Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, and I certainly don't own the lunch scene in the first book, although I had to reference it quite often for this post.

AN: Thank you all for my generous reviews! I love you, Steph! Oh, and I've decided to do a section in Edward's POV. I haven't read the draft of Midnight Sun, so I have no idea if I'm portraying him correctly, but I think I did okay. Anyway, to carry on...

Saffron's POV

I glance around the lunchroom, searching for a familiar face. New schools are always hard. Where is Sahara? Late, as usual—her head in the clouds. I turn swiftly to look back at the entrance, not noticing someone directly behind me. We both start to fall, but steady ourselves by grabbing hold of each other.

"Sorry," I begin, embarrassed.

For a moment, the other girl's face seems livid, but she manages to soften it. "It's…okay. You probably didn't see me."

"No, I'm sorry. I didn't. Have you seen my sister?" I question. "She looks exactly like me except for the fact she has lighter hair…some might even call it silver."

The girl pushes a strand of her dirty blond hair behind an ear, pale blue eyes searching the lunch room for a moment before landing upon me once more. "I'm sorry, I don't see her."

I give her a slight smile. "That's okay. We'll find each other eventually."

"I'm Lauren, by the way."

"Saffron," I reply.

"Wow, nice name," she answers, raising her eyebrows.

"Uh…thanks. Hey, I think we have a class together."

"Yeah. Trig, right?"

"Right," I say with a nod.

"Do you want to sit with me?" she asks, indicating a table opposite the main entrance.

"Sure."

We walk past the tables to the end of the room. Passing a certain table, Lauren pauses to glare at its occupants before continuing on her way. I stare at them for a moment, confused, before she grabs hold of my hand and pulls me along.

"Don't bother with them. They're a bad crowd," she informs me.

"Really?" I question, curious. "Who are they?"

Before she can reply, we reach her table. Her friends look up at me with curious expressions. Behind the curiosity, however, there seems to be some hidden emotion. Are they all…sad?

"These are my friends Jessica, Angela, Mike, and Tyler," Lauren begins, indicating each in turn. "Guys, this is Saffron."

"How you doing?" Mike questions, a grin on his face. He has pale blue eyes, just as Lauren, and his short, spiky hair is also blond.

The girl named Jessica glares over at him, and then at me. Tyler nods at me, a grin similar to Mike's upon his face. Angela smiles kindly at me.

"There's an extra seat by me," the dark-skinned girl begins. "Ben's out sick today."

"Okay," I say, glancing over at Lauren before moving around the table to sit beside Angela. Lauren sits across from me.

"You…didn't have the change to answer my question before," I remind her politely.

She sighs, glancing over at the table. "Those are the Cullens."

Angela glances up sharply, pain evident upon her face. "They were involved in an accident with our friend," she murmurs. "She still hasn't woken from the coma."

I glance over at the Cullens' table for a moment, trying to see the reason for my new friends' animosity. There are four of them. Of course Edward isn't there. They don't talk, although their food lays untouched before them. They all bear the same surname, but they don't look anything alike. One of the boys is big, heavy muscles evident even under his loose shirt. Dark, curly hair falls just above his ears. The other is taller and heavier, although still muscular. His hair comes past his ears and is a honey blond. They look like they can be in college, or even teachers rather than students. They are nothing like what I remember Edward to look like.

The girls, too, are complete opposites. The tall one is statuesque with a supermodel figure. Wow, I just think my self-esteem dropped a notch or two. Her hair is golden and slightly wavy, falling to the middle of her back. The short girl is almost pixie-like. She is too thin for comfort, her features small. Her hair is a deep black. Cropped short, it spikes in every direction.

And yet, somehow, they are all alike. All four of them are deadly pale, as if all the life had been drained from them. Perhaps this is a tad over-dramatic, but they are at least the palest of all the students living in this green town. They all have very dark eyes despite the range in their hair tones. I remember Edward's eyes being just as dark. They also bear shadows under those eyes. They almost look like bruises, as if they're all suffering from a sleepless night. They must have had a lot of homework.

But there is some reason why I can't look away.

Their faces are all devastatingly beautiful. All their features are straight, perfect, angular. They could be in the airbrushed pages of a fashion magazine or even portrayed as an angel by some old painter.

For some reason, they're all looking away. They don't seem to be looking at anything, actually. As I watch, the small girl rises with her tray. As far as I can tell, she hasn't touched a thing. She walks with a quick, graceful lope. She really belongs on a runway. I watch as she dumps the untouched tray and glides back to the table, faster than I would have thought possible. My eyes dart back to the others, who remain unchanging.

"Stop staring at them, Saffron," Lauren hisses. The pixie one looks up, glancing over at my friend before her eyes shift to mine. I look down quickly, not wanting to seem rude. For a second there I think I see her smile in recognition. I must be mistaken. "Gosh, you're just like her."

"Lauren!" Angela scolds. Wow, she must have said something pretty terrible to raise such a reaction in the quiet girl.

"You're right," the other girl replies with a sigh. "I'm sorry. I just don't want the same thing to happen to you," she continues to me.

"I'll be careful," I reply. I have to get to the bottom of this first, though. Of course.

