It was.
Exactly.
The same.
The thought irked Bella to no end as she sat in biology, pen poised in her hand, tempted to flick it straight through the professor's skull.
Professor Andrews.
He was an old man, greying around the edges with frown lines creasing his pale forehead. His voice was droning along, like an irritating hum in the back of her skull. It would be a clean shot, no one would be able to tell it was her. Bella smirks at the thought and goes back to doodling in her text book. Finding drawing moustaches and funny cartoons is a subtle way of entertaining herself and 'fitting in' amongst the others. Who seemed to be doing the same as she glanced around the room.
"Bella?" She lifts her head. He's staring right at her, his presentation paused. Shit.
"Yes, Mr Andrews?" She asks and grips her pen a little tighter before spinning it carefully. He looks annoyed and she stares blankly at him.
The older man approaches her desk, arms linked behind his back, peering at her drawings with a disapproving frown. The coffee stains on his grey shirt reek, and there's a thick scent of tobacco pouring from his skin. Bella's nose wrinkles. Never seeing the appeal of cigarettes. He might as well be the poster child of why you shouldn't smoke.
He coughs and taps the page she's currently focused on. Bella's mouth twitches and she stops twirling the pen in between her fingers.
"I'd hate to send you to the office on your first day, so we'll start with a warning." He coughs deeply again, using his wrinkled jacket to cover his mouth before leaning over the desk, using his hand to flick the text to the right page. Once pleased she's in the right place he straightens his back and relaxes his arms by his side. "Focus and start taking notes."
"Sure Sir." She smiles annoyingly sweetly. Deeming that a good enough response he goes back to the board and starts talking again, pointing to the diagrams over his shoulder. Bella peers around the room, everyone looks just as bored as her, so at least the claustrophobic feeling of being within his presence was mutual.
The brunette thought it would feel different coming back, but unfortunately it didn't.
The halls, the stench, the classrooms, even the carpets for the most part had remained the same. It was disgusting to think about. The trees looked larger and thicker but also remained the same, the carpark had been renewed long ago, and some of the buildings had been upholstered. But overall, she might as well have been that frightened teenage girl all over again, lusting over a century old man, crumbling under his weight in the same building. Transporting her back to that miserable time of her life. God that sounded creepy to her immortal mind.
As well as the feeling of everyone's eyes on her. That never changed. Apparently perpetually the new kid. That got irritating immediately. She never did like attention, even more so now that her human feelings had been amplified. The distaste for their attention constantly, their peering eyes and wanting looks send a spike of annoyance every time.
Several students had tried to approach, but none had been successful. Once she'd started to look uninterested they had lost ambition and left her to it. Which she preferred of course.
The first was a young girl, looking no more than seventeen with long reddish hair and freckles. She was smiling politely, trying to introduce herself, with some kind of leaflet in her hand. An after school club. Bella had mostly ignored her before walking off, though a leaflet had been shoved in her bag. The second was a guy, soft blonde hair, taller than her by at least a foot and bulked. Bella guessed he was on some kind of athletic team. The guy had an aura of confidence around him and a smugness to his features that immediately put her off. So Bella started to ramble about anything she could think of until he got bored and excused himself with an embarrassed smile. Similar to the next two guys who had tried.
Finally after that she had made her way to biology. Fascinating really…
Though all of her beloved human friends were long gone, and their friendly faces weren't around to greet her, she still managed to find some good thoughts. Spying their grandkids, who also looked to be a close group of friends. One in particular, Jane, Angela's grandchild, was very smart. With an apt for photography plainly shown by the expensive but old camera worn around her neck. That gave her a little comfort, she could remain close to her old counterparts.
However long had passed, she'd always wished she wouldn't have shut everyone out. They were very good to her, and she dismissed all their worries and cares for her own selfish reasons. They deserved better. Not long after they had been cut off she was gone. They'd never had closure, or even a goodbye or an apology. It should have been different. She had wanted it to be. If only she'd realised at the time it could have been.
Cursing herself, Bella never kept a close eye on anything after she had left. Or rather, been taken in. It was simply too painful, and distracted herself with training under Aro and making friends of her own new kind. Having no idea what the story was about her disappearance. If she'd been reported missing, killed, kidnapped, all were up in the air currently. She supposed all had been true.
