The Cullens are Faeries, and that's Ok

Chapter 2

BPOV

I love reading. It's a pastime that's stayed with me ever since I was a kid. In my opinion, reading is a way to temporarily escape the difficulties of the reality you live in, and insert yourself into a world that, no matter how similar it is to yours, differs in small, yet significant ways. I wasn't picky about what I read either; whether it was a book, a magazine, or even something as simple as a brochure, I always found it fun to immerse myself in paragraphs of words strung together, or landscapes so carefully drawn.

That said, whenever I read, I tend to block out the real world rather quickly, and there have been many times I've collided with people while walking and reading at the same time. This time was no exception, as I bonked into someone while reading the campus map.

Fortunately, I was able to catch myself in time before I fell over. The person I ran into wasn't so lucky however, as they slipped and landed in a sitting position several feet away from the front office entrance. Inwardly cursing at getting distracted while walking again, I quickly ran over to help the person up; it was the least I could do after all, given that I likely gave them a couple of scrapes and bruises.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry about that," I say while holding my hand out. "Are you alright?"

The person who fell because of me merely shook her head in amusement and took my hand to righten herself. Now that I got a good look at the girl, I could see that she was quite tall - standing at around 180 cm - with long black hair that reached the small of her back. She was wearing square-shaped, pink rimmed glasses and had a mouth full of beautiful, straight teeth that only came from years of wearing braces.

"It's all good," the girl said with a smile. "I do that all the time, so I can't really complain." Having said that, she took a look at me and her brow furrowed. "I don't recognize you. Are you a new student here, by any chance?"

I nodded brightly. "Yup! I'm Bella. Pleased to meet you!"

"My name's Angela. It's nice to meet you too." Angela smiled, before pausing in thought. "Say, would you happen to be related to Police Chief Swanson by any chance?"

"Uh, yeah that's right," I said, surprised that she had guessed that so quickly. "How did you know?"

Angela merely gave a small giggle in response. "I have my ways, young Bella," she said before putting a finger to her lips and giving me a wink. A second later, she shook her head in amusement. "No but really, you guys have the same hair color, nose shape, etc. It was pretty easy to tell."

After a few inquires in regards to the location of my classes, I parted ways from my new friend Angela and went to my first class of the day. Overall, I would have to say that for a transfer student entering in the middle of the school year, my first day of classes really weren't that bad. Sure, it was a little awkward when some of the teachers asked me to introduce myself, but none of my classmates made a big deal about it; I was just another body in the student population after all.

Introductions aside, the classes were great! Why? Because I had already learned a lot of the material from my old school in Phoenix. I was already counting my blessings for a half-semester of easy A's as I was walking to lunch with Angela.

After we got our food and sat down, Angela began asking me about Phoenix, and how different it was compared to Forks. Apparently, She planned to travel across the States as a youth counselor after getting her degree in Psychology. In return, I asked her about her life growing up in Forks, and what inspired her to pursue psychology in the first place. We were so engrossed in our conversation, that I almost missed the moment when they walked into the cafeteria.

They were a group of five individuals with a varying range of height, hair color, and body shape; from a glance, they would seem like any group of high school students. However, studying them closely, I couldn't help but notice an almost ethereal glow surrounding them as they made their way to the food line. It was almost like light filtering through the leaves of a tree during a summer sunset. It was also apparent that they moved with a sense of grace. Even the biggest of the bunch, standing taller than Angela with muscles big enough to make John Cena jealous, moved with the fluidity of a seasoned dancer.

"Hey Angela," I began, unsure of how to phrase my question without sounding too intrusive. "Who are they? Those five kids who just walked in."

Ok, maybe it sounded a bit less nosy in my head…

My new spectacled friend looked around, slightly confused, until she saw who I was referring to. "Ah," she said, the corners of her mouth lifting upward. "I'm actually surprised you haven't seen them yet. Those are the Cullen siblings."

