuse.
"It didn't seem like fun," I half lied.
"School isn't always fun, but you have to go through it either way. I don't want you to skip again so this won't go unpunished," Dr. Cullen said. I tensed, staring him straight in the eyes and waiting for the pain that was sure to follow the word "punishment." I was determined not to scream. I never screamed. But the pain never came. He finished what he was saying, this time in a softer tone, I noticed, "You're grounded this week."
"Grounded?" I asked, "What's grounded." What kind of punishment was that. I felt my brow wrinkle in confusion, showing emotion against my will.
"You've never been grounded before?" Esme asked. I shook my head no, still confused as Hell.
"Oh, well being grounded means that you can't leave the house except for school," Carlisle explained. Oh, so it was like what I did to my kids when they misbehaved. I didn't prefer being hit but this was going to be hard. I had no way of getting food and I was low in supply. I had enough Ramen to last me for two days. I also had my last paycheck but if I wasn't able to get out of the house I couldn't cash it and buy food. This was almost worse. I hated being hungry. I needed energy to be able to heal from injuries, and that couldn't happen unless I had food. "You can go back to doing your homework now," said Dr. Cullen. I obediently walked back to the living room and sat down to complete my science work. Just as I was writing my last period the answering machine played another message about me.
"Dr. and Mrs. Cullen I want to congratulate you on fostering such a bright girl! I admit I was surprised when she wanted to take the Macbeth test but her score is amazing. She got a 100%; the only one in the whole grade! She has a bright future ahead of her; I can tell," said Mrs. Sug, my English teacher. The test was easy, it was hardly cause for celebration. I mean, I'd taken the dang thing out of boredom! I could see that everyone was surprised. A message for Dr. Cullen then played out on the answering machine. It seemed pretty unimportant, just a reminder that if a longer absence was needed, just call the office. Apparently the family liked to go camping when it was sunny out.
I put my science homework and iPod away and was about to put my math away when Emmett said, "I thought you skipped math. Why do you have the math homework?"
"The window is conveniently located. You can easily see the homework board," I said.
"But how do you understand the equations?" Asked Edward.
"High school math is easy," I said. They seemed surprised.
Another message played out on the answering machine. It was from Mr. Miller, my science teacher. "I'm impressed with Raven, Dr. and Mrs. Cullen. I was about to give her her new textbook but she turned one in already completed and the notes in the margins are...well they're beyond average. She's very bright and her observation skills are unbelievable. I also heard from her social studies teacher that she took the Renaissance test and got a 100%. She says she's already completed High School! She apparently taught herself and has no one to vouch for her. She can't legally go to college without High School first but maybe in her case an arrangement can be made. I'd like to meet with you and the Forks Board of Education about this. Please Call me soon at (356)-254-0981 extension 5667." The Cullen's were staring at me open mouthed. To my embarrassment, my stomach growled. They seemed to snap out of their daze.
"Oh, forgive me," said Mrs. Cullen. I'd stopped referring to her as Esme in my mind. "You must be starving. We already ate earlier and didn't know what you'd like. Would you like to order out?"
"Sure," I said, surprised.
"What would you like?" Asked Esme. Hmm. Subway was cheaper, but hey didn't deliver. Besides, I was in the mood for Chinese, and most of the time, they did deliver.
"Chinese?" I asked and pleaded at the same time.
"Sure honey," said Mrs. Cullen. My mind couldn't figure out what to call her. If I called her Esme I was getting closer to her but if I called her Mrs. Cullen I'd get in trouble for disobeying her order to call her Esme. I groaned inwardly. These people were so confusing! By the time I'd stopped thinking about what to call her she'd already found the phone and asked me what I wanted to eat. I told her Chicken Fried Rice and Chicken with Cashews. She ordered the largest size of both.
"I wont be able to pay you back this week," I told her when she turned off the phone.
