Disclaimer: I do NOT own Twilight, despite my love for it. I don't own any characters, setting, etc.
My eyes snapped open. I hadn't been sleeping; I couldn't sleep. One of the things I regretted about her human life. Sleep was so nice, and it passed away the hours so well. Sighing, I stood out of the chair I'd been resting in. Speeding to my closet, I threw the door open, and scowled. "Alice?" I called softly, annoyance creeping into my voice. Alice danced into my room, and smiled knowingly.
"I knew you'd need help," I was informed. Resisting the urge to stick my tongue out at her, I merely moved to the side and allowed Alice to step into my long walk-in closset. Ninty years of accumalating clothes resulted in the need for a larger-than-average closet, and Alice made sure my collection continued to grow. "Hmm," Alice mused. "You do need more clothes." Brightening, she turned to me. "I'll take you shopping!" I groaned and made a show of protesting as Alice firmly dragged me to
her Porshe.
"There!" Alice exclaimed after she laid my new clothes on the couch in my room. "Wear..." she sorted through the huge pile and selected an outfit, "That tomorrow! You'll look so cute!"
Scowling, I retorted, "I'm not supposed to look cute. I'm supposed to blend in."
Wish a scoff, Alice said, "That's not possible, and you know it." I sighed. How well I did...
Groaning, I stood to go change. First day of Forks High. Exciting, huh? I looked at myself in the mirror after changing, and a small smile curved my lips upward. The dark gray-blue jeans Alice had chosen fit perfectly on my thin legs, the skinny pant-boot cut legs tightening around my ankles. The brown slipper-shoes were soft, and were suprisingly comfortable, even though I hadn't work them enough to break them in. It was the shirt I was having issues with. Alice had picked a dark blue top that was sleeveless, and had a semi-lowcut neckline. It clung to my moderate curves and accentuated my thin waist. The sleeveless part in-and-of-itself made the shirt ridiculous for Forks, the rainiest city in the United States where it rarely reached above sixty. I glanced over to my couch where a multitude of clothes lay strewn and grabbed a light, gray North-fact jacket, though I technically didn't need one, cold as I always was. I brushed my hair, letting it hang down as it flowed down my back, side bangs hanging to the right side of my face and framing my heart-shaped face. My purse was on the floor, empty except for my silver cell-phone and a few random items like a pencil, mirror, and wallet. Swinging it onto my shouler, I swept out of the room, saying in quiet voice, "Come on everyone!"
Rosalie emerged, and I rolled my eyes. Her plunging v-neck, hot pink shirt showed off every curve in her body. The mini-skirt she had on was barely short enough for dress code, and her black heels were flashy and clearly designer. So much for even trying to blend in. Might as well hang a sign over our heads saying, "Look at us! Check us out! Think we may be vampires? You guessed right!" Emmet stared at his wife before they both glided downstairs and waited for Alice and Jasper. Alice looked very cute, I admitted. Her pale blue jeans clung to her legs until they flared a little at the bottom, and her sandals peeked out from under the hem. Her green polo fit perfectly, obviously. Jasper followed Alice quietly, and Bella finally led the way out to her car.
Slamming the car into reverse, I careened out of the driveway and wound down the narrow, hidden road to the highway. Accelerating to sixty, my siblings rolled there eyes at my slowness. I hit the gas to appease them, and the speedometer needle was on seventy when I kept the car steady.
"I hate slow driving," Emmet hinted. I ignored him.
Pulling into the school, I slid into a parking spot neatly, my dark blue Volvo spotless. Not many people were there. Good. I didn't want eyes following us to the front office. I always prefered blending in. Careful to walk at a human pace, I opened the door after making my way to the first small building, and walked up to the slightly overweight woman behind the front desk. "Excuse me?" I asked, glaring at my siblings. I had been elected spokesperson of the group. "I'm Bella Cullen. We're Dr. Carlisle Cullen's children, and we need our schedules and such." My voice was soft, but there was no doubt that Ms. Cope, as the name tag said, heard me. She oggled at us, and her jaw dropped at seeing Rosalie. Swinging my shoe back and forth, I impatiently waited.
