Author's note: Now, onto the story....so far, all the characters are of m invention....though I may have lied earlier in saying that none of the Twilight gang will show up. It may happen....though it will be a few chapters. Please, read and review....
"Maggie, you'd better get up or you'll be late for school!"
I rolled over, pulling the blankets closer around my head to close out the sound my mother's cheerful voice. The clock on my nightstand was annoyingly bright as it broadcasted the time, reminding me that I only had a half hour before I had to leave.
"Hey, Maggs, better get up…you don't want to look like the bride of Dracula on your first day!"
My pillow whipped across the room, narrowly missing the grinning features of my younger brother.
"Get lost, Cole," I growled, rolling over again and wishing for the millionth time that my parents had not decided to move from our home in Seattle to the back country of the Olympic Peninsula. It wouldn't have been so hard to get up if I was back in my old house and could look forward to a day of laughter and fun with my two best friends. It had been an utter tragedy when our parents had sat down in the living room and told us that we would be moving to the small town of Sappho, WA; far away from our home and switching schools in the middle of the year. Of course, Cole had been excited. Nothing could get that kid down, of that I was sure. He adjusted to change like a blocked river; he simply found another way around.
My alarm went off again and I quickly reached over, hitting the clock a bit too hard and groaned as it fell to the floor, the radio coming on with blaring abruptness. I fumbled half heartedly, trying to switch off the sound before it could completely ruin my snooze phase.
"Magdalena Colleen Byrne, get out of bed!!"
That was the mom voice that I could not ignore. With a grunt, I forced myself out from under the warm burrow of blankets, and peeked out of the window beside my bed. "Torrential rain, big surprise."
It wasn't that I didn't like the rain. It just seemed to rain a lot more here then it did in the city. And I had made up my mind that the Peninsula was a dreary place to be, even if the clouds were no different here then in Seattle.
I hoped in the shower before Cole could take over the bathroom, and stifled a small smile as I heard him yelling at me on the other side of the locked door. The warm water was a blessed release and I stood for a moment, luxuriating in the feeling. I dried off quickly, trying to beat the goose bumps that were threatening to rise on my skin. With a sigh, I pulled a brush through my long dark hair, defeatedly pulling it back into a ponytail as it began to dry in loose curls.
Cole began pounding on the door and I allowed him in, ignoring the muttered remark about hogging the bathroom as he walked by and shut the door.
I took my time eating breakfast, savoring every spoonful of the sugary bits until all that was left was mush and milk. Disgusted, I pushed it away and began loading my backpack with my notebooks and pens.
"Don't worry, honey, it won't be as bad as you think. You'll make lots of new friends and be having fun in no time," my mother wrapped me in a comforting hug, placing a kiss to my forehead.
I nodded mutely, not really believing her, but unwilling to start an argument this early in the day.
"Bye, mom!" Cole jumped down the stairs, landing with a loud bang, and grabbing his bag all in one motion. The back door slammed in his wake as he tried to beat the rain by running to the detached garage.
"Try to have a good day," she called as I followed my brother's footsteps. Taking the key to the old station wagon off the key rack, I paused to give my mother a wilting smile and then was out the door.
"I love you!"
I didn't reply, trying to make her understand just how sullen and upset I was about the sudden change in our lives. Though I knew she had said it more to try and make what amends she could for disrupting my life so completely.
I climbed into the driver's seat, blasting the heater as soon as the car engine turned over. Cole was talking excitedly about the prospect of starting over in a new place and getting new friends and his hopes of teachers that weren't too hard, but I tuned it out, focusing instead of the sound of the engine purring and the rain beating down on the roof.
It took less time then I would have liked to reach the small high school. I gritted my teeth as Cole jumped from the car, slamming the door without a backwards glance. After a moment of deep breaths, I followed him into the press of other teenagers, searching over the heads for a sign to the main office. I was pretty tall, but the amount of people jostling through the small hallways made it impossible to really see. I was about to give up when I slammed into someone.
