The new guy
Her thoughts were no more a wonder to me they were no more, it felt like there was nothing nut me and her not a room full of witnesses that that would see the girl die see the last word she ever said or screamed.
I was a vampire; his scent was the strongest scent I had ever smelt in eighty years. I hadn't imagined such a scent could exist, if I had, I would have gone looking for it long ago
I could imagine what the blood would taste like on my tongue.
Thirst burned through my throat like fire, my mouth was baked and desiccated. There was a fresh whirl of venom build up in my mouth, my stomach twisted with the hunger that was an echo of the thirst.
Not a full second had passed. He was still taking the same step that had put him downwind from me.
As his foot touched the ground his eyes slid towards me, a movement he clearly meant to be stealthy. As our eyes met, I saw my monstrous face reflect in his eyes.
The shock of the face that I saw there saved her life for a few thorny moments. As he saw the way I looked at him blood flowed to his face again, it didn't help, it looked so sweet, and it was the most delicious colour I had ever seen. The scent was like a thick haze in my brain, I could barely think. My thoughts raged, resisting control, incoherent.
He walked more quickly now as if he understood my need to escape. With his fast walking it made him clumsy falling on to the girl in front. The girl got embarrassed and so did he the pool of blood came rushing back up to his face. His clumsiness made seem vulnerable, even more than usual for a human.
I tried to remember the face I had seen in his eyes, the monster in me, the one I had tried to stop for years resurfaced again ready to kill. The scent swirled around me making my thoughts unthinkable and nearly making me jump from my seat.
NO.
I gripped the edge of the table to hold me in the chair. Splinters came off the wooden bar of the table. The shapes of my fingers were now carved into the wood. The table was not up to the job of restraining me.
Destroy the evidence. Was a fundamental rule. I demolished the edges of were my fingers had been, leaving nothing but a ragged whole and a pile of wooden splinters…
I knew what would happen now the boy would have to come and sit beside me. I would have to kill him.
The innocent bystanders would never leave this room again, the eighteen other students and the one man. They would all suffer the consciences for this boy, especially after seeing what they were about to see.
I flinched. But it had to be done. I had never done anything so bad in all time I had never killed another human but this time I had to. I would finally taste the real taste of human blood, what all my brothers and sisters had told me about.
As I shudder at the thought of what I had to do. The monster in me still planed what I was about to do.
If I killed the boy first I would only have ten or twenty seconds with her before the other reacted, if they say what I was doing. He would not have time to scream or feel the pain; I would not kill him cruelly. If that was something I could promise then it was better than nothing.
I would have to stop the others from escaping, it would mean a lot of hard work but it would be worth it to taste the blood of the poor human boy. I would only have to block the door the windows were to high and small for anyone to escape through them.
It would be slower to take tem all down when they where panicked and scrambling, moving in chaos. Not impossible but there would be more noise. A lot more time for screaming. Someone would hear … I would be forced to kill even more innocent people.
This was going to be a very black hour.
And his blood would go cold, while I murdered the others.
The scent punished me, closing my throat with a dry aching …
So the witness first then.
I mapped it in my head. I was in the middle row furthest in the back. I would take my right side thirst, snapping all there throats. They would be the lucky side, they wouldn't see it coming. I estimated that I could kill 4-5 people in a second. Move to the front and take the left side. I could do it all in about 5 seconds. Then all that would be left would be the boy. I could imagine myself going in for the lunge.
The time would be long enough for Edward Swan to see what was coming. Could it possibly be long enough if not frozen in fear to scream? One short scream would no be long enough to send any one running would it?
I took another breath the scent swirled down me like a scorching fire in my throat. She was just turning now ready to sit down were he would be just two inches away from me.
The monster in me smiled in anticipation.
Some one slammed there folder on the left. I didn't look up to see who the doomed human was, but the motion sent a wave of ordinary, unscented air wafting across my face.
For a minute I was able to think clearly. For that second I saw two faces.
One was mine. I had bright crimson eyes. It was the face of a murder one that had killed too many innocent victims. It was like a future image I bet of what I would look like after I committed the crime.
The other was a picture of Carlisle, my adopted farther. There was no resemblance between the two faces one was a representation of the brightest day the other of the blackest night.
