authors note: a few things i didnt mention in my last authors note:

these vampires have fangs. i believe it makes no sense to NOT have some form of sharp teeth. i mean, fangs are a vampire's signature trait, right? its like bigfoot with little feet. makes zero sense! they don't sparkle either. Also, this story will contain some bella-bashing simply because her character rubbed me the wrong way when the idea for this fanfic came to me.

i think no one really reads the author notes so i can practically say anything on these and no one would give a shit, right? well, whatever then.

enjoy:)

It was Monday morning and Emmett sat on the couch, foot propped on the coffee table as he stared at the news playing on TV. As Carlisle had thought, the weekend passed without any trace of the two people Edward had seen. Emmett had hoped to run into them, to see what had affected him so much. He wasn't focused on the television, instead he filled his head with mundane thoughts as he listened to his siblings prepare for the school day. He was glad he was a 'senior' now. If he had to go through another year Emmett believed he may actually be the first vampire to spontaneously combust into flames out of sheer boredom. He watched as Carlisle lovingly kissed Esme goodbye and left for his shift at the hospital.

"Emmett?"

He turned to look at Rosalie. She sat across from him on the opposite couch. She looked as beautiful as always. Her golden hair fell around her perfectly and her long legs looked amazing in the skinny jeans that encased them. Her lips were painted a ruby red and Emmett remembered that he once kissed those lips, had once held her and thought himself in love with the stunning blonde. Of course, they had both known they weren't right for each other. They had tried very hard, but in the end, it had become more damaging to stay together. Emmett had been surprised at how unaffected he had been by their breakup. He had been upset, not by the fact he was not with her, but because he was truly alone. He had been with Rosalie since the beginning and he'd needed to find himself again. His freedom had been liberating and the years he spent away had helped immensely, but it had also left him emptier over time. He looked into her golden eyes, identical to his own.

"Yes, Rosie?"

Her lips quirked up a bit. "Penny for your thoughts?"

He grinned at her. "Oh you know, nothing much."

She rolled her eyes. "You better not be up to something. I still check my shampoo every time I use it."

Emmett laughed. "Don't worry Rosalie. I'm not planning anything."

She didn't look convinced and he winked at her. A low growl came from the floor above and the others came down the stairs and filed into the room, movements too fast for the human eye.

"Alice had a vision." Edward said tensely. "The two people I saw in the woods are going to be in the school parking lot today. Apparently they are the town's newest residents."

"What will happen after that?" Esme asked.

"I don't know," Alice said. "It was only a flash, but Edward recognized them."

Esme nodded. "Carlisle said not to worry. See how the day goes. Call if it goes bad, though I doubt they want to expose themselves."

In seconds, they were saying goodbye to Esme and leaving for school. When they arrived, Emmett parked his jeep next to Edward's Volvo, where he was standing with the others and Bella. The parking lot was already pretty full and Emmett wasn't looking forward to spending the day in school, though the news of Alice's vision had piqued his interest.

Emmett was contemplating heading into the school and waiting till lunch to see the newcomers when a sleek, metallic dark blue Camaro rolled into the lot. Students stared at the car; it wasn't often Forks got new residents, let alone ones with nice cars. The driver parked next to Bella's truck, near the school's entrance and directly across from where he stood with his siblings. They watched as the driver side opened and a boy stepped out. His black hair hung messily around his ears and he wore black jeans, a soft grey tee under a hooded black jacket that was left unzipped and a pair of blue chucks. His skin was a light brown color, reminding Emmett of coffee and cream. As he turned and looked in their direction, Emmett saw that his eyes were a piercing ice blue. A girl exited the passenger seat. Her long black hair hung to her lower back. She turned around, focused on the phone in her hand. Emmett took a moment to observe the girl.

She was beautiful to say the least and obviously the boy's sister. He couldn't help but let his eyes wander over her form. Gray skinny jeans enfolded her hips and legs, looking painted on. Her torso was hugged by a turquoise hoodie that hugged her curves and the swell of her large, full breasts. It was zipped up half way and the black v-neck shirt she wore beneath it gave him a peek at her ample cleavage. Her lips were a deep red and she looked over to her brother before looking over to where Emmett stood with his family. Over all they were both beautiful and exotic; carrying an air of mystery and intrigue. Her eyes moved over each of them before Emmett was pierced by haunting emerald eyes.

