I entered biology and saw Leighton already sitting at her assigned table. Her gaze was far off, her dark brow's furrowing in concentration.
"Yo, Jett!" Leighton's eyes flashed up to meet me and I waved to her. Kaden waved back and I had to hold back my laugh. "Dude I wish we didn't have assigned seating. Mr. Parker is tough."
"No problem." I assured him while I passed his table. Leighton sat two tables behind and had her books piled on her seat.
"Taken?" I asked with a smirk knowing they weren't. She moved them and I sat. Kaden turned around and his eyes widened at sight of who I was sitting with. It bugged me that everyone was so surprised that some one was sitting with her, talking to her. It just made me wonder how burdened she had been, not being able to tell people that she was attacked and almost eaten by 'humans'. "Done thinking yet?" I asked casually angling my chair so I was facing her. My elbow was on the table and I let my head fall on my fist looking at her with an amused smile. Her face grew red with frustration while she tipped her head and let her hair fall between us.
"Not exactly." She whispered.
"Well any questions that I can answer to ease your mind." She stayed quiet for a long moment, her long slender finger tracing patterns on the table top.
"How can I be sure that I'll be safe, if I go to your house to meet them, what's stopping them from eating me?"
"I am." I said and she raised her eyebrows at me with a disbelieving look.
"Your weak, what are you going to do?" I laughed then and she jumped at the sound.
"No, the fact that I'm alive while living with them for 16 years is proof. Besides, they are very moral vampires. I made them promise that they wouldn't eat my friends." I was still chuckling and Leighton's face grew pink while she hit me.
"You think this is funny?" her voice was angry again, which was also funny considering the purity of her voice. I couldn't take her seriously.
"No, the thought of my family hurting a human is. My grandpa is a Doctor. He's around blood all the time totally immune. My mom is also immune because she thinks all blood is just disgusting. My dad was able to control himself when she was human and she was his singer. My Aunt will know if anything bad is going to happen before it does. Everyone else is really too honestly good to let anything happen to you, plus, I would totally give them the silent treatment. They would hate that."
"You're still joking."
"Just a little. I trust them, there isn't any other way I can convince you." I paused letting that soak in before jokingly adding. "if you want, we can stop and get some garlic and crosses."
"Shut up." She said before giggling with a small smile. She sounded just like Alice in that moment, and Alice's voice had been manufactured by venom, I could only imagine what Leighton would sound like as a vampire. It would probably be very distracting.
"Fine…" threw a grin at her before turning my attention to the teacher, and finally noticed that Kaden notice the friendly exchange.
…
"Dude! How did you get her to talk to you, and sit with you for two periods?" Kaden asked while he followed me to my locker.
"Um, I said hello, she said hello, we continued with small talk. Why is it such a big deal?"
"Because, first she was major popular and you would have been way too scared to even look at her, and as she is now, she's socially inept and ignores everyone. It's strange that one day here you cracked her." I rolled my eyes while I fiddled with my combo then shoved my books inside.
"She's not a rubix cube, and she's not inept, she's just… she's been through a lot and just needed someone who could understand. It's not some mystery."
"Yea, sure. Keep thinking that Jett." Kaden said pounding me on the back before walking to his own locker. I followed the halls till I got to the main doors. I was sure Alice had already seen me asking them to ride home together so I could drive Leighton alone in the Volvo. I don't think she could have stood being in a closed compartment with three of the undead.
"Leighton!" I called when I saw her turning back the way she came. She froze when my voice called her and she turned around warily grimacing while I walked towards her.
"It's just us, don't worry. You'll feel right at home once you get there." I put my hand on her back and pushed her out through the doors. Her gaze was all over looking for my family I was sure. I opened the door for her and waited till she was in before shutting the door and running to my side.
Her hands were fisted and trembling in her lap looking like she was having an earthquake in her body. I could faintly hear her teeth chattering.
"Cold?" I asked.
"Huh?" she answered. She was scared. I sighed and reached placing my hand over hers.
"Trust me Leighton, please." I looked at her with the expression my dad gave my mom when he wanted his way and it seemed to have worked because her shaking stopped.
I saw our cars in the driveway and knew that they were all waiting for us already. I opened the door for her and pulled her out. She didn't seem as reluctant but she still was resistant. I took her wrist in my hand and yanked her to my door. I could feel how cold her skin was. Fear did that.
She stuck right to my back, her one hand grasping the back of my shirt while I walked through the doors. Nine pairs of golden eyes were all looking at us as we came in. Grandpa smiled encouragingly along with Grandma.
