A/N: Hey everbody, sorry it's taken me sooooo looooong to update. I've been job hunting! Might have some success. We'll see. If I forget about you guys for more than a month or so, I probably have a job. Anyway, here's chapter 5.
A/N 2: Sorry it took so long to get through the 1st chap. ENJOY!

5. AFTERNOON

**Max's POV**

I HEADED INTO THE TINY LOCKER ROOM. COACH CLAPP, THE GYM TEACHER, HAD FOUND EACH OF US A UNIFORM. IGGY LISTENED FOR FANG'S FOOTSTEPS AS THEY HEADED FOR THE BOYS' ROOM, and I for the girls room. Let me tell you, it is almost impossible to change out of a shirt while still attempting to hide your wings from view. I eventually figured out a technique that worked pretty well. I couldn't imagine how hard the boys had it, they didn't even have a tank top to attempt to cover theirs. But, honestly, if it had been any—and I mean any—of the flock members, I would have been perfectly fine changing normally, but the point here was to blend in, so blend we would. Until we got out of here, that is. I hoped it would be over soon.

AAGHH! Bad headache... brain exploding... Voice, I thought we had established this: NO HEADACHES! I screamed in my mind.

Max, the Voice intoned, not noticing my complaint, your time is not nearly over. This is just the beginning. It was really freaking me out right now.

What does that mean? I thought angrily.

No response. Dumb Voice doesn't even know how to respond to a direct question.

I had just finished changing into the uniform when in walks that girl again — and you know who I'm talking about, don't pretend you don't or else you probably wouldn't be reading this. Being me, I flounced my way out of the room — meaning I pretty much just ran like a bat out of heck.

We were playing volleyball. The flock and I had never actually played sports before — that is, unless you count fighting off bad guys using the ancient art of Max fu as a sport. Despite this fact, we would be beating the pants off those guys, we were made to be light, fast, and very, very strong. Even little Angel was stronger than a grown man. I saw the guy from after English, Mike, and he smiled at me. I returned the smile without thinking, though mine was a bit less friendly.

Well, you don't have to be a genius to know that Ig, Fang and I were all put on the same team of course... with Bella. She didn't really do anything though, but it seemed better that she didn't. The only time she even touched the ball was when it was her turn to serve. Unsurprisingly, Fang, Iggy and I were good at spiking...and the only ones on our team who could. We had Mike, Bella, the three of us, and a girl named Jennifer on our team. We could usually jump higher than any human — Angel could jump maybe eight feet without spreading her wings — and stay in the air longer because we were lighter. With us spiking it over and over, and most of us doing pretty well on serving it, the other team hardly had a chance with the ball. Of course, Iggy only needed help with the serving. Man! He's got super-super hearing or something, I swear that he could hear the ball coming at him, we don't even need to let him know about it. Even though he's blind and all, he can usually serve it into just the right spot when he hears the other team's shoes squeaking on the floor. Super-hearing or not, squeaky shoes bother my ears!

When we got outside, it wasn't raining anymore, but it was windier.

We saw the other girl going toward the office because she was also a new student. When Iggy, Fang, Nudge and I got into the office, we found Edward in there, talking to the receptionist. As the wind blew in, he stiffened and turned around, looking toward Bella — actually, he seemed to be glaring murderously.

"Never mind," he said, his voice low and flat. "I see that there's nothing you can do. Thank you anyway for trying." With that, he turned and walked out of the room. We hurriedly turned in our slips and rushed out behind him. He walked to his car as we walked to ours. We headed over to the elementary school so that I could talk to the principal about the Gasman. How he snuck a stink bomb in was beyond me — or why he set it off for that matter —, but he would sooo get it as soon as we were back at the Cullens'.

"You wanted to see me, Mr. Lewis?" I asked as I walked in the room. Gazzy was sitting in a chair in the corner of the principal's office.

"Yes, Max is it?" I nodded. "We have reason to believe that your younger brother set off a stink bomb in the boys' lavatory," he stated.

"Do you have proof?" I asked him.