I frowned slightly in confusion, trying to place the name; it sounded so familiar. Had dad mentioned it beforehand?

"They're the adopted children of Carlisle Cullen, head doctor of Forks Hospital," Angela explained.

Ah, now I remembered. When I was little and came up to Forks in the summer to spend time with dad, I would often play with the children of Dad's best friend Billy: Jacob Black, and his two older sisters, Rebecca and Rachel. Our favorite game was playing tag, either on the La Push beaches whenever Dad visited Billy, or at our house whenever Jacob and his family came over. Sometimes, we would horse around a little too hard, and dad would have to take us to the local hospital for treatment.

Although we saw a multitude of doctors over the years, my favorite was easily Dr. Cullen. He never made his sessions feel clinical in any way; he always showed interest in everyone he met, asking about hobbies, or school. On top of that, he was also extremely nice with a hint of a mischievous side; I recalled telling him secrets that I thought were important when I was a child, and he would always cross his heart and recite the incantation Harry Potter used when activating his magical map.

I smiled to myself at the memories; I should stop by the hospital to see how he was doing! Although, I couldn't help but wonder why I'd never met, or even heard of his kids beforehand…

"I've visited Forks before, but I've never met Dr. Cullen's kids," I said, returning my attention back to Angela. "Did they just move here recently?"

"Umm…," Angela began, trailing off in thought. "I think they transferred here about, three years ago maybe? I know they used to be privately tutored; that's probably why you've never seen them before."

I nodded at Angela's answer. It seemed reasonable enough; after getting their lunches, the siblings all sat at the same table. Unlike most examples however, they weren't giving off any form of dislike towards their fellow students; they just seemed to be at their most comfortable when they were around each other.

Angela began to tell me who was who. "Those three are Edward, Alice, and Emmett Cullen, while the two blondes are Rosalie and Jasper Hale." My spectacled buddy leaned in and then whispered conspiratorially, "I know they may seem aloof right now, but they're really diverse and sociable in their activities here at school. Rosalie for example is our best debater on the speech team, and Emmett's campaigning to start a video game club."

I nodded along excitedly. Particularly, I hoped Emmett would manage to get that video game club established here; it would be a great way to let off some steam.

Angela continued, "Jasper is in the history club, and Edward is a part time piano teacher for the elementary and middle schoolers. Alice is our resident fashionista; when she sees someone who she feels has a 'stylish aura', odds are she'll ask them to model for her, while simultaneously running to get her art pad and whatever outfit she's working on." Angela gave a small smirk at that; it was clear she had been one of Alice's models at one point, and still found some amusement from the event.

I was about to ask more, when I made eye contact with the bronze-haired Cullen; his eyes were a strange mixture of black and green as a flurry of emotions crossed his face.


EPOV

I usually didn't make such a big deal whenever I made eye contact in a public setting. Normally, it would simply be an accidental occurrence, one that happens to everyone at some point. However, when my eyes met those of the unfamiliar girl several tables away, I noticed something that hadn't happened since I became a fae.

I couldn't read her mind.

Again, under normal circumstances, not being able to read minds was a good thing. In my family's situation however, Jasper, Alice and I were tasked to be on the lookout for any suspicious thoughts or emotions directed at us. We had to make sure that humanity never found out the truth about faeries, a task that has become harder in recent years with the rise of social media.

The fact that I had no clue as to what this new student thought of us made me afraid; more so than I had been in a long time.

Trying to act as casual as possible, I propped my elbow on the table and rested my head in my fist. Closing my eyes, I telepathically reached out to Jasper, who was sitting in the bleachers of our school's football field.

"Jasper?"

"Edward?" Jasper's voice echoed through my mind. "What's going on? Are you alright?"

"We might have a potential problem. You know the new girl in school? I can't read her mind." I could sense the surprise in Jasper's mind at my statement. My honey-haired brother quickly composed himself however.

"Are you absolutely sure about this?"

