Chapter 2: Eye contact
When Dominica and Clide finally broke apart, awkward, we scanned the cafeteria, searching for an empty table. My eyes surveyed the whole cafeteria – busy as it was – and fixed its gaze on one.
"There's a table there," I whispered. I felt Dominica stiffen, and searched for the reason why.
It's too near Edward, she was thinking, I think we should opt for someplace else.
Why? I demanded, and felt Dominica shrug. Anyway, we have no choice. That's the only empty table.
Dominica squared her shoulders slightly and we strutted to the table, as casual as we could manage. I risked a glance at Edward's table, and was astonished to find that there were a lot of other people there. The distinct common feature between them – and this stunned me – was that they were all perfectly gorgeous; they were pale as a blanket of newly fallen snow, and as define as an airbrushed model- perfectly symmetrical were the calm features on their face.
Dominica, Clide and I took our seats, and I noticed as the noise that had been coming from Edward's table subsided instantly. I glimpsed them, and noticed that they were staring at us, silent and curious. It made me feel rather shifty.
I turned to face Dominica and Clide, and attempted to join into whatever conversation they were having, but the sudden murmurs that rippled through the air, crystal clear, from Edward's table caught my mind instead. I tuned into their conversation, my eyes attentive, eavesdropping on whatever conversation hat peculiar family was having. I was surprised to find out that the boys were taking turns to describe my 'heavenly' features, and I almost laughed when I heard them. If they were one of us (meaning Dominica, Clide and myself), their conversation was definitely not giving them away. They – like the other population of students, I noticed – were talking about the exact same thing. Of course, they seemed to be discussing it (perhaps, I thought, to compare our similar characteristics- yes, they were probably on the edge of figuring out if Dominica, Clide and I were you-know-what).
"Look at her," a loud voice boomed. My heart leaped a little, but sank again when I realized that the speaker wasn't perched on a seat at Edward's table, but was perched on another one. "My God, she's like a… a Greek goddess!"
I heard several snickers from the girls, but the voice hushed them.
"She's so pretty, seriously! I mean, look. She's got perfect jet black hair- it's so simple yet elegant. Her hair is like Spanish waves; it's like a magical waterfall cascading down her shoulders" – a sigh, then louder – "Her flawlessly cupid carved lips are as pink as a rose, glistening in the sun. Just one kiss, I beg of her, and it'd put me to an eternal sleep. So soft, so desirable…" – scowls from the females at the speaker's table – "And those define lips, framing perfect rows of pearly white teeth, stowing the aroma of the finest perfume, no doubt, in her breath" – I raised my eyebrow, slightly taken aback at the strange yet weirdly sweet compliment; I wriggled my nose- I didn't think my breath smelt like perfume, but who knows? – "Even her nose is perfect! It's faultlessly engraves, complementing her perfect features so great. Look at her marvelous jaw line, and bask in the fine way it's been engraved into her stunning sun-kissed complexion" – this creeped me out. A LOT – "How I long – yes, long – to stroke that baby soft cheek…" he trailed off and out of the corner of my eye, I saw the speaker turn to stare at me. The speaker was a boy- a human boy, obviously, with a cheeky glint in his eye. I turned to look at him and smiled. The boy froze, shock and embarrassment on his face, and he forced a feeble smile and hastened to look down at the plate of human-food in front of him. Clearly, he was embarrassed that I had caught him describing me. I took one final look at him – he was now fiddling with his food, rearranging it with his fork – and sighed, breaking my gaze and turning my back to them-
-To see Edward and the people at his table – his family, without a doubt – staring intently at me. I stared back at them, and then, upon realizing how awkward the scenario was, I tore my gaze from them by bowing my head quickly.
Hey, I thought, nudging Dominica (who, by the way, was chatting nonchalantly with Clide as though nothing had happened). Look at Edward and his family for me. Are they staring?
I felt Dominica look up, and her reply was instantaneous: Yes.
Fortunately, she didn't question my curiosity, and I didn't press on.
Why, I wondered, were they still looking? Wasn't it awkward enough for them? I mean, I had thought it was uncomfortable and did them the favor as to look away. So why didn't they return the favor and stop staring?
Despite my outburst, my mind managed to stay calm.
They're staring, it told me as-a-matter-of-factly, because of that dude.
"Mike," a female voice sighed. "We get the point. I mean, yeah, she's perfect, but there's something weird about that freak. Honestly!"
"Shut up, Jessica," Mike scowled. "You're just jealous."
"No, I'm not," Jessica snapped back, but I could tell she was lying. I turned around to look at the two bickering students, and noticed Jessica's cheeks flare crimson. "Seriously, there's something up with her and her twin and whoever that dude is. I can't put my finger on it, but there's something sinister – eerie – and freaky about her."
I looked away quickly, just as Jessica started to turn to examine me. My face burned slightly- was this, this… human going to discover the secret Dominica, Clide and I had hidden so well for the past few centuries?
