Fates Colliding
By: Runs at Dawn
Chapter 2: The Singer
Summary: Bella Cullen has been alone for over a century, sure she'd never find her soul mate. What will happen once she meets him…but he's a 17-year-old human boy, and her singer? Will she give in to fate; will he continue loving her once he finds out what she is?
Rating: Mature for sexual content, swearing and fabulousness :P. There will be lemons later, just be patient ;)
Playlist: Crush- Mandy Moore, Ass like that- Eminem, The First Time I Ever saw your Face- Leona Lewis, Infatuation - Cristina Aguilera, Can't get you out of my head- Kylie Minogue
Find it here: http://www(dot)playlist(dot)com/playlist/18571655691
I hissed in frustration and right then the bell rang. Alice shot off like a bullet and sprinted off to her next class. I couldn't follow her without looking like a lunatic.
Seething, I muttered to myself, thinking of ways to get back at her. She better guard her stupid closet.
I walked to my next class: Biology.
Edward
"Edward...Edward...Earth to Edward."
I turned to the girl who had introduced herself to me as Lauren, smiling sheepishly.
"Um, sorry, what were you saying?"
Lauren laughed and flipped her hair. In the ten minutes I had known her, she'd flipped her hair eight times. The girl had no shame.
"You were staring at them, again," she said, smirking most annoyingly.
Well, that was true, I had been staring at them...the mysterious Cullens. More to the point, I had been staring at Bella.
She was lovely; her hair cascaded down her back in a ripple of reddish-brown strands. Her skin was pearly white, her body slim; all the right curves in all the right places. A vision, a goddess.
"Don't even bother," Lauren stated, sending me an annoyingly knowing look. "She's an ice princess, untouchable to mere mortal guys. Trust me; I've seen many try and fail. You should just forget about it."
She sounded jealous and biting. What had the girl ever done to deserve her spite?
I can answer that, a little voice in my brain spoke up-the one who always knew too much and got me in trouble.
I sighed and tried shutting it down but it was always relentless.
She's too pretty, too desired and um, let me see, I'm sure every single guy she's liked has preferred Bella.
All right, all right, thanks for your opinion, now shut up.
"Did you hear me?" Lauren said, narrowing her eyes.
"Yeah, I heard you."
I stopped myself before I could retort further. No need to piss off the school's alphas.
Jessica decided to pipe in. She was sitting between Lauren and Mike, the good-natured school heartthrob. Slim and cute, she had the attention of several guys as she flirted with Mike unabashedly–while also sending me looks she probably thought were smoldering.
"True, the whole family is weird. They keep to themselves; they never mingle. And Bella...she barely ever talks." She punctuated the statement flipping her straight light brown hair.
What was with these girls and flipping hair?
She leaned forward. "They are all adopted by Dr. Cullen. The little one with spiky hair and the creepy emo dude are together. Same with the blond girl and that huge guy. He scares the crap out of everyone. Isn't that weird? Bella is single, of course but like Lauren said, not interested in dating. Like at all."
"Huh," I said, nodding. She smiled and I smiled back mechanically. I was sure there was a whole story behind their family and their interactions but of course everyone just saw the surface and simply called them freaks.
A few seconds later, I turned to my other side, where Ben sat. It seemed he was in my same predicament, staring longingly at a pretty dark-haired girl on the other side of the table, Angela. He sighed and then smiled sheepishly, taking another bite of his sandwich.
The rest of the lunch hour crawled by as I was asked question after question. Yes, Arizona was very hot. No, I'm not into any sports. No, I don't have a girlfriend. I moved because my dad was transferred to a local bank in Forks. The list went on. People here seemed to be very friendly and chatty. The school was small enough so that everyone knew everyone's business. Unfortunately, I needed to get used to it if I wanted to blend in.