My mind was trying to take in the shock of rock hard flesh I had run into when it was cut short. As my gaze swept up to the stranger's face, my whole body froze.
The piercing blue eyes were the color of the cloudless sky, but had a depth and iciness to them that I could not quite grasp. His face was like chiseled stone, pale and without flaw, framed by short dirty blonde hair. He was dressed better then most of the kids in the hall, in fact, his meticulous grooming and fashion seemed out of place amongst the ragged rain coats and wet clothes of the masses around us. The smell of cedar and sunshine radiated from his being and before I could stop it, my cheeks and neck turned an embarrassing shade of scarlet.
"I'm sorry; I wasn't watching where I was going…" I mumbled softly, feeling extremely plain and shabby next to this god like teenager.
His eyes iced over and I thought I saw a slight grimace in his features before a small smile tugged his lips upwards. "It's alright. It can be quite overwhelming being the new girl on your first day."
His voice was like the ringing of clear bells and I blushed again. "Yeah, it is," I stuttered. "Is it that obvious?"
He laughed, soft and soothing. "In a school this small, you recognize a new face when you see it. And besides," he leaned down and I could smell the sweetness of cedar on his breath. "You don't smell like the others." He chuckled again as he turned, almost as if he was telling a private joke.
I was still musing over his last sentence when he started walking away, and desperate to meet at least one person, I reached out, touching his arm. His body tensed just slightly, than relaxed as he turned back.
"By the way, I'm Maggie, um, Byrne…"
His smile returned, his lips just barely showing the polished white teeth beneath. "Tobias Rowan," he replied, than turned, walking down the hall with a grace that not even a super model possessed.
I was still standing, transfixed, when I heard footsteps behind me.
"Excuse me, dear, are you lost?"
I turned to find a short woman with a comforting face standing behind me. It was then I noticed the empty hallway. I must have been standing there like a fool for several minutes.
"Well, I'm actually new….and I'm not sure where the office is," I managed to force out, giving her a confused sort of smile.
She returned it and took my arm, steering me down the hallway towards a pair of doors that were clearly marked, "School Office".
I followed obediently, my mind still trying to figure out the strange feeling surrounding Tobias Rowan.
****
"Maggie, over here!" Cole jumped up, waving his long arms and drawing every person's attention to the fact that I had just walked into the cafeteria.
"Cole, could you be any more obvious?" I growled as I sat down next to him, trying to bury my face into the fries and mystery meat on my tray.
"Maggie, meet Nathaniel Yellowfoot, Celeste Wolf, and Robin Carter," he introduced, indicating the three other people at the table. "Everyone, this is my big sis, Magdalena."
"Maggie," I quickly corrected. "No one calls me Magdalena unless I'm in trouble."
"Nice to meet you," one of the boys replied, his rich eyes sparkling. His dark ponytail fell over his shoulder as he leaned in conspiratorially. "And who's to say you're not in trouble?" he whispered with a wink.
I laughed softly, unable to help myself.
"I'm Nathanial," he said, holding out his hand.
"Maggie," I said again.
"Yeah, I know," he ran his hand over his head, pushing a few stray hairs back into place. "Your brother has told us all about your family."
I glanced over at Cole and he flashed me an innocent look.
"Well, I hope you only believe half of what he's told you." I replied, digging into my food as if I had nothing more to say.
The other four chatted lunch away good naturedly and I came to find out that the three were actually from the Makah Reservation and had chosen to attend the public high school. They were excellent pranksters and seemed to know every way to slip in and out of trouble.
Several times I would look up and find Nathaniel staring at me curiously, but whenever I caught him he would smile, his eyes twinkling, and then turn back to the conversation.
He unsettled me, but was intriguing at the same time. The day had been an interesting one. I had set my mind on being miserable and not enjoying one moment of it, but instead had found the tiny, rain drenched Olympic school to be a welcome break from the large, noisy Seattle high school we had come from. And I would have never guessed that I would sit with my brother in the cafeteria; hell would have frozen over before that. Yet here I was, in this strange new place, even enjoying Cole's company. I found myself wondering if this may be more tolerable then I first imagined.