"Of course!" she finally managed, and handed us all schedules and other papers we needed. "Your information has already been filled out," Ms. Cope told us. "You need to get each teacher to sign the second paper with the blanks and return it to me at the end of the day." I nodded, and she wished us luck before we left. Standing outside her office, we compared schedules. "Yes!" Alice enthused as soon as we stepped out. She'd obviously "seen" our schedules. Turning to me, she said, "We have trig second, lunch, and gym last together!" We hit high fives at Alice's encouragement. Rosalie and Jasper had no classes with me, and as Emmet was also pretending to be a senior, neither did he. We all had lunch together though, thankfully.
I quietly walked to first period alone, trying my best to sink into the ground as people stared at me without shame. Building two, building two, I repeated in my head. When I reached the building, I took a deep breath before stepping inside. Immediately I could hear a rush of thoughts that beseiged me.
Who is she
God, she's gorgeous.
I'm gonna ask her out.
I did my best to keep my expression calm as I internally raged. Why were boys so immature? Walking to the front of the classroom, I said, "I'm Bella Cullen." After explaining myself and getting Mr. Mason, he sign my slip and gave me a seat in the back of the class, for which I was greatful. People still stared. I barely managed not to trip as my skin heated from the attention. Something I wouldn't have missed from my human life, yet the very traits I'd managed to retain. With my clumsy habits and my blushing as a human, I'd been a disaster waiting to happen. When I was turned, I somehow kept those traits, though I had to admit, I looked very graceful before I tripped. How I blushed with no blood, I had no idea. Carlisle said that it might be some of the blood from the animals I drank.
Class was soon over, and before any brave student could approach me, I stood up and left the room, quickly walking to trigonomety, internally groaning. At least I had it with Alice, who went with me to introduce myself to Mr. Varner. We immediately seized two desks next to each other, in the back of the middle of the room. I noticed one boy, with wavy brown hair and mud-brown eyes, looking at me. I tried to block his thoughts, but somehow I couldn't. Wow. She's pretty. But I couldn't ever get her. Most likely Mike will. He scowled to himself at the thought. I wondered her Mike was. It's not fair. Why can't girls like me like they do Mike? He has every girl chasing after him! I giggled quietly, despite my irritation at his staring. Alice glanced at me quizically, and I explained to her, mouth moving so quickly and quietly no one had a hope to hear. The bell rang then, and Mr. Varner called the class to order.
"My favorite subject," I whispered sarcastically to Alice, who laughed quietly. Staring out the window, I tried to lose track of time.
"Ms. Cullen?" Mr. Varner asked me, face expectant and slightly smug at catching me not paying attention. I glanced at the board and it took me longer than any other class, five seconds, to answer. "Pi times the 'ln' of three 'e' over two 'ln' of 'e' to the eighth." He stared for a moment, shocked, before gaining his composure and moving on. I hated trig. Took me seventy years to get it, and it still drove me crazy.
Spanish continued in the same boring drag, plus the two guys who asked me out. I shook my head firmly, glancing down as I said no almost rudely, and walked away without a backward glance. Lunch. Thank God. I met Alice and Jasper at an empty table in the corner of the lunch room, relatively hidden away. Rosalie and Emmet soon joined us, and we sat there, staring off into space with our props of food in front of us.
Bella? Alice thought. My head cocked to the side ever so slightly, so no one but Alice would notice.
Be careful of that guy over there, she informed me. My eyes flashed over to the boy who was in Alice's head. Tallish, probably 5'10", with a round face and blonde hair that was carefully spiked using hair gel. His blue eyes were staring at a girl I recognized from trig. She had extremely curly brown hair, and was tiny at 5'1", with blue eyes as well. She chattered animatedly, and I listened to Mike's thoughts while at the same time hearing their conversation.
"I can't wait to go to the beach with you, Mike!" Jessica fluttered. He's soo cute!
"Yeah, me neither. I was thinking that we could rent a sail boat and go out for a ride."
"That sounds wonderful," Jessica answered, and I smirked at their thoughts.
He's into me!