Anala stared at Forks high school through the windshield. Forks High was made up of multiple brick buildings all put together on one plot of land. Some of the buildings were connected by large hallways built between the buildings. She wasn't looking forward to this. Students stood in the lot, gaping and talking. Nolan parked the car and stepped out. She looked at her new phone, gliding her finger across the screen to unlock it. Technology was incredible these days. She looked up at Nolan but his eyes were focused on something behind her. She turned to see the vampire from the woods. He stood with his arm around the waist of a plain brunette girl with red cheeks and an almost star-struck expression on her face as she looked up at him. She was pretty though; long dark hair, brown eyes, and red cheeks. Was he mated to this human girl? He stared at them, golden eyes blazing.

So much for him being a nomad. He wasn't alone either. He was surrounded by four other vampires. On his other side was a small pixie-like vampire with big gold eyes. Her inky-black hair was short and spiky and she reminded Anala of the perfect ballerina. The woman next to her seemed like the smaller one's polar opposite. Her long platinum blonde hair fell in soft waves down her back. She was tall and had a perfect figure and looked like a Roman goddess. Next to her, was a handsome, muscular blonde boy who could pass as the blonde's brother; He had curly blonde hair and chiseled features. His face was twisted into one of slight discomfort.

Anala moved on, looking at the last person in the group. Anala paused, curious. This one was different, looked more different but no less beautiful. Anala wasn't sure what it was but something about him felt different to her than the rest of them. He was huge. Not stout, but big with a warriors build, making Anala wonder who he was as a human man. Anala watched his muscles bunch and relax as he shifted. He had short silky looking dark brown hair that curled; smooth bow-shaped lips and a strong chiseled jaw that would forever have the slight beginnings of a five o'clock shadow. Though he looked very intimidating, his face had a strange innocence to it, like a mischievous child. Hard butterscotch colored eyes pierced hers. The look in his eyes startled her, causing a shock to radiate through her body.

She watched as he stiffened and relaxed in the same second. His gaze became full of curiosity and confusion. Anala tried not to squirm under his gaze.

This was bad. She exchanged a look with Nolan. "Let's go," he murmured, not looking back at the group of immortals across the parking lot. She grabbed her backpack, shut the car door, and they walked towards the building that said 'MAIN OFFICE' in large white letters. Anala shifted closer to her brother as she walked, feeling uncomfortable by all the stares, something she'd never been able to grow accustomed to. The twins entered the warm office. There were uncomfortable-looking, blue plastic chairs lined up against a wall and a very large desk. There was a waist-high gate, with low walls that separated the room in half so that one half was a reception area and the other was the work space for whoever worked in that part of the building. There were doors that led to the principal's office, a conference room, a copy room, and what looked like a break room for the staff. A large, cheerful woman with red hair sat behind the desk. She looked up and smiled.

"Oh! Hello dears! You must be the Cathari twins, am I right?" They nodded.

"Yes ma'am." Nolan responded politely.

"Wonderful!" the woman exclaimed. "I'm Mrs. Cope. Now, I have your schedules and maps of the school right here."

Mrs. Cope pulled out a bright orange folder and proceeded to highlight class routes for them and hovered over them in a maternal fashion. It wasn't bad to the twins, simply strange. After the bell rang for homeroom, she sent the two teens on their way.

In all honesty, Mrs. Cope was slightly wary of the polite teens. She didn't know why but she just had the feeling that they weren't normal. She thought it was probably their eyes. Eyes that bright and clear and expressive were unnerving. They seemed like such sweet children though. She sighed and shook off the feeling. She went back to work and began humming a cheerful tune.

The halls were crowded with students trying to get to their homerooms or messing around with friends. People stopped and stared at them, extremely curious about the new students and their strange appearance. The twins found their homeroom easily and sat in the back, but that didn't stop the stares.

"This isn't good." Anala muttered, thinking of the vampires. "Should we leave?"

"This coven has obviously claimed this territory." Nolan said. "But we shouldn't do anything until we know if they're a threat yet. Just . . . be careful alright?" Anala nodded.

"Let me see your schedule," she said lightly. Anala had: English, trigonometry, U.S history, lunch, writing, biology, art, and P.E while Nolan had: U.S history, trigonometry, writing, lunch, chemistry, English, art, and P.E. the classes were arranged in a way that her classes were at different times every day, a few of them, like art, and trigonometry were only twice a week. They shared three classes and lunch.

