Chapter Two
I didn't get to see Esme after all. By the time I'd returned from my shower she'd come and gone leaving a neat pile of clothes on my bed along with six pairs of shoes. Carlisle explained that she was busy with their children so she couldn't introduce herself. It was a shame but it was already nearly eight so I shouldered my bag and looked down at the outfit I'd chosen. There were other clothes Esme had left that I'd rather have worn but I didn't want to stand out too much, I'd already be signalled out because Carlisle had insisted on giving me a pair of crutches to use. Thankfully the hospital was only a little way from the school so I wouldn't have to hobble very far.
Carlisle carried my bag as I made my way to the double doors, carefully looping it over my head and placing it on the undamaged shoulder.
"Are you sure you'll be alright?" He asked. Even after giving me the all clear he still seemed worried about sending me out into the big wide world…or at the very least Forks High School.
I smiled as airily as I could and waved a hand, almost hitting him in the shins with my left crutch,
"Oops, sorry," I apologised even though I hadn't hit him; he was too quick for that, "Anyway Dr C, I'll be fine. It's just the first day of school. It's not like anyone's going to bite me."
I focused my grey eyes on his face but he showed nothing except his usual kind smile though I could have sworn I saw his eyebrow twitch just a tad.
"Indeed." Was all Carlisle said. I held back a smile and hitched my bag higher up my shoulder almost hitting him again with my crutches; I really did need to be more careful. I'd probably knock myself over with them which wouldn't go with my blending into the background to observe plan.
"I'll see you at 3.30pm then." Carlisle said a little more authority in his voice.
"Sure thing doc." I said before I hobbled forwards and the automatic doors opened. I heard Carlisle chuckle behind me as I struggled to get the hang of them. I felt like a giraffe trying to walk on ice, way too many legs to control. It took me five minutes of trying to co-ordinate my arms and legs before I actually made any progress. It was bitterly cold outside and drizzling but thankfully the weather was pretty much the same in England so I was wearing my black coat with the big hood which I had decided not to put up since I could only see forwards with it up and lost all peripheral vision. It seemed like it would be tempting another car accident to cut off part of my sight.
It was as I was walking along that I noticed the silver Volvo driving past. The windows were tinted of course so I couldn't see them but I knew it was them. I felt it. Trying not to stare I hobbled across the road after them reminding myself that in America cars drove on the other side of the road.
Rounding the corner I saw Fork's high school laid out in front of me described just like the novel and not like I knew it was in real life. My last theory of that I'd simply travelled to the real Forks faded. This was Forks as Stephenie had seen it in her mind, the fictional Forks.
The parking lot was busy as I made my way trying to ignore all the looks I got. Suddenly I knew exactly how Bella felt, like someone was holding a big neon sign over my head. Keeping my head down I hobbled around the cars, almost crashing into someone who was carrying a big pile of books that scattered all over the damp ground.
"Oh god, I am so sorry," I apologised trying to bend down and help forgetting that I was on clutches so I nearly whacked him over the head, "Oops." I grimaced as the crutch just passed over his greasy looking black hair. He looked up, his expression a little annoyed though that disappeared when he saw I was on crutches.
Eric. It was Eric Yorkie.
"I'm so sorry," I said again getting up so I couldn't hurt him anymore, "I didn't mean to crash into you. On these things it's kinda hard to break." I joked, smiling when he didn't get it. Although smart he clearly operated on a different humour circuit than mine.
"You're new aren't you?" He asked pilling all his books up again and getting to his feet. He was really tall for a sixteen year old.
Leaning partially on my crutches I wiped a damp hand on the back of the jeans that were probably Esme's and held it out to him.
"Sadie Prince." I said shaking his hand as he shook mine. Maybe it wasn't that normal to shake people's hands since he looked a bit bemused. It couldn't have been me, I knew that. My appearance was still the same, if my cheeks were a little grazed. I did have a nasty purple bruise on my forehead though but I thought I'd covered it well enough with my fringe.
Eric was still staring at me which made me feel a little uncomfortable. There was a crinkle in his forehead as he blinked slowly,
"Are you another one of the Cullens kids?" He asked me his voice very quiet as if he didn't want to me overheard. He even looked around to make sure no-one else was in earshot.
