Two weeks of school have passed since that very interesting first day. Nothing much has happened. Jeff, Brandon, and Chelsea all eat at the 'giants' table with me now. Although the gang used to scare the crap out of Brandon, he's practically one of them now. He likes getting into little scraps with Quil, Embry, and Seth, but he stays away from Paul and Jacob, who don't like him that much. I don't know why. Maybe it's because Brandon is practically my shadow, or as Paul calls him, my dog. They all think it's hilarious, but I don't get it. Jeff is quieter and likes hanging out with Jared, that is, if Jared and Kim aren't stuck to each other. He also hangs out with Seth and the younger ones of the bunch. Chelsea is ecstatic to be with the hottest boys in school. Jacob doesn't talk to me much, and every time I have him alone I go to thank him for helping me that day, but Brandon or someone else comes along before the words are out of my mouth. Embry and Seth made a game to see who can get the most out of me, meaning that it isn't just Seth who's been hitting on me in our gang. Maybe I'd go as far to say they both like me, then again, it is a teenaged boy's mind. I have Jeff and Chelsea in my homeroom, APLA, Chemistry, and Drama of course. I only have one class besides Drama with Brandon, which is German. Brandon doesn't come over to the house much, and I try my best to even out my time with each of them.
That leaves Tyrone. Tyrone isn't that popular anymore, since the scrap we had on the first day. He leaves me alone for the most part, but he absolutely loves spreading rumors about me, which are normally shutdown by the end of the day. He hasn't tried to hit on me since Jacob slammed him into the locker, but he does other tribal things to get on my nerves; wolf calls, smacking my ass when he's close enough (he hasn't done that one since the gang found out about it), small things to get under my skin. It's annoying, but I always think that it's better than what could happen.
The Winter Formal dance is in a couple of weeks, and I'm nervous but stoked at the same time. I don't know who I would go with if a lot of people asked me. I'm pretty sure Brandon will, Seth probably, Embry might, and Jeff might. I'm pretty sure Jeff is going to ask Chelsea though, but you never know. I'm hoping Tyrone doesn't, because I know that if I tell him no, he'd make sure no one else CAN go with me. Which is plain annoying.
It's finally the weekend, and after saying goodbye to my friends at school, I head home for another uneventful day of lounging around and sleeping.
~*xxx*~
I groan as the heat of the sun hits my eyes, but I decide not to move and just stay inside my warm cozy bed. All I see is darkness. My heart starts to beat faster once I realize my eyelids are open, and I'm still seeing nothing but black.
Oh. My. God.
I try to keep calm, and I fish around my brain to remember what my mom tought me when I have a blind spell. Other thoughts keep pushing those memories away. Why now? Why, after all these years of being dormant, has the blind spell decided to come back? Is it really a blind spell, or have I actually gone blind? Panic starts to take over as I try to stand, but get tangled in the bed sheets and land with a thump on the floor. I hold my breath, and listen for any sounds of movement or any indication that someone heard me. I beg to the Lord not to have anyone see me in this disheveled state. Seconds pass, but I don't hear anything. With a silent 'Thank you' to above, I work on getting out of the bed sheets.
I'm finally free. I knew it took a while, but all sense of time is thrown out the window in this blackness. It could've been minutes, or maybe seconds. Stumbling and hopelessly sticking my arms out as far as they could go, I feel the smooth sides of the wall until I hit the window. Fumbling with the lock with shaking hands, I'm finally able to open it, letting cold air swirl around me. Fresh air always helps to clear my head, and I can think and remember what my mother always told me.
"Stop thinking of your eyes like it's your life. Instead, focus on your other senses. For instance, hear the wind brush past the trees, smell and taste the scents like an animal, feel the vibrations of a heartbeat. All of these things start to paint a picture far more detailed and further out than any eye can see. Paint the picture in your mind Natalie. Paint the picture."
So I did. I closed my eyelids and focused harder than I ever thought possible. I smelt the musty forest, felt the gentle wind caress my face and focused on every heartbeat I could hear. Small blue vibrations filled my sight, and like my mother said, it started to paint a picture. About fifty-football fields west in the forest was a herd of deer, grazing. Each of their heartbeats sent out vibrations through the ground and up the side of the building, through my feet and up to my eyes. One buck raised its head. A mountain lion raced down and the herd scattered, escaping its brutal claws. The mountain lion finally caught one, but the buck twisted and kicked it off with amazing skill. I ignored that for a minute and focused on the house. Now I could hear every word spoken in a conversation. And each scent of the male character was the same, but at the same time uniquely different. Their heartbeats too sent vibrations through the floor and up to my eyes.