"One hundred percent." Just saying the absolute certainty in my head sent goosebumps up my arms. "I-I'm scared. I've never encountered a human who was able to block my powers before. What should we do?"

"Hmm…,"

Looking through his eyes, I could see Jasper pacing the bleachers while pondering the situation. Finally, he made up his mind and came to an abrupt stop.

"Let Alice and I handle things for the time being. I'll keep tabs on her emotions, while Alice can observe the future. Don't worry; we'll get through this."

Although we weren't communicating face to face, I still did my best to send a mental smile to the family empath. "Thanks Jasper. I really owe you one."

Before lunch ended, I decided to do a little recon and lightly scan the surface thoughts of the students in the cafeteria to see what they thought of the new girl. Nothing indicated that the student - who I found out was named Bella - was in any way suspicious of us, which helped ease my anxiety a little bit.

Finishing up my food, I took my tray to the garbage bin and took an extra apple from the fruit basket, before heading off to my last few classes of the day.

It probably seems rather silly: several century old faeries attending a normal high school. However, we had our reasons for doing so. As time goes on, more and more educational discoveries are found, and made public. Eventually, said findings are included in new, updated school curriculums. By attending school once every several decades, my family and I were able to stay up to date on knowledge from the humans' realm, which helped us blend in more easily.

Trying to integrate into human society wasn't always easy. However, it was more than worth the challenge. Humans are similar to the element of water: they are able to adapt to situations and find creative solutions for any problem. As a whole, humanity was always in the midst of change, however microscopic. The changes involving humans both amazed and terrified me. I wanted to be a part of that change as much as I could.

The minutes flew by, and before I knew it, my last class of the day, Biology, rolled around. Science was one of my father Carlisle's favorite subjects. Not only did it help him in his field as a medical professional, but he also enjoyed comparing and contrasting science with religion.

I wish I was as brave as he was…

When Bella arrived, she walked to Mr. Banner's desk. She and the teacher were engaged in a small conversation before he gestured to me. Ah, my table had the only available seat left. No matter! I would do my best to make her feel as comfortable as possible one could be in a high school science lab.

Unfortunately, my plans of hospitality were quickly forgotten when Bella took the seat next to me, and I got a good whiff of her scent; more specifically, the blood coursing through her veins.

Any thoughts of schoolwork or the upcoming class fled from my mind. I had only one priority now, and it was to drink the delicious blood coming from the girl sitting inches away from me.

Quickly, I scanned the room in my peripheral vision. The table that I sat at was in the back of the room, right next to a window that overlooked the school parking lot. With my enhanced speed and strength, I could easily grab the girl and break through the window, taking her to a nice spot where we wouldn't be disturbed…

My frenzied plans stopped abruptly when I glanced into her eyes and saw the immense fear. Immediately I felt remorse kick me in the shins. What on earth had I been thinking? I had almost taken the life of a living being so callously while simultaneously endangering countless others. In my mind, I saw the face of my adoptive father Carlisle. I recounted how he had taken me under his wing when I had no where to go; I remembered the gentle man with endless compassion who always forgave mistakes.

Trying desperately to find a distraction, I rummaged in my bag and pulled out the apple I had picked up at lunch. As I bit into it, the crunchy texture and juices filling my mouth helped me regain some of my sanity. No matter how delicious her blood smelled, Bella would not die at my hand; neither would any of her classmates or teachers for that matter. Everyone here deserved to live their lives.

Unlike before, the minutes passed by at an agonizingly slow pace - I was thankful that Mr. Banner allowed light and healthy snacking during his classes - before the bell finally rang. Holding my breath, I rushed out of the room as close to a human pace as possible before running to the forest bordering the school parking lot, trying to find solace in the trees surrounding me.

What had happened? I had never come that close to losing control before, even during my early days as a fae. I had to consult my family about this.


(A/N): So yes, the Cullens are faeries that have a strange craving for blood. Where did this craving come from? All will be revealed in later chapters. Hope you enjoyed, and don't forget to review!