I walked into the slowly filling cafeteria grabbing nothing but an apple and sitting down with the rest of my 'family.' If you could really call the rest of my coven of vampires that. I was the youngest of our coven…thirty-two years old. Meaning that's when I was transformed. By appearance I'm sixteen or seventeen.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. My name is David Cullen. Formerly Archaleta. That was before I was changed. Thirty-two years ago, I was in a unique accident where Doctor Carlisle Cullen was treating me at Forks Hospital. He felt sorry for me for having to go through all that suffering…I would've been left paralyzed and not being able to speak if Carlisle hadn't changed me. So now I am a vampire, whether I liked it or not.
Being a vampire has its attributes, and its amazing running at the speed of sound, but it also has it's many drawbacks. Like having to go to High School for the rest of your life. That just sucks. No vamp-pun intended.
Which brings me to the next drawback, the whole having to drink blood thing. I know it may sound weird, but I'd never really acquired that 'love for blood' thing that most vamps have. I drink because I have to…I don't have a choice. If I did, I'd be living on caramel apples for the rest of my life.
None of my 'family' really minded when I joined them. Most of them were actually happy that they had a new brother around…Jasper was ecstatic. He was no longer the youngest vamp, I was. Rosalie was the only hesitant one about me. I don't think she likes change very much…if at all. I remember to Carlisle it wasn't much of a change, and Esme immediately started babying me. Emmett was happy to have a new challenge in baseball…Alice was sweet about it, as she usually is about everything. Edward…he didn't have a reaction.
Edward was the one vamp out of us that didn't really have a 'soulmate.' Alice has Jasper, Emmett has Rose, and Carlisle has Esme. He didn't care who joined the family, he just wanted to find that significant other in his life. That thought occupied all of his time other than hunting and baseball. And, unless Edward was gay, I didn't help him at all in that search.
Although I was new and also didn't have a 'soulmate,' I didn't exactly care. At least not yet.
The rest of my family walked into the cafeteria, a minute or two after I did. Alice smiled at the fact that I was already here, they had planned to have a race between Edward and I this weekend to see who's the fastest. As I practiced, I got quicker and quicker.
Everyone grabbed close to the amount I did. Something small, so we could easily pretend like we were really eating. I never did. Well, ok, if you count chipping off small pieces of whatever food I picked for that day and throwing them away, sure I pretended.
Edward sat down across from me, Alice next to me, Emmett across from Alice, Jasper next to Alice, and Rose next to Emmett. This was our normal seating arrangement…well, Edward's and mine anyway. The partners switched their positions often.
Everyone sat in silence for a few minutes, watching the cafeteria fill up. I suddenly heard a sharp intake of breath come from Edward. I looked over at him, and his eyes were slowly turning a darker shade of black than I had ever seen.
"Edward, what's wrong?" I hissed. He said nothing, just kept staring at one of the entrances. I took a deep breath to see if I could smell what he could. I could, and the smell exploded in my head. It was like nothing I had ever smelled before. I whipped my head over to the entrance Edward was blankly staring at, and a girl with long, dark brown hair was just walking in. She was shyly walking in with a small group of people that looked like they were trying to welcome her.
She must be the new girl, I thought, directing it towards Edward. Isabella Swan.
Edward nodded, but kept his eyes on the new girl. Slowly, a confused expression appeared on his face.
"What is it?" I asked.
"I can't read her mind," he whispered. "I can read Eric's and Jessica's, but not her's…"
I looked over at Bella again and saw that Eric Yorkie and Jessica Stanley were the two sitting next to her. This was strange. Edward could read anyone's mind whenever he wanted to. He could read mine, Jessica's, Emmett's, Carlisle's…he could read anyone in the world's mind…but apparently not Bella's.
"Why?" Alice asked, she had been listening in on our conversation.
"I have no idea…" Edward replied, still staring at Bella. Suddenly she looked over at him, and he looked swiftly away. I smirked, and then smiled at her. She smiled back, but then turned back to her friends.
"I call dibs," I said, breaking the silence.
"What?" Edward hissed.
"I. Call. Dibs. On. The. New girl." I replied, enunciating each syllable.
"Who says you get dibs?" Edward laughed, but not too loud. "I'm about a hundred and ten years old. You're thirty-two. I say I deserve it."
"And I called it." I fired back. "Sorry, bro. You're just gonna have to wait."