"You don't need to pay us back for that. We wouldn't make you pay for food!" She seemed outraged. I tensed. Maybe I'd finally blown it, though I didn't know what I'd done. Again the pain didn't come. It took my mind a few seconds to process what she'd just said. She wasn't going to make me pay for food? I'd worked for food and clothes since I was 13. The boy from school had said these people were nice. He said he was a good judge of people, though I didn't know how good a judge. The doorbell rung then, and Dr. Cullen (I couldn't figure out what to call him either) answered it. He came back in the room a few minutes later with enough food for wolf-girl(aka my friend Sam, who actually shifted into a giant white wolf). He walked into the kitchen and placed it on the smaller table. This one did have food stains, but not enough as was normal. Odd. Dr. Cullen/Carlisle motioned for me to sit down. I obeyed, once again. I grabbed a pair of chop sticks from the bag and opened the box of Chicken Fried rice. I put some onto a plate provided for me by Esme/Mrs. Cullen and began eating with my chop sticks. For me, eating with chop sticks was effortless. I love Chinese food, almost as much as Subway, so my mom taught me to eat with them when I was six. I finished what was already on my plate and looked up to get some Chicken with Cashews. They looked in a different direction quickly, trying to make it look like they hadn't been staring. I rolled my eyes. Honestly, I wasn't stupid. Maybe they thought I was. I could tell they weren't normal. I just couldn't figure out what was different about them. I put some Chicken with Cashews on my plate and finished that too. It tasted so good. Hunger usually does that. Come to think of it, the last time I'd eaten was yesterday at lunch. I hadn't been able to move last night, or into the morning because of my "going away present" from Ian and he'd waved the money I was supposed to buy lunch today with in my face. I both hated and feared Ian. I didn't stand up from the table, not knowing what I was allowed to do now. I was finished with my homework, and I'd eaten.
"I'm sure you'd like a chance to settle in, dear. Why don't you go up to your room and turn in for the night," said Esme/Mrs. Cullen. I stood up, grabbed my bags from the living room, and walked to my room. No one followed, thank god, and I closed my door. I was lucky, it had a lock, which I used. I began putting my clothes away. I didn't have many. I'd left most of them with Sam. I'd been planing to get fabric to make more when I got here. I also needed a sowing machine. I was being delayed by this "grounding" though. At least the food problem was solved. That put a smile on my face, seeing as I was alone and free to show my emotions. I selected Taylor Swift on the artist list and You Belong With Me came on. I sang along, knowing all the words. Aaron, Sam, and my parents had all told me that I had a great voice, but I never believed them. It didn't matter to me if I was good or not though, I loved singing. It was another stress reliever, and I had plenty of stress to relieve. Besides, it was for my enjoyment anyway. Unless I was singing a child to sleep, which I'd done every night for a while. I missed all those kids. There had been 10 in the last house alone, including Sam and Aaron. The next song to come on was Love Story, I sang to this one too. Sam had loved this song. It reminded her of her and Aaron's love. I missed them too. I felt a traitor tear slip down my cheek I wiped it away angrily. I would not cry, I repeated in my head. No more tears rained down my cheeks. There was a desk in the room. I placed my school bag on it. My guitar went in the corner. I pulled out Maximum Ride: The Angel experiment and opened to the first page. I'd read the whole series about ten times, but it was my favorite. I mean kids with wings went right up my alley! I shifted to have wings for heaven's sake. That reminded me, I wanted to go flying soon. And Hunting. Four weeks was way too long. Next week, I promised myself.
I was interrupted from my mussing by a knock on the door. I paused my iPod and opened it. There stood Dr. Cullen. I got out of the way so he could walk in, though I didn't want to. I was scared again! Damn that emotion! I was sure he was going to hurt me now, though I couldn't remember what I'd done wrong. Then again, no one really needed a valid reason. Oh wait, this couldn't be one of those houses? Could it? I wouldn't be raped again would I? I tensed. His eyes widened momentarily, almost like he was hearing my thoughts, then he almost looked sympathetic.
"I'm not going to hurt you," he said, "I just wanted to get you settled in before I asked you a question."
"Ask away," I said.
He took a breath, then said, "Your file says that you had several dangerous habits." He paused to look me over, his eyes finally stopping on my wrists. Oh, so that's what this is about. "I don't want you to continue them. I'd like you to hand over anything with a blade." I considered rolling my eyes before I thought better of it. I nodded before I went over to my bag and retrieved my razor. Good thing it rains constantly here, I could wear long pants and no one would see that I wont be able to shave anymore. I grabbed my knives from their usual hidden spot around my ankles and handed all three things to him. I felt strangely naked without my blades. My mother had given them to me when I was 3 and I treasured them. They were also good for protection. They blades were white and my mother had told me they were forged from The Great Taha Aki's wolf fangs. They were said to be able to cut through bloodsucker skin. They could also go through metal detectors unnoticed, which was very useful.