Even though Carlisle is not biological father and we did not share the same genetics. But we had the similarity in our colours the vampire trait of the pale icy skins, also our eyes the colour was because of mutual decisions we had both made.
Yet there was no basis of resemblance over my 70 years of being with him I thought I had grown to reflect his to an extent. My features had not changed but his wisdom had marked my expression. A little of his compassion could be traced in my mouth or his patience shown in my brow. All these features were lost in the face of the monster. In a while there would be nothing that would reflect my creator, my mentor, and my farther. All that would be there would be beady red eyes, all likeness lost forever.
In my head, Carlisle kind eyes did not judge me, they looked at me with forgiveness for the horrible act I was about to do. Because he loved me. Because he thought that I was better than I was. He would still love me when I proved him wrong.
Edward Swan sat down next to me, his movements stiff and awkward- was it because of fear? The scent of her blood clouded my mind again. I would prove my farther wrong of me, this fact nearly hurt as much as the fire in my throat.
I leaned away from him, I detested him, how could this one boy ruin my family.
Why did she have to come here? Why did she have to exist? Why did she have to ruin the peace of my non life I had here? Why had this human have to be born? She just had to ruin me.
I turned away from her as the build of hatred washed through my body.
Who was this creature? Why me? Why now? Why did I have to become a monster because he decided to come to the tiny little town?
Why had he come here?
I don't want to be a monster! I don't want to murder all these innocent children because of this one girl! If I did this I would loose everything I had gained the sacrifice and denial.
I wouldn't. She couldn't make me.
There was only one problem. It was the hideous scent of her blood. It smelt so appealing. If there was one way to resist … like another gush of clean hair. The boy shook his hair. What was he doing? Was he insane, it was like he wanted the monster in me to attack. Like he was taunting it. There was no clean air coming my way, soon all would be lost.
There was no helpful breeze. But I didn't have to breath.
The relief came at once but it was not complete. I could still taste the scent on the back of my tongue. I still had the scent memorised in my head. I wouldn't be able to resist for long but perhaps an hour. That would be long enough to save all the lives in this tiny room, perhaps all the innocent victims would make it out of this room alive. I could resist for one short hour.
Even though I did not need oxygen it went against my instincts. I relied on scent more than any other instinct in a time of stress and this was a time of stress. It was the way we hunt the way we noticed any kind of danger. This was the kind of danger.
Uncomfortable, but manageable. It was better than smelling her sweet blood, imagining my teeth sinking into her fine, thin see through skin, to the hot wet pulsing …
I could resist.
An hour. Just one hour. All I had to do was not think about him and the scent.
The silent boy kept his face turn to the corner. Was it to stop me from reading his expression, to stop me from seeing the fear in his eyes, or the shyness?
My irritation about not being able to read his thoughts was nothing now to the hatred and annoyance I felt for him now. For I hated this frail man child, I hated her with all my might. I hated her for making me feel like this. Yes, the irritation I had felt before was weak, but it helped a little, it stopped me thinking about what she would taste …
Hate and irritation filled me. Would this hour never pass?
And when the hour ended what would I do. Follow her
"My name is Bella Cullen, may I walk you to your next class."
What would she say?
"Yes." Of course he would it was the polite thing to do. Even already fearing me he would say yes and walk beside me. It would be easy to lead he the wrong way. She would end up in the forest; I could tell her I had forgotten a book in my car.
Would anyone notice that I was the last person he had been with? It was raining as usual to dark rain coats heading in the wrong direction, no on would notice, or would we stand out?
Except that I was not the only student who noticed the new boy, Jess Stanley had, in particular, every time he shifted his weight or fidgeted, she noticed, she would be aware if he left the class room with me.
If I could last an hour then I could last two. I flinched at the pain of the burning.
He would go home to an empty house, Chief Swan worked all day. I knew her house the same way I knew every person house in this tiny town. Her house was nestled up against the thick woods. She had no close neighbours. So even if she had time to scream which he wouldn't no one would be able to hear.
That would be the responsible way to deal with this. I had gone my whole life without the taste of human blood, I could last a couple more hours, then I would have her all to myself, I would not have to kill innocent victims, and no need to rush through the experience, the monster in me agreed. It was nonsense to think if I save all nineteen lives in this room I would be less if a monster when I killed this innocent boy.
