Chapter 1 – Return
It has been 120 years since it happened, but I have dealt with it. It wasn't easy, but I have coped to the life of a vampire. In my time as I vampire, I have studied in several universities. I am claiming I am 22 years old and I got a job as a teacher in the high school. They were concerned with my being so young, but I used my extra abilities to get the job. It was interesting seeing the teenage boys react when they saw I was going to be their math teacher. I was praised as a great teacher when the majority of the children were doing well in my classes. I enjoyed my life here.
I lived in Forks for two years now. I had to get more mature looking clothes to match my age. I was frozen at 19 years old. I even took to wearing glasses to make myself look more mature. When I taught, I always wore my hair up and had a pencil stuck in my hair. Even when I looked this way, the boys in the school would still gawk at me. Now I see why Rosalie enjoyed this so much. I was comfortable thinking about them, at least most of them. I could only say his name mentally, never verbally. But no one in the town remembers them, so it's not like I had to talk about them much.
"Ms. Platt?" I turned and saw the principal, Mr. Walt coming towards me. His heart always accelerated when he approached me. "Yes sir?" I asked. I didn't use my real last name. There was an Isabella Swan who graduated from this very school over 100 years ago, but she was long gone. "You should know; you are getting a few new students in your class today." I smiled widely, "That's great. I can't wait to meet them." He blushed, "Alright then." He turned and stumbled away. It has been more than a century and you'd think I was used to how human men responded to me. I was walking across campus and I saw my favorite student. She was speaking with some of her friends, so I just waved. She smiled and waved back.
My fourth hour class was filing into the classroom, mostly boys. I waited for them to get to their seats. I heard the few of my female students giggle as my new students entered the class. I headed for my class and read my lesson plan for today's class. "Good morning, class," I greeted. "Good Morning, Ms. Platt," my students responded. I hadn't looked up from my plan, "I understand we have some new students today." I wasn't one of those teachers who made her students introduce themselves, I hated that myself. I sat at my desk and looked at my roster. I saw there names and I froze. I couldn't look up.
The names of my new students I knew all too well. Jasper Hale. Emmett and, I blinked to read it again, Edward Cullen. I looked up, over the frames of my prop glasses and saw the golden-eyed men in the back of my class. I knew too well, they were beyond boys. They stared back at me, sharing my shock. I knew this day would come. This is where I met them. This was one of their favorite places to live in the world. I knew this day would come. A day I partially dreaded, and yet, I anticipated it. This moment seemed to go on forever, but only a second passed. I continued with my greetings. I stood woodenly from my desk and leaned against it, crossing my ankles, "Jasper Hale, Emmett & Edward Cullen." My breath staggered, "Welcome to my class. I am Ms. Platt." Emmett smiled and Jasper nodded. I didn't look to the angel-faced man to see his reactions. I smiled to the rest of my class, "Alright, pass up your assignments and let's get started." I turned back to my desk, still feeling the demanding stares on my back. I took my hair out of it bun, letting it fall down my back. I heard several sighs from the students and that calmed me a bit, conceited as it was. I smiled and began.
Writing several equations, I began my lesson. I had to control myself, mainly my strength. The chalk was crumbling in my hands. I wanted to run from the room, run for miles, away from their stares, and possibly, eventually, their questions. I continued my lesson of the Pythagorean Theorem. "Alright, now figure out these equations. Raise your hand when you've solved them." I collected the assignments and went to my desk. Before I could sit, three hands in the back raised. I looked up. I walked back to check their work. I walked toward Emmett and Jasper. "Bella?" Jasper whispered. I just looked at him, "Correct." Emmett's eyes widened, "What happen?" I looked back, "Correct." Finally, I went to his deck. He reached out for me, but dropped his hand, "Correct." My voice was hard and I turned to the front of the class.
I sat back at my desk and checked the assignments. I was done with them before the whole class was done with the equation. "Ok, now," I stood up, "Let's figure out this equation. Who got it?" Most of the hands raised in the class. I smiled, "Yes, you all got it, but you want to know something," I leaned forward from behind my desk, "this was a college level question and all of you solved it." My class praised themselves. I stood and began the lesson. I kept my eyes away from the back of the class. Whenever I asked a question, Emmett or Jasper would answer, showing off their knowledge. My class seemed to crawl by, with my trying to keep myself composed. "Alright, that's it for today," I saw my watch, there was 20 minutes left in the hour. I smiled, "Wow. Ok. Now, I will let you decide. We have 20 minutes left. Do you want to start tomorrow's lesson, have a pop quiz or free period?" Everyone voted free period. I sat at my desk, pretending to deliberate. I took off my glasses and sighed. I looked up and smiled, "Free period, but keep it down."
The class broke out into individual conversations. I turned my chair to face the window and went over other lesson plans. I heard everything that was being discussed in the class. Try as I may, I heard theirs. "What happened to her?" I heard Jasper ask. "Clearly, she was attacked, but how come Alice didn't see?" He didn't respond. I felt his eyes on me. I ignored the rest of their conversation and focused on my reading. This was to be expected. Like it or not, I shared their world. The irony is when I was younger, I wanted more than anything. When I realize what was happening to me on the awful day, I wanted to die. Anything to escape what was happening to me. In my mind, I wished he were there, to save me. To protect me or at least, to let it be him. I was lost in thought, staring out the window, when the bell rang.
I looked up and saw the children getting up. Mercifully, the time went by as it did. I stood and sat on my desk, seeing off my students. "Bye, Ms. Platt." I smiled, "Bye, Erica." I put back on my glasses and looked at my next lesson. "Excuse me, Ms. Platt." I looked up, "Yes, Dwayne." He blushed, "I was wondering," he stammered, "well, when…." I giggled, "Don't worry Dwayne. You are doing very well and I will write the letter of recommendation." He sighed, "Thank you," he whirled and walked into the doorframe. I laughed, "Bye." My class was empty, except for the three in the back. I looked and they were motionless. This is what I was dreading; the interrogation. I stood up and folded my arms, waiting for the onslaught.
They stood up and came to the front of the class. "You're going to be late for your next class," I stated, in my teacher's role. Emmett led the other two, "Bella? What happened to you?" I turned my head and scoffed, "The same thing that happened to you, only more violent." Jasper stood forward, "Bella, please. What happened?" I looked back and sighed, "Not now. Later. I have another class." Edward stepped closest to me, "Bella, when?" I blinked. "When did this happen to you?" I opened my mouth to answer, when someone entered the class.
"Momma, are you ready?" All our heads turned and there she was; my favorite student, my daughter.