Jared and Paul were discussing some sort of hunting technique, leaning up against the far side of the wall, close to the dining room table. Quil, Embry, Seth, and Jacob were playing a game of cards at the dining room table, and Embry was cheating, pulling out a card and filing it in his hand, while Sam was talking to Jared and Paul, and Emily was in the kitchen. I focused my sense of smell to indicate what she was cooking.
A large bowl of eggs with ham, Swiss, and Cheddar cheese; French toast with Cinnamon and Nutmeg; Hash Browns, and the pan was cooking some sort of sausage. I took a deep breath. Maple. Maple flavored sausage.
Something disrupted the vibrations. I opened my eyelids, and I could see again. I closed my eyes and focused, relieved when I found I could still use my heightened senses and vibrations, weaker, but still. Not wasting any time, I changed and raced down the stairs.
Sam looked up from his conversation, smiling, but noticed my disheveled state soon after.
"Sam, this is going to sound weird, but do you know when I fell of my bed?"
I heard a couple chuckles, but Sam knew something was up. He nodded.
"How much time had past since then?"
His forehead creased and he glanced at a clock.
"Twenty minutes, why?"
Twenty minutes. Four times longer than the longest blind spell I've ever had. My knees buckled, and I slammed my hands into my face, opening weeping. Sam was by me in an instant, asking 'what happened?' and 'what's wrong?' I shook my head, wrapping my arms across my chest. I took all of the men, plus Emily asking before I forced myself to calm down. I continually wiped my terrified tears away and clutched Emily for dear life.
"...I've got to tell you something."
Emily forced all of the guys in the living room and basically shoved some food down my throat, telling me that I could explain after I calmed down. Food always calms people down. After I was finished, she let the boys have at it while I stared at the blank TV screen, both terrified and very confused. They must've scarffed faster than normal, because it was only ten minutes before Seth was next to me, pulling me into a hug, lightly tracing his finger up and down my arm. Sam sat in front of me, and the rest piled around the too small living room. Seth gave me an encouraging look, and I started to explain.
"My mother, Eleanor, became blind just before high school. She had to learn to read brail, cook, and all of these other things we do with our sight. Not only that, but she also had to raise a child all on her own; my father left on some business trip and hasn't come back. I don't even know if he's alive or not..."
I trailed off. Seth gave me a squeeze.
"When I was little, I'd have these things called 'blind spells'. Basically, I wake up blind." Emily gasped and everyone else raised their eyebrows in surprise. "It's not all that bad," I assured them, "and my mom helped me out a ton whenever it happened. It's a lot like being in a pitch-black room, and your eyes haven't gotten used to it yet. She taught me how to depend on my other senses, so it's not like I'm helpless. After awhile my sight comes back to normal, and my other senses start to dull back to where they're supposed to be. The only thing I can't figure out is why now? I haven't had a blind spell in six years and just like that, I have one? It doesn't make any sense."
"How can we tell you're not making this up?" Paul spat. Jacob growled at him. I stared at him and started quoting what I heard of their conversation earlier.
"'Stay down wind, so the leech can't smell you, and then you herd it like the animal it is-'"
"Okay!" He stated, clearly upset.
"I know it's kinda hard to wrap your mind around, which is why I don't mind you being suspicious, but what could I gain by lying to you?" Paul didn't say anything. Sam sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"Natalie, from now on, I don't want to alone-" I stood up, glaring at him, my eyes full of hate.
"What? How could you do this?" I screeched.
"It's for your-"
"Own good? Come on Sam, it's not like I'm gonna have a blind spell randomly! It only happens after I sleep!"
"Natalie, please-"
"No! This is why I didn't tell you before! I'm not a baby!"
