A Perpetual State of Misfortune
Chapter 1
Disclaimer: I do not own the cast of Twilight - They belong to Stephenie Meyer. I wish I owned them but alas I don't! Please don't sue - I really don't have any money!
Author's Notes: Ok, so...this is my first Twilight Fanfic...please be gentle! I mean, go ahead and flame if you wish - but I can assure you, you couldn't have any less of an opinion of my writing than I do. I actually think this sucks - but that's usually how I think about my writing. This isn't my first story by far, I've been writing since I was in 5th grade - writing fanfiction for a long long time... but.. yeah... anyways.
I had a dream about a scene that will be playing out later in the story, which is the whole reason FOR this story... so i'm kind of excited!
Anyways: I would love to thank Megsly for being so encouraging and telling me that my story isn't crap - even though I still seriously think it's not good.
And of course to Ms. WYLTK my Beta and best friend of 12 years. She of course doesn't know that i'm actually posting this - so we'll see..
I'm not posting for reviews, I'm posting because I want to see that I've published something again.
And to see if anybody at all has an opinion on it.. gosh it's been so long.. *stretches*
Yes, it's a totally alternate version of Twilight. It will probably not follow the books at all - however it may elude to parts of each book in it's own time...but this is relatively original and will remain that way.
Summary
AU/Alternate Twilight
Bella always knew she was different. That she never really fit in with the rest of the world. Boys never really looked at her, the girls never really liked her...It was a rather miserable existence. Then something terrible happens in Phoenix that leads Bella to be sent to Forks to stay with her Father for a while (or perminently) and Bella see's this as a possible chance to start over. Unfortunately, trouble follows from Phoenix to Forks and Bella finds herself thrown from one bout of misfortune to another. Luckily for her though, she's caught the eye of the Cullen Family. Our Favorite "Siblings" Edward and Alice have taken an interest in Bella's life. Alice has seen something very special about her - and that she will change things for the Cullens someday...Edward is astounded by her, and frustrated by her perpetually silent mind. In his quest to figure Bella out he falls in love with this fragile human. Alice is convinced that Bella will bring about a good change to her family. Bella's just convinced that one of these days her bad luck is going to kill her...
And Edward... well he's trying to figure out what the hell to make of it all.
Alice's POV
A young girl with coffee brown hair stumbled through the doorway, her eyes grazing the crowd of onlookers before her, all waiting for their respective loved-one. Trying to make herself as invisible as possible to people passing; she pushed herself up against the wall, keeping her eyes down.
She tripped over her carry on, which she'd set down to adjust her backpack and knocked into some one else who had been kind enough to steady her and with a smile let her through. She muttered an apology and continued on her way, eventually she heard the voice she'd been looking for: "Bella!"
Her half-dead eyes brightened a little bit when they landed on the man calling her name. "Dad," she called out and ran to him, this time with a bit more grace.
He buried her deep in his arms, muttering soothing words before grabbing her luggage for her and leading her from the airport.
The coffee brown haired girl named Bella's eyes held secrets that nobody knew yet, the ethereal glow that came from her should have blinded everyone around her, but it was as if nobody noticed the strange new girl walking beside the Chief of Police.
"…Alice, what's wrong, is everything ok?"
Jasper's voice worked to pull me from the reverie I was in, and I looked around, the rest of the world coming back into vision.
"No love, nothing's the matter at all…" my voice came out in its normal cheerful tone, but I knew he could see the ideas dancing in my head as they formed.
"You saw something didn't you?" he asked, pulling me into his arms.
The statement caught the attention of the others in the room, who looked up from what they were doing to take a peek over in our direction.
"We'll see soon enough," I murmured, mirth laced in my tone and a strange sensation of warmth and elation spreading through my body that, while I could not explain, I welcomed with open arms.
~~~ *** ~~~
Bella's POV
I had never really been asked if I wanted to come to Forks. Nor had I ever been asked if I wanted to leave Phoenix. No, the decision was more thrust upon me by fate and a cruel turn of events.
Phoenix was brown, warm, sunny…welcoming.
Forks was…everything but. It was cloudy, and wet, everything I recognized normally covered in green squishy stuff that, if you walked through it enough, got in your shoes and left your socks wet. Forks is a total parallel universe Phoenix – but it would be my new home; whether I liked it or not.
I supposed it wouldn't have been so bad coming here if it had been by choice, but, well…there were just so many disturbing things that I needed to force from my mind. This was supposed to be a fresh start – a chance to escape my past.
This set of thoughts was what had killed time in the four hour flight between Phoenix and Seattle. In the one hour flight between Seattle and Port Angeles I'd kept myself amused by flipping through Wuthering Heights, the old weathered book looked just as worn as I felt that day. Somehow, I feared it would only get worse; there was still the one hour drive I had to look forward to with Charlie, my father.
