Chapter 9- The First Day.

It's somehow more than I expected. There is more noise, more people, more confusion, more thudding heartbeats and staring eyes and whispers that follow me as I walk with my family from the parking lot to the office than I had thought.

I can smell the blood, and wonder how on earth the rest of them can stand it- so much of it and so temptingly accessible! When I look over at them I can see how much darker their eyes are now. Edward looks slightly pained and I realise that alongside the aural assault he is hearing a thousand mental voices competing for space inside his head, and I wince in sympathy.

At the office the principal takes a moment to come out of her office and say hello as we're given locker assignments and prepaid cards to use for food in the cafeteria. She asks if we'd like student guides to help us out but the others assure her that we've got the maps and we'll be fine, and then the five of us are outside in the hallway staring at each other, realising that it's time to separate.

"Are you sure you're okay Ren?" Rosalie asks. "You know the map and you know where you're going?"

I nod, wondering if they'll ever accept that I'm not a baby anymore. "I've memorised the map, and my locker should be just around the corner there." I wave the hand which is holding my printed locker combination. "I'll be fine…don't worry. I'll see you at lunch time."

With an almost relieved sigh I turn my back on them and walk rapidly down the hallway and around the corner where, sure enough, I find my locker. It's on the bottom row so I kneel down on the linoleum and try to open it. The combination is a little stiff but it opens without trouble and I begin putting my books away, keeping out what I'll need for the first class.

There's a sudden thump as something kicks me in the back and then a breathless, agonised, "Sorry!"

I look up to see another girl, rubbing her knee and looking like she's trying to cover up pain. She didn't hurt me- I'm not as marble hard as a vampire but I'm a lot tougher than a human – but I give a fake wince and shake my head. "Don't worry about it."

The girl has short dark hair and freckles across her nose. She reminds me a little of Alice, and when I stand up and find myself towering over her she looks up at me and laughs. "They really should give out these lockers based on height," she says cheerfully. "Are you new?"

I nod and hesitantly introduce myself. "I'm Ren Cullen."

"I'm Sarah," she informs me. "Do you know where your first class is?"

I tell her, and she grins. "That's my English class too. I'll take you along there if you like." She seems to take it for granted that I'll follow her, but I have no other options so I do. Sarah is bright and talkative and if the number of people she exchanges greetings with in the halls is any indication she must be quite popular.

Once in the classroom she points me to a desk and says, "You can sit there today if you like."

I do, and watch as the classroom rapidly fills up around me, a little disconcerted when Edward walks in. Both seats beside me are taken, Sarah sitting in one and a boy who keeps staring at me in the other, so Edward merely dips his head at me and takes a seat in the far corner.

Sarah notices this little interaction and pounces on it. "Who is that? Is he your brother? Are you twins then? You look alike."

I keep my face passive. I have fought against the twins idea, but it is hard to deny that Edward and I are genetically related and it's the easiest story to explain why we appear the same age and would be in the same school grade. "Yes."

Sarah's eyes are wide with interest. "He's…wow. Yeah!" She laughs, her eyes fastened on Edward and I can tell by the hunch in his shoulders that he can hear her thoughts.

I want to tell her that's he's not single and she should just stay away from him, but how to explain that his girlfriend is also kind of his sister…for the first time it occurs to me that this whole 'adopted family' thing isn't the most uncomplicated of stories when it's all full of couples. "Edward's okay," is all I say to Sarah, and then the teacher enters the room and I'm thankful to escape the conversation.

I am surprised first of all by the schoolwork, which leaves me floundering simply because it's too simple. I have never analysed a text at this basic level in my life, and the mathematics is so ridiculously simple that at first I think it must be a prank on me and that Emmett is somehow responsible. But as the students around me groan and grumble and use their cell phones as calculators I realise that what my family have been telling me is true- that although I'm not as intellectually advanced as they are yet I'm also nowhere near the ordinary.

Secondly I am surprised by how friendly people are. After listening to my family and absorbing media about school education all my life I wouldn't have been surprised if no one spoke to me or if someone was actually unkind. But instead I am relieved and then pleased to find that people are so nice. Sarah shows me from my first class to my second, and then a boy drops into the seat beside me and starts talking to me and I meet him and his friends. Another person takes me to the third period classroom and then Sarah appears again and takes me to my fourth class and into the cafeteria after that for lunch.

"Come sit with us!" she invites me, as she steers me towards the lunch line. I glance around the cafeteria and see Emmett, Rosalie and Edward already seated at a table over by the outside door.

