I don't know what it is, but I can't stop thinking about this story. Thanks to everyone who has followed/added to favorites/reviewed, it means a lot.
CHAPTER TWO:
ENCHANTING
The next day was average. Not better or worse, just simply average.
It hadn't rained yet, but the sky was covered in a dense and opaque curtain that blocked the sun. Mike sat by Bell in English and escorted her to her next class like the loyal golden retriever she associated him with, while Eric glared at him enviously. The rest of the kids at school hadn't stopped gawking at her, but it was much less obvious than the day before. Mr. Varner had called her out on Trigonometry in hopes that she hadn't paid attention and would get the answer wrong, but she'd quickly disappointed him with the correct answer. Bell, despite how amusing it was, would not feed her teacher's sadistic delights.
At lunch, she sat at a table filled with familiar faces which included Mike, Eric, Jessica and Angela. There was the fleeting hope that she would spot a head of messy bronze hair, but Bell was quickly disappointed with a glance towards the table in the corner. Only four Cullens were seated, poised like the elegant statues she had compared them to before. Bell tried to listen to her new friends' easy chatter, she really did, but her eyes and thoughts kept straying to the empty seat. She waited to see if he would arrive, stride into the cafeteria like a runway model and take his spot next to his adoptive siblings. He did not.
Biology was equally as uneventful.
He didn't show up there either, his empty seat merely raising her suspicions that there was definitely something going on with Edward Cullen. As she half listened to Mr. Banner, she went over their last encounter in her mind to see if she'd done anything to scare him away. Bell had treated him the same way as everyone else, spoken little words and spared him a few glances. What had set him off? Had something else happened to him during the day?
Gym wasn't any better either. Her spirits had lifted slightly at the chance to play volleyball, but Coach Clapp benched her when her team couldn't keep up. After the last bell rang, Bell quickly changed out of her gym clothes and fled the locker room in quick strides, not in the mood to humor the retriever pup. The parking lot was filled with fleeting students and she wove through the sea of people to get into her red truck. Bell made sure she had her shopping list and cash for her trip to the Thriftway.
There had been nothing but canned soup and cereal in the pantry so she'd written down everything she needed to make proper meals while Charlie handed her money from a jar labelled Food Money. Bell gunned the engine and pulled up into the line of cars waiting to exit, fiddling with the radio and ignoring the looks being sent in her direction. Looking up, she caught sight of the Cullen and Hale kids getting into their cars. One of them was the new Volvo that had caught her attention on the first day. With their immaculate clothes and effortlessly styled hair, they looked like they could be shooting a commercial right there in the parking lot. It was almost ridiculous. They, like the other students, stared at Bell with their dark eyes as she passed them. The pixie like one, Alice, gave her an enthusiastic wave when they locked eyes and Bell managed a short one in response, surprised.
The Thriftway was not far from the school, just a few streets south, off the highway. The inside of the supermarket was warmer than it was outside, well lit, and she couldn't hear the pitter-patter of rain hitting the roof. The trip was fairly short since she knew what she was coming for and wasted no time in getting home to unload the groceries and start dinner. Bell carefully wrapped two potatoes in foil and stuck them in the oven to bake before seasoning a pair of steaks and letting them marinade.
She went upstairs to take a quick shower and changed into a pair of black sweats and a loose grey shirt. Bell took her math homework downstairs to do it while the steak cooked on the stove. She turned on a timer on her phone and finally went through her messages, only to find that Renee had been texting her throughout the day— each more desperate than the last.
Mom: I miss you already.
Mom: I'm almost finished packing for Florida, but I can't find my pink blouse. Do you know where I put it?
Mom: Phil says hi.
Mom: Why haven't you texted me back?
Mom: Are you ok?
Mom: Isabella Swan.
Mom: If I haven't heard from you by 5:30, I'm calling Charlie.
Bell huffed out a small laugh and glanced at the clock, seeing that she had over an hour until then but decided to reply now rather than later.
Bells: Relax, don't call the cop.
Bells: Everything is going great, it's always raining. School's not bad, just repetitive. There's a couple of nice kids that sit with me at lunch.
