Cassandra: A True Vegetarian

Chapter 2

I spent the next week getting to know my new friends, talking about this and that and asking questions about their habits.

"Aren't you hungry?" I asked, looking at the empty table in front of them.

"No, we're not," Kate said, looking amused. "What about you? The only thing on that plate is lettuce!"

"There's other vegetables, too," I argued, looking up into her golden eyes. "I just don't feel comfortable eating meat. I'm a vegetarian." I smiled proudly, and they exchanged glances.

"Why?" Tanya asked, raising her eyebrows.

"The animals didn't do anything to me!" I replied, exasperated. "I don't want to eat some innocent creature! I'll do anything, or eat anything if it keeps me from hurting them." I looked down again, picking at my salad.

"Interesting," said Tanya. "Does it bother you that everyone else in this room eats meat?"

"Do you eat meat?"

"Sort of." Her vague answer confused me, but it was obvious she wasn't going to say any more, so I let it go.

"It doesn't really bother me, because I'm so used to seeing it, but I would definitely appreciate it if people would stop eating it," I hinted, smiling wryly.

"I'm afraid that's an impossibility," Tanya replied, rolling her eyes. "Sorry." I shrugged, hiding my mild disappointment.

"A girl can dream." We all laughed and continued on to less important conversations.

Thursday morning came to reveal a rare bright, sunny day. I smiled in expectation, eager to share it with my old and new friends, but my excitement dampened when Tanya and Kate failed to show up for lunch.

"Where are the two new girls?" Jack asked when I sat down next to him.

"I don't know." I shrugged. "Maybe they both got sick, or maybe they're ditching to enjoy the sunshine. They wouldn't be the only ones." He made a face.

"Well, I'm glad you're back, at least for today," he said. I blushed.

"You could easily join me at the table with Tanya and Kate, you know."

"Maybe." He paused as he looked over at the currently-empty table. "I don't know. I still think there's something weird about them. Their eyes freak me out; did you notice they change color?"

"Yeah, I did think I saw that once," I said, "but it was probably just the lighting or something."

"Maybe," he replied, unsure. "I guess I could try sitting with you. I mean, it's not like they bite or anything." We laughed, glad that the tension in the air was lifted, and finished our lunch before running off to our next classes.

Gym brought with it the same result as lunch: no Cullen sisters. They had to have been skipping school; what were the odds that both of them were sick on the same day? I wondered where they could have gone all day, in my classes, at my locker, even when I was walking home. Maybe they went to visit family and just forgot to mention it? I was so distracted that I didn't realize I had made a wrong turn until I nearly ran into the wall blocking my way.

I stumbled back toward the main road, feeling stupid for missing my street. I had walked this path at least a thousand times for crying out loud! The sky darkened as the last bit of sunlight was obscured by the clouds, and I pulled on my jacket.

Suddenly, something rushed by me, making me trip against a wall. I looked around wildly, but the alley was empty except for a few overflowing trash cans. I stepped toward the light again carefully, watching every object around me in my peripheral vision. Something slammed into my side, forcing me against the wall again and nearly knocking the breath out of me in the process. I gasped as two cold hands pinned my arms to my sides and two dangerously close, golden eyes burned into me.

I closed my own and prepared to die.