"I don't know if…they might be expecting me to sit with them," I say uncertainly.

Sarah follows my gaze. "Whoa. Is that your family? We could sit with them if you want to."

"Oh no," I say hastily, taking up a tray and looking at my lunch options. "They're not…they're not very friendly." I deliberately don't look at the table where Emmett, who would have heard me, is now laughing. I place a carton of milk on my tray and then, after looking at the rest of the line, add a second milk and yoghurt and a custard out of the fridge section.

Sarah giggles. "They look a little intimidating! How many of you are there?"

I look at the hot food. "What is that?" I realise I might sound rude, but I've never seen food like the mess that is laid out before me.

"It's casserole day," Sarah says brightly. "That's tuna and that's…chow mein, maybe? That's a vegetarian something. What did you eat at your other school?"

Deer, elk, bear… "I was home schooled," I say, taking a banana and heading to the register. "I've never seen food like that in my life."

Sarah laughs as she takes a hot lunch and then nudges me towards a table. I can feel the eyes of my family on me as I follow her and sit down away from them. "You're like an alien or something, never having been to school."

"Where we lived was very isolated," I say a little defensively.

Sarah's eyes are fastened on my family with fascination. "So who is who?"

I glance over. "Well, that's Edward who you saw this morning. And that's Bella, just sitting down now. Then there's Rosalie, and Emmett- they're juniors." All four of them are staring at me, and I make a face at them.

"That's some gene pool," Bailey comments, grinning at me.

"We're adopted," I say. I don't want to be rude, but I don't want to talk about my family either. I know they can hear every word I say, they're not even pretending not to listen. I take a long drink of milk.

"Where did you live before?" Bailey wants to know.

"We lived in Alaska," I say reluctantly. "We were homeschooled- my dad is a doctor and we moved here for his work."

"Hey Ren, how's it going?"

There's a crash as a bag full of books falls to the ground and then a clatter as a pair of crutches topple after them. I look over and smile as Will, the boy from the hospital, slides himself into a seat, his plastered leg stuck out in to the aisle.

"You turned up after all," he says with a grin. "Wasn't sure I'd see you again."

"It took a little while for the house to be ready," I answer. "We moved in on the weekend."

"You two already know each other?" Sarah asks. There's a glint in her eyes that makes me uneasy, and I find myself glancing over at Edward who would no doubt be able to ready her mind and tell me if I have any need for concern. For once he's not looking at me though, his head bent close to Bella as the two of them talk.

"I met Ren at the hospital after physio one day," Will replies, tapping his cast. "It was right after I did this, she was visiting with her dad."

Sarah sits back in her seat, narrowing her eyes. A moment later an appalled look crosses her face and she leans forward as she hisses dramatically. "Ren, what is the deal with your family? Your brother just kissed your sister!"

Oh! A furious wave of embarrassment floods me. Damn Emmett and Rosalie and their inability to keep their hands off each other! But when I flick my eyes to the side I'm even more horrified to realise it's not Emmett and Rosalie at all- it's Edward with his hands on either side of Bella's face and their foreheads pressed together.

"I told you we're adopted," I say with clenched teeth, mentally screaming at Edward. He must hear me because his jaw twitches, but he calmly drops his hands and leans away from Bella, a small half smile on his face. You jackass. "Carlisle and Esme adopted Emmett and Edward and I, and Rosalie and Bella are foster children that came later. We say brother and sister because it's easier than explaining all the time, but I'm the only one unfortunate enough to be related to Edward by blood," I add, knowing he'll hear me.

He must tell the others what I say, because Emmett grins at me mischievously across the cafeteria and slings an arm around Rosalie. While I don't even want to think about what his hand might be doing to her under the table, I'm grateful that she at least has some semblance of respectability as she rolls her eyes at him and unhooks his hand from her shoulder.

"I didn't realise there were so many of you," Will says. I'm surprised when he looks casually their way and then back to me without pausing to stare at Rosalie, like every other male in the world does. "How has your first day been?"

"It's been interesting," I say cautiously.

"Are you joining the orchestra?" Will asks. "I remember you were reading that book when I met you…" I watch in fascination as the dull red of a blush rises in his cheeks.

It takes me a moment to realise that I should be answering, not just staring. "Yes, they put me in the orchestra."

"Will has joined while his leg heals," Sarah says with a giggle, giving Will a pointed look.