Upon landing I had waited for a few passengers to go by, then grabbed my carryon and backpack and trudged on down the exit. For some reason a flash of anxiety had risen up into my chest at being surrounded by so many people, and I found myself pushing up as close to the wall as I could get to separate myself from them.
My backpack slipped down my shoulders a little bit, leaving me off-balanced, which I couldn't have; so I set my carry-on down and adjusted myself a bit and stumbled forward, knocking into an older gentleman who righted me with a smile.
"Sorry," I muttered and he replied with nothing but kind words, side stepping to let me through before him.
Stopping at the entry way I gazed around, looking for that familiar face I knew would be there waiting for me. My vision swam with memories of my mother, Renee, and I couldn't help the feeling of melancholy that swept over me.
Thankfully though, before I could be drowned by those feelings, the familiar voice of Charlie called over the crowd, "Bella!" Somehow this worked to perk me up and I moved quickly into his grasp, thankful for the sudden warmth that enveloped me.
He murmured uncharacteristic words of encouragement and affection before leading me to the baggage area, grabbing my things and heading from the airport.
I moaned inwardly upon seeing the Police cruiser sitting and waiting for us, and gave him a pained smile as I slid into the passenger seat, kicking my tennis off and pulling my legs up to my chest.
~~~ *** ~~~
The car ride home was only semi torturous; the silence between the two of us a little less than painful.
I found myself staring absently out the window at all the fields and trees passing by in a slow blur, and found it hard to concentrate on much of anything. My mind kept trying to wander; but wandering meant bad things. Wandering wasn't allowed.
"So," Charlie's voice worked to pull me from my almost daydream, clearing his throat and glancing at me sideways momentarily then back at the road, "Your hair's grown since the last time I saw you…"
I couldn't help but smile inwardly at the comment, keeping the fact that I'd cut it from him as I fingered a lose strand, "Yeah, it's been a while hasn't it?"
As I looked out the window, staring at the tiny droplets of rain assaulting the police cruiser, I noticed we'd come into town finally. I couldn't help but watch as people stopped and stared; not that they had anything better to do in this tired little town.
Police Chief Swan, riding with a teenage girl – who else could it be? This town was so full of talk, and I'm certain everyone here knew I was coming…
"So, I've already got you registered for classes, you're coming in mid year, but they took an exception – you start tomorrow."
I could sense the discomfort radiating from him in waves and I hunkered down a little lower in the seat, he was trying – he really was – but it'd been so long, I'd stopped coming for our long summers when I was 11.
Sure he came to visit me on occasion, but it wasn't the same – and that distance seemed to have engulfed us like a black hole; it was almost suffocating. I could only hope it would get better, I don't know if I could take any more tension.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, we arrived at our old house.
The house wasn't tiny by any means, it was a decent size. Two stories; white with blue trimming. There she stood; amidst grassy fields and a forest resting silently in the backdrop. It called to me temptingly; I could almost hear the gentle invitation of exploration. It was the picture of solitude; which I cherished so often, but found so little of back home.
An old, rusty, beaten up blue truck rested lazily on the side of yard, giving the area that sense of imperfection that I had vaguely missed. Imperfection was my life; it was a word used by myself, for myself, for everything about myself. Imperfection should have been my middle name.
As he helped me with my bags to the house he smiled slightly at something I wasn't quite sure of yet, "your bedroom is the same as it's always been – I haven't touched a thing, except to dust it off a bit."
"Thanks, it'll be nice to get back to some form of normalcy," I said and smiled back at him faintly.
"I also cleaned off a shelf for you near the bathroom…"
I cringed at this. That's right, one bathroom…I supposed sharing a bathroom wouldn't be so horrible.
As we walked in the door I looked to the left and noticed a familiar copy of a newspaper from Phoenix sitting on the table right next to us; blinking twice and catching a glimpse of the headline I reached for it cautiously. He snatched it up, tossing it into the kitchen – onto a chair and avoiding my glare uneasily.
"Let's get you settled, I think I hear your surprise coming…" he said, an air of forced cheerfulness seeping into his tone.
"Yeah…ok," I stammered, and followed him up the stairs, vowing to get that newspaper from him after he'd passed out for the evening. As he set everything down on the floor next to my bed, he nodded and stood there momentarily – we exchanged silent glances – before he left with a mumbled "I'll be downstairs…"
That's the one thing I've always loved about Charlie, he never hovered; the silence was not uncomfortable to us anymore. I knew this more than likely permanent residency would get better with time…I just didn't know exactly how much time; for now, it just seemed like a cushioned prison sentence.