"As a matter of fact, we have an eyewitness. Another young boy saw your brother put something in the restroom and just leave."

Huh. No one had ever caught the Gasman before, how did this guy do it?

"Are you absolutely sure that it was my brother who put a stink bomb in there? I mean, he says he didn't do it. You should know, sir, our family is very religious. We don't lie, sir." I was really having a good time playing innocent, and he seemed to believe me.

WE ARRIVED AT THE CULLENS' TO FIND OUT THAT EDWARD HAD UP AND LEFT THEM. BELLA, I THOUGHT. HE DIDN'T WANT TO HURT HER SO HE WAS LEAVING. NOW WAS NOT THE TIME FOR ME TO worry about Edward's personal life though; Gazzy had to learn that when I say blend in, I mean no stink bombs.

"Gazzy," I called. The others had waited for us in the car, but as soon as we got out, the Gasman had zipped up to the room that he shared with the other guys — formerly Carlisle and Esme's. "Oh, no you don't," I cried. "Get back here!" I chased him up and looked him in the eye. Keeping my voice calm and steady, I asked, "Why?" Just that.

Poor kid coulda burst into tears, but he didn't 'cause he's way stronger than that. "A kid made fun of me," he stated simply, as if that would justify blowing our cover.

"Gazzy," I pleaded, "no more stink bombs or anything, okay? It's like sending up a flare to any Erasers saying, 'We're right here! Come and kill us!' Your handy-work is unmistakable," I said, imagining what would happen then. Would the Cullen's help us. Now what was that I had heard about vampires' relationship with werewolves...? Oh, yeah — they hate each other! Hmm... I wonder if that applies to werewolf-like genetic mutants.

"Okay," he sighed.

As we headed downstairs to do our homework — ICK! — I continued my little anti-Eraser fantasy. So let's see, how would it start. Well, obviously the Erasers would track us down and try to attack us at the Cullens' house, but we would shoot out the window as soon as we saw them. The Cullens would hear the commotion and — BAM! Down go the Erasers! High fives all around! Applause from the audience! And curtain!

As you can figure I was smiling randomly throughout the rest of the day as imagined this scene and others like it over and over and over.

**Edward's POV**

"MRS. COPE?" I ASKED WHEN SHE DIDN'T SEEM TO NOTICE MY ENTRANCE.

"Yes, Edward?" she asked, flustered. Don't even think about it. He's practically young enough to be my son. She was wrong, of course. I was old enough to be her grandfather. "What can I do for you?"

Even though I was uncomfortable, I knew how to be charming when I wanted to. This seemed like a good time for it.

I leaned forward and looked as deeply as I could into her utterly depthless eyes.

"I was wondering if you could try to change my schedule?"

Her heart rate increased drastically.

"Of course. What exactly is the problem?"

"I was wondering if I could transfer from Biology to a higher-level class like Physics. Seeing as I've already studied this before..."

"Of course you have. You went to that accelerated school in Alaska, right." She pursed her lips as she considered this. They all ought to be in college by now. All the teachers are always complaining about them. All perfect four-point-ohs, never a wrong answer, never a hesitation — it's as if they have some way to cheat in every single subject. Mr. Varner would much rather believe someone was cheating instead of having a student be smarter than him... Their mother probably tutors them... "unfortunately, Edward, physics is pretty full right now, and Mr. Banner doesn't like having more than twenty-five students in a class —"

"I assure you, I wouldn't be any trouble."

Of course. The perfect Cullens never cause trouble. "I know, Edward, but there just aren't enough seats."

"Maybe I could just drop the class?" I asked hopefully.

"Drop Biology? But you wouldn't have enough credits to graduate if you did." How hard can it be to sit through something you've already learned? There's got to be a problem with Mr. Banner. Maybe I should talk to him about it.

"I could easily catch up next year."

"You should ask your parents about it."

The door opened behind me, but whoever it was didn't think anything of my being there. I leaned forward even farther to try looking deeper into her eyes. This would have worked better if I had had a chance to actually feed last night. My eyes would have been gold rather than the black they were — the black frightened people like it should.

