Chapter 2: Open Book
It was impossible to say, "Everything went great from then on," because everything was not great.
What were the odds that a vampire hunter would end up going to the same school that hosts freakin' vampires? And then I remembered what Jess said. "Dr. Cullen."
Great, the vampire coven leader is running our hospitals! I cringed at the thought of what he'd do if a little girl came in with a cut or a scrape. I had nightmares thinking about it.
Another thing was that I was digging into a box this morning.
It was hard to reach, on the top shelf. I sighed and closed the curtains of my window and shut the door. I flew up to reach the shelf, and took down the box.
Inside were baby pictures of a little girl, a twelve-year-old girl with braces, and a seventeen-year-old in a prom dress. She looked exactly like me. There was a picture with her and Charlie at the way bottom of the box, along with a dusty prom dress and a stuffed bear.
The door opened. I blushed at being caught red-handed, but Charlie didn't notice. He looked sadly at the box and sighed.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Marie. I guess I was selfish enough to want to replace her with you," Charlie said quietly.
"Charlie, I'm so sorry," I mumbled. I looked at the picture of Charlie and Marie again.
Charlie's smile in the picture was forced, like he knew what was happening to his daughter. It seemed to be the most recent picture, and even still, it was old.
"She died shortly after going to prom," Charlie said. "I was going to tell her no, but she said that she only has one life, and that one experience will be missing if she died without it. Her mom bought that dress. Renee left after Marie died. It was too much for her here..."
"I sort of wish I had a father like yours," I sighed, looking at anything but the picture.
"I'm happy to take you in," Charlie suggested.
"Thank you."
Charlie blushed, and he looked up at the closed window as he spoke.
"Um, go get ready. It's time for school."
"Okay, Charlie."
The truck was waiting for me outside by the time I was dressed and fed. I groaned quietly to myself before sliding into the driver's seat and sticking the key into the ignition.
What happened next was purely instinctual.
I slid out of the driveway and drove forward, heading in the exact path of the school as if I'd been driving for years. I was shocked to find that this truck was very comfortable and roomy. It was nothing like the cramped space of Charlie's cruiser, which made me feel like I was in a cage. I also found an old picture wedged, forgotten, in between the seat cushions.
It was a picture of a family. There were Native American twin girls my age, a teen boy, and an aging man in a wheelchair. They looked happy. The boy's grin was especially distinct. Were they related?
I stored the picture in my backpack for later and entered the school-yard.
Scanning the parking lot, I didn't see any pale, beautiful faces. Yet. I looked especially for Edward Cullen.
Part of me wanted to cower away, and pretend the hostile vampire beside me was nothing but smoke. Another part of me wanted to confront him, and show him exactly who he was messing with. It was hard to tell for sure which part of me had the upper-hand. I recieved curious looks from the other students, but I sent them death glares and they scurried away.
There it was. The ostentatious silver Volvo. I saw four pale figures swiftly slide out.
Wait- four? Where was the fifth? I saw two blondes and two brunettes, but where was the redhead? Where was Edward Cullen?
Three vampires glared at me as they passed. Only one was calm, and strangely excited at upon passing me by. That one was Alice Cullen.
Alice smiled softly and waved behind her siblings' backs. I automatically waved back, but lowered my hand quickly again. Why was I just waving to a vampire?
Jasper turned slightly and pulled Alice by the arm, bringing her close. Their heads turned again. Jasper's face was incredulous and angry, but all of that melted away when Alice's lips moved. He smiled apologetically at me and turned his head away.
What was it that Alice had said? What made Jasper's frustration melt away like that? I was so confused, my mind sent me half-answers.
"Bella!" Mike said, pulling me away from my train of thought. I blinked and turned to face him.
"Yeah?" I asked breathlessly. Mike must have thought my breathlessness was a plus, and hurried to ask me out- again.
"Um, I was wondering if you could go to the movies with me?" Mike rushed, slipping on his words. (AN: BTW, it's italicized because I can't make the sentence one whole word to represent talking fast.)
"I'm sorry, what was that?" I asked.
"Movie. Me. Want to?"
Just then, Jessica appeared and gave me a curious look.
"Isabella Swan: The first girl to ever pull a response out of Edward Cullen! What happened yesterday?" Jess asked. Mike's face fell. I reminded myself to laugh later.
"Um, he acted as though I were something he should destroy and then left," I explained, avoiding the question. Jess frowned. Clearly, this was not the answer she expected.
"Well, do you think he's incredibly hot?" Jess began again.
"I don't think he's incredibly hot. It's natural, not done on purpose," I growled, stalking into the auditorium. Jess shot me a confused look. I knew that deep inside, the girl in me was screaming agreements. Yes! He's gorgeous! Drop-dead sexy! I wish I could go out with him!
"Bella!"
