Chapter Two: First Sight (ha ha)

I was listening intently to what my English teacher, Miss Reynolds, was saying. I absolutely love Literature; it's always been my favorite class. She was telling us about how we were about to start reading the Odyssey by Homer. I already knew a lot about it, because Greek myths are my specialty. While there was an ominous moan throughout the class, I was internally doing a happy dance.

The girl sitting next to me turned over to look at me. She was scrutinizing my appearance, so I started to do the same. She had long, curly brown hair, a pale complexion (how could someone even get a tan in a place like this?), from what I could tell she was tall, and she had a pretty good sense of style. She was wearing skinny jeans, converse, and a tight white tank top underneath a pretty sweatshirt.

She smiled at me, seeming to accept me, and I smiled back tentatively. She stuck out her hand and whispered, "It's nice to meet you; I'm Jessica. You're new here, right?" Her appearance didn't really shed anything on her personality. She pretty much sneered at me condescendingly. Then I blanched visibly, and she noticed.

"What?" she asked cautiously.

"Are you Jessica Stanley?" I asked, hoping that she'd say no, and I'd laugh in my bedroom later tonight when I realized how stupid I had been. But, no.

"Yeah, what's it to you?" she asked. I could tell she was starting to get the creeps, and I didn't blame her. I was supposedly the new girl, and I already knew her name. And the fact that she'll most likely end up being a gossip-spreading, mean, vindictive, meany-pants.

I tried to answer with nonchalance as I said, "Nothing, I just think I heard your name somewhere, sorry. I'm really nervous." By the end, I'd ended up sounding like I was trying to defend myself in court…for murder or something along those lines.

"Oh, okay. You wanna sit with my gang at lunch today?" she asked.

"Um, sure," I answered. I couldn't believe that she didn't question me more. I mean, how thick could she be? I wasn't going to complain or anything, though.

"Cool. Can I see your schedule?" I handed it over to her and she looked through it. "It looks like we have Spanish together, and Biology" she paused briefly, "and English, of course," she giggled like she made a joke. I didn't completely see it, but I smiled with her.

After English was over and I had gotten information that I needed from my teacher, Jessica walked with me to my Spanish class. I completely despised Spanish in North Carolina, my teacher had been so boring, and I was in a semi-conscious state in most of her classes. I hoped it would be better here. As we walked in, I noticed that the walls were all painted different colors, and there were Spanish-looking decorations all over the place. I saw a short skinny woman at a desk. She was really cute, with her hair in a short bob, and a happy smile on her face.

"Buenos días! Bienvenidos a la clase de Español tres, otra vez!" she said cheerfully. She saw me and said, "Ah, hola! Que te llamas?"

I fidgeted and said, "Me llama Cynthia Van Dyke. Yo soy estudiante nueva."

"Si, welcome to my class! I'm Mrs. Abbots and I'm going to be your Spanish teacher this year. It's a pleasure to have you!" she exclaimed, bringing the attention of the whole class to me. I flushed, and she gestured to the seats. I sat down next to Jessica with a face that probably looked like cherry.

"You're lucky you weren't here in the beginning of the year," Jessica whispered. "She had us all stand in a circle and say our name and something about us in Spanish! Can you believe that? We were gone all summer…" I tuned her out after that. Of course we'd be expected to know how to speak Spanish in our third year of learning it, jeez. I can't believe Bella didn't notice how much of a dunce Jess was.

I backtracked after that thought. Was I really and truly in that world? Eric hadn't tried to help me out yet, and I didn't have and overly attentive Mike by my side. Maybe it was all just a coincidence. Or, maybe not.

I saw a boy wearing a plaid vest and glasses come up to me and Jessica. "Hi! I wanted to properly welcome you to the school! My name is Eric Yorkie, captain of the Chess Club and named 'Most likely to be Valedictorian' in last year's yearbook," he said proudly, puffing out his chest. I admit, chess is pretty sweet, but you've gotta be a pretty big loser if you're throwing it in the new girl's face.

Before I could say anything, Jessica said in a bored voice, "Go away, Eric. Your company was not asked for and therefore not needed."

