Talking With Elizabeth

Stretching, I got out of bed, and like usual, headed off to store some more of the magic in the pendant. I knew the truck incident was due to happen soon but not exactly sure when so I wanted the magic ready for when it does happen. The morning was much colder than it had been in the last week, and I was sure that snow was on its way, maybe tomorrow or the day after at the very latest.

After storing the magic, I went back home to cook breakfast. With all the magic I had accumulated, I was sure that I could undoubtedly lift a heavy good vehicle. Well, I could if channelling that much magic wouldn't kill me, that is. I had learned quickly that just throwing raw power around isn't always the best option and being imaginative is often a better idea. For example, it is easier to gather the water in the air than it is to make it out of nothing.

Both dad and Bella woke up not long after I had started to make breakfast and had both come down. Bella was reading that book yet again, not sure why surly Forks had one book she could have read. Dad was watching TV, and I overheard a snow warning, no doubt meaning that I would not be using my bike today.

People greeted us in the parking lot. I didn't know most of them, but Eric and Mike were among them and annoyed me with the way they looked at Bella and me. They always did creep me out in the book. I mean, they are not sneak into your room at night and watch you sleep creepy, but they never seem to get the hint.

We have a pop quiz in English on Wuthering Heights, which I knew Bella would use for a reason why she reads it so much. I am sure we both found that very easy to do. I could see that Bella was much more relaxed now that she was sure she didn't have to deal with Edward in Biology shame that would be ruined at lunch. I was looking forward to talking to Elizabeth again. She was a massive reader and knew quite a lot about mythology and philosophy, which I loved talking about, mainly mythology being a witch made me study mythology in depth. We had both avoided anything to do with vampires at the moment.

I did wonder if Elizabeth got any flack for talking to me. I remember Edward did from Rose add on the fact we are talking about Mythology. I could imagine most of the Cullens were not happy. When Bella and I walked out of the class, the air was full of white bits. I could hear people excited about the snow. I personally didn't care for snow that much, and I was sure Forks got snow a lot. I looked at Bella, who seemed annoyed I remembered that she hated the cold and wet, but this was the first time she had ever seen snow. I expected at least a tiny bit of excitement.

"Wow," Mike said. "It's snowing." As if we couldn't see the snow ourselves.

"Ew." Snow. I heard Bella say, annoyed.

Mike looked surprised. "Don't you like snow?"

"I don't mind it, but the sun is better," I said, putting my hands in my pockets to protect them from the cold.

"No. That means it's too cold for rain." Obviously. "Besides, I thought it was supposed to come down in flakes — you know, each one unique and all that. These just look like the ends of Q-tips." Bella said.

"It does if you look at it under a microscope to I think it does. Hmm, something to check at some point." I said I was sure they were unique under the microscope but never actually checked myself.

"Haven't you ever seen snowfall before?" Mike asked incredulously.

"Sure she has. Well, she has on TV," I giggled out.

Mike laughed a few seconds after. And then a big, squishy ball of dripping snow smacked into the back of his head. We both turned to see where it came from. I knew that it was Eric, who was walking away, his back toward us — in the wrong direction for his next class. Mike seemed to think that it was him and scraped up a pile of the soggy, dirty mush.

"I'll see you at lunch, okay?" Bella kept walking as she spoke. "Once people start throwing wet stuff, I go inside." I followed her in, not really wanting to play in the snow. SURE, if I could use magic, that would be fun, but the usual way was boring.

Throughout the morning, everyone chattered excitedly about the snow; apparently, it was the first snowfall of the new year. Bella seemed annoyed and kept looking at her feet, maybe worried about soggy socks. I told her to get some waterproof boots, I made a note to pick her some up.

Mike and Jessica were talking animatedly about the snow fight as we got in line to buy food. I saw Bella glanced toward that table in the corner out of habit. And she froze up as she looked over there. I didn't need to look to know that Edward was already back at the table. I could see that she was panicking and didn't look so well anymore.

"What's with Bella?" Mike whispered to Jessica.

We waited for them to get their food and then followed them to a table. I had been making us lunch for the last few days after refusing to eat the disgusting food the cafeteria was serving. I wasn't sure why the Cullens didn't also take the same approach. After all, they could just open the box, pretend to eat and close it. By buying food on the trays, everyone could notice they don't actually eat when they bin it.

Bella wasn't eating much, just picking at the food and taking sips of her soda. Twice Mike asked her if she was feeling okay, and each time Jessica gave Bella a glare.

I looked over to the table and saw that the three males were laughing and had melting snow in their hair. Alice and Rosalie were leaning away as Emmett shook his dripping hair toward them. I knew that the whole thing was staged. I saw that Elizabeth was looking over at me, so I gave her a wave that she returned.

"Bella, what are you staring at?" Jessica intruded, her eyes following Bella's gaze. I knew that she was looking at Edward, trying to figure out what was different.

At that precise moment, his eyes flashed over to meet Bella's before looking over at me. I would love to know what he was thinking. After all, he can't read Bella's or my mind, something that must have thrown him if not annoyed him a lot. I was sure the rest of the Cullens were a little jealous. He looked merely curious, unsatisfied.

"Edward Cullen is staring at you," Jessica giggled in Bella's ear.

"He doesn't look angry, does he?" Bella asked.

"No," she said, sounding confused by my question. "Should he be?"

