So I realized I've yet to add my disclaimer … totally forgot! So here goes: I am not Stephenie Meyers, I own nothing, get no money, etc. etc.

A/N at the end of the chapter :)

Chapter Three: Wings for Marie

daylight dims leaving cold fluorescence
difficult to see you in this light
please forgive this selfish question, but
what am I to say to all these ghouls tonight? (mjk)

BPOV:

It was only after 7 and I was already ready for bed. It felt as though I was never not exhausted. I suppose after the day I'd had, a little fatigue was to be expected.

My little exchange with Edward Cullen almost got the best of me. If I let myself really think about it, I hadn't actually wanted to walk away from him.

But I wasn't prepared for the next step that conversation may have taken. What I know is, it's always best to keep things brief, thus keeping relationships distant and safe.

After the accident, I'd found it near impossible to get close to people.

Not that I really tried.

I briefly thought of the boy I'd left behind; the boy who blatantly told me he couldn't handle me anymore. I thought of the dozens of people I'd encountered throughout my years in the system.

I thought of my parents, and wondered what they would think of their girl now.

Considering my flippant luck with people in general, I wondered how I would be received by Edward. I didn't really want Edward Cullen to know me. And I also wasn't sure if I really wanted to know him.

I'd met guys like him before, I was sure of it. Guys who went around, acting like they were God's gift to women; little rich boys who scoff at everyone else and are too busy to take the time to ever look beneath the surface of things.

Nope. Not interested.

Except, if I were to allow myself a moment of honesty: I actually really was.

I told myself it was just those eyes; those eyes that were still reminding me of something, that had almost gotten the best of me.

And besides, if he were to ever get to know me, the real me, I doubt he would even ever talk to me again. For the zillionth time that night, I chided myself for being so ridiculous and actually imagining further conversations with this boy.

A soft rap at the door pulled me quickly out of my thoughts. I wondered if it was Edward … but why would he come up to my room? I would think his transgression would be further occupying him.

"Come in," I said, and in walked the most petite girl I'd ever seen in my life; a girl with shiny spiked hair and the biggest smile lighting up her features.

"Hi," she nearly squealed, and with everything in me I hoped this girl was not the same person who had been screaming Edward's name earlier.

"I'm Alice. You must be … Isabella?"

"Um, Bella, actually. Dr. Cullen told you my name?"

"Yeah! Well, when I heard a girl was coming to stay with us, I just got a little overly excited," she confessed, looking slightly embarrassed. "It's just… we have enough guys around this place, and I'm always looking forward to someone who doesn't walk around scratching their balls."

I smiled at her. "I'll make sure to keep the ball scratching in check."

She laughed loudly; a soft, musical laugh, one that actually made me want to smile along with her. "Well, Bella," she said, almost as if she were trying my name out, "I was just wondering if you were hungry for anything? We're actually kind of low on supplies in the kitchen, but I could whip you up a stellar grilled cheese in no time."

" Uh thanks," I said. "I'm actually not really hungry right now. Kind of just ready for bed."

"Right, okay. Well, listen. I know tomorrow is going to be weird for you, going to a new school and all, but I could definitely show you around. And you could eat with Jasper and I at lunch too!" she said, almost too enthusiastically.

"Thanks, that's really nice of you." Alice did actually seem genuine, which I found surprising, as not many people, especially teenage girls, set out to be legitimately nice to a new comer. Maybe there was hope for this place after all.

"Well then, Bella. See you tomorrow!" And with a soft wave, Alice left my room.

It made me a little less anxious to imagine the possibility of having someone to help me out around here, and even the faint idealization that that someone may actually turn out to be a friend. There was nothing to dislike about Alice, at least nothing I could get from first impressions. In more dreadful anticipation I realized that I had only met two out of the four Cullen kids that lived here.

I knew there was Emmett, the supposed jock, and wondered what he would be like, and how hard I would have to try to avoid him.

And then … there was the voice of the orgasm, Rosalie, as Edward had mentioned her name earlier tonight. I had a feeling I didn't want to know her at all. I had a feeling I was going to absolutely despise her, so much so that it might throw off the balance of actually finding a friend in Alice.