"Hey, Ang."
"What was with Cullen? Did he hurt you?"
"No, I'm fine. I don't know about him though..."
"Aw, let him suffer. He shouldn't glare at somebody like that."
I shrugged and went to English.
I paused.
Sitting in my partner's (Mike's) seat was Alice. She beamed and waved me forward, pointing excitedly at my seat. I shot her my crooked eye and went to sit next to Kendal Ingers, a boy with oily skin and messy brown hair. Alice frowned, and got up.
"Excuse me, Kendal, but would you mind switching with me?" Alice's soprano voice rang. Kendal smiled, giving us a full view of his braces. His eyes fluttered.
Was he trying to flirt?
I followed his eyeline and shuddered. I felt sorry for poor Alice.
"Suuuuure..." Kendal breathed, getting up. He shifted his body to "accidentally" bump Alice, but in a quick movement that almost blew her cover, Alice was to the side, and Kendal was falling on his face. The rest of the class laughed.
"Why did you decide to sit next to the perv instead of me?" Alice pouted when Kendal was seated.
"Because I don't trust you Cullens," I muttered.
"You can trust me! I already foresaw you being my best friend!"
I gaped at her. Alice's expression turned sheepish.
"Oops, I probably shouldn't have said that."
"Foresaw? You mean like, the future?"
"Yeah... I'm... I'm sort of psychic."
Oh, great. A potentially dangerous vampire, a psychic vampire... What next? A vampire that can read minds? (AN: Teehee, may-be!)
"Just leave me alone, Alice," I groaned. Alice stuck out her bottom lip, her eyes growing rounder and rounder by the second.
"But Bella-"
"What?"
"I already planned our first shopping trip!"
Christ.
"Alice, don't go near me, please," I groaned.
"No, Bella, I saw us as best friends and I'm gonna use you as a Barbie and you're gonna fit in and you're gonna be happy and you'll make Charlie happy and me happy and the school happy and Mike sad and most of my family will like you and you're with-"
Alice's mouth, which had been opening and closing at the speed of light, suddenly clamped shut. I stared at her.
"Who am I going to be with?" I asked calmly.
"Somebody," Alice spat out, trying to busy herself with her notes.
Something was wrong. Something that Alice didn't want me to know. Why not?
The days passed slowly- too slow for me.
On the plus side, I sat at an empty desk in biology and lived without Edward Cullen's angry glare.
On the down side, I sat at an empty desk in biology and lived without Edward Cullen.
I made sure to check every morning for Edward Cullen to come out of the Volvo. Every morning, I got three welcome sets of topaz eyes headed my way and one set of eyes that did not belong to Edward glaring at me.
After I finally began to trust that Edward wouldn't show up, guess what?
I entered biology smiling as I laughed at a joke Angela recited. The smile wiped away instantly when I saw the seat next to mine was no longer empty.
Edward Cullen watched me as I cautiously walked over and sat down. I watched him back warily.
"I see you're waiting for me to act rude again," he stated. I felt my ears ring when I heard his heavenly voice.
No! Bad Isabella! No crushing on the immortal enemy!
I nodded grimly and turned to my work. Edward's hand reached out, pushing my folder down to capture my attention.
"I'm genuinely sorry for my actions, Bella," he whispered. I stared at him in shock.
I realized his eyes were different. They weren't black. They were a light shade of honey gold. It confused me.
When Aro and the rest of the Volturi were fed, their eyes were red. Why were the Cullens' eyes topaz? What made them any different than a normal vampire?
I realized Edward was waiting for a response and I stopped staring into his eyes, blushing and shifting my folder nervously. Why was I acting like a giggly schoolgirl in love? I didn't have a crush on a vampire, do I? I wasn't even supposed to love! I wasn't "made for love," as my information folder kindly put it.
"Um, no, it's fine. I guess I wasn't one-hundred percent either."
Edward's sudden laugh startled the whole classroom, causing everyone to look in our direction. I donned the look of a tomato and ducked my head down, reading frantically my notes from yesterday. It took me a moment to realize I was staring at the exact same word for about a minute.
"The." Way to feel stupid, Bella.
"You're the one who suffers my wrath and you say you weren't your hundred-percent best?" Edward roared. If there is no brighter red than infra red, I think I invented a new shade. I call it "Bella Red."
"Well, if I were my hundred percent best the other day, I would've told you to stop glaring at me like an animal, and that you mother should've knocked some manners into that thick skull of yours when she had the chance," I growled at him. Edward's face became sober instantly.
"You're really like that?" he asked.
"Only when something really pisses me off," I grumbled back.
"Well Bella, you shouldn't piss me off. There's no telling what I'd do," he whispered quietly.
"Bite me," I grumbled. That was sure to set him off.