I wonder if Swan's coming to La Push with us. He probably won't, which is good. All the girls would be all over him. I realized that Mike was the Mike that the boy from trig had been thinking about. Swan... who was Swan? Digging a little, I pulled out a picture of a boyish looking junior. He had high cheekbones, green eyes, and the most beautful bronze hair. His build appeared lanky. My eyes flashed from Mike to Swan. Edward Swan. He wasn't lanky, I realized. He was actually rather muscular, in a lean way. He was tall too, I could tell. He was gorgeous.
Then I remembered Alice was waiting. It had only been about ten seconds since she's 'mind spoken' to me, but that was an eternity to a vampire. My slight nod was almost imperceptible, and she looked away again after seeing it. I was free to watch Edward. My face turned towards his, and I noticed that he was now staring at me. Turning my head, I let a curtain of chocolate-colored- hair fall between us, and peeked out from between the strands. He had looked away too, and was talking to Mike and Jessica in a reluctant-sounding tone.
"Maybe," he said, noncommital. About what? I listened for his thoughts. Nothing. My big eyes widened in shock. Nothing? That was impossible. I listened harder. Still nothing. I looked up, frustration pouring from my eyes. He happened to look up at meet my gaze at that particular moment, and though I couldn't read his thoughts, I could see in his eyes the surprise and hurt that emanated from him at my hungry gaze. I needed to hear his thoughts. It would drive me crazy.
"Bella!" Rosalie hissed at me, irritation evident in her voice. I looked at her, suprised.
"Yes?" I asked, wondering what she wanted. I always refrained as much as I could from reading my sibling's mind.
"Hurry up!" I realized that almost everyone had left the lunch room, as the first bell had rung. Dumping my full tray into the trash can, I waved wistfully to my family before slipping into my biology classroom. Mr. Banner assigned me the only empty chair in the class. Right next to Edward Cullen. I swallowed, and as I walked to my seat, the vent kicked in. Edward's scent blew toward me, and I almost dropped my things.
I was a monster. Edward was my prey. There was nothing else. No describing the force of the scent emanating off her skin and wafting toward me. I could practically feel my eyes darken, if possible, from the coal black color they'd previously been. I couldn't imagine how good her blood must be. My mind had already made the leap it would take for me to reach Edward, disable him, and kill everyone in the room. I knew there could be no witnesses, no survivors. The monster in me didn't care. I wanted his blood. His shocked face, his gorgeous looks, they meant nothing. Nothing could save him. Nothing, not Rosalie, Emmet, Jasper, Alice, Carlisle, Esme, could stop me. Esme... Carlisle. They could, I realized. Just the thought of seeing their faces. I internally winced. I could see from their eyes for an instant. My face, a drop of blood smeared by my mouth, eyes blood-red from drinking, face twisted. That stopped me. I couldn't disappoint them.
Until he moved. His scent hit me again, and I took a purposeful, an aggressive, step foward. No! I curled my toes in my shoes, and felt the soles break and a dint go into the ground. I stopped again. I couldn't. I knew I would, but I couldn't.
Then I realized that I had stopped breathing, and an idea occured to me that if I could make it without breathing, I could stand it.
Throughout the whole lesson, I thought about how to do it. I could follow her home, take her to her next class and lead her away, go to her car, sneak to her room, ambush her. I envisioned a million ways to do it, and the monster in me snarled its pleasure and desire. I tried so hard to imagine the taste of her blood, my undoing. Three times, I had to crush the remains of my pencil, a bolt from the lab desk, and several other objects that happened to be within my reach.
As soon as the bell rang, I was gone. I swept out of the room, ditching gym.
Rushing to Ms. Cope's office, I quickly said after taking my first breath since biology began, "Can I change my schedule? I need to switch out of biology."
---------------------------------------------
I sat there, shocked. Was it possible for someone to hate you the moment she set eyes on you? I wondered if it was. If so, Isabella Cullen was definitely a case. I could sense the hatred coming off her as much as I could see it in her eyes. The hatred, frustration, the... hunger?
"Edward?" Mike asked loudly, bringing my out of my thought. "The bell's gonna ring soon," he told me. I gathered my things and followed him to gym, letting him do the talking as usual.