After the incident, she'd been taken to Volterra, and offered the change or immediate death. She had chosen the former gratefully.
With a sigh she leaned back in the plastic chair, and bore her eyes to the front of the class. Still the same old shit they were spewing, and Bella swore she sat in this very chair the last time she was here. It creaked beneath her weight every time she moved to try and get comfortable.
Convinced Forks was in some kind of perpetual loop she spaced out during the rest of biology and the several after. Occupying herself instead by picking up any scent that wasn't human as she walked to and from her classrooms. It didn't take long to identify the other immortals around her. She couldn't pick them out from one another. All blurring into a grey dusty mass floating through the air. Except one. Bella felt it a little odd that only one was stronger. It stuck out to her like blood in water. It filled her nostril and ran a warm feeling through to her bones, igniting a warmth deep within her.
However Bella shrugged it off as the bell rang signalling her next class, interrupting her musing. Admittedly she was the first out the door.
After several hours she'd found nothing of the coven. No signs of their arrival, just the same lingering scents from earlier, as any proof they'd been here. Or at least in the building several weeks ago.
Bella was now in English, a class she loved in her human years. Although it bored her currently, and yet again spent the hour conjuring up thoughts on many ways to skewer the plump brunette teacher on the fence on the school gates out front. Her fingers itched, the blood in her veins turning molten at the idea.
"Don't forget, you have two weeks until your exam. Make sure to study, this will go to twenty percent of your final grade this semester. We'll have a mock on Wednesday and Friday, don't be late guys." Bella rolled her eyes, instantly uninterested. She'll be gone in a few months and has little desire to actually pass whatever schoolwork they throw at her.
Shoving her books in her bag she avoids everyone on the way to the cafeteria, which was already crammed. Students shouting, yelling, throwing shit. She wrinkled her nose and avoided the lunch line, instead going to the outer tables by the large windows overlooking the running track. A few students are now huffing out breaths as she approaches the table. Bella can hear their thunderous hearts from all away across the track. Their delicious blood pumping in their veins.
If she were anyone else, without all the witnesses, she wouldn't hesitate to rip into them. Savouring their delightful screams of terror as she tore into the artery and ripped flesh from their necks. Spitting out the chunks of viscera as they go limp in her arms.
Focusing back on the cafeteria, her mouth watering, sitting by the window would be good enough for an hour. She slid the chair out from underneath the table and sat down, pulling out her 'notes' from her last class and began to read over them mindlessly. All the while being alert to everything happening around her.
Across the cafeteria sat the girl from earlier, on her own, nose buried in a book. She watched her from the corner of her eye for several minutes. Looking a little lost, as if she were waiting for another to greet her, though remained on her own for as long as Balla noticed.
Also, she was indeed right about the blonde, now in a jersey with his group of teemattes talking loudly. Using animated hand gestures to describe his skiing over their last break and moving his body to exaggerate him tumbling over a snow covered hill.
Turning to her own book, she was determined to look busy. That lasted for nearly half an hour, before it got boring and quiet. Too quiet. Most of the students around them talking in hushed whispers and plenty of the girls giggling to one another.
Then Bella looked up and realised why.
Most of the student body had taken to staring towards the students entering through the glass doors by the courtyard. The door opened fully letting their overwhelming scent pour in on the wind. Instantly she covered her mouth and nose with her sleeve, aiming to be discreet as she too watched them.
The Cullens.
Fuck.
She wasn't prepared for this, she realised as they strode in with all their immortal glory.
On her journey to Forks she was nothing but angry and displeased at having to face them. That Aro had sent her on such an idiotic mission without much detail on why, or what they did to deserve their execution. Despite all the memories resurfacing of her abandonment, there wasn't an ounce of fear or terror. Until she sat watching them now. Older, stronger, wiser, and they outnumbered her five to one. Sure she was gifted and had taken on many strong opponents, but so were they. A twinge of fear struck her spine, consuming her dissipating anger.
This wasn't going to be as easy as she initially thought. Targeting them all at once would be impossible, she'd have to go after them separately. If any of them were even stupid enough to be alone with her. She doubted it, at least not immediately. Perhaps only Edward, even that was a long shot after this many decades.
