AN: My largest thanks to those who reviewed!

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, but I do own a pair of fuzzy, pink knee socks. 8-)

After I handed Ms. Cope my slip I headed to my truck. I passed half the student body in the hallway, and to my surprise, all five of the Cullens as well. Every one of them stared at me, watching me as I walked. They didn't make themselves obvious, though. No one else noticed. Again, the only reason I noticed anything was because I was expecting it.

They all took a deep inhale of the air around me when I walked by them. The breathing was unneeded so it struck me as odd. From the corner of my eye, I saw that they all looked frustrated. I heard Edward say, "See?" He continued to talk to his family after that, but I couldn't hear anything else he said.

I wondered what he meant by that, but they were vampires so it really didn't matter; I wasn't going to get myself involved with them.

I wasn't.

2. Subtle Tension

Nothing of importance had happened after school yesterday. I couldn't help it when my mind strayed to Edward Cullen and his "group". It had occurred to me that his was the only name that I knew. I intended to ask the questions today. There was bound to be gossip about the beautiful students who sat by themselves. I wondered why- how? -they went to school. It seemed that the school, being full of humans as it was, would be difficult for them. I had noticed that the blond boy was rigid through lunch; he must've been extremely thirsty.

The deep darkness, coal black, which filled their eyes, was proof that they hadn't hunted in at least two weeks. It was very, very risky that they would go so long and then be in a school full of humans for a whole day, every day.

My scent isn't any different from other humans. Why should it be? Well… There might be a subtle hint of something in my blood, but it isn't too noticeable. I don't think. So why would they inhale- something they don't even have to do in the first place- my scent? Was it because it had been so long since they had hunted? I mean, they did look frustrated after breathing me in… Did they only let me leave because there were too many witnesses?

It just seemed that that wasn't it. They would have come last night and killed Charlie and me. None of it made any sense.

Stupid vampires…

But I would be asking the questions today.

My intent was still to have little to no communication or contact to the five vamps, but that didn't mean that I couldn't snoop around about them. And that was what I intended to do. Jessica Stanley seemed to be one of the informed gossip girls… She would be more than happy to help my case; though, she wouldn't know that I even had a case.

Today, it was pouring down rain.

I dressed in a long-sleeved green shirt with a black, laced undershirt and black pants with green tennis shoes. (Renee had picked it out…) No one would see it anyway because I threw on a big yellow coat with the hood up so that I wouldn't get pelted with the rain. After I dressed, I ate breakfast and brushed my teeth. Then I was off for my second day of school.

When I arrived at school, the lot was full. I got out of my truck and leaned against it, taking inventory of the cars today; I had time to kill. Time. Yesterday, I hadn't noticed that all the cars in the lot were old like mine, save for a silver Volvo which had five creatures exiting it. It made sense that they would have to nicest car. They had lived twice as long, most likely, than any of us; with time comes money.

I watched as they each opened their doors and got out. They weren't talking, just walking up the steps. The large curly-haired guy was walking hand in hand with the tall blond girl, the picture-perfect couple. The little pixie was walking arm in arm with the blond boy, the cute-as-anything couple. Edward was alone.

I began walking away from my truck. I'm not proud to say that I almost got run over by a car, but they stopped before they hit me. My cheeks were red.

The vampires turned around at the squeaking tires and the sloshing of my boots. There was a quiet tension, deep in this. I didn't want them to know how I was feeling so I kept up my pace. My cheeks were still red. When I passed Edward, I nodded in his direction. He smiled that crooked smile, and for some reason, I stopped. "Hello, Bella."

I considered answering him. One word wouldn't hurt, it was only a word. "Morning," I said.

"So today we speak?" He asked, still smiling. The red in my cheeks became even more prominent, spreading to my throat.

"Hi, I'm Alice," the little pixie said. To my deep surprise, she hugged me!

"Okay," I said, a little freaked out, eyes wide, lips slightly parted. She giggled.

"I think that you and I might become friends," she said.

"Really?"

"Maybe," she said. She tilted her head to the side a bit and smiled. She sure was full of energy.

"Well…" I said. Then I started walking, dazed. That was the oddest experience ever… Well, maybe not ever, but it's high on the list. I said more than one word to them. Oops.

I ran into someone not two seconds after I entered the front doors! Man, am I clumsy today or what?

"Oh, man I am so sorry," said the blond boy. I met him yesterday. He had walked me to gym at the end of the day. Mike Newton, I believed his name was.

"No, it's my fault. I have two left feet."

"Really?"

"No… I mean, I am just a klutz is all," I said. He thought I had two left feet? Weird.

"You do trip a lot," he conceded.

"Sorry."

"Nah, I wasn't watching. You gonna sit with us in lunch again today?"

"That's the plan," I said. It was part of my to-do list.

Unlike yesterday, this day was going by slowly; it seemed that first hour alone was a few months long. I decided that this was an important day and that my help was needed. "May I use the restroom?"