Though I hated her it was unjust. I really hated my self, for being who I was, for having to end someone's life. I knew when I had ended he life I would hate us both even more.
Once toward the very end he peeked up at me, I felt the hatred burning out of me. I me his gaze and blood flooded to his cheeks again. My plan nearly failed again.
The bell rang, saved by the bell, how cliché. She was saved from death, I was saved from becoming the monster I feared and loathed for a while longer.
I couldn't walk as slowly as I should, so I darted from the room. If someone had been looking they would have thought there was something wrong with the way I walked, but no one was paying attention. All humans' thoughts swirled around the new boy who was likely to die in about an hour.
I went to hide in my car. I didn't like the idea of having to hide in my car, but it was unquestionably the case. I didn't have enough discipline left to be around humans right now. Focusing on trying not to kill one was bad but I might not be able to resist the others. If I was going to give into the monster then I was going to make my defeat worth while.
I played the CD that usually calmed me down; it did for a little bit. What most helped was the clean air that blew through the open window it was like washing my body out from an infection.
I was sane again, I could think again. I would be able to resist, I would resist.
I didn't have to go home; I didn't have to kill him. I was a rational thinking creature, I didn't have to kill him, and there was always a choice. I hadn't felt like that in the classroom, but now I was away from him I could think. Perhaps if I avoided him I wouldn't have to change and wouldn't have to become the monster inside. Things were the way I liked them, I had a family and was settled in school.
I didn't have to disappoint my farther. I didn't need to upset my mother, my adoptive mother. It was rude to hurt her, I hated it, and it would make me hurt myself even more.
How ironic I wanted to stand in front of him and protect him from Mike Newton thoughts. I was the last person that would ever stand as a protector in front of Edward swan. He would only ever need protection from me.
Were Alice, sure she had seen me killing the Swan boy. Why hadn't she come to help me? Or clean up the evidence that I would have caused. Was she so obsessed with Jaspers problems that she had missed me maliciously killing the boy. Was I stronger then I thought was I seriously not going to kill him.
No she must have been caught up with Jasper. I tried to locate he familiar voice, it was in the English and all her thoughts were dedicated to Jasper she was watching his every single move.
I wish I was able to ask for he advice, but the in some ways I was glad I couldn't then she would know what I was capable of.
I felt a new burn through my body- the burn of shame. I didn't want any of them to know.
If I could avoid Edward Swan, then I wouldn't have to kill her … at that thought the monster in me withered a gnashed his teeth in frustration- then no one would know I would just have to stay away from her scent.
There was no reason why I shouldn't try at least, and then I could be what Carlisle thought I was.
The last hour of school was nearly over. I decided to put my new plan into action at once. Better than sitting here in the parking lot and have him walk past me and have him ruin my attempt. I hated him unjustly. I hated the unnatural power he has over me.
I walked swiftly – a little to swiftly, into the reception, there was no reason for Edward swan to cross paths with me.
The office was empty apart from the sectary the one I wanted to see. She didn't notice my silence entrance
"Mrs Cope."
The woman had unnaturally red hair, looked up and her eyes opened wide.
"Oh" she gasped, a little flustered. She smoothed her shirt silly she thought to her self. She's almost young enough to be my daughter. How can she be so pretty?
"Hello, Bella. What can I do for you." she blinked between her thick rimmed glasses. Wow
Uncomfortable. But I knew how to be charming when I wanted to be.
"I was wondering if you could help me change my schedule" I fluttered my eye lashes
"Of course Bella how can I help?
"I was wondering if you could swap my biology class to physics perhaps."
"Is there a problem with Mr Banner, Bella?"
"No it is just that I have already studied the material"
"In that accelerated school you all went to in Alaska" her lips thi8ns why she considered this they should all be in college. I've heard the teachers complain. Perfect four point ohs, never a hesitation with a response, never a wrong answer on a test- like they have found a way to cheat in every subject. I say MR Varner will say anyone is cheating if they prove to be smarter than they are. I bet there mother tutors them. "Actually physics is full right now; MR Banner hates more than 25 people in a class at a time."
