Third and final chapter that needed redoing. Fourth chapter still being written. Needless to say it's been a while.

Disclaimer: Not Mine

Chapter 3: Dreams, School, and Personal Space

In my dream I was back in Volterra. I could see myself sitting on the steps of the old clock tower, painting the city market as it bustled by. I smiled at the sight in front of me, looking at the different people that swarmed the place; they all seemed to be so happy, walking with their families and chatting comfortably in Italian with each other. I drew a little more onto the page that was fluttering around. I was separate from the community but I was happy to draw it into my book.

There was a prickle on the nape of my neck, like there was someone watching me, and I looked to see a shadowy figure in the darkness of the buildings, watching me. I felt uneasy, I had slipped the company of my school trip to wander around Volterra unguarded, which I knew wasn't the smartest idea. But I could defend myself pretty well. I couldn't see the man's face, as it appeared to be covered by a cloak. I frowned slightly, trying to make out who he was, but all of a sudden he disappeared from the shadows, leaving me all alone. It was perhaps better that way. It was slightly disturbing that someone had been watching me.

"Do you want to come on a tour?" asked a voice and I turned to look up at the beautiful woman who seemed to be right in front of me. She was wearing an assortment of very provocative clothing which made me doubt the legitimacy of any tour that she was offering.

I stared at her calmly, before finally replying, "No thank you," I looked around, returning to my drawing once again, but the woman remained obscuring my view, "Please may you move, I am trying to finish this drawing before the market packs up. I'm really not in the mood for any tour. Maybe later,"

"Are you sure?" she inquired softly, leaning down, "You could see some of the lower levels of the city. They have some spectacular architecture. Once in a lifetime opportunity, they are closed for the rest of the winter," she craned her head to see the picture, "You would have time to draw anything that caught your eye,"

I closed the sketchbook suddenly. She was really disturbing me, "Look I am really not interested," I told her, standing up, and looking her over, "For several reasons, including what you are wearing. I'm really all right and I would really like it if you would step back, please," I hissed slightly, as a sharp pain erupted. I looked down at my palm seeing that I had gripped my pencil so much that I had snapped it and driven the jagged edge into my palm. Now blood was bubbling up around the wound and dripping onto the marble steps. It was going to be a pain to get it out of the wound. I looked at the woman again, "Are we done here?"

"Of course," she said, almost not breathing. She shifted, now suddenly agitated, as if the blood had suddenly made her recoil. It was understandable; I knew that my sister couldn't stand the sight of blood. This woman seemed to be the same, "Well, I'm sorry that you couldn't see the lower city. Maybe one day,"

I pulled the graphite out of my cut, before pressing my thumb to it. It stung badly and I hissed in pain, "Yeah, maybe," I said distractedly and she walked quickly away from me. Great, now this was a real pain. I sat back down on the steps, digging out some tissues out of my bag. Once I had done that I looked around the market again. It looked the same, but there seemed to be a different essence to it now. There seemed to be something that was not right about it. The people were stilted, still fascinating, but there was something lurking in the shadows of this town.

I gasped aloud as someone suddenly shaking my shoulder. I threw myself upwards, looking at who had woken me up, "Bella?" I asked, rubbing my eyes, "Jesus, what was that for? You can't wake someone up like that. It's almost brutal, give me a little bit of a warning beforehand,"

"You were sleeping, I didn't have much time to give you a proper warning that I was going to wake you up," she said, and I flopped back into bed, "Come on, up, we've got to go into school. And you've got to get all your stuff sorted out concerning school,"

"Yes, yes," I struggled out of bed, turning on my bed lamp, "School. What time is it?" I looked at the clock on the wall, "Half seven, Bella?" I turned to her, "You look awake," she sighed, "I'm up, I'm getting dressed, and I'll only be a couple of minutes, please," she walked out of the room, "My sister is a morning person," I looked at the ceiling, "That was deliberate,"

I quickly got dressed, brushing my teeth and packing my bag with what I assumed I needed for school. Moving schools was never nice, especially right in the middle of a term. Everyone always seemed to know your name and always took the invitation to come up and introduce themselves to you. Being a year younger than Bella was already a pain, because although I did know someone, they wouldn't be in any of my classes. Bella probably already had a bunch of friends. Guess I would be alone again, but that was fine with me.

"Toast?" Dad asked, as I entered the kitchen and I took a slice from him, "Don't worry about school. You'll be fine there," I nodded, swallowing the toast. It tasted like cardboard. Why was I so nervous about the whole thing? It's not like it mattered, "Try not to crash on the way there,"

"Oh, ha ha," I told him sarcastically, "Seriously, that's hilarious," Bella walked into the room, "I suppose you're all ready for the weekend," she frowned, "Edward's car is parked outside, he's taking you to school. Now that is sweet," she made a face at me, "Don't worry, I'm not going to get lost either. I'll follow behind on my bike. Therefore I don't have to be there if you're being all..." I grimaced, "Sweet with each other,"

She looked at the toast in my hand, "Fine, are you ready to go?" I placed the toast down, suddenly not hungry and more, before nodding, "Don't get too far behind us," I followed her out of the house, picking up my helmet on the way. She looked uneasy at the bike, "You sure it's safe?"