"I'm not saying you are, it's just-"
"Screw it! I'm leaving!" I whipped around and threw open the door, storming out of it angrily. How could he do this? I'm not a baby, and I've dealt with it plenty of times before, okay, so I freaked out when I found out how long it was, big deal. My feet carried me by several houses, but I didn't stop running. It was sprinkling, but I barley felt it as I pelted away from my problems. I came to a stop at the school, why my feet brought me here I have no clue. I sighed and ran my hand through my hair, walking around the campus.
"Hey there cutie."
I groaned. Of course, Tyrone had to be here. Soon he and his posse were in front of me, and I gave them a very annoyed look.
"Oh, look, kitty wants to fight." He mocked. "Your friends can't protect you now."
My fist clenched. Don't do it. Don't hit him. Ignore it.
"Why don't you came and play? Or are you afraid? Don't worry, it'll only hurt for a second, then all you'll want is more."
I ground my teeth together, he didn't move from his spot.
"Come on Natalie, you know you want it. Heh, I bet your mom would've already been with me." He chuckled with his friends before turning to me.
My fist was in his face faster than I expected. His head spun almost all the way around as he fell to the ground. Automatically, his friends leaped on me, pinning me to the ground, hitting me as I hit them back. They kicked my sides and pulled at my hair, but as soon as they hit me, I hit them.
"Hold her! Get her pants!" One of them screeched. I started struggling and kicking them away, panic taking over my will to fight. All of a sudden they stopped and took off in a random direction. I heard footsteps pound after them and someone had pulled me up to a sitting position.
"Are you okay?"
It was Mr. Vansickle, one of my favorite teachers and the school principle.
"Come on, up you go." He grunted as he picked me up, and I leaned heavily on him for support. He dragged me into the school and to the nurse, who busily started to work on me. I had a nice cut on my left temple, a huge bruise on my right cheek, several bruises on my knees, shins, and arms, and a few light cuts on some other places. I was absolutely exhausted, but I knew the worst had yet to come. My mind went to Tyrone. His jaw is most likely broken because of me. I grinned at the thought. It vanished as Mr. Vansickle walked in through the door, running his hand through his hair.
"Sam's on his way."
I wanted to wail like a child, but there where more important matters.
"I'm expelled, aren't I?"
He sighed and gave me a sympathetic look. I hung my head.
"Figured as much."
"But Mr. Vansickle," the nurse spoke "these cuts and bruises clearly state she was defending herself, can't you do anything?" I looked up hopefully, only to be disappointed as he shook his head.
"I wish I could Heather, but the rules clearly state that in any sort of fight, both parties shall be punished accordingly, and Natalie's permanent record says that this isn't the first fight she's been in. I can't even cut it down to Suspension."
A light tingle of the office bell warned me that Sam was coming. He thanked Mr. Vansickle for taking care of me and I dejectedly followed him into his car, waiting for the explosion.
Silence.
I stared out the window, getting more annoyed by the second. His house came into view. He stayed in the car and killed the engine, still silent.
"Not even a 'that was stupid'?" I spat at him.
"I shouldn't have made you upset."
I shook my head. So that was it, he was going to take the blame for everything.
"It wasn't your fault Sam, I just- I can't even begin to explain what happened."
"Natalie-"
"I'm a freak." I spat, quite disgusted with myself. "I hit him so hard I thought I snapped his neck. No one can hit that hard." I stared at my hand, imagining the fight over again. "I'm a freak." I repeated.
Sam sighed.
"You are not a freak. Bit hotheaded, but not a freak. If that Tyrone person didn't piss you off none of this would've happened."
"I'm expelled."
"I know. You'll be going to Forks High School on Monday."
Silence.
"Another thing, don't worry about those 'blind spells' or whatever. If it happens, it happens; all we can do is help you out the best we can. And if you eventually become...blind, then I guess we'll just have to figure something out then."
"You're the best Sam."
He kissed my forehead. I sighed and followed him into the house, and was tackled by a scared stiff Emily, and questioned by everyone else. Jacob, Seth, Paul, and well, everyone else -even little Emily and Kim- wanted to hunt Tyrone down, but with a couple of stern words from Sam, they were quickly stopped. The rest of the weekend was spent telling the story over and over and hanging out with my friends as long as possible.
~*xxx*~
Sam pulled up to the front of the school, smiling and holding my hand.
"Good luck."
