AN: Hey guys! I'm so sorry that I took forever to update, but I was busy with school work. I have no idea if I'll be able to update this week because I have to take my finals, so you guys might have to wait another week.

P.S. I'd like to thank my Beta Reader (David) for single handedly polishing this chapter and the ones before it. You rock man. :)

And of course I want to thank the people that Review, added the story to their Favorites, and Story Alert list. You guys make my day! :D

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Vile Beauty

Chapter 4: It Begins

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"Isabella!" Jen yelled from below. "You'd better start getting ready for school!"

"Shut up! I don't want to remember!" I growled.

"It was your idea."

"I know! But I still don't want to go!" I heard her giggle and throw something; from the sound of it, it had been a pair of shoes hitting a wall.

I groaned, got up and walked into the bathroom. I pulled off my clothes quickly, turned on the water and stepped inside.

The hot water beat against my skin in a soothing way, causing me to relax and for my skin to feel warm.

I didn't want to get out of the shower so I took a little longer than usual, washing my body and hair, and still I did this in less than ten minutes.

I got out, dried myself, put on some dark navy blue jeans, a lacy white undershirt, a dark purple "V" neck long sleeve shirt, a black mid-thigh coat, and black knee-high heel boots.

I dried my hair, straightened it and pulled the ends out. I stood still in front of the mirror, closing my eyes and imagined myself with the appearance of a human.

I opened my eyes and what I had imagined was what I saw.

My vampire beauty was mostly untarnished, but my eyes were a golden-brownish hazel. My skin was a soft smooth pale ivory that would mold around what held it, but was unbreakable. My cheeks and lips where now rosy, and a slow steady heartbeat filled the room with a seemingly natural rhythm that would fool even the most experienced vampire. I would still smell mouthwatering to any human, but to a vampire I would smell like a human- and no matter how mouthwatering I smelled to them, they would never be able to bring it upon themselves to attack me for my "blood." Not that there was any.

I even retained my highly-developed senses of smell, taste, sound, sight, and touch, but I would still have to act like a normal human girl.

Content with myself I took my backpack from my room and walked down the stairs. I found Jennifer on the couch watching TV, her glossy black hair was put up into a messy ponytail. She turned to look at me raising one of her delicate eyebrows.

"What? No lip gloss?"

"Ugh." I took out my lip gloss and put some on quickly.

"So vain and vile aren't we?" Jen asked sarcastically.

"You know it," I said, winking before I turned around and made my way to the door. "See you later Jen!" I called out as I made it to my car.

The drive to school was fast and a bit dreadful. I hoped spending so much time with the humans wasn't going annoy me too much- I had things to do.

I looked at the time on the dashboard. I had made it to school in five minutes and thirty seconds. Way too fast.

I sighed and noticed that the parking lot was still not full. I guess I was early. Jeez- can this get any more annoying? I drove to the area farthest from the majority of the students' cars, and as I passed I noticed several people stare and gawk. I couldn't help the smirk that formed on my lips. They were never going to see me through the dark, tinted windows. They gave me privacy wherever I drove.

I parked my car, turned it off, and took the keys from the ignition before I took my backpack from the passenger seat.

As I was stepping out of my car, a small breeze blew my hair around my face. I bet I looked like something out of a cheesy movie at the moment. This almost made me laugh, but I had to hold back my laughter and annoyance as gasps and a few whistles filled the parking lot. Could these people be any more immature?

I made my way to the front office, ignoring the stares of awe and jealousy directed at me. I was glad to finally be in the office and I couldn't help but look around a bit.

The walls were a papyrus-looking color and texture. The air smelled slightly damp but it was more warm than damp. I wasn't so sure if I liked that.

I saw the receptionist look up and watched with a silent satisfaction as her eyes widened. "Hello dear, how can I help you?" she finally said after opening and closing her mouth a few times.

"I'm Isabel Marie Swan. I received a phone call yesterday from the school telling me to come and pick up my schedule here rather than at the multipurpose room like the rest of the students."

"Welcome Ms. Swan, I'm Mrs. Copel. Please come here so that I can give you your schedule and explain a few things to you about the school." After she gave me my schedule, a copy of the bell schedule and a campus map, she sent me off to my first class, which to my great dislike was gym.

I hated gym with a passion. It was pointless and a bunch of bat guano if you asked me, but I wasn't going to complain too much because I was good at it. Still, that wasn't enough to make me happy.

