I know, I said Wednesday, but I do have an excuse.

My creative excuse: My flying elephant blew up my computer with his fire breath and I lost my files and had to write it again, and then the dog ate it so I had to do another version.

The real excuse: I couldn't be bothered and I was out socialising with friends.

Needless to say I do not own a fire-breathing flying elephant, or a dog, but you can pick which ever one you like.

Anyway, without further delay.

Oh and yeah, I don't see the point in the whole Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer. If I was I would have yelled the plotline of all the stories from the rooftop after Twilight got published. I am that rubbish at keeping secrets.

See you down the bottom.


It was my alarm that woke me from my daze. It rang, loud and annoying, scaring me half to death.

Ha-ha, funny joke since you are dead, well not really but you know…

Good morning to you too, I replied to the voice in my head. I'm not schizophrenic, it's just there.

The alarm rang again. I rolled off my bed, slamming my fist down on it turning it off and opened my wardrobe door, pulling out my signature black hoodie and a pair of light blue jeans. I grabbed a lilac shirt and threw them on, finishing the look with my blue converse.

Pulling my new-and-improved hair up into a loose ponytail I wondered idly what had actually made me change my hair back to blonde, instead of having my boring black. Well, it makes a nice change whatever.

I got a feeling like someone was watching me. I spun around and looked out of the window. Nothing there. I tasted the air. Nope nothing.

Checking myself in the mirror one last time, I picked up my book bag and the picture of Alice and Jasper and I headed out to the mini.

The drive to school was uneventful. I recalled saying that yesterday, the only difference was that yesterday I had nearly run over two people. Today my driving was a little better and there were no near misses.

As I pulled into the parking lot every head turned in my direction. Great, it'll just be as bad as yesterday.

After what felt like eternity, but was probably only two minutes, I opened the door of my mini, only to be pushed back against it with the force of something small, black and white throwing itself at me. Alice.

"…so pretty, it'll fit perfectly on the wall in our room. You didn't have to do it, but it is brilliant. The others will be so jealous, you'll have to do them one as well. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, sooooo much!" It all took around ten seconds to say, I think I managed to catch all of it though.

Jasper came up towards us, laughing at the sight of me bewildered and Alice still hanging onto me thanking me like there was no tomorrow.

Silently I peeled Alice off me and handed them both the picture. "It's bigger than in my vision." Alice noted, holding it as far away from her as possible, trying to take it all in.

Smiling I waved goodbye and locked the mini, walking away to give them some privacy when I walked straight bang into someone.

They were a good head and a half taller than me. I took a step back, muttering apologies and took in his profile.

He had long sandy blonde hair and startlingly blue eyes. I heard his gasp, he probably saw my eyes and pushed past him.

What I wasn't expecting was him to grab my wrist and pull me back making me trip and land in his outstretched arms.

"Heya gorgeous, what's your name?" He sent me a flirty smile that most humans would melt for, but not me. I've been around vamps with attitudes like that, and they're a lot more convincing than he was.

Instead I played along. I leaned in closer, standing on my tiptoes, nearly cracking up at the sound of his heart racing and whispered, millimetres from his ear, "None of your business." And turned and walked away, faster this time, all though it wasn't needed, he was still in shock.

"Playing hard to get eh?" he called after me, I could hear the smugness in his voice.

Turning around I smiled slightly and called back, "You wish."

~*~

I walked into history and breathed a sigh of relief. One of my two only lessons without a Cullen in the room. I nodded to Mrs Bevan who took in my new appearance and mumbled, "Glad to see you in something more normal today." I wasn't meant to hear it but I looked at her and gave her a knowing smile. She paled slightly.

I walked to the back of the classroom, towards my seat. Blondie from the car park was sat in the seat next to mine. Grimacing, I sat down and pulled out a pen and my books.

"I know I'm incredibly handsome and you can't stay away from me, but you're sat in the new girl's seat."

Isn't he modest? No. He's a stuck up jerk.

I squared my shoulders and met his eyes. "I am the new girl, I just dyed my hair and decided, or rather others decided for me, that I need to be slightly more sociable in this school. Happy?"

"Raven, that's your name isn't it? I'm Mike, Mike Newton." Did he just puff out his chest? Is this guy for real?

"Well Mike, Mike Newton. I think I made it quite clear last time. I'm. Not. Interested."

I turned my back on him and tuned out his chattering, focusing on the lesson going on in front of me.

Like yesterday, I set the bell to go off a few minutes earlier again today; I was going up the wall with Mike, Mike Newton.

