Chapter 2

Bella's POV:

Jake and I longboarded to school again, taking advantage of the fact that it wasn't raining for a change. We got to school with about 10 minutes to find our classes.

"Meet me out front at the main parking lot after class," I said to Jake, before turning to head towards my class' building. He gave me a nod, and headed towards his. Since his first class was sculpting, and mine was a theatre class, we were in different buildings.

I rested my board between my back and my bag, stabilizing it in place by hanging it on my bag by the trucks. I made the short walk to the building, and headed inside, growing a bit more excited with every step. I absolutely loved acting, and was looking forward to this class. It was an improv. class, and improv. had always been my favorite. I found it exciting, the spontaneity of it all.

I located my class, which was really the theatre itself. I opened the door, and as soon as I stepped inside, I was met with the scent and site of yet another vamp. My feet stopped working, and my hands tightened to fists. These damn things were everywhere! I looked her dead in the eye, and saw golden irises staring back. Sure, she was beautiful, that was to be expected. But I knew she was a monster, even if she was another "different" one like the woman in the café. Why the hell did they want to be around humans? How were they around humans? I was steadily growing more and more enraged by her presence, and was forced to stifle the growl that was growing in my chest. I watched her as she watched me, and saw her giving me the once-over. I gave her the once-over, as well, taking in her height and trying to see how much of a threat she could be. I almost wanted to giggle, though, at the idea of this girl being a threat. She was so…tiny. Such a petite little thing. There's no way she was taller than 5'1", maybe 5'2" at best, and couldn't be any more than 105 pounds. I had come to the conclusion that I could most likely take her out with ease.

I brought my eyes back to hers, and found that she was still looking at me, almost like she liked what she saw. Did she really think she had a chance? She was a fucking leech. She definitely had one thing in common with the others, thinking they could have whatever the hell they wanted. Such arrogant creatures.

Another growl grew in my chest, and I felt a wave of heat come over me. I needed to get out of the room before I completely shifted. I knew my eyes were already beginning to turn white. I took a deep breath, and turned away to head back out the door that I'd only just entered moments ago. I needed to talk to Jake. There were still a few minutes before classes actually began, so I made my way towards his building. I sent him a text to have him meet me halfway, so I wouldn't have to make a scene by pulling him from his class. "I need you to meet me. Now. Start heading my way, I'll meet you in the middle."

He looked annoyed but also curious as he walked up.

"What's going on? It's the first day and you're already wanting to skip out?"

"There's a vamp in my class," was all I needed to say for him to understand.

"Are you fucking kidding me? Is this place infested or what? Jesus!"

He was obviously as annoyed by their presence in this town as I was. We'd not been able to go anywhere without running into one.

"I can't go back," I said, "I was in there all of five seconds and nearly shifted."

He stood there for a bit, with a thoughtful look on his face, and I waited to hear what he had to say.

"Well….maybe you could handle it now, knowing it's in there. Wait, dude or chick?"

"A chick. Not a very threatening one, either. "

"Okay, good. Then there shouldn't be any problem as far as taking her out if necessary. Maybe this could be our chance to get information? You could play nice and see if she knows anything. Then we can take out the two we're after, and get rid of her, also."

He looked so hopeful that she'd know something. And he didn't seem to care that we'd be taking out a vamp for no reason, really. I couldn't help but feel the same hope at finding something out. I mean, she had to know somehow. We knew if any of our kind was in our area, so maybe it was the same for vamps, too? I didn't want to pass up an opportunity to finally get what we'd been wanting for so long.

"Okay. I'll try, I guess. I can't really pass up the opportunity. And I'm a good actor, right? She won't suspect a thing. I can be done with her as soon as we have what we need," I said, a little weary of the plan.

"You've got this, Bells. They're obviously not as hostile; otherwise they wouldn't make it around the humans. Make her think you're not a threat, and I'm sure you'll be able to make the rest happen," he said. I nodded in agreement, and started to turn to walk back. I had about a minute and a half before class would be starting, so I needed to hurry.

"Be careful, anyway, Bella. They may be different, but they're still monsters." I gave him another nod, and continued to my class.

As I reached the door, I took a few deep breaths to try and steady myself. I opened the door, took a step in, and looked for a seat. Leech Lady was seated behind the rest of the class, and I chose a seat in the row behind her. I sat on the opposite side, though, so I could keep an eye on here without having to be too close. Her scent assaulted my nose, and it was growing harder to keep my composure. I needed to distract myself, so I decided to take out my notebook and doodle while waiting for our professor to show up and start the class. As soon as I got my notebook out, though, I heard quiet footsteps on the stage. They were coming from stage left, so I assumed they probably belonged to the professor. My assumption was confirmed when the person rounded the curtains and walked to the front of the stage.

"Hello, everyone. Welcome to Improv. My name is Emily Uley, and I will be your professor."