Bells: Your blouse is at the dry cleaners, you were supposed to pick it up on Friday.
Bells: CHARLIE BOUGHT ME A TRUCK BTW
Bells: It's a bit old but it's sturdy and I LOVE it
Bells: I miss you too, but please relax ok? I love you.
Charlie came in just as she was flipping the steaks after finishing up with her homework, the meat sizzling enticingly on the skillet. He hung up his gun belt and stepped out of his boots before sniffing the air appreciatively. Bell bit back a grin, "Welcome home, Dad."
"Thanks." His dark brown eyes strayed to the cooking meat, "What's for dinner?" Charlie asked almost eagerly.
"Steak and potatoes. They're just about done so can you get me some plates?" Bell enquired after checking the steaks' temperature and turning off the timer for the potatoes.
"Yes, of course," Charlie replied, glad to have something to help her with instead of just standing in the kitchen doing nothing. She tossed some chopped lettuce and tomatoes in a bowl, adding a sprinkle of shredded cheddar. They sat together at the table and ate in comfortable silence for a while. "So, how did you like school? Have you made any friends?" Charlie finally spoke up as he served himself more salad.
"Well," Bell began after swallowing a piece of warm steak, "I have a few classes with a girl named Jessica and there's a really nice boy called Mike. I sit with their friends at lunch. They seem nice." She added as an afterthought, scooping up a forkful of buttery potatoes.
Charlie bobbed his head in a nod. "That must be Mike Newton. Nice kid— nice family. His dad owns the sporting goods store just outside of town. He makes a good living off all the backpackers who come through here." He pointed out.
She looked at her father thoughtfully for a moment before making a decision. "Do you know the Cullens?" Bell questioned lightly.
"Dr. Cullen's family? Sure. He's a great man."
"His kids seem nice, a little different, but nice." Bell commented honestly, taking a slow sip of cold water as she thought of Alice and her bright smile. "They don't seem to fit in well with the others, though."
To her surprise, a look of annoyance flashed across Charlie's face as he stabbed a piece of lettuce with his fork. "People in this town," He began in a mutter, "Dr. Cullen is a brilliant surgeon who could probably work in any hospital in the world, make ten times the salary he gets here." His voice started getting louder as he defended the doctor and his family. "We're lucky to have him— lucky that his wife wanted to live in a small town. He's an asset to the community, and all of those kids are well behaved and polite. I had my doubts, when they first moved in, with all those adopted teenagers. I thought we might have some problems with them. But they're all very mature— I haven't had one speck of trouble from any of them. That's more than I can say for the children of some folks who have lived in this town for generations. And they stick together the way a family should— camping trips every other weekend… Just because they're newcomers, people have to talk." Charlie finished his rant, shoving the lettuce into his mouth and chewing angrily.
It seemed like he really liked the Cullens. Bell gave him a small smile, "They're polite, too. I think they were the only ones who didn't stare at me the whole day." She said before adding, "And they're ridiculously attractive."
Charlie laughed, his eyes crinkling at the corners, "You should see Dr. Cullen," He suggested. "It's a good thing he's happily married. A lot of the nurses at the hospital have a hard time concentrating on their work with him around." Bell snorted at the thought of nurses acting like little schoolgirls with a crush. They lapsed into silence after that, finishing up their meals before Bell washed the dishes and Charlie went to the living room to watch television. She retired to her bedroom and went to sleep with the soft tapping of raindrops against the window. That night, she dreamt of onyx eyes and soft lips the color of begonias.
The rest of the week was equally as uneventful. Nothing exciting happened in any of her classes, just a few pop quizzes and meaningless rumors floating around. Bell was only allowed to play volleyball in Gym if one of the participants was injured, so she spent a lot of time sitting on the bench. By the second day, she'd brought her camera to take pictures of anything that caught her interest. Sadly, none of those things had bronze hair and pale skin.
Edward Cullen hadn't come back.
Every day, Bell found herself looking around in hopes of catching sight of the youngest Cullen. And every day she was hit with a pang of disappointment when his adoptive siblings entered the cafeteria without him. She was invited to a little trip to La Push Ocean Park that Mike was putting together and found herself agreeing out of politeness rather than real desire. Maybe it was her old soul speaking, but Bell would rather take pictures of the pretty nuthatch nesting in the backyard rather than go down to the beach to interact with rowdy kids.