"Go ahead Ms. Swan, but please do hurry it up," the teacher said.

Don't worry, I will.

The nearest restroom was just around the corner so I took my time walking there. The classroom next to mine had a window that wasn't covered. When I walked past it I saw the curly, black haired guy. He turned his head in my direction as I walked. I didn't stop. When I was in the restroom, I sat cross-legged on the floor. Yes, on the dirty floor; that's the only way- I have to sit cross-legged. I touched my left middle, ring, and pinky finders to the crescent on the nape of my neck. I thought of the time that lunch starts.

The colors came then. The blues and oranges and the turquoise colors were spinning around me in the pinks and the reds, greens, and violets. The beginning of this day unfolded before me: I returned to my first hour just in time for the bell. I saw that I would have homework in my last two classes before lunch. Eric Yorkie would walk me to second hour again. I would trip over my own dropped book twice in my fourth hour class. Jessica would walk down the hallway towards the bathroom I was in… now. I stood up and as I did, Jessica came in.

"There you are! Come on, we are going to be late for lunch!" She said.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," I said. I smiled that it worked again. Would I ever get used to the collage of colors? seeing what would have happened had I not sped it up? the drained feeling afterward?

When Jessica and I entered the cafeteria, my eyes darted directly to the table where the vampires had sat yesterday. They weren't there… This time yesterday, they would've been in their seats already. Suddenly, I wasn't hungry. I got a coke and sat at the lunch table with the names I had forgotten and the few that I had remembered.

Then, in they came, one by one. First, it was the blond girl. A few minutes later, the pixie joined her. In came the blond boy next. A few minutes passed and then the curly haired one made four vamps at the table. Edward wasn't there. The members that were there were all confused and talking.

"That is the weirdest thing I have ever seen," Jessica whispered to me.

"What is?" Though I think I already knew.

"The Cullens and the Hales, they, like, came in one at a time. They usually all come in together. And, like, Edward isn't there… But anyways, they are talking. They never talk, like, especially during lunch," she said.

"So how do they all know each other?" I asked offhand.

"They are siblings… Well, like, sort of. Mr. and Mrs. Cullen adopted them. The two blonds are Rosalie and Jasper Hale and they were already related to Mrs. Cullen somehow; she fostered them, but Emmett, Alice, and Edward were adopted."

"I don't get it," I said.

"Emmett, the curly haired one, and Rosalie, the blond, are together. Like together, together. Like, it's the same for the weird girl, Alice, and Jasper, the one who always looks like he is in pain. They all live together, too. It's weird," she said in a whisper. I knew I could get her to tell me the 411. "I heard that you were assigned Edward Cullen as a lab partner," she said.

"Yeah," I said.

"So…"

"So, what?"

"Like, isn't he gorgeous? I mean, they all are, but he is just… like, wow! But he doesn't date like his siblings do," she giggled and then turned serious. "Apparently none of the girls here are good enough."

"Did you try going out with him?" She looked uncomfortable. "Everyone here has, well, the girls have," she said, trying to shrug it off. "A few of the guys have, too. Ooooh, funny story about that. Like, this guy-"

I wasn't paying attention.

Edward Cullen had just opened the door to the cafeteria. He sat down with his family and they were talking in a rush, barely moving my lips. You know the drill of how I noticed it when no one else did. At the beginning they were animated. Now they looked like they had yesterday: motionless, but with a slight movement of the lips. They had confusion and frustration in their eyes.

"You aren't listening," Jessica said. It wasn't a question.

"Sorry."

"You stared at them yesterday, too, you know. I didn't miss it," she said smirking.

"Well, they are interesting-"

"Yeah, like, in a weird way," she said in a whisper again.

The Cullens could no doubt hear her; they were looking in this direction, at me. I looked down. I peeked between my hair and they were looking at me with confusion. Did they know what I had done? They couldn't.

"You know the Cullens are, like, staring at you-"

"No they aren't."

"Are too," she argued back at me.

"Stop looking at them!"

She laughed, but she stopped. I lifted my head and Edward's eyes held mine. I took notice, then, that his eyes were golden now. Same for his family, I realized. But how could that be? Did they wear contacts? That seemed improbable. Their eyes should be red or black… not gold. What does that mean?

His eyes still held mine; I couldn't look away. He smiled his crooked smile. To my surprise, I smiled back! That wasn't part of the plan! I stopped smiling, horror-struck and looked away. I saw him turn around, confused again. Alice did a little twinkle-wave at me with her fingers or something…

I'm not getting involved with the vampires. I'm not.

The bell rang and I was the first one out of the room… I dashed out. I was the first one to Biology so I put my head in my arms and tried to escape.

"Alright, class. Today we are going to work on the phases of mitosis. Mike will hand out the worksheets. You have until the end of class to finish. Write the stage on the lines on the worksheet by the number of the slide you are viewing. Good luck," Mr. Banner said. I hadn't even realized that the classroom was full, Edward included.