She was a very attractive woman, she didn't look like she was much older than myself, and stood at about 5'6". Her long, raven-black hair was beautiful and thick. She was wearing a form-fitting dress that came just below the knees with a floral design, and tan sandals that wrapped around her ankles. She was obviously Native American, judging by her skin tone and facial features. The most outstanding of her features, though, were the three scars that ran down the right side of her face, pulling the edge of her eye down a bit, and tugging at the right side of her lips, making it look as though she had a permanent scowl. Despite the scars, she was still a beautiful woman, and obviously was unaffected by the looks she received because of them. She seemed very confident, and spoke with power while also sounding kind. She continued on about what we would be doing in the class, as well as what our midterm and projects would consist of. We were also given a sheet of paper with all of the information she'd just covered. When she was done covering everything, she dismissed us from the class.

I swallowed hard at the thought of what I was about to do next. I grabbed my bag with my board still attached, and threw it on my back. Taking yet another deep and steadying breath, I headed towards the end of the row where the vampire girl sat. I was mentally kicking myself for this, almost feeling sick to my stomach at the idea of playing nice with a creature like her. She was still seated, collecting her things, so I decided to just take the seat behind her.

Before my ass even met the cushion, and before I could say anything, she spoke.

"Do you need something, or are you just here to try and scare me," she asked in a twinkling voice, almost like bells. She didn't seem very worried about my being near, and sounded almost as if she were joking.

I collected myself, and replied in a smooth voice. "Is the new girl in town not allowed to introduce herself? Sheesh." Ugh, it almost hurt to be kind and playful with this leech.

"Mhmm. Do you always introduce yourself to your natural enemy? Or am I just lucky?" So, that meant she knew what I was? She stood and faced me, and I could see the edges of her lips trying not to pull into a grin. I could also see exactly how short she really was. I stood, and easily towered over her. Giving the best smile I could, I reached out for a handshake. "You're just lucky, I suppose. I'm Bella. And you are…?"

Her tiny, cold, hand reached out to take mine for a firm shake, and she introduced herself.

"Alice. Now, do tell me why exactly you're introducing yourself. Honestly."

The look she gave at this request made me wonder for a moment if she already knew exactly the reason why I'd come to talk to her. But I continued on with my act and answered. "Curiosity, I guess. You're different."

"Am I? How do you suppose," she asked, with an amused looks on her face.

"Your eyes, first of all. And you're attending college. A place full of humans. You're obviously in control of your thirst. I've met one other like you, at a café a few blocks from here. It's interesting, and I'm curious," I said.

"Ah, you must've met my mother, then. That's her café. And yes, we are different, as you've noticed. If you really want to know, I suggest we go somewhere else to carry on this conversation. I know a place where we won't have to worry about being heard or interrupted."

The look on my face must have given away my skepticism, because she began to giggle, and spoke again.

"Don't worry, I'm not trying to lure you into a trap. I'm not dumb, I know what your kind is capable of."

"Likewise," I replied in a solemn tone. I couldn't help but feel a bit of anger, remembering what I'd seen of damage done by vampires.

"Follow me, then, Bella," she said, and I followed her out of the theatre and outside.

Alice's POV

I was beyond shocked when the girl returned to our class. I had expected she'd leave and switch to a different class. When she walked in the room, it was obvious that she was trying very hard to keep her composure. That made two of us. I was a mess of conflicting feelings at the moment. My instinct was to be on the defensive, but at the same time, I wanted to go to her and introduce myself. I also felt a nagging in the back of my mind, something I couldn't quite place. I simply ignored it.

The girl sat in the row behind me, on the opposite side. I didn't understand why it bothered me that she decided to sit so far away. Shortly after, Emily Uley made her way to the front of the stage to introduce herself and begin the class. I'd already known Emily would be teaching this class, and was quite excited about that. She was from a tribe known as the Quilleutes, which was home to a pack of shifters. The tribe had once had an issue with my kind, but we'd made amends after having fought together nearly 6 months ago to stop a group of vamps that had come to terrorize Forks, a town not too far from here. Her husband, Sam, had become good friends with my father, Carlise, and he and Emily visited my parents' house at least once a week. Emily and I shared a passion for theatre, and also a love of fashion. We often attended plays together, and frequented the local mall. She was a great woman, very kind and loving. She was a wonderful friend, as well, and we always enjoyed each other's company.

Soon, she was finished telling us what to expect this semester, and dismissed us from class. I began to gather my things, and was surprised to hear the wolf girl approach my seat. She started to sit behind me, and I decided to speak.

I was skeptical of her at first, but after introducing ourselves and finding out she was only curious about me, I decided she wasn't a threat at the moment. She wanted to know why I was different. I was willing to tell her a bit about myself and my family, but not too much. I asked her to join me somewhere more fitting for our conversation. When she agreed, my stomach gave a little flip, and I couldn't help but smile.

Goodness, this was ridiculous. I was supposed to want to kill her, not befriend her and crush on her.

