Little did I know this human boy would soon become somewhat of my very own, personal stalker. Wherever I would go when in school, Edward Cullen would magically appear there. Even if we weren't in the same class, surely enough I would bump into him on the way out, and at lunchtime he would always sit somewhere within my field of vision in the cafeteria.
As if that wasn't enough to grind my gears, he also insisted on having casual conversations whenever he got the chance. It was for his sake and his sake only that I made a habit out of turning up late to biology class – not that it mattered; I was an A student nonetheless. I just simply couldn't stand the chitchatting. Conversations with humans are slow and predictable and I rarely waste my time with them unless I'm forced to. Unfortunately, this Edward boy seemed to find great pleasure in forcing his company upon me.
Though aware of how wrong it was, I often fantasized of different ways to end his life during these conversations. They were just innocent thoughts and nothing I planned to put into practice, but it brought me satisfaction. 'Vegetarian' though I was, some humans were simply impossible not to loath. And this Edward boy, polite and loving though he was, tickled the predator on me.
He would've been such an easy kill. All I had to do was to reach out and snap his frail neck; it would be over within seconds. But, no, that would be too easy, so I thought of more creative ways to go about it. I could seduce him – though it felt sort of tacky and too much like something out of a bad movie. I could inform him in advance of my intentions and watch as he panicked, the adrenaline spicing his blood with strength, but never enough strength to overpower me.
If only he could see the imagery in my mind, he wouldn't be smiling so reassuringly.
Had Jasper seen it, he surely would've given me a hard time for constantly being on his ass about thoughts like that. But the difference between me and Jasper was that I could control my urges and he could not; it was all still too new to him. I had learned were the line was; I knew when to stop. Would someone like Jasper allow his mind to wander, he wouldn't even know what hit him until it was too late.
… she staring? So creepy sometimes. Like there's someone else behind those eyes.
Oh, Edward, if only you knew what sort of creature hide behind these golden eyes of mine, if only you could see the true Bella Swan. You'd scream in agony if you saw my real face.
"So what's the deal with the Cullen boy?" asked Rosalie, discreetly looking over at his table. "Why's he always trailing after you?"
"He's got a crush on me."
"Him and the rest of the school," Emmet teased.
I didn't reply; I was busy keeping an eye on Jasper. He was rolling an apple between his palms, thinking of how easily he could pulverize it if he wanted to, as well as fighting off the urge to go berserk on these unsuspecting teens.
I didn't blame him.
The monotony was excruciating. Day in and day out, doing the same thing. Year after year the same charades. Forever seventeen. Such an unfortunate age to become immortal at – it'd be bad enough for it to last a year, but no one should be forced to stay seventeen for an eternity. Well, maybe some people would enjoy it – people like Jessica Stanley, for instance.
God, she annoyed me.
She kept analyzing every move and every choice of word made by the Edward boy, foolishly believing there was more than just manners behind his politeness.
Rosalie and Emmet, bored as usual, began an intense exchange of saliva which made me groan with irritability. Looking away from them I focused on Alice to shut out the sound of their tongues rolling. Alice was of course busy reading Jasper's near future. No misfortunes today, it would seem. She'd made it a habit to keep an eye on his future, while I every now and then checked in on his present thoughts. We were his guardians, in a way, and the anonymous protector's of numerous human lives. If only they knew.
Sometimes as Jasper's mind wandered onto darker paths, I would passively allow him a moment of fantasies. I understood that these moments of indulgence were important to him; I was afraid he might become depressed and loose himself completely unless I allowed his old persona to fade away slowly, piece by piece. Abruptly forcing him out of it would only traumatize him. But did the imagery become to explicit, or his muscles too tense as he prepared himself for attack, I would roughly kick his leg or snap my fingers at him, breaking his trance-like illusion.
Today was a day of reminiscing. Jasper was remembering the kills of his past, trying to recall what they had tasted like. I passively followed his train of thoughts, seeing what he had seen once, in a life so different from the one he led now. It was fascinating. The cruelty, the lack of sympathy, so unlike the Jasper I knew and loved.