My attention was caught again by Bella. She was so incredibly gorgeous it was hard to stop staring at her. Something else about her drew me in; the way she smiled, her graceful movements. Even though her two sisters were just as beautiful as her, it was she who intrigued me–especially when our eyes met. Her eyes were melting pools of molten amber. They pierced right into me. It was electrifying and I was completely crushed when the little one, Alice, drew her away after a few seconds of heaven. I could have spent hours lost in her eyes. A few seconds later, the bell rang and I got up, smiling idioticly at everyone at the table before heading to my following class: Biology.
I had some trouble opening my locker, being that I was still feeling a bit dazed. Wow, she was a freaking hot. By the time I made my way to the classroom, the teacher was checking off attendance.
"There you are, you must be Edward Masen. Welcome. I'm Mr. Banner. Please feel free to sit wherever you wish."
Nodding and feeling myself blush as I felt all eyes were on me, I surveyed the room, looking for an empty seat. To my great surprise and delight Bella was in the classroom. Not only that, there was an empty seat besides her.
I approached her, suddenly feeling nervous. I didn't want to mess up our first meeting. Not only was she hot…there was something unique about her. I couldn't read her as easily as I did others.
When she realized where I was going to sit, Bella scooted sideways, almost plastering herself to the wall as I set my books on the table.
Wow, that was an overreaction. What did I do?
Taking a deep breath, I sat down, deciding not to be discouraged. After all, she might assume I'm yet another guy who's trying to hit on her. She was so beautiful I was sure she was constantly drooled over. I wiped my mouth, making sure I wasn't doing it right now.
I exhaled and flashed her my best smile, the one lots of girls had told me was dazzling.
"Hi, I'm Edward," I said politely.
In response to my simple greeting, she choked and her whole body froze in shock. When she glanced at me through the curtain of her hair, I could have sworn her eyes turned black. She hissed under her breath and balled her hands into fists.
Holy crap, what the hell? All I did was say hi and smile.
With a jerky movement she raised her hand and before the teacher had a chance to acknowledge her, she blurted out, "Mr. Banner, I am not feeling too well. Can I please be excused?"
He was a bit taken aback but immediately replied, "Sure Bella, um, you may be excused."
Bella bounced off the chair, not looking too well. Her eyes were frantic and her complexion had lost its pearly sheen. She looked like she was about to hurl. Maybe she'd eaten some bad chili at lunch? Coming down with the flu?
I scooted off the seat as fast as I could to let her through. She zoomed by me and sprinted off the classroom, slamming the door behind her.
What the hell? Everyone was staring at me, probably wondering what I had done to the quiet and reserved Bella.
I was so freaked out by the whole situation that I decided to corner Ben after school to ask his opinion. Maybe she suffered from panic attacks or something?
Ben was just as confused as me.
"That's really weird. I mean, she is pretty strange and all, but she is never rude and she mostly just keeps to herself. I've never heard of her acting like that. I don't know what to tell you."
"Thanks," I said, now a bit embarrassed for asking Ben. What if he told his friends about this stupid conversation? Gah, I was acting and thinking like such a girl.
"It just freaked me out a little, you know, how she bolted out of there," I explained, trying to sound unconcerned.
"Yeah," Ben agreed. "Sounds pretty weird to me."
"I guess I'll see you around then," I told him.
"Yeah, see you around."
I made my way to my Volvo, pulling the hood of my jacket up. It was raining, of course.
I didn't mind the rain...much. I hated the cold, but Phoenix had been almost too hot.
Green, green and more green flashed by as I drove home. I was driving well over the speed limit as usual. The few times I'd been caught I had gotten hell from my parents, but I didn't care. Driving fast was one of my indulgences. It was what I did when I didn't know what else to do and at that moment, I really needed the release.
"How was your first day of school?" Mom asked as soon as I put a toe inside the house.
"It was okay, Mom."
"Did you make any friends? Were the teachers nice?"
"Yeah, I talked to some people and so far the teachers seem fine. Don't worry so much Mom, it's not like this is the first time I've gotten transferred."