We walked just down the street a bit to an abandoned building, and went up to the rooftop. From here, you could see most of this side of the city. It was a great place to go for solitude and just relax a bit. I tended to do most of my sketching and writing in this spot. I had a few chairs hidden behind an air unit, and pulled them out for us to sit on. Once I'd gotten seated, I looked to Bella. She was looking out over the city, seeming to enjoy the view. I took the opportunity to check her out, yet again. I couldn't help it, this girl was beautiful and there was just something about her that caught my interest. I scanned her face, taking in the slight furrowing of her brow, and her perfect nose, then her perfect heart-shaped lips. My gaze caught on her lips for a bit, and after a few moments I finally continued on with my ogling. I took in her jawline and the exposed bit of her collar bone. Even in a tee shirt, I could tell that her breasts were superb. Jesus, I was a creep. I forced myself to stop when my thoughts made way for the gutter. I looked up just in time, because she then turned to face me.

"So," she began, "why exactly are you able to be around humans?"

"Well, my family and I chose to take on a different diet, you could say. We live off of the blood of animals, instead of humans. Which is also the reason our eyes aren't red."

She nodded in understanding, with a look of intrigue on her face. Then her brow furrowed again, like she'd just thought of something.

"Your family?"

"Yes, my family. There are seven of us. You've already run into my mother. Then there's Carlisle, her mate and my father. I also have 3 brothers, and one sister. We're not really all related, though, just so you know."

"I see. Is the rest of this family around here, too," she asked.

"My brothers, Edward and Jasper, live in an apartment with me here in Seattle. Edward and Jasper are mates. My other brother, Emmett, and his mate, Rosalie, live with our parents just outside of the city."

"You don't have a mate?"

I grinned at the question, and couldn't help but wonder why that was her next question.

"No, I don't. Now, it's my turn to ask some questions," I said. I was tired of being in the hot seat, and wanted to know about her. All I knew thus far was her name and that she was a werewolf. I wanted to know so much more.

"Shoot," she said, and I began my series of questions.

"What brings you here to Seattle?" It seemed like a good place to start. I didn't want to dive into the more personal questions just yet.

"My dad thought it'd be good for us. He was an officer in Forks for the year that we lived there, and decided to transfer to Seattle PD and move us here. And by 'us,' I mean myself and my brother, Jake."

That cleared up who the two male wolves were, then. I wondered how they had lived in Forks for a year and not been noticed by the shifters or by my family. My parents often went to Forks to hunt.

"How have I only just heard of your kind in this area? You lived in Forks for a year, I should have known about a pack of wolves living there."

"Our house was in a very secluded area, so we could hunt and what not without having to worry about being seen by humans. And Charlie…I mean, my dad…was the only one that really got out much. My brother was homeschooled, I only left our house for my classes at the college in town, and our mother stayed at home unless she needed to go grocery shopping or run errands."

"Oh, you didn't mention your mother before. Is she like you, too," I asked, wondering why she hadn't mentioned her mother when she spoke of her family moving here.

"Um, yeah. I mean, she was."

I immediately felt bad, catching the past tense in her answer.

"Oh, I see. I'm sorry for your loss, Bella." I couldn't imagine losing Esme, and she wasn't even my real mother. I didn't like the thought of Bella hurting. I wanted to clear the space between us and hug her. But I remained seated, and ignored my desire to do so.

"Thanks." She leaned over and rested her elbows on her knees and looked out on the city again, and I could see the emotions play across her face. Sadness, anger, pain. As soon as they were there, though, they were gone. She looked to me, and gave me a quick grin before changing the subject.

"How old are you," she asked. It caught me off guard a bit; I hadn't been expecting that question. I should've known it would come up eventually, though.

"I'm around 109 years old. I don't remember my exact birthday, but I know I was about 18 at the time I was changed."

"Damn," she said with a giggle.

I decided then that I loved hearing Bella giggle.

The conversation continued on for a bit longer, and I found out that she, too, had a passion for theatre. I also found out that she loved music, and played a number of instruments. She also loved photography. By the end of our conversation, I was even more intrigued by her than I had been before. Our questions had remained fairly basic, and didn't get too personal. They revolved mostly around our hobbies and other interests. Typical small talk, I suppose.

Unfortunately, it was nearing time for our next classes, and I was unhappy about our time together coming to an end.

We made our way down the latter of the building and headed towards the main campus. We said our goodbyes and began walking our separate ways, but I wanted to ask Bella one last question before she left.

"Bella?" I knew I wouldn't have to speak up too loudly, even though we were now about 25 yards apart.

"Yeah?"

"Maybe we could do this again after improv. Wednesday," I asked, slightly nervous as I awaited her reply.

"Uhh, yeah. Sure. Sounds great," she said, giving me a lopsided grin that made me smile in return.

"Great!" My voice rose a few octaves, and I mentally kicked myself for letting my excitement show.

Bella just chuckled and continued on to her class.

I felt a bit more comfortable about befriending her. She seemed kind enough and we were able to talk with ease. I smiled as I played back the last 45 minutes in my head. There was still so much to learn about Bella, but I liked her so far. More than I probably should. As I walked to my class, I tried to decide whether I should share what I'd learned about Bella and her family with my own family. I wasn't sure how they'd react to finding out I'd gone off alone with her. Edward would probably go into one of his fits and yell at me in a voice nearly as high as my own. By the time I'd taken my seat in my next class, I'd come to the conclusion that it was probably best I keep things to myself for the time being, and began the long wait until I would see Bella again.