I was so deep in his thoughts that I didn't realize someone was standing close to our table, watching me patiently. It wasn't until Jasper's memory shattered and he was made aware of the company that I too returned to present time and place.
"Hi Bella," said Edward sheepishly.
"Edward. What brings us the great pleasure of your company?" I replied sarcastically.
But I already knew; had already seen the answer in his mind, and the reason for this conversation already irritated me beyond anything I could imagine.
Edward Cullen hesitated, scratching his arm, nervously looking at my siblings. I threw a glance at Jasper, who was intently watching the boy's every move. Alice hung at his shoulder, whispering inaudible words into his ear.
"Umm, I was actually meaning to ask you something," said Edward. "It's stupid, but ... I –"
The five of us were silent as he shifted his weight.
... looks like he wants to kill me, thought Edward, anxiously glancing at Jasper, completely unaware of how right he was.
"Never mind my brothers murdering gaze," I said to speed things up. "It's just a simple case of abstinence."
Turning his gaze back onto me, he smiled gratefully and picked up on where he'd left off, a new confidence rising up in him.
"Right. I actually wanted to ask you if you wanted to come to the ball with me."
I felt like getting up from my seat and laughing him straight in the face, but feared that it might be considered rude. Instead I gestured toward Emmet, Rose, Alice and Jasper and explained that we were all going out of town that night. Emmet nodded in agreement, a cocky smile upon his face.
"Oh," said Edward. "That's too bad."
He stood there a moment, thinking and shifting his weight, wondering if he'd be perceived as pathetic if he asked me on a date any other day. Eventually he decided to let it be, excused himself and went off.
"Geez," was all I could say.
Emmet grinned at me; Jasper looked relieved and the girls said nothing. Rosalie's eyes were at Edward's back, following him as he left the cafeteria. She turned to me, hesitating.
"You know ... He's actually quite good looking. For a human boy, I mean," she added.
The smirk was immediately wiped of Emmet's face. "Baby!" he exclaimed.
"Oh, God Rose. Not you too. What is it with this boy that makes girls everywhere lose all sense of decency?"
For the next week or so, Edward Cullen did his best to avoid me and my siblings, embarrassed at his failure to ask me out, and on the day of the ball I went home from school with a sarcastic smile upon my face. It continued to amaze me how these oblivious teens never seemed to tire of spectacles such as balls and festivals and every other excuse they could find to dress up and act indecent after downing half a beer. I was glad as long as I could avoid it.
Turns out I was alone in feeling that way. Despite the lie I had told Cullen, all four of my siblings had decided to show up at the ball anyway. So, I thought, I guess Edward Cullen is going to be pretty pissed at me when he finds out that I lied, but hey, it's probably for the best.
And my brothers and sisters? They were nearly as annoying as every other teen in Forks on this particular subject.
"I find it kind of romantic," said Rose.
"I really want to try on my new dress, and what better occasion?" said Alice.
"Come on, it's not like it happens very often. Could be fun. Or something," said Jasper.
"Rose wouldn't get off my case about it, so I said yes," said Emmet.
"You're such a pussy, Em."
Emmet didn't put up a fight on that matter, kindly proving my point.
So, as it were, I became their designated driver. Impatiently watching as Alice did Rose's hair in the living room, I wondered if they would ever get tired of playing dress up. They both acted like ten-year-olds, and it bothered me greatly since I knew that they were intelligent, deep people.
Just then, Alice turned to me. Watching me with a conniving smile, she sat down next to me and grabbed my hand.
"Come on, Bella. It'll be fun. I'll even let you dance with Jazz if you feel left out."
"Absolutely not. I'm dropping you off and picking you up, but that's it. I don't even get why need a driver in the first place, but I am not making a fool of myself by going to that abomination of a mating ritual."
"That's what you think," said Alice with a smirk as she rose from the couch.
"What's that supposed to mean? Alice?"
But she was already on her way up the stairs to check on how the boys were doing.