"Yes," I answered shortly, and she moved to get into the car. I placed the helmet on, and quickly following the car as it rolled down the road. It seemed no time at all until we reached the school. I stared at the building, seeing how...different it looked to my previous one. It looked more like a collection of offices pushed together than a school. Still, it could have been a lot worse.

"The reception area is over there," I turned to Bella, who was pointing towards a small little building, "They'll tell you everything that you need to know," I nodded slowly, "Guess, I'll see you around, lunch maybe," Great, even my sister was abandoning me, "Don't worry," she added, "You'll have fun here, I'm sure about it,"

I ignored her and Edward, just picking up my bag and walking over to the building. Inside was surprisingly light and warmer than the light drizzle that was outside. It was everything a reception could be, including the over abundance of greenery that were in multiple plastic pots. I walked up to the receptionist, placing my helmet on the surface, "Hi," I smiled at her as her head suddenly jerked up, "I'm Adrianna Swan; I think you're expecting me. I've just transferred,"

Recognition shone on her face, "Adrianna, yes," she dug around the multiple pieces of paper that were littered on her desk, "We were expecting you yesterday," I didn't answer her, and she held out three sheets of paper, "Here's your schedule, and a map, oh and you need to get the other one signed by all your teachers today, before bringing it back at the end of the day," she held up a key, "This is your locker key, don't lose it," I took that from her, "Have a good day,"

"Sure," I picked up my helmet, walking out without another word. History first, and then Government. Thank god, for a class that I actually enjoyed. I would be the first to admit it, but I wasn't blest with the intelligence that Bella had for the sciences. Instead my talents lay in other subjects, art being the first, and history being the second. I couldn't understand equations or algebra, but then I didn't really want to. I was happy with the subjects that I wished to do.

And so the morning past quickly. I sat next to people whose names I forgot instantly, and I left before anyone could call me back. Mainly the questions that were thrown my way were the same questions that were always asked. Why had you moved to Forks? Is your Dad really the Chief of Police? Where was your last school? I hadn't liked telling my sister why exactly I got kicked out of my last school so there was no way that I was going to tell a bunch of random strangers. On the plus side however, the subjects that I had been in seemed to be teaching interesting parts of the curriculum. I figured that if I kept my head down then I wouldn't be bothered by anyone overly much.

And so it came to lunch, and I was on my own in the middle of the canteen. This really did not hold high hopes for the rest of my school year, "Adrianna!" I turned towards my sister's voice, "Over here!" she waved over to a table where Edward and she was sitting. I pondered the options, which would be more embarrassing? Sitting alone, or sitting with my sister and her boyfriend. I was reluctant to let the latter win. I sat in the empty chair, "How has your day been?"

"The receptionist is unusually perky," I replied, leaning back in my chair, "People keep asking why I moved here, and I'm sure that some of the people in my class have no real concept of the words: personal space," I shrugged happily, "Other than that, I'm happy, Forks is good," I saw what Bella was eating, "Salad is never good to eat on a cold rainy day,"

"It's nice," she retorted, "You want some?" I raised a hand in rejection, "There's something that I want to ask you," I nodded, "Why did Mum kick you out of her house?" I stiffened slightly, not liking the question, "I thought you were getting along with her...finally,"

I painted a smile on my face, "You know Renee, Bella," I avoided the question, "First she packs me off to a boarding school, and then she doesn't correspond with me an awful lot. She didn't kick me out, I left school when I did and instead of going to her house, I phoned Dad to come over here. Thought I'd make the most of it, while I still could. I prefer it here anyway, it's not so ridiculously warm like Phoenix," I looked at Edward, "I have to tell you, there seems to be a lot of gossip about your family in the lower years. I would be worried,"

He smiled slightly, "Yeah, I hear that a lot," he told me, "I'm used to it," I would bet a lot that he could, "I was wondering if your bike could take two," he continued, "I'm leaving after lunch, and as Bella came in my car this morning, she doesn't have any way of getting home,"

I hummed lightly, "That's fine with me, as long as she can handle being on the back of a bike," Bella nodded at me, "Then it's fine and all is solved," I felt a familiar prickle on the nape of my neck, and I turned to see four people crowded around a table of their own, staring at us. They all seemed to be the marble white that Edward had, rather ethereally beautiful, but still there were cracks in their appearance. I could see between them that there was something not so perfect. The blond haired guy sat too straight, like he had been in the army. The dark haired pixie had a blank gaze, and the other two? They just looked on edge, "Your family don't seem to be very happy with you,"

