Chapter Three:

I sat down in the cafeteria hours later, the tray with my dinner on it, clattering loudly. I was surprised when I had received my food. It actually seemed appetizing, but I was in no mood to eat.

The boys only had scraps of training to go on, no common sense and Aro was growing stronger with each day. And to top it all off; I had to be the one to teach there. There weren't enough hours in the day!

I groaned, pushing my dinner aside and laying my head on my arms, the frustration finally climbing to my head. As I lay there, I heard the table creak— as if added weight was given, causing it to quiver. The movement suggested that someone had joined my brooding party. Hesitantly, I raised my head to see Brad Pitt's twin had sat down with me.

He was thin but obviously muscled, with a head of platinum blonde hair that seemed to glow in the low light, his cheekbones high and prominent. His eyes were crinkled on the edges, the sky colored eyes shining through in unison with an equally shining smile. It was all quite unnerving.

"Um, hello?" I stammered, not knowing how to speak to this questionable stranger.

The man laughed a bit at my obvious confusion. His voice was soft and silky, warming me on the inside, "Hello yourself," he said musically.

I cleared my throat, feeling awfully rude, "I'm sorry, my name's Isabella," I introduced, holding out my hand.

He laughed again, warming me on the inside with the beautiful sound, "I know," he said, taking my hand and shaking it firmly.

I frowned at his reaction, wondering if this man was a little off his rocker, "What do you mean?" I asked, biting my lip in hope to stop the snarl that was threatening to come out.

The stranger held out one hand in apology, "I'm sorry. I truly don't mean to worry you. But you have placed quite a reputation upon yourself now. The boys are the brightest there are, but to seem them come back with scowls is a change of scenery for us teachers," he said with another musical chuckle, "My name is Carlisle, by the way," he introduced, pointing towards himself to aid with all the information I had received.

I nodded, truly at loss for words— for once! "It's nice to meet you," I said with a weak smile.

Carlisle placed a hand on mine— a comforting gesture, rather than a lustful one. It was a beautiful change of scenery, "Now what frustrated you so?" he asked softly.

I sighed, the problem bouncing in the interior of my skull, causing my head to throb in agony, "The boys," I murmured, "They have absolutely no training whatsoever! How am I supposed to teach them everything in nine months?" I whispered painfully.

Carlisle patted my hand patiently, "Do you want my advice?" he whispered in a low tone, his eyes crinkling with a secretive smile.

I nodded, feeling at loss. Moments like these were when I went to visit Dr. Banner. But I was too far to talk to him. Instead, I would have to have a substitute.

Carlisle leaned in, his voice a soft whisper, "Each boy had a different background. We don't take a boy in if they are excellent in sports or academics. They have all, at one point, had to defend themselves. Find out what they all have in common and use that as a starting ground," he whispered, leaning back with an expression that seemed to convey that he was very proud of himself.

I thought for a moment, smiling as I realized that he was right. If every single boy had experience, then I could start with something everyone knew, "That's perfect!" I cried, throwing my arms around him in joy.

Carlisle chuckled, patting me on the back, "Your welcome, child. If any of them give you problems, or if you decide that one of them decides to flunk you class, send them to me. I will remind them of how your classes are a privilege," he said with a chuckle, pulling me back so he could gaze at me firmly, "You have to remember that as irritating these boys are, you will need them in the future," he murmured gently, rubbing the tops of my arms.

I smiled at this sweet man, "Thank you," I murmured, getting out of my chair and beginning to make my way to the office.

"You didn't eat your dinner!" Carlisle yelled at me as I crossed the cafeteria.

"Not hungry!" I yelled back, listening as Carlisle's musical laugher followed me as I walked.

With renewed confidence, I exited the cafeteria, brushing past Mike and a couple of my students. Their stared burned into the back of my head; but I promptly ignored it, my head held high and on my way to make things better.

~TMW01~

Two hours later and three concerned looks for cussing up a storm, I was back from the office and in the room that the Academy had given me. A stack of files was given to me— all of them were at least four inches thick with information. When I had seen this, it had worried me but I forced myself to grit my teeth and read them. If I were to be a teacher, then I could not panic and back down now.

As I sat down on my bed and began to read, I noticed immense differences in all the files. Some were thicker than others— each had their own dark story to tell. A lot of people had told whispers that after living with Aro, it had taken my heart and blackened it until it shriveled with its own evil thoughts.

But after reading each of these files, my heart could not stop aching for these boys.

Jared Wolfe had barely escaped a planned house fire, managing to rescue his younger sister before the flames could eat her up. She died on the lawn from smoke inhalation.

George True's family had disappeared after taking a vacation to Hawaii. He was pulled from the plane wreckage, having swum for 26 hours; hanging on to what he could without food or water.

James Smith's entire family had been mauled by bears, barely surviving himself with scratches all along his torso. When he was found, he was defending his older brother's corpse with only a tree branch from an angry bear, bleeding profusely even as he did so.

The list continued on an on— a never ending record of heartbreaking tragedy. Each of them were equally tragic, if not more so.