Was it that I was jealous? I didn't think so. It was just the vibe I had gotten from Edward … a vibe that suggested that he and Rosalie were not actually a couple; that they weren't in any sort of romantic relationship whatsoever.

A vibe that suggested that their connection was founded on the sole purpose of getting each other off; strictly and purely sex.

It kind of disgusted me, but for some reason I didn't exactly blame Edward. I had never even met this Rosalie chick, and already I was considering her low moral standards.

Not that I was a sexual prude by any means. But it took a lot of time to take some of my walls down, and after what had eventually happened with him, those walls were firmly back in place.

For a careless moment, I let myself go, and I knew with everything in me that Rosalie was going to be just as physically beautiful as Edward. Thinking that made me despise Edward a slight bit more, as his focus on physical attractiveness probably had something to do with the cocky attitude he'd approached me with tonight.

Fuck that, I sighed, willing myself not to care. I pushed Edward out of my mind and instead thought of tomorrow, and the other disastrous possibilities that loomed there.

I groaned when I thought of the new challenges tomorrow would present. I had almost forgotten that I would have to be starting all over at a new school here. But then again, there's really not much to it, and I had thorough practice becoming a lost face in a crowd.

And as long as Sally had done most of the ground work and gotten me enrolled in some of the elective classes I'd requested, then hopefully all would be manageable.

I considered in somewhat wistful expectation the possibility of Forks High School's senior level English class options. Sally had told me that they did, in fact, have a creative writing class, so that brought my spirits up a bit. The last school I'd attended made due with only a remedial level literature class, that considered Oprah's book club picks great and deserving reads.

Not that I had anything against Oprah: I'd just always been prone to the classics.

I had always been a good student, even though school in itself represented something I wasn't too fond of: socialization. High school students are just like a herd of sheep; moving through the halls; dressing the same and talking the same. If attending five different schools through the course of your adolescence doesn't prove that to you, then I don't know what will.

As I got dressed for bed I let my mind wander again to Edward Cullen. I reminded myself that each one of us that lived here was from the system in one way or another, so it was very likely that Edward had some darkness all his own. Bullshit. He's probably been wrapped up in velvet curtains and Persian carpets much too long to remember any of that.

I turned out the lamp and settled into the covers, which, just like everything else in this house, were plush and white and definitely expensive. I pulled my headphones over my ears, and, as I always did, fell asleep with my music softly soothing me into unconsciousness.

EPOV:

"So give me all the dirty details," Rosalie said, curling up at the end of my bed and again interrupting my current train of thought. I was in the middle of writing; again attempting to finish some of the word I'd done earlier. But it was really fucking difficult to concentrate with Rosalie sprawled out on my bed, wearing next to nothing, yammering on and on about the new girl.

"Rose, I told you. I told you that there's not much to tell. Why don't you be a doll and go introduce yourself to her so I don't have to play mediator anymore tonight?"

"No," she sighed. "That's boring. I'd rather hear your take, and then when I have to meet her tomorrow, I'll have your review for consideration."

I stared at her blankly. "You've really given this a lot of thought, haven't you?"

She laughed, throwing her head back dramatically, shaking her long mane of blond waves in the process. "You know me, Edward. I don't usually play nice with girls. Just interested to see how long this one will last with you and me holding the reigns."

I was overwhelmed with sudden and intense anger, and oddly enough, it was because I felt the strangest desire, no, need, to protect this Bella. "Rose, you stay away from her," I warned, my words almost shocking me as they came out with venom. "She doesn't need you, or me, fucking with her. Do you understand?"

Rosalie looked at me as if she thought aliens had just come and taken over my body. "Jesus Christ, Edward. I was just joking around. You know I would never do anything to upset Carlisle."

"I don't fucking care what you say," I threatened, my heartbeat hitching, as I wondered myself if I really had been overtaken by some alien force. "I think this girl deserves a break. Got it?"

"Yeah, whatever," she said, rolling her eyes and uncrossing her legs.

"Plus," I said, almost in defense of my character, "Alice is pretty stoked on her. So you gotta play nice, at least for her."

"Ugh," she groaned, clearly not pleased with my mention of Alice. "Whatever little pixie wants, little pixie gets."