I stood there momentarily, taking in my surroundings, taking in the memories that trickled through my thoughts. The pictures scattered on my wall drew out a bitter sweet smile and I stared at one of my mother and me; when I was about 5 or 6, in a ballerina outfit. I'd never been very graceful. I was always the ugly duckling, never the beautiful swan… eventually she'd let me stop – and for that my already damaged self-esteem thanked her.
But, looking at those photographs, I just couldn't do it. The pain threatened to escape from my carefully locked hiding place and I closed my eyes, willing it back; I could not deal with it.
And I wouldn't have to apparently, because at that moment a tremendous rumbling echoed off my walls and I gasped slightly, running to the window to see what it was.
A beaten, rusty red Chevy truck rumbled down the driveway towards the house and curiosity worked its wonders, drawing me to the bedroom door then down the stairs; all previous negative thoughts out the window.
I heard a car door slam, some rustling, a little bit of a slam, and a bunch of muffled chatter, as I opened the door and looked outside.
"Dad," I called curiously and wandered out.
Billy Black, one of dad's old friends smiled up at me kindly; his eyes slipping over to another young man standing next to him.
"Bella, this is my Son Jacob, you may not remember him. You spent more time with his sisters but I believe you played once or twice when you were little," Billy said as he settled himself into his wheelchair.
"I vaguely remember a black haired demon toddler," I said off-handedly and cast a smile over at Jacob who smiled back faintly then looked away, "How've you been Billy, it's been so long."
"It has indeed – I'm still going strong – but boy am I glad you're here. I thought Charlie would never shut up about your arrival." he glanced up at Charlie who shot him a mock dirty glare then looked over at me and smiled briefly before patting the Red Chevy next to us.
"What do you think Bells," he said, obviously ignoring the jab.
I looked between him and the truck momentarily, confused, "about what?"
"It's yours…I just bought it," He said gruffly, a faint hint of amusement in his voice.
It took another couple of milliseconds to register in my head what he was saying. I had of course been saving up some of my money to buy a car, and I'd mentioned this to him a few times as we spoke in the past few weeks but…really?
"Dad, no way!"
It wasn't new or shiny by any means but so long as it got me from point A to point B in a decent amount of time – I was perfectly content. Anything would be better than being driven to school in a police cruiser.
I watched Jacob's face brighten at my reaction as I looked it over in awe, and giggled in spite of myself, "I can't believe it! This is so cool; you didn't have to do this…"
He looked a little flustered by my enthusiasm, glancing at Billy who did nothing but laugh, "Well – I wanted to make things a little easier for you while you're here…you shouldn't have to worry over vehicles just yet – save your money…"
I gave him a quick hug, which he returned with an awkward pat on my back, and then I pushed away. "Well, can I take her for a test drive?"
Jacob was the one who chimed in this time, "yeah, come on, I'll show you what you need to do – she's a little picky, but I don't think it's anything you can't get used to quickly."
We both hopped into the truck, and I smiled, "this is great, does it run good?"
"She does indeed, I replaced just about everything I could get my hands on and that dad would fund – he wanted it to be as good as possible for you."
I smiled brightly, unable to ignore the rush of gratefulness for my father and his friends, "So – is there any kind of trick to this?"
He shook his head, "All you have to do is double-pump the clutch, but aside from that…I really hope you aren't a speed demon."
"Why's that?"
"Just don't try and go over 55, I'm relatively certain she'll have a heart-attack if you do," he teased and I rolled my eyes.
"Don't worry, I prefer slow and steady, it's just safer that way…"
As we pulled out of the drive we watched Charlie and Billy rough housing – and by that I mean Billy was trying to run Charlie over, and he would dodge and laugh.
"Seriously," I asked rolling my eyes over to Jacob who shook his head.
"Wait till game night starts – they'll be uncontrollable."
With that we left the two adolescent adults to play and drove off.
~~~ *** ~~~
Alice's POV
When we arrived at school that morning I was thankful for being in the backseat, because as Rosalie and Emmett were joking around, I was stricken with another vision…
Bella walked into school that morning quietly, trying to disappear into nothingness; looking totally lost and very annoyed at the intense and direct attention being put on her. She blindly made her way into the office and spoke quickly with the office attendant; after this she was set off to fend for herself with well wishes and cheerful smiles.
On her way to a fruitless attempt at finding first period a young man approached her, happily introducing himself and becoming instantly smitten with her. She offered him a pained smile and nodded. She spoke with him but was very thankful it seems, when he had to leave for class. Standing there with her gray hoodie up and her eyes grazing the halls nervously she starts wandering, looking a little lost.