"Do you have any cut that I need to clean?" He asked, "I can bandage them." I looked at him with wide eyes. He wanted to treat my wounds? This had to be some new scheme. He couldn't be for real. I held out my arms and pulled up my sleeves none the less. They did have a lot of make shift bandages on them. But I hadn't hurt myself. Actually that was my cover, I couldn't let anyone know that Ian had done that or he would've been arrested and all of us kids would go to separate foster homes. I couldn't allow that because I wouldn't be able to protect them. Protection was my role and I filled it gladly. I wouldn't let anyone under my protection to get hurt, even if it meant I got hurt. So I took the pain. I had so many scars I looked deformed, but they didn't and that's what counted. The doctor took off the bandages and gasped. I looked at my arms. In my opinion they weren't that bad.
"I'm going to need my medical bag," he said. I nodded, not really concerned with the constant state of my body. One wound healed as another formed. Dr. Cullen let me out the door and into another room down the hall. Edward joined him, coming out of the room next to mine. My wrists were still open to the air as I was led into what seemed like a hospital room, though I'd never been in one.
"Why don't you sit on that table," said Edward. I sat obediently. They'd do whatever they were going to do, regardless. Dr. Cullen walked over to a cabinet, grabbed a bottle of something and a piece of cloth, and walked back to me.
"This will disinfect your cuts, but it will sting a bit," Dr. Cullen said. I held out my arms. He poured some of the liquid in the bottle onto the cloth, gently grabbed my left arm in his unbelievably cold hand, and rubbed the cloth lightly on my arm. He proceeded to do this with my other arm. It did sting, but I didn't let it show. The cuts didn't look as gruesome now that the dried blood was gone. They both studied my arm. "These will heal on their own, but this deeper one here will need stitches," said Dr. Cullen. I nodded calmly. Edward handed him a medical bag and Dr. Cullen pulled out the necessary materials and stitched up my cut. He wrapped my arms in clean bandages. The whole process had barely hurt at all and now my cuts would heal more quickly. I looked at both of them queerly. What was their deal? Why were they helping me? I couldn't figure it out.
"Do you have any other injuries?" Asked Edward, looking pointedly at my back. I considered telling them about the wound on my back, but I decided it was till too early to trust them so I shook my head no.
"Then why don't you go back to your room and get some rest. I'm sure you've had a taxing day," said Carlisle. I nodded and he escorted me out and I walked to my room. I locked my door and walked over to the desk where I'd left Maximum Ride. I picked it up and set it on the bed. I dug a pair of heavy pajamas from my very own dresser and put them on. I jumped on the bed and pulled the covers over my legs. I picked up Maximum Ride and lost track of time reading. When I'd finished my book I looked at the clock. It read 2 am. Pretty early for me, but I decided to go to bed anyway. I got out of bed to turn the lights out and stumbled back to retake my position under the covers. I fell asleep dreading the coming nightmares; or more likely: memories.
I woke up crying at 6 am. I was right; it had been a memory. The memory was about the night I lost my virginity. I dried my tears on my shirt. I sighed heavily and sat up. It was light in my room, the sun had arisen while I'd slept, though it was hidden by the clouds. I got out of the bed and headed to my dresser. I grabbed a blue shirt, my baggy, grey, hoodie, and a pair of old worn out jeans. I walked into my own bathroom and turned the water on, cold to wake me up. I quickly stripped and stepped in, letting the water wash over me. It felt so good, but I only stayed in for about 10 minutes, just long enough to wash. I turned the water off and stepped out, grabbing a towel out of the closet and drying myself. I put my clothes on brushed my hair and put my straight black hair in a ponytail. I stepped out of the bathroom, grabbed my backpack, opened the my bedroom door and walked down to the kitchen. I was greeted by Mrs. Cullen and a pile of pancakes. They were all about 5 inches in diameter and the perfect golden brown. She gestured for me to sit down at the table. I obliged and she placed a plate in font of me.
"Take as many as you like, dear," she said kindly. I took and ate four. She didn't seem to stare like the others did. I noticed that the sink was empty, had no one eaten before me? But Esme was already putting the pancakes away. It made no sense. Oh well, I'd figure it out eventually. The other teenagers in the house came into the kitchen, dressed and ready to go, backpacks in hand. I stood up.
"Here is your lunch money," said Esme, handing me 3 one dollar bills.
"Thanks," I said. She handed 3 one dollar bills to all the others, all eight of them. They muttered a thanks and said good bye. I followed them out the door and we got in the car.
