Emma Cullen thought of the high school experience as a purgatory. It wasn't quite a circle of hell but it wasn't too far off. Having to repeat this never ending cycle made her wonder if she had lost her sanity some time ago and just hadn't noticed. And it wasn't like she could pretend to be a college student as her father's logic was to start as early as possible so they could stay in places longer.

There was also the fact that Carlisle had a thing for the small town of Forks. Maybe the constant rain reminded him of where he came from. Perhaps he liked the quaintness of this wet, mossy corner of America. Or he was secretly an adrenaline junkie and suicidal and being near a pack of werewolves that could kill them if they even cough near a human was too tempting to pass up.

This is why Emma was driving to school in the shiny Volvo that stood out against her peers' second hand cars and pick-up trucks and wondered to herself why she couldn't have died in her mid-twenties. Surely, looking like she was seventeen for an eternity was a cruel and unusual punishment. She must've committed a terrible crime to deserve all of this. And if Emmett did not stop trying to change the music in her car, she would set him on fire and she didn't even care if it caused Rosalie's wrath.

She pulled into the last spot in the parking lot, expertly maneuvering around Mike Newton's red Honda Civic and ignored the shouts of outrage that came from him. She and her siblings made their way out of the car and towards the school entrance. The usual mix of voices, both verbal and mental, assaulted her and she worked on drowning them all out. They could never be fully muted much to her chagrin over the decades and the easiest trick she could find was to focus on one mind and submerge herself in their thoughts for a few hours.

She had a personal favorite mind in Forks High. She had a few classes with Abel Weber and she liked to stay inside his head as long as she could. She first encountered his thoughts in Freshman Year when they first moved back to Forks and she found herself bouncing from one mind to another in class before settling on Abel's. His mind was calm and kind, much like how he was outwardly.

He was one of the few people she'd met in her lifetime that was incapable of being anything else but himself. She was pondering over him in the middle of their English class. He sat somewhere in the middle of the room, dutifully paying attention to Mr. Munroe's lecture about one of the Bard's sonnets. She stared at the back of Abel Weber's head as he took down notes.

"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" Mr. Munroe recited. "Thou art more lovely and more temperate…"

She looked deeper into Abel's mind. He was smiling as he recalled something. Words became visual and Lauren Mallory smiling under the summer sun appeared. She looked almost angelic, the sunlight turning her blonde hair almost white.

And the daily reminder of Abel's futile crush was here. As far as she knew, Abel had an unrequited crush on Lauren Mallory that was going nowhere. The girl's mind was anger and bitterness and cold derision. Being inside her head felt like walking on sharp icicles that would melt out of nowhere and become hot water. Lauren's mind was one of Emma's least favorite to visit.

She didn't know why Abel Weber was so besotted. There was Lauren's best friend, Jessica Stanley, who despite her inability to stop talking, was a lot nicer. And shockingly clever as her mind was all long equations and fast synapses. Her mind felt like stabbing a fork into an electrical socket. Still, better than Lauren's.

"And every fair from fair sometime declines," Mr. Munroe continued. "By chance or nature's changing course untrimmed."

She did not interfere in human lives. It was a personal rule she set for herself long ago. Her father was the merciful one that dedicated his existence to preserving human life. She did not share his need to contribute to the world in any way.

But Abel Weber needed help or some form of intervention. She knew that his friends were unable to dissuade his feelings for his doomed crush. She felt the need to do something. He deserved better than to pine for someone that would never return his affections.

"But thy eternal summer shall not fade," Mr. Munroe's volce droned on. "Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st."

She considered her options. She'd observed over the years that humans got over their affections for someone when a new love interest was introduced. It was an easy equation. Negative one plus one equals zero as Jessica's mind would've shouted.

Abel just needed somebody else to fawn over. His type was apparently women who hated the world. Rosalie would've been ideal as she even looked similar to Lauren. The only problem being Rosalie would rather be guillotined than help her with this, Alice would've found it amusing but Jasper, who was never too far from his wife, might also eat Abel. She considered all the girls in school and disqualified them due to Abel's general disinterest. He was never unkind to them even in his thoughts but he didn't desire any of them. Maybe it would just be easier to let Jasper modify his emotions…

Abel turned his head and they made eye contact. His brown eyes were almost as dark as his hair. His face was nicely proportioned, a nose slightly too big, thin lips, and freckles everywhere. He wasn't unfortunate-looking for human.

He gave her that small, friendly smile he gave everyone. She'd seen him give it to teachers and students alike for over three years. This was the first time he'd ever given it to her. And there was nothing extraordinary about it but she found herself breaking eye contact and staring down at her desk.

"Nor shall death brag thou wander'st in his shade," Mr. Munroe was still reading that damnable sonnet. "When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st."

She didn't look up again for a few minutes and Abel was back to taking notes. She was being silly. She hadn't had a heartbeat for close to a century and she knew that her heart would've been beating faster if it could. She might've even blushed.