Bringing herself back into the present, it was the beautiful blonde she took in first.
Rosalie, the should-be-model with sparkling golden eyes. Taller than her, built beautifully. Rosalie's slender arm circled around her boyfriend's waist protectively. Possessively, as a warning to the other girls she must notice watching him. The roguish gentle giant accompanying her was Emmett. A similar complexion and soft curly black hair. Who still held the childlike enthusiasm from the looks of things. He was chattering away while Rosalie watched intently. A soft smile pulling at her lips, completely entranced when she wasn't glaring at humans.
Following them was an ever gloomy edward. His bronze hair and golden eyes illuminating under the fluorescents. Only wearing a grey button down shirt with black pants. Cleanly pressed, and so much product in his hair Bella doubted it would move in a hurricane.
She held back a chuckle and relaxed more into her hands.
Edward did give her some stupid excuses to all of her inquisitive questions. Everything had some ridiculous explanation, because she couldn't ever be correct with any of her assumptions. She didn't look at Edward long, an anger swirling in her stomach turning into fear and back to anger. She resisted the many urges to leap over the tables and rip his perfect fucking head from his slim shoulders for what he had done to her. He looked smug under the veil of casualness he wore, and took a seat next to Rosalie. Facing away from Bella. All of their company not yet noticing her amongst the crowd.
With a deep intake of breath she spied Jasper and Alice. In love with each other like they always have been. He seemed to have gotten better dealing with his blood lust around humans. Looking perfectly fine, smiling down at his lover with a relaxed casual demeanour.
Unsure why, but the term lover brings a bad taste to Bella's mouth in reference to Alice and Jasper. A bitter sting she isn't accustomed to.
Her eyes fall to Alice, her old best friend. The shorter girl was as pretty as she remembered. Her hair was still cut short, and her soft golden eyes were bright with amusement. Porcelain doll-like features are soft and delicate, dainty hand clasping Jaspers firmly. Their fingers interlock like two pieces of a puzzle.
Feelings of resentment surface the longer she watches.
Bella gulps, gazing, admiring the cute outfit she decided to wear. Alice always did love fashion, she'd spent many hours trying to persuade Bella to go clothes shopping, only once did she let her. They spent the day in Seattle, ducking under umbrellas when it started to pour, running to different stores and trying on everything. Mostly things Bella would actually wear, but relenting to a few summer dresses for her friends sake. To Alice's credit she did have a good eye, especially for the brunette. Finding things effortlessly that would look perfect on her small frame without trying.
Her fists clench under the table, scrunching up her jeans. Irritated by the loss she had to go through, only to end up right back where they all started. Remembering their first meeting was just like this. Everyone silently watching them with their unnatural beauty, perfect faces and sculpted bodies as if hand crafted by whatever god they believed in. Gracing everyone with their presence.
She shouldn't have come. She should have refused and went somewhere else. Completely disappeared. Anything but facing them. It was too much, they were too much. Emotions start to overwhelm Bella and she struggles to focus. Tearing the jeans slightly as she clenches her fist harder. It shouldn't be this difficult to look at them.
Spiralling thoughts come to an abrupt halt as Alice's golden eyes lock onto hers from across the room. Everything is swept away into fine mist. The cafeteria disappears into a blur, the chatter that had started up again fades into dull murmurs. Initial shock rules over her porcelain features, following guilt then something Bella can't place. Brown melds into gold, as if frozen.
Trapped in an eternity of gold and amber, swirling, interlocking with her own deep red and brown hues. Flowing between them. Bella has to pull herself away harshly, strange feelings bubbling. She gulps down air and forces herself to look away and brush off the overwhelming tirade, going back to her complete indifference and stone faced masquerade she'd put on over the last several hours. Different from her usual pissed off and murderous looks.
Having had enough of their staring match, and all of the odd looks she was starting to receive from other students. Bella gets up from the table without another glance. Leaving her things, she pushes past the shocked faces of Alice and Jasper as well as the other students and exits through the door they came through.
The cool breeze greets her, washing away everything left lingering.
This was so stupid.