At this point in time, some one very familiar walks into sight to help her find her way…
I timed the squeal that escaped my lips perfectly with some 'outstanding news' that Rosalie had just announced; leaving nobody the wiser. Luckily Edward had been so caught up in his own thoughts that he hadn't been invading my mind.
I kissed Jasper on the cheek and excused myself from the vehicle early, vowing to explain to him first hour what was going on.
Traipsing up the steps to the building, I made my way through the open door, heading down the corridor I knew she'd gone down, almost ecstatic about meeting my new soon-to-be best friend.
Almost exactly like I'd seen in my vision; there she stood in the hallway, trying desperately to meld with the walls and becoming very uncomfortable under the intense attention of the young man named Eric. The first thing to hit me was the gentle allure of her scent; something unlike anything else I'd ever encountered.
I watched for another minute as she shifted uncomfortably under his gaze before he smiled apologetically and ran off towards his own class. Once he was gone she leaned up against the wall and stared blankly ahead of her – humming a tune quietly to herself.
This seemed like the perfect time to make my appearance, "Hi, you look a little lost, maybe I can help you out," I offered cheerfully; and she looked up startled at my appearance out of no where.
Biting her lower lip gently she looked from me to her map then crumpled it up in her hands in frustration. "I have English first hour and this map isn't a bit of help," she admitted, a blush gracing her features and I found myself smiling in spite of myself.
"Well what luck, English is my first period class as well, why don't I walk with you there," I offered with a smile, tilting my head slightly.
She bounced from one foot to another tentatively, as if mulling something over in her head, "s-sure, I suppose…"
"Oh, right – my manners –"I chided myself, understanding her hesitancy and smiled, "I'm Alice Cullen!"
Once again that gentle crimson swept across her cheeks and the next time she smiled it was more confident. "I'm Bella Swan."
"Well Bella dear, it's wonderful to meet you, I have a feeling we're going to be very good friends," I said cheerfully. Unfortunately once we got to English I would have to leave her to the others; let things go the way they must.
She looked rather perturbed when, as she walked in next to me I gently mouthed 'assigned seats' to her with an apologetic grimace. She nodded and let out a resigned sigh; walking up to the teacher and handing him her slip.
"All right, here's your things, and your slip, welcome to Forks," Bella looked downright grateful to not have to make an introduction and walked down the isle sitting next to a dark haired girl with glasses. Angela, I do believe.
For now I would let her be I suppose. I'd done my part; now it was time to see how things played out. We had classes together throughout the day, so I would be sure to keep an eye on her, but – only if she needed anything.
~~~ *** ~~~
Bella's POV
I guess I really can't blame the majority of school for being so worked up over the 'new arrival'; but as the lingering stares and hushed conversations greeted me right away in the parking lot all I wanted to do was disappear into nothingness.
Even though there was no precipitation I pulled my hood up and kept my eyes trained just a few feet in front of me on the ground; concentrating as hard as I can on each step I took, each breath I took.
I could almost hear my name in every hushed conversation, stopping only as I walked directly by them.
"I hear that Isabella Swan girl is from Phoenix!"
"But she's so pale; she doesn't seem like it…"
What I wouldn't give for the courage to turn around and make some vexed comment to them about my skin color; and of course to correct them. It's BELLA. B-E-L-L-A, Charlie had to have gone around and told everyone one my name was Isabella.
When the young man named Eric had tried – over zealously – to walk me to class, I thanked him but said no that I was ok on my own and then proceeded to try and will myself into invisibility.
When Alice arrived, I was so stunned; surprised that some one knew me so well and actually made the attempt to just befriend me. She came out of no where but after the initial stun, there was something that drew me to her. I felt immediately at ease with her at my side.
Pixie. This is the word I would forever use to describe the tiny girl next to me. She was so graceful, so beautiful. Her skin a delicate ivory; her hair, dark and wildly spiky framed her face, and she had the most stunning eye color I'd ever seen! A stunning amber – I would definitely have to ask her about that later…
Amused at the revelation that the class was assigned Wuthering Heights for reading for the section, I found it exceedingly hard to pay attention. Staring at the walls I noticed a poster of Romeo & Juliet which apparently we would be reading a little later on in the semester.
I glowered at the picture of the young Juliet standing on the balcony looking for her lover in the night. I found my mind wandering on many accounts, and each time I found my thoughts wandering over to the pixie sitting 3 rows over.
She was the one person who didn't look at me like I was some shiny new toy. She treated me instead like I was a normal girl. For this, I owed her more than just a simple thank you.
"Need any help finding your next class," a very quiet voice asked from beside me. I jumped slightly in my seat, and looked over at her with wide, almost frightened eyes.