I hurried to English, giving evils at anyone who tried to speak to me. I slouched in my seat and sighed, I heard Bella arrive and sit in her seat next to me.

"Mike Newton?" she asked with a hint of a smile. I glared in response. Bella let out a tinkling laugh. "He was fascinated with me when I first came here, then I met Edward, then Mike backed off." She laughed again.

"Great, all I need is an over protective ginger vamp to keep him off." Bella didn't bother to correct me and put her head on one side.

"You changed your hair, Rose was right, blonde looks good on you. Is this your natural colour?"

Mr McGregor started the lesson and I kept an eye on where he was, making sure he wasn't in earshot of our conversation.

"Just slightly off. I don't like my natural colour, a sort of ginger blonde, and we both know how much I hate ginger." Bella went into peals of laughter again and I found myself liking her just slightly more. I'm sure I could live with her.

Where did that come from? You hate vamps! You're going soft.

I blocked my off thoughts, shutting the voice in my version of a soft padded room with no sharp objects. That should do it.

"Didn't you come to Forks as a human?" I asked carefully, trying to find out some more about her.

Bella smiled, I guess she was remembering her first days at Forks. "I moved here halfway through the freshman year. I was fifteen, nearly sixteen. Mike wouldn't leave me alone." Breathy laughter escaped her lips. "Then I met Edward. Everything just, fitted. It was love at first sight you could say." She let out a dreamy sigh and I cleared my throat. "Anyway, cut a long story short. We fell in love. I found out about them being, different as I began to get fascinated with him. Now I know he was just as fascinated and all but stalked me, my blood, oh we already told you about that yesterday didn't we. When I turned seventeen he agreed to turn me and we went away and waited for my bloodlust to subside and my eyes to calm down to gold and we moved back."

"You really love him don't you?" I asked my voice almost inaudible.

"He is my everything." She answered, "Don't you have anyone? What about that boy you said you saved from your previous school, you said you dropped him off with a friend."

"They're not really friends. I've dropped a few newborns in with them before. They take care of them then let them do what they want with life. And I've never found a special someone. How can I? I will live for a long time, until I need to pass on the power, and then I die. I won't change so I can't have a human, and if I do fall for a vamp, when I have to pass on the power, it will hurt them when I die. It's pointless."

I checked my watch. The lesson had gone surprising fast. Only five more minutes until the bell would ring. That can be changed.

Brinnnnnng!

That's what I thought.

I gathered my things in silence and headed to Calculus.

Calculus went by quickly. I was able to outsmart the teacher, Mr Strange, and do so without sniggering at his unfortunate name.

I walked begrudgingly into photography and ignored every single word that spurted from Alice, the pixie and concentrated on Mr Ford's description of the project we were meant to be working on outside of school.

We had to take two photos, one representing light or good, the other representing bad or darkness. The bad side? We were only allowed to use ourselves with a simple back drop and we had to pick something out of the ordinary.

Yay. Note the sarcasm.

I zoned out for the rest of the lesson, concentrating on the pitter patter of the rain drops on the window.

When the bell announced the end of photography I stood and walked out of the room before the teacher could dismiss the class. I strode to the cafeteria and bought an apple and a soda. I looked around the room for a place to sit. I saw Mike catch my eye and gesture for me to sit with him. I quickly saw an alibi, the Cullen table was empty. I saw Alice, probably waiting for the rest of her family to arrive, stood with lunch in hand, by the doors. I took the chance to act quickly. I walked quickly to the table and sat in the seat I sat in yesterday.

I held the apple in my hand and was vaguely aware of people moving around me. I felt someone sit in the chair next to me but ignored it.

I bit into the apple with a loud crack. I kept the apple near my mouth and drew out the little energy it had left.

I looked up from the now shrivelled apple into the eyes of Alice, Bella, Edward, Jasper and Emmett. Rosalie was staring out of the large cafeteria windows, blatantly ignoring me.

I put the dead apple on the table and smiled at them, "Hi."

Jasper was the first to recover. "What just happened with the apple? One second you're biting into it the next it's all shrivelled up."

I explained to them that there was a little energy left in the apple, and I was hungry so I decided to take it. "Anyone you want calmed down slightly? Too much energy?" I asked, itching for more energy.

They all answered at the same time, which was slightly unnerving. "Jessica Stanley." Emmett pointed to a short curly haired girl would was chatting animatedly and kept glancing over at me, I'd wager she was gossiping about me. I reached into her energy supply.

Jesus, she's high as a kite!

