CHAPTER 1: I GOT YOU
A thin smile stretched across my face as I drove by the sign that read: Welcome to Washington. In few hours I would be in Forks. In a few hours I would see Edward Cullen. The thought made my smile grow wider, deadlier. There was no escaping now, I had found him, and he would pay for the mistakes he made. My black Lexus shot forward as I stepped hard on the pedal.
Run Edward, run.
Mr. Swan helped me carry my bags up into the room I would be staying in for the duration of my time in Forks Washington. Hopefully, if all went well I wouldn't be here long.
"I can't thank you enough Mr. Swan for letting me board with you," I said cheerfully to the middle-aged man.
"I, ah, am glad you decided to come to Forks for your exchange program, ah, Elle," Charlie replied quickly. I could tell he wasn't one for many words. Flashing him one of my heart stopping smiles, I grabbed one of my heavy bags he was carrying and took it up the stairs with ease.
I sighed when I opened the bedroom door, it was so plain. But, as I was staying here for free there wasn't much I could do about it. Heafting my suitcase on the old quilt comforter that covered the twin sized bed, I checked out my surroundings.
The room was not only plain but small, there was an old rocking chair in the corner, a tiny closet, a computer older than my grandmother, and windows that I knew would not open with ease. But even worse than all of that was the fact that there wasn't a bathroom! I had to share with Mr. Swan! How awkward, not to mention lack of space! My beauty products alone could probably fill up half the bathroom.
I stopped my grumbling when I heard Mr. Swan clambering up the stairs, he obviously was attempting to carry two of my suitcases at once, bad idea. Putting on a happy, patient face, I skipped out the dull room and met Mr. Swan at the top of the stairs.
"Thank you," I smiled, "Let me take that."For a second time I took my suitcase from Mr. Swan's hands and brought it into the small bedroom. Mr. Swan followed.
"I know the rooms not much, but let me know if you need anything. Um, dinner's at six, I'm not sure what you'd like I, ah, don't have much," Mr. Swan mumbled.
"Thank you, Mr. Swan! But why don't you let me make dinner tonight, I'm quite the cook!"
"Well, oh, you really don't have to…"
"I want to."
"Oh, okay then, um, that would be great."
I smiled again, and tossed my hair behind my shoulders. Better to get him on my good side while I still could, he would be a fine ally to have.
"You remind me of my daughter," Mr. Swan said suddenly.
"Really," I asked, I'd done a little research on the girl, what was her name Belina, Belle, Belinda? Something o f that nature. But, from what I had learned about the girl, she was nothing like me. "Well, thanks again, I'm sure we'll become fast friends, Mr. Swan."
"Oh, ah, call me Charlie."
I didn't reply, I only smiled. Score one for Elle.
Forks high was a complete and utter disappointment, when I pulled into the parking lot and saw the dispersed brick buildings surrounded by the heavy vegetation and I couldn't help but let out an exasperated sigh. Soon, I hoped, I would be back home in sunny California.
I wasn't that surprised when I noticed all the students staring at my car; it was pretty amazing. And compared to all the rust buckets these kids were driving, my little automobile was like a shining diamond in the mist of coal. The black Lexus was a seventeenth birthday gift from Daddy; I missed him, so much.
But I pushed thoughts of my family aside, I had to focus on my mission, I had to find Edward. The staring eyes of the student body only grew as I stepped out of the car, and they had reason to stare. It would be a lie if someone called me pretty, it would be a lie if someone called me gorgeous. I was neither o f those things, I was stunning, and nothing less.
My long blonde hair fell down my back in perfectly straight locks, my ice blue eyes were as sharp as daggers, my model body was completely toned from training, and my wardrobe was only the latest and greatest. Clad in what I would consider casual, I wore tight dark wash jeans. Silver metallic pumps, a loose silvery blue blouse, a long necklace and gorgeous earrings, and a new designer purse that wasn't even available in America. And I hadn't even worn makeup, it wasn't as if I needed any.
As I walked through the throng of staring students I heard hushed whispers, "is she related to the Cullens? Where is she from? She's new, right?" And I smiled at them, let them talk, I liked myself to be known. No sooner had I broken through the crowd, when an preppy annoying girl came over to introduce herself.
