The second chapter is here! Enjoy! :)

CHAPTER TWO: OF INK AND BIOLOGY

Before

Her pen sits on his dresser when he wakes up the a few days later, just like it has since she loaned it him.

The mysterious girl hasn't been in class since that first biology lesson, and Edward is confused by why he's worried about her. He's barely exchanged three sentences with the girl – he doesn't even knows her name – yet he's worried about her? It doesn't make sense to him.

Still, after he gets ready to leave for school, he still slips the pen into his pocket.

In case she's there. So I can return it to her.

Breakfast is a quiet affair. Charli, his mother by everything but actually being there unconditionally, has never known how to really deal with him. He's product of her high school marriage, and since he's really only lived with his father Rene, she's not really had time to get to know him. In fact, the truck sitting outside on the drive is the closest thing to a birthday gift he's actually wanted in years.

"So." Charli breaks the silence. "How's school going?"

"Good." Edward shrugs, concentrating on eating his pop tart. He keeps his eyes away from his mother's.

"Made any friends?" She asks next. Edward shrugs again.

"A few."

"That's good." Charli nods before they lapse back into awkward silence again.

Edward drives to school in silence. Everything in Forks is so… rainy: compared to sunny Arizona, it's way out of his comfort zone.

But just because he isn't used to it doesn't mean he couldn't grow to love it, right? All hope can't be lost for him here in Forks, because there's nowhere else for him to go.

When Rene married Philippa, he was genuinely happy for his father and his new stepmother.

For around 5 minutes, until he realises what that meant exactly.

Philippa played in a minor woman's basketball league, and of course Rene would want to go with her. But Edward had to go to school.

And since Rene refused to allow his 17 year old son to live alone, he sent him to the only person he could. His mother.

Lunch circles around quickly, and Edward sits at the table he's been accepted at. When he told Charli that he had found some friends, he wasn't joking: he made friends with Jesse in Spanish class. Jesse is a confident guy, and pretty domineering.

Michelle is also his friend, he thinks. The blushing girl is very friendly with him – if he didn't know better, he might think she had a crush on him.

And finally, then there's the super couple Erica and Angelo. He doesn't know how long they've been together for, but he assumes it been at least a few months from how secure they are with each other. He smiles honestly as they all gossip about the day's events, all while wondering if the mysterious girl will be in biology today. It's a shame he doesn't know her name, or he could ask Jesse if he knew why she was off.

Something catches his attention from the window outside the cafeteria.

Or should he say someone. Someones.

Five simply beautiful people stride through the open door, walking with a casual gracefulness.

The first two; a guy and a girl. The girl tosses her blonde hair over one shoulder as she walks tall, smiling at her male companion, who gazes at her with adoration.

The next two are also a guy and a girl, with the guy looking shaky and out of his depth, yet still beautiful, while his equally gorgeous companion holds onto his arm, smiling comfortingly. She has a pixie cut, her black hair suiting it perfectly.

And lastly.

The mysterious girl.

Walking a few steps behind the others, her long hair hangs around her face, her eyes painted a light ochre brown – where has the black brown gone? But Edward pushes that to one side as he concentrates on the fact that she's here. She's standing here. He doesn't understand why that makes him so happy.

"Oh, Edward, you've noticed the Cullens?" Jesse's question pulls him from his thoughts. Edward blinks a few times, before nodding slowly.

"Who… who are they?" He asks, seizing his chance to find out his mystery girl's name.

"They're the Cullens." Jesse shrugs as the Cullens sit down at an empty table. "See the blonde girl? And the guy talking to her?" He indicates to the first pair. "That's Rosalie and Emmett. Next to them: the black haired girl and the shy looking guy? They're Alice and Jasper. And finally, the last girl?"

"Yes?" Edward tries to tone the eagerness from his voice.

"That's Isabella Cullen." Jesse reveals his mystery girl's name. "She's the quietest one. Most people have never even heard her talk."

"The Cullens keep to themselves." Michelle leans over to put in her input. "And by that, I mean that. Rosalie and Emmett? They're together-together. Same with Jasper and Alice."

Edward stares.

"Are they related?" He asks tentatively, and Angelo laughs loudly.

"No, no, bro. They're all adopted by-" He starts, and as usual Erica leaps in to finish his sentence.

"By Carlisle and Esme Cullen. Carlisle is a really young doctor, and they adopted them all. Isn't that so lovely?" She coos. "They all moved here around 3 years back."

"They look so alike." Edward murmurs, his eyes glued to his mystery girl – Isabella.

"Creepy, right?" Angelo gulps down his soda. "Yeah, but no-one's been able to successfully get Isabella to go out with them. The Cullens don't talk to us; we don't talk to them. It's like the unspoken rule."

Unspoken rule, huh? Edward mulls it over. I'll still give her pen back to her. I wonder if she was sick or something.

Isabella. The name feels nice in his mind. Is-a-bel-la.

Edward quickly pulls his eyes off the girl before she realises that he's staring at her. That would be awkward.

When biology class arrives, Edward finds himself taking a deep breath before entering the classroom, his heart beating wildly out of his chest. Then he strides in, determined to be confident.

Isabella sits in her seat, which is positioned the normal distance away from his, her eyes glued to the worksheet on the desk in front of them.

