Chapter Nine: Who Are They?

I walked into the lunchroom and slowly started to realize…

Soon enough I won't fit in with any of these kids. Any of these social groups. Humans, period.

And the thing I hated the most, the thing I resented…

I didn't have a choice.

So I shouldn't get attached now.

But my plans were thwarted when they pulled me into their group.

The kids I had come to be acquainted with pulled me to sit at their table, and Mike pulled a chair out for me.

Mike(letting me sit): There you are, Madame.

I nodded politely in gratitude. No need to be rude. Yet.

Eric smiled at Mike. "Hey Mikey, you met my home girl Bella…"

Mike found his statement funny. "You-you're home girl? Really?"

They all laughed. I sensed competitiveness coming off both of them. For what, I wonder.

The curly-haired girl with the smile was sitting next to me, she must've sensed it too.

Jessica, that was her name. Jessica Stanley. I would have to remember that now, I guess.

She scooted her tray and herself closer to me, filling the gap present from Mike's absence.

"Oh my god……..(as everybody laughs, she's looking down at her lunch tray)….it's like first grade all over again. (looking up at me smiling) You're the shiny new toy."

Then this girl with glasses and a very nice smile who's arrival I had paid no attention to sat down and snapped my picture catching me off guard.

She took the picture. "Smile!"

I blinked trying to make the glare that burned to my retinas disappear. Normally this process would've taken me numerous times to blink this effect away, but this time it only took once. The glare was gone. Odd.

I now got a better look at the girl with glasses, and she had a warming glow about her that shined her personality's genuineness. Her kindness was exuded to all forces through her bright smile, and she was just one of those people who could change the mood of a gloomy room. I envied her slightly, realizing painfully that my warmth and softness was gone and never to return.

"We need a candid for the feature."

Eric's voice was hard, and mean. "The feature's dead Angela, don't bring it up again." He got up to walk away.

Angela, that was her name. Angela Weber, I now remembered. I wondered why Eric got that upset at her for snapping my picture. He had to be protecting the fact that I said I didn't want to have a feature, but that was a little bit overwhelmingly protective. He didn't have to be that cross with someone like Angela, a person who came off as the sweetest soul. I was beginning to think my assumptions about his competitiveness and territorial efforts over me were correct.

Angela looked sort of depressed.

Disappointment rang in her voice. "I guess we'll just run another editorial on………..teen drinking."

Seeing someone like Angela sad would be enough to make the strongest of men cry, even those of us who weren't man at all. Not even close to human. If I had any ounce of the humanity I once possessed before my ascending into this new lifestyle, I would have cried from merely seeing the heartbroken expression on her innocent face. But my lack of emotion and heartless being would not allow such actions. So instead, I attempted to comfort her in some way.

I started throwing out ideas. "I mean, you could always go for……………eating disorders. (smiling) The Speedo padding on the swim team."

She instantly brightened.

"Actually, that's a good one. I mean, because we're talking OLYMPIC size…."

Jessica started laughing. "I know, there's no way….he's so skinny."

Job well done. I was becoming better at manipulating my facial expressions to display the human emotions that seemed like some distant past life to me now. Not great, but getting better. I was beginning to conclude I would have to become an actress of some sorts, the best in order to perfectly hide my dark secret. And the first step would be being able to lie and mask my true feelings and intuitions. Giving my inner most motives a façade.

Then all of the sudden, something inside of me changed. Something felt different. Some sort of alarm or red flag within me went off and started sounding, sending my senses and defenses into and unforgettable uproar. In a tenth of a second I became very tense, and everything inside me became defensively ready, sensing something was coming very near to me.

Something inside me sent my gaze towards the cafeteria door, and I saw a strange looking group of kids enter. They looked disgustingly happy, worried of nothing that didn't pertain to their own little private world. They stood out from most kids, stood out from most people. They were indeed different, but I couldn't tell why yet.

Their entrance was nothing short of normal, nothing out of the ordinary, but for some reason……….

I noticed.

Curiosity showed in my question, it burned in my eyes. "Who are they?"

They both looked back.

Suddenly Angela's face fell serious, and I wasn't sure if I liked this expression on her. I hated that I had been the one that put it there.

Angela answered me. "The Cullens."

Jennifer looked around to make sure no one was listening. This must've been something. "They're um…………..Dr. and Mrs. Cullen's foster kids. They moved down here from Alaska like………….a few years ago."