"Hi," she squeaked, "I'm Jessica, you must be new!"
I forced myself not to roll my eyes. It was beyond obvious that this girl was popular, and she wanted to get her hands on the latest and greatest, which at the moment was me. But I wouldn't let myself hang with her, she was just a conniving little girl who only thought about herself. And I wasn't about to let her feed off of me to satistfy her hunger for popularity, I had more pressing matters to concern myself with.
So, being as I nice as possible I replied, "I'm Elle, and yes, I'm new." At that I left Jessica in my striding wake and strutted to building nineteen where I would indulge myself in junior science, and with a bit of luck, Edward Cullen.
Sure enough Edward was the only person in the science class without a lab partner, well that was about to change. Confidently, I sat myself down next to him and gave him a cool measured look.
"As you haven't bothered to ask," I sighed, "I'm Elle. You must be Edward." Edward slowly turned his head toward me and I noticed, amusingly, that his face was pinched and that his hands gripped the table much too tight.
"Hello," he muttered through clenched teeth. I tossed my hair, just so I could watch his face twist in pain.
"Like my perfume? It's new. Isn't it intoxicating?" I leaned forward, and I watched his eyes flash red. No normal person would have noticed it, but I wasn't normal. Edward looked like he might destroy the table, so I leaned back, but only for the table's sake.
Edward made a point of ignoring me for the rest of class and the rest of the day, he was in all of my classes though, so I made it particularly hard for him to ignore. When lunch came around I didn't waste my time buying the disgusting food the high school served, god, who even knew what was in that stuff? Instead I went back to my car and ate a perfectly organic apple.
When I heard the doors open from the cafeteria across the parking lot, I ducked behind my car. Normally Edward would have known I was here, but when I didn't want to be seen or heard, I was neither seen nor heard.
With my extra perceptive hearing I listened in on Edwards conversation, he was talking with a petite girl with a pixie hair cut. Alice.
"Alice, there's something off about her!"
"Edward, she's not one of us, that much is obvious."
"But she's not normal, today in Science she leaned near me and asked if I liked her perfume. She wasn't wearing perfume, Alice. She knows."
"Nobody knows, Edward, nobody. Did you read her?"
"I couldn't."
"You couldn't? What do you mean?"
"She has some sort of mental wall put up, I can't break through it, I've never encountered anything like it. Another reason, Alice, why she's not normal. Have you gotten any…"
"No."
"What should we do?"
"What did you say her name was her full name?"
"Elle. There wasn't a last name."
"Well let's find that out."
The two nodded and stared at each other for a minute, it seemed that they were communicating mentally. Interesting. I watched them walk back inside the cafeteria, and then when I was sure they were gone, I got up from my hiding and walked back towards the caf. But I didn't go in; instead I headed towards the arts building. It was time to impress Edward with my multiple lingual tounge.
"Si, hablo muchas iglesias." I said in perfect Spanish to the Spanish teacher. Her eyes widened but she didn't say anything. Instead she pointed at a seat and made me sit. It was the seat next to Edward.
"Hola, como estas?" I asked in a flirty voice. He didn't look at me. It was probably a good thing that he didn't because he would have seen the hatred burning in my eyes. He had to be destroyed, and soon.
I turned back to face the teacher when Edward turned to look at me.
Without turning to face him I said, "I bet you want some answers about me, don't you? Well I'm more than willing to give them to you, but you have to cooperate. We'll meet somewhere, somewhere where prying ears can't hear us. Then, I'll tell you everything, why I'm here, what I want, and how you play into all of this. Curious are you? I would be.
"You probably don't want to meet up with me, alone that is. Think you can't control yourself, well you will. I'll make sure of that. Oh, and you probably want to know how I know all about you, I'll tell you that too, but you'll have to wait. And don't mention this to the rents', or the sibs', we don't want them worrying about baby Edward do we. Well, they really should."
If Edward was intimidated in the least bit he didn't show it. He probably was thinking of ways to kill me.
As If he could.