I managed a grimace and stumbled out of his car. Strangling the hem of my shirt, wringing it and untwining it, I stepped up to the office. Yeah, I know what you're all thinking, Natalie Campbell, shy? The only reason I wasn't a wreck the first day of La Push High was because I already had friends. As soon as you put me somewhere with a lot of people and no one I know, I become very nervous, and very quiet, quite unlike my normal loud, badass self. Almost like a second personality. I hate that about myself, but then again, I don't like scaring people either. Can't I have something in-between?
I quickly got my schedule and a map of the place and headed to first period. The bell rang as I entered the classroom, and I handed a slip to a very large, balding man. He grunted and signed it, pointing me to an empty seat towards the front of the room. I took it, ignoring the stares digging at my back. The teacher droned on and on, and finally the bell rang. As I was putting my stuff in my bag, a pale hand reached towards me. I looked up, seeing a small girl handing me a paper I missed. She had a slightly pointed face, dirty blonde -almost brown- hair, pointed nose, and small cheekbones. She had a dark green to brown eyes. I smiled and took the paper from her.
"You're Natalie, right? You live down in La Push."
Startled I nodded. She stuck out a hand.
"I'm Linda Harrington. Everyone knows you; people have been talking ever since you transferred out of La Push High. But I'll help you out. Come on, I'll show you the ropes of this place."
She chattered on as she walked me to my next class, but I didn't hear most of it. As soon as we got there she shooed me off and ran to her next class. Once again, I handed the teacher my slip and sat down at a seat he pointed to me. Not even ten minutes into the class, someone tapped my shoulder. I glanced in the direction. Next to me was a tall, thicker guy, (not all muscle) with brown hair and a boyish face. He had ocean blue eyes.
"I'm MacKenzie." He whispered "You're Natalie right?" I nodded. "I saw you hanging around Linda. She and I are tight." The teacher cleared his throat. I whipped around to the board and the teacher droned on again, having his students' attention once more. MacKenzie didn't talk to me the rest of class. After the bell rang however, he and a friend of his led me to my next class. There I started to match faces of people who've already had class with me. After that was lunch. I just grabbed a juice and a pizza, not really hungry.
"Sorry I didn't introduce you before," MacKenzie said as he sat next to me. "This is Brenden Carter, Brenden, this is Natalie." Brenden, a thin, muscular man with dark blonde hair, a long, attractive face, and glasses hiding his brown eyes, smiled and sat next to MacKenzie. I smiled back. Note to self: Brenden is some tasty eye-candy. Linda showed up then, taking the position on my right and introduced me to a quiet girl named Melissa. She was tall, and had a pudgier face, but was thin and nicely shaped. She had brown hair and eyes.
I finished my lunch quickly and tossed my trash before sitting down and glancing around the room. I recognized several people from my classes, sitting around and having fun with their friends.
And that's when I spotted them.
The were all sitting at a corner of a table, the plates of food in front of them untouched, and they seemed to be having a pleasant conversation, though a couple of them were staring off in different directions. My breath caught in my throat. It was like I was back in the forest, the strange feeling of ice leaking in my blood. But it was more than that.
As much as I wanted to run away, being with them seemed so much more...appealing.
They were all porcelain pale, like they were made from marble. One was a platinum blonde, and it flowed in wavy curls to her shoulders. She was thin and petit, just a little shy of a super model, but with the ferocity of a jaguar. (It's funny how I know these things without even meeting the person) The girl next to her had a snobby heir about her, with perfectly strait black hair; she had the height and body of a super model. The twins in front of the models where both lean and fit, they had fiery red hair and small freckles covering their cheeks. The heir around them exclaimed nothing but fun with broad, jokester smiles on their faces. The man next to them however, caught my eye the most. He had a thin face, with a slight boyish accent to it, and blonde/brown hair, slightly long in the front and trimmed in the back. He was shorter then the twins, but he too had lean and tight muscles. If any one of them was a model, it was he.
"Who are they?" breathed out my mouth before I could think another word. Linda glanced up from her conversation with another girl –Courtney?- and looked to where I was staring. A smile twitched on her face.
