I own nothing…
As Matt, Bryan and I walked into school that Monday, there was almost a tangible electrically charged atmosphere. Was it perhaps the new students? Or was it that there was only two days of school this week due to Christmas break? It was Monday, so there was an assembly to let us know about any difference in schedules, announcements, special opportunities, etcetera, and etcetera. As we walked, I could tell Matthew was reading the thoughts of those around him, trying to find out about the new students.
"Anything juicy?" I murmured to him.
"Not really." He answered. "I'll let you know after I read them. I guess there's five, two are sophomores, so they'll probably similar class schedules as you and I, and the rest are juniors, so they'll be with Bryan."
"Shall we?" Bryan asked,
"Mmm." I assented as my head bobbed to the beat of the song I was listening to.
"Headphones, Miss O'Callaghan!" barked a nearby teacher. Matthew growled under his breath and I tapped his stomach. "What?" I whispered.
"He wasn't being proper. He's a teacher, for heaven's sake. You're a student. That's just repulsive." He said through his teeth. I sighed.
"I know. He's lewd. But let it go. It's not like he can actually do anything."
"Still…" Bryan trailed off, an odd gleam in his eye.
"Alright, enough." I stopped him. "Let's just get assembly over with.
* * *
As soon as we sat in our seats toward the back, we could hear everyone talking about the new students.
"Do you think they're hot?" Asked one hormonal student.
"I hope so!" Her friend answered. "There's basically no one good-looking here, except the O'Callaghan weirdoes." Her friend giggled in response. I tuned out that conversation.
"They're here," Matthew breathed in my ear, one arm around my shoulders protectively.
"May I?" I asked. He shrugged.
I took a deep breath and pushed my mental shield out around Matthew, instantly feeling the effects. I sighed at the effort of maintaining it, but then was able to read the minds of the new students. They were standing outside the door, listening to the guide.
"Do I look okay?" One worried.
"I can't believe we have to go through this again. I'll just tone it out, I suppose."
"I hope nobody smells too good. I don't want to have to move again… or kill someone." I gasped. Matthew looked over at me. "They're vampires," I murmured to them both. Matthew concentrated on them then.
"I'm going to kill Alice." I stiffened. "I can't believe she's making me do this, though I can't stand to see Esme in so much pain… I suppose I can just act. God knows I do that well enough… I whimpered. My brothers looked at me, hen looked around, searching from the unknown threat. Then, one of them turned to the other and asked "Do you smell that?" He nodded. I concentrated again on what I hoped was my imagination.
"I think we have it from here." The brawny one said. The student guide nodded, scared, and then handed them their schedules. They pushed open the door, and stepped through. I was right. It was them. I cried out softly, and all the vampires in the room looked at me. I could hear the quick gasps of my breath dragging air in and out of my lungs in small puffs.
"Bella?" I heard Alice whisper in unbelief. All of them looked even closer, and Edward stiffened. The rest of them gasped. Alice started running towards me at human speed.
"Do you know them?" Bryan asked.
"Yes," I answered while I stood up. "Matthew let me out! Now!" I said frantically. He turned his knees aside, and I started to run. I slammed into the door, pushing it out of my way, and then started down the hallway. As soon as I knew there was no one to see me, I truly took off. I ran into the woods behind the school as I heard Matt and Bryan call out "Bella, wait!"
I hit a tree, knocking it down, and I ran a few more steps, until I collapsed. I sobbed, sobbed in fear, and anguish, and unbelief. Was the world really so small I couldn't avoid them? Suddenly, Matthew and Bryan were beside me, on the ground, pulling me against their bodies, both in comfort and in a protective stance.
"They're coming." Matthew whispered against my hair.
"I know." I answered, trying to pull myself together, and failing. They both stood up, and stood shoulder to shoulder with their arms crossed in front of them.
I heard my name called over and over again in varying tones of soprano, bass and tenor. My breathing was still not calmed down.
"No, no, no." I murmured. I sensed Alice start to streak to me, but Matthew stepped in her way.
"I don't think so, pixie." He snarled. I knoew Jasper would take offense to that, and he stepped forward, snarling.
"No, Jasper it's ok." Alice said in a strange voice. "Bella, it's me. It's Alice."
"I know who you are!" I snarled, jumping up, almost shaking.
I felt a calm come over me, and it seemed like everyone instantly calmed down. Matthew and Bryan relaxed, but I arched an eyebrow.
"I don't wanna be calm, Jasper! I don't want to see any of you. Why did you come here?" I demanded as I repelled Jasper's gift from Bryan, Matthew, and I. All of the Cullens looked shocked. Edward staggered forward and fell to his knees in front of me.
"Bella- What- I-" he began in a tortured voice.
"No. NO!" I don't want to hear any of this, Edward." That's when Matthew stepped in.
"Wait… you're Edward Cullen?" He nodded, never looking away from my face.
"Good! I wanna give you something." Matt said cheerfully, hauling Edward to his feet by his collar. His fist pulled back and snapped forward with such force the Edward flew back quite a few feet before he caught himself. Emmett and Jasper crouched with feral snarls ripping from their chests. Matthew and Bryan adopted similar poses.
"Stop it. Bryan, Mattie. Just stop." I whispered.
"No!" They both growled together. "Bella, I can't tell you how long I waited for this moment." Matthew said oddly. I moved to stand in front of him. I put my hand on his cheek and pulled his face up to look at mine.