That was how she spent her weekend, actually, sitting outside in a raincoat and snapping pictures of the nuthatch sitting in her nest. The rain was a light drizzle, like a fine mist sprinkling from the darkened heavens. Charlie was working at the station on both Saturday and Sunday, so there was not much to do other than clean the house and talk to Renee.
Some of the kids at school greeted her cheerfully on Monday morning, Bell didn't know their names but she remembered their faces so she waved back. The temperatures were getting lower by the day and it stopped raining. There wasn't anything going on other than their pop quiz on Wuthering Heights that she passed with flying colors. When they walked out of class, however, she was greeted by the sight of bits of white swirling in the air as students chattered excitedly over its appearance. The cold breeze nipped at her nose and cheeks, undoubtedly coloring them a soft pink.
"Wow," Mike gasped, smiling excitedly. "It's snowing."
Bell was suddenly hit with a bout of nostalgia and the fact that she, as Isabella Swan, had never seen snow before. Snow danced in the light, a choreographed ballet composed by the gentle winds that tugged at her long brown hair. She stretched her arm out, letting the small flakes lay cold kisses on her fingers before melting away. She could see Mike smiling at her from the corner of her eye, a giddy little grin.
"Well," He began as he leaned closer to catch sight of the look on her face, "What do you think?"
She turned to face him with snow already collecting on the crown of her head and clinging to her thick lashes, and smiled. "That I need to take a picture."
Mike threw his head back and laughed, oblivious to how Bell took in the sight of his content youth, his flushed cheeks and the crinkle of his eyes as he grinned. Their little moment was interrupted the second a well sized ball of dripping snow smacked into the back of his head. The blond gasped and spluttered at the cold as it melted and dripped under his collar. Bell gaped, her eyes falling on Eric as he smiled wickedly at her and bent down to make another one.
"Wait, Eric, no—" Bell backpedaled, raising her hands in a peaceful gesture. Her attempts to flee were thwarted by a very cold ball of frozen water, followed by loud laughter that drowned out her yelps.
It was an entertaining morning, everyone talking animatedly about the first snow ball fight of the year that had broken out. It kept a small smile playing on her lips even as she headed to the cafeteria with Jessica, the binder in her hands acting as a shield against the cold projectiles. Mike jogged over then, laughing breathlessly still, with ice melting in his hair. She half listened to him and Jessica chatter about the snow as she selected a Caesar salad and a bottle of cranberry juice.
It was after she'd sat down at their usual table, unscrewing the cap of her juice, that Bell peered over at the Cullen's table. She'd expected to see Alice smiling happily at her from afar, not the mess of bronze hair and pale skin of Edward Cullen. In her surprise, Bell lowered the bottle from her mouth and set it down on her tray. The five of them were laughing, which would undoubtedly be one of the most beautiful sounds that she would ever hear, that was sure. Emmett, Jasper, and Edward's hair was covered in a thin sheen of melting show that weighed down their once perfect locks.
The girls were leaning away from Emmett as he shook his head like a dog, both of them giggling when the cold droplets rained down on them. Bell bit the inside of her cheek to restrain herself from reaching into her bag to snap a picture of such a wholesome moment and instead chose to focus on the bronze haired boy. He seemed less pale, a light dash of color flushing his skin and making him seem more alive, the shadows under his eyes less prominent. A crooked grin, so devastatingly charming that she had to wrap her fingers tightly around her fork to stop herself from finally reaching for her camera, was playing on his soft looking lips.
"Bell," Jessica's voice suddenly called, confused, when she took notice of Bell's prolonged silence. "What are you staring at?" She enquired, turning a bit in her seat to follow the brunette's gaze.
In that exact moment, Edward's eyes flicked over— a sudden shock of gold that nearly left her breathless. He didn't look ill, not like the last time she'd seen him in Biology, but merely curious. Maybe even intrigued. Bell looked down at her salad, pushing pieces of lettuce around with her fork. Jessica wrapped her fingers around Bell's forearm, leaning closer to giggle in her ear.
