Chapter Two
Five a.m. came too early Monday morning. My back was stiff and I winced in pain as I stood up. I dressed quickly in a long denim skirt and plain brown top with long sleeves, carefully fastening my mother's crucifix around my neck. It was the one thing she left me and I wore it every day. After twisting my long brown hair into a braid, I sighed as I picked up one of my kerchiefs. It wasn't something I embraced, though it was important to my father. I also knew it was the one thing that would set me apart from everyone else with just one glance. Maybe the other students would just think I was some kind of hippie or making a fashion statement. I made my bed and headed downstairs to make breakfast. By the time my father came downstairs, I had his oatmeal and orange juice at his place at the table. We said our morning prayers and ate in silence. I washed the dishes as he read from the Bible, preparing in his own way for the day. Once the kitchen was spotless again, I headed upstairs to grab my backpack, carrying it by the handles instead of slinging it over my tender back.
Charlie sat up as I returned to the kitchen. "Bella?"
"Yes sir?"
"The school is less than a mile, but it rains here more often than not. I'm going to look at a few cars today for you because it wouldn't do for you to be walking in the rain."
"Thank you father." I replied incredulously. I never thought he would allow me to have a car. I figured I would be riding the bus, at least until I made some friends. It would be nice to have the little bit of freedom my own car would allow.
He nodded. "Today will be dry, so you can walk. I'll see you after school. Remember what we talked about yesterday. Your chastity is important to God."
"Yes sir, I will. I know." I headed out the front door after he gave me directions to the school. Charlie would be taking a job at the tire factory, but he didn't start until Wednesday.
The walk was nice and gave me time to think. I tried not to get anxious about my first day at a new school, but I knew teenagers could be so cruel. As I rounded the last corner I saw the sign that proclaimed the buildings behind it as Forks High School. It consisted of several small brick buildings that didn't resemble the schools I was used to at all. A sign over the first building declared it the Office, and I took a deep breath before heading down the shrub-lined path to the front door. I approached the counter where a large red-haired woman was sitting.
"Can I help you?" She asked.
"I'm Isabella Swan. I'm new here."
"Of course! Just a moment." She rustled through a stack of papers on her desk, eventually finding the ones she was looking for and handing them to me. "The top paper is your schedule, and the second one is a map." Then she gave me a slip that she needed all the teachers to sign and asked me to turn it in at the end of the day.
"Thank you so much." I told her as I left the office. I took a moment to look over the map in order to find the best route to my first class. I followed the paths to the building painted with a large number three on the corner. Once inside, I handed the slip to the teacher, Mr. Mason. He was a tall, balding man, and he nodded as he signed the slip. "Welcome to Forks, Isabella." He smiled.
"It's Bella, actually, sir." I felt my cheeks redden as I corrected him.
"Bella, then." He directed me to an empty seat at the back of the classroom. I had to pass by everyone gawking at me on my way to my seat, and I just kept my head down and prayed that I didn't trip. They were starting Romeo and Juliet today, something I had already read. Taking a chance to look around, I recognized a couple of the kids from the diner on Saturday. Including the one that had been staring a little too intently in my direction. I listened to the teacher drone on and read the part of Juliet out loud when it was my turn. Finally the bell rang and class was over. I was taking a moment to try to memorize the way to my next class when a shadow fell across my desk. I looked up and it was him. That same baby face and carefully arranged blond hair.
"Hi! I'm Mike. You're new here right?" He flashed me a grin.
"Yes, I'm Bella."
"Nice to meet you Bella. Can I help you find your next class?" I wanted to say sure, that would be nice, but I knew it was dangerous to make friends with the opposite sex. Not because I was afraid of them, but because I was afraid of what my father would do. Rumors spread fast in small towns, and he would know if I was seen with any one boy too long.
"Actually, I already know the way, but thank you." I smiled politely as I held my bag and headed out of the classroom. He wasn't giving up and walked beside me.
"So where did you move from?" He asked.
"Mississippi."
"Wow, that's quite a change. You don't much of an accent though."
"No, I've moved around too much I suppose."