"Please?" I asked in a soft voice. "I need both of you," I looked at Bryan's face which was shining with an odd light. "I need both of you. Please. Stop." They both relaxed their stances. I turned to run again, but Matthew grabbed my hand and pulled me back to him, he wrapped both his arms around me, which became slightly awkward when Bryan did as well. I rested my head and right hand on Matthew's chest, looking at his face trustingly.
"If any of you," Bryan began in a dead-sounding voice, "come after Bella, talk to Bella, or even so much as look at her without her say so, you will have me to personally to deal with. Got it?"
"Bryan, they won't have to worry about you. They have to get through me first. Then you can have them."
"Alright. Stop." I said. "Bryan, can you write me a note in Peter's handwriting? I am home sick today." He nodded. "Anything, Bells."
"Matt. Let me go. I patted his chest.
"Where are you going to go?" He asked, still staring at Edward, who was staring at me, with a terrifying expression on his face. "This is going to kill Peter."
"I know. I'm going to go see him. Tell him I love him."
"Bella, where are you going to go?" Bryan sighed. "Cuz I am coming with you."
"Me as well." Matt added.
"I don't know, ok?" I pushed away from Matt and started running. They followed me. Of course.
"Stop following me!" I screamed back at them, knowing the Cullens were running too. I banked right, running straight at the cliff edge. I jumped, feeling free as I sped towards the water. I heard my name being called, but I never looked back.
* * *
"Peter?" I called before I entered his office.
"Bella? Come in!" He answered, sounding shocked.
"What happened? Are you alright?" Questions poured out of his mouth. I ran and buried my face in his shoulder, sobbing. His long wrapped around my waist comfortingly. We stood there like that for some time. I finally managed to get out my reason for showing up in his office like this.
"And I need to leave for a while. I'll be back when I can cope."
"Bella-" he began hesitantly.
"I know, Matt and Bryan don't want me to leave either." I sighed, stopping him.
"Bella, I think we should meet with them. Talk to them. Please at least wait until then, after we talk to them to decide if you are leaving or not. And don't forget, you promised your brothers you would go tonight."
"I know." I sighed. "Alright." My head bounced up off my chin. "Do you smell that?" I asked Peter.
He breathed in deeply through his nose. "Yes."
"It's Carlisle." I said resignedly. "And… and Esme. Apparently they heard from their children I was here."
The door opened after a short knock. Carlisle's eyes widened when he saw me snugly in Peter's lap, trying to collect myself.
"Bella?" He asked incredulously. Esme moaned in pleasure as she saw me, immediately she was at my side, and I was gathered in her arms. She was shaking. Sobbing, I realized. II saw the look of incredible pain on her face as I pushed her arms away.
"Peter, I'll just see you at home. I can't- I just can't right now." I whispered, my voice breaking twice. I ran out of the office so fast, I knew no one could see me. I knew I was hurting literally everyone I cared about, and other's I didn't care about. I didn't care at this point. I would feel guilty later. I was simply in too much pain right now though.
I realized I was at home then. I ran to my room. Leaning against the door, panting not because I needed the oxygen, but because I was drowning, I screamed. I screamed until I was out of oxygen. I jumped through the window, and ran to the woods behind the house. I screamed again, blowing off steam as I jumped in a large tree and tore it down. It was soon nothing but a pile of dust. I moved to the next unfortunate object in my way. It was a large boulder, five times as big as me, but that didn't stop me. With a spinning roundhouse, it was cleaved into halves. From there I jumped, crushing it.
I started to run again. After a while, a large bear was in front of me. I realized I had gone beyond out property. Beyond state lines I think. I didn't care. This bear was quite easily ten times my mass, at least two thousand pounds to my hundred and five. But I leaped onto its back, ready for a fight. I got one. It reared up, slashing and clawing at my body. It had no affect, save on my clothes. They were ripped to shreds. I didn't care. This bear, this beast, was going down. I slashed at its hindquarters with my teeth, relishing its roar of pain as the venom started to work. I quickly ended it then, snapping it neck, and then going even farther by sinking my teeth into its jugular, holding on simply by the strength oh my mouth. The hot blood poured into my mouth and I swallowed. Eventually, the bear gave up fighting and succumbed to me. It laid down, resting its head on my back. I stepped back as it was completely drained, then looked at the sky. I needed to go back. My family would be worried about me soon. I began to run again.
I realized I was far into Canada as I started to run Northwest (yes, they live in Alaska) and started home. When I opened the door, and walked through the house, everyone stood up to look at me. Matthew's eyebrow arched, and Bryan whistled at my partially exposed body. I looked down to see that my stomach was exposed, and the back of my shirt was decimated. The shirt was hanging on by a few threads, my chest was covered just discreetly enough to not cause any discomfort. My jeans were ripped and covered in blood.
"Damn, girl. What'd you go after?"
"Grizzly."
"How big?" Emmett breathed.
I shrugged. "Big enough." I walked out through the rest of the house to my room to change. Matthew followed.
"You don't have to go tonight, if you don't want to, you know." Matt said.
"No I want to. Keep my mind off stuff." He smiled, then handed me some clothes.
"The pixie insisted on going through you closet. She picked these out for you to wear when you got back."
"Yeah, that sounds like Alice." I snorted. I heard he bell-like laugh.
"She physic or something?" Matthew asked. "She was counting down the time until you showed up. She got it perfect too."
"Yeah. Or something. I whispered. He nodded and left me to change. I did so quickly, then walked to the door, putting my hand on the knob, waiting to test my reaction. I turned my hand, opening the door, and walked down the hall to the living room.
There you go, she has seen the Cullens. Let me know in a review if you want me to do a little something in Edward's POV. I'm actually thinking about doing this whole story in Edward's POV after I'm done with this one. Let me know!