She smiled back apologetically, glancing down at her hands that were kneading her knees absently. I wondered at first why she had been asking this question when I noticed that mere seconds later the bell rang and people started filing out. I looked around hopefully, wondering if Alice would stay back and walk with me again, but my hopes fell when she had disappeared amongst the crowd.
"Well my next class is Trig; I kind of tossed the map, so yeah… I guess I could use a hand," I said smiling as fully as I could at the young girl whose name I did not know.
We both made our way down the hall, walking quietly along side each other. I had a feeling neither of us quite knew how to strike up a conversation.
"Umm, I'm Angela. Angela Weber," she said breaking the silence and introducing herself quietly.
"I'm Bella, but I'm sure you already knew that," I responded, a little bit of bitterness making its way into my dry response.
She nodded and smiled apologetically; "Yeah, you're that shiny new toy. Don't worry everybody's just excited to see a new face; we really don't get new people that often. It'll wear off by the end of the week, I'm sure."
I sincerely hoped she was right; I'm really not certain how much more of the whole 'new girl' treatment I could take.
"Hey, can I see your schedule for a sec," she asked and I slowed down in our walk to Trig to fish it out of my notebook.
Her face brightened up considerably when she looked it over; "Were in English, Government, Bio and Gym together."
"But not trig huh?"
She smiled apologetically as we parted at the Trig door with exchanged smiles, leaving me staring at the door way, and I stepped forward. My foot caught on something I stumbled slightly, catching myself before I fell completely on my face. My face heated up and I moved towards the desk of the teacher who was watching me with a mixture of pity and amusement. He signed my slip, handed me my books and motioned for me to find a seat.
Eyes sweeping the room I chose a seat near the back, next to a boy with the spikiest blond hair and wild blue eyes. He bore a welcoming smile and as soon as I sat down he kicked up a conversation.
"So, you're the infamous Isabella Swan huh? Welcome to Forks!"
"It's Bella, actually," I corrected him automatically; he blinked and nodded waving the comment to the side.
"Right, Bella, well I'm Mike Newton and it certain is a pleasure to meet you madam," he said and shook my hand. He went on a bit about how everybody was absolutely thrilled to have me here, how Charlie had been going on to their parents about me; and of course said if I needed anything he was the man of the hour.
There was this weird tone in his voice as he spoke that caught me off-guard, and I wasn't sure what it was; but he seemed a bit over friendly.
I felt the intense gaze of somebody on me and I noticed from a couple seats over, a girl with long blond hair staring at Mike and myself. As soon as I caught her eye though, she averted here gaze. Luckily, before Mike could get any further into his ramblings class began. For once I couldn't be more thankful for the drone of a teacher.
I opened my book pretending to pay attention and slipped my notebook up on the desk and began doodling quietly; moving the pencil absently over the sheet of paper my eyes lost focus and I found an image of my mother slipping into my mind.
It was a bittersweet memory of the time mom had taken the night off of work to comfort me when I hadn't been invited to the winter formal by anyone; for as depressed as I had been that night, she'd cheered me up with ice cream, popcorn, and movies all night.
I managed to look up just at the right time to miss the question that had been asked of me; trying to make it look good I glanced down at the page in the book searchingly.
Luckily, Mike knew the answer and he whispered it to me under his breath. I then repeated, trying to sound confident and was rewarded with a slightly impressed and warning look. Thankfully though, he moved along to his next set of questions leaving me to heave a sigh of relief.
"Thanks," I mumbled heat rushing to my cheeks in embarrassment, and he waved it off with a smile.
"Anytime m'lady," he whispered cheerfully before looking down at the sheet of paper and his eyes widened.
"I didn't know you drew," he said and tried to lean over to get a better look.
I glanced down at my notebook and my stomach lurched in shock at the image that stared back up at me.
Snapping up the notebook and slamming it shut I startled myself, and gained a reproving look from the teacher, who began to make a comment on it; luckily I was literally saved by the bell.
He stared at me in confusion when I stuffed that notebook into my backpack and gave him a rather harsh look; he changed the subject immediately to the fact that he'd glimpsed my schedule.
"After this we're in almost every class together, that's great! I can totally show you around, get you to know the good crowd, show you the ropes – that kind of thing!"
I decided he was way too excitable for me.
Thankfully for my sanity none of the teachers throughout the day made me do introductions, and things went smoothly. I noticed Alice out of the corner of my eye on occasion but when I'd turn to say hi, she'd be dutifully in a discussion with a teacher, or already gone.
