Chapter 2

Joining

I drove to school the next morning in my blue Mazda MX-5. It didn't take long to find the building - or should I say buildings - that make up the school.

I drove around the parking lot searching the buildings for the office. There weren't a lot of kids here yet so I was calmer than I thought I would be. Even though Goras also have high school I was afraid I was going to fall behind with my new education.

I finally spotted the building with the sign "Office" on it. After parking my car I entered the nicely furnaced building. It was a good change from the cold and dampness from outside.

I walked up to the woman at the front desk. She was larger and had red-hair.

"May I help you?" she asked kindly when I came into her line of view.

"Yes," Yes, you can help me by finding a way for me to get out of this hell hole. "I'm new here and I need my schedule."

Her eyes lit up at the mention of me being new. I guess I was going to be the new small town gossip.

"Oh, you must be Isabella Swan." I gave a curt nod but couldn't force myself to smile back at her. "Yes, I have your schedule right here."

She rummaged through a pile of papers before finding the ones she wanted. She handed me the schedule, a slipped to be signed by all my teachers and a map of the school. After going through were my classes would be I left the office. But as I took at step out of the building I stopped in my tracks.

More kids were here know and a lot of them were taking second glances at me, but that wasn't why I stopped. There was a smell in the air. One both sweet and alluring. It didn't burn my nose as it would a werewolf, but my body still went cold with shock.

What the hell were vampires doing here?

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

I walked into my first period class tense. Would they be in my classes? Do they know what I am? Do they sense me? Question after question formed in my head as I gave the teacher my slip and sat in an empty desk, oblivious to the stares I was receiving from my fellow students.

I couldn't concentrate on the lesson Mr. Mason gave so I literally jumped out of my seat when the bell rang.

I was out of the classroom and making my way to my next one, stealing glances around me to see if I could spot the ones putting me on edge when a voice broke through my thoughts.

"You're the new student, right?" I turned to see a boy with oily black hair and skin problems looking at me.

"Bella." I answered. I really didn't want to shack hands with him, especially after he ranked his hand through his greasy hair, so I turned I started walking away.

Unfortunately the boy decided to walk with me.

"I'm Eric. What's your next class?" Eric seemed a bit to helpful for my liking. I might be paranoid but to me people who are overly helpful have an ulterior motive.

"Government with Jefferson," I didn't need to look at my schedule. Goras may not have photographic memories like vampires but our memory is still pretty good.

Much to my dislike Erica walked me to my class, and I was more than relieved that he didn't have it with me.

For my next few classes I paid vague attention. To my relief I was up to date with what the teachers were teaching, so my mind started to wonder.

Goras lived in seclusion that's true, but we still conversed with vampires and werewolves. If you could call them being servants conversing.

I found myself walking to lunch with a girl who had wildly curly hair and who wouldn't stop talking. Which was fine with me I was in my own world. Jessica I think her name was.

As we got closer to the lunch room, the smell got stronger. I had half a mind to turn around jump back in my car, and go back home to Charlie.

Charlie! I thought with a jolt. He needs to know vampires are here. Would he make us leave? Should I call him now? A new round of questions flashed in my head.

I took a few steps in the room and automatically spotted them. There were five - five! A whole coven! They sat at a table away from the other students all of them looking at something other then their untouched food and themselves. All of them extremely beautiful.

There was two girls sitting on one side. One was small with black spiky hair, she looked like an elf. The other one made m self-esteem drop ten points. She was gorgeous; tall and with probably great legs, blonde hair that waving to the middle of her back.

Three boys sat on the other side of the table. The one had dark curls of hair and extremely muscled. I would hate to piss him off. The other was tall and blonde, still muscled. As my eyes traveled to the last one - he had bronze hair and looked a bit more boyish than the others - a pain over took me.

It is known from among the Goras that when you meet your other your body performs a personal ritual. When you meet your meleth, your body will automatically go into the Nuino ritual. That is what the elders told us when we were young.

The Nuino ritual. The joining ritual. The joining of our souls. I asked my father what it felt like when he first saw my mother.

"It was…it's difficult to explain," he told me. "Apart was painful. But another part was…it felt good."

I couldn't really understand then but I understood now. A pain tore through me like a knife, but something else coursed through my veins, my body. I felt something cold and alien come into me soothing the pain.

As the pain subsided I noticed that I was hunched over, holding the nearest table to keep me up. I looked at the bronze haired vampire. He seemed confuse, looking around as if something had just happened to him. He searched the students until his eyes rested on me.

My senses seemed to heighten, I was aware of everything, but most importantly I was aware of him. His eyes were dark, it was obvious he needed to hunt. My very body wanted nothing more than to go to him, to be near him, to touch him. He was my meleth. He was my other.

The thought left me breathless, first out of joy - I always had a fear that I would never find my meleth - than out of horror. My other was a Vampire!? That has never happened before. I can't have my other as a vampire I thought desperately They're the ones that got me into exile!

"Bella, you ok?" I looked to see Jessica staring at me with confusion and worry. I stood up.

"Ya, it was…just a cramp." She seemed to believe that.

As I walked to the table I could sense the dark eyes on me, but I didn't look back at him. I'm going to avoid him, I thought. But even as I thought it my heart gave a pitiful cry.