Surprised I laughed out loud before remembering that by rights I shouldn't even know who they were but then if I was playing the dutiful niece then surely my aunt would have told me about the mysterious and aloof Cullens.
I decided to play dumb though,
"No, I just moved here to live my aunt. Who are the Cullens?"
Before Eric could answer the bell rang and with a 'gotta go' to me he disappeared into the crowd of students thronging through the double doors. Locating the building that had "Front Office" written on a sign I hobbled over ignoring the fact that the Cullens and Bella were in the building though it was pretty hard.
After several minutes of struggling with the front door I entered the office which was overflowing with plants in pots. There were a few students still milling around, sitting in the padded folding chairs. I made straight for the desk, behind which Mrs Cope was sitting in her purple t-shirt. The eyes behind her glasses widened significantly.
I wondered if I should have chosen an even more demure outfit. I'd chosen just jeans and a white and black three quarter length shirt and teamed it with what I assumed were Alice's black Chuck Taylor's since they didn't seem Esme's style. I hadn't looked at my reflection after I'd gotten changed, only my face so I could tie my long black hair back into a ponytail, crutches were hard enough operating when you didn't have hair in your face.
The Cullens outfits reeked of haute couture and high fashion and that apparently extended even to people wearing them.
Crud.
I really was doing a crap good job blending into the background.
"Can I help you?" Mrs Cope asked her eyes still as wide as saucers. I realised I probably did look like one of the Cullens today since I was wearing their clothes and the black of my hair made my white skin look even whiter but back in England nearly everyone was pale, it wasn't a big deal there. It was the people who were tanned that stood out more. Completely backwards.
"I'm Sadie Prince, I'm a new student." I seriously had no idea how this was going to work. Surely she'd just look down at her outdated computer and tell me they had no records of me even having been shown round the school and what was I doing here, except that as I said my name she smiled, awareness in her eyes.
"Of course Miss Prince, let me just get your papers." And she bustled around the office picking up different coloured slips.
I had no idea what was going on here. How was it possible that a girl who didn't exist was able to have papers with her name on it? It wasn't but then why was Mrs Cope putting them on the counter and showing me the best way to get to my classes. It didn't make any sense but then I was in a fictional world so you know, what did?
I thanked her and left the office in a daze pausing outside to look down at the papers in my hand as I leaned against the office wall. There was my name in black and white bold printed at the top of each page; Sadie Prince.
The bell rang again and I hobbled away to my first class Government, folding my coat over my arm. It was the strangest feeling as I limped into the classroom and handed my slip to the teacher. I saw Jessica and Lauren sitting together near the back eying me critically as I made my way to a spare seat. They were already gossiping as I got out a notepad and pen, my hands brushing against the novels that were in there. This was too weird to comprehend.
When the bell went at 9:25 I happily packed up my books. We didn't have Government class back in England and after just one lesson I was grateful.
"You're new aren't you?" Jessica called out to me as I struggled to pull my bag over my head. Jessica took pity on me and helped me loop it over. Her hazel eyes widened as she took in my outfit.
Damn it! This was not blending in.
"I'm Sadie." I said breathing a sigh of relief as the bag slipped down over my good shoulder. Lauren was eying the top with obvious jealousy, her corn silk blonde hair as beautiful as she was bitchy.
"What do you have next?" Jessica asked snatching up my schedule off the desk and looking down at it, her face breaking into a grin.
"English, I have that too. We can walk with you if you like." She offered putting my schedule back on the desk. Careful not to roll my eyes I picked it back up and shoved it into my bag.
"Thanks." I said gesturing for them to lead the way and accidentally hitting Lauren in the ankles with my crutch. Well not too accidentally though my face was a picture of innocence as I apologised.
Lauren led the way down the hall clearly trying to stay out of the way of my crutches in case I "accidentally" hit her again while Jessica asked me questions about where in England I came from and what brought me out here. I had to be careful and stick to the same story as I'd told Carlisle. That was the problem with lying you tended to forget what you'd said before.
