One Year Later
Rainy Black
I had never wanted to go anywhere but the reservation. La Push was home, but Dad wanted me to experience change. Forks High wasn't nearly as remarkable as our school was, but it still scared me. I looked back at where Seth had been parked only three seconds before, but I could see him pulling out of the school parking lot, visor on his silver helmet down as he started to pull out of the lot. I wanted to yell come back. I knew he would. He had the hearing of a dog, and if he heard how frightened I was I knew he would turn on one wheel and take me home. Though Dad would have both our heads if we did do that.
It wasn't that Seth was afraid of Dad; he just respected him a lot. I wished he or Claire could be here, and then maybe it wouldn't be so intimidating. I walked to the office building and an older woman gave me my class agenda. I left with a thank you and gazed at my schedule. I perked up a bit when I saw I had English first. That cheered me up. English always came easy to me and the reading was just a prize bonus. The teacher gave me a list of books and I snorted to hold back laughter.
"Do you find something amusing about the book list, Miss Black?" The teacher, a man in his early twenties asked me.
I did. "Yes Mr. Brandon. I've read all these books." I put the paper down on the desk. "I've read some of them at least five times." Claire would probably decapitate me if she saw me reading Pride and Prejudice or Gone With The Wind another time.
"Well then here have the second list." He went to his desk and pulled a paper from the top a heap. He set it before me, and with another look I laughed again. "Sir, I've read all those also."
"Fine, have the third." He slammed another paper on my desk as he took the other one from my desk. "Have you read these yet?"
A smirk came across my face. I couldn't look up or I would burst out in laughter. "The first three." A few students in the back laughed and I blushed. I hadn't meant to make a teacher angry on my first day here. I remembered Claire said I was always getting into situations like this.
"Just be sure not to get them done to quickly." Mr. Brandon muttered as he walked away. He was teaching a lesson we learned about a month ago at the reservation. I spent the class reading a book open in lap. When the bell I rang I gathered my books. I got the teacher to sign the slip. I turned around pretty quickly resulting in me almost falling when a guy with caught my arm.
"Thanks." I murmured. He didn't let go of my elbow.
He picked up the book I had dropped and handed it to me. "You must be Rainy Black." He offered his hand and I took it happily. It was nice to have someone so eager to be a friend. "I'm Brandon Newton. My grandparents own the hiking store in Forks."
"That's cool." I told him. Hew was taller than some of the boys in La Push, but not as tell as most of them, and no where near tall as anyone in the pack. He had big blue eyes and blonde hair. His face was round like a child's, but he was still built. Probably from stocking things at the store. "Embry took me there with him last year. He bough two canoes."
"So why'd you transfer schools." He asked. That was a story. When your grandfather was Chief of the police force, and had been for thirty years, you could get anything you wanted. Except in this case it was what Dad wanted. So instead of enrolling me there, at the school I had attended for nine years, he took advantage of Grandpa's position, and had me enrolled at Forks High School.
I smiled at him trying to be as friendly as possible. If the idea didn't thrill me why would I tell someone I had just met. "My dad wanted me to see somewhere else. He thinks I don't want to go to college."
'You're only a sophomore. Don't you think that it is to early to think about college?" It bothered me when people questioned my academic path. They had no business doing so. Brandon was walking with and he probably had no clue were he was going. He must have noticed also. "What class do you have next?" he added.
I already knew what class I had next, but was hoping he didn't have it with me. He was getting on my nerves. "I have Bio 2." There was an additional class I was good in. I was good in school, the only thing I didn't do well in was P.E. though Claire had always been my partner and got me a B.
That seemed to make him happy. A grim widened on his face and I was sure I looked irritated. "I have biology too. Do you want to walk to class together?" He joked and I laughed. I hadn't planned to do so, or think was going to when I got here. So Brandon wasn't that annoying after all.
I had Japanese next. Two twins started talking to me and I learned their names were Alexandra and Heidi. They were both taller than I was, and I hated that every one I knew was taller than I was. Alexandra was taller than Heidi, but that was the only physical difference between them. Though what she lacked in size against her sister Heidi was the more outgoing. I liked them.