The most absurd idea came to her and she didn't dismiss it immediately. Abel needed to find somebody else to crush on to get over Lauren Mallory. She wasn't blonde but she disliked existing in the world. Close enough.

He would have to make do. At least, until he discovered how she wasn't anything to crush over. Then, he could move on with his life and find a nice, sweet girl that wouldn't rip to his pieces. All she needed to do was get his attention.

They had the same lunch period after class which gave her the opportunity to talk to him in the hallway. He was several inches taller than her and she had to use some of her vampire speed to catch up to his longer gait. Living around Emmett for seventy years taught her the best way to get a tall man's attention which was to make him look down. She got to his side and fell into step with him.

She asked abruptly, "What'd you think about the sonnet?"

He turned to her, his brow furrowing. He stopped in the middle of the hallway as he realized who was talking to him. She refused to look away from his stare. She would not break this time. It was just difficult to be intimidating when you had to almost fully tilt up your head to look at him.

"Um," His thoughts were a mass of confusion. "The sonnet?"

"Sonnet eighteen," She clarified. "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"

Finally, regaining his bearings, he replied, "Yes. I remember. I thought it was nice."

"Nice?' She echoed. "You don't think its derivative?"

He blinked as if seeing her for the first time. He was still in shock she was talking to him willingly. He was pondering that this was the most words he'd ever heard from her.

"I don't think its derivative. It's…it's romantic, right?" He remarked. "Eternal love and devotion aren't derivative. They're what we should aspire to."

"But love is fleeting," She pointedly ignored the looks people were sending them, particularly her siblings. "People declare their undying love and then find a new love in the next breath. And that old love is forgotten."

"I don't think every love story is like that…"

"For example, there was Rosalind in Romeo and Juliet. Romeo insists he loves her and then the second he meets Juliet, Rosalind is tossed aside like she's nothing," She argued. "He found a new love and proved that love doesn't last forever. It gets you and the other person committing a suicide pact. How is that romantic?"

He stared at her for a moment, as if assessing her before smiling. "It's not. Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy. Romeo was infatuated with Rosalind. He didn't love her."

"And Juliet?"

"Maybe he did love her or maybe he was infatuated with her too," He shrugged. "Either way, their story isn't one to aspire to. There are better ones out there."

She clutched her bag to her chest, not sure where this conversation had gone to. "Like?"

"You've ever watched The Princess Bride?" He nodded. "Wesley and Buttercup's romance, now that is worth aspiring too."

She had watched it. When it had come out in theatres and Alice insisted on seeing it. She had thought it silly and forgettable. She had an urge to re-watch it now.

"It was nice to finally meet you after three years," He gave her that friendly smile again. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to eat. I'm starving."

She watched him walk down the hallway and to the cafeteria until the back of his head disappeared from view. She was still standing there when Alice and Jasper came over. The latter grinned at her knowingly. Alice looped their arms together and led them to the cafeteria.

Rosalie and Emmett were at their usual table. Plates of untouched pasta lay there never to be consumed. She took a seat beside Rosalie and glanced up at the table across the room. And there was Abel Weber eating his lunch without a care in the world. He looked the same but something had changed and she didn't know what it was.

On one of the many sleepless nights in her existence, she borrowed Alice's DVD copy of The Princess Bride to watch it in her room. It was still silly and forgettable. She didn't know what Abel was going on about. She finished the film annoyed and disappointed.

To channel out her emotions, she asked Emmett to go hunting with her. Even as she fed on a mountain lion, she still had that damn priest from the movie's voice echoing in her head. Mawwiage, that bwessed awwangement, that dweam wihin a dweam…

Maybe she should just kill Abel Weber. She only thought it for a second before changing her mind. It wasn't worth destroying the treaty for a teenage boy. A teenage boy who thought he was wiser than his years, trying to debate Shakespeare with her of all people.

No. She would not kill him. She declared as she helped Emmett take down a bear. She would make him like her and then make him dislike her.

That shouldn't be hard. It should be easier than having to hold this bear down as Emmett had his dinner. Why did Emmett have to take so long to eat? This wasn't wine. There was no need to savor.

"Could you hurry up?" She hissed impatiently. "I have things to do."

Emmett raised his head. "I'm almost done."

"Fine."

Abel Weber was nicer than a bear. He hadn't tried to bite or scratch her once. If she ever ate him, he would probably be polite and stay still so she could get a precise bite into his artery. He would probably even play some relaxing jazz music during the whole thing.

She wouldn't kill him. He didn't deserve it. This damn bear deserved it. It was taking forever to die.

Emma had a certain fondness for History classes. Particularly, during lessons of times she lived through. It made her nostalgic at times but mostly amused and frustrated at the inaccuracies. She usually used it as the time to reminisce on the past and be maudlin for an hour.

