A/N: Chapter 3 is here!!! woo! am so excited, hope you guys love it as much as i! i can't stop writing this story! chapter 4 is on its way, chapter 3 got too long so i had to split it into 2 chapters!

a massive I LOVE YOU to my faithful and wicked reviews!

a ginormous YOU'RE FREAKING AWESOME to my fab beta xxblue-eyed-bellaxx (i'm so sorry,i realised that i'm a jimmy and i never put a massive thank you up in this fanfic to me,i'm so sorry!you rock!)

Enjoy!

Chapter Three

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Dealing With It

There's nothing worse than waking up feeling like crap. Feeling like crap because I only got 1 hour of sleep. Because the family I had so desperately loved were now staying down the hall from me. Because I wasn't allowed to get rid of them. And because once again I was in an empty bed! I stared longingly at the bare space beside me, sheets unruffled. It was so lonely sleeping alone in a king sized bed.

As I dragged myself from the soft silk sheets of my dark wood four poster bed I wondered if the Cullens had discovered they could indeed sleep here. I doubted it. It had taken me weeks to find out we could after I'd turned, and it been an accident when I had. It was all down to the magic the school held. Anyone who held residence within the reservation was able to sleep the equivalent of 24 hours a month. It didn't seem much, but to a vampire it was a heck of a lot. A precious gift.

I smiled at my reflection in the bathroom mirror, grateful for the lack of dark shadows under my eyes. Bright blue orbs stared back at me, speculating.

Never can be normal, can you Izzy? My mind commented.

"Oh shut up." I shot back, turning away from my image.

I stepped into my miracle of a shower (seriously, jets, 3 different shower heads and waterproof music player, how awesome is that!), revelling in the sensation of the heat on my cool skin.

I was luckier than most, blessed. I was able to sleep longer than those here. Maybe it was a reward, like for services to the school or something. I laughed at myself, wrapping a fluffy white towel around my body. Man, some of the things I said. Ha ha!

I dressed without really paying much attention. Great thing about being a vampire, your mind does all the mundane tasks for you while you daydream. I found myself stood in front of my mirror, wearing a pair of skinny flares in a deep indigo colour with a dark tan belt, held together by a rustic brass buckle. My feet were wrapped in sparkling black ballet flats and I wore a tight baby blue tank top, with vampire chick written across it, a cute fluffy chick printed above it, with bloodied fangs.

Yes, I was taking the piss, but it was fun. Why not play it obvious? It gave me and everyone else a laugh, and to the human students I was making the kinda gothic look cool. Everybody won. My shelves were stocked full of shirts suck like this, with all sorts written on them. I loved them, they rocked, they looked good, and they were damn funny!

My dark hair curled naturally at the ends and hung pleasantly over my shoulder. I smiled seductively at my reflection, watching my eyes sparkle.

"Time to play."

The image winked back at me. I laughed and grabbed my bag, heading downstairs.

As I passed the empty frame hung on the wall at the top of the stairs, I sighed. Still empty. Damn it.

About a month ago Diane had told me she wanted a portrait of me painted and mounted at the top of the grand staircase. She said I was a leader, and all leaders should have at least one portrait for others to remember them by. Sure, giant painting of me sitting there forever. Great. I had suggested just taking a photo and sticking it on the shelf above the fireplace – in the smallest possible frame I could find. She hadn't replied…I think she's still mulling it over. Anyway, we still haven't been able to find anyone half decent enough to paint it, so alas the frame stayed empty. And looked equally as stupid sat up there as my portrait would do.

A wonderful smell hit my nose as I descended. My eyes widened in joy and I ran as fast as I could to the kitchen.

"Pancakes!!!" I cried, throwing myself into a bar stool, nearly toppling it over. A giant grin spread across my face. "Gimme gimme gimee!!!"

Ray, who was stood behind the stove in an apron that read 'Kiss the Chef', chuckled at me and flipped a pancake. He dumped it on a growing pile and started on the next one.

"Go ahead, they're for you." He said, waving the spatula at me.

I giggled and pulled the toppling pile of pancakes towards me.

"Syrup?"

He grinned at me and opened the fridge, pulling out a bottle of Mama Francis's homemade syrup, "Ordered you the real stuff from San Fran."