Two classes passed and the bell rang. Lunch was here, and I walked as fast as I could to the cafeteria building. My stomach was rumbling due to the fact that I hadn't eaten dinner last night or breakfast this morning. Dad couldn't cook to save the world, and I hadn't planned to cook for Dad after making me switch schools. I read off the lunch menu in the classroom and it had mentioned meatloaf. The though of it made me quicken my step.
I groaned when I reached the lunch line. The line was extremely long and my stomach was rumbling. The line moved up a little and I hurried to reach the end before anyone else did. Fortunately Heidi and Alex were at the end of the line.
'Hey Rainy!" Heidi exclaimed when I was near enough to hear. Next to Heidi was a boy who was only a little shorter than Collin was, Collin was the shortest of the wolves. He was tall, with green eyes and black hair.
"Hello Rainy." He said. "I am Dustin Banner. It is a pleasure to meet you." He offered his hand and I took it gratefully.
"I would introduce myself, but it seems as if you already know who I am." I smiled, and looked up toward the beginning of the line. We were about halfway through.
Alex smiled at me. "Are you looking for someone? I could help you find them if you'd like." She offered her help. She was pretty cool actually.
"No, just looking around." I lied. This line couldn't have been moving any slower. They all talked and I threw in a few words here and there, but my thoughts remained on how close we were getting to the food. When the smell of meatloaf got me I perked up and wanted to run to the front of the line and steal that persons tray.
We got through the line and sat at the first table I saw. Heidi tapped my shoulder. "Rainy, we usually sit over there of you want to sit with us." Her eyes were flickering to the other side of the table I had chosen that had just sat down. More people to meet.
"I'm perfectly fine here." I just wanted to be left alone so I could eat. I know it would taste nothing like Aunt Emily's because no one could cook like my aunt could.
Heidi looked down at me. "Are you sure?" she asked again. She looked eager to get away. I heard some chuckles from behind me. Heidi eyed me suspiciously and left. "If you change your mind, you know where the table is." I just wanted to eat.
The meatloaf was nowhere near as good as Aunt Emily's. Then a voice, that sounded playful and happy, laughed. "Bella, it is not good to stare." The owner of the voice was scolding someone and it was then I saw a living picture.
When I turned my head to see who had spoken there was a group of the most beautiful people I had ever seen. In total there were six, three boys and three girls. The all were extremely pale, though pale skin wasn't rare in Forks, but they were paler than most of the students. I was amazed because they were so pale. All their eyes were an amazing shade, almost midnight black, darker than most of us on the reservation.
The boys varied in hair color, despite their skin tone of all of them. One was honey blond. He was tall but nowhere as muscular as the brawly one in the middle of the boys as they claimed one side of their half and the girls the other.
The one in the middle was so muscular I wanted to compare him to Dad, though he was probably bigger than my dad was. He had dark curls, cut short, and he reminded me of bears you would see on the animal planet.
The last boy was utterly handsome, though looked minuscule compared to the boy on his right. His eyes were the lightest black, and his hair was a shade of brown I had never seen before.
The girl in the middle was beautiful. She had long blonde hair, and the body any girl would kill for. It was the other two girls who held my attention and kept me looking at them.
They were the girls in the pictures at grandpa's house taken on my mother's wedding day. I knew she had married another man after leaving dad and me. Then the other looked like Alice, the one grandpa had said I was named after. When the one who looked like my mother smiled at me I tensed. There was no way. I smiled back at her, and swallowed the food on my mouth.
'Hi I am Rainy. You don't care that I sit here, do you?" I asked. I don't know what it was, but I felt drawn to the one who looked like my mother. The blonde one was about to speak when the black haired boy cut her off.
"We don't care if you sit there at all." He smiled at me. I nodded and continued looking at my meal. There went having them as friends. It must have been pure coincidence that those two reminded me of Mom and Alice. Yet, the one who looks like Mom also looked like me. After about five minutes I left and dumped my tray. Then sat with Alex and Heidi.
"Who are they?" I asked. My appetite was gone, and I was now praying that the next two classes flew by. Heidi answered. "Those are the Cullens and the Hales. They came last year during the middle of the year. No one knew why, and what else they all had to be gorgeous."