"Those are the Cullen's, well, at least Tabitha and Elijah are. Tabitha's the blonde and Elijah is the blondish brown. Jedediah and William Shatner are the twins, and Cathleen Mayer is the black haired one." She cast a glance my direction. "They don't hang with anyone but themselves though. Apparently after Dr. Cullen's first adopted children have started to move out, he and his wife wanted more. So they adopted them, something along those lines. I don't really know. Nobody does. And I wouldn't get your hopes up, none of them date." She had a dejected face this time, and I wondered if one of them had shot her down. Another figure walked towards them, grinning and taking a seat. Most girls would've called him gorgeous, but sitting next to the Cullen's he made a dull comparison. He was tan and had black messy hair and blonde highlights. I glanced at Linda in confusion. "That's Louis. He hangs out with them and no one else, but I don't know why. I think he and Cathleen have something going on, but I'm not sure. Cathleen doesn't like anybody. Maybe he has a secret weapon or something that he uses. Who knows?"
I continued staring at them, my mouth twitched to the side of my face in mock confusion. After a second I let it go, suspicion taking over. I'd have to keep my eye on them, that's for sure.
Elijah's eyes flickered to me, and he held my gaze while I stared accusingly at him. It wasn't like any of the stares I had received today. It was actually confused and intrigued at the same time. His eyes where a dark color, like a shade close to black. He said something to the peers around him, and they all turned in their seats, however slight, to look at me. I challenged him in my mind to do something. He turned away and talked to his friends/family. Beside me Linda had a sharp intake of breath.
"Wow. They've never done that before." Her eyes flickered to mine, full of judgment and slight envy. I shrugged.
"Lets get out of here. They kinda creep me out." Elijah's gaze flickered to mine, like I insulted him, or as if he could hear me. I snorted and dragged Linda to my –uh, I mean, our- next class. It was Chemistry, and low and behold, there was Mr. Cullen himself, Elijah. And guess who had to sit with him? If you guessed me, you are correct-o-mundo. Damn teacher. I took my seat next to him, and he visibly stiffened, clenching his fist and sitting as far as possible away from me. Well, at least I know who won't be stalking me here. I tried to ignore it, slouching in my seat and putting my hair as a barrier between us. Hey, if he didn't want to be nice, then I had no reason to talk to him. Once the bell rang, Elijah was out of his seat and the door before I had even reached down to grab my bag. Well, damn, I didn't think he hated me that much. I was in a foul mood when I went to my next class.
It was PE, and I powned at a game of Volleyball. What can I say? I was feeling the rhythm, and being pissed off by Elijah helped too. I didn't work up a sweat though, unlike my peers. It takes a lot to get me to sweat.
Like I was supposed to, I went to hand in my slip, only to find Elijah in a heated conversation with the lady. I planned on walking back out, but he turned to me, muttered something to the lady I couldn't catch, and left through a different door. I mentally cursed him...a lot.
The lady in the office thanked me and had me dismissed. I headed out and went to call Sam, but Linda caught up to me.
"Hey! I was wondering if you would go down to the station with me? I'll take you home afterwards. I just need to talk to my dad." I grinned and nodded, texting Chelsea and telling her I didn't need a ride home. She didn't text back. Linda and I talked all the way down to her car, a small blue Volkswagen Karmann Ghia Coupe. It was one of the nicer cars, to say the least. I was a tiny bit jealous.
Linda talked as we drove down to the station, and I only caught a couple of words, nodding and 'hmm'ing when cued. She could've been saying the sky was purple. We pulled up next to a police cruiser and stepped out, going in to the station. Linda called for her dad and raced off in a random direction, leaving me with the Chief of police, Mr. Swan. I gave him a polite smile.
"I heard you live down in La Push, is that correct?" I nodded. He grinned. "A good friend of mine lives down there. Have you seen Billy Black?" Once again, I nodded. He paused. "I heard Jacob came home, how's he doing?" He seemed truly concerned. I furrowed my brow.
"I don't know. He doesn't really talk to me, but when he's around his friends he seems happy enough." For a depressed, angry, emotionally scarred fifteen year old. Mr. Swan nodded slowly. He stuck out his hand. I took it.
"I'm Charlie Swan, but you can call me Charlie. My daughter and Jacob were close friends, possibly lovers, but...well, she found another. Edward Cullen." My head snapped up and I was paying closer attention. "They're getting married. Really tore him up from what I heard." He had a distant look in his eye, slightly haunted. Did he not trust Edward? Or was he just hoping his daughter would go for his close friends son? The bell in the front rang, snapping me from my thoughts and turning around.
