Hey guys, I suck. I know, I can't help it... RL has been kicking my ass... I'll beg and explain at the bottom, for now have a new story because it suits my mood lately.

DISCLAIMER: SM owns.


All my life I've been overlooked, a shadow, a pink rose in a field of red. A freak.

As a child I had few friends, I played with dolls and imaginary fairies as my companions, and as I grew I went through friends quickly because I could only act 'normal' for so long before they realized that I was different from them and cast me aside.

When I was in junior high I was the only goth in a student body of over four thousand. I kept to myself and chose to immerse myself in fiction and fantasy, video games and books became the center of my universe.

I wasn't happy, I wasn't sad, I just was. And my mother had had enough and had finally given in and sent me to my father's in Washington to finish school, after that, I was on my own.

And now as I pulled my black hoodie on over my turtleneck I thought about what my day would be like today. Perhaps I'd make some superficial friendships that would come to an end when the student body realized that I was nothing special, that for all of my dark clothes and mystery I was nothing more than a plain girl with mud colored hair and eyes and a mind that functioned differently than theirs.

I'd debated dressing differently and trying to appear more 'normal' but tossed the idea quickly, it was too hard to pull it off, one sip up and everyone would know the real me, that I was just a freak trying to be normal, no it was better to just get it over with.

I plodded downstairs and mumbled a quick goodbye to the empty living room before remembering that Charlie had left early today and left me to my own devices…

"You'll be alright to get yourself to school right Bells?" Charlie asked me, looking up from his plate of bacon and eggs briefly.

"It's Isabella, Ch- dad. And yes I can get myself to school, I'm not six years old anymore." It came out pretty nasty, but it was my first time seeing my dad since I was six and he'd served up bacon and eggs for dinner then told me to find my own way to school in a town I hadn't seen in as long as I hadn't seen him, I had a reason to be curt with him.

"Sure sure Bel- Isabella. Well, here you go, you can have the truck and I'll just use the cruiser from now one." He tossed me the keys to the beat up Chevy truck he'd bought from his Quilete friend, Billy Black, last year.

"Great." I mumbled sarcastically.

I pulled into the student parking lot and cursed quietly, it was nearly full already, I parked the hulking death trap in one of the two remaining spots and climbed out of the truck, nearly slipping on the wet asphalt.

"Fucking Forks. Why couldn't Charlie have lived somewhere sunny? Like the Sahara?" I mumbled as I righted myself.

"It's actually pretty cold in the Sahara at times too." A musical voice chimed from behind me causing me to shriek and leap about a foot into the air.

"FUCK!" I screamed as I turned around to face whoever thought it was a good idea to sneak up on someone they didn't even know.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, I thought you saw us pull in." I looked at the girl uneasily, something about her making me feel unsettled, a bit like a deer in the headlights. There was nothing sinister about her though, she was a tiny little thing with spiked black hair and big, oddly colored eyes.

"Contacts." I muttered under my breath.

"What?" She asked quickly, a look of confusion coloring her face as she cocked her head to the side like a puppy.

"Nothing. Anyway, I'm…" I started to introduce myself but hadn't got far before she interrupted.

"Bella, I know. I'm Alice Cullen and you and I are going to be great friends, I can SEE it." She bounced on the spot excitedly.

"Actually, I'm ISAbella and I don't think so, Alice, sorry but people aren't friends with me." I turned and walked away, still feeling like there was something predatory about the small girl behind me.


AN: Yep, I know, 'Normal' was one of the ones I had on the poll and it actually didn't get any votes, but I don't care. I want to write some more of Lifeless but I can't bring myself to do so right now. I've been really busy lately, there's been hospitals, and sick kids, and more hospitals, and birthdays and someone thinking it was a good idea to give my 3 year old a puppy for her birthday... RL has been pretty full on lately... UGH

Sorry about Lifeless guys, I'll write more on it when I'm feeling a bit better, but a good friend of mine had her drink spiked the other day and nearly OD'd so I just can't bring myself to write anything on Lifeless atm. I'll get there. Until then, here's "Normal"