I ignored this, and went back to my notebook. I was having a brutal debate in my head on whether or not to use the word constant or steady when Rosalie crawled up beside me, folding the length of her body directly on my side.

"Not tonight, Rose," I said, fully intent on ignoring her. Then I had a better thought.

"In fact," I said, "how about you sleep in your own room tonight? I've got a shit load of writing to do. There's a presentation I gotta give tomorrow."

"Oh, blah blah blah," she whined, and stood up quickly. Rose could take a hint, I'd give her that much. "Are you riding to school with me tomorrow?"

I kept my eyes focused on my notebook and shrugged my shoulders. "Whatever works."

"Well," she said, obviously ready to pull a trick from her sleeve. "I told Emmett I'd give him a ride too. So maybe it would be better if you just rode with Alice instead."

"Yeah yeah yeah," I said. Really, did it fucking matter anyway? As long as I fucking got there, who cares who I went with?

"Plus," Rose said, and I finally looked up at her. She was standing halfway outside of my door frame, with a mischievous look in her eyes that clearly suggested trouble. "I'm sure New Girl will be riding with Alice. Maybe you could sit next to her?"

And out she went, clicking the door behind her, obviously excited to stir some trouble wherever she could.

I thought of Rose's suggestion for a brief instance, but then quickly moved for further contemplation on my totally unnatural reaction to what she said about the girl. My response, I decided, was purely instinctual, and not motivated by anything noticeably substantial.

Maybe, I thought, it was the possibility that this girl could come from a background similar to my own. But where would I have gotten that idea from exactly?

The more I thought about it, the less sure I became. I had no understanding of why Rose pissed me off so much, other than her just being Rose. I had no idea why I was even still thinking about this Bella.

As soon as I thought her name, a rush of words and images flooded through my mind. No longer was I debating the usage of one word versus another; it all came to me, organically and fluidly, as my pen couldn't write fast enough.

I filled 10 pages of my notebook before my album was up.

***

I woke up rejuvenated in a way that I hadn't felt in a long time, if not ever. I was feeling pretty fucking cocky about all the writing I'd done the night before. Makes for a great boost to the ego, especially one that had been predominately suffering from writer's block. For whatever reason, I felt like I was bursting with creative energy.

This was, in fact, definitely a good day to present my portfolio in my creative writing class.

After I'd showered and gathered all my things, I went down the hall, casually checking to see if Bella had made her way downstairs yet. Her door was firmly shut, and I wasn't about to knock. I shrugged and went down the stairs into the kitchen.

True to form, the house was bustling with energy. Mornings in the Cullen house are always a bit rambunctious, as we are all awake and alert, ready to start our respective days. I entered the kitchen and was greeted with a mostly familiar scenario: Carlisle sitting on a barstool, sipping a cup of coffee and reading the newspaper; Emmett chugging back a half gallon of orange juice (without a glass, I might add); Rosalie primping in front of a makeup compact; Alice … wait … where exactly was Alice?

"Did Alice leave to pick up Jasper without me?" I asked.

"Nope," said a female voice from behind me, and whirled around to find myself face to face with Bella. Her hair was still down, and she wore black jeans and a faded grey sweatshirt. On her feet were torn up black Chucks, and on her left shoulder sat a large black canvas bag. I realized I was staring at her, and I quickly looked away.

"Yeah, Edward, sorry," Alice said, coming up from behind Bella. "I was just sparing Bella some extra school supplies; you know, a three ring binder, calculator … all that fun stuff." She looked at Bella and smiled, and I could already sense a bond forming. Or was Alice pushing it? Bella just looked sort of uncomfortable to me.

"So, we're ready," Alice continued. "Are you coming with us, Edward? We're on our way out the door, like, now."

"Yeah," I said, still attempting to adjust to this new alteration to my routine. "Just lemme grab a bagel or something."

"Already taken care of," Alice said, waving a little brown bag in front of my face. "Bella woke up early, and she made breakfast."

I was staring; I was totally and completely and utterly staring. But I couldn't help it. I couldn't remember the last time someone had made me breakfast, or any other meal for that matter. And I know she didn't make it specifically for me, or even just for me, but I couldn't help it. I was a bit more than startled.