Stepping through the office was a girl, average height; slightly mouse like, with a heart shaped face. Kind of like Emily. She had Charlie's brown eyes. This must be his daughter. Right behind her was another porcelain-skinned boy. He had bronze hair and deep topaz eyes. This must be Edward Cullen. I took a deep breath, finding that candy-sweet but choking scent. I tried not to be judgmental, but it was hard, seeing what I have and knowing this was the girl responsible for Jacob pain. Bitch. Edward gave me a confused and slightly angry glance. Well, annoyed is probably a better term, not angry. He whispered something to the girl and left the office. She came up to me, putting out a hand with a fake smile. I matched it.
"I'm Isabella Swan; call me Bella."
"Natalie Campbell."
She smiled.
"You live down in La Push right? How's Jacob?" She had a slightly depressed look, like she was still in love with him even though she was marrying Edward.
"He's okay, from what I can tell." After you tore his heart out and left it there to rot. No one will ever forgive you. If I could kill you now without depressing him, I'd do it, no problem. Edward came back in then, wrapping a protective arm around Bella and glaring at me, a small snarl ripping from his throat. I glanced beside me, but Charlie had already left. I took a step closer to her, my façade disappearing.
"Look, Jacob's not okay, and neither is most of La Push. Whatever the hell you did down there tore everyone up. Now I'm really not a prejudice person, and I believe everyone should get a second chance, but I swear, if you do anything else to upset them, so help me God." I glared at Edward as he snarled again, his grip tightening around her. I growled back at him, and looked back to Bella. She was terrified and about to cry. My instincts told me to pull her in a hug and tell her everything would be all right. Edward stopped growling. I brushed away the feeling and stepped up right next to her.
"Momma cheetah does not play when I comes to her cubs. Stay away from them, and let them heal from whatever you did. It'd be for the best."
I heard Linda calling me then, and I put on another happy-go-lucky face and called back to her. Then I turned and looked at Bella. She was crying. I was never good with people crying, even if I was the one to cause it. My mind had it set that if someone cries, I help him or her out. I felt my heart tear seeing it. I looked to the side, reminding myself of Jacob's depressed eyes, and the rest of my friends who knew her. Her sobs pounded through my ears. Why am I so soft? I sighed.
"Look Bella, I don't know what you did, and I know I shouldn't meddle with it. I just...get really protective of my friends and freak out if one of them gets hurt. You seem like a nice girl. Maybe if we were under different circumstances we could've been friends. I'm sorry I made you cry. I was out of line to say that. I totally understand if you beat my face in." I heard her chuckle beneath a sob. "I mean, it must've been hard on you too. I wasn't thinking and I sincerely apologize." Her sobs stopped. I shook my head. "But...I really do wish you would stay away for the time being." A small smile filed on my face as the tears stopped. "You see? That's the nice way to put it. But you know, the nice way doesn't always work out." She chuckled.
"Yeah, I get it. I'll stay away, promise. We cool?"
I hesitated.
"Depends on what you mean by cool. Like I said, you really tore them up, and I can't forgive you for that just yet, but I won't murder you in your sleep either."
She nodded.
"I totally understand. Here," she grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled two numbers across it. "If you have any questions, or just need to talk, here's my number. The first one is my dads house, the second is the Cullen's." I hesitantly took it, getting at her double meaning. Then I tucked it in my pocket. Without thinking, I tucked my hair behind my ear. Bella gasped. I groaned, realizing what I did.
Even though it had only been a few days, the cut that went from the top arch of my eyebrow and curved down to the tip of my cheekbone in a crescent moon fashion had dwindled down to a normal (but still deep) cut just the length of my temple. I used my hair to cover it, and now it was out in the open.
"Oh my God," she whispered stepping next to me and turning my face so she could get a better look. I chuckled uncomfortably.
"Yeah. Got that a few days ago. That's why I'm at Forks High instead of La Push. Long story, don't want to get into it. I also have a huge bruise-" I outlined the bruise on my right cheek, covered in make-up. "-right here. And some on my arms, legs, I didn't see any on my stomach, but Lord knows there's some there too." I pulled up the green long-sleeved shirt I was wearing, as well as the white lace-like sweater to show her the purplish green bruises on my arm. "They used to be in the shape of a fist, but as you can see, I heal faster then most people. Still slow in my opinion though. Now, if I could heal instantly, that'd be amazing." I pulled down my sleeve and went to pull my hair out from behind my ear, but Edward's hands stopped me and he too leaned in for a closer look. The burning candy smell was stronger then ever. His body temperature was colder than most...well, okay, so he was like ice, but I didn't want to bother him about it.