Mr. Turner decided to pair them in groups of two. They had to pick a topic from a fish bowl. She stilled as she read the piece of paper. What were the odds?

"What topic did we get?" Abel asked and she wordlessly handed it over. "1918 influenza pandemic. Sounds terrible."

It was. The kind of terrible one never really forgot. No matter how hard she tried. She was glad she didn't sleep as she knew what her nightmares would consist of.

She tried to not let her emotions show, adopting the blank mask she learned over the years. They both agreed to work on the project at his house as he lived nearer. She offered to drive as she had a car and her siblings could get themselves home. He informed her he had basketball practice and wouldn't be getting home till later that day. She had nothing else to do so she told him she would pick him up while she was really hiding in the library to kill the time. She was very good at killing time.

About half an hour of mindlessly staring at the book of poems she couldn't care less for, she found herself wondering over to the open doorway of the gym where the basketball team was practicing. She squeaking of sneakers and the dribble of balls made her ears itch. It was easy to spot Abel as he was trying to keep the other team from taking the ball from him. Then, as he was trying to get away, Abel fell and landed on his knee.

He dropped the ball and lied on his back, clutching his knee. His face grimacing and pale. His thoughts were red and sharp from the pain. He had managed to seriously injure himself.

What followed was a trip to the nurse's office that led to going to the emergency room. Emma drove him to the hospital since she knew the route like the back of her hand and she volunteered. Mike Newton came long and helped get Abel into the backseat of her car. Mike gave her a suspicious look before he started whispering to his friend.

"Hey, man, don't be alarmed. I think Emma Cullen has a crush on you."

"Don't be ridiculous," Abel whispered back. "She's just being nice."

"There's nice and then there's stalking," He countered. "And she's not nice."

"Mike…"

"Which would make her your type," Mike nodded. "You like angry girls."

"I do not!" He met her gaze in the rearview mirror and she pretended like she couldn't hear anything. He continued whispering to Mike. "I don't like angry girls. I just…I just like Lauren."

"Who is as cuddly as a polar bear," Mike pointed out. "Look, Abe, its cool. You have a preference. It's okay. We all do."

"I do not…" He was relieved to finally see the hospital come into view. "Never mind."

A sprained knee meant he had to let it heal for two weeks which meant crutches and no basketball. Mike groaned at this and Abel gave him a guilty smile. There was no real disappointment at not having to play but rather worry for the team and having to let them down. Abel was known to responsible and dependable. He did not know how to function otherwise.

Her father continued to explain something to him and she stared at them from an empty cot. She had spent too much time in hospitals because of her father. There was also her stint in medical school a few decades ago. She was quite bored of everything.

Carlisle asked, ever the parent, "Do you two boys have a ride home?"

"I have my car but I'll need to pick it up at school," Mike explained. "It should only take a few minutes."

"Maybe Emma can drive you home, Abel," Carlisle offered and she stared at him in disbelief. "We should get you home straightaway so you could rest."

"I don't wanna be a bother," He eyed her a she stood up. "Mike and I should be fine."

"Nonsense," Carlisle reached behind him and gently pulled her closer to stand beside him. "My daughter is more than happy to help."

"Yes," She found herself automatically saying. She always wondered if Carlisle did have a special ability but he refused to tell people, the ability to make people do what he wanted. Or maybe it was just the charm. "It's no bother, Abel."

He still looked unsure. "If it's okay with you…"

"It's more than okay," She insisted. "I'm happy to help."

"See?" Carlisle smiled and if he pinched her cheek, she was disowning him. "Everything works out."

Mike cut in, "So, you'll just drop me off at school first?"

"My son can drive you."

Emmett entered the emergency room, the doors swishing behind him. Emma had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. Her brother smiled at her knowingly and she reconsidered setting him on fire. Rosalie would get over it eventually.

I have no excuse for this story except shameless self-indulgence. If Meyer can genderbend Twilight then so can I. It's not a full genderbend though just these two so no love triangle. Jacob doesn't swing that way. It's just these two being in teenage awkwardness.

Edythe is a no. I do not like. I opted for 'Emma' cause I like it and because of the Austen character. Emma Cullen is stand-offish much like her namesake. She's more sarcastic and has a darker sense of humor than Angela so she might not be your cup of tea. It's fine. Why is Emma so into Abel? She has a crush on him but refuses to admit. She's in denial. Let her figure it out.

Why change Allen to Abel? Allen is okay but I just like how Abel sounds more. Abel also gets killed in the Bible which felt fitting.

This story will not be 18 or so chapters long. This will be a shorter story.

1. The Princess Bride is a fantasy adventure comedy film that came out in 1987.

2. The sonnet they read in class is Sonnet 18.

3. The story title is from the song 'Voices' by Against the Current which was my inspiration to write the story.

4. "It was nice to finally meet you after three years" is from the Beastly film adaptation.