I grabbed it, smiling happily. Ah, real syrup. I hated that commercial rubbish they sold in the store. Homemade syrup all the way, and there was no syrup better than Mama Francis's.

I drowned the pancakes in the golden liquid and dug in. The food melted in my mouth and I groaned. Oh how I loved Ray's pancakes. Yet another gift from the magic here. We were able to taste food, as it was meant to taste. We didn't need it to survive, and it didn't do anything to us, but we could actually taste it! And we all loved it. We couldn't get enough of food now it actually tasted more than ash. Granted, we still didn't eat much at lunch, but we had the odd bite here and there, because we couldn't hold back the eagerness to revel in the sensation of the wonder of food. Unless you were like me and you just stuffed your face. But come on, it's freakin' pancakes!

Ray turned off the ring and sat down at the island, tucking into his own little pile of heaven, spooning fresh fruit onto them from the bowl that sat between us. We ate in silence for a little while. Students wondered in and out, some grabbing things to eat, others picking up books they'd left lying abou. Lots of them welcomed me warmly, which I returned with a happy smile, nodding my head to them.

"They good?" Ray asked, nearly done with his own.

I nodded vigorously, popping another forkful in my mouth with a dreamy smile. Oh how I loved pancakes. Ray's head bopped in agreement. He looked off to the side, zoning out.

"Iz, what do you plan to do?" he asked.

I looked at him blankly, totally lost, "Um…about what?"

"The Cullens."

I pushed my plate away angrily, "Good feelings gone."

Ray sighed loudly, pushing the plate back at me, "Finish you breakfast Izzy. You'll regret it later if you don't." he threw another bucket load of syrup on them. I watched the syrup drip over the edges of the small stack that was left, biting my lip. Sighing I picked up my fork and began eating again.

"I don't know Ray." I answered him honestly after a moment, "I'm..I'm not sure."

He watched me, fork hanging in his hand as he chewed.

"They need to know about things."

I didn't answer him. Instead I kept eating, mulling it over. They did need to know. They needed to know about ins and outs of the school. They needed to know about what gifts the magic gave us. About the special clubs in town, hunting, blood packs, schedules, restrictions on using powers in lessons, holidays. They needed to know about everything. But then, that meant seeing them, talking to them, it meant being civil. It meant being kind and warm and all the things I was meant to be, all the things I was…with everyone else. But with them? I wasn't sure I could give them the same treatment. I knew I should, but I just couldn't. After everything they'd done. I just couldn't.

I stood, washing off my plate in the sink. I placed it on the draining board then paused.

"I guess they do." I said with a sigh.

I looked at Ray, who held my gaze then nodded once in agreement.

I sat back down and huffed, "Man, I'm so bummed. Thanks a bunch Ray."

He laughed at me then grabbed my hand, his plate and dish already washing up.

"Well, then I guess rocking out is just what the doc ordered," he asked with a twinkle in his eye. I grinned back and followed him into the main room where he turned on the surround sound stereo, blasting out 'I Like to Move It' from Madagascar. Grace, Lucas's mate and one of my closest friends, joined us and we did what we did best. We rocked out. We jumped up and down senselessly, throwing out heads all over the place, hair flying. We spun around and swung out arms. We kicked out legs and shaked our butts. To anyone watching we looked like complete nutters. To us, we rocked. It was tradition. Being bummed out equalled rocking out time. Perfect to pick up your spirits and keep the day awesome.

"Hey losers! You're ganna be late!" Lucas called from the front door, heading out.

I grabbed my bag and legged it. Passing him I cried, "Bet you $10 I'm not!"

He laughed, yelling back to me, "You're on!"

I ran as fast as my legs would carry me, hoping to God that I wouldn't get caught by anyone. I burst through my door and landed in my seat just as Mr. Jenson called out, "Izzy de Barbaron?"

"Present!" I said, trying to look like I'd been sat there the whole time. Rachael, my human best friend (one of the few students aware of the vampires living among them) was trying her hardest not the wet herself two rows down from me. When Mr. Jenson looked away I let out a breath then winked at her. She grinned back at me and turned to the front. I did the same, still smiling.

"As you know we have five new students starting here. I want all of you to make them feel welcome and answer any questions they have. No scaring them or pulling pranks. That means you Jon. They're schedule may change a bit as the staff get used to their talents and abilities and find them the appropriate classes to utilize those abilities, so be nice and welcome them for however long they are in your class. Understood?"

