Chapter 4

Waking up at five am, hungry beyond belief, was an unusual feeling, although not surprising. I'd gone to sleep just after four the previous afternoon and only woken up briefly at half eight, when my aunt had poked her head around the door, asking me if I'd eaten. Not hungry, I'd told her I had and gotten up to go to the bathroom, before going back to sleep. Looking back on it now, not eating had been a bad decision - I was so hungry I could eat a cow.

Throwing back my covers, I scrambled out of bed, grabbing my hoodie and stuffing my feet in my slipper boots before slipping out of my room and, after a quick stop in the bathroom, going as fast as I dared down the stairs. Going straight towards the kitchen, I was already considering what I could eat; Lucy and Tim woke up at half six, so I didn't want to make too much noise and wake them before then. After much consideration, I decided to start with some toast with nutella - easy and quiet. After that, I chomped on an apple as I looked through the fridge, eventually deciding on some orange juice. I took the glass and another apple upstairs with me then, creeping past my aunt and uncle's bedroom door and settling down in my room. I was wide awake and unlikely to go back to sleep now, so I dug my old laptop out from the bottom of my bedside table drawer. It was an old model and I resisted the urge to hit the screen as it took forever to boot up and instead distracted myself by gulping down my orange juice.

When my laptop was finally on and the internet browser was open, I immediately typed in 'vampire'. At this point in time, I knew exactly what Bella and Jasper knew and whilst between them I knew a lot more than nearly anyone, it still didn't feel like my knowledge - it felt like something they'd tried to teach me but had done badly, meaning I didn't understand any of it. I needed to look up a few things of my own.

**?**

I almost wanted to skip school, but it being my second day and all, I felt like I should at least show my face.

*But when I walked into the cafeteria with Jessica - trying to keep my eyes from sweeping the place for him, and failing entirely - I saw that his four siblings of sorts were sitting together at the same table, and he was not with them. Mike intercepted us and steered us to his table. Jessica seemed elated by the attention, and her friends quickly joined us. But as I tried to listen to their easy chatter, I was terribly uncomfortable, waiting nervously for the moment he would arrive. I hoped that he would simply ignore me when he came, and prove my suspicions false. He didn't come, and as time passed I grew more and more tense.

I walked to Biology with more confidence when, by the end of lunch, he still hadn't showed. Mike, who was taking on the qualities of a golden retriever, walked faithfully by my side to class. I held my breath at the door, but Edward Cullen wasn't there, either. I exhaled and went to my seat*

I remembered suddenly and going to school suddenly became a little bit easier. Even with the other four vampires there, not having the mind reader was bound to make my day - and, hopefully, my life - so much better. I was fairly confident I could avoid them - minus, perhaps, Jasper, as I had geography with him - until at least lunch and even if I couldn't, I could complain all I wanted in my head without them knowing.

My mind made up, I got ready for school, slightly more conscious of the fact that I did not want to be touched today - after yesterday, I don't think I could take anymore. Wearing woollen tights, a blush pink skater skirt that ended just above my knees and a soft, long sleeved white top, I was mostly covered. I added a knitted cream cardigan and hoped the gloves that I picked up didn't look too out of place. Taking one last look in the mirror, I moved a lock of my long blonde hair over to cover a bit of neck, hoping that it would stop anything...unwanted...from happening. Nodding at myself, I grabbed my backpack of school supplies and made my way downstairs.

**?**

By the time lunchtime came around, I was ready to go home. So far, I'd been lucky and avoided touching anyone and stayed out of the way of the Cullen's - I'd been right, without Edward there to read my mind and know where I was going, it was a lot easier to avoid them, even though Alice could see the future; thank goodness it was all very subjective. Even Geography, which I shared with Jasper, was easy to handle, as I arrived as late as possible and sat in the seat surrounded on all sides by people that were not vampires.