No, I reassured myself, the fact that Dominica could hear my every thought via twin telepathy slipping my mind as I thought the rest: I'll just shut her up if she does find out… And I intend to keep her quiet for good.
Dominica jerked suddenly, and I snapped out of my daydreams and stared at her. Oh God, had she registered what I had just said?
Fortunately, Dominica gave no hint that she had heard what I had just thought- much to my relief.
"I've got it!" I heard Jessica suddenly snap. Her tone was now eager and bursting with excitement, and I tuned my ears back into the conversation. "Have you seen her eyes?"
"Have I ever," Mike said dreamily.
"Gold- that's the colour they are. And not just normal gold; no- her eyes are a deep shade of gold- and how rare is that? When have you ever come across a deep gold like that?"
Her voice had broken into a whisper, but I could still hear it distinctly. Mike, too, seemed to be speaking in a hushed, low voice.
"It's not that rare, deep gold," he replied defensively. "I mean, the Cullen's eyes are the same shade of gold."
"Exactly," Jessica replied, sounding smug. I felt a shiver run down my back, and resisted the urge to turn around and bite her, before she did enough damage- before she dug deeper into the mystery behind me; before she unraveled all my secrets.
I attempted to distract myself by looking at Dominica and Clide. Dominica was chatting animatedly to Clide, and Clide was merely nodding, not glancing at me once. I tried to join into their conversation, but my thoughts prevented me from doing so. My mind was racing- I couldn't believe that Jessica had already been able to discover so much. Five hours – no, just over four hours – had I been in this high school, and already Jessica had unrooted many mysteries- questioned many things none has ever questioned before.
I swallowed. Was this how Maria had foreseen? Had she foreseen this moment? A stab of annoyance shot through my chest. Why hadn't Maria warned me (us)?
She has the power to see key events in a person's life just by laying her eyes on them, and she decides not to tell me? I thought dismissively.
"Thinking about Maria?" Dominica suddenly said. "Why?"
"Oh, no particular reason," I replied, lying smoothly. "I was just wondering how she was… at home…"
Yes, it was a pretty bad lie- and Dominica probably thought so too. I watched her – forcing a feeble, sheepish grin onto my face – narrow her eyes, shrug, and shake her head. And then, thankfully, she resumed her animated discussion with Clide as though there hadn't been an interruption.
I heaved a sigh of relief and resumed my previous thoughts (these thoughts were sort of thoughts as they were so deep in that no amount of twin telepathy would enable anyone to read it). Hopefully Jessica would just drop the matter, and forget about it. If not, I could always depend on Clide to use is abilities to make them forget. Yes; he could use mind control to do some alterations, or he could freeze time and do some mumbo jumbo… or something.
I decided it was best not to tune into any more of Jessica/Mike conversations, and my ears trailed along the room, bored, listening out for a decent conversation to eavesdrop on. Finally, it rested upon a discussion- one centered on me. My heart lurched- I was rather flattered at the fact that I seemed to have captured a lot of attention. Unfortunately, my happiness drooped when I realized who was talking about me: the Cullens.
I glanced over Dominica's head at the gorgeous not-so-human-like family.
"Just because she has extremely icy skin and has golden eyes does not classify her as a vampire," said a beautiful blonde girl, impatiently. The girl whipped out a sparkled gold nail file and started filing her nails- something Dominica happens to do when it comes to acting human. Another similarity between Blondie and Dominica was, I noticed, the fact that Blondie was chewing something- bubble gum, perhaps? I stared at it; if Dominica and she were any alike, I was guessing that the bubble gum wasn't the normal strawberry flavor… It was probably something more… gruesome and ghastly to humans. "I mean, her skin has too much color and she fidgets… excessively! It's ridiculous to think her a vampire. It's ludicrous!"
"Rose, scared of a little competition?" mocked an equally as attractive boy. The girl – Rose, I gathered – rolled her eyes and tossed the golden locks she called hair behind her and muttered, "As if, Emmett."
I looked at the boy, taking a slight liking at him. He seemed like he'd make a good friend- someone with a sense of humor, for a change. The boy – Emmett – had dark chocolate brown hair, and he was well built- very well built. I scrutinized him again, eying his body. Six pack, but menacing, I decided inwardly. He reminded me of the first time I met Clide- intimidating and not to be messed with was the aura he gave out.
Clide.
I broke my gaze from the Cullens, and my ears tore away from the amid discussion they were having to face Dominica and Clide. I looked at them in disgust. I hadn't realized that they had started embracing each other with their lips. It seemed like there was major tongue-down-throat action going on.
"Hey, love birds," I snapped loudly. "Would you mind letting go of each other's faces for a second? Or would you prefer it if I found you a bed and a wardrobe so that you can -"
"-It's fine," Clide suddenly said, pulling away hastily from Dominica. Dominica reached out again, drawing nearer, ignoring me, but Clide shook her off.