I had resolved to catch her when we went to lunch, which had – much to my relief – come sooner than I'd hoped; I wanted to try and catch a seat with her, but I was immediately caught by the arm by Mike. I shrugged myself out of his uncomfortably close grasp and walked a bit behind him to the table he had led me to.
We were soon after joined by Angela and that blond girl from before, who'd introduced herself as Jessica and sat as close to Mike as possible without actually sitting in his lap; this was actually rather amusing, how obvious she was being and how oblivious he was. I hid a smile and tried my best to listen in to the excited conversations.
Angela looked over at me and narrowed her eyes in concern, "Is that all you're going to eat Bella?" she asked noting the apple and lemonade bottle sitting before me virtually untouched.
"I'm just not feeling very hungry today," I said in an off-handed tone and was thankful when she put it off; though I could tell she really didn't believe me. After one more concerned sideways glance in my direction Angela joined in the 'catching up' conversation.
Thankful to be forgotten for the time being; I gazed quietly around the cafeteria, searching for the pixie like girl. I frowned at first when I couldn't see her, but then perked up when I spotted that unforgettable face and tinkling laughter a few tables down.
There she was, under the arm of a blond young man who gazed at her in such a loving manner that I almost felt compelled to look away. I watched as she spoke energetically to three others at the table with her. The first was a woman with hair trailing down her back in wavy golden locks, setting at mid length and curling at the bottom; her pale skin was striking, she looked like a model – not some 17 year old high-schooler. The resemblance between the boy holding Alice and this picture of perfection was remarkable. Siblings, perhaps… I mused quietly.
Her hand was entwined with that of a bulky boy sitting beside her. He had rather adorable curly hair, and his playfully child-like expression seemed to fit him perfectly as he talked animatedly about something I wished I could hear; as it made the rest of the table burst into laughter.
The one who caught my attention the most though, was a hauntingly beautiful boy. His ivory skin was offset by the ruffled bronze hair falling all over the place, his dark eyes trained on the tray beneath him as he picked at piece of pizza quietly.
I found my heart fluttered slightly when he smiled faintly at something one of them had said, and a surge of heat rushed to my cheeks.
About that time Alice looked up and caught my gaze; she smiled and waved at me cheerfully but almost immediately went back to her conversation before anybody else saw.
The girl who'd been staring at me earlier – Jessica? – had just finished saying something apparently, "right Bella?"
"Hm," I gazed up with an absent look in my eyes, "Uh, ohhh…yeah, yeah," I responded, a pathetic attempt to sound like I'd been paying attention.
This appeased Jessica, but I noticed Angela staring at me intently out of the corner of my eye and she followed my gaze; then looked over at Jessica pointedly, who finally realized what was happening.
"Those are the Cullens," she hissed a low, scandalous tone of voice; "They're all together. Like – together, together…"
"They're not all related Jessica," Angela said in an unusually harsh tone of voice, "they're foster children of Doctor and Missus Cullen – they can't have children of their own."
"It's still weird; I mean if they live under the same roof they shouldn't be 'together'."
My opinion of Jessica suddenly dropped a couple of points after hearing her easily judgmental tone of voice. Well that's completely typical of a small town mind…I thought bitterly but continued to listen.
"Anyways," Angela plowed on, ignoring Jessica all together now, "the short dark haired girl is Alice; she's with the blond young man who looks like he's in perpetual pain."
Jessica huffed at this, "the other tall model looking blond is Rosalie, and she's with the other one – Emmett."
I nodded at this, frowning faintly, "who's the other one…"
"That would be Edward Cullen; he's totally hot – but totally unavailable," another girl – Lauren I believe, piped in.
Jessica shot her a withering look, making Angela smile faintly; "Jessica's just a little upset that Edward didn't want to go out with her."
"Incase you haven't noticed, Edward hasn't gone out with a single person here. Obviously no one here is good enough for him; so don't waste your time Bella," Jessica spat angrily.
At the mention of his name Edward's head tilted slightly and he looked in our direction. For one brief moment our eyes met and I found I couldn't pull my gaze away.
He stared into my eyes intently, as if searching for something before realizing what he was doing and looking back at his family quickly.
The heat that rose uncomfortably to my cheeks went unnoticed by everyone but me; I shot my head back to the group hoping nobody had noticed what I'd been doing. "Don't worry, I won't," I muttered absently chancing a gaze back in their direction.
His eyes were so intense, I felt like I could get lost in them; it was almost as if he'd glanced into my soul through my eyes, it sent a ripple of shivers through my body.
Leaning my head to the side slightly I let my hair fall over my shoulder and did the best I could to avoid looking back at them. Something about him made that rather difficult and I had to catch myself repeatedly.
