Renesmee

"Thanks for letting me drive," I said, flicking Dad's keys in the air beside me. He caught them nimbly and tucked them in his pocket. Mom walked beside him, holding his hand and smiling lightly.

"Thanks for not destroying my car," he said jokingly. Mom elbowed him, and he winced. "Okay. You're welcome."

"Good boy," Mom said happily. She sighed. "To think, I'm back here again. Do I need to go to this school twice?"

Dad laughed and kissed her. "I have attended this hell-hole twice before. The third time will be the last for me."

I tried to smile, but I was engulfed with the idea of having to be here more than once. Do I have to come back? Or can I go directly to college after?

"You're going to university," Dad told me, ruffling my hair with his free hand. "You'll be the smartest there. We don't know where there is, at the moment, but it will happen."

I shrugged, dismissing the topic. We were close to the school now, and it was time to pick up our unreal identities. I wanted to apologize to Jane and her cousin for running away last night, and I wasn't sure where I could find her. I looked around and found her sitting at a table under the big tree with Alex and David. I stopped walking, and Mom and Dad did the same.

"I'm going over there," I said, pointing to the group that was pretending not to see us. "See you later." I hugged my parents – or, in this case, my cousin and his girlfriend – and walked towards the table, where Alex and David were suddenly in the middle of a thrilling conversation.

Jane looked up and waved at me. I sat down beside David, who didn't notice my existence. I looked at Jane questioningly, and she shrugged.

"I have no idea what they're talking about," she muttered, looking at them sadly. "Why am I the one who hangs out with the boogers?"

"They're not boogers," I said," they're males." That made Jane laugh, and I smiled. "So, um, yeah. I wanted to apologize for running away."

Jane looked surprised, and the guys stopped talking to stare at me. I felt a little overwhelmed, and a little sick. David was calm – which seemed to be normal – and I couldn't really look at Alex without feeling creeped out.

"Apology accepted?" Jane said. "Could you tell us why you left?"

"I was freaked out," I blurted. I closed my eyes and shook my head, trying to clear it. Feeling stupid, I looked directly at Alex. "You're familiar," I said to him. "But I can't figure out how." He looked confused, and I shook my head again. "Never mind. The bell's going to ring soon."

As soon as I finished my sentence, it rang. I stood up and walked away quickly. I was unsatisfied by my own apology, but there was something about Alex that I couldn't figure out. Background check, I thought to Dad, wherever he was. What's the deal with Jane's cousin?

I rushed to my Science class, hoping it would distract me from my thoughts. I was almost in the door when someone grabbed my arm lightly and spun me around.

"Hey," I snapped, pulling my arm away. I looked up. "Oh. Sorry."

"No problem," Dad said quietly. "Now, the deal with Alex Lennon is a lot to understand, and you should stay away from him."

"Why?"

He shook his head. "I'll tell you later." He looked around carefully and disappeared, running down the hall faster than a normal human could see.

With a huff, I stepped into the room just as the second bell rang.

__________

I was ready to smack my face off the desk in front of me, I was so sick of this class. The second month is definitely worse than the first, I thought to Dad, who was sitting at the front of the class. I was in the back, in the middle row, sitting beside some annoying girl who seemingly could only talk about some elf from a video game that originated twenty years before me.

With a depressed sigh, I looked up at the clock longingly. Thirty more seconds, I thought, praying that the slowly rotating second hand would not freeze at 11:59:59. This class will slowly suck the life out of me.

Me and Dad stood up at the exact same time, which was that very 11:59:59 that I dreaded would continue for more than one second. The irritating English teacher didn't notice that we were early, because the bell rang in the middle of her sentence and the class raced to get out of the room.

I heard sighs of relief from my peers as they recognized the freedom known as a different class. I said goodbye to Dad and walked slowly to Art.

__________

"You can't eat with us?" Jane asked as we walked out of Art. "Why not?"

I looked up to find an excuse in the sky, but nothing came. I sighed and said, "Because I can't."

She looked at me with an expression of irritation, confusion, and acceptance. "Okay then. That's fine, anyway. I'm left alone today; David is showing Alex the miniscule town, and they'll be at the diner. So, I'll be by my lonesome, while they walk around like the sudden best friends they are." She rolled her eyes with a completely different expression, like a mother talking about her two-year-old child. "I have One and Two, anyway."

Mom and Dad came up behind Jane, and I waved to them. Jane turned around and jumped, expecting them to be farther away.

"I'm going out for lunch," I told Mom. Staying away, I added for Dad. "Just me, if that's okay with you."

They shrugged at the same time, and Mom said, "No problem, Ness. See you later." She walked around Jane to hug me, and I smiled. I hugged Dad too, and waved goodbye to Jane.

I felt a little numb as I pulled out of the parking lot and drove away from the school, driving way over the speed limit. I won't hurt your car, I thought, hoping Dad could hear me. I promise.

I wondered why I had to stay away from Alex. I didn't get any details from Dad, and he said he would tell me later. When, exactly, is later? I thought.

Feeling safely away from people, I closed my eyes to take a deep, calming breath. One didn't help, so I went for another.

The calm feeling around me was broken suddenly, and my eyes snapped open just in time to see two faces indicate that later meant now.