The door to the cafeteria opens, and I instinctively turn towards the sound. Sahara walks in, nervous as ever. Edward Cullen holds the door open for her, the side of his mouth turned up in what could have been a smile. My sister glances nervously over the room, searching for me. My hand twitches slightly as I prepare to raise it. Edward's eyes flicker to mine. His expression is unreadable as he notices my new friends. He leans down to whisper something in Sahara's ear. My sister looks towards my direction, and her face brightens. I smile in return. She smiles nervously up at the gentleman still holding open the door and then makes her way towards my table. My gaze remains on the pale teen, my thoughts scattered. One thought manages to form in my mind as I stare into his amber eyes. What have you done?

* * *

Edward's POV

I see her again this morning. She sits in the courtyard, upon one of the wet benches. A sketchbook lays in her hands, and her hair is strangely silver this time. My mind focuses upon hers as I mover closer. I am shocked when her thoughts jump so willingly into my head.

Why do they always have to like her? a voice immediately sounds. He can be such a jerk sometimes, so maybe it's for the better. Saffron can definitely handle him. Oh, Saffie. I hope she's okay. She was really messed up yesterday.

Now I have reached her. She is so engrossed with her work she hardly notices me. I have been holding my breath until now in order to prepare myself for what is to come. I take a cautionary breath and find I can breathe normally. The scent is similar, there could be no doubt about that fact. And yet it does not sing to me, as the first had. It is different—slightly off.

As I stand confused by this strange occurrence, I finally decide to announce my presence. "Saffron?" I question.

Her reaction is immediate. The girl jumps, slamming the sketchbook shut. She glances up in my direction, her eyes wide.

What did he just say? she thinks helplessly.

Wishing to calm her nerves, I speak again. "You aren't Saffron, are you?"

A blush creeps up her cheeks for a moment. "No, I'm Sahara, her twin sister." I am almost unprepared for the onslaught of thoughts following the simple enough reply. Who is this guy, anyway? Oh, he must be that guy Saffie was talking about…cute but kind of…different. How many thoughts could possibly run through a girl's head? I wonder where she is…

"I'm Edward Cullen," I reply. For her, my response comes directly after hers. Humans' perception of time is far different than ours.

Something about these twins seem so intriguing to me. I struggle with myself for a moment, memories of the past beginning to resurface, and then finally decide to sit beside her. Hopefully it will not be as windy as it had been when I first saw Saffron. My iron hold control over my thirst seems to have weakened since…no, I shall not even think of it.

"What were you sketching?" I question, much in the same fashion as I had with her sister.

Another blush creeps up her cheeks, and the side of my mouth tips up in a slight smile.

"Uh…nothing, really," is her stammered reply. Her cheeks grow a deeper shade of red, her heartbeat accelerating in embarrassment. No words cross her mind—only a picture of a heavily muscled, dark-skinned youth standing shirtless in the middle of the forest. It is Jacob Black, the Quillete boy who had once been so interested in…no.

"You don't have to tell me if you wish not to," I assure, managing a polite smile.

"Thank you," she replies with a nervous smile. She's right—he is nice.

If only they knew…

Something suddenly strikes her. Maybe he's just being nice because he wants to know where my sister is… Biting her lip, she looks away. "Are-are you looking for Saffron?" the girl questions. They always want her…she thinks dejectedly. But that's not her fault, she contradicts herself, just the truth.

"Not particularly…at the moment I am more concerned about my conversation with you," I reply lightly. It was the truth.

She smiles to herself, and then glances around. "I don't even know where she is," Sahara admits. The girl frowns. "Or anyone else for that matter." Why is this?

"That would be because they are all enjoying their lunches." For some reason, my mouth finds another reason to tip upwards.

"Oh, it's lunch time!" she yelps, gathering up her supplies. Saffron's going to kill me… she thinks. "I have to go!"

"I should go as well," I reply, rising smoothly from the bench. A raindrop lands upon Sahara's shoulder, and she glances up at the foreboding skies. "Perhaps sooner rather than later," I suggest with a wry smile. She nods her agreement.

We walk towards the lunch building, raindrops falling lightly upon us. Sahara raises her hood above her head, thinking frantically, Oh, no. Oh, no. My hair will get all bushy and frizzy! I find another reason to grin. I reach the door first, of course. I have been raised to always be polite, and so I open the door and hold it for her.

A dazzling array of smells and senses barrage me all at once. I hold my breath once again, glancing down at Sahara. She grins nervously up at me. Thanks, nice guy, she chatters in my mind, something I am fairly certain she would never say aloud. She searches for her sister, her eyes roaming the cafeteria. A slight movement catches my eye, and they are immediately drawn to the hand that has just twitched. Saffron sits at the table at the far end, the one…

I pause to lean down into Sahara's ear. "She is over there," I murmur. I feel her shiver as my icy breath touches her skin, and I move back wordlessly.

I glance over to the table once again, the table full of so many reminders of why humans could never live in harmony with my kind. I find Saffron's piercing green eyes gazing directly into my own.

What have you done? she demands.

AN: I know, the lunch scene was almost too similar to the book. What can I say? I'm terrible at descriptions. Anyway, tell me what you think of the chapter? Love? Hate? Review so I can know!