She couldn't fucking handle them. If all it took was seeing him to break her, it would be difficult to tear him apart. She should want to for everything that happened, and almost all of her did, but there's a tiny part in the back of her mind nagging at her that she was spineless. A coward. A pathetic human who deserved to rot in those woods until the forest claimed her.
She grit her teeth and stormed across the car park, aware that Alice's eyes were still following her back. Still frozen in shock.
Pull yourself together Bella. You've got this. You've got this. You've got this. You're not that little girl anymore. You're strong. You are brave, and you've faced worse than a smug bastard who didn't deserve you, along with his family who treated you like dirt.
She could fucking handle them, she had no other choice. It's what she was sent to do, and to fail Aro was unacceptable. They wouldn't allow her to come back otherwise, too ashamed to accept her into welcoming arms.
Her steps crunched on the wet grass as she headed for the towering treeline. The due from the wet blades scraping against her jeans, soaking them through.
What the fuck was that? She thought, confused after her encounter with Alice.
Was that Alice's power? Was it somehow pulling her into a vision too? Is that what she always experienced? Too many questions were rising.
Bella didn't know a single thing about any of it and took off for a run once away from the school and dove into the treeline.
Her boots pounding into the debris and mud, kicking up a storm as she ran, leaving a trail or prints. Jumping over fallen trees, scattered branches and ivy. Pulling herself up and over steep ledges, the rocks grazing her skin with red lines. Bella ran until she couldn't. The trees blurring around her, and the rushing of water coming from her far right. She must be near the falls. The wolves are bound to be over that ridge, prowling along the invisible treaty line. Wondering if it still existed between them. Supposing so upon their return.
The immortal sank to her knees, landing in the mud, coating her jeans with further dirt. Eyes slammed shut.
The thoughts swirling, but not of Edward like she'd expected upon arrival but Alice. The petite angel like creature who had ignored every attempt at contact for months. Who had left her an ever deeper shell of a person.
She shakes her head and digs her hand into the dirt. Her nails muddying themselves, then gripping her fists so hard she draws blood on her ivory skin. Not slicing through, cracking it like marble.
What the fuck was happening to her.
It's not long before footsteps approach. On her feet in an instant and poised towards the sound she snarls as none other than Edward comes into the small clearing. Arms raised as a sign of peace, looking as if he'd left immediately after she did. Tears in his shirt, and dirt on his pants.
Mouth gaping like a fish he chokes out. "Is it really you, Bella?" He questions, eyes roaming over her new body. It looked a lot different since the last time he saw it, firm, toned, pale and strong.
She was strong.
Remaining silent she does the same, stares him down and takes him in. Fortunately he looks the same. Taller than her, his hair still a mess, not fresh scars or marks, nothing out of the ordinary. Not leaner, no new muscle. As if he'd done nothing in the last century but mope over his sorry vampiric existence and play that ridiculous piano.
Surprisingly he steps closer, the light through the canopy hitting his face making him glitter.
Bella snorts, very glad her own skin doesn't make her look like a fucked up tinkerbell. As a human she thought all vampires must be like them. With golden eyes, sparkly marble skin that shone every time pure rays of sun struck them. Upon turning Aro had revealed that it was merely an effect of not consuming their rightful prey and settling on animals instead. Ridiculous.
"Please… Is it you?" Edward asks desperately.
"Yes." Of course it is. Unless you believe in ghosts, which she didn't.
Edward pauses briefly before stepping back to a tree and leaning against it, not bothering to come close but from the looks he's giving her he obviously wants to.
"How did it happen?" Is the question he finally comes to after several minutes of awkward silence.
She chuckles and starts to pace, running her hand through her tangled hair. The audacity. Her footsteps slow, boots sinking into the soft dirt beneath her as she mulls on her answer. "Oh you know, a little bite, some venom, a bit of pain. Well actually a lot of pain. The kind that makes you wonder if hell is splitting you open from the inside out and drowning you in the trenches. The usual way to turn someone. I imagine it's what happened to you." Was her cold response.
Taking a moment to prove herself, she pulls down her shirt from over her shoulder, showing the marred skin from the several bite marks Aro had given her. He had chosen this marking site specifically because of its placement. Its position is usually marked for lovers in the throws of passion, known as a mating mark. Or claiming your mate. Given to one, by their other half of course to 'seal the deal'. Claiming the other immortal as theirs forever. It was more special than marriage to immortals. Nobody would defy such a mark. It wasn't up for debate or challenge. It's simply what it was.
