chapter 11: Settling in
It was my very first day at Mystic Falls high. Yep, you guessed, the only high school in town. I was getting ready at my brand new (or more accurately, pretty run down) studio apartment right above Mystic Grill. According tot he lease I had signed last week it was mine for about 50 bucks a month, after Damon compelled him. Their only clause to me living alone after much fighting was that they would care of the details.
I had just announced I'd stay in Mystic Falls. Now we were all sitting around the Salvatore's living room. The vampires in the room were trying to persuade me to live with them and i was adamant on staying alone
"Bella it's dangerous to live alone"
"And living with two vampires isn't?"
Strangely that shut Damon's objections and Stefan was a little easier to see things my way, so they stopped bitching and moaning and decided to help me move. I had found a job as a waitress at the Grill as the previous girl had disappeared. As in changed to a vampire by Damon because he was bored and then killed by Stefan as she went on a rampage, disappeared.
The owner Robert hired me and gave me the keys to the studio apartment above it. It wasn't big but was roomy. A pretty large bedroom, a nice bathroom and a kitchen. I liked it, but being a cop's daughter my first action was to change the locks and get an alarm system. Stefan worked a few details in the rental contract that let me be in charge of who is allowed to the studio. Knowing my luck I'd probably find the only cold one in the state around here so Damon helped me pick extra strong windows. Yesterday Lexi had sent me the rest of my stuff and the balance beam. Charlie may have had forgotten my books causing me to get a library card (thankfully the library was far better stocked that the one in forks) but had remembered to put in my bag all my school documents when he sent me on my merry way so I had no trouble enrolling to school.
I was pulled out of my musings by a horn and rolling my eyes I took my bag and headed outside where Stefan and Elena (they made up) were waiting for me in Stefan's car. I really had to get one of my own.
"Hey bell"
"morning Stefan, Elena"
"you look great"
"thanks, so do you"
We pulled outside the school and I hoisted my small white satchel across my body. I refuse to walk around with a huge empty bag so I only got a pen and a small binder. Elena immediately wandered off to the side spotting some friends of hers and Stefan mumbled an apology before running after her. I smiled and shook my head and cast a look around. The school was large and looked like a school painted in white, red and black.
Taking a deep breath and fumbling with my locket to give myself courage I headed to the office. The secretary mrs. Clarke (wife of the principal) took my paperwork, didn't even look at it and handed me my new schedule. Arriving a week after classes had started meant I didn't miss a lot (or even nothing) so I could easily mingle. She also gave me a map of the school and, just like mrs. Cope had done, had highlighted in different color the easiest and fastest route for each class. I got handed a piece of paper with my locker number and a slip that would make the route of the school with me gathering signatures and was to be back by the end of the school day.
Leaving the office the halls of the school were filled with students and with my map in hand I had a little time to find my locker but as I had nothing to put in I moved on to my first class. I found it pretty easily and looked at my map only once. The classroom smelled like books and artificial flowers. The oversize, four-paned windows faced the lawn and beyond that, green rolling hills. A few trees had started to turn yellow and orange. There was a poster next to the blackboard with sayings by many great authors, and a 'MEAN PEOPLE SUCK' sticker someone had stuck to the wall. It looked like the janitor had tried to scrape off the sticker but gave up halfway through.
I plopped to a desk on the second row and soon I was joined by about 20 more students. The desks were for two each and I was soon approached by a girl with short red hair. She sat at this desk but was alone and had no problem with me sitting with her from now on. Her name was Amber. We were soon joined by a bunch of kids including Stefan and Elena. She simply smiled while Stefan winked. I rolled my eyes and smiled back paying attention to our teacher, mr. Saltzman. It was futile though as I had read all the material ages ago. After the class was over the teacher signed my slip after making small talk about me being here and Amber walked me to our next class where we were met by her best friend since birth (literally - their mothers shared a room in maternity) Joy.
The day passed quickly between classes and meeting a few kids. Unlike my first day at forks high where I was the topic of every conversation no one paid me a second glance here. I liked it. I had made plans to sit with Stefan at lunch so joy and amber walked me there while giving me a grand tour.
I was shown by Joy and Amber all the standard stuff that every student should know. The cool things like the dangerous toilet in the girls' first-floor bathroom that sometimes spewed up and you ended looking a little too Mowning Myrtle for comfort, the secret spot on the hill kids went when they cut gym class (something I'd definitely be doing), and the school's only vending machine that sold Jones. My favourite soda brand that I drank religiously until I got to forks where I had to give it up cold turkey as no one even knew what strawberry lime soda was. We even developed an inside joke about the prim, extra healthy model on the anti-smoking & rugs on the posters that hung outside the nurse's office. It felt good to have an inside joke.
Lunch was...well... noisy. Elena was chatting amicably with an african american girl. Not exactly ignoring me but I could tell she didn't like the sudden closeness between her boyfriend and the new girl. Frankly she seemed a little shallow to me as well. The constant noise at our table came from the blond slightly artificial looking girl next to me who was prattling about teachers, classes, upcoming dances and who was a good choice for me to date and why. For a moment I wondered if she spoke from experience. Stefan was quiet looking more like an accessory than an active member of the group. As soon as lunch was over I thanked them for the invitation and headed to my two last classes of the day. After school was done I stopped by the office to return my signed slip and set up an appointment with the school counselor to work a schedule for my desired colleges.
I decided to walk and 30 minutes later I was home where I was quick to change for the Grill. There was no exact uniform (after all the tiny skirts and tight corsets of Bree I was glad to be casual) except the black trousers/jeans or skirts and a tight black/grey vest. I decided to be girly and pulled on a black short skirt and a simple white top with my vest. Standing naked in front of the mirror I could see a few differences on my body that had me thinking. I was taller for one, not a lot by about half a head, my loose 4 pack of a stomach was now a tight 6 pack accompanied by a firmer and about half a cup bigger set of breasts and I had muscles. Not the weird bodybuilder type but girl kind, as if I was working out frequently. Since the attack on Stefan's bday I hadn't tripped once. My eyes were a little bit darker and my natural red highlights that were only visible under the sun were now stronger and visible at all times. My hair were thicker as well. All in all I looked like I had grown through a late growth spurt and it was slightly scary to tell the truth. I headed downstairs where I met the rest of the employees.
Robert was in the kitchen talking about menus and whatnot with Caesar the cook, Ben the 20 something bartender and Matt the waiter/busboy who was both in my English and Statistics class. I was replacing his sister and I was supposed to do a little bit of everything. Serve, pick up empty glasses and host on my full shift on Saturday. Even though it was only 4pm the place was seriously crowded either by adults that were out for a drink before they headed home or teens that played pool or did their homework. Elena and Bonnie fell to the latter pool huddled in a table droning over boys and upcoming dances having an array of books as deco and a few guys I recognized from school were on the pool tables. My new friends Amber and Joy were in one of the tables as well studying and eating. Damon was at the bar sipping a scotch talking with a 40 something brunette. It wasn't until the end of my swift that I saw him. He was in my age, tall, brunette, muscular with a set of black animalistic eyes that were oddly familiar.
I walked up to him to take the empty glass bottle of a cola that rested on the wooden pool table when he raised his eyes and our glances locked. He was looking straight at me as if he could see right in me, somehow. He closed his eyes taking a deep breath and I couldn't help but move closer. His eyes were a dark black when he reopened them.
I recognized them this time, the large black wolf.