"You should have Carlisle check that out." His voice was like velvet, and my breath caught in my throat again. He glanced at me from the corner of his eye. "He's my foster dad. I'm sure he wouldn't mind." It wasn't an option. I glared at him and took a step back.
"I'm fine. The cut will be gone in a few more days. No point in having it checked out."
"Except that it might be infected." He retorted. I bit my lip. Taking that as a sign of defeat, he whipped out his cell phone and stepped out the office.
"Does he always do that?"
Bella chuckled, looking at where he left affectionately.
"More than you know. It's annoying sometimes, how he's so stubborn, but it has kept me out of trouble before."
Linda came up to me then, and I explained that Dr. Cullen was going to come and check out a cut of mine. After I showed her, she didn't mind and wanted a play-by-play of what happened. With nothing better to do, and Edward back in to listen, I obliged.
~*xxx*~
Turns out the cut was starting to get infected, but Dr. Cullen (or Carlisle as he told me to call him) put some antibiotic stuff on it and left it, saying that it should be okay and if it started to throb to give him a call. I obliged. Is every one of the Cullen's super models? It wouldn't be hard to believe, if they all looked like that. He was gorgeous, blonde and pale with Edwards' topaz eyes. Kind of creepy to think that they had the same eyes and that Edward was adopted and not blood related.
Once I got home I immediately changed; the burningly sweet candy smell had rubbed off on me, and it was choking. Then Chelsea came over for some hang-out-study-time. She demanded to know what happened during the day and wined about how boring it was now that I wasn't in school with her.
"At first I was afraid to come sit with the gang, but Seth called us over. Jeff and I went, but Brandon sat with his other friends. He's been moping around all day and it's really annoying."
We got our homework done together, and as we went down the stairs I was tackled and group-hugged by the gang. They didn't ask about my day, unlike Chelsea. Instead they dragged me out to the beach and an overly excited Brandon. We played for a while, tossing Frisbee's or playing tag (which I was quite good at, despite the boy's longer reach); small things to just have fun. Then we all piled into Emily's kitchen to have dinner, with a farewell to Chelsea, Brandon, and Jeff. Brandon, despite having the boys behind me, gave me a kiss on the cheek. They weren't happy about that, but when the food started to pile on the table, they completely forgot, or rather they didn't bring it up.
"So how was your first day? Better than the last I hope." Paul –yes Paul- asked. I smiled.
"Yeah, it was fine. I met this girl named Linda, she's chatty, but I don't mind. Melissa is just the opposite, quiet and calm. Then there's Big Mac, or MacKenzie, he's like a teddy bear; big and fluffy. Brenden's the looker of the group. I don't really know him that well. He's kinda quiet. I find that cute though." Emily gave me a knowing glance, and a light blush dusted my cheeks. "Then there are these others...I don't really know how to describe them. They're the Cullen's-" Everyone tensed as I said their name. I pretended not to notice. "-latest group. Elijah, Jedediah, William, Tabitha, and Cathleen. I didn't talk to them though. They're different, that's for sure."
"Oh really? Anything else?" That was Seth. He seemed the calmest. I hesitated, playing with the scraps I had on my plate.
"...Linda pulled me to the station so she could talk to her dad. I met Charlie Swan." Everyone stopped eating, putting their utensils down. Most glanced at Jacob. He seemed slightly irritated, but focused on eating his food rather then cause a scene.
"...And Bella." He faltered for a minute, then deciding the jib was up, slammed his fork and knife on the table, crossing his arms. He didn't look at anybody, just down at his half-eaten dinner. Seth crossed his arms and gave me an okay-you'd-better-explain-what-happened look. When I didn't say anything, he voiced it.
"And what did you do?"
I sheepishly grinned at him.
"In my mind or what I really did?"
He groaned and ran a hand through his hair. I pouted.
"Hey, I didn't physically abuse her, and even if I did, Edward would've-"
"Whoa, Edward was there?" Embry asked.