"God," Dominica hissed, grumpy now. "You need to chill lax. Just because you've been single for half a century, does not give you the right to get jealous and attempt to sabotage other happy and lasting relationships."
I stared at her, stony faced, and hurt. Dominica seemed to realize the impact her words had on me, and her eyes widened. Being sensitive is one of my weaknesses, see. But if anyone starts talking about anything to do with my being single for half a century-
The world seemed to slow down, and everyone else froze. Only I was moving, and I felt confused as ever. My head throbbed and I clutched it, shaking furiously. The feeling grew stronger, and flashbacks whizzed its way through my mind. The sound of his voice- I started quivering, shaking. An elusive feeling welled up in my chest, like an empty hole, sucking in all my senses and leaving just one emotion that I could not describe. Words don't come easy when you're in pain. The feeling grew stronger and the sound of his voice grew louder- booming and echoing, rippling and breaking the silence in my head.
I started gasping and clutched blindly for something. My head was spinning, spiraling, and my heart was thumping and my mind was in peril. I had never been in such a strong, painful dilemma. My heart lurched suddenly, unpleasantly; it felt as though the feeling was spreading through me like a disease of the heart, attacking every part of me that showed a single flicker of weakness.
My hand groped around and finally held onto the edge of something. My eyes flew open- they had been shut all along, and I had not known. Breathing heavily, I composed myself again and looked up, snarling, at Dominica. Dominica was staring at me – as was Clide and half the students in the cafeteria – and she looked like she was going to kill herself because of what she said and the reaction I had towards those cold words.
"Kellie, I am so sorry," she whispered, her voice trembling. "I-It slipped out… I didn't mean it…"
I glared at her and shook my head furiously. Whatever. I was not ready to talk to her- not after what she had just done.
I decided not to speak to her for the rest of lunch, and distracted myself by eying the Cullens. Meanwhile, Dominica was spending her time on her iPod, whilst Clide – awkwardly enough – spent his time glancing at Dominica, then at me, questioning, yearning for an answer I could not give. Finally, Clide decided to take a 'nap' and shut his eyes, and rubbed his temples, muttering some words I could not quite catch.
The Cullens, it turned out, hadn't flinched upon my reaction and acted as though nothing peculiar had happened. They were still discussing portably about my supernatural statues.
"Did you see her in the gym?" an unfamiliar voice chirped, sounding half-amused, half-admiring. "She was clearly trying to miss the tennis balls. Of course, when she did hit a ball, not even Emmett could send it back. Tell them, Emmett."
Emmett's voice thundered once more, but now it sounded half-annoyed and half-impressed.
"True," Emmett grunted. "She hits at, like, a hundred miles per hour. It was annoying, really. It was completely unfair because she got to use the maximum force, whereas I am not even allowed to try in PE- because you lot fear that I'm going to give something away to those humans. For the record, if I were allowed to try, it would've been an easy shot."
Emmett, I noticed, left out the bit when I actually got him running for some of the balls. Probably, I concluded, because he wanted to keep his dignity; being beaten by a girl… Honestly.
Edward, who had remained silent for most of the conversation, chuckled suddenly. Had he read Emmett's mind, perhaps, and seen the scene Emmett did not mention to the others- the scene where I had sent him running?
"Well, you know celebs," the unfamiliar voice chirped again. I looked at the speaker- a tiny female that looked rather like a pixie. Her perfect features were smooth and calm and she seemed optimistic. "They have to stay very fit; so it doesn't necessarily mean she is, you know," she lowered her voice. "A vampire," she raised it again. "She does a lot of exercise, so perhaps that's how she gets her strength and stamina from. I mean, I've seen her dance and she's really good and quick at her feet… What, Emmett? I did my research!"
"Alice," Emmett snorted. "A year's worth of dancing continually could not get you that fit."
Alice didn't reply immediately, so I looked at her, curious. Her eyes were shut, strangely enough. I stared harder, wondering, and was taken aback when her eyes suddenly flew open."
"What is it, Alice?" Emmett urged.
"From what I see, they're going to be confronting us soon, so maybe we can get our questions off our back now," was Alice's simple reply.
"Maybe they've been listening?" Rose suddenly whispered, sounding like she didn't care one bit. The nail file had vanished, and she was no longer chewing.
I certainly was listening. Just as the Cullens turned to look at our table, I looked at Clide (who was now sitting down looking bored) and attempted to look as though I had been talking to him the whole time.
"Yeah, yeah," I said to Clide. "I know, it's so astonishing!"
"What?" Clide asked. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Keep talking," I muttered. "Or at least move your lips."
As Clide did that, I realized that something was vibrating in my pocket. It was my phone. I blinked.
"It's been vibrating for ages," Clide snapped. "Before you started talking to me, even!" When I stood frozen, Clide rolled his eyes and hissed, "Answer your bloody phone now!"
I could see the fake frustration on Clide's face, and I knew what was going to happen next.
"Don't -" I began, but was cut off immediately.