Alex laughed. There must have been some joke between them. Alex continued where her sister left off. "The tallest boy is Emmett, the blonde is Jasper, and the other one is Edward. They are almost married to one of the girls. They all live together with their adoptive parents." That was weird. I would hate to live with Seth, and my face burned at the thought. I couldn't help it though he was perfect. Alex was talking again and I had to listen. "Then the blonde girl is Rosalie, the tiny one is Alice, and the other one is Bella."
After that I started choking on my milk. This was a very big coincidence, freaky almost. "Almost every guy in the school is jealous of Emmett because he was Rosalie. Alice and Jasper are a couple, and you're lucky if you can get Bella to stop looking at Edward. They're all in grades ahead of us, so you probably won't have any classes with any of them." For that I felt thankful. This was enough. It was all coincidence. After Alex and Heidi and Dustin started talking to Brandon and a guy to his right it took everything I had not to look over at that table. I had geometry next, and then P.E. I had that class with Alex and Dustin. We teamed up and played volleyball with three other kids and we whooped the other team. Well they whooped the other team, while I tried to hit the ball when it came to me. The only physical extortion I was good at seemed to be roller-blading. When the bell rang I was more than glad to change back into my jeans and white long sleeve shirt.
After shoving everything in my locker I wanted to run to the parking lot but I would have looked like an idiot. Brandon met up with me while I was walking.
"Hey Rainy." He sounded excited again, and was slowing his pace to keep even with mine. "What kind of car you drive?" he asked. The thing was I was too young to drive. I had skipped a grade, and was about to turn fifteen in three weeks.
I smiled at him, hoping he wouldn't feel ignorant after I told him. "I am to young to drive. I'm not even fifteen." We reached the parking lot and I looked around. No one was there. I wanted to panic. Had something happened at the reservation? Was anyone hurt? I would have called, but Dad would have been mad if the timing was wrong. Maybe I was just over reacting. I always did that.
Brandon looked down at me, looking at me like I needed help. "I can give you a ride. My parents won't mind if it is only up to La Push." Brandon put his hand on my shoulder and I wanted to shove it away but I saw that I had been wrong.
Seth was there, tall and casual looking as ever, and lounging against the bike like he was waiting for something trivial to occur. Just seeing him made me smile and I laughed at how raring to go he looked. His eyes were looking in every which direction. I could feel the corners of my mouth pulling when he fixed my gaze and smiled too. He made a face at me, and I just smiled wider and shook my head, as relief washed through me. I was glad that nothing had happened to anyone. That was another reason that I wanted to stay at the La Push School. It was on the reservation and if anything had happened I would have known right away.
The smile must have made Brandon think I was taking him up on his offer. He put his hand on my shoulder and directed me in the opposite direction of where Seth was. "My car is this way."
Seth looked at him and gave Brandon a dirty look. I laughed and looked at Brandon before Seth could come over and scare him to death. "It is okay." I smiled even bigger waiting to get to Seth. "Seth is here to give me a ride home." I said. "That's him right there." I pointed out Seth.
After looking at Seth, tall and scary, as he must have looked from Brandon's point of view, he looked at Brandon's hand on my shoulder, and Brandon quickly removed it. Though Brandon looked saddened. "He your boyfriend?" he asked and I pretended not to hear as I waved and ran over to Seth. The reality was I had no clue what the relationship status between us was. I wish I could have answered Brandon's question yes. When I got to Seth he looked at me with raised eyebrows.
'"Hey, what's up?" I asked standing in front of him.
"Nothing happened if that's what you were thinking. Sorry I was late, but your Dad and Sam caught the scent of some vampires, and-" he stopped and looked down. "Well, you don't need to know about that."
"You know I think your right about that." I smiled up at him. "You let them get away?" I really didn't like the idea of anyone in the pack facing off with someone who is described as hard as stone, and only demolished by being burnt.
"What smells funny?" he responded. He looked at me like I was rolling in mud with pigs. He also looked mad suddenly. A question like that would freak most people out but I was used to it, but Seth was always teasing when he would say that. Now he looked mad.
"I don't know, but it isn't me." I said. It may have come out a little defensive. Seth laughed.
"Of course it is not you." He smiled. He looked huge compared to me. He handed me the red helmet Dad had given me for when Seth took me out on the motorcycle. He said it had belonged to my mother, and he would have given me the bike to go with it if it hadn't fallen apart years ago. "Here, put it on." He ordered. He looked around everywhere at once, and sniffed the air. To any other bystander it would have seemed weird, but it was what all the guys I knew did it.