To my surprise, he didn't do anything but grimace and clench his fists. I'm pretty sure that if he weren't in a classroom full of humans, he would do just that. I was happy about it, too. It would give me a chance to unravel my wings and have a good, even fight. Maybe I'd even get a kick out of scaring the living crap out of the big bad vampire.
I glanced over at him with a slightly amused expression on my face. My expression turned to confusion when I saw him staring at me.
He wasn't staring at me as if he wanted to kill me. Instead, his stare was simply curiosity and disappointment. What was he expecting?
"What are you staring at?" I demanded, feeling self-conscious. Edward blinked and looked away abruptly.
"Nothing," he whispered, almost to himself. "I just thought I could get a read on you."
"You must be a good reader, then," I mumbled.
"Sometimes," Edward teased.
"All right, reader, what did you get from me?" I asked, setting my head in my hands. Oh, my God, am I flirting?
Edward frowned. He stared at me in concentration.
"You're unhappy here," he said finally.
"Thanks, Sherlock. Now, about that reading-?"
"You miss your home."
"Hardly," I scoffed. "What kind of reader are you?"
"Usually a correct one," Edward grumbled. "Why don't you miss home?"
"Because I have no home. Well, my last home was in Italy. I ran away."
Edward looked at me in complete surprise and fear. He struggled to hide it when he spoke again.
"Isn't Italy one of the most romantic places in the world? Why would a girl like you trade a place like that for a dreary town here?"
"My experiences in Italy weren't exactly that romantic," I said truthfully.
"I don't believe that," he scoffed.
"Try getting close to a few members of the opposite sex and then narrowly escape with your life."
"They tried to kill you?"
"Yup. I got out."
Edward looked outraged. I knew the frustration wasn't on me because my instincts didn't flare up like they did last week.
"How'd you get away?" he asked again, trying to calm himself.
"I ran. Then I flew out here. I was all over the place before Charlie offered me a home."
"Really? You never found a place of your liking all over America?"
"Can I tell you a secret?" I whispered. Edward nodded.
"I don't really like it here, either."
"Why not?"
"First of all, it rains. Second, there's too many trees. I like the feeling of open space and freedom. And third, I have a biology lab partner that may or may not be a psycho killer."
Edward chuckled.
"Oh, look, we have a substitute," Edward murmured, breaking the conversation. In my peripheral vision, I saw Edward take advantage of the distraction and scoot away, clenching his fist.
"Sorry I'm late, class," the petite young lady said. The rest of the class murmured half-hearted encouragements and went on with their lives.
"If you were homeless, how did you fly here?"
Crap.
"I, um, I was offered a ride in a private plane by a flirty pilot," I mumbled.
"I don't believe that," Edward murmured.
"It's true."
Edward stayed silent for a while.
"You're an orphan, too?"
"Yeah. I'm not proud of it, so don't ask again."
"Sorry. I just never met another orphan that isn't adopted into my family."
My expression softened some. I guess I felt guilty for pretending to be human. Or maybe a really did feel bad for the vampire. Maybe he was good.
"I'm sorry," I said honestly. Edward smiled.
"It's nothing. I'm sure you suffered more than I did."
"No. My dad was already dead or never in my mothers' life to begin with, and my mother died shortly after giving birth to me. I never knew who my parents were."
"My parents died of a disease when I was seven." I thought I heard him mumble "teen" under his breath, to low for a human to hear. I gave him that.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. They told me to live without mourning the past."
"They were wise."
The bell rang, and in my hurry to pick up my stuff a ton of papers fell out of my school bag. I groaned and picked them up. A set of hands helped me.
These hands were not pale. Nor were they rock-solid and cold as ice. It was Mike Newton. Edward was already making his way out the door. Jerk.
After gym- where I fell down twice and once brought Mike down with me- I grumbled to myself and started for my truck.
"Bella!" Alice's tinkling voice yelled. I heard her catch up with me, matching her pace with mine.
"Hey, Alice," I said noncommittally. Alice wrapped me up in a hug and whispered in my ear.
"Wear a sports' bra tonight."
She handed me a paper shopping bag. Inside were numerous sports' bras. I raised an eyebrow at her.
"Um, thanks, Alice. Did you foresee me going for a jog down the beach?"
"No, silly it's for when you're... exercising your whole body."
Alice lifted her arms and flapped her hands to imitate wings. My eyes widened and I dropped the bag. My mouth popped open and closed.
"I-I... You... I..." I stammered.
"It's okay, I won't tell anybody, not even my nosy brothers."
"You... I-I..."
"Thank me later. I have to go," Alice waved and danced all the way to the end of the parking lot, where Edward was waiting with his Volvo.
I went into my truck in a daze. I almost hit somebody's Toyota on the way out.
All the way from across the parking lot, I saw Edward Cullen and Alice Cullen laughing.