"Obviously. He's just like Elijah and them too, except I wasn't close enough to see Elijah's eyes or feel how friggen cold he is. That guy must've stood in the freezer." Jacob snorted and picked up his fork again, stabbing a little harsher at his meat. Seth narrowed his eyes at me, as did most of the group.
"You said you didn't physically abuse Bella. What did you do?"
I fiddled with my fork.
"After Charlie was gone and it was just me, Bella, and Edward, I practically laid the guilt trip on her...with a couple of threats in between. And that's putting it loosely."
They all groaned (besides Jacob of course), putting their hands in their faces. I started to get irritated. What did they expect me to do? Let her off without saying anything? And why did they hide her in the first place? There are too many secret's and I'm starting to get really irritated at not being included!
"Hey now, I apologized! You know, I was only trying to protect all of you! I know something happened here, and I respect that it's difficult to talk about, but I'm getting seriously pissed off cause no one's telling me anything!" I hissed, standing up at my spot. I glanced at Jacob before continuing. "Charlie told me about Bella and Jacob," Everyone flinched, and Jacob held his breath. "and hey man, I'm sorry for you, but you're not the only one who's been on Heartbreak Hill. I don't know what all the secrecy's about and I haven't said a Goddamned thing about it." I took a deep breath. "But I know she's apart of it. That's the only reason I snapped at her. Otherwise, I wouldn't have cared. Yeah I would've been pissed at how much she hurt Jacob-" he started to grind his teeth together. Nobody was making eye contact with me. "but I probably wouldn't have said all of the things I did." I glared at the backs of their heads, and only got more irritated. "If any of you need me, I'll be in my room." I snarled, grabbing my plate. The room was silent as I left it and went into the kitchen. I wanted to slam my plate into the sink, but that would only cause more ruckus, I settled for scrubbing it as hard as I could and decided to go out later to run off some steam. A warm draft entered from behind me and a second plate joined mine. I looked up to see Jared. He was looking at the dining room with urgency and excitement on his face. Whatever he was doing, he wasn't supposed to, that was for sure.
"Go grab your coat and meet me outside." He whispered. "You deserve some answers."
~*xxx*~
Jared dragged me over to some cliff side, while the sun was setting. The oranges and pinks blended in perfect harmony, sending beautiful marks across the darkened sea. It had poured earlier on today, but the storm was starting to pass. Now it wasn't even a drizzle, but it claimed a pure scent that made me want to melt. Jared was sitting next to me, and both of our legs dangled off the cliff. I had taken my shoes off as a precaution.
"Charlie told you about how Jacob and Bella were practically a thing, right?"
I grinned softly.
"I think the better term would be dating; I don't think they'd like being called anything other than human."
Jared squirmed uncomfortably and chuckled lightly, like there was more to my sentence than I would ever know.
"Yeah, practically. But it was more than that. You see, Edward left Bella for a while...okay, for a long time, basically saying he didn't want to see her for reasons unknown."
"Bastard." I snorted. He grinned slightly and continued.
"During that time, Bella became deeply depressed. Not cutting or anything, but she went into this...fog I guess you can say. She went through the day like nothing mattered anymore. It was slightly creepy and very...upsetting to watch, to say the least.
"Jacob took care of her. Slowly, the pieces of her heart started to reshape and mend, and she started to fall for him, even though she didn't realize it at first. He became her sun; the light on her cheeks, the wind in her hair, all of that romantic crap was true. It was cute for a while, and Bella became Jacob's everything. But then...Edward came back. She dumped Jake like a lump of potatoes and went for him. You see, Jake may have been her sun, but Edward was her drug."
It surprised me. After all Jake did to help her, and she repaid him by breaking his heart. But then I thought of Bella's eyes when she spoke of him. She still loved him, and it hurt her, not even close to the amount it hurt Jacob, but it hurt her too. A small smile slid on my face. Edward was Bella's drug, and Bella was Jacob's drug. You see? This is why drugs are bad.
"What Jacob needs," I said after thinking, "is his own sun. He needs someone to help him like he helped Bella." I grinned just thinking about it. "And you know, I think I could do that. Yeah, that's what I'm gonna do. Jared, I'm gonna be Jacob Black's personal sun."