-1Chapter 2
Edward didn't return that night, he probably didn't think it was wise to return so quickly after he had been banned from seeing me. Instead I was forced to curl up in my all too warm bed and drift slowly in and out of sleep.
He didn't come to drive me to school either, even after Charlie had gone, despite the dreary weather most suited to vampires.
I waited for him so long that I was late for my lessons. Not a good start if I was going to get a good report this term.
I barely noticed the road as raced into the school car park and screeched to a halt in the last available parking space.
I was really late.
I ducked into Calculus just as the teacher began to write the lesson objectives on the board, but not before he noticed my beetroot complexion creeping to the back of the classroom.
"Good afternoon. And who might you be?" I turned slowly on the spot, as all eyes focused on me. "But I might have known that if you had been here 5 minutes ago when I started the lesson."
"Bella Swan" I said to my feet, trying very hard to blend into the colourful display behind my head.
"Well Miss Swan, if you cannot feel bothered to turn up to my lesson when it starts you can come back and make up the time later. Lunchtime detention, today at exactly 12:30 and not 5 minutes late this time."
"But…"
"Sorry was am I not making myself clear enough." He sneered, "You have wasted my time and so now I will waste yours. If I were you I wouldn't waste anymore."
And with that he whirled round and continues writing on the board.
Angry and several degrees closer to melting point, I collapsed into my usual chair next to Mike.
"Seems like you've made a friend." Mike muttered, while he copied what the Mathematical Monster was writing. "You better write this down or you'll have a weeks worth's of detentions."
Quickly I grabbed my books and pen out my bag and started writing the small essay which had already be scrawled on the board.
"Who is this teacher anyway?" I whispered out the corner of my mouth. "What happened to…"
"Stop talking at the back! For the benefit of those who were late…" he smirked, searing holes into the back of my head, which was bent over while I frantically scribbled. "My name is Dr Bandara and I am replacing your last teacher, who retired last semester. So long as you keep on the right side of me you'll find that I am fair, but on the wrong side of. Well…"
The sentence hung in the air like smoke, choking the whole class into complete submission. No one dared breathe without first seeking permission from Dr Bandara's cold hard stare, as he searched for any sign that we were going to undermine him. What a power trip.
His eyes shifted back to the board and began to explain a long equation squeezed into the corner of the already crowded board. I tried to focus on what he was saying but I was still fuming from the humiliation of the beginning of the lesson.
And now I had a cosy lunch date with a teacher from hell, instead of the living dead. Edward would think that I was avoiding him after Charlie's little chat last night. I could rely on Edward's mind mongering skills, hope that he reads Mike's mind and discovers that I am being held against my will. But I couldn't guarantee that Mike does just think about how much salt he has on his fries, boys minds work in mysterious ways.
I was out of my seat as soon as the bell rang and sprinted across the classroom, knocking several desks with my knee. But there was no one on the corridor, well at least no one I wanted to see.
I collapsed against the wall and let the rest of my class file past hoping that Edward's superhuman speed was for some reason being slowed today, but I was left on a half empty corridor, as Mike came out shutting the door behind him.
"What a dictator." He said, waiting for me to fall into step with him. "Where's your boyfriend then? You had an argument?" he asked a little to eagerly.
There nothing like a boy who can't take a hint.
I fell into step beside Mike, not really listening to what he was saying, and wondering why Edward was avoiding me. Surely he hadn't taken Charlie that seriously, I mean what could Charlie really do to Edward? He was no match to Edward's speed, power and there was always the mind reading thing, I mean it wouldn't be fair.
The rest of my morning lesson's dragged on, as I watched the clock for both the approach of my dreaded Lunch date but also Biology, the only lesson I shared with Edward.
Finally, I found myself knocking on the Calculus classroom door.
A cold steel-like voice bade me enter, and I pushed the door open.
"Strange how when it is your time being wasted you are much more eager to arrive on time."
He didn't even raise my eyes, instead he talked into the exercise book that lay open on his desk. I just wanted to get this over with.
"Right sit down over there", he said, still not looking up but extending one bony finger in the direction of a desk piled high with very old looking text books. "If you look inside the front cover of each of those books, you'll find that there is a number in the bottom corner. Can you order the books and then carry them through into the cupboard open at the back. And I will be checking."
Great, a menial task, leaving me to dwell endlessly on why Edward hadn't tried to see me all day.
The seconds dragged on, until I was convinced that I was going to fall into a pit of old calculus textbooks, and never reappear, but instead be dragged slowly down by a fountain of numbers and equations.
Dr Bandara hardly stirred the whole time I shifted books about on the desk, but as I got up to go and start piling them into the cupboard he looked up, as if startled by my sudden movement. Our eyes met for the first time and I was instantly reminded of something sinister and deadly. His eyes were a steely blue colour, and glared out at me from under brilliant blonde eyelashes, which matched his bright blonde hair. He was wearing a well-cut suit, which accentuated his bony shoulders and as he stared at me he wrinkled his nose slightly as if there was a bad smell.
Finally I broke the silent glare, which was harder than it should have been, and began lifting the books off the table. I could feel him watching me as I lumbered across the classroom, only managing to drop a few textbooks on my toes.
"Miss Swan, if you are going to throw my books on the floor then you might as well just leave them on the desk and I will do them later. You are free to go but do not let me catch you sneaking in late to my lesson again."
"Thank you" I gabbled, as I shoved the books onto the nearest shelf and ran towards the door Dr Bandara already held open.
And as I passed him I could have sworn he bent his head slightly, as if to smell me.