I heard a distant chuckle. Edward I'd guess. I focused on drawing the energy feeling the warmth fill me up. I stopped when she had enough to last her the rest of the day.

I broke the stream of energy immediately craving it again. I shook myself out of the craze and opened my eyes. I glanced at Jessica, she let out a large yawn.

"You really do have to go through a lot with feeding don't you." Edward asked. It was a rhetorical question.

"You vamps can well, have to kill really, else you'll create another. And it takes a lot of skill. I have to let go otherwise people will just drop dead on the floor, no signs, nothing. It would seem like their hearts just stopped suddenly." I grimaced.

"You've killed before?" Rosalie surprised me by asking.

"Accidentally," I whispered.

My tone must have hinted that I didn't want to talk about it because Emmett started talking to Jasper and Rosalie about a bike or something. Bella turned to me. "Where did you live?" She asked.

"I don't know. It was hot and dry, not America. I think it was Italy. I fled to America then. I was being chased. I didn't know by who or what. My voice," I broke off and gestured to Edward, "You heard it earlier. It made a comment about Jessica being high. My voice told me to keep running. I trust it. It kept me alive."

"Maybe it's a part of her gift." Jasper added breaking off from the now heated argument between Rosalie and Emmett.

Alice's face went blank and I realised she was having a vision. Jasper was at her side in an instant, holding her hand. Alice shook her head slightly and announced, "Thunderstorm in two days time!" They all let out whoops and cheers.

I raised an eyebrow, "Thunderstorm? Yay?"

Emmett gave me a huge grin and said, "It's the only time we can play baseball." I looked at him confused.

"And this is where she says…" Rosalie mumbled just as I opened my mouth to speak.

"Vampires like baseball?" This seemed to please them to no end, all bursting out in peals of beautiful laughter.

"That's exactly what Bella said!" Edward exclaimed

"And you replied with, 'It's the American past time' and a salute." Bella finished.

Baseball loving, vegetarian vampires. Trust you.

Edward smirked and I realised I had left my mental barrier down.

I raised it and made a note to practise, not for the first time, I recalled.

"Our friend Ravens' little mental voice does have a fiery temper, doesn't it Raven? I think he should be named." Edward had to make a comment. I knew that 'Ravens' little mental voice' would be making a comment soon and I braced myself for the worst.

Why he? Tell Edward, I could be female and that he's very sexist.

I relayed 'Ravens' little mental voice's' comment making Emmett wear a very smug grin.

"I think Billy," Edward said ignoring the sexist comment.

"So what is so special about baseball?" I asked, trying to get the topic of conversation off 'Billy'.

"You should come along, then you'll find out." Alice said, I saw her eyes glinting and I was fearful.

"Alice! Stop translating the Lords Prayer into Ancient Greek and tell me what you're hiding." Edward asked infuriated.

"Edward, sweetie, just calm down, you'll find out in two days, what's that in comparison to forever?" Bella put a hand on Edwards' cheek and pulled him in for a kiss.

"I know, I just hate knowing that she knows something that I don't." Edward mumbled against Bella's lips.

"Now you know how the rest of us feel." Emmett mumbled.

~*~

It was the best day in a school I've ever had. That lunch, just staying around the Cullens, listening to their banter, learning about their histories made me feel more at home than I every really had.

But all good things have to come to an end. And lunch came to an end and me, Edward and Bella headed for the bore that is Mr Banner.

I walked into biology, ignoring all the stares I was receiving.

Maybe dyeing your hair wasn't the best idea if you want to stay unnoticed.

I had to hand it to him, he was right.

I walked to the middle of the room where my seat next to Edward was. I sat down greeting him with a nod of my head.

Mr Banner announced that he would continue his lecture from yesterday. Great, I got another lesson of total crap that I already knew.

I spent the first half of the lesson doodling on my notepad. I suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

"You got any plain A4 paper?" I hissed at Edward.

He handed me a few sheets of plain paper.

I grabbed them and got out a pencil, I started sketching trying to capture the image of Edward and Bella millimetres away from each other when I had asked about the baseball. I scribbled at the page furiously, trying to get it exactly perfect.

I was vaguely aware of Edward leaning over my shoulder to get a better look. The coolness of his body, the smell of his breath, none of it distracted me.

I was entirely focused on the final image. I didn't even hear Mr Banner call my name several times. Edward shook me out of my drawing daze. I looked up at him, fury in my eyes. Edward simply gestured to Mr Banner.

"Sorry sir, I had a slight moment." I answered ignoring the sniggers.