Alice spoke up as Edward, Bella, Jasper, her, and I piled into Edwards Volvo, "We're going shopping this weekend Raven. You need new clothes."
"I make my own clothes," I said. She blinked, surprised. "I think I have enough money to buy a sewing machine and some new fabric, though."
"Oh, well okay, but you don't have to pay for it," Alice said. I looked at her, it was my turn to be surprised. They would pay for food and clothes. This was my dream come true! It was Wednesday today.
"Thanks!" I said, almost smiling.
"Well, we don't expect you to pay for things like that! How did you get enough money for that anyway?" Said Bella.
"When the kids were at school I worked," I said.
"When did you get your schoolwork done?" Asked Edward.
"I had a few hours before I had to make dinner," I said, "And I stayed up late after I tucked them in." They looked surprised. With Edward's fast driving we arrived at the school quicker than most, but my new friends were already there. As I got out of the car I was knocked over and I fell back into the back seat.
I chuckled, "You can get off of me now Alex." She stood up looking embarrassed. The Cullen's' were now all out of the two cars we took, most of them were laughing too. Alex offered me a hand and I took it, she pulled me off the ground. I smiled at her.
"Well, that was...something," I said, "But sooooooo you." She laughed ad I laughed with her. "So what do you want to do until school starts?" I asked.
"I want a rematch with the boys. I know we can win this time!" She said. I nodded and we walked to the field we'd been playing at before. Unlike yesterday when the field had been halfway dry because it had been sunny, today it was wet and muddy. We didn't mind in the least. Everyone was already assembled. Play started almost immediately. I was just about to score the winning goal when the warning bell wrung. I groaned and we ran to catch up to the other students. "Bye," I said as I ran down the hall to my first class. I jogged in just as the final bell wrung. Mrs. Sug eyed me with disapproval. I sat down in my seat. She started talking about the next book, Romeo and Juliet. I'd read this one, too. I daydreamed, waiting until the bell wrung. I walked out the door and navigated my way to science. The empty seat next to me yesterday was filled by Edward. This time the lab was simple, label pictures of the parts of the human body, lungs, hearts, things like that, and state their functions. I was second done, behind Edward. I read Maximum Ride #2 for about 15 minutes until the bell wrung. I met up with my "gang" on the way to class. People in the hall were eying them oddly, probably because they hadn't come to math class in forever. They all looked nervous.
"Do we have to do this?" Asked Cody?
"Yes," I answered. They followed hesitantly. When the teacher saw us walk in her eyes widened, then narrowed suspiciously.
"Have you all decided to come to class now?" She asked accusingly.
"Yep," I said, "And they are all going to try to understand, they will do their homework, and take tests and quizzes." The class gaped. All the Cullen teenagers were sitting in a cluster in the back of the room; they looked surprised too.
The teacher said, "Yes well, we'll see." She pointed to our seats. We got out last nights homework and she walked around to check who had done theirs. She stopped at our cluster of desks and sneered, as if to accuse "Who did you copy," but she marked ours as completed on her sheet. She did hand us detentions slips assigned for tomorrow as punishment for skipping yesterday. The teacher started explaining today's lesson and I noticed that half of what she explained was wrong. How was anyone supposed to learn with her teaching. I wrote the homework down again and daydreamed for the rest of the class. In my head I was back with my kids, we were playing catch in the backyard. They were smiling and laughing and having the great time that children should have. I wish they still had that innocence, but their eyes had seen some brutal things living where we lived. I wish they'd had the childhood I'd had. When class was over we walked to lunch. We took our math stuff with us.
As we got in line Ray said, "You understood the math right?" I nodded.
"How?" Asked Alex, mystified. I chuckled.
"You'll get it by the end of lunch," I said. We all got our food and sat down at an empty table near the Cullens.
Alec took a bite f his burger, swallowed, and asked, "Okay, now how do you do that math?" I brought my math book up and started going over the problems, explaining what had to be done and why. They seemed to understand. I smiled; I was so going to be a teacher when I got older. We finished our food just as the bell wrung. I was approached by another student as I was walking out of the room a little behind the others.
"I overheard your conversation with Ray and I was wondering....couldyouteachmemathtoo?" He stuttered and said the last part so fast I almost didn't understand him. He was really nervous.