The hurt look on his face was enough for me to stand up for him a little. "Hey, Eric. I was in the chess club over in North Carolina, it was really fun. Is it too late to sign up?" I was actually interested, because I am a weirdo like that, and I wanted to make Eric feel better. Just because he's a nerd doesn't mean its ok for people to pick on him.

He brightened up immediately at my confession. "Yeah, you can still join! You might be behind the other people, but we'll brush you up to speed. Can I give you an application tomorrow?" I nodded, and Spanish class officially began, so he had to sit down.

Jessica was looking at me like I had ten heads. "You don't want to hang out with people like Eric Yorkie," she whispered. "It'll give you a bad image."

I looked at her in disgust. "Jeeze, Jessica. He seems like an ok guy, I'm not going to hang out with people because of what other people say. And I like chess," I said with determination, abruptly ending the conversation.

Mrs. Abbots started to talk about some stuff in Spanish. She was talking so darn fast it was hard to keep up with her. Apparently we were starting a new chapter, which was awesome for me. We would be learning about health and exercise and stuff like that. I actually liked the idea of this unit; usually the vocab was based on something really stupid.

Before I knew it, it was time to head over to the cafeteria. With Jessica leading the way, we got there in no time. I told her that I had packed my lunch, so she pointed over to the table that they usually sat at. I took a random seat at said table, and started to unpack my lunchbox.

I got a tap on my shoulder that made me jump about ten feet. I turned around, and there was this girl with straight blond hair that was inexplicably glaring at me. "Excuse me, that's my seat," she said.

"Oh, err, sorry," was my smart-minded reply.

Another girl was standing next to her, she looked at me apologetically. "Hi, you must be Cynthia, right? I'm Angela Weber, and this is Lauren Mallory." She smiled at me. "That seat's usually empty, you can sit there," she said, pointing to a seat close to the one I was sitting in. I didn't understand what the big deal was with Lauren, but whatev.

"Thanks, Angela; it's nice to meet you." I bit my lip when I realized that this was the sweet Angela whose father married Edward and Bella. She really was as kind-hearted as Bella always described…and Edward in Midnight Sun…I totally read that when Stephanie Meyer posted it on her site.

I moved to the seat, and Angela sat in the one next to me. "So, Cynthia, tell us a bit about you. What's it like to move across the country?"

I chuckled a bit at this. I'd moved across the country too many times to count. "I don't really know anymore, I'm used to it. I've moved across the country so many times, I've sort of adapted to it. My little brother was actually born in Washington, so I've already lived here once," I said. I got a little idea then. Cue evil laugh. "Hey, do you like to read," I asked. Only I would be able to find the hint of hysteria in my voice.

Angela answered, "Yes, it's one of my favorite pastimes," to which Lauren unattractively snorted. "You name a book, and I've read it." Perfect.

"Have you ever heard of the Twilight series?" I asked. I was gripping my last string of hope…

"I can't say I have, is it new or something?"

And that dash of hope was gone. Ah, well. I'd gone completely nuts. "No, it's just not that popular. Never mind. Have you read Harry Potter?" I asked, trying to get the subject off the other series.

"Definitely," she answered with a sparkle in her eye. "I'm a complete Harry Potter nerd. I watch the movies the night they come out, and I was heartbroken when the series ended," she admitted.

"Me too," I laughed. I really liked Angela. She should have had a bigger part in the books. Wait…that is just too weird.

Right as I thought that, Jessica sat down with us, along with two guys. "Guys, this is Cynthia, Cynthia, Mike Newton and Tyler Crowley." Crud muffins, the annoying Mike makes his appearance, and Tyler, who would later have a car accident and nearly kill Bella…

Bella. Was she even here? I mean, she was supposed to already be here if she was. I would sound stupid if I asked and no one knew who she was, but I'd sound crazy if she was out sick or something. I could ask Angela, I guess. She probably wouldn't judge me. Later, though. I don't want to make a fool of myself in front of who might be my only friends here. Heck, I might even end up being friends with Bella…if she even exists, that is.