"Yes well, please try and concentrate from now on. Out of curiosity, what were you drawing?" Curse you Mr Banner, curse you to the fiery pits of Satan.

Sheepishly I held up the picture. This resulted in the class peering, trying to get a better look. "Well Miss Thorne, you have proved yourself as a woman of many talents. But please try to refrain from…" He was cut off by the bell signalling the end of biology.

I handed Edward the picture, "Alice and Jasper have one." I explained putting away my notebook. I pulled my bag over my shoulders and walked to gym.

I walked into the changing rooms. I saw the previously energetic Jessica Stanley yawning and I reminded myself to not take so much energy next time.

I changed into my long sleeved tee shirt while keeping my back away from everyone. I just had to change into the bottoms quickly hoping no one would see.

Of course I was hoping in vain. "Ewww! How did you get all those scars?!" Jessica Stanley called to me across the room.

Everyone turned to look at me. "I was in a fire when I was younger. I had surgery on my face, it was that badly damaged. And I use a special makeup on my arms to hide the scars." I lied expertly while answering the unasked questions.

I walked out o the changing rooms to walk directly into Mike, Mike Newton.

"Raven! Fancy seeing you here! We're doing badminton today, do you want to be my partner?" I opened my mouth to answer but Mike answered for me anyway. "That's great! Say, why do you wear a long sleeved top and sweats? The boys would love to see you dressed like the rest of the girls." I glanced at the rest of the girls, most of whom were glaring at me. Probably because I was talking to Mike Newton. Their gym clothes looked like they should be on Victoria's Secret models.

The tops flashing a flat midriff and their shorts left little to the imagination.

"Well unlucky for them then, isn't it?" I replied sweetly, walking over to sit next to Alice, who was laughing at me.

I stuck my tongue out at her. This seemed to amuse her even more. "The picture was really sweet." She announced suddenly.

"Thanks, but Edward and Bella make a really sweet couple. It was all them, I just captured the moment." I smiled at Alice, she would make a really good friend. I decided.

Friend? You've definitely gone soft.

~*~

Badminton passed quickly. The one time I forgot to be careful and just touch the racket to the shuttlecock was the time that Alice fell and "twisted her ankle"

Thank any holy deities up there for seers.

As I was getting changed out of my gym clothes I found the slip I was meant to hand into the office yesterday in my bag. Opps.

As I was walking to the reception I heard people arguing. I only caught snippets of their argument but I managed to decipher that it was about me.

I walked slower now, trying to hear as much of the conversation as possible. Now I could tell it was a male and he was a vampire. Not one I've seen before, and from his scent, he didn't practise the 'vegetarian' option.

What was a human blood drinking vampire doing in my school arguing with the receptionist over something concerning me? He wasn't stalking me, was he?

I don't know. Why don't you go up and ask him? "Hello evil cold-blooded murderer, are you arguing with Mrs Cope over whether or not she could give you my schedule because I really wouldn't appreciate it right now thanks. Bye!" Real tactful.

If you have nothing decent to say, shut your gob! I snapped back

First sign of madness, talking to yourself.

So is drawing pictures of vegetarian vampires. I mumbled back.

Drawing my breath I walked into the office with a big fake smile on my face. The conversation stopped immediately.

I waved the slip of paper at them and said, "Hi, Mrs Cope. Sorry I forgot to give this too you yesterday, have a nice day!"

I handed her the paper and skipped out of the office. Once out dropped the smile.

Well that went well. Now he thinks you need to be locked up in a mental asylum.

I went and sat in the mini. Grabbing my phone out of my bag I used my, very useful, gift to find the phone number of Edward Cullen.

"Hello…" He answered cautiously.

"Hi, it's Raven, don't ask how I got your number, use your brain. I want to ask if I could come over. I have something you might all find interesting."

"You are so cryptic at times." He huffed. In the background I could hear Emmett wanting to know what was so important and please could he have a hint and Alice was receiving a vision as I could hear very Alice-like squeals and, "You really do have worse luck than Bella."

"Well, one hint for Emmett, I might just have got myself and vampiric stalker." And with that I hung up. I started the car and drove out of school heading for the elusive Cullen home.


The plot thickens… well. Not really but, it sounded cool. Also, this is a romance story, it just, like me, comes at awkward, inappropriate moment. :D

Review and make me smile, or you could send me a cyber inappropriate gesture and make me laugh. Take your pick.

Ps I've just read the latest update of Lilyswan story, Eternal Desire and gone mental. Shit her new update is soooo similar to chapter five, that I'm shaking. I'm totally creeped out.

Psychicleech