I had gone through half of them before a raging headache became too much. I groaned, shoving the files off of my bed and collapsing onto the soft pillows. I reached back and took the hair tie out, allowing the strands of brown to fall out. My headache eased considerably and my eyes began to flutter shut. And with that, I began to dream….

~TMW01~

"Enough!" dad's voice echoed around me, waking me from my sleep. Carefully so I didn't make any noise, I crept off of the sofa to hide in the corner, where mommy and daddy wouldn't see me.

Mommy's brown locks flailed wildly as she paced, "Where are these death threats coming from?" she shrieked as daddy, her face was very angry.

"I don't know, I don't know!" daddy yelled, his hands coming up to his dark locks, fisting it in frustration, "They're not asking for money, just—"

"Just our children, Charlie!" she bellowed, her blue eyes flashing in anger.

Daddy took his hands and slammed them onto the table. I bit into my sleeve, hiding my scream. Daddy's breathing grew slower and heavier. I watched as tears fell down his face, "What are we going to do, Renée?" he pled, his voice breaking.

Mommy's voice was soft, "I don't know, Charlie. But I'm not going to let these people take our children," she murmured, coming up to daddy and placing a hand on his back.

"Mmm," daddy hummed, deep in thought.

He suddenly stood up, grabbing onto the tops of mommy's arms, his eyes bright with an idea, "We can leave. We'll leave and we won't leave a trace. We'll change our names, we'll take what we can and they'll never find us," he whispered frantically.

Mommy frowned, curling back some hair that fell onto daddy's face, "It's brilliant," she murmured, looking up at him, "But where will we get the money? We're scraping by as is," she said gently.

Daddy shook his head frantically, "I'll sell the car, sell the house— whatever we need to do!" he whispered to her, desperately "Whatever we need to keep our children safe," he murmured.

Mommy placed her head on daddy's chest, quiet. Finally she nodded, "Let's do it," she murmured.

Daddy held her close, smiling at her, "We'll be safe and—"

But the doorbell echoed through the house, interrupting the moment. Mommy frowned and daddy seemed confused. But nevertheless, daddy went to answer the door, "Who are—" he said, but before he could finish, the echo of a gun shot could be heard throughout the entire house.

A knock at the door is what woke me up— taking me out of the horrible nightmare. I jumped out of bed, wiping my tears with the sleeve of my shirt. I sat in bed, controlling my breathing for a moment, before leaping out of bed, side stepping the numerous amount of files that littered my floor.

I opened the door a crack to see jade colored eyes and unruly copper hair, "What the hell?" I muttered, checking the time for a moment. It was a little after ten at night.

After unlocking the door, I threw it open, irritated, "Didn't I tell you to go to bed early?" I snarled, scratching my mess of hair.

Edward frowned, looking at the room behind my shoulder. Quickly, I shut the door behind me, standing toe to toe with this boy; wondering if I truly seemed intimidating when he towered a good six inches over me. I sighed; feel exhaustion rush at me all of a sudden, "What do you want?" I sighed, leaning against the doorway.

Edward's face lightened for a minute, "I wanted to ask you, how do I improve my attacks?"

I stared at the boy's handsome face, unable to believe what he was doing. Was he insane? "You had to do this at ten at night? I hissed; feeling satisfied when he had the decency to look contrite.

He then shrugged, his mouth turned down in a frown, "Sorry. I can't control time yet."

His comment caught my attention, "Yet?" I asked now more awake.

Edward's emerald eyes twinkled mischievously, "I bet you'll teach us how to do that," he said with a playful wink.

I blinked for a moment before I barked out a laugh, "I give you brownie points for sucking up," I contended.

Edward let out a hesitant chuckle, his emerald colored eyes gazing at me with renewed hope, "Um, can you help me?" he asked, now more timid.

I sighed, scrubbing my hands over my face. I was so tired and worn down— I truly did not want to do this now, "If you want, get there early and I'll tutor you, okay?" I sighed, unable to help but yawn.

Edward smiled gently, his emerald eyes holding back some mirth, "Deal. Sorry to have woken you up," he apologized, seeming genuine.

I nodded, my eyelids closing even as I stood. Reaching behind me, I grabbed the doorknob behind me, turning it and stepping into my room, careful so that I did not reveal the mess of my room, "Edward, I'm serious about that sleep," I said sternly, "Tomorrow's not going to be easy," I warned, trying my best to keep my expression neutral with the insanity that was my hair clouding around me.

Edward blinked for a moment, his emerald eyes softening as he listened to my warning, "Thanks Coach," he whispered, his eyes never straying from my face.

I nodded curtly, "I'll see you at five," I murmured, slipping through my doorway.

I remained frozen against my door, listening as Edward sighed for a moment before walking away. As soon as his footsteps faded away, I launched myself at the floor near my bed, pawing through the files that lay on the floor.

Finally, Edward's file landed in my hands. Hastily, I opened the file and began to read, my heart falling as I read.

Edward Masen had been six years old when his parents were murdered in front of him and abducted by an infamous gang.