Mom's face fell a bit and I immediately felt guilty. I knew how bad Mom felt about having to move every couple of years. It wasn't her fault. It wasn't Dad's fault. The job description included that clause; we had been living this way for years.
My mom stood there wriggling her hands, wearing her favorite apron. She was the quintessential housewife, always caring for all our needs. As an only child, I had never lacked love and attention, quite the opposite. My dad often worked late but always found time for us and Mom and I had a very close relationship.
Two minutes after I got home, so did Dad.
"You're home early!" Mom exclaimed, smiling and kissing my dad on the cheek.
"Yes, I managed to wriggle out today. How was your day, Elizabeth?"
"Oh Edward, it was fine, but I was so nervous about our boy's first day at school."
"Mom!" I complained, feeling my ears heat up. "I'm seventeen years old. Seriously, you don't need to worry so much."
My dad smiled. "Son, asking your mother not to worry is like asking the sun not to shine. Not that it shines here much."
He took off his jacket and hung it on the coat hanger next to the door.
"How was your day?" Mom asked Dad. He shrugged.
"Mostly getting prepped. I don't figure I will have to make many changes in the bank at all. It's running quite smoothly. Still, we might need to hire one or two more tellers."
"That sounds good."
The timer went off in the kitchen.
"Dinner is almost ready. Edward dear, would you set the table?" Mom asked me.
"Yeah, sure."
I went into the kitchen and gathered the plates and utensils, busying myself with setting the table. My parents were talking softly in the living room. Mom still seemed a bit worried and Dad was comforting her.
Every time we moved it was the same: The worrying, the guilt and then eventually, acceptance. I suppose I should've gotten used to it by this time.
After dinner I helped my parents unpack. Mom had already unpacked half the boxes; my room was almost livable. A while later, Dad said he was a bit tired and plopped in front of the TV to watch a movie. I was going to sit watch it with him but grimaced when I noticed it was in black and white. No thanks.
I lay on my twin bed in my usual attire, boxers. Snuggling under my blue comforter, I sighed. The day had been a bit weird. I glanced up and smiled when I noticed Mom had stuck the glow in the dark stars on the ceiling. There was Orion, the Big Dipper and my favorite, Pegasus.
I was used to my mother taking care of me and truthfully, it was easier to not protest. She loved being our caretaker.
As I drifted to sleep, I thought about all I knew about Bella. More like how little I knew about her. That needed to be corrected. I wondered what would it be like to be adopted. To know your parents are gone for some reason, knowing you would never meet them? I could not begin to imagine how it would feel. From what I'd been told, their adoptive parents seemed nice enough but still...as sappy as it sounded, I couldn't picture my life without my parents.
I woke up the following day, images of Bella flitting through my mind: How hot she was, how that white long t-shirt had clung to her perky breasts, the perfection of her skin, her beautiful voice.
The drive to school was a bit tense. I wanted to know what was wrong with Bella, or what had I done to freak her out. I parked instantly saw them clustering around a Mercedes to die for. They all froze when I walked out my car, watching me with disconcerting intensity.
Obvious much?
Why were the Cullens staring at me like that? It was only my second day at Forks High School, what could be so interesting about me? Had Bella told them something about me? Bella wasn't with them. Was she in the building? Was she home sick?
Her blonde sister, Rosalie I believed was her name, tossed her hair and said something to her beefy boyfriend. I certainly didn't want to ever be on his wrong side. She was hot, almost too perfect. She didn't do it for me, though. Now, that was an ice princess if I'd ever seen one. She knew she was gorgeous; every pore of her body broadcasted the fact.
The other girl, Alice, was short, small and cute, always bouncing around. She must be fun to hang out with. Her boyfriend, however, looked hostile, often sending random wide-eyed, almost hateful looks to nearby students, who tried not to cringe too openly. No wonder people said they were freaks, they simply did not blend in.
That was part of their fascination, wasn't it? It was as if they had been designed to draw you in, entice you.
