Chapter Four

Max's POV

"Are you being serious?" The receptionist asked, staring at my family in the small overcrowded office waiting area.

They had waited for me outside the door while I changed into the very inappropriate skirt and blouse that Alice had picked out instead of the comfortable jeans and t-shirt that I wanted to wear. I wouldn't have been as late if stupid Jeb hadn't decided to make me firing mad.

"Why wouldn't we be serious?" Alice asked back, not understanding why there were any complications to getting our schedules. "Do I look like I'm joking?"

"My name is Mary Alice Martinez." She pointed at the rest of us. "These are my siblings and we're here to register for school."

"But…but you all look so different." The receptionist stuttered, eyeing us carefully. Alice with her black hair and extreme pale skin; Bella and I with our brown hair and white skin; Iggy, with his arm wrapped around Bella, looking like a giant vanilla ice cream cone; and Jake the giant Native American.

"Really?" I asked sarcastically. "I hadn't ever noticed. Daddy always tells us that Mommy has lots of friends that like to wrestle and that's why we aren't all the same." I said, putting on my best innocent face even though I was sixteen and should have learned my lesson about sassing someone in authority from the School.

"Ignore her." Alice said to the lady whose eyes bulged to the size of saucers. "Max has always had an attention problem." The woman smiled at Alice before giving me a quick once over, judging me with scrutiny in those brief seconds.

"You are in so much trouble." Alice whispered under her breath from the front of our little parade of 'siblings' but I heard her none the same thanks to my avian DNA.

"Here. Fill out these forms and you can be on your way. Thank you." The woman said, handing over a stack of papers to each of us.

I took mine and smiled evilly. "Oh no. Thank you."

Bella was giggling up a storm and even Jake had trouble from breaking out into his cheesy grin. What can I say? I'm a crowd pleaser.

"Mary Alice, Jacob. You are free to go. Here are your schedules." The woman said and handed schedules to them fresh off the printer.

Alice smirked at us before tugged on Jake's jacket sleeve, ushering him out the door with a gleam in her eye. Stupid mind reader.

With a wave from each of them, they exited the office leaving us alone with the judgmental mental patient.

"Maxalina, Bellachay, Izel." She said our names with a hint of amusement but mostly sarcasm. "I'll get your schedules when you tell me your real names and quit trying to pull one over on me."

"But…those are our names." Iggy protested and Bella just nodded. "Izel means unique because that's what the person who named me thought I was." He didn't add the fact that he named himself, but I think that would only edge the lady on further. She already thought we were liars.

"Yeah, and our mother was eccentric when it came to names." Bella said, gesturing towards herself and me. She looked like she was about to cry. "We go by Bella, Max, and Iggy though if that will make you feel better."

"Very well. I guess it doesn't really matter what you're named anyways." The woman said with a shrug. I was half tempted to slug her just to wipe that smug smile off her face…but then I remembered Alice would see anything I did in a vision and bring her leader furry down on me.

The receptionist finally handed us our schedules and I nearly spit in her face. She was driving me crazy with her fake superiority. Didn't she know who she was talking to? I was Maxalina Martinez for crying out loud!

I've taken down more of the School's lethal experiments than the government has made cover-ups and conspiracies. I could probably kill the woman with no more than the twitch of my thumb and yet she stands there and practically calls us street rats with nothing but lies to tell.

Sure, she didn't know any of that. But that isn't the point. Some people just have no people skills.

As we were leaving the office, a strange inhumanly beautiful family entered the office. A tall blonde in a skimpy outfit holding tight to a wide shouldered dark haired teenager; a black haired boy whose hair was in his face was giving me the creeps as he stared at the gorgeous brown haired girl in sweat pants; and a much younger blonde haired girl who was staring at me with wide eyes. I could have sworn that there was spit hanging out of the side of her mouth.

I felt compelled to go near the girl, though everything in my senses was telling me that that was a very bad idea. She only motioned for me again, her eyes locked on mine. I was about to take my first step forward when Bella grabbed my arm and yanked me in the direction of our first class. I was almost positive that I saw the little girl frowning in my direction as I left.

I blinked, unsure of what I saw once I was outside, and shook my head. One thing I knew for sure, Forks was full of a bunch of strange people.