I told her that I was from a city called Peterborough that was in the East of England and I'd moved here to live with my aunt after the death of my parents last year. Both Lauren and Jessica were sympathetic but I knew it had made an awkward atmosphere so I tried to break it by explaining that my parents were never really home anyway and the last few years before they died I'd barely seen them at all. I tried to push some anger into my tone along with hurt and it seemed to get us over the weird hump. Jessica and Lauren continued to quiz me throughout English about my life and before I knew it I was telling them that my parents had died in a bungee jumping accident (they were into extreme adventure sports, the main reason they were never at home) and so it was good in a way because they'd gone out doing something they loved.
I was so glad when the bell rang and Jessica left to go to trigonometry. Lauren didn't ask half as many questions as Jessica did. She mainly talked about my clothes, asking me where I'd got them which was kind of a pain because I was trying to concentrate on the Spanish, of which I spoke none, having only had a choice of taking German or French back in my own high school.
I tried to follow but I got hopelessly lost, luckily the teacher Senora Goff didn't pick on me to speak for which I was eternally grateful. If I was going to keep up the pretend I would have to learn Spanish from scratch.
After a while Lauren gave up asking me if I shopped in Paris on the weekends (honestly!) and sulkily put her hair down as a shield between us. Finally after an hour we were let go and I hurried out of the classroom in search of the nearest vending machine. Breakfast seemed such a long time ago.
I hobbled along the corridor lined with lockers but I couldn't see any. In my old school back home there had been four at each end which probably explained the growing obesity rate in England. In that life I may have moaned about the need for eight vending machines in one school but the lack of them here was getting on my nerves. I needed chocolate in some form or another.
The corridor was filled with students chatting or collecting books before they made their way to their next lesson. I leaned against the nearest locker and pulled out the map trying to find if some kind soul had placed the locations of the vending machines on it. They had not.
Someone coughed and surprised I jumped having been so absorbed in my map reading. There was a deep chuckle and I looked up into a pair of almost black eyes.
"Excuse me but you're standing in front of my locker." He said his voice still ringing with amusement that he'd surprised me but I couldn't take my eyes from the huge muscled chest that showed through, even in the loose t-shirt he was wearing.
"Sorry." I said and lifting my crutches I hopped one footed out of the way so he could open his locker. He was alone; the others must have been collecting their books at their own lockers.
I sighed and suddenly his head turned sharply in my direction, his face rigid. He looked down at me with some confusion in those dark eyes. I knew why. He was smelling Esme and possibly Alice on me. But I couldn't explain why he could smell them on me without explaining everything I knew which would be a big mistake.
"Nice clothes." He remarked his tone quite hard. Gone was the playfulness from his face. He was wondering, and rightly so, why I smelled like his family. His words however had given me an opening into explaining.
"They're not mine," I said trying to put the map back into my bag but my hands were shaking so much it was difficult, "They're the doctor's wife, I think her name's Esme. I had an accident last night," I shrugged my arms moving the crutches with me and he looked down at the metal sticks, "And my clothes got soaked. I was supposed to have all my clothes down here but the airport lost my suitcase."
Emmett physically relaxed as he accepted my story with ease,
"You're new." It wasn't a question.
"Is it that obvious?" I enquired as my bag slipped off my shoulder and the map fluttered to the ground.
Bugger it. There was no way I was going to be able to pick it up without falling flat on my face.
"Let me." Emmett said bending down and picking up the map and carefully pulling my bag strap back over my shoulder before putting the map inside and zipping it up just as the bell rang again.
"Thank you." I said gratefully as he pulled two books out of his locker and closed the door.
"Emmett!" A sharp voice called and we both looked up to see Rosalie and Jasper standing on the other side of the wide corridor beside the lockers with different expressions on their faces. Rosalie was indeed beautiful; it almost hurt to look at her. Even haughty she looked stunning. I had read it so many times but seeing her in the flesh she was even more intimidating and striking than I could have possibly imagined and the way she looked at me made me feel as attractive as a cockroach. I cringed away from her fury that someone besides her was talking to Emmett.
Jasper on the other hand looked confused. I could see on his face the effort it was costing him not to attack the warm blooded people that walked past him but maybe that was only because I knew that's what he was trying not to do.
He was probably also reading my emotions and finding them…well confusing. His eyes looked coal black even from where I was standing. He looked extremely dangerous.