"You noticed," he remarked and I tilted my hand, "They're just getting used to the idea of Bella and I being together, it's a bit of a change for them," I raised an eyebrow, "It's just a family thing,"

I shook my head, "Oh, don't worry, you don't have to tell me, I understand family problems more than the rest," I looked at Bella, and she shifted her gaze away from me, "But if you wanted my advice, I'd tell your family that it's really none of their business who you associate with," he laughed a little, "But then that's me,"

"They're not the type of people that you can really say that to," he said and I nodded, "But thanks for the advice,"

"I am merely here to help," I quipped, drinking a little of my water, "So as the annoying little sister of Bella Swan, I believe I have the right to interrogate you to my heart's content, because you are dating my sister, kind of. This means that unfortunately you're going to be seeing me around the house if you insist on taking Bella to school,"

"Adrianna," Bella interrupted.

Edward nudged her, "It's fine," he told her, "There's not much to me if I'm honest. I'm seventeen, I moved down here from Alaska a couple of years ago. I was adopted by my parents, Carlisle who's a doctor and Esme. I've got two siblings, Alice and Emmett, who you've noticed. The other two are Jasper and Rosalie Hale, who are also adopted by Carlisle and Esme. So you don't have to worry that your sister is with a stalker or someone,"

I tapped the table, "You read my mind," I said deadpan, and Bella winced slightly, "I appreciate you being so...open, I confess that I'm naturally suspicious of everyone. I've been in a few situations before, but you got the fact that I was worried wrong. Bella usually can look after herself,"

"Then tell me about yourself," he replied and I raised my eyebrow, "Bella has told me a bit about you, but how can I be sure that you won't get your sister into any bad situations?" I chuckled coldly, silently wondering where he had got his information from, "It's a fair enough question,"

"Which makes me wonder...really wonder who you have talked to," I answered, "But I'll answer your question. I'm Adrianna Swan, I'm sixteen, my favourite colour is purple, and I've got a sister," I went over everything that I was in my mind, "I prefer cats to dogs. I hate people invading my personal space without asking. I prefer drawing to talking. I like wandering around on my own, usually ending up in a situation that I don't like," there was a sudden smash of glass behind me, and I turned to see a glass broken on the ground next to Edward's family. I looked back, "And things get broken around me, even when they shouldn't. Bella thinks I'm cursed,"

"Maybe you're just clumsy,"

"It would run in the family," I agreed, "But no," the bell rang and I took out my phone, looking at the time, distracted, "Bella, I'll meet you outside the reception after school, all right? It's the only place I know without risking getting lost," I nodded at Edward, "Good to see you," I then picked up my bag, walking away from the table. I knew that I was intruding into their alone time.

At the end of the day, I sat on the wall of the school, waiting for Bella. After fifteen minutes of waiting, I was starting to get very annoyed, and was just about to leave. I had just started up the engine when I saw her running towards me, "You weren't going to leave without me?" she demanded.

"You were late," I told her, "I wasn't going to hang around forever, you know," she climbed on the back of the bike delicately, "Now hold tight around me otherwise you might fall off," I started it off, going slowly out of the car park before picking up more speed. Bella's arms were tight around my middle as she held onto me which admittedly was slightly uncomfortable, but at least it meant that she didn't fall off. When I finally parked outside the house, she did stagger off it quickly, "I'm not that bad a driver," I informed her.

"No, you just like going faster than you ought to," she announced, sitting on the steps, "I just need to have a human second to get my breath back," I moved past her, opening the door of the house and walking inside. I sighed at the quietness of the house. Dad hadn't got back from work. I retrieved my sketchbook from upstairs, flicking to a blank page, and pulled out a pencil. I slowly pencilled in the rough shape of the school, briefly looking up as Bella finally closed the front door before going back to the drawing.

"So," I spoke softly and saw out of the corner of my eyes, Bella turning towards me, "I hear that a dance is coming around soon. Is Edward going to take you there?"

"I'm not going to the dance," she informed me shortly, sounding irritated. I paused slightly before continuing to draw carefully, shading in a window, "Sorry, people have been asking me that all day, and I guess I'm tired of it," she flopped into the armchair opposite me, "I was going to go to Seattle, but with my truck, it doesn't seem to be a good idea at the moment, and the recent animal killings,"

I silently grinned, "I told you," I murmured, "I said that orange truck wasn't legally safe for anyone to drive around in it," I frowned, "That still doesn't mean you can't go to the dance. Or have you decided not to go because there are too many people asking about it?"

"The second, obviously," she said, and I nodded distractedly, "Anyway, Edward has asked me to go hiking tomorrow anyway," I had to laugh at that, "It's not funny, I can go hiking," I was just amused, I knew how clumsy she often was, "Edward is just going to have to be patient with me,"

"Yes," I was still amused, "Yes, he is,"

Rewrite is finished! Just taken me far too long to do it.

Till next time.