Bella supposed that she is Aro's property due to his placement. But never sexually, she merely owed him a life debt and the blood flowing in her veins. This entire new life of hers, is his. They have a mutual understanding of their bond between them, without words needing to be spoken. He asks and she will deliver, and the action is reciprocated. He provides anything she shall ever need. It's worked for them for as long as she's been immortal, never fighting it. Simply accepting the predicament and never intending to give it up.
Golden eyes widen in territorial anger. Suddenly he's at her side, grabbing her shoulder and waist, pulling her closer, inspecting them. Fury radiating from him, a snarl on his lips like a jealous boyfriend. He can't possibly think he has a claim on her or that mark? What a stupid little boy. Jealousy never looks good on anyone, especially not Edward Cullen, The man that was so full of himself and had left his human ex-girlfriend alone with a killer on the loose. Tracking her scent. Or had he forgotten that the day she'd been abandoned a predator was on the hunt for her. James. Once he had a certain prey in mind, nothing would stop him. She had barely made it out of their brief encounter alive. If it weren't for Jane and Alec showing up she would've died. Supposing she owed them a debt also.
Anger hits Bella at his intrusion and she pushes him off harshly, ducking out of his reach and away, further back into the clearing. The tall grass at her knees as she steps back into it. Towards the direction of the waterfall. Beautiful bluebells blooming around her, the trees above opening to show the grey sky littered with patches of blue. Streaming sunlight directly at her.
"Don't fucking touch me, Edward." She bites. Not into playing games with that territorial bullshit. She wasn't his, and he had no right to act like it.
"Who did that to you?" He inquires, ignoring her snarl, anger still burning in his gaze as his eyes lock onto her shoulder. She pulls her sleeve back up to cover the scars.
"James." She answers with a bored face, calming down after her sudden surprise. "Oh wait no, it was Jane, perhaps a newborn. What's it to you?"
He shrugs, eyes still roaring as he watches her pace back and forth.
"Merely curious why another vampire would claim you, that was not myself." He chuckles darkly. "It should've been mine, you know that Bella? No one else has the right to you."
"I'm not your prize to be won." He rolls his eyes.
They're interrupted with more footsteps hurrying in their direction.
Jasper is the first to appear next to Edward. Followed by Alice and Rosalie.
Alice looks shocked, taking her in. Noticing the fact her skin wasn't glittering like theirs.
"Sorry for the intrusion," Says Jasper with his drawl. Relaxing on the tree next to Edward. "But we couldn't let our bother have all the fun."
"Sure sure." Bella keeps pacing, taking turns to stare at them all.
The silence stretches for far too long, neither side knowing what to approach. If any topics would be safe.
"Anyways, I hate to break up this family reunion, but I do have somewhere to be." Bella says nonchalantly after intense silence that wasn't going anywhere, starting to back away. Fully aware she was leaving them with a tonne of questions and no real answers. Good. They didn't deserve anything from her, and she was going to relish every fucking second she could when it was time to rip their limbs from their body.
"So you're not going to explain any of this?" Alice pipes up, hurt and confused. Never any good at hiding how she felt, her emotions were written all over her angelic features. "We thought you were dead Bella. We did." Her lip wobbles. Jasper places a comforting hand on her back, and unknown to the Cullen's, it occurs to Bella the very second his hand grazes her back that Jasper is going to be the first to die. " I came back for you, and you were gone. We looked everywhere." Her eyes gleamed silver as she spoke, wanting to approach but hesitating.
Bella gulps. Hearing her voice after so long strikes a chord, tugging at her chest. She shakes her head, her brown hair falling over her features.
"Ask Edward here to fill you in." Was all she manages to mutter before running to the waterfall, and leaping over it into the wolves territory.
Thank you so much for reading! I'm upping the word count to around 4 thousand for each chapter. I hope you will still enjoy reading them and that it won't be too much lol. Please leave a review and let me know what you thought, it would be very appreciated! Any feedback would be awesome. Though for some reason I'm unable to see one of them, how odd. Is anyone else having that problem? See you in a week :)