"Yes Mr. Jenson." We answered, bored out our heads. It was just the standard new student speech. He finished up and dismissed us as the bell rang.

I met Rachael at the door, "Hey sugarplum fairy, how's it hanging?"

Rachael laughed at me, looping her arm through mine and walked down the hall with me to dance theory.

"I'm doing good skippy. How about you?"

"Uck!" I cried, rolling my eyes, "So not doing good."

She raised her eyebrows as she opened the door, "Do I even want to ask?"

I threw her a look, "You so don't."

She laughed again then sat down next to me, pulling out her textbook. We settled into the lesson, taking notes while we passes messages to one another, sharing what we'd done over the summer break, who was cute on the scene right now, etc.

We parted after the lesson, heading to our own separate studies. I headed to the library, seeking somewhere comfortable and quiet for my free period.

Our library had a deck, enabling us to sit outside and soak in the sun while studying. I smiled at Gloria, the assistant librarian at the desk (a handy job when you're a student and desperate for money). She waved, a nail file nestled between her fingers, before returning to the task at hand. I chuckled before moving to a big squishing armchair by the window bathed in sunlight. I plopped down into it and pulled out my book. I'd currently found myself immersed in the dark deadly world of Rose Hathaway. I'd found the book Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead a week or so ago online and after reading the blurb I just had to have it, it sounded immense. I had been right. The book was dark and deadly, while at the same time filled with forbidden romance within the folds of the social circles of school (more specifically an academy, much like ours). And the best bit? It was all about vampires. It had always fascinated me to see what authors wrote about us, what they thought we were like and how off the mark they got it sometimes. Then again, some of them got it pretty close. It was hard to believe they hadn't even had a vampire encounter. We knew they hadn't though, if they had the Volturi would have eliminated them and destroyed the books. Still, Vampire Academy was brilliant, no matter how close or otherwise it was to the truth.

I snuggled down in my chair and immersed myself in Rose's quick wit and inner turmoil. The bell rang before I'd even gotten into it. I checked the page number.

108 pages? Wow, guess I read more than I thought.

Then again, that's how it always was. I always managed to read more than I noticed, and time would fly. No wonder my books never last more than a day. Packing the book into my bag I skipped off to lunch. It didn't hit me until I was nearly at the cafeteria that they'd be there.

Bugger it!

With a heavy sigh I entered the hall, moving to my normal table, refusing to look anywhere else except my friends. I sat down, dumping my bag by my side and folding my arms over my chest.

"Hey Izzy!" Lucas cried, throwing an arm around my shoulder, "How's it hanging babe?"

I grinned at him, "I thought it was the guys that had the junk that hung."

Everyone burst into laughter and Grace ruffled his hair lovingly. A disgruntled looking Lucas stuck his tongue out at me.

"Watch it, that anti-man attitude ain't ganna score you any brownie points."

I flicked him on the nose, "I'm not anti-man, I'm just pro-girl."

"Yeah yeah."

I reached over to nick Jon the Joker's jello when I heard a booming laugh fill the room. My head jerked in the direction of it on instinct, even though I knew who it was. My suspicions were confirmed. Sat a few tables away were the Cullens, where Emmett was nearly wetting himself, pointing in our direction. I looked down at my top and realised he was laughing at the print on it. The corner of my lips jerked up. Couldn't blame him. Like I said, the tops were a laugh.

I suddenly realised this was the perfect opening to go talk to them. With another sigh (how many times was I ganna do that day?) I stood and walked over to them. All my friends fell into silence and watched me, as did the Cullens (except Emmett who was trying to stop laughing).

"Come on guys, give 'em a little privacy." Ray whispered, which was closely followed by them talking amongst each other. I sent out a silent thank you to Ray.

I slip myself into a seat, almost exactly across from them and looked up.