I smiled in reassurance, and said, "Sure, meet us at the same table tomorrow." The Cullens saw the whole lunch and were trying not to openly stare. I walked to my next class and met up with my friends at the door. We walked in and sat at our desks. They looked happy, I observed. The teacher started out the unit about The American Civil War and I thought back to what my father had said about war. How it wasn't something anyone liked, but sometimes it was necessary. I knew that all too well. I'd killed before, I hated it with every fiber in my being, but it had saved someone that I loved, and I'd do it 100 times over if I had to. I hated fighting but I'd stood up for what I believed in plenty of times, I knew how to use a gun, and a knife, a bow and arrows, how to fist fight, and how to improvise and use what was around me. In fact, I'd had quite the reputation at the last town; I was known for protecting everyone that required it and I could beat up anyone if need be. As the teacher drowned on and on about subjects I knew by heart I remember everyone that I'd hurt and killed to save those I loved from harm and I hated what I'd done. But I'd still do it over again if I had to and I wished with all my heart that 'd never have to fight like that again. Jasper and Edward were staring at me now, the whole group was in this class. The bell wrung and my friends and I left for gym. I noticed the Cullens' conversing as they left in a group for their next class. My next class was gym again and I couldn't wait. I walked into the locker room, grabbed my uniform, long sleeve shirt and long pants, and walked into the bathroom stall to change. I emerged about 30 seconds later, ready for gym. Alex and Izzy were looking at me quizzically. I shrugged them off and we left the room to meet up with the boys to play basketball. We poned everyone. We were our own team and we won almost every game. The Cullens won 2-1, though I could sense that hey all held back and Emmett really wanted to win. I changed the same way again and I was cornered as by Alec as I came out of the girls locker room.
"Alex told me you changed in the bathroom stall," He said. I nodded, knowing where this was going. "You wear baggy clothes that don't show any skin. You're hiding something. You're hiding injuries, injuries that need to be treated."
I didn't answer and that seemed to make him angry. "Damn it, Raven! If you're injured you need to see a doctor! I know you think you can't trust anyone and I don't expect you to tell them your whole life story. But you need to trust Carlisle enough for him to help you! Please!" He begged. We'd attracted the attention of Emmett and Jasper and they were making their way toward us now. They looked dangerous. Alec continued, "Listen to me Raven." Emmett and Jasper reached us then. Alec seemed to take an automatic step back, and I pushed him gently behind me. They all looked surprised by this. I glared at the Cullens, I may be scared shit less now but that didn't mean I was going to let Alec get hurt.
"Is there a problem," I asked Emmett and Jasper.
"Is there?" Asked Emmett, looking past me to glare at Alec. I realized the two were trying to protect me.
"Alec and I were having a little discussion. Nothing for you to concern yourselves with," I said.
"Has he hurt you?" asked Jasper.
"No, and he wasn't about to," I said.
Alec seemed to have gained his composure them because he muttered, "Think about what I said." I caught his arm as he tried to run away.
"I'm not ready yet. Besides, I have another person for that" I said. He nodded, then ran out of there like a bat out of hell. I didn't blame him, the Cullens seemed to have this dangerous vibe that most people listened to subconsciously. It was a miracle but I was able to slide that to the back of my mind when my protective side came out. It was much like the power mothers had when lifting cars off their children of lovers, except it kicked in when anyone was in danger, even if I didn't know them. I could feel it leaving now that no one was in danger. Kev, a close friend that I considered an older brother, had once called it my mother bear instinct. I picked up my bag from where it had fallen and walked to the Volvo.
"I can take care of myself," I said to Jasper and Emmett.
"You don't have to anymore," said Jasper.
"I'll always have to," I said, effectively ending the conversation. I climbed into the backseat of the Volvo and Jasper climbed in on the other side, shifting Alice, who had been sitting in the middle, onto his lap. I pulled my iPod from my pocket and turned it on, You've Got To Stand For Something by Aaron Tippin came on. Perfect. It calmed me down, and I started thinking. I thought about what Alec had said. I really wasn't ready to trust Carlisle yet, not even that much. The song changed to He Believed by Aaron Tippin and I thought about my dad. I fingered his wedding band next to my mothers wedding ring on the chain around my neck. I missed them, so much. I was finally able to think of them without seeing their bodies, mangled on the floor, like they had been that night. No, I refused to see that, to think that far back, and I forced the pictures away. We arrived at the Cullen house, no mansion was a better term, and we all got out of the car. Esme(I'd decided to call her that.)walked toward me.