Will's blush deepens. "I can't do gym while I've got the cast on, so they make me go hang out in the music room," he mumbles.

I finish my banana and open my second carton of milk. I notice that a couple of people eye my tray of lunch with barely concealed smirks and looking around I realise that my dairy and banana lunch is perhaps a little odd. But since the high protein and fat content is what my body needs, I just keep swallowing my milk as I listen to the conversation flow around me.

As the bell rings for the end of the lunch period I throw my trash away and return the tray. My bag is slung over my shoulder and Bailey grabs the strap and gives me a friendly smile. "Want me to show you the way to the music room?" she asks.

"Thank you," I answer, tightening my grip on my violin case as the crowds around me increase. I feel the bump of Will's crutches against my arm and I try to give him room.

"Thanks," he says with a smile.

Suddenly I can smell Edward's scent and feel his cool shoulder touching mine. "Watch out for that boy," he says, too low for any of the humans to hear.

"What?" I step aside as we leave the cafeteria so that the crowd flows past me and Edward and I are standing together. "What do you mean?"

Edward half smiles. "Teenage boy and beautiful girl like you? He likes you Ness."

"Ren," I remind him, making a face. "Don't be stupid. He doesn't even know me." I consult my mental map and start heading towards the music room.

Edward raises his eyebrows. "That doesn't necessarily matter," he says, keeping pace with me.

I am surprised by the fluttering feeling of nerves in my belly. I have thought about finding friends in school, human friends, but the way Edward is looking from me to Will's brown hair above the crowd and back again makes me think that it is not friendship Edward has been reading from his head. This is not a subject I have given any thought to before making my plans, and it disturbs and unsettles me to have it raised on the first day.

"Just be careful," Edward murmurs as we enter the music room side by side. "Don't get caught up in something you can't handle…"

I flash him a look of hurt. "I can handle anything that comes up," I snap, and for the first time in my life I turn my back on him and walk away, over to where Bailey is waving at me as she rosins her bow.

"Your brother plays too?" she asks, a faint look of unease on her face.

"Piano," I mutter. I watch Edward take a seat against the wall, and notice how the girl sitting next to him seems to automatically tense up and angle her body away from him. I've never been as aware of the human response to my vampire family as I have been today. Even the conductor, when she arrives, seems awkward and intimidated as Edwards rises to his feet and speaks to her, although when I trail over there to introduce myself she is brisk and forceful as she asks me questions about my experience.

Much to my horror she asks us to play something. I want to just play quietly in the back corner of the string section, taking my cue for an appropriate level of skill from those around me, but instead I'm forced to stand beside Edward at the piano and play something for everyone to listen to. I guess Edward can tell how panicked I feel because he calmly takes one of the simpler music books from the table and opens it to a page at random.

"We'll do this," he murmurs, eyes scanning the page. "It's basic, you'll come off as talented but they won't be aware of just what you can do." He touches my hand and the familiar feel of cold vampire skin settles me down and I nod.

Once I start playing, everything else fades away. There is nothing but the music, lilting and beautiful and speaking to my heart in a way that words never do. Edward taught me to play the piano when I was very young and I loved it, but when Esme and Carlisle gave me my violin for my first birthday it felt like I'd come home. I am glad Edward chose something simple because I can no more bring myself to play badly on purpose than I can to shout to the classroom what I really am. Instead I play the simple tune and make the notes sing, pretending I am back in Alaska, playing for Jacob who always loved my music. Jacob. The thought of him comes to me and at the same time I catch Will's eye, and my last note is a discordant one as I drop my eyes in confusion.

"Well done!" Ms Martinez says, amongst a scattering of applause. She gives me a friendly smile. "You were doing so well up until the end Ren! Never mind, it was excellent. Excellent Edward, thank you. You can both go and take a seat."

I take my violin and sit hastily down beside Bailey who is eyeing me with a new respect, her own violin lying across her lap. "You're good," she says. "How long have you been playing?"

Since I was one? Six years? "Oh, ages," I say brightly. "I learned piano first but I love the violin." I bend my head over the music book that Ms Martinez passes across to me, looking at what I will be expected to play.

Bailey giggles suddenly. "Will's looking at you. He really pretty obvious, isn't he?"

I raise my eyes and for a brief moment I'm caught in Will's gaze, his blue eyes holding my brown ones. He smiles, and I quickly look away, seeing Edward's faint scowl on the other side of the room and wondering if going to high school is going to be a lot more complicated than I ever imagined.