Anala and Nolan were a bit uneasy about only sharing four periods now that there was a potential threat but were going to get through it. The bell rang and the two teens gave each other one last look before heading to class. By lunch, Anala was going to have an anxiety attack while Nolan seemed to be stuck between worried and incredibly irritated; Anala was afraid her brother would commit mass homicide. Their trigonometry teacher seemed to instantly hate them and they were constantly stared at by students. Anala discovered that she possibly shared classes with some of the vampires because she had seen the beautiful blonde girl in her first class.

Anala looked around the large cafeteria, boredom beginning to creep into her. She watched as people talked and laughed about inconsequential things. She spotted her brother at a soda machine and made her way over to him. He grabbed his drink and silently handed her a sandwich, an apple, and a bottle of water.

"Thanks," she said. "Can we go outside? This place is giving me a headache."

"Sure," Nolan nodded. "How were your first classes?" he asked as they headed towards the doors and out into the courtyard. They sat at one of the picnic table under the awning and Anala picked at her sandwich and stared out at the grass.

"I feel like a museum exhibit. Everyone keeps staring."

Suddenly they heard the sound of a throat clearing behind them. They turned to see the vampire from the woods standing behind them in a black long-sleeved shirt and jeans. It was tense for a long moment.

"What did you do to me?" he demanded, glaring at Nolan warily. Even with the guarded tone, his voice was smooth and flowing.

Anala looked at her brother before turning back to him.

"I haven't done anything to you." Nolan replied.

Copper Hair, as Anala had dubbed him, looked at them intensely. Anala took a moment to study him. He was incredibly handsome, she would not deny that. Messy red-brown hair that contrasted nicely against his pale skin, his facial features were perfect, angular; Strong, chiseled jaw, perfect lips, high cheekbones. His eyes were a pale gold, like honey. Anala wondered how his eyes got to be that color.

"Drop the act."

"I'm not acting anything," Nolan's eyes gleamed. "You know, it s rude to talk to someone without introducing yourself."

"Edward," he said tensely.

The small black haired girl appeared out of nowhere. Wariness was creeping into her and Anala carefully observed them for any hostile signs.

"Edward, don't be rude." The girl looked at them and smiled slightly. "I'm Alice."

As friendly as she seemed, Alice didn't seem to trust them very much either. Anala was wary but she doubted they would do anything here. They wouldn't risk the exposure. Alice smiled widely and giggled lightly. "You look much better in person. But then again, I couldn't see you clearly enough anyway."

Anala didn't understand what she meant. "Nice to meet you Alice," She murmured.

"You couldn't see us clearly?" Nolan asked, confused.

"I can see the future. I saw you come to school today." She stated simply. Edward stood next to her. His eyes bore into them, a slight frown marring his perfect features.

"Don't mind him," she said. "He's just put off by the fact that he can't hear your thoughts."

A mind reader and a seer. Anala had panicked a bit before remembering that Edward couldn't read her thoughts.

Nolan smirked slightly. "I'm guessing that doesn't happen very often."

"Only with one other person." Edward replied a bit stiffly.

"A Mind Reader and Seer must be very useful," Anala said lightly, keeping her composure.

She grinned. "Very, along with an Empath. Would you like to come to our house tonight?"

"Why?" Anala asked.

"Well you're obviously not human and our father would like to meet you. He's curious."

So there were more of them?

Edward continued to stare at them with that strangely intense gaze. He seemed frustrated somehow, like he was trying to figure something out. Suddenly, Nolan was getting up and gathered his things. Anala stood and did the same.

"No thanks," Nolan said.

"Just think about it." Alice said.

They walked away, Anala sticking close to her brother's side. After all the time she spent in his company alone, other people were putting her on edge. A familiar fear was creeping up her spine Anala shoved it away, focusing on her brother next to her. She wouldn't think about it. Not yet anyway.

"That was weird." She murmured. Nolan nodded in agreement and the bell rang. The ebony-haired teens reluctantly went to their classes after saying goodbye to each other. Anala walked into her writing class and paused, seeing the boy from earlier; the big, burly one from lunch. Anala gave the teacher the slip for him to sign. He had a medium build, short black hair, glasses, and a kind smile beneath a trim mustache.

"Welcome Anala." He said. "I'm Mr. Robinson. You can just take a seat next to Emmett Cullen. Emmett, raise your hand please."