"I don't think he likes me," Bella whispered.

"The Cullens don't like anybody… well, they don't notice anybody enough to like them. But he's still staring at you."

I nudged Bella and whispered in her ear. "If you want, I will screw up his car."

Before looking back over at the table and planned out setting his car on fire, and was glad to see a flash of horror on his face with Alice seeming to giggle, making the rest of the Cullens look at her some of the laughing a few seconds later.

"You can't. Our dad is the chief of police," Bella whispered back.

"Why that means I will get away with it" I smirked back at her causing her to huff.

Mike interrupted us then — he was planning an epic battle of the blizzard in the parking lot after school and wanted us to join. Jessica agreed enthusiastically. The way she looked at Mike left little doubt that she would be up for anything he suggested. How she wanted to be with him when he tried flirting with two other girls who are sisters in front of her is beyond me. The rest of the hour lunch passed quickly. I was excited to talk to Elizabeth. I planned on asking her what she thought of magic. It was a subject I always liked to see what people thought of.

As we entered the classroom, I saw that Elizabeth was already at our table and Edward was not here yet, no doubt, to help Bella not panic. I saw Bella start to doodle in her book as she did everything she could to not look at the door.

"Hey, did you have a good weekend?" I asked Elizabeth I wasn't sure what she spent her time doing, and if I asked, it would most likely be a lie to protect her family.

"Yes, I did some research and read some new studies. How were the clothes shopping?" Elizabeth said back with a small smile, making sure not to show her teeth, no doubt thinking it would scare me.

"Err, I didn't get time to go shopping for clothes. I had to buy a computer and a bike I could deal with Bella's truck. If you are free, we could go shopping together. I know Bella won't come with me," I asked her, guessing she would turn it down.

Elizabeth looked a bit undecided. "Maybe depends on what my family is doing." She said, not really saying either way, which was more than I expected.

"So what Mythological do you want to talk about today," Elizabeth asked me.

"Hmm, I was going to ask what you think about magic and witches," I asked her.

"Magic, I am not sure it would depend on what culture you are basing it on," Elizabeth said, thinking about it for a few seconds.

I was sure that she didn't think magic was real or vampires would know about it. Then again, Jane and Alec are known as the witch twins, but that is for how powerful their abilities are.

"I guess witches are always shown as bad figures. Almost all cultures blame them for all sorts of disasters. We know now they had nothing to do with them, but at the time, they were accused. They are also are meant to be the reason that werewolves exist, but no one really knows." Elizabeth finished up. Not seeming to realise that she showed that she thinks that werewolves are real, which they are, but it's a slip-up.

"Yep, lot's of innocent people were accused of being witches for nothing. I actually know of a fascinating case from the UK." I went on to explain the Pendle witch trial.

(If you don't know about it, go look it up. It is fascinating)

Elizabeth seemed to be a little disturbed about the whole thing. I remembered that Carlisle Cullen was alive at some time in the 1600s, but I wasn't sure if he was alive in 1612, and he lived in London, so maybe he never heard of it.

"So witches are evil and cunning women are good then," Elizabeth asked.

"Well, yes and no. You were a cunning woman as long as you were on your client's good side. If you were on their wrong side or one of their family dies, then I would take a guess that they would claim you were a witch," I said.

I could hear Bella and Edward talking and him being quite rude in demanding to learn more about her. I whispered, knowing he would hear me. "It is rude to demand things from a lady you know."

Looking back at Elizabeth, I could see a slight frown, maybe telling Edward to knock it off before turning back to me.

"So the pedler had a stroke just after she cursed him that is really unlucky," Elizabeth said, looking sad about her fate.

"Well, maybe it could be when she cursed him, the stress caused him to have a stroke, or maybe not we will never know, I am sure it was just unlucky," I said.

I looked around and saw the Edward and Bella were both done with the lab like Elizabeth and me but then again, both Bella and I had done this lab before, and the Cullens have done it many times.

Mr Banner came to our table then, to see why we weren't working. He looked over our shoulders to glance at the completed lab and then stared more intently to check the answers before walking off, muttering something no doubt rude given the face Elizabeth made.

"So why did you move to Forks?" Elizabeth asked. I felt it was more asked for Edward than it was for her as she never asked in the week before.

"Hmm, I spent every summer here with my dad, and I wanted to spend the year with him before I went to college. After all, this would be the last year he had the chance." As I really wanted to be here, I said as Bella came so mum could be with her new husband.

When the bell finally rang, Edward rushed as swiftly and as gracefully from the room as he had last Monday, and I heard Elizabeth sigh before getting up. "Bye," Elizabeth said, following her brother no doubt to see if he was okay.

Mike skipped quickly to Bella's side and picked up my books for me. I imagined him with a wagging tail. "That was awful," he groaned. "They all looked exactly the same. You're lucky you had Cullen for a partner." Mike said to my sister.

The rest of the day passed quickly, and the rain was just a fine mist after the snow just before lunch. Bella seemed to be happier when we got in the dry cab. I looked around and saw Edward leaning against his Volvo, staring intently in Bella's direction. Bella threw the truck into reverse, almost hitting the Toyota Corolla.

Bella took a deep breath and pulled out again, and set off looking straight ahead. I looked to the side and saw Edward laughing. I thought about destroying his car again in the hope Alice saw, and Edward saw that vision in her mind. I could only hope he saw.