I shook my head. Something was wrong, and I was worried. I did that a lot, but Seth was mad, and when he was mad something was wrong. I reacted to him like that; I knew when something was wrong, just because of how he was. "Only if you tell me what is bothering you." I said. I was pushing my luck, but I knew that he would never tell me otherwise.
Seth sighed loudly. His nose was wrinkled in disgust. "You haven't seen anything strange, have you? Anything that sent chills down your back or something?" He asked, but there was no way he could have known that all afternoon I had been trying to push the Cullen and the Hale family out of my head. It was a coincidence, and a big one at that. Though what else could there have been that was strange. I was tense though. I knew better than to believe in coincidence, and know that magic, and destiny had a place in this world.
If that wasn't true than Sam would with Aunt Leah and not Emily. If that were true, my mother would not have loved another man more than my father and me and run away with him. Sometimes coincidence was just to small a thing to be used when something like fate kicked in.
Seth seemed to be aware that something had happened today. He could tell from looking at me. I was pretty much an open book when I was scared, though when the other kids were around, I seemed to be braver for them. Not that I was afraid, just worried that Seth was angry. "Rainy, tell me what happened today that bothers you this much? Was some pervert hitting on you?" Seth asked, completely serious. He seemed to be oblivious to the smell that was bothering him moments ago.
And why did he always suppose that 'some pervert' had been hitting on me? "No" I said with a tone. "It was these six people in the grades ahead of me. They looked Mom and Alice from that picture grandpa gave me of Mom at her wedding." Then at that moment the six walked out of the building and headed stopped, just looking at Seth and me. Maybe I was being vain, but at least it looked like they were. Seth followed my gaze and looked down at me. "Yeah, that's them." I answered his question before he even asked it. I looked over at them again, and they were still looking in our direction, but at Seth not me. "Weird, huh?"
When I looked back up at Seth he didn't even look at me, but was staring daggers at the Cullens. "Seth, what is wrong? Tell me, please?" I asked, and I knew that was all I had to do. I'd known since I was old enough to ask for things. I usually didn't take advantage of the fact that it was the truth, but now was a moment that I was going to.
"Bloodsuckers." Seth said and his face became tense. Stiffened and looked around. There were no vampires around, there couldn't be. Where were they? Seth answered like I did his question. "You already met them. The Cullens." He spit out the name. He took my helmet, much to my dismay put it one for me. "Tighten it and make sure it secure. Wait by the bike." He walked to where the Cullens were, and I laughed.
As if I were going to miss this. I took the helmet off and ran to Seth's side. If there was going to be a fight someone had to take in the girls. None of the pack would hit a girl. Usually they wouldn't hit anyone, but these boys looked like they could take Seth, even if he had phased into his wolf form.
When I got to Seth's side he didn't even glance down to see who it was that was at his side. He could probably tell from the scent.
Not that I didn't like being close to him. I only hoped he couldn't see my blush, or feel the fast tempo at which my heart was beating.
He was talking with the Cullens in a rough voice that I had never heard before, and he was shaking. He was trying not to phase, he was that angry. "How dare you come back here, and not even bother changing your names. That is foolish. Look at Bella. She is one of you. This means war." He declared the last part sounding as a child does when he plays Cowboys and Indians. He was ranting like he always did on the rare occasions he was angry, and he was almost yelling.
I was grateful that most of the students had left, but that didn't mean the teachers had. If he kept yelling like that he wouldn't be allowed back. That bothered me, if he couldn't pick me up, then Collin and Brady would. The two like twins, despite the fact that everyone in the pack resembled each other. They also acted almost the same. They had a thing about blaring the radio up all the way with the station changed to pop stations and singing loudly enough that everyone on the reservation could hear. I couldn't live with that everyday for a whole semester.
I placed a hand on his arm in hopes to calm him down, but seeing me only mad him angrier. I regretted not listening to him. "Seth, you look like a maniac. Lets go home please." I asked pulling on the sleeve of his shirt. I wanted the familiarity of La Push.