Anala watched as the muscular boy from lunch raised his hand, never looking towards her. Anala went and sat next to him. So, Anala thought, his name is Emmett. He's even more beautiful up close. His expression was one of slight boredom and disinterest. Anala sat down and watched Emmett freeze next to her, muscles tensing. His body relaxed quickly and then looked at her, his gaze full of curiosity and confusion. Anala tried not to squirm under his gaze and kept her eyes on her notebook.

Anala couldn't concentrate on what Mr. Robinson was saying. This man, god, made her mind foggy. She could feel him staring. It was unnerving to have someone stare at her so intensely. Her hands itched to draw him. As he looked away, Anala held back a shaky sigh. Her mind was racing. She began panicking and unwanted memories assaulted her mind and made her head start to pound. Anala pulled her hands into her lap and clenched them to keep them from shaking. She shut her eyes and breathed slowly, blocking out the memories and sensations. She could sense them. Their emotions and hushed voices were in her head. Anala concentrated harder and slowly, it allfaded into a quiet hum in the back of her head until it eventually became silent again. Anala sighed and relaxed slightly. She opened her eyes and noticed Emmett looking at her curiously again with what could have been a hint of concern. Anala looked down and tried to ignore the feel of his eyes on her. How could one look from this man rattle her so much? After the bell, Anala went to biology, the image of curious golden eyes burned into her mind.

Anala found her brother after class and noticed he looked lost in thought. He told her that there was a vampire in his chemistry class that had caught his attention. It was the blonde boy that was with Emmett and what they assumed were the rest of his coven that morning. The bell rang and the ebony-haired twins made their way to art class. This was one of their favorite pass-times. They loved how different forms of art could be used to express someone's thoughts and emotions in a way words couldn't. Anala could easily admit that while she liked drawing and painting, photography was definitely her favorite. Anala and Nolan entered the room and stopped near the teacher's desk. The room was bright and large. The smell of paint hung in the air. Many worn but sturdy wooden tables were scattered around the room, stained with paint and were surrounded by tall stools. A long table pushed against the windows was covered in paper, paints and scattered with brushes. There was an open door in the back that led to a room filled with what looked to be art supplies, materials, canvases, and more. The room was a very open and colorful organized mess and Anala loved it.

Anala and her brother noticed the same group of beautiful students sitting at a table near the back along with the plain brown-haired girl. It had turned out that at Forks High, some electives and P.E classes were mixed up of different grade levels. They sat at a table with a sweet girl that introduced herself as Angela, and two boys who she introduced as Tyler and Eric. The class went by smoothly, and aside from the constant glances and the coven of vampires in the room, the class was mostly enjoyable.

The rest of the day continued slowly. They noticed the Cullen's were in their gym class as well. Luckily, Coach Daud decided to let them sit out for their first day. She could feel curious stares burn into them. They knew the Cullen's were watching them. Anala wasn't sure how to react to them. She didn't trust them by any standards, and going to their home was dangerous, but if they had wanted them dead, why hadn't they gone after them when Edward saw them in the forest?

By the time they made their way to their car at the end of the day, Nolan was ready to murder half of the student population, while Anala was going to have a breakdown from the mental stress she endured all day. They drove, noticing a silver Volvo and a large jeep that passed them as they turned onto the path that led up to their house.

"It's their territory. They've obviously claimed it." Nolan said as he sat on the couch next to her. "But I don't trust them. We don't know these people Anala."

"I know, but if they were going to hurt us don't you think they would've killed us instead of inviting us to their house?"

He sighed. "And if a fight breaks out? I'm not really in a vampire hunting mood."

Anala couldn't help but laugh.

He became serious once more. "We can see what they want, but it would be easier to avoid them all together."

Anala nodded. He was right. She may not trust them but she didn't want to put the coven of vampires at risk either. They were fortunately safe right now. But that had been known to change in a moment's notice. Anala rubbed her temples. This town was giving her a migraine. She wasn't used to the amount of energy in this place.

"I'm going to go lie down." Anala murmured.

She was dead tired and just wanted to sleep. She trudged up the stairs and went to her room, aware of her brothers' worried stare on her back. When she reached her room, Anala quickly changed into a light blue tank top and black cotton shorts before she crawled into bed and became dead to the world.

In a large house down the road, hidden by trees, the Cullen's sat in their living room staring at Edward in shock.

"Nothing?" Carlisle asked.

"Nothing," He answered.