"Did that boy, Alec, hurt you dear?" Esme asked. How did she know about that?
"No," I said.
"Are you sure?" Carlisle asked.
"Honestly," I said, "If he was trying to kiss me or something I'd just break his jaw and be done with it. I can take care of myself. But that's not what he was trying to do. He isn't like that, he wouldn't hurt a girl that way."
"What do you mean you can take care of yourself and if he wasn't trying to hurt you why was he yelling at you," asked Jasper. I picked up a good stick and threw it a tree across a clearing. It sunk in about half an inch and stuck. Their eyes were wide.
"Anyway," I said, getting their attention, "he just wants me to trust you, and trusting people doesn't come easy for me. He just got a little animated is all. Actually I think you scared him shit less. All of you radiate danger. It's surprising coming from you, Alice. Though I bet you could all hold your own in a fight..." I realized I was rambling and I shut my mouth. I began to walk back inside and sat down at the same spot as yesterday after school. They were whispering as they walked in, or at least they appeared to be, their lips were moving, but I could hear nothing. I pulled out my math homework. I put my iPod on again and How Do You Get That Lonely by Blaine Larsen played. I remembered Sam's bloody body on the floor of the bathroom and cringed mentally. I had it on shuffle again so Waking the Demon by Bullet For My Valentine. They were staring again. I concentrated harder on my homework and tried to ignore their eyes. Then Paper Angels by Jimmy Wayne played. It had only been 15 minutes and I'd already finished my math. I had already read Romeo and Juliet but I decided to refresh my memory skimming the first chapter, which had been assigned for tonights homework. I was done with that about the time Something Worth Leaving Behind by Lee Ann Womack had finished playing. I started my social studies paper and it was completed about 2 songs later. I was so immerced that I didn't hear the words, I think the "singing" was screaming though. I sure had a mix on that thing. The last homework I did was science. It was all easy. I was done with that quickly, too. The Cullens were putting their homework away, though I hadn't noticed they'd gotten it out in the first place. They were all silent as the grave as usual as I stood up, put my iPod away, and cautiously approached Dr. Cullen.
"I have a detention tomorrow," I said.
"Why," he asked.
"Skipping math yesterday," I answered.
"You didn't skip today did you?" He asked. I shook my head no.
"Actually she brought Ray and his group in with her," said Alice.
"Did you now?" He asked. I nodded stiffly.
"Can I go to my room now?" I asked.
"Yes, you may," Esme said. I left, walking swiftly away. As I walked up the stairs I tripped, grabbing madly for the handrail. I reached it just before I fell but the force of the following jerk knocked my back into the wall. I gasped at the searing pain now flaming up my back where Ian had dragged a knife down my skin. I think the wound had reopened. I forced myself to stand up and stumbled up the stairs, waiting to reach the sanctuary of my room so I could assess the damage and rebandage the injury. But my wrist was grabbed as I reached for my doorknob. I was picked up by Edward and carried into the medical room. I struggled to get away but nothing came of it.
"Let me go," I said. He did, but I wasn't able to leave the room because he lay my face down on a medical bed. Carlisle walked in them.
"I'm not going to hurt you," he said reassuringly, "I just want to take care of that cut on your back that you've been trying to hide." I guess Alec was getting his wish. My shirt was cut open in their haste and I pulled what was left of it to my sides, so as to cover my front as much as I could. He stitched this one up hastily, not bothering with chatter. When he was done they both turned around and Edward handed me what felt like a hospital gown. I pulled the scratchy material over my head and stood up.
"That cut couldn't have been self inflicted. Do you have any other injuries?" Edward said.
"Nothing that can be healed by a doctor," I said.
"Who hurt you?" Asked Carlisle.
"I can't tell you," I answered.
"I thought you said you could protect yourself," Edward said.