"Please, Mrs. Cope?" I pleaded. "Sixth hour Biology can't be the only option. There must be some other open slot." I made my voice as smooth as I could.

He's too young. Mrs. Cope kept reminding herself. "Perhaps I could talk to Bo — Mr. Banner about —"

Just then, the door opened and a gust of wind blew through the office. I leaned toward Mrs. Cope now in an attempt to keep myself from attacking the person who had entered.

A second changed everything. A second changed why I was here, why I leaned toward the secretary, a second changed the entire atmosphere in the tiny room.

In one second, Max, Fang, Iggy, and Nudge opened the door to hand in their slips with their teachers' signatures and the wind blew around the scents in the air.

The first person to enter had been Bella. That was why I hadn't heard her thinking about me.

I slowly turned around to glare at the girl who was innocent of everything. All she had done was smell good.

The Rides all instantly knew what was happening, and — unanimously — shouted in their minds Snap out of it, Edward! Don't do it!

Thanks to them I did snap out of it.

"Never mind," I said to Mrs. Cope. "I see that there's nothing you can do. Thank you anyway for trying."

My friends all turned in their slips and we left for our cars. The Rides were going to pick up the Gasman and Angel — somehow, Gazzy had set off a stink bomb that he had stashed in his backpack and Max had gotten a call about it — so they were safe, but I was going to leave in order to keep myself from hurting anyone else.

When I got to my Volvo, I announced, "I'm leaving."

"Why?" asked Alice.

"I don't want to hurt anyone."

"You'll hurt Esme if you leave, Edward," she countered.

"Drop off a car at the hospital. I'm going to borrow Carlisle's." That was all I said. I ran off to the hospital and asked Carlisle to borrow his car. He agreed, hesitantly, but he still agreed.

I felt my stress melting away as the road flew away beneath my tires.

**Bella's POV**

AS SOON AS SHE SAW ME, MAX RAN OUT OF THE LOCKER ROOM. I CHANGED INTO MY OWN UNIFORM AND WENT TO THE MAIN PART OF THE GYM.

We were playing volleyball today and I was on the same team as all three of the Rides. Of course they were very athletic, unlike myself. I swear, they would stay in the air for around two minutes when they spiked the ball. Which they did when they jumped higher than humanly possible. The other members on our team were Mike and some other girl. Everyone else got us at least one point, but when I had the ball to serve, it didn't even make it to the net so most of the time I just watched my teammates hit the ball around.

Finally, the bell rang and I was able to leave the gym. Luckily, it wasn't raining, but it was quite windy.

When I entered the office, I saw Edward Cullen leaning over the desk, arguing with the secretary. I could only get the gist of their words, but it seemed like he wanted to get out of sixth-hour Biology. Trade it for any other time.

Disbelief washed over me. I couldn't believe that he was trying to transfer out because of me. No. it must have been another thing entirely, something before Biology.

Then, a gust of wind blew in; the Rides were here. As soon as the door opened, I saw Edward stiffen. Then he turned to glare at me — I nearly flinched at those black eyes, but I suppressed it.

"Never mind," he said flatly. "I see that there's nothing you can do. Thank you anyway for trying." He turned and stalked out to his car — the silver Volvo, I noted. The Rides turned in their slips and left without a word. I spoke to the secretary as she asked how my day had been.

I saw the Rides reach their car — a Honda, the only other new car in the lot. Funny, when I had seen Max yesterday — though only from a distance — she had looked like she couldn't afford a new outfit, let alone a car. Besides, I thought wryly, why drive when you can fly?

My truck seemed to be the last car in the parking lot when I finally reached it, finding it a haven in this dreary, cold world of green and winged people.

I merely sat in the cab for a while just staring at the blank windshield, until, finally, I was cold enough that I needed to turn the heat on. I turned the key and with a deafening roar, the engine sprang to life. I drove back to Charlie's house, all the while fighting the tears that filled my eyes to the brim.