"I wouldn't be any trouble"
Of course not, not a perfect Cullen. "I know that but there are not enough seats..."
"Could I drop it then?"
Why would some one want to drop a lesson they have already done. There must be something wrong I better talk to MR Banner.
"You won't have enough credits to graduate with"
"It is alright I will catch up next year"
"Maybe you should talk to your parents about it"
The door opened behind me, whoever it was, was not thinking of me so I didn't bother to look up. This would work better if my eyes were gold not black.
"Please Mrs Cope" I flutter my eye lashes, "surely there must b e something else than 6 hour biology" I pleaded. I smiled at her carefully trying not to show too much teeth, I let the expression soften my face. I must talk to Bob about this.
"Well maybe I could talk to Bob … I mean MR Banner … about this." She trailed of.
A second was all it took for everything to change, a second was all it took for Samantha Wells to open the door to place a signed slip in the tray. A second was all it took for a gust of wind to blow in and for me to realise I had not noticed the first person who walked through the door.
There leaning against the door frame was Edward Swan, I turned to glare, her eyes widened at my inhuman glare. The scent spread through out the tiny stuffy room. It wasn't even a second till my throat began to burn again.
It would not take long to kill Mrs Cope, two lives were better than twenty. It was a fare deal, for the pain this boy had bought on me. Internally the monster in me impatiently growled.
There was always a choice – there had to be.
I stopped my oxygen intake and put Carlisle's picture in the front of my mind and turned back to Mrs Cope. I heard her internal surprise at the change in my expression. She shrank back into her chair out of fear. Using the self denial I had mastered over the years, I made my voice even and smooth. There was enough air in my lungs for just one tiny sentence.
"Never mind then I can see it is impossible, thank you so much for your help" I turned quickly trying to ignore the girl and got out of the room.
I didn't stop till I got to my car moving to fast for human pace, but it was ok as there was not a lot of witnesses. I heard a sophomore notice and disregard.
Where did that Cullen come from – it was like she had just come out of thin air … there I go again imagining things. Mum always says …
When I slid into my Volvo, the others were already there. I tried to control my breathing I was gapping for air like I had been suffocated, which is really what it felt like.
"Bella" Alice asked, alarm in her voice.
I just shook my head at her.
"What the hell happened to you" Emmett demanded distracted for the moment, from the fact that jasper was not in the mood for a rematch.
Instead of answering I threw the car into reverse. I had to get out of this car parking lot before he followed me here. My own personal demon following me. I hit forty before I was on the road and seventy before I was around the corner.
Without looking I saw the others to turn and look at Alice questioningly. She shrugged. She couldn't see what happened in the past only in the future.
She looked ahead for me now. We were both surprised by what we saw in the future.
"You're leaving?" she wisped.
The others starred at me now
"Am I?" I hissed.
She saw it then when she looked at the future again.
"OH."
Edward Swan, dead. My eyes gleaming crimson with fresh blood. The search that would follow. The time it took before we moved and started again.
"OH!" she said again. This time the picture grew more specific. I saw the inside of chief swans house for the first time. Saw Edward in the small kitchen with yellowish cupboards with his back to me as I stalked him in the shadows … let the scent pull toward her …
"Stop" I groaned, not able to bear it any more.
"Sorry" she whispered her eyes wide.
The monster rejoiced.
And the vision in her head shifted again to an empty highway at night, me in a car driving 200mph it was covered in snow, I now knew where I was going.
"Ill miss you" she said "no matter how short a time you are gone"
Emmett and Rosalie exchanged wary glances.
"Drop us here." Alice instructed "you should go tell Carlisle.
I nodded and the car suddenly stopped. The others got out; they would make Alice explain when I was gone. Alice touched my shoulder.
"You will do the right thing" she murmured not a vision this time an order. "He's Renée Swans only family. It would kill her to."
"Yes." I agreed only with the last part.
She slid out to join the others, her eyebrows pulling together in anxiety. They had disappeared in to the wood before I could turn the car around.
I accelerated towards the town just as I got into Forks again I heard Jasper think she is going to kill him. I just carried on going not sure whether I was heading to my farther or unleash the monster inside me.