Sensing the need to get away which seemed to appease Jasper I turned to Emmett who was watching me seeing his "brother" and girlfriend for the first time.
"Thanks again for the help." I said quickly giving him a half smile which was the best I could with the waves of fear washing over me so strong that I was worried my knees would start knocking together or give way completely.
Without looking back I made my way biology where I knew we would be doing cellular anatomy. After giving my form to the teacher at the front I was instructed to find a seat which I did happily, almost collapsing into it. I was shivering and had lost all my appetite.
"Are you alright?" A kind voice asked me and I turned in my seat to see a slightly tanned blonde girl staring back at me, concern on her face.
I nodded reaching up a hand to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear when she stared at it noticing it was trembling.
"First day nerves." I lied closing my eyes as I willed myself not to throw up.
In the books I'd loved Jasper, he along with Alice had been two of my favourite characters but meeting him in real life (well sort of) was a whole other experience. Up close and personal he was as absolutely terrifying as he was gorgeous.
"It'll get better." She said compassionately and I opened my eyes to give her a thankful smile.
"Sadie Prince." I said holding out my hand to her. She took it and smiling shook my hand.
"Samantha Wells though everyone calls me Sam," She said though of course I already knew this, well from Midnight Sun anyway, "Are you from England?" She asked curiously.
I nodded,
"Born and raised until last year when my parents died and my aunt had to take me in. Aunt Steph's hardly around though so I'm practically living on my own."
"Where do you live?" Sam enquired politely as Mr Banner called the class to order and started to explain the lesson plan for that day so there was no opening for me to explain which was lucky because I had no idea what I was going to say and I had an hour to try and figure it out.
I tried to pay attention to the lesson but my mind kept slipping. It felt real, this world. The chairs, the table, the people, even the air felt real and cold as I made notes as neatly as I could on my lined paper. But I'd seen The Matrix I knew how the mind could be fooled.
Back home I'd been in Sixth Form which is the equivalent of the penultimate year of high school except that in Sixth Form you could chose four subjects and drop the rest, like biology. Just like Bella felt, Forks was my personal hell.
The bell rang again and I blinked surprised that time had passed so quickly.
"Sit with us at lunch." Sam said helping me pack up my things and putting them in my bag for me. Her fingers brushed against my copy of Twilight and she pulled it out only for me to snatch it back from her lightening fast. I didn't grow up on a diet of Star Trek but it felt insane to let anybody from this world see those books, who knew what it would do if they read about themselves? I imagined heads exploding and shuddered.
Opening my eyes I saw Sam was staring at me questioningly with a hint of annoyance in her blue eyes. It had been rude snatching the book like that so I'd have to explain…well sort of.
"It's just a cheesy romance novel," I said trying not wince when I shoved the book hard into my bag hoping I hadn't torn or crumpled any of the pages, "It's embarrassing that I read them."
Samantha stared at me for another moment and I smiled sheepishly. Then she tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder,
"Don't worry, I read science fiction, my own guilty pleasure. It'll be our little secret." She winked as she got to her feet and packed up her own books. I exhaled under my breath as loudly as I dared.
Samantha was easily the nicest student I'd met. She carried my bag and coat for me and chatted about her family and her ambition to get a job for the summer though she had yet to find one where she could tan, boy watch and do hardly any work. I laughed with her as we entered the cafeteria and joined the queue as I suddenly remembered where I was and looked up.
And there they were just like something out of a fairytale. In the far corner of the cafeteria as far away from all the humans as was possible. My gaze flickered over each of them in turn. Emmett was sitting beside Rosalie who was I knew thinking about herself. It wouldn't have surprised me even if I hadn't know all about her. She looked like the type of girl who thought about how beautiful she was most of the time and considered those who did not think of her beauty as both blind and stupid.
Beside Rosalie was Alice, her black spiky hair jutting out in all directions in a style that should have looked hideous but on Alice looked perfect. She was looking at Jasper and I could see that she was having a silent conversation with the boy sitting next to her. Edward.