As I was taking the first few bites of my sandwich, they came in. That sounded stupid, but hey. I could tell it was them just by looking. They were all gorgeous, of course. They were walking in couples, and I could automatically tell who was who. Rosalie definitely the tall, leggy, blonde that was walking with someone that could only be the big buff Emmett. The tall, blonde guy that was fashionably dressed was Jasper, on the arm of the short, spiky-haired Alice. Then I saw him. Gah, Bella did not exaggerate. He really was gorgeous. Not too brawny, not too skinny. A face fit for a male model or actor, and dark topaz eyes that just drew you in….alright, I admit. He was too far away from me for me to be able to see his eyes. I could fantasize, though, right? Wait…could I? Could Edward read my mind??!!

My palms got sweaty, and my stomach started feeling queasy. I decided to try something out. I thought, with all my might, Edward Cullen the vampire, do you hear me? I was expecting his head to snap up, his eyes to focus on me, and to look at me accusingly, but none of that happened. He didn't notice it. He couldn't hear my thoughts. I felt relief instantly. Phew!

After a couple of minutes, I re-joined the table's conversation, and started eating again. Jessica fed the gossip, and we all listened. She saw me glance at the Cullens' table out of the corner of my eye, and she said, "Those are the Cullens, Cynthia. They're all adopted by this doctor and his wife. They're all together too…" Blah blah blah. I already knew all of this, of course, so I just tuned her out. When I noticed the subject change, I started listening again. I was just about to start eating my jello when Jessica whispered words to me that seemed like quotes from a book…Oh, wait, they were! "Cynthia, Edward Cullen is staring at you."

I didn't react like Bella, the blood didn't rush to my face, and I didn't look down at my lap in embarrassment. Instead, I just said, "Probably just curious about the new girl."

I glanced up at him, and he was, indeed, staring intently at me. Ha ha, Eddie. You can't read my tho-oughts. Na na na na na na! I smiled at these thoughts. He was obviously trying to, unsuccessfully, break down my minds' walls. Muahahaha.

A couple of minutes after I had finished my lunch, the bell rang for us to go to our next class. For me, that was Biology…with Edward. As I was walking I thought of a brilliant plan to figure out if Bella was just absent today. If I was assigned her seat next to the godly Edward, then she didn't live her. If I wasn't, I didn't replace her in this already weird situation.

I got my answer pretty quickly. I was seated by Mr. Banner, to which I internally laughed at; it was just so surreal. I looked to the table he was pointing at. It was currently occupied by none other than Edward Cullen himself. I smiled at him, and put my things on the desk before sitting down. I had a random straggler thought that told me that he might thirst for my blood like he did Bella's…I might be his singer. I was cautious after that.

He didn't seem to stiffen up too much, and he didn't try to plug his nose from my delectable scent, so I figured it was safe to introduce myself. "Hi, I'm Cynthia Van Dyke," I said, putting my hand out for him.

He smiled and shook it, "It's nice to meet you, Cynthia. I'm Edward Cullen." Yep, he definitely didn't seem to want to suck me dry, which was a nice change from the books. "So, where'd you move from?" he asked. To me, he was obviously trying to sound normal. Of course he already knew, he could read every mind in the school, for God sakes. I decided to humor him.

"I used to live near Raleigh, North Carolina," I said.

He nodded, and replied, "So, do you like it here?" Hmmm…did I? I mean, it was definitely nice sitting next to him, but did I like this new world in which I was almost living the life of Bella Swan? Heck, yes!

I smiled and said, "Definitely. I love the rain," that was very true, the rain soothes me, "and almost everyone here seems nice. The green is nice, too. I'm sure my mom'll be dragging me and my brother on hikes pretty soon," I said.

"What's your brother's name?" he asked. Geez, interrogation much?

"His name is Andrew, but we all call him Andy. He's thirteen, and he's going to be freshmen next year."

After I answered that, our conversation was cut short for us, the class was beginning. I took out my notebook to take probably unnecessary notes, but science had always been my weak point. I really wanted to improve on that. It's not like I didn't have a high A in NC, I just didn't feel like I was absorbing everything enough.

After his lecture, he gave us the lab. Mitosis, gah. I suck at looking through microscopes. Even though I took advanced Bio in NC, I could never figure it out.