As I read those words, I noticed wet spots appear on the white page. With a trembling hand, I lifted my fingertips to my cheeks, feeling the wetness on my face. I gasped at this, dropping the open file onto the floor.

I pulled my hand away, seeing the liquid twinkle in the dim light that was provided by the moonlight. My heart skipped a beat and slowly my hands fell down by my side. Gently, I eased myself onto the paper infested floor— completely and utterly stunned.

The last time I had shed a tear, I had been ten years old, running away from Aro.

~TMW01~

A buzzing noise woke me up. My neck and back twinge in agony as I tried to sit up. I gasped in agony as my neck protested at the movement I had made. I grit my teeth and sat up abruptly, fighting the urge to cry out.

I had worse pains in the past, but this was more irritating than anything. I grimaced as I noticed that a piece of paper had stuck to the side of my face.

Peeling it off, I threw it across the room, disgusted at how disorganized I had become. Blearily I took a look at the alarm clock to see the angry letters read for forty five to me. I sighed, picking my pathetic self up and setting myself on the edge of my mattress, my eyes closing in weariness.

I was supposed to remember something…..

Do something…..

My eyes shot open as I suddenly remembered that I had to be at the gym thirty minutes earlier than normal. I jumped to my feet, my joints creaking uncomfortably as I ran to my desk, grabbing my towel and hairbrush, along with my clothes for the day.

By the time I exited the bathroom, with a record time shower, I had ten minutes to get to the gym. My muscles were more limber and relaxed after the shower— even if it was a rushed one.

I pulled my brown hair into a quick ponytail, grabbing my keys and faculty ID before running out the door, slamming it hard enough to wake the dead.

As I jogged, I couldn't help but admire the decorations and class of the dormitory hallway. Unlike the office, it was a royal blue, a white line cutting the walls in half with small picture frames decorating the hallway. The lamps were small and tasteful, a small white color and in the shape of an exotic flower.

I grimaced as I saw the day was equally as gloomy as the day before; did this place not get any sunshine?

I sighed, pushing the doors of the gym back with unnecessary force. The bright lights burned my retinas, causing me to stumble back, blinded by the damned gymnasium lights. I flinched as I sensed a presence next to me, acting purely on instinct and attacking the stranger by their throat.

"Coach!" I heard my victim choke underneath my hand. It was a moment later that I regained my vision.

I saw that it was Edward under my hands, his emerald eyes bulging in agony as I held him in a vice grip. I grimaced, releasing him and pitying him as he gasped for air.

Once he had regained his breath, I smiled without humor, "That's how you make your attacks better," I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

His next inhale was shuddered as he thought through what I had said. His bright green colored eyes turned to me in interest, "Elaborate?" he asked, his head cocking in interest.

I smiled without humor at his question. I never thought that I would teach how to make attacks stronger. I had thought that it was a given.

I extended my arm, my hand curled into a fist, my knuckled brushing under his ear, "When you run an attack, never waste energy. Concentrate on the attack itself rather than the preparation— that part should already be thought out," I explained, retracting my fist.

Edward's eyebrows furrowed, "I think," he said slowly, "That a demonstration is in order," he said, giving me a bright crooked grin.

I smirked, feeling slightly off balance at his smile, "My pleasure," I laughed, sweeping my foot out, catching Edward unaware and tripping him.

He fell with an audible thud, the sound resounding through the gym. I couldn't help but let out a loud laugh as I saw his dumbfounded expression.

Edward's eyes glittered with a mischievous glint, pulling himself back up, which caused newfound respect to stir within me. He had the dignity to stand and try again, "How about when I'm ready?" he asked cockily.

I snorted, beginning to step back into the center of the gym, "When you see an advantage, you take it— no excuses."

With that said, I jabbed towards his ribs, surprised when he retaliated with an uppercut to my shoulder, "Good!" I praised, executing another blow towards his torso, "You're learning," I said, happy when he dodged the blow.

Edward merely smiled, taking a single confident step and making a swift blow to what would have been under my chin, but I grabbed onto his fist in my open palm stopping it in its tracks.

Edward's azure eyes widened in surprise as I held his fist with ease, "Never underestimate someone's strength," I murmured, looking at his face to find an unnamed emotion present.

"Things are never what they seemed," I murmured, pushing Edward back a couple steps, watching as a lock of his copper hair fell in his face, "Nothing is safe to assume," I muttered, watching as his emerald eyes studied me.

They understood— listened. He was one of the very few to heed my words; even take it as far as to interpret them.

My head swiveled to the side as the double doors for the gym swung open to see bleary eyes students filing in, yawning widely.

I then turned to Edward, who had remained quiet, his gaze never leaving my own. I felt my teacher mask fall into place as I realized he was staring, "You may have been smart enough to ask for extra help, but don't expect to be given special treatment. Today's a hard day," I said monotonously.

Edward's smile was automatic and bright, "Wouldn't have it any other way, Coach," he said, running off to a group of boys.

I nodded, smiling to myself.

Let the games begin.

A/N: Thank you so much for reading! Please, please, please review! I love reviews!

Best wishes,

Themidnightwriter01