"Did you see Isabella Cullen?" Mike crowed, face excited.
"Yes. I sat next to her." I replied dully.
"Oh, right." Mike seemed unhappy about that. It was clear that he thought she might fall for me, and that he hoped against it. He'd probably get his wish. "What do you think was wrong with her?" he continued, oblivious to my mood, apparently. "I doubt she's usually like that." Of course. Mike wouldn't imagine Isabella as mean, or hateful. I couldn't either, I had to admit.
In gym, I realized that I had it with Alice Cullen, Isabella's adopted sister. The small girl was even shorter at 4'11" than Isabella, who was probably 5'4". Alice's every movement was like a dance that made most guys in the class stare. I sighed. She was beautiful, but not as breathtaking as Isabella. Her full lips, big, topaz eyes, and waist length brown hair was captivating. Her features were entrancing, and even the blonde who'd sat with Isabella at lunch didn't compare. Preoccupied, I missed the basket twice in basketball, and was yelled at to pay attention by my coach, who said he's fail me for the day if I didn't.
After gym, I hurried to the office. I needed to drop off a slip for Ms. Cope from my dentist to exuse my absense yesterday. When I entered, I was immediately aware of Isabella, standing there, pleading with Ms. Cope. I stared.
"I need to switch out of biology." Biology? The one class we had together! I swallowed.
"I'm sorry, Isabella, but all classes are full."
"What about a senior science. I feel like I'm not challenged enough in biology." Ms. Cope just shook her head apologetically.
"I'm so-" Whatever Ms. Cope had been about to say was cut off by Isabella. A student had opened the door to place a note in a box, and left, but not before a gust of wind had blown in. Isablella stiffened, and said in a hurry, interrupting, "Sorry.Iseethatthat'snotpossible." Without taking a breath, she faced me, and I noticed her eyes. Coal black. The bold, solid color was intimidating. She then stalked out, graceful even then, until she tripped on the door frame before hurrying onward. I stared. Shocked again.
Chapter 2:
Bella's POV
I made an effort to smile when I saw Irene enter the room. She moved gracefully to sit beside me. "Bella," she began, and I tensed, ready for the barrage that was sure to come. I was right. "I don't know what happened in Forks, but it must have been really bad." I grimaced. That was an understatement if there ever had been one. "All you do is mope. Everyone is worried." I didn't react, so she pressed on. "Esme called. She's worried too. She misses you, and wants you to come home." When I winced, she knew she was winning. I couldn't stand to hurt Esme. "Your family misses you. They keep calling, Alice in particular."
I cut her off, a reluctant smile partially on my face. "I get it," I told her, sighing. "I'm going back."
Irene smiled back at me, saying, "I knew you would. I wish you could stay, but it's clear you have to face whatever is back in Forks." Giving me a hug, she stood, and I stood with her. We walked quickly down the hall to the kitchen. I was surprised to see that my bags had been packed and were waiting in the foyer. Turning to Irene, I lifted a thin brow.
"I never said Alice only talked about how she missed you." I couldn't keep a scowl on my face for long though. Picking up my bags, I sped them to the car, and then returned to say good-bye. Our sorrowful farewell was short, and they wished me luck and hope to see me soon.
My foot hit the gas as soon as the key was in the ignition. I picked up my speed more as soon as I hit the highway, and was mildly surprised when I looked down to see that I was pushing 160 mph. I generally hated driving fast. Flooring the pedal, the car engine picked up the pace and I reveled in the noise. It would help me get home sooner. Driving all night and day, I slammed on the brake when I made it home to the winding road hidden off the freeway. Alice burst out of the house and rammed into me, wrapping her arms around my waist.
I looked down at her. "You cheater," I accused. Was it fair of her to use her visions to manipulate me to return? Alice apparently thought so. She grinned with no shame, and then Emmet came running. Barreling into us, we hit the ground, and Emmet was careful to avoid squashing us. Our laughter brought Esme and Jasper running. Esme looked like she would have been crying from being so happy to see me. A smile lingered on Jasper's lips, probably sensing the happiness and relief coursing through us.
"I miss you guys," I whispered.