Mr. Banner passed out the supplies, and told us to get to work. Edward took the first slide, and quickly said, "Anaphase." I nodded, there was no way I was going to question him on it. "Do you want to try one?" he asked.

I shrugged. "Sure." I didn't want to seem like a complete dumnbutt in front of him. (Yes, dumnbutt is an insult in my vocabulary, I don't swear. I think it makes people sound stupid. No offense.) I looked through the microscope, and desperately tried to remember what I'd learned about mitosis. This slide had cells that looked like they…had a cleavage furrow! Okay, so cleavage furrow… "Telophase," I said uncertainly. I looked up at him. "Here, you can check."

He did just that (insulting my intelligence), and confirmed that it was telophase. We finished the lab in no time, and I surprisingly helped. I actually felt confident that I knew the stages of mitosis, and Edward actually explained some things to me. It helped out a whole lot.

"Thanks, Edward," I smiled.

"No problem," he said, smiling back. I got lost in his dazzling topaz eyes…that were almost black. Edward really needed to hunt, geez. He might eat the entire student body with those eyes.

The rest of the day went by alright. I didn't get put in any stupid classes. I got my art class like I wanted, and the teacher was extremely nice.

Then it was time for gym class. It's not like I was clumsy or anything Bella like that, I'm just a plain lazy person. Luckily, since it was my first day, I didn't have to participate. Whoopee!! Bella really didn't put much emphasis on Coach Clapp. He was 40-ish looking, with graying hair, and a happy face. He wore track pants, a Forks High t-shirt, and a whistle.

After watching people play basketball, it was finally time to go home. Once outside, I called my dad to let him know school was out, and he told me he was on his way. I sat outside on a bench and waited. I put my head back on the wall with my eyes closed, and thought about everything I'd learned today. I had replaced Isabella Swan in the world of Twilight (which was real), and I'd met all of her friends and teachers. I need to go to an asylum.

Right as I thought this, the gorgeous five walked out of the door right next to my bench. Surprisingly, Alice came right over to me, and said, "Hi, Cynthia!! It's so great to meet you, I know we're going to be great friends." I smiled at her, of course she knew that. She was, after all, psychic. Edward looked back at me and waved as he was walking to his silver Volvo…

xoxoxoxo

Later that day, I was sitting in my bedroom doing the little homework I was assigned, when my mom called me downstairs for dinner. I am in no way, shape or form, a cook. I simply can't. Don't eat my food. My mom, however, can cook a mean anything. She recently found allrecipes, a website of….you got it, recipes! She's been experimenting for a while with it, and so far, everything's been great. Tonight we were having my favorite (but Andy's least) Mexican Casserole. It's like chili, except with a bit more stuff, and tortilla chips. Yummy!!

After dinner, I sat down on the couch for a bit, and Mom turned on Cold Case. I don't know why, but that show is way too addicting. Whenever it comes on, I have to watch it. So I was watching the show sitting next to my mom, when I decided to see if she had any idea what I was talking about.

"Hey, mom?" She looked over at me. "You know those Twilight books?" I asked.

She rolled her eyes at me, and said, "No, Cee, I'm not buying you any more books. You already have more than enough." So, my mom, who had in fact known about my fixation with Twilight this morning, seemed to forget.

I decided to play along so I wouldn't look crazy. "Ok, sorry Mom. I'll just go to the library." She silently nodded to me, and we watched the rest of the show in silence.

When it was time to go to bed, I did my nightly routine in my new bathroom, taking out my contacts, brushing my teeth, and putting on my favorite pair of garden gnome pajamas.

I walked over to one of the boxes lining my wall that was labeled, "Cee's Books." I opened it up, and took out some of the books. At the bottom, I found what I was looking for: Twilight, books one through four. I decided that if I was going to replace Bella, I should brush up on my Twilight knowledge. So, I started reading…and reading…and reading. I finished the first two books that night.

I realized that I was probably going to almost get run over by a car, and I am so not suicidal. I figured out that the car accident was on Tuesday, January 25th. Bella moved to Forks on the 17th…just like me. So, the car accident would be happening in eight days.

Dun dun dun! Please review! Tell me what you think, do you like? Thanks for reading :)