"I let him do this. It was the only way, and telling someone and getting him arrested or killed doesn't help anyone in this particular instance," I said, hoping he wouldn't report this. It really wouldn't help. I'd tried telling before, it just got everyone moved to other homes, and that was if anyone believed you. If no one did, you just got beaten worse. Killing them didn't help either, everyone still got moved away where I couldn't protect them. That's why I'd learned to just take the abuse for them, we were a family-the group I'd been with for 3 years, with a few additions-and families stuck together. I left the room to retrieve my fallen schoolbooks from where they'd scattered everywhere on the staircase landing when I'd tripped. I held my head high, telling myself I didn't care if the rest of the family saw me in this humiliating hospital gown. It didn't matter that they probably knew that I'd been abused in the last home. When I reached the landing I was handed my bag, complete with books and folders as if they hadn't been all over just a few minutes ago. Alice greeted me with a sad smile. I kept my face cold as I walked back up the stairs again, this time taking special notice where I placed my feet. I walked to my room, keeping a cool and calm mask on my face until I was behind locked doors again. There I sighed as I changed, put my bag on my table, and retrieved Maximum Ride #2 from it and began reading where I'd left off. I couldn't concentrate for more than a few chapters so I put it down. I thought about what to do for a second before settling on playing my guitar. I thought about my dad and realized I knew the perfect song for him. It's called The Best Day by Taylor Swift. My dad had been the more emotional of my parents. He comforted me when I was hurt and endured my tea parties. My mom was the disciplinarian, she taught me to fight and to hide my emotions. She was a wonderful parent and I loved her as well. They balanced each other out.
I then thought about my first love, Adam, Kev's brother. The perfect song for us was You Belong With Me by Taylor Swift, again. I love her songs! Anyway, the song fits. I'd been living with him until two years ago, he'd had the same bitchy girlfriend the whole time. She didn't deserve him. He'd been wonderful, he was one of the few people that I had ever told my secret to. I'd protected him from our foster father, Mr. Newton, or fignewton as we called him behind his back. It was hopeless, he hadn't event noticed that I liked him. That brought me to my next song, "I'd Lie" by Taylor Swift.
I sighed, I was getting really restless. I needed to fly, or at least I needed Avian. It was then that I decided that I hate being grounded. Birds need to be free. It was now about six o'clock. I wondered if they were going to give me food, or if my outburst had ended their kindness. Then again, I could go a day without food anyway. This was not a stretch. There was a tentative knock at my door. I put my mask back up as I was standing up and walked to the door. I opened it to find Mrs. Cullen(I still Hadn't decided what to call her) holding a plate of food.
"We thought you might be hungry dear," She said. Well that answers that question. I nodded. She handed me the plate and when our hands touched I was unsurprised at how cold hers' were. The other Cullens' hands had been the same.
"Thanks," I said coldly. She just nodded and left. I opened the sliding door and sat down, setting my plate of food in my lap. I ate the leftover chinese with chopsticks again. It still tasted great. There seemed to be a lot left. I wondered what the Cullens ate if not this. Then again, I'd never seen them eat. They were so strange! They actually seemed nice, besides not believing that I didn't need their help. They didn't seem to eat at their dining room table or eat at their kitchen table all that often. They had really cold skin. Everyone stayed away from them. They radiated "dangerous." My god, what were these people? Come to think of it, what kind of room was this? I mean, it was perfect for me but how many people have second story sliding doors that open up to nothing? The Cullens were an enigma, plain and simple. But I was stuck here until they either got board of me or I turned 18. Most foster kid got the boot when they aged out of the system when they turned 18. Most of them had no where to go. I did though. I had inherited my home and all of my parents things, and money. I was going to adopt all my foster siblings, and raise them as my own. Sam and Aaron would help me of course. We would all live together in that house...The wonderful house I'd grown up in. In the country, with the dry Texas air and the limitless clear sky. With my parents and my dad and mom. My dad with his motorcycles, and love of adventure. My mom and her fighting lessons and her legends...Her legends! I froze.
The Cullens were bloodsuckers! I'd known that my mothers stories were true my whole life, how could I have not guessed it before now! There skin was cold and hard. They didn't eat. I was so stupid!Of course they didn't eat. They drank blood. I took off my jacket and phased. My black wings exploded out of my back. I didn't have to worry about my shirt falling off or anything. I custom made my bras and I cut slits in all my shirts. I was on high alert now. I put a shield around myself. I took a deep breath in through my nose, testing the air around me. Yes, this house reeked with the foul stench of leeches. Ouch! My nose and throat were on fire. My nose because of the smell, my throat because of my own terrible thirst. I was half vampire and I was bound to be thirsty! I'd been so busy with the kids and protecting them from Ian I hadn't worried about myself in weeks. It had been almost a month since I'd hunted. Hunted...Vampires, yes focus on the problem at hand. I was in a house full of vampires. I was all alone in a house with ten parasites!
I don't have to be!