Chapter Two
Have I Found You?
*"Have I found you? Flightless bird, jealous, weeping… Or lost you? American mouth, Big pill looming" –Flightless Bird, American Mouth; Iron & Wine*
"Oh, shmittens!" I muttered too low for any meaningless human to hear.
He wouldn't recognize me. I was a vampire; I was immortally beautiful, my eyes were topaz. And thanks to Janet, my hair was long to my shoulders in the front, but just to the top of my neck in the back, and straight. Even my voice was different.
"Yes, Mr. Cullen…" Mr. Tepp muttered to himself, looking at a seating chart. "You can take that seat next to Isabella Francis." I sighed with relief; every time we moved, we changed our name to either Patterson, Francis, Anthony, Grey, or Swan.
"Hello, Miss Francis." He said politely, "Isabella, is it?"
"Bella." I whispered.
He straitened. "Bella." He repeated. "May I ask why I cannot read your thoughts? A Shield, perhaps?" He didn't know it was me, Isabella Swan, his Bella, but I could see the name hurt him deeply. Why? He left me. I shook my head, not letting myself hope.
"Yes," I answered.
"Do you live alone?"
"No, with my family. Janet, Lilly, Malcolm, and Rodney."
"I see…" He pondered. "May my family and I meet them? At lunch perchance?"
"No!" I said curtly. "I-I mean, I'll have to ask them first."
We sat in silence until the bell finally rang.
"Jan!" I caught Janet by her arm on her way to English. "There back!"
"Who?" She raised her eyebrows in confusion.
"The Cullens!"
"Cullen as in Edward Cullen?" Jan was the only know about my human life with him.
"Noooo," I said sarcastically. "The brand of potatoes!" I was not in the mood for her stupidity.
"Yeesh," She shook her head. "What the hell are they doing here?"
"I don't know, they want to sit with us at lunch."
"Should we?"
"Maybe, I guess. He doesn't recognize me."
"Good… for now. I think we should tell him though."
"Really? Well later, maybe. "
"I'll tell the others that another vampire coven is meeting us. Kay?"
"Sure, see you later."
After my Technology class, there was Lunch. Great.
I sighed as the bell for Lunch rang.
"Bella," Edward pulled me aside. "What did you family say?"
"They said yes." I lied. Rodney probably would be disappointed, a worried that this could cause the humans to be suspicious. That's why he wore ice blue contacts. Malcolm would be mad for no reason. Lilly would be her shy self. And (sigh) Jan. Janet would be excited and try to get them to figure out I was the Bella they knew. Fun.
He smiled the crooked smile I loved, but it was different, like when he said my name in Algebra.
"May I escort you the cafeteria?"
"Um, suurrre…" I felt like an idiot, I was letting myself fall for the one who I knew didn't love me. Yet, I hoped.