Edward takes another deep breath before walking towards his desk. He stands there, frozen for a few moments until Isabella glances up, her eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"Yes?" She says, and Edward's tongue freezes in his mouth. He gapes at her like a complete idiot for a few seconds, and her irritable look grows bigger.

And then it transforms into a soft smile.

"Hello." She says in a kind, almost chirpy voice. "I don't think I really introduce myself properly last time we met. I'm sorry about that – I was feeling a little under the weather." She stands up, pushing her chair backwards. "My name is Isabella Cullen. It's a pleasure to meet you…" She tilts her head to one side inquisitively.

Edward gapes like a fish for a few more seconds before his brain finally figures out how to be in control again.

"Err, I'm Edward." He says. "Edward Swan."

"Hello, Edward." Isabella's ochre gaze holds his. Something about how she says his name is mesmerizing: she makes it sound beautiful. Isabella holds out a hand, and he quickly moves to shake it.

It's cold. He frowns. Ice cold.

Edward doesn't comment on it though.

"Are you feeling better now?" He asks politely, and Isabella's light pink lips turn up into a smile.

"Yes, very much." She tells him, brushing her hair behind one ear. "It was just a little flu, but I'm better now, thank you for asking."

"Class, be seated!" Miss Banner calls, and Edward scrambles to his seat, dropping his bag down next to him. His pulse is skyrocketing.

Isabella is unnaturally stiff in the seat next to him.

Miss Banner gives them microscopes and tells them to note down what stages the slides are in, in pairs. Isabella turns to him.

"Do you want to write first, or look into the microscope?" She asks, and Edward finds himself yet again blinking like a fish out of water. Isabella waits patiently.

"Err, microscope I guess?" He sounds uncertain of his answer, but Isabella merely pushes the object across the desk to him.

"Okay." She pulls out a pen, and writes their names along the top of the sheet. "Is 'Swan' spelt with two 'n's' or just the one?" She asks him, glancing at him with her ochre eyes.

"One." Edward manages to answer this question quicker than the last one, but it's still not as quick as he might hope for. I'm sounding like a complete idiot here!

Edward glances into the microscope, and tells Isabella the answer. To his surprise, she starts writing it down before even checking herself, even as Edward starts to push it across the table towards her.

"Don't you want to check for yourself?" He asks, and Isabella glances up from where she's midway through writing the answer.

"I trust you have the answer right." She says. "So this will work better if you look, and I write, okay?"

Edward's nodding before he knows it. Something about Isabella's voice makes him want to do whatever she says – an unnerving feeling.

"Have you just moved to Forks, Edward?" Isabella asks him, making polite small talk he assumes. He nods as he replaces the slide.

"Last week." He adds on to his nod. "My dad, he got married."

"And you don't like the woman?" Isabella assumes, like everyone else does. Edward shakes his head quickly.

"No, I love Philippa. She just what Rene needs in his life. But…" He trails off.

"They have no room for you?" Isabella takes another incorrect stab in the dark. A small part of Edward wonders why she's asking him these questions.

A bigger part wonders why he's answering her.

"Rene would have stayed with me if I asked." Before he knows it, he's told her all about Philippa's job, and Rene wanting to travel with her. "But I chose this fate myself. He deserves to be happy, so I exiled myself to Forks."

"But you're not happy." Isabella observes. Edward doesn't answer, and instead tells her the next answer, which she dutifully notes down. "Why?" The single word is so innocent, and Edward almost feels compelled to answer it.

"Because this isn't my life. My life is in Arizona, and Forks… Forks doesn't suit me." He shrugs, changing the slides. "I'm not a guy made for the rain and snow."

"Maybe you are, and you just don't know it yet." Isabella quips, and Edward frowns at her. Why is she being so chatty when by everyone's accounts, she's apparently silent? What's different about him?

"It's too green here." He admits as he studies the next slide. "I don't like it."

Isabella laughs, a gentle chiming noise. It's beautiful to listen too, yet it ends way too quickly.

"Too green?" She repeats, shaking her head. "Of all the things to complain about. The scenery." She laughs for a little longer before pausing. "I'm sure you'll get used to it." Her words are comforting.

Edward is silent.

I don't think I will.

When the end of class comes, Edward is almost disappointed. Despite her invasive questions, Edward was enjoying his conversation with Isabella.

He goes to get to his feet when he suddenly remembers her pen in his pocket. Isabella's already packing her stuff away, moving towards the door, when he calls out:

"Wait!"

She stops a few meters away from their desk, and turns around.

"I- I have your pen." He holds out the pen that's been with him for the last few days, and watches Isabella's eyes take it in.

"Keep it." She says, her words echoing of the first ones she ever spoke to him. "I meant it then; I mean it now. Edward." She lingers on his name, her ochre eyes captivating his for a second that seems like forever.

"Isabella." He whispers her name, but she's already too far out of the door to hear him.

Hi again! A few notes:

Thank you to everyone who has followed, reviewed and/or favourited this story. It means a lot to me that people actually want to read this.

Answers to reviews: The two guests: Thank you for reviewing!

Obviously, the Cullens have not been gender switched. The names just didn't work.

If anyone's confused about who the characters are:

Jesse - Jessica

Michelle - Mike

Erica - Eric

Angelo - Angela

Since Edward is a guy, it made sense for his closer friends, Jesse and Angelo, to be guys.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this second chapter, and please leave me a review to tell me what you thought! :)