I was the one of the first people to get to class. That meant I'd have to endure the boys who would constantly roam their eyes over my body and try to flirt with me. I only smiled at the ones that were more attractive than the rest, which were very few.

I heard several girls gossiping about me and some other people- like whose relationship had made it through the summer and whose hadn't. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at their weak-wit.

The teacher finally decided to join the class ten minutes after the bell rang.

"Hello class, I'm Coach Ensley. Please sit only on the first four rows of bleachers while I take attendance, after that you are free to roam about the gym as you please." I looked at the far wall and imagined what I would be doing if I had been at the house instead of sitting in a room full of dim-witted teenagers. "Isabel Swan!" the coach called out.

"Here," I responded, waving my hand a bit. The coach nodded and returned to calling out names. I sat in my seat the whole period working on my plans.

"Okay class, the bell should be ringing soon. So I have one final announcement, I expect all of you to dress out this Friday. You are dismissed." He motioned for us to leave as the bell rang.

Math III and English III all passed uneventfully.

I noticed that the pixie vampire and I had history together which would have been a problem if I intended to prank someone there. So much for using my vampire abilities in this class, I sighed. I felt a few people stare at me from time to time… It was more like gawking than anything else. But the pixie would only glance at me. It wasn't as bothersome at when the humans did it.

I let out a sigh when the lunch bell finally rang. I was closing my backpack when a timid brunette came up to me.

"H-Hi."

"Hi."

"I'm Angela Weber." The girl shyly offered me her hand.

"Isabel Swan." I said shaking her hand gently.

"It's a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine." I smiled brightly at her.

"So… I was wondering if you'd like to sit with my friends and me for the day."

"I'd like that." I said smiling and following her out the door towards the cafeteria.

Angela waited patiently for me to get my food before she began to head to one of the tables across the room, in a corner conveniently located by a door.

I noticed that a black–haired, black-eyed Asian boy was sitting next to a Hispanic girl with light brown hair and darker brown eyes.

They looked up at the sound of our footsteps before looking at each other, then looking at Angela and myself, and finally back at themselves.

"Hi!" Angela began confidently.

"Hi," they said in unison.

"So guys- this is Isabel. Isabel, these are Martha and Ben."

"Nice to meet you," I responded, inclining my head slightly. "You can call me Marie if you'd like, it's a lot shorter and easier to say than Isabel." I made sure to plaster a warm sweet smile on my face. To me it felt saccharine, but they seemed to buy it.

"So Marie, where are you from?" Martha began after Angela and I had taken our seats.

"Well I was born in Illinois, but we moved to Washington about four years ago."

"What city in Illinois?"

"Chicago."

"Seriously? Then why did you move to Washington?"

"Because my parents were murdered and my sister thought it best to raise me in a safe place."

There was a slight pause. "I'm sorry," Angela said after a few seconds.

"It's all right, it happens out there," I murmured quietly, just loud enough for them to hear. I was playing my role perfectly.

Now I wasn't lying, but the pain wasn't as incapacitating as it used to be.

"It must be really hard to have to start all over," Ben put in softly.

"When you've been through what I've been through and lived the live I have lived, getting a chance to start anew seems like a blessing," I put in tranquilly, but letting a hint of bitterness enter my voice.

They were quiet for a while and I moved my food around in my plate so that it looked like I was eating. I heard footsteps approach our table and looked up to find a blonde boy with blue eyes standing next to me.

"You're Isabel right?"

"And you would be?" I challenged in a bored tone.

"Mike Newton." Martha put an annoyed look on her face. Newton-boy only rolled his eyes.

"So Isabel, would you like me to walk you to your next class?" he asked me with the flirtiest smile he could muster.

"No thanks, I'm better off in their company," I replied, indicating my companions. Newton looked shocked for a moment but he quickly shrugged it off and walked away. In the back of my mind I knew he wasn't going to give up.

"You know you just threw away your opportunity at popularity right?" Martha blurted out suddenly.

"And your point would be?" I asked, raising my eyebrow.

"No girl that I know of has ever said 'no' to the most popular guy in school- also known as Mike Newton."

"Well then it's a good thing that I'm not a girl, but a woman." I smirked at her and turned to look at Angela. As soon as our eyes meet, both of us broke out in a fit of laughter; I heard Martha and Ben join us only a few seconds after.

I couldn't stop myself from thinking that I was actually enjoying the company of these three humans. How strange.

Published: June 6, 2009

Edited: June 22, 2009

AN: So I'll let you review on your whim, I won't bribe you this time. XD

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