"It was a nice thought, Isabella," I heard Rosalie saying, and I turned my head to glare at her. "I just don't do carbs. You understand, I'm sure?"

I looked back at Bella, who just nodded at first, but then seemed to think better of it. "It's Bella. Just Bella."

Rosalie laughed dramatically. "That's right. Sorry." She slid from her chair, taking one last look into her mirror, and then shot her attention to Emmett. "Ready to go?"

"I'm always ready to bounce," he said, throwing the empty orange juice container into the trash. It didn't escape me that he was looking long and hard at Rosalie's ass as they turned into the hallway and out the door. It also didn't escape my attention that I really didn't give a shit.

"God, what a bitch," I heard Alice muttering under her breath. She rolled her eyes, smiled at both Bella and I, and then shook her car keys in front of us. "Are we ready to go or what?"

"That reminds me, Bella," Carlisle said, folding his newspaper onto his lap. "Alice will take you to the guidance office this morning, and they should have your schedule ready for you there. And remember, if there are any problems, just have them contact me and I'm sure we can take care of it."

Bella looked a flushed, and meekly stammered out a small 'thanks,' and we turned and headed toward the door.

"I guess we're ready now," I said, opening the front door for both of them. Alice gave me a curious look and then headed out. Bella didn't even let her eyes wander anywhere near my direction.

I kept wondering why I cared.

I peeked in the brown lunch bag Bella had packed for me when no one was looking. French toast. With a tiny little Tupperware container of maple syrup to go along. I smiled at the thought of Bella, all hard with her black clothing and cigarettes, waking up early to get breakfast started.

There was definitely a lot about this one I didn't know.

When we got to Alice's Volvo, I immediately reached for the back door. Again, Alice looked at me questioningly, as I never gave up the front seat for anyone. I shot a couple daggers her way, which only made her eyebrows raise with suspicion.

As we got into the car and pulled away from the house, part of me wanted to listen to Alice's chipper voice as she asked Bella questions and talked about our school, but then the other, more residual part thought it better to at least somewhat stick to routine, so I threw my headphones over my ears and pressed play.

But it was really fucking hard to focus. And I didn't know why. Even though it was probably in the low 40's, the girl had her window cracked, and chilled air was flooding through the car, making the hair on the back of my arms stand up. As if to counter the cold air, Alice had the heater on full blast, making the mixture of hot and cold air a bit stifling and overwhelming.

But that wasn't really the main issue. As the wind blew through the car and back to me, and the heat of the car engine trapped it further, the girl's scent was thrust my way. In a shocking and disturbed moment I imagined it enveloping me; crushing me and my senses into oblivion.

I was really getting carried away. But she smelled so good; something floral mixed with spice, like peonies and nutmeg and sage all mixed up in a way that made me forget that I was cold; a way that made me forget I was in the backseat of Volvo and not a thousand miles away, safe in a warm bed in the arms of the only person I'd ever loved.

My hands clutched into tight fists, and I gripped the side of the door with the ferocious intent to hold myself together. I clenched my eyes shut and tried to breathe deeply from my mouth, in hopes to keep myself steady.

But it wasn't exactly working. I bit my lips and very nearly let out a sob. I wanted out of this car and away from this girl this very instant, and I wanted to never fucking see her again and I hated her for making me feel this way and especially for making me remember.

Because this girl, this Bella, what with her condescending blend of flowers and spice, smelled exactly like my mother.

Dang Bella … even in my fanfiction you still smell so crazy good it makes Edward go nutso. I think it's one of my favorite things about her as character in general, esp. as SM wrote it .. there's something so incredibly compelling about her that's she's not even in control of. So cool.

Reviewers! My heart sings for you. Like, literally. Please keep em coming, guys. Reviews make me write faster and hopefully better. Haha. Also, I'm sorry if I have yet to respond to each of your comments. But I love you and thank you more than I can say.

Another little note: I am updating this pretty quickly, but as I am going on vacation next week (road trip weeee) I won't be able to update. However, I'll hopefully get some good writing done while on the road, so that's a good thing, right?

Thanks again for reading. I sense some angsty intense conversation between our couple come next chapter, which I will hopefully get out before I leave. ;)