"So, you wanna come?" Nathaniel's voice broke my reverie.
"Huh? Sorry, what?" I stuttered.
"Yeah, thought you were daydreaming," he laughed. "We're having a bonfire down at the beach this weekend. I asked if you want to come. You know, be our guests for the festivities."
Somehow I felt like being his guest entitled something more then just tagging along to a social event, but in deep desire to make friends, I agreed.
It was then I caught sight of them. Across the cafeteria Tobias sat at a table with four others. They seemed locked in their own conversation, not paying any attention to the crowded, noisy room around them.
I smiled slightly, seeing him looking at me and waved.
His eyes dropped quickly, as if he had never seen me at all. A frown crossed my face and I turned back to my food.
Nathaniel hadn't missed the exchange and followed my line of vision across the room. A rude snort escaped his throat when he saw the table of five.
I looked up, seeing the derisive look in his chocolate eyes. "What?"
Robin, the other boy at the table smiled slightly. "Nate doesn't like the Rowan's much."
"Why?" I asked, looking between them, trying to appear nonchalant in doing so.
Robin shrugged and turned away. Nathaniel didn't ever look back up at me.
I scooted closer to Celeste, admiring her wild blue and black hair and smiled, trying to win her over as a friend. "So who are they?" I asked, nodding my head towards the table in the corner.
She followed my line of sight and smiled mischievously. "That's the Rowan family. They keep to themselves mostly, kind of strange group…"
I nodded, trying to encourage her to continue.
"Well, the two red haired ones, they're twins, Trystan and Lucy. They go everywhere together…I sometimes wonder if they're minds are linked…" her voice trailed off in amusement.
I glanced over, taking in the two at the far end of the table. The girl was tall and willowy, her slight body draped in a satiny dress. Her bright red hair was pulled back in two turtle shell combs, leaving small tendrils to curl down, framing her electric blue eyes. Her chin rested on delicate hands and she seemed rather bored with the events around her.
Her twin, however, sat erect, his broad shoulders as imposing as they were strong. His jaw was set in a tense line, softened only by the auburn curls that fell around his ears. His blue eyes matched his sister's, though they sparked with a silent intensity. He, like Tobias, seemed to be made of granite, carved as a living statue.
I forced my attention back to Celeste, who had continued her narrative. "The small girl with the short blonde hair is Annalisa…and she's "with" the guy next to her, Tobias."
"With?" I inquired, not sure I had heard her right.
"Yeah, all of the Rowan's are foster kids…I mean, Mr. and Mrs. Rowan are only in their thirties."
My eyes followed her secret introductions. Annalisa was indeed small; she looked like no more then a child as she sat among the others. Her blond hair was short and cut in a pixie fashion, setting a sharp contrast to her round face. Sharp brown eyes watched everything around her, as if she could will the world into her own fashion and design simply by fixing it with her intent gaze.
Tobias, his arm around Annalisa's shoulders, was engaged in deep conversation with the last member of the table.
"Who's the one on the end?" I asked quietly, holding my breath.
Celeste eyed me knowingly. "That is Gabriel Rowan. Charmer, isn't he? Don't dream too much. They mostly keep to themselves, ever since they moved here…"
I didn't hear the rest, however. My attention was fixated on the last member of the Rowan family.
His dark brown hair hung loose around his face, framing blue eyes, the color of the storm tossed sea. His very being radiated with power and strength, off set only by the soft curve of his jaw line and thoughtful look in his pale features.
His gaze lifted, meeting mine momentarily before turning back to Tobias and my heart stopped.
"Hey, Maggie, you going to your next class or gonna stay and daydream for the rest of the day?" Nathaniel's voice once again broke through my thoughts.
I looked up at him, trying to shake the fog in my mind. I forced a small smile, standing and following them over to the doorway.
I breezed through the rest of my classes, hardly hearing anything. My thoughts all centered on the Rowan family and the incontrollable desire to learn more about them.