I did however, spare one glimpse in their direction; when I did I saw Alice freeze up and a total look of terror run through her eyes as she looked at Edward, panic stricken. She spoke with him furiously then all but shoved him from the lunch room in the direction towards the exit doors.
The look that she gave me when she looked in my direction sent a thrill of terror through me and I found myself utterly baffled.
I shook it all off and followed Angela off to Biology class quietly.
~~~ *** ~~~
When I had walked into Biology and noticed the empty seat next to me, I was left to wonder who my partner was supposed to be; I knew I was supposed to have one for this lab, but whoever she or he was, wasn't here. So, I would go it alone then.
I wasn't having too much of a problem with basic identification, but apparently Mike and Angela had other ideas; I glanced up when they passed my table and walked up to Mr. Banner's desk and spoke with him quietly. After a second he looked up over at me, then back at them and nodded.
Angela walked passed and touched my shoulder, "come sit with us for today."
I nodded and gathered my things and bright my chair over to their table and began working with them, secretly thankful to be saved from the silence of my own table. "Angela, do you know by chance who was supposed to be my lab partner?"
"Oh, it was supposed to be Edward, but I guess I decided to skip Bio again today – he does that sometimes, I'm sure he'll be in tomorrow," she said off handedly and went back the assignment.
I didn't like this explanation, simply because I had just seen him at lunch; but then again there was that scene with Alice…
I didn't have too much time to get wrapped up in my theories though, because Angela and Mike did their best to make sure I stayed well conversed through class; taking my silence as shyness and trying to break the ice.
They were totally oblivious to the fact that, instead, I was growing a deep curiosity for the boy with tousled bronze hair and endlessly deep eyes. I then made it a goal to someday meet him. If he was anything like Alice – and he had to be, they were siblings after all weren't they? – I bet we could get along, right?
"Come on Bella, it's time for Gym," Angela announced bringing me from my thoughts and eliciting a groan; this caused her to raise an eyebrow and Mike to laugh.
"Come on Arizona, it's not going to be that bad," he announced and pulled me rather unceremoniously towards the Gymnasium.
~~~~ **** ~~~~
As we walked into the girl's locker room I was really dreading the next year; however it was a required class for all four years, so I would have to suck it up and deal.
As I walked towards one of the stalls, I noticed Alice primping in the mirror; of course she could make a gym uniform look like something a model would wear.
She turned around and squealed, "Bella! I'm so glad we're in class together this semester, it's going to be great!"
"I'm glad at least you see it that way," I muttered darkly and she pouted slightly.
"Aww come on Bella darling, you'll have fun," she insisted and shoved me towards one of the stalls, "come on get dressed today's going to be great! We're having swimming lessons!"
I wondered if she could hear the thud of my heart dropping over dramatically into my stomach, and was rewarded with a very strange expression; I looked down at the pile of clothes Angela had handed me and saw the bathing suit sitting on top. How had I missed that?
My breaths started to come in very short gasps and I felt heat rise to my face painfully; "Swimming, we're doing swimming…? Oh no…"
It almost looked like Alice had stopped breathing when her eyes widened slightly, "are you ok? You look like you're going to pass out."
I shook my head and made my way shakily to the bathroom stall, changed like I was heading towards death row and came out looking just as frazzled as I had when I'd gone in.
Angela came in when she heard Alice's concerned tone of voice. She glanced warily at Alice, who looked back at her cheerfully, then came over to my side; "Bella, are you ok? What's wrong?"
"Angela," I announced frantically, with a bit of shame making it's way into my voice, "I can't swim all that well…do you think if I faked sick I could get out of it?"
She grabbed my hand then, and led me out of the girls' locker room, leaving a pouting Alice behind; "Don't worry, I'll be your partner today – I can't really swim all that good either, so I'm sure we can just hang out on the shallow end and chill.
This managed to work to ease my nerves a little, and I silently thanked her; she really was an angel in disguise, I would have to find some way to thank her.
With this we made our way out to the Pool Room and watched as many of our classmates dove in; some of them did cannon balls off the diving board, others just leaping in at random with loud, obnoxious screams.
I watched at nerves end as some of the guys grabbed a girl by the waist and threw her under; and upon surfacing she would try to retaliate.
I gulped and tried to calm my breathing, which I noticed had started to quicken at the sight. Come on Bella, get it together. Breathe in, breathe out...in…out…
This certainly was not the best time to start hyperventilating and cause a scene.
I watched as Angela walked over to our Gym Teacher and talk with her momentarily, pointing over to me then ask something with a smile; the teacher looked over at me, tilted her head to the side, then nodded and I watched her mouth form the words "sure thing."
I let a sigh of relief escape my lips; I would be safe for today at least, not forced to do anything too – dangerous in the water.