When I entered the canteen, however, I knew that my luck had come to an end. I walked in with Angela, as I had yesterday, trying not to look too obvious as I turned my head to look out for one of the Cullens but I must have missed the surprisingly easy to miss body of Alice Cullen as my gloved hand was grabbed and I was dragged, by Alice, to the lunch line. I looked over my shoulder to see Angela standing alone, a confused look on her face as she stared after me - oh god, she must think I was so weird. I hoped she was still my friend after this, after seeing me be dragged off by a Cullen twice in as many days.

"She'll still be your friend, you know" I was broken out my thoughts by Alice's voice "Although she has quite a lot of questions about how you know us."

"You know, I bring a packed lunch." I ignored what the seer had said, even though I was secretly relieved at the reassurance in her tone. If a seer told you something, it seemed to usually be the truth.

"I know." The mischievous smile she threw in my direction didn't make me feel any safer. In fact, as we progressed through the lunch line I could only feel my nervousness grow. I was holding what I was pretty sure was Jasper's lunch tray and was very, very tempted to drop it just to break the tension and have an excuse not to follow Alice to a table.

"It won't work." Alice singsonged just loud enough for me to hear it, although the amusement was portrayed loud and clear. I attempted a growl under my breath, sure that I was pouting. The wide smile on Alice's face definitely wasn't helping matters. She was still smiling as she paid for the two trays and I almost stomped as I followed behind her.

"Hello." The amusement was clearly heard in the low voice that greeted us when we finally stopped at a table and I couldn't help but scowl as I dropped the tray on the table none-too-gently. I didn't look up until I was slumped in a seat, feeling childish but justified at the same time. Jasper's face was entirely too amused for my liking.

"Hmph." I turned my head down to my lap, where I was unconsciously twisting my fingers together. Quickly, hoping they hadn't noticed the nervous tick, I untangled them and shrugged my backpack of my shoulders, reaching in to grab by lunch. I hadn't bought much - Lucy had given me some money and a shopping list to do after school because we were running out of food and she was working extra shifts at the hospital this week to cover for a sick coworker.

"Is that all you're eating?"

I looked up at Jasper's disapproving words, frowning.

"There is nothing wrong with my lunch." I told him. He raised an eyebrow at me.

"I know its been a while since I've eaten human food, but that cannot be enough."

I looked down at my little lunchbox - I had a packet of crisps, a banana and a Nutella sandwich. In sixth form, I rarely really even had anything close to resembling lunch and in comparison, this was definitely lunch.

"I don't know what counts for lunch over here, but in England this is the traditional packed lunch." I moved It around to show him and Alice as if it was a prize in a game show, smiling.

Both Alice and Jasper looked a bit confused.

"Really?" Alice asked.

"Yeah. This is what I'm used to having for lunch - or at least, something similar."

She peered down at my box and then at her tray. She had a slice of pizza, a large bowl of salad, a pot of yogurt and a muffin, alongside a bottle of coke.

"But, you know, since you're not eating that, I'll take the muffin - " I reached over and grabbed it and although, as a vampire, she would have been more than fast enough to stop me, she didn't. "And I'll steal your drink too." I grinned at her. I remembered, from Bella's memories, how much she hated wasting so much food.

"What do you do for dinner, then?" Jasper interrupted, still obviously on the topic of food.

"The same as you." I told him innocently.

He choked, although that could have been more because Emmett had come up behind him and slapped him hard on the back than because of my words.

"I'm joking." I tell him. I am slightly confused, though, because he did not have nearly this much personality from Bella's perspective. That's one major problem with what I see though - I only see it from one perspective and I have never, ever seen myself. "I'm not sure whats for tea tonight, since I need to go and buy it after school. I might make a pasta bake..." I think contemplatively. Jasper still has a bit of a funny look on his face but Emmett guffaws loudly. I grin at him, quite happy that I'd apparently managed to shock Jasper so badly. Alice smiled from beside me and although Rosalie was pointedly ignoring me, I decided that this lunch hadn't been too bad.

Hopefully, the rest of the week would be just as good, although I had little hope for when Edward came back.