****
One rainy day after another passed and I couldn't help but look forward to the next morning when I would get to see the Rowan's again. I hadn't spoken to any of them since I had run into Tobias in the hall, but each morning I woke with the thought that today I may be invited to join their lunch conversations.
My brother was annoyed with me; he had taken an instant disliking to the Rowan family, though I attributed that to Nathaniel's influence. He had no good things to say about them at all.
I had begun to get slightly annoyed with Nathaniel as well, even to the point of defending the Rowan's against his dark looks and mumbled insults. He merely responded with a flash of his chocolate eyes and a dismissing comment about how they were "trouble".
A smile crossed my face as I brushed my long dark hair, for the first time seeing my pale skin as beautiful instead of a sign that I spent all my free time away from the sun. After all, the Rowan's had skin so fair it seemed to glow faintly in the light, and I began to fanaticize that mine did as well.
I went through my days longing for the break of lunch, and when it finally came, my insides would leap for joy.
The Friday before the bonfire was much the same as the rest of the week, only now, Cole and I weren't being stared at quite as much as we walked through the halls.
I entered the lunch room, spotting Celeste and Robin playing around in the food line. Without looking around, I hurried to join them, half listening as they talked and laughed about the party the following night. They continued over to our normal table, but I stopped about half way across the cafeteria.
I heard a mumbled curse as my abrupt halt caused several people behind me to have to make a wild move to hang onto their lunch trays. My eyes locked on the table directly across from me. The Rowan's were there, as per usual, a minimal amount of food on the table in front of them. None of them were even looking around, so they hadn't noticed my near accident, but I felt the betraying scarlet leap to my cheeks regardless.
My feet began moving forward of their own accord, and I followed, not knowing what was drawing me. A moment later I was standing at their table, staring stupidly at them as if I expected an invitation to sit down.
Annalisa was the first to notice me awkwardly standing there. Her deep brown eyes widened and then narrowed, as if trying to ascertain why I had interrupted their meal.
"Is their something we can do for you?" a low voice growled, though it sounded almost like a purr to my ears.
I turned to face the speaker, and found Gabriel's sharp blue eyes fixing me with an icy glare. The hard edge to his face surprised me and my mouth worked silently, trying to form coherent words.
"Be nice, Gabriel, we don't have visitors that often to our table…" a soft ringing voice admonished him and Lucy's blue eyes glittered.
Calm washed over me and something like the smell of lavender hung in the air. The perfume seemed to be coming from Annalisa's small frame, but I couldn't be sure. Every person at the table was scented perfectly, each one more intoxicating then the last.
I swallowed, trying to make my voice work. "I was… I mean…"
Lucy nodded encouragingly, but the others locked me with impenetrable stares. It felt like standing in front of a panel of judges, already knowing they found you guilty, but that they still desired to hear you plead for your life.
"There's a bonfire this weekend….and I just wanted to ask if you all wanted to come," I finally squeaked out.
A wry grin crossed Tobias' face and he relaxed slightly. "I don't know if we would be very welcome."
I shook my head, disbelief about how anyone would not want them there clouding my judgment. "I'm sure that you would be welcome."
"We're going out of town this weekend," Gabriel returned, his voice still holding its hard edge.
"But thank you for thinking of us," Annalisa quickly added, her smile inviting and genuine.
I turned away from them, still holding the tray of my now cold food, feeling utterly and completely foolish.
Nathaniel's eyes didn't leave me as I sat down between him and Celeste.
"What the hell were you doing over there?" he asked incredulously.
I gave him a withering stare and then dropped my gaze to my food. I pushed it around my tray for the remaining half hour of lunch, unable to force food into my churning stomach.
The bell sounded and I stood, stealing a glance over at the Rowan's as I shouldered my bag. Five sets of fiery eyes returned my gaze and as I hastily turned away I realized that their stares had not left me since I had retreated from their table.
You know the drill....please read and review...otherwise I will have no idea whether or not this is rubbish... :)