"Leighton, we are very happy that you decided to come, I can understand this is quite hard for you." Grandpa said being as courteous as ever. Leighton just nodded her head while she peaked around my body making sure she had them all in sight.
"Leighton, this is my family. My Grandparent's Carlisle and Esme, My aunt's Alice and Rosalie, my uncle's Raiden, Emmet, and Jasper, and my birth parent's; Edward and Bella."
Leighton's grip tightened when I mentioned my mom and dad.
"They go to our school! They are young!" she exclaimed. I was sure she thought that Carlisle and Esme were my parent's and I laughed.
"Yea, I was a bit of a bastard child. If my parent's ever felt like reprimanding me about safe sex I can call them hypocrites."
"Jett!" mom gasped at me.
"Sorry." I laughed.
"Leighton, would you feel comfortable enough to join us on the couches? I'm sure you would rather sit than stand." She looked up at me her eyes wide and questioning.
"Yea sitting sounds good." I chuckled and pulled her over to the couch. I sat in the love seat with her, she was still attached to me and I didn't mind. I knew that this was probably very hard for her, more than I could even imagine.
"So Leighton, I hope you don't think that were being abrupt, but may I see and ask about the story behind that scar?" Leighton grabbed at it instinctively.
"Carlisle is a doctor." I reminded her. She sucked in and her shoulders un-tensed. I could tell that Jasper was calming her and for that I was grateful. She didn't get up but she lifted her arms offering her right hand with her left.
Grandpa stood and walked slowly over to us kneeling in front of her. His fingers poked lightly as he flipped her tiny hand in his.
"Fractures; not shattered, but many of them. No reconstruction. Leighton, how come you didn't go to a doctor after getting this?"
"I didn't want to have to explain." She said her voice louder than I would have expected.
"Would you mind explaining now?" I nudged her encouragingly and moved my arm so it was over her shoulders.
"I went to visit my family, and I was going for a hike. I had tripped and sprained my ankle. There was a house nearby so I went to it to ask if I could use a phone. The door was wide open. I called and called and some one yelled 'Were in the kitchen.' I asked for help, then I heard laughter." Her eyes were closed now and tears were welling over. I could feel the wave of calm too and Leighton's eyes snapped open. "What is that?" her voice was angry and distrusting.
"My uncle Jasper had the ability to manipulate emotions. He was trying to make it less stressful for you." She didn't seem pleased by this but she didn't refuse, she just continued on.
"It was a whole house full of your kind, and the kind with red eyes. There were a few human's there, but they weren't scared. It was like they were all looking for something. One of them, he had a French accent; he appeared out of no where. I screamed and ran and he said something about no fun. I was back in the house again, and I realized he had brought me back. They were all around me and I swung at them trying to get free. I hit one of them when they were talking and my hand went into their mouth. He bit down hard and I screamed trying to free myself but he was so strong."
"What happened after he bit you?"
"There was a fire, all through my arm. I screamed and I could see all of them had black eyes. A girl's voice screamed at them and the humans stood around me protectively. She kept saying I wasn't what she wanted, and she bent down beside me while all of the vampires were trying to get through, it was like there was a wall. The girl put her mouth over my hand and started drinking. The burning was worse at first and I kept trying to kick her in the stomach. She was able to hold me still with one arm and suddenly the burning faded. Next thing I knew was I was in front of Forks hospital, I didn't bother going in I went straight home."
"Forks?" Emmett exclaimed standing up. I was expecting Leighton to flinch but she was still absorbed in her story.
"I can't see what she saw, it's like she's blocking out the memories." Dad said getting angry.
"Raiden?" grandpa asked and in a second Raiden was in front of us, his hand on either side of her face. She screamed at the contact and I wrapped both arms around her holding her.
"It's okay, he's just looking." I cooed in her ear laying my forehead against the side of her head letting her feel the warmth of my touch instead of the coldness of Raiden's hands.
Raiden had a strange power to read people. The expression 'eyes are the windows to our souls' came to play. When he looked someone in the eyes he could see everything that they had done and been through. Suddenly, he roared viciously throwing himself away from Leighton.
Leighton's face was white and she was shaking uncontrollably I could feel her body tense like she was ready to run.
"They aren't going to hurt you." I whispered in her ear, holding her tighter so she couldn't try and run.
Mom rushed over to Raiden, holding her hands on either side of his face just as Dad let out and angry snarl that even frightened me.
A/N: so… what is going on? Hmmm? Lol