Rosalie still looked as perfect as always, sitting with her chin held high, a mild look of distain on her face. Emmett was just a cheery looking as I remembered, that happy smile of his very much in place. Jasper looked less impassive than I remembered, more emotion present. His features weren't over run by pain anymore. This made my smile, it was about time he found some relief. My eyes turned upon Alice. Her hair was less well placed, more mused and unkept, but still passable. Her eyes featured heavy bruises and her cheeks looked mildly shallow. My heart twinged. She looked so unwell. I didn't know a vampire could look unwell. But her eyes shined with happiness and the essence of the sun seemed to have already spread through her system. Lastly I looked towards Edward. His hair was messier than I'd ever seen it and his cheeks were shallower than Alice's. He looked apprehensive and uncomfortable in my presence. Probably afraid I was going to shout again.

I rolled my eyes, "I'm not going to yell. I promise."

I knitted my fingers together and rested them on the table, by their untouched food.

"I'm here because as your president it's my duty to inform you of the ins and outs of this school.

"De Barbaron Academy was founded by Diane's mother, my adoptive grandmother, 286 years ago. She was a vampire, just as Diane is and I am. Originally the school was started as a place for all the natives on the reservation to come a share their abilities and to be a place of peace, no matter which tribe you belonged to. It's was, and still is, a home of art.

"In the first few years Danielle, the founder, began to notice that strange things happened here. People found themselves unnaturally talented in their gift, others found themselves suddenly blessed with the power to communicate with the great spirits. The few vampires of the land found themselves gifted with the ability to sleep, to eat and to protect their loved ones in any way they needed. This was a gift from the spirit of the land, given to them for the life style they had chosen. For being 'vegetarian'. Those gifts still exist today.

"Through experimenting we have found that we are able to sleep up to 24 hours a month. We hold the ability to dream. We can eat, taste. Food holds no function to us other than pleasure and enjoyment." To prove my point I took a strawberry from Rosalie's bowl and bit into it, chewing happily.

"Go ahead, try it." She took the offer and bit into it. Her eyes expanded in shock and wonder.

"Oh good God! There's a party in my mouth and everyone's invited!"

Ok, defiantly the last thing I'd expect Rosalie to say, but whatever.

I winced, "Rosalie. Name, vain. Please."

She looked at me, dumbfound. Alice turned to her, "You took the Lord's name in vain."

"Oh," she looked at me, "Um, sorry."

I waved my hand dismissively, "Anyway, we can eat. You already know about the sun thing, so we can skip over that. Let's see, what else is there…? Oh, yes, hunting. You're completely free to hunt in the reservation, just don't get caught by anything breathing, obviously. There are also animal blood packs in the kitchen both in the dorm and at main building. There's a key code lock on them, which is written on your sheets. There are a few human packs from the hospital, but they are rare case emergency packs. They are never to be used without mine or Diane's consent. Understood? Good. Um, the magical boundary is pretty much exactly around the reservation and the shield covers everything within it.

"There are a few secret vampire clubs in town, run specifically for us. You're free to go to them whenever, though if you go in lesson time you will get your ass kicked. There are a few students aware of our…condition here at the academy. You'll figure out who they are pretty darn fast. It would be appreciated if you didn't use you powers to cheat in lessons, whether it be test scores or a physical class where you can make it easier by using super strength.

"There are church services every Sunday, but the church is always open, day or night. You're more than welcome to come to service or pass by for anything. Our priest is perfectly aware of our special students and always happy to answer questions, give guidance or just be there.

"Though we do have a uniform you're not required to wear it." I fought a laugh as I took in them all dressed head to toe in the entire uniform, even the headbands and cufflinks. "It's really only for special occasions, award ceremonies and special visits, both out of school grounds and people coming into school grounds."

I stood, pretty sure I'd covered everything. Alice opened her mouth to ask a question. A question I would best my life on that was about me.

"No, you may not ask." I told her before she could get it out, "My personal life is exactly that, personal. And you're not apart of it, therefore you don't need to know."

As I turned away I suddenly remembered something vital, "Opse, sorry, completely forgot. There'll be a party tonight at the Moon dorm to celebrate you arrival. This'll give you a chance to meet everyone, make some friends and ask questions about anything I forgot. See ya around!"

"Hey Izzy," Emmett called, stopping me in my tracks. I turned and looked at him. He grinned at me, "Kudos on the top."

I grinned back and winked. Then I returned back to my table, surprised by how well that went. Well, it went well because I didn't let them get a word in edgeways, but still, well was well.

Maybe this wouldn't be so terrible.

A/N: Chapter 4 coming REALLY soon!

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