"Why is that?" He asked. Again I prayed he would just go and leave me alone.
"We just have." I shrugged. "I really need to get to class." Giving him a polite smile I veered away from him towards my next class.
The rest of the morning continued in the same way. After the first two classes I began to recognize some of the faces in my class, which isn't unusual for a small town. By the time lunch came, I had been walked to class by three different boys and was beginning to wonder what the fascination with me was. I felt like a cracker jack prize that everyone wanted a turn with.
I walked to lunch with a tiny, curly haired girl who had been in two of my classes and she invited me to sit at their table. I noticed the three guys I had already met sitting there along with two other girls. The one I walked with, Jessica, introduced me to the others and I could almost hear the questions running through their heads. It was always the same at every new school. I sat down next to a quiet girl, Angela, and she gave me a shy smile. I answered the usual questions about where I was from and why we moved here, just waiting for the other questions that always followed. It was a blond girl I recognized from the diner at the end of the table that finally brought it up. She had heard my father that night and couldn't turn down a chance to humiliate me.
"So Bella, are you like one of those Mormons or something?" She asked.
"Lauren!" Jessica exclaimed.
I know my face must have been as red as a tomato. "No, I'm not Mormon." I answered quietly.
She huffed. "So you don't have like three moms or anything?"
"No, I do not have three mothers. I had one, and she left when I was twelve." I could hear the other kids at the table chastising her and apologizing to me, but I was too busy trying to hold back the tears to listen. It would only get worse as the semester wore on. They'd see me fully dressed in gym. I'd never be able to join them for regular teen stuff, never be allowed a boyfriend, or to go to the beach. I looked away from the table, and that is when I saw them.
They sat in the furthest corner of the cafeteria and they weren't talking or eating. There were five of them, and each one more stunningly beautiful than the next. They all looked so different from each other, but yet hauntingly similar. They shared the same flawless pale skin and dark eyes with bruise-like shadows underneath them. As I was staring, trying to ignore the whispers of those I was sitting with, one of the boys turned to look at me. His bronze hair was untidy and his features were inhumanly perfect. His eyes flickered over to Jessica and then a little more intently towards me before he turned away. I quickly dropped my eyes and felt the familiar blush creeping into my cheeks. Jessica giggled.
"I see you noticed the Cullens." She whispered, much too happy to gossip. I shrugged, feigning disinterest. "It's ok, everyone notices them at some point. They all live together with Dr. Cullen and his wife. They're adopted, but they're all together."
I chanced another glance at the table and the tiny dark haired girl was watching me with with a frown. The bronze haired boy seemed to be upset with her.
Jessica continued. "The one that was looking at you, that's Alice Cullen, and you see the tall boy with honey-blond hair? That's Jasper Hale, her boyfriend. Next to him, the gorgeous blond, is his twin sister Rosalie, and she's with the big dark haired one, Emmett. The one on the end is Edward, but he doesn't date, so don't waste your time. Apparently none of the girls here are good enough for him." I heard envy slipping into the last part of that, as if she had been turned down by him before.
"Oh, I didn't plan on it. I don't date either." I replied, shaking my head.
Mike leaned over and decided to join in our conversation. "I was just filling Bella in on the Cullens." Jessica told him.
"Just ignore them Bella, they are freaks." He said. I looked away, not knowing how to respond. I'd been lumped in with freaks many times, and it's not a nice feeling. But they were all so good-looking, that it was hard to imagine they could be anything less than popular.
After a few moments of silence, Angela turned to me hesitantly. "Do you already have a church here Bella?" She asked shyly.
"No, we just worship at home right now. My father is pretty picky about choosing a church."
"My father is the minister at the Lutheran church. If you ever want to check it out, just let me know. I'd be happy to sit with you." She spoke so gently and had the kindest eyes. I knew Charlie would approve of her as a friend, and he might even let me attend her father's church. Maybe Forks wouldn't be too bad.
"I'd like that Angela. I'll ask my father about it." I smiled, hoping maybe I had found a friend.
"What class do you have next?" She asked.
"Um, Biology."
"Me too, I'll show you the way." We got up to put our trays away and walked in silence to the science building.