I'd heard him described a thousand times, seen him played by actors, and drawn by artists but no-one had got him down, not even Stephenie Meyer and she'd created him. He was more than a model, more than a god, more than anything I'd ever seen in my life before. I'm embarrassed to admit my mouth actually dropped open as I looked at him.
Beside me Sam giggled and I looked up, my face flushing at having been caught staring,
"So that's the Cullens." I said my voice somewhat husky and I cleared my throat as Sam giggled again.
"Yep, that's them. Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, Alice and Edward," She pointed to them in turn being careful not to make it obvious, "Well the Cullens and the Hales. Jasper and Rosalie are brother and sister." She added as we moved our trays along and both Sam and I took a salad.
When I didn't say anything Sam smiled, her smile knowing,
"Yeah, there's really nothing to say is there."
Alice got up from her seat, the food on her tray untouched and danced out of the cafeteria, dumping her tray's contents in the bin as she did so. Watching her leave I spun to face the room again just as I saw Edward's head lift and then drop as he heard Jessica thinking about him. Quickly I searched the room and found her, the heroine of the stories; Isabella Swan.
She was blushing of course since she'd just been caught staring, her ivory cheeks turning red. If I was in a coma it was worth the possible brain damage to see this moment, the moment they first laid eyes on each other, the moment both of their lives and the lives of those around them would change forever though they had no idea right now.
I hobbled along still facing the cafeteria as Sam struggled to make a decision of what desert to have.
I watched as Jessica explained the story of the Cullens and the Hales, one I had read a thousand times before.
Instead of watching the Cullens, I studied Bella and her straight long dark brown hair that had curled slightly at the ends due to the drizzling rain earlier in the day. I saw her fair almost translucent skin and her chocolate brown eyes set in a heart shaped face. Seeing her up close and personal I could see why all the boys in Forks and those in La Push were desperate to date her. She was beautiful but a quiet kind of beautiful with a face that said 'I ask for nothing'. How could Edward resist that?
He couldn't.
Jessica had finished her story and I watched trying not to lean forwards which would look ridiculous in the cafeteria, as Edward looked up again straight into Bella's eyes. He looked confused and I felt excited that I knew why. He was trying to read her mind and found himself unable too.
"Come on," Sam said having at last selected a cinnamon and raisin bagel, "Let's pay up and find seats, I'm starving."
At the word "pay" my eyes widened.
Oh god, I didn't have any money.
Well that wasn't strictly true but I doubted the woman on the counter took pounds and pence.
"Sam," I said taking her arm as she reached for her purse that was on her tray beside the salad and bottle of fruit juice, "I hate to ask but can I borrow some money? I haven't got mine exchanged yet and so all I have is this." I pulled my purse out of my bag she was still holding, shoving the coat out of the way and showed her my five and ten pound notes. The boy queuing up beside us was very interested and kept peering over my shoulder.
"Sure thing," Sam said pushing our trays together as I put my purse away, "Both of these trays please." She said to the large woman on the till who pressed buttons so fast she could have been a vampire.
Sam handed over the money and carried my tray away to the condiments station.
"Thanks," I said bending my head so she could loop my bag, with coat covering it, over it, "I feel like such a scrounger."
Sam giggled as she picked up two sachets of mayonnaise dropping one onto each tray next to the plates of salad,
"Your accent is so cool," She said smiling as she grabbed two sets of knives and forks, each wrapped in a napkin, "But I have no idea what you just said. What's a scrounger?"
"Scrounger, oh it means like constantly asking people to pay for things and having no intention of paying them back even though you promise you will." I told her as she dropped her purse onto her tray and then very carefully balanced both trays on the palm of her hands.
"If you can't find your ideal summer job you could always waitress." I teased as she looked across the cafeteria.
"Sam! Over here!" A male voice called and I looked across to see Mike Newton standing up and waving a hand to show her where they were. Seeing Sam carrying two trays, chivalrous guy that he was Mike jumped up his eyes widening when he saw me standing beside her leaning heavily on my crutches. His gaze flickered once to Bella before he came around the table to help us.
"Mike Newton," He said as soon as he reached us, immediately relieving Sam of my tray, "And you must be the other new girl Sadie Prince. Come and sit with us." He said giving me a bright smile before leading me towards the table, Sam following behind us.
Yeah this was so very weird.