Looking around I noticed a very familiar figure in the water, just submerging from a dive; "But that doesn't make sense…I thought he was gone…" I muttered absently and found my breath escape me suddenly.
There he was; pale and beautiful, upon his emerging, I found my face suddenly screaming with heat, as I shamelessly watched the water trickled down his shirtless body. Biting my lip a little I smiled faintly in spite of myself and swallowed a sigh.
At about this moment I heard Jessica shriek in glee and terror as she ran in my direction. Mike was following close by and trying to grab at her to toss her into the deep end.
I watched in horror as he caught her, and started to drag her to the pool; and as if in slow motion I watched her elbow him. This sent him stumbling backwards with a grunt of pain.
I stood stricken, unable move. All I could do was wait for him to stagger, slip, and slam right into me. Before I knew what was happening I had lost my footing and, with a gasp, slipped and fell backwards on to the edge of the pool.
My back slammed into the edge, sending a sharp stabbing pain up my spine; I cried out in terror and my head slammed into the side of the pool and before I knew what was happening I was falling head first into the water.
It happened so fast that I didn't have time to catch my breath before submerging. I struggled, and failed, to right myself.
I could hear muffled gasps and screams from the surface but for the life of me it was impossible to right myself.
I couldn't seem to find up; and I was fast losing what little oxygen I had saved up. My lungs started to burn in agony, and my eyes were stinging from the chlorine.
I felt darkness tickling at my vision, and little pinpricks of pain all over my body as faintness struggled against my consciousness. I could only inwardly laugh bitterly at the irony that my first day in the hell that was Forks would lead to my untimely death by drowning.
~~~ **** ~~~
Edward's POV
I had been running it over in my head a couple of times, the words Alice had given me at lunch for why I had to skip Biology.
"If you go to Biology, something really bad is going to happen! And I won't let it happen! Just trust me on this, ok? Please?"
So I listened, sat impatiently in the car and waited for last period.
Gym.
The last class of the day this semester; it was always boring, always a waste of time.
I saw the girl from Alice's vision at the edge of the pool; staring at me blankly, and I felt a strange sensation rush through me.
She had a towel wrapped around her shoulders, doing nothing to hide her scantly clad body. The green and blue uniform hugged her very tiny frame quite well. I watched as her face went a brilliant scarlet as if she could read my curiously human thoughts and looked away quickly, hoping she hadn't caught my stare. For the second time that day, I wished I could read her mind, and found myself frustrated.
Unfortunately as soon as I'd looked away, I heard a grunt, a scream, and a sharp smack of skin on granite.
Looking over, I watched as she tumbled headfirst into the water, and realized in horror that she wasn't going to be re-surface anytime soon. I could make out her form struggling faintly under the water – and something in me panicked.
I could feel time slow suddenly; my movements weren't fast enough, she was drowning. I heard the screams and cries of fear; and noted that a couple of the guys were starting to leap in, but I was already there. I had to try.
I dove under and watched as she groped about as if in darkness, and cursed silently as she stopped fighting the pull of the water. She was dying.
I heard Alice's voice strangely panic-stricken ringing above the water. The high-pitched cry of demand called to me and as soon as I had the young girl, Bella, above the water she was out of my arms.
Alice had pulled her away, and wasn't breathing – and suddenly I knew why. The scent that slammed into me when I had her so close, the scent of blood mixed with something so seductive, so much sweeter…something more.
There was something so tempting that I felt the monster that I thought I had destroyed rear its ugly head once more, and I could feel it in every corner of my body.
Suddenly, I wanted her. I wanted her so badly, I wanted her dead.
The feeling gripped me tightly and I damn near lunged. Something in Alice's eyes though – something I heard her yell in my head stopped me cold.
I love her Edward! DON'T KILL HER, LEAVE NOW, GO! It was a deafening shriek that barely pulled me back to my senses and I was gone. I was out of the water and out of school so fast that I briefly wondered if anybody had noticed.
But I knew in the end nobody would. All eyes would be on the girl that had probably drowned in the school pool.
I had to get away – Far away. I had to fight the monster that suddenly had decided to re-emerge, long dead for god knows how long.
I had to get out of here, escape; so that I wouldn't do what I so desperately wanted to turn around and do.
I had to get far away, so that I wouldn't kill Isabella Swan.
~~~~ **** ~~~~
Ending Notes:
And Tada! There's Chapter 1 ..... please don't kill me. *ducks*
Flames will be used to roast my marshmallows - and to keep me warm at night (pyro much O.o?)
Nice reviews make me happy, and keep my muses at bay.
Chapter 2 is done - in editing stage
Chapter 3 is being written... *nods*