Once we were inside she took her seat at one of the black topped tables. I scanned the class, and found that the only available seat was next to the boy with the odd colored hair, Edward Cullen. I had the teacher, Mr. Banner, sign my slip and he directed me to Edward's table. He was staring at me with a look of great concentration on his face as I walked towards him. I was so flustered that I tripped on the leg of the chair as I was turning to sit and fell into the chair, my back slamming against the back of it. I winced and sat up straight as quickly as possible, noticing a slight wetness as one of the scabs on my back reopened. I heard the students laughing and whispering and tried to drown it out as I squeezed my eyes closed. When I opened them again, Mr. Banner had begun his lesson and the rest of the students were quiet. I turned to look at Edward and he was glaring at me with furious, coal black eyes. His hands gripped the edge of the table, and he was leaning as far away from me as possible. His reaction bewildered me. Sure I was clumsy and my clothes were weird, but what did I do to deserve such a hostile reaction from him? Maybe he was still upset with his sister from lunch. I tried to concentrate on Mr. Banner's lecture, but unfortunately I had already covered cellular anatomy at my last school. I kept my head down, taking notes, but I couldn't help but notice he didn't relax his stance through the entire class. The class passed much more slowly than the others had and finally when the bell did ring, he rose fluidly and had left the classroom before anyone else was even out of their seat.
I sat for a moment trying to figure out what had just happened, but decided it couldn't have anything to do with me, I'd never even spoken one word to him. So, I went through my bag and pulled out the note my father had written to excuse me from gym today along with the reminder about my clothing requirements. With a deep breath I headed out of the classroom and over to the gym. A couple of buildings down I saw Edward standing with his siblings. The little dark haired one, Alice, was rubbing his arms in a soothing gesture, while his fists clenched at his sides. The blond boy, Jasper was beside her, his arms crossed across his chest. Almost as if they could sense me looking at them, Alice and Jasper met my gaze and followed my progress across the open courtyard of the school. Alice tightened her grip on Edward, and Jasper's stare turned almost as hostile as Edward's had been in the classroom. I looked away and picked up the pace, trying to reach the gym as quickly as possibly.
Thankfully, Coach Clapp didn't press me about either note and allowed me to sit on the sidelines and watch for the day. I knew I'd be expected to participate tomorrow, though my father had tried to argue with the school in order to get me out of gym class completely. Boys and girls in physical contact with each other wearing nothing more than shorts and t-shirts was probably something he had nightmares about, I'm sure. I pulled out the copy of Romeo and Juliet that Mr. Mason had given me and started reading where we left off in class, hoping I could get a head start on my homework. I was so lost in reading, the final bell startled me. Thank goodness this day was over. I headed back to the front office to turn in my slip before starting the walk home. The walk wasn't bad, but I was hoping Charlie had found a car for me.
When I rounded the last bend before my house I saw an old red truck sitting in the driveway, and I do mean old. It had big round fenders and must have been from the fifties or sixties. But it was mine, and I sent up a quick prayer of thankfulness. I jogged the last little bit and threw my backpack in the bed of the truck so I could check it out more thoroughly. I opened the door to sit in the cab and looked over all the dials and gauges. It had a radio, and I almost squealed, when I saw my father approaching.
"I see you found your truck." He smiled slightly.
"Yes father, thank you so much. It's perfect."
"It's sturdy and in good condition. It runs well. There are some rules though Bella. You drive straight to school and back, and no one else rides with you unless I approve of them first."
"I know." I tried to keep the grin off my face, and I swear I saw his eyes sparkle for an instant.
He pulled out his wallet and handed me some cash. "We need groceries, so why don't you test it out and go shopping. I expect you to be home in an hour, so straight there and straight back, understand?"
"Yes sir." He nodded and tossed me the keys. I could barely contain my excitement as I turned the key in the ignition and the giant red beast roared to life. A smile flickered over my father's face as he watched me pull away. I knew he was only trying to do what he thought was best for me, but I couldn't help but continue on with my mental countdown until my eighteenth birthday. I had already started making plans. Only eight more months to go.