I do not own Twilight. And thanks so much to those who have reviewed. You guys Rock Potato Chips! Thanks also to Insane and Soccer-Bitch for helping me out!
Heavenly walked to the cafeteria, each footstep seeming like a snail's pace. The whispers, smirks and sneers followed her like a raging symphony, each person adding a vicious note as she continued down the hall. It didn't matter what reaction she gave, they never stopped. She felt like she was a bad painting, the critics couldn't get enough of tearing her verbally apart, instead of letting her go back to storage and gather dust. The urge to snarl and rip their throats out in a red rage was almost too much to handle.
Duty. Pride. These were the things that kept her in control. She refused to become what her family so cheerfully hunted with abandon. The lessons of Duty that her father gave her rose up in her mind, comforting her with their familiarity. Each ancient word hugged around her mind, soothing her with their regal nobility. Heavenly would never shame her father and forget her duty. A shiver crawled up her spine in distaste. She sighed. It was also that Duty that bound her to living in Maybell and attending the school. The last thing her family needed was their cover blown because she refused to attend the school. It was up to her to show the human side of them.
She walked into the large hall, her books clutched defensively to her chest. All around her voices rose like waves as tables of people talked amongst them. Joining the line for their food, she looked around with sightless eyes, barely paying any attention to the line crawling forward.
"Hiya!" the cheerful voice startled her, stealing away her breath and knocking her books to the floor. Heavenly dropped to the floor, picking up her books and looking up to the speaker. Alice's cheerful countenance beamed down at her. Gifting the exuberant girl with a smile of her own, Heavenly stood up and shifted so that she was back in line. Behind the pale girl stood her brother, Edward. He stared at her intensely, an amused grin tugging at his marble rose lips.
"Hi Alice," Heavenly greeted, a light flush rising to her cheeks. Edward continued to smile. She gave him a quick once over, taking in his black pants, tight blue shirt and his amber tinted windblown hair. Fingers itching to smooth it down, Heavenly clenched her fists, grateful for the line moving enough that she could grab her lunch.
"How's your second day going?" Alice asked, taking a tray after her. Edward leaned over his petite pixie of a sister and grabbed one for himself silently.
"Um, not so good." Heavenly hedged. "No one seems to want the new girl in their group." She tried to smile with humour, but going by the sympathetic look that she received from both of them, she guessed that she failed. "But its ok, I think I might go outside or to the library, see if they have any good poetry books."
"Why don't you sit with us?" Alice asked, cocking her head to the side. "Edward and Jasper get boring to talk to after a while, besides Rosalie and Emmett more interested in other things." She pointed to a couple kissing and smiled. "I'm always looking for a new friend that I can go shopping with."
Heavenly flushed as she grabbed an apple and a plastic bowl filled with grapes. "Uh, ok." The other girl beamed before dragging her to the half empty table. Edward followed at a more sedate pace, grabbing a bottle of water and paying for their meals as he passed the register. "Hey, I don't think its fair on Edward to pay for the fruit," she protested as Alice continued to pull her along.
"Pay him back when he gets to the table," Alice shrugged as they reached their destination. Heavenly opened her mouth to object only to close it when the bubbly girl began introductions. "Guys, this is Heavenly Marsh, she's new. Heavenly, this is my big brother Emmett, and his girlfriend Rosalie. They're in the year above us."
She smiled at the two politely. The tall tank of a teenager grinned at her with the enthusiasm of a ten year old, while his blonde bombshell looked at her with a distaste that rivalled the hostility that she had already received. Alice elbowed the girl as she sat down. She tucked a tendril of hair behind her ear, feeling awkward and unwelcome. Edward walked up from behind her, placing his tray down. Standing next to him, she noticed, startled, how much taller he was than her. She sat down gracefully, praying that she did nothing to embarrass herself. Pulling out her purse, she tried to hand Edward a few bills only to have him push the money back towards her with a firm but gentle force. She blushed as his fingers stroked hers before he shifted back casually; making her wonder if it really happened.
"Where's Jasper?" Alice asked Edward after a moment of awkward silence. Heavenly took a bite of a grape, trying to avoid the glare that Rosalie was sending her way. It was strange, the girl knew nothing about her, probably didn't hear a lot of the younger student's gossip, and straight away was willing to be hostile.
