Hensley noticed them right away. Years of training had taught her to be vigilant even when she didn't think she needed to be. And though she didn't think she had to be at such a tiny school, apparently, she did.
"I'd stay away from them if I were you," Jessica told her, nearly making Hensley laugh out loud.
She wanted to respond with something along the lines of 'oh, you think?' but she decided against it. These 'kids' seemed docile and oddly comfortable, despite the danger they posed. "Who are they?"
"The Cullen's." Jess cast a shady eye to the table once again. "They mostly keep to themselves."
Hensley could guess why. Six vampires at a school full of humans…she was certain the bloodlust was killing them. So why even go there at all? Were they scoping out their next meal?
"Bella's had issues with the bronze-haired boy, Edward." She continued.
Bella rolled her eyes, picking at her lunch with her fork, "It's nothing. It doesn't even matter."
"Wait, like you spoke to him? What happened?" Hensley could hardly believe that. Isabella Swan: first human girl to speak to a vampire and live. Hensley hadn't even obtained that feat. She was starting to think that Bella was a far braver soul than she'd originally given her credit for.
"No. When I sat next to him in class a couple weeks ago, he just…" Bella shook her head again, scoffing, "he acted like he hated me. I didn't even say anything."
Hensley pondered that for a moment. He'd been going to school here for…weeks? How the hell did he manage that? How did he…how did they not struggle?
"Super weird, right?" Jess prodded Hensley for a response.
She met the girl's eyes, nodding quickly to try and make up for her lack of action, "Yeah, no, that's…that's super strange. Especially if you hadn't even spoken to him. Maybe he just wasn't feeling well?" Hensley wasn't sure why she was sticking up for him. That probably wouldn't earn her any points from Jess or Bella. And it certainly wasn't going to make the vampires like her.
"Maybe. He was gone all last week, wasn't he?" Jessica actually took the idea better than Hensley thought she would. Though she had a sneaking suspicion that Jessica had a crush on Edward - he wasn't Hensley's type, but she could see the appeal - therefore it would make sense that she didn't wish to villainize him. Love was blind sometimes.
She found out that she would get an up close and personal view of this Edward and his behavior, as she also had biology with Bella. And as luck would have it, she would get far closer than she originally thought.
"Hi, I'm Alexandria." She told her blond-haired tablemate but was looking at Edward when she said it because he was looking at her.
The other vampire turned to meet her gaze. When they locked eyes, Hensley felt like she had the air sucked from her lungs. For a few years, but only for a moment, the world just…stopped.
Hensley didn't know what to think. She couldn't think? Everything felt right and wrong and confusing and clear and…she understood how these vampires went to school here. Despite what every bit of logic told her, she was ok.
"Are you alright?" Bella, unaware of the shift in the universe, asked her.
She took a breath, the first one since she'd entered the room, and nodded, trying desperately to clear her thoughts. "Uh, yeah. Sorry, I just…you ever just suddenly remember you had to do something and you're not sure you did it?" Hensley watched Bella's face to see if the lie was believable. Apparently, it was because the other girl nodded and muttered something about how it happened to her all the time. Hensley figured she was just being polite, but that was fine.
"Anyway," She sat down next in her seat, dropping her backpack at her feet, "uh, you are?"
"Name's Jasper, ma'am."
Dear God above. She would live and die by that southern drawl. How could one's voice wash away all her worries and wind her up all at the same time?
He gave her a small smile, one that made all feel right in the world, "What brings you to Forks, Alexandria?"
Hensley did laugh at that, even though it wasn't funny, "First off, Lexi is just fine. And to answer your question, it's…kind of hard to explain."
She had plenty of time to explain. After Mr. Banner explained their assignment, the pairs were free to work together the rest of the period. But first, she had important business.
"Wait, before we start, I should ask: how bad do you want this onion thing?" Hensley leaned in closer to Jasper so Edward and Bella couldn't hear them. Well, more Bella. She knew Edward would hear.
And, like the jerk Jessica and Bella said he was, he commented on it, "Would you like to fight us for it?"
She turned back to shoot him some side eye. Just on principle she wanted to fight him for it, though there was little storage space in her apartment and being military, you had to pack light. If Jasper wanted it, however….
"I can be done with these in the next ten seconds." She muttered to Jasper, too low for Bella, or anyone of the like to hear. "He's stuck with a slow partner."
"Ten seconds? That's impressive, Darlin'. If you want it, I ain't opposed to a little friendly competition."
Well, she couldn't finish the assignment if Jasper killed her with his accent before she got a chance to start.
She nodded, taking the microscope and flipping through the tiles, muttering the answer to Jasper as she glanced at each one. They finished far before Edward and Bella were able to, Jasper not even bothering to check her work as Bella and Edward were for each other.
"The lack of trust." Hensley nodded back toward them.
She changed her mind. Jasper's crooked smile was going to kill her first.
Gods this was wrong. So so wrong. She couldn't have a crush. The number one rule in her job, in her whole life, was that love made you stupid. That's why she'd been separated from her family, that's why she was limited on the information she could learn about her roommates, that's why the checks and balances existed.
And to have a crush on a vampire? That was just plain stupid.
Hensley had a heart. She had blood running through her veins. Sure, Edward and Jasper seemed to tolerate that blood, but it didn't matter. They could never be close. Not for extended periods of time. Not for the time required to be in a relationship.
The whole thing was never going to work, so she needed to remove the idea from her puny brain.
Jasper was struggling with their situation in a similar way, but with less conclusions.
He was, simply put, in shock. He knew Alexandria. Well, knew her scent. The same scent he thought he enjoyed because he desired her blood, but now knew he enjoyed because…well, that was complicated.
He wasn't exactly sure what he felt for the girl. It was…a weird feeling. One that he couldn't quite describe, which was odd considering he was an empath. Nothing in his life changed…but something changed. He couldn't pinpoint what it was. Somehow, he felt…comfortable? Like he knew her and was drawn to her, which was strange considering they hardly knew each other. If anyone was skeptical of a new face it was Jasper.
As far as he could tell, she was just another…person? Except she wasn't. She didn't smell quite human. And her heart was…fast. Far faster than a human heart could sustain for a long period of time. What species was she? Did it matter?
The whole situation was odd and left Jasper settling on feeling uncomfortable despite the ease in his chest.
"How come you and Edward aren't partners?" She kept her voice quiet while pretending to work, more out of habit than necessity. She had to fit in somewhat. And part of her did wonder how the two ended up separated. If they knew each other, why wouldn't they sit together? Maybe Edward liked Bella. That would be a twist. Hensley didn't pick up a boyfriend from her conversations with Jess and Bella earlier, but it seemed to be the only explanation.
"Mr. Banner thought it would be better for the two brothers not to work together. Get us to branch out more."
"You're brothers?"
Jasper shrugged, "Adoptive brothers."
"Right, right. Relationship building