They were dangerous.
The thought came unbidden. It made sense, though. I had no doubt this group of teenagers could be very, very dangerous if they so chose. However, they had chosen to attend a regular public high school. Why not go to private school or boarding school abroad?
They were trying to fit in, and to me, the attempt was a bit forced.
Shaking my head, I decided I had wasted enough time analyzing them. I usually kept to myself, I preferred keeping out of trouble. One day at this new school and I had already scared off a beautiful girl and gotten obsessed with an aloof and strange family with flawless looks and perfect grades.
I decided to concentrate on my schedule, dragging my eyes away from the Cullens. Trig, Spanish and English were in my schedule that morning.
Surprisingly, the morning went by quite quickly. I sat down with Mike during English and talked sports. I considered joining the track team; I had been in one at my previous high school. I'd always been a fast runner.
Lunchtime came and my face fell when I realized Bella had definitely not come to school today. Lauren raised her eyebrows at me but, thank Jesus, she didn't say anything to me.
The same happened the next day, and the next.
After the fourth day, I stopped looking at their table first thing when I entered the cafeteria. I also tried not to stare at her siblings as they congregated around their car, always sending me strange looks when I arrived and left school.
I tried out for the track team and I was now a member of the team. I had started re-reading Isaac Asimov's The Foundation series. I helped my mom with her chores and spent some time with my dad watching TV.
On the fifth day the piano was delivered. I tuned it and play around with my most recent composition. Mom and dad requested a few tunes. Having my piano home definitely cheered me up.
The cold weather was getting to me. Instead of getting used to it, it was beginning to really irritate me. All these coats and scarves and crap. Really, how did people do it for their whole lives?
Also, my parents were annoying me a bit, too. They were staring at me too intently every time they thought I wasn't looking. If I wasn't jumping up and down in excitement and talking about butterflies and rainbows they immediately jumped to the conclusion that something was wrong.
Well, something was sort of wrong but I would feel idiotic telling them.
Yeah, Mom and Dad, I kinda have this crush on a girl I barely met. She ran away like I was contagious when I said hi and I haven't seen her in five days.
I'll pass on that, thankyouverymuch.
The weekend was marginally better. I went shopping for more winter clothes. I hated shopping, and going with Mom didn't help. She ended up getting more stuff for herself. At least I got to browse the music store and got a few CDs to add to my collection.
Monday morning, I grudgingly was pulled into a snow fight. If I was going to be cold and miserable, I might as well be cold and miserable throwing snowballs around.
I was turning emo, really. It was ridiculous.
Lunchtime came around and I marched directly to my table, not glancing at them.
"Oh, Bella is back," said Lauren, sneering. She'd been trying to catch my attention all week but honestly, I was not into, well, skanks. I usually didn't talk or think like that about girls–I'd been raised to be a gentleman–but that was the only word which accurately described her.
My head swiveled towards her and my heart soared. However, she kept her eyes on her siblings during the whole lunch. I'm sure my eyes were boring a hole on her back. Lauren looked upset. Jessica had already given up on me.
I was disappointed at the fact she hadn't made eye contact with me, but was still a bit hopeful. She was back in school. As I walked into Bio, my heart started beating widely...she was sitting in the same bench, the seat next to hers empty.
I sat down next to her carefully, and didn't make any sudden movements.
Her eyes were much lighter than they had been a week ago, and a lot friendlier.
She smiled slightly. My breathing stopped.
"Hello," she said in a soft melodic voice.
To be continued...
When I read Twilight I thought Edward was being totally masochistic when he stayed in Biology for a whole hour that first meeting. I mean, jeez, a more "normal" um, vampire would have bolted out of there, don't you think?
Follow me on Twitter http://twitter(dot)com/runsatdawn and http://runsatdawn(dot)livejournal(dot)com/ for teasers and updates.
Thank you Rhiannon, Andrea and Jamie and for your beta work.