"Edward Cullen is staring at you." The tiny girl whispered, sounding excited.
"Still?" Bell hummed nonchalantly, snuffing out the urge to look at him again.
"Uh huh," Jessica giggled again, a bright smile brightening her features. "The Cullens usually don't notice anybody, but he's looking straight at you."
Bell swallowed a forkful of salad and gave her friend a sideways glance. "Alice waves at me every chance she gets, so I think she notices me." She commented and swore she could hear Edward laugh over the sound of Jessica's overdramatic choking. Mike interrupted her theatrics, he was planning an epic snow fight in the parking lot after school and wanted them to join. Jessica agreed enthusiastically, but Bell was sure that if the blond suggested they jump off a cliff, the shorter girl would still agree in a heartbeat. She was clearly smitten.
During the rest of the lunch hour, Bell could feel the weight of Edward's odd eyes on her, but she never lifted her own to meet them. She avoided walking too close to Mike as they headed to class since he was the target for most of the frozen projectiles, but found her decision otiose when everyone around her groaned in near unison at the sight of water replacing the white flakes. The rainwater washed away the once perfect layer of snow in clear, icy ribbons that ran down the side of the walkway. Mike complained about it all the way to building four.
Mr. Banner was distributing one microscope and a box of slides to each table, and Bell found it right to ignore the way he stopped what he was doing to watch her walk by with a mildly flustered expression on his face. Her soul might have been older than him more than a few times over, but Isabella Swan was a teenager. Bell was sure he'd get over that little infatuation of his soon enough. Her table was empty when she took her seat and she idly wondered if Edward was going to show, drawing little birds on the edges of the white pages of her notebook as she waited for class to start.
Bell didn't look up from where she was shading a small hummingbird's wing, even after having clearly heard the chair next to her being moved as Edward Cullen took a seat. "Hello," His quiet, musical voice, however, was what caused her to stop.
She lifted her eyes from the page, surprised that he was speaking to her. His chair was pushed further away from hers than last time, but it was angled in her direction. His hair was dripping wet and disheveled, but Bell found that he still looked ridiculously dazzling. There was a friendly expression on his stunning face, his pretty lips pulled into a small smile.
"My name is Edward Cullen," He continued softly, as if the whole school didn't already murmur his name more than once on a daily basis, "I didn't have the chance to introduce myself last week. You must be Bell Swan." He didn't look ill, nor did he look flustered like last time. There wasn't a hint of pink on his pale cheekbones and those strangely colored eyes stared at her unwaveringly.
A small, barely there smile containing playfulness curled at her lips, "You remembered my nickname. I thought you Cullen kids didn't notice anyone, much less bother to remember them." Bell murmured, a teasing lilt to her voice that let him know she was merely jesting.
He laughed quietly, an enchanting sound. "Well," Edward began, looking at her through his long lashes, "It's hard to forget someone when they defend your adoptive mother so fervently." He pointed out.
"Ah," Bell let out, absentmindedly toying with her mechanical pencil. "You heard about that."
Edward nodded his head and a wet lock of darkened bronze stuck to his temple, Bell's fingers itching to push it away for some strange reason even she couldn't fathom. "I wanted to thank you, actually. No one's ever done that before." He added after a moment.
Bell pursed her lips and shook her head. "No, I just don't think anyone has the right to deem someone lesser just because of their inability to do something. Especially something as painful as not being able to conceive." She explained quietly, earnestly. If there was something she despised more than heat, it was that.
Surprise flashed over Edward's features, his pink lips parting to gape at her. Bell bit back a grin and looked forwards just as Mr. Banner began explaining the day's task. The slides in the box were out of order and together, as lab partners, she and Edward had to separate the slides of onion root tip cells into the phases of mitosis they represented and label them accordingly. Using their textbooks was prohibited and Mr. Banner would be coming around to see who had it right in twenty minutes or so. An easy feat.
"Ladies first, partner?" Edward asked playfully, giving her that charmingly crooked grin of his. She found it contagious, the corners of her own lips tipping upwards.