"Not a word?" Rosalie asked.

"No!" he exclaimed. "Nothing! Zero. Nil. Blank. Silent."

"You can't read them. Is it like Bella?" Carlisle asked.

Edward frowned. "No, with Bella it's all static. Like she's on the AM frequency and I'm only getting FM. With those two it's complete silence. It's surprisingly soothing but admittedly disturbing."

Carlisle looked thoughtful and Esme took her husband's hand.

"What should we do?" Jasper asked.

"Just keep an eye on them. You mentioned you're going to be with them at lunch tomorrow, correct?" they all nodded. "Well, see what you pick up on or find out. I have a feeling there is a lot more to them than we may think." Carlisle smiled slightly and shook his head.

Carlisle had come home from his shift at the hospital to find his children acting strange, well stranger, than usual. Alice had been humming loudly and darting around the house, arranging and rearranging all the flowers in the house occasionally frowning in confusion. Edward sat at his piano, scowling at nothing in general. He could hear Emmett pacing upstairs and Jasper sat quietly on the kitchen counter staring blankly at the wall. If Jasper was human, Carlisle would've been worried the boy had gone comatose. Rosalie seemed to be the only one acting herself. Eventually, Carlisle got everyone settled down enough to herd them into the dining room.

"Okay, so tell me what else Alice."

Alice sighed. "They haven't decided yet. There are too many possibilities. One moment I see us at their house, the next I see nothing. Then I see them here or in the woods but it goes black again. It's as if there's a blank space. We're missing something important that affects the outcome of our own futures as well. Sometimes it gets blurry and unfocused but I can see them. I obviously saw them going to school today." her beautiful face became confused. "However, I did not see them come into town or Emmett and Jas take interest in them. When I try to see into their futures, I can barely make anything out. It is frustrating! It's as if one important decision needs to be made before their future can be clearer again. The things I can see into most clearly are things that'll happen somewhere between several minutes and a few days ahead. I have seen some things farther into their futures but I can't really say much since its just glimpses."

Carlisle frowned. "How does it affect us?"

"I don't know. Like I said, we're missing something important." Alice's smile turned into a mischievous smirk. "But it seems that Jas and Em have taken certain . . . interests in them and apparently that was significant." Carlisle looked at Emmett and Jasper.

"This is true?" he asked. Said boys nodded. "Has anything happened?"

"I can't influence their emotions." Jasper murmured. Everyone looked at him in surprise.

"What do you mean?" Esme asked.

Jasper sighed, "I can sense their emotions fine but I can't influence them, at least not Nolan's. I tried in class today. It's like something's stopping me from doing anything." Everyone looked at each other in shock.

"Well, this is interesting." Carlisle stood and paced silently, something he did often while thinking. After a few minutes he stopped.

"What about their blood? Can you control your thirst around them?"

"Actually," Jasper began. "I didn't feel thirsty enough to want to kill when I was near either one of them."

Emmett nodded in agreement. "They smell incredibly good but there was none of the usual bloodlust when I caught their scents."

"Interesting . . ." Carlisle murmured to himself. "I think we should keep an eye on them. I would like to meet them for myself as well."

Soon everyone exited the room. Carlisle watched Emmett approach him, eyes troubled. "I need to talk to you."

She was chained to the floor of what resembled a dungeon. She was curled up on herself and her naked skin had goose bumps from the cold. Her skin glowed pale gray from the weak light and she was shaking violently, her body was sore and she could see large dark bruises on her weak frame. She looked over to her brothers' naked form lying beaten and broken and covered in blood; like her, he was also chained down and she could not move towards him. Low rumbles and growls came from a shadowed corner and Anala shut her eyes, not wanting to look at the wicked creatures. She could feel them watching, shifting restlessly. Her head snapped toward the large door on the other side of the room when the lock clicked and the door swung open, revealing a tall figure in the doorway. She immediately huddled closer to the wall, trying to make herself invisible. The figure quickly strode into the room and stared down at the small teen huddled against the wall, embracing herself against the chill of the dungeon-like room. The monster knelt down next to her and breathed his putrid breath down the back of the girl's neck, sending a shudder through her.

"Such a beautiful set you two make…" he whispered, running a long fingernail down her back. He chuckled darkly.

"One day . . ." he murmured to himself.