"Nice nap, Ms. Swan," Mr. Banner asked.

"Oh… I wasn't, I mean," I tried.

"It's fine. Just don't nap during my instruction again. Do you need me to repeat the assignment?"

"No, Sir. I heard that part," I said sheepishly. Mr. Banner nodded, "You may begin once you get your worksheets."

"Hey, Bella," Mike said when he gave me my worksheet. He was ignoring Edward.

"Hey."

"This day is just flying by, isn't it? Man, it feels like I didn't even go to my last classes before lunch," he said. I couldn't help it. I laughed. "Yeah, I know. I feel the same way," I said.

"Interphase," Edward said and began to write it down. Mike went back to his table, discouraged.

"Let me see," I said.

"Hello, partner-"

"Don't start. It's Interphase… Next one is… Metaphase," I said.

"Mind if I look?" I waved my hand toward the microscope. He looked and a slight frown came across his features; I laughed.

"What?"

"I'm right, aren't I?"

"Indeed you are, Ms. Swan," Mr. Banner said. He was going around and checking the answers on his pupil's papers. He looked bored. "Have you done this experiment before?"

"Once," I admitted.

"Ah," he said and went to Mike's table. I smiled a cocky smile at Edward. He looked amused.

"Competitive aren't we?"

"Maaaybe," I said. He laughed.

"Newton was right about how fast the time was this morning," Edward said. He sounded… accusatory. But there was no way he could have known. I was alone in the bathroom.

"Yeah," I answered.

"I wonder how it went by at such a fast pace," he said.

"Some days, the time just speeds up more than normal," I said.

"I see… Why did you move here?"

"Random much? My mom got remarried and I wanted her to have time without me to enjoy being married," I explained.

"That was generous of you," he said.

"Not really. I… benefited."

"I would be willing to bet that you are suffering more than you let anyone see. The next one is Prophase. You want to check it, correct?" I nodded.

We were the first ones in the room to finish so we did what was the only thing to do: talk. I talked myself into a conversation with Edward. One conversation couldn't hurt anyone, and he wouldn't let me not talk to him. He asked me questions about my mom and her new husband, Phil. He asked about Charlie.

"I love him, but this, Forks, it isn't where my home is," I looked down pleading to the table to hear me out.

"What is it, about Forks, I mean? Why do you hate it here?" He looked so confused trying to get into my head.

"I'm afraid you will be upset," I said truthfully. Then I realized that I probably went too far on that one. He is a vampire. If he found out that I knew his secret he would kill me for sure, if he hadn't already planned to… I didn't know why I was opening up to him. I had sworn not to get involved with these vampires, this one in particular, and I was not going to.

"Why would I be upset?" He asked. This was the most curious he had been yet.

"Well… This is, uh, your home… If I insulted it-"

"I can take it," he laughed.

"It's too cold, too wet, and it's never sunny outside, well, not for a long time and not as often as in Pheonix. I can't stay in Pheonix, though," I said the last part to myself.

"I'm sure your mother would understand that you wanted to stay there," he said. Edward didn't understand why I couldn't stay in Pheonix, but it was better that he didn't know. I decided to redirect his attention.

"You tryin' to get rid a' me?"

He laughed. "Actually, I find you fascinating."

"Me too."

"How do you find me fascinating?" He sounded calm with an edge of worry.

The bell rang, then, and I was glad, too; this conversation was taking a turn down a road that it shouldn't. Mike Newton had walked me to gym the day before and he insisted on it again today. Without telling Edward goodbye, I walked out of the room. I wasn't listening to Mike, though I knew he was talking about something. My mind was on Edward. Why had he tried to get inside my head? Why had he asked the questions about my parents and Phil?

Gym went by in a blur that could rival the blur I made this morning, though I didn't have anything to do with this one.

When I was walking out the front doors to my truck, I noticed that it was colder than usual. It would more than likely snow tomorrow, maybe even for a few days.

Ick.

When I was in my truck, heater going, I saw the Cullens standing by the silver Volvo. Rosalie was looking at me with confusion and… awe. I hadn't talked to her at all, but she seemed like she only cared about herself and Emmett. That she was awed, and why, was a mystery. Alice saw me looking at her and smiled. I tilted my head a bit and drove off.

Charlie was in desperate need of groceries so I went into the local store and took care of that need. I bought enough things to last us every meal for a week. When I got to his house, I made steak and potatoes for our supper.

When Charlie arrived home, we ate. He asked how school was and I tried to answer as honestly as I could, but made it seem that I was really enjoying myself.

As a lie in bed a few hours later, I fell to sleep seeing the five faces that I had made a pact with myself not to get involved with. One Cullen, in particular, was the center of my dreams. I always saw weird things in my dreams, but now it was beyond what I wanted to see. It was on the edge of suicidal and infatuated, neither of which I was.

I dreamt that Edward Cullen bit me, and it didn't bother me a bit.

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