"Thanks, partner." Bell hummed in reply, swiftly snapping the first slide into place under the microscope and adjusting it to the 40X objective with decades of practice. She looked at it for only a moment, "Prophase." She was showing off, just a little.
"Do you mind if I look?" Edward asked, catching her hand with his when she'd started removing the slide. Bell jumped slightly, startled by both his strangely cold touch and the sudden electric current jostling up her arm. "I'm sorry," He muttered, looking a bit flustered again as he reached for the microscope and examined the slide for an even shorter time. "Prophase." Edward agreed, writing it down on their worksheet in an elegant cursive. She watched him the entire time, intrigued.
That was cute.
Endearingly so.
He was quick to switch the first slide for the second, peering into the microscope for a brief moment. "Anaphase." Edward murmured, jotting it down as he spoke.
"Do you mind if I look?" Bell echoed his words from before, tilting her head lightly to admire the smile that tugged at his lips. He nudged it in her direction and Bell smiled lightly as she looked through the eyepiece for a second. "Anaphase." She imitated him, relishing in his cute little grin. "Next one?" Edward handed the slide over, careful not to let their fingers touch. Ah, her heart. "Interphase." Bell said, passing him the microscope before he could ask.
Edward took a swift peek and wrote it down before the cycle began anew. With that, they had finished their assignment with more than enough time to spare. Bell looked around the classroom and spotted Mike comparing two slides again and again with his lab partner, while another pair of girls had their textbook open under their table. Everyone seemed to be struggling.
Finding nothing interesting to do, Bell turned her eyes back to Edward, only to find him already looking at her. His brow was furrowed ever so slightly, his lips pursed in thought as those beautiful eyes — gold, a strange ocher darker than butterscotch — searched her face for something she couldn't name.
"Do you wear contacts?" Bell asked curiously, resting her cheek on her fist as she leaned on the table.
He blinked at her, likely puzzled by her sudden question. "No," Edward murmured.
Bell hummed, admiring the color of his eyes for a moment longer despite the flustered look returning to his face. "They're very beautiful." She said truthfully, unable to help herself. The flat black from before had been striking, standing out from the pale parlor of his skin and the shock of his bronze hair, but this new shade was equally as entrancing. She just wondered what caused the change.
Edward looked down, mumbling a soft "Thank you" and curling into himself slightly, his hands shaking as he brought them close to himself. Bell bit the inside of her cheek when she noticed, wondering if she'd made him uncomfortable again, and went back to finishing the hummingbird on her notebook.
Mr. Banner came over to their table before the twenty minutes were done, most likely to see why they weren't working. He took their worksheet after eyeing their completed lab, checking the answers written on the paper in Edward's elegant writing. "So, Edward," Mr. Banner began, looking over at the younger male in something like annoyance, "Didn't you think Isabella should get a chance with the microscope?"
"Bell." Edward corrected automatically before she could and she hid her smile behind a loose fist, "And, actually, she identified them all."
The Biology teacher looked at her next, the skeptical expression on his face not dampening her amusement in the slightest. "Have you done this lab before?" He questioned.
"Not with onion root." Bell admitted, hooking her thumb under her chin and resting her knuckles under her lips.
"Whitefish blastula?" Mr. Banner guessed.
"Mhm."
"Were you in an advanced placement program in Phoenix?"
"Yeah."
"Well," The teacher began after a moment, "I guess it's a good thing you two are lab partners then." He said and mumbled something under his breath that she couldn't quite catch as he walked away. Bell knew it was better not to dwell in it.
Edward turned to her again, "It's too bad about the snow, isn't it?" He asked casually. It was obvious he was trying to make small talk, and Bell decided to humor him.
"Not really." Bell answered, playing with the ring on her index finger. "It was beautiful, but I'd rather not get caught up in Mike Newton's snowball fights." She chuckled softly.
"You like the cold." It wasn't a question, more like an observation.
She nodded her head and tucked a strand of her long brown hair behind her ear, "And the rain."
"You must really like Forks then." Edward mused.
Her eyes darted to the window to smile at the raindrops tapping against the glass. "You have no idea." She was keenly aware of the way he looked at her face, fascinated, as if he were taking in every minute detail about her.