"Nolan was a lot of fun." He growled sadistically. Tears escaped her eyes and her shaking worsened. She let out a strangled cry when the long fingernails buried themselves in her hair and yanked her away from the wall. She heard the muttered praises and felt the chains around her ankles clinking as they were being tugged as he pulled her legs further apart. The tears fell faster and she felt the cold stone of the floor connect with her face as she was thrown down, scratching the skin of her cheek and jaw. The man continued his whispers as he positioned himself over her, pinning her to the floor. She felt the disgusting sensation of his breath ghosting along her neck as the large man's breathing became more ragged and his hands roamed over the chained girl's body. She felt soiled, exposed. She feels something cold press against her inner thigh. She bites her lip and the cool object trails lightly up over her flesh before she feels him lean forward and chuckle darkly. "Let's hear you, okay?" suddenly she feels the white hot pain of a sharp claws cutting into the skin of her hip. Disgust fills her as he runs his fingers along her thighs. She lets out a tortured scream as the claws slice into her again, over her belly. The feeling of acid burned through her body. She continues to scream as the pain intensifies and prays to whatever deity that would bother to listen to make it stop. The growls grow louder and begin moving closer . . .

Anala clenched her teeth to keep from screaming. For a long moment her limbs were paralyzed with terror. She tried to convince herself that the chains she felt around her ankles and the putrid breath lingering on the back of her neck wasn't there. She stood around the corner from the cafeteria, staring at the opposite wall as if it held the answers to the universe. Her nails were digging painfully into the skin of her palms and she forced her lungs to take in a slow breath. Blood rushed behind her ears and Anala ran a hand through her hair. It was moments like these that Anala dreaded the most. She and Nolan were free, but she still felt trapped. Fear was constantly looming over her, waiting to strike.

She had heard the sound of keys. A janitor walked past her in the empty corridor and the sound of the metal clanking against each other on the key ring sounded too much like chains to her. It shouldn't have been happening; it had been such an insignificant moment, but it had almost sent Anala into a full blown panic attack. She bit her lip. Pathetic, she thought angrily to herself.

"Are you alright?"

The voice wasn't particularly loud or unpleasant—quite the opposite actually—but it still caused Anala to jump. She looked over to see a massive, strong chest hugged by a snug light blue cotton shirt. The strap of a black backpack was slung casually over a broad shoulder. She looked up further and could feel her cheeks heat as she realized Emmett stood before her. The vampire's gaze locked with Anala's.

Anala couldn't tear her gaze from the startlingly beautiful amber eyes. She felt that he could stare into her very soul and that scared her, yet she couldn't bring herself to look away. She simply felt awe and wonder looking at him. When he finally released her from his spell, Anala could barely think. The only thing going through her mind was what the hell was that?

He looked down. "You're bleeding."

Anala blinked. His voice was amazing. It was deep and rough, but soothing; reminding her strangely, of a calm ocean right before a storm. It flowed smooth and sweet, like honey. Before she could process what he had said, Emmett was gently grabbing her wrist and examining her hand. She noticed his sleeves were pushed up, exposing his forearms. His skin was smooth yet rough. Even though his hold on her was gentle, Anala could feel the raw power that lay just beneath the surface. The slightest pressure from him and she'd probably never have complete use of her hand again. Her palm was covered in blood; apparently her nails had broken the skin. She tensed. She was bleeding in front of a vampire, a vampire that happened to be in an empty hallway where he could easily kill her and dispose of her body in the forest.

But Emmett seemed completely calm, if not slightly tense. He led her to a water fountain a little ways down the hall and placed her hand under the ejected arc of water. For a moment, Anala was transfixed by the sight of the reddish-pink water going down the drain before focusing on the four little crescents embedded in her palm.

"I'm Emmett by the way." His lips quirked up a bit. "It's nice to officially meet you Anala."

"It's nice to meet you too." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "Uh, you know my name?"

His features became amused. "I'm afraid the whole town knows you and your brother Miss Cathari." His eyes shone with silent mirth as he looked at her. "News travels like wildfire in small towns."

Right. She'd known that. But Emmett's presence was making it difficult to think clearly, he unnerved her and she had no idea why.

"You should probably go to the nurse and get some bandages." His eyes met hers again and Anala pulled her hand back. The skin was tingling from where his hand had touched her. She didn't bother telling him she didn't need bandages, the cuts would be fully healed by the end of the hour. She nodded awkwardly anyway and choked out a quick 'thank you' before leaving him standing next to the water fountain.