Seth looked own at me, even angrier. "I told you to wait by the motorcycle." He looked down at me, seeming even taller. Still, no matter how opposing he seemed he wouldn't frighten me.
Then I remembered the people Seth had been yelling at, the Cullens. I was nervous to look at them for a reason unknown to me but I was. I wanted to apologize, maybe make them imagine he had escaped an asylum down close to La Push. When I looked at them it astonished me even more. Bella didn't look like me, it was like I was a much more darker genetic copy of her.
She smiled at me and reached out her hand. She touched my check with her fingers. She was cold, but her touch was comforting. It was familiar. Something I had known once a long time ago. "Rainy it is good to see you again. Last time you were so tiny, hardly big enough to fit into my arms." Her fingers were still on my face, but I was looking at the other Cullens. The black haired boy and girl were smiling, the blondes looked like they could care less, and the one named Edward was smiling too, but looked satisfied.
It felt like I was entranced, and Seth pulled me away and close to him, keeping his arm around my waist, and was trembling. He was trying not to phase. He must have been REALLY mad. He and the others had gotten a grip on phasing a long time ago. And there must have been something wrong with these people seriously, because Seth never hugged me to him before. Seth looked back at Bella with hostility in his eyes. "She doesn't know who you are Bella. I am sure after Sam and Jacob learn about you being back she won't be allowed off the reservation." I looked back at Bella and she looked sad.
Edward put his hand on her and she seemed happy. Edward spoke on behalf of Bella. "Bella has as much right to see Rainy as Jacob does Seth."
"No she doesn't." Seth said. He pushed me behind him as if the Cullens were a threat. "If anyone has been a mother to Rainy it is Emily. Also next time we meet I am afraid we will be enemies. Come in Rainy." He started to walk away.
"What is wrong? What does Emily have to do with this?" I asked as Seth started pulling me away. Then Emmett Cullen grabbed and reached out and grabbed my arm. He was as cold as Bella was, but when he grabbed my arm it hurt.
It hurt so bad that I yelped. It felt weird. One of my arms was colder than a normal human should be, and the other was warmer than a human should be. I felt like a rag doll.
"She has a right to know." Alice Cullen said. "She is half of her." She was next to Emmett and Seth's nose was wrinkled in disgust. My arm hurt worse, and my eyes started to water.
"Emmett let her go please." Bella requested. Emmett slowly let go of my arm and went to stand by Rosalie Hale. I cradled my arm and looked at Emmett, he actually looked sorry.
Seth pulled me further away and the parking lot was very empty. Most of the cars must have belonged to the school staff. "She wants to know Seth. She has the right to know." Edward said and Seth turned around again. He was irritated, and I couldn't help feeling the same way. They were all talking about me, and I had no clue what they were talking about. I pushed Seth's arm off me. "What are they talking about?" I demanded.
Seth shook his head. "If your dad wants you to know he'll tell you." He explained. He was talking in the voice that reminded me of Sam when he was giving orders when vampires would pass through the area.
"No." I objected, "I want know now."
Edward narrowed his eyes when Seth looked back at him. "What else are you hiding from her? Why are you afraid to tell her what her mother is?" Rosalie seemed to be taunting him. . How did he know more about that I did? Had Collin or Brady imprinted and not told me? Poor girl would have to put up with Collin or Brady. I loved then to death, but they could annoy even me, and I was used to it.
Seth seemed even angrier and he was holding my arm tight, though not tight enough to hurt. "Seth, what? Just tell me." I asked. I was going to start yelling and that would get someone out there.
Seth lost his won temper and almost yelled.
"What about the imprinting Seth? Don't you think she has a right to know that?" Edward asked
"Fine," he snapped. "Guess what Rainy? I imprinted on you. I am in love with you." He said bluntly, and I could feel the warmth on my face. Then he jerked his head in the direction of the Cullens. "Those people are vampires, and they are what smelled so gross. Bella is your mother. After seeing you once she married that leech, and ran away with him to god knows where." Seth, always seemed to be happy, picked me up around my waist and put me on the motorcycle, the whole time the Cullens watching amused. I threw them an evil glare, and Seth pushed the helmet on my head. "Tighten it." He ordered.
He climbed on and pushed his own helmet on as I tightened mine. Soon everything was zipping past and my lengthy black hair being pulled back by the wind.