His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, "Why did you move here?" Edward asked, nearly breathless— not unlike the first time he'd spoken to her.
"My mother got remarried last September." Bell murmured, choosing not to mention it.
A kind, sympathetic expression came across his face. "Do you not like him?" Edward asked softly, like it was a sensitive subject.
"He's alright," Bell reassured, "A bit young, but he's a good man."
"Why didn't you stay with them?"
"He plays baseball for a living, so he travels a lot."
Edward smiled, curious, "Have I heard of him?"
"Mm, probably not." Bell gave him a small grin, "He's not the best, strictly minor league, but he still moves around a lot." She explained.
"And your mother sent you here so that she could travel with him." Edward guessed rather than asked. He probably thought he had her figured out.
She bit back another amused smile, "I sent myself, actually." Bell corrected him.
His eyebrows knitted together. "I don't understand," Edward confessed, sounding terribly frustrated. The quiet laugh that escaped her lips was inevitable and Edward shivered at the sound, blinking rapidly as if to hide the way his pupils dilated.
Oh?
"She wanted to stay with me in Phoenix, but we were both unhappy. She missed him and I hated it there." Bell continued, blunt as ever, "So, you could say I came here in search of happiness."
"Are you?" Edward enquired.
Bell blinked at him, "Am I what?"
"Happy."
She stared in silence, taking in everything about him— his beautiful eyes framed by long lashes that brushed over the smooth surface of his high cheekbones, the damp bronze locks that fell messily over his forehead, the sharp edge of his jaw and his straight nose that led to the soft curve of his pale pink lips. And slowly, a genuine smile crossed her lips and brightened her face.
"Yes," Bell whispered, like it was their own little secret, "I think I am."
Edward swallowed hard again, his lashes fluttering as he looked down at the table, "Good."
Mr. Banner called for class order then, popping their little bubble of quiet comfort. Bell pretended to be attentive as Mr. Banner illustrated, with the transparencies on the overhead projector, what they'd seen through the microscope. In all honesty, all she could think about was how endearingly strange Edward Cullen was. There was always at least one person who stuck out in each of her lives, but none like him. He'd caught her undivided attention on the first day. Maybe it was the color of his eyes, or the way he grew flustered when she complimented him, or perhaps the way he spoke so eloquently…
Whatever it was, Bell wanted more.
But she decided she'd teased him enough for one day, so when the bell rang, Bell rose from her seat and gave him a small nod before leaving the classroom with the same swiftness as last Monday. Mike skipped to her side and offered to carry her books with the eagerness of a puppy.
"That was awful," He groaned. "They all looked exactly the same. You're lucky you had Cullen as your partner." Mike continued jokingly, mildly envious.
"I didn't have a problem with it, actually." Bell confessed, shrugging a shoulder. "I used to take AP Biology back in Phoenix." She pointed out and his smile dropped.
Mike groaned again, "That's even worse, that means I'm the dumb one…" Bell couldn't help but laugh at his antics, making him perk up. "Hey, Cullen seemed friendlier today." He commented casually, but she knew it was anything but.
"Mhm." Bell hummed indifferently as they got to the gym, "I guess he was feeling better today."
Even if she couldn't play volleyball that day either, nothing seemed to be able to dampen her good mood. The rain was a misty drizzle when Bell made it to the parking lot. She hopped into her truck and gunned the engine, pushing down her hood to run her fingers through her hair as she turned on the heater. Bell looked up, always parked in reverse, to check if there was anyone around. Exactly three cars down, standing next to his shiny Volvo, Edward Cullen was having what seemed to be a deep conversation with his shortest sister.
Alice looked away from him in favor of smiling brightly and waving at Bell like she always did. Edward followed her eyes, looking like a deer in headlights with his wide eyes and parted lips. Bell smiled, amused, and wiggled her fingers at them. He quickly looked down, almost painfully flustered as he hissed something at Alice in an attempt to make her stop waving, his sister giggling all the while. Bell laughed out loud and pulled away from the parking lot.
These Cullen kids were great.
Bell's gonna accidentally kill Edward one of these days smh