"He had to stay back in gym. The lesson ran over," Edward said casually. "Where are you from, Heavenly?" She paused for a moment, unsure of what exactly to say. There was absolutely no way she could tell them the absolute truth, but she really didn't want to lie. Besides, if there was any hint of what she truly was, all her parent's plans would be shot and those they were searching for would disappear again. A thought came to her suddenly. She didn't have to lie, but there was nothing stopping her from editing the true story. "Heavenly?" Edward asked again.
She blinked, brought from her thoughts. "Um, Romania, and please, call me Lee, it's less of a mouthful." Edward gave her a lazy smile before nodding. Her heart pounded. She was quite sure she had just been 'dazzled' like the girls in once of her classes gossiped to one of her friends. He stared at her for a moment. Sheer intensity gleamed from his eyes before they shuttered to their polite curiosity once more. Heavenly's brow furrowed for a moment.
"Cool, what's it like?" Alice asked curiously, fiddling with an apple on her tray.
"Cold, cloudy, and seeped in tradition," Heavenly said with a fond smile. "The Carpathian mountains are a sight to behold. It's like they touch the heavens."
"Sounds like you miss it," Emmett mentioned casually.
"More than anything," she replied with fervour. "It's where my heart is."
"Poetic." Rosalie said with disinterest. "How come you are here?"
Heavenly looked down at her tray, missing the glare Edward sent to the other girl. "My parents decided that we should see the world while we're young."
"Tell me about the place you're from, like the people?" Alice asked eagerly. Heavenly paused, biting down softly on her bottom lip. How would she explain who her family and community were? She looked at them, noticing their expecting expressions.
"Um, well, I lived in the Carpathian mountains, in a small town. Our community is close and tradition is held high. My father was like the mayor of the town. But everyone was family. The men are protectors, keeping away those who'd try and bully us."
"Who'd bully you?" Alice asked curiously.
"Bandits, hunters," Heavenly replied, shrugging. Her half truths were eaten up by the others.
"What kind of traditions did you have?" Rosalie asked her eyes dark and her voice sharp.
"Um," she began hesitantly, unsure of what to say. It wasn't as though she could turn around and tell them all about the Hunter's lifestyle, let alone the lifemate situation. But considering that it was the major basis of their culture, there was no way that she could just ignore it. Heavenly looked at Edward again. His expecting expression was again overshadowed by the intensely fierce look in his eyes. She swallowed before speaking softly. "With our marriage there is no divorce, you are lifemates forever. Women are considered to be too gentle and must be protected and cherished. Men are taught to fight in our ancient ways. Our duty and honour are held with the upmost respect."
"So women are not considered equal?" Edward asked curiously, leaning forward to watch her response.
Heavenly smiled with humour. "Even though we are expected to stay at home, most of the men are too afraid to anger us. It is equal. They cherish us and love us more than anything. Almost everything that they do is for our protection." Edward nodded. Falling silent, Heavenly ate a few more grapes. She thought about his reaction to what she said. Was it possible that he knew that she was leaving a vast majority of her past out? Her head shook minutely. No, it wasn't possible, unless he could read her thoughts. Now that was a ridiculous thought. No one, apart from a small amount of human psychics, mages and Carpathians could read minds, and even then it took a lot of training to get to that point. Emmett and Rosalie stood up suddenly, startling her.
"We're going to meet up with Jasper," Emmett said cheerfully. Rosalie looked at Heavenly with a sneer, before giving her partner her attention. "Make sure that he gets something to eat before our next class. It was nice to meet you Lee."
She smiled at the friendly giant. "It was really nice to meet you too, Emmett, Rosalie. I'll see you when I see you next."
He let out a booming laugh. "If you hang out with Alice and Edward, I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot of you." His smile gave her a sense of comfort and ease. It was then she knew that Emmett would never hurt a human, not on his own right, anyway.
"We should get to class, too," Edward said, standing up and offering Heavenly a hand. "The bell will be ringing in a few minutes, and we still have to get our books." She took his hand and stood up.
"What class do you have next, Lee?" Alice smiled, getting up to follow the others.
"English," Heavenly replied
"Oh, great," she smiled, "You can sit with Jasper, Edward and me. You'll love Jasper, he's so sweet."
Edward rolled his eyes with a crooked smile teasing at his lips. The effect was devastatingly handsome as Heavenly mindlessly walked with them out of the hall.
That's the chapter, please leave a review once you've read, pretty pretty please!