They finally walked into the cafeteria, and I looked at them as she pointed them out. They spoke really low.

"They………………kind of keep to themselves."

"Because they're all together."

The way they talked about these kids, they must've of been different. Like something everybody people really didn't like to discuss, but if you didn't know they'd tell you hoping to never have it brought up again. Like this kids were really outsiders. And talking about them or even looking in their direction made you uncomfortable.

But something about them was making me want to know more. This mysterious edge made me more curious, feeling the same way in a fashion.

Jennifer got serious. "Like, TOGETHER together."

I thought of all the possibilities she could mean by that sentence, and finally settled on one. The only possible one.

How odd.

When the first couple walked in, my considered possibility was confirmed.

Jessica continued to explain. "The blonde girl………..that's Rosalie, the big dark-haired guy is Emmett. They're like a "thing". I'm not even sure that's legal."

The girl, Rosalie, walked into the room smiling like she owned it, and she had not a care in the world. Emmett did the same, then they locked arms and proceeded to their table. I suddenly realized why these kids appeared so different. They were breathtakingly beautiful, looking to be models of the highest regards in expensive clothes. But she, Rosalie, was the most gorgeous hands down. She could be considered the most beautiful person on Earth, and win uncontested.

Angela spoke up. "Jess, they're not……actually related."

"Yea but, they LIVE together. It's weird."

I had to agree with Jessica, these kids were nothing ordinary.

The next couple walked in with the guy twirling the girl around. She happily did so, with the same careless happiness shared by the girl Rosalie. But she was much more graceful, enough to make the lightest and most petite of the world cry. She had a gait that was heart stopping, how effortless she pranced around. Very pixie-like. And he beauty was nothing short of exasperating, too.

"Okay, the short dark-haired girl is Alice. She's creepy. And………..she's with Jasper. The blonde one who looks like he's in pain."

He did indeed look pained as his Alice happily skipped to their table joining the rest of the group holding his hand. Her grip on his looked to be binding, as if the world would end before she'd ever fathom letting go of the tall, slim but muscular blond prince.

"Um…Dr. Cullen's like this foster dad slash matchmaker…"

"Maybe he'll adopt me." Angela gave a smile.

All of the sudden, I felt as if time slowed down. My eyes were validly fixed on the last person with their group, a guy. Something about him made me even more curious than before. So much so, I barely blinked as I looked at him. What was the sudden draw I felt apt to abide that these kids had? Why are they different? What makes them special? Are they not like every other student in this room, apart from me?

And what was it about this last one, this boy…who looked to be the youngest of the group. His face was nothing short of perfect, the only word to describe him is Adonis. He was only comparable to a Greek God. Those types of standards don't exist in anyplace other than Hollywood, much less Forks, Washington.

"Who's he?" That was all I could manage.

Jessica's smile changed. "Oh……………that's Edward Cullen. He's totally gorgeous……………..obviously. (looking down) But apparently, nobody here is good enough for him."

I saw a slight smile from him, had he heard her? His walk had a little bit more swing in it after her comment. Like he was even more consciously satisfied with himself than he already was. Than was worldly possible.

When he stepped into the cafeteria, I just felt something. What had I felt? Something unexplainable, I don't know what it was. But I felt it. It was different.

Then Jessica started lying. I could tell. "Like I care…(fake laugh)…you know. (scoffs) Seriously, like………..don't waste your time."

After hearing that remark, I'd picked up on the fact Jessica must've had a hang up about him. Some sort of rejection from the past. Obviously there was some resentment there. From the looks of it, it was clear from her efforts she didn't even want me to display interest in him. Well on those grounds, she had nothing to worry about.

He went and sat at the table near the windows with the rest of his group.

I turned back around.

I looked down at my tray. "I wasn't planning on it…"

I felt eyes watching me.

I looked over my shoulder and he was looking at me. I made no facial expression besides blankness, I felt no need to make a reaction.

We locked eyes intensely. Obviously the feeling I was experiencing must've been mutual. He must've felt it too. I couldn't move, his gaze was paralyzing. What was it, something. He looked at me as if he knew something, something I didn't.

After a second, he looked back at his family as they continued they're amusing conversation. His expression and happy mood he was demonstrating was very convincing, but I knew better. He was just as confused and curious as I was now, I could tell. He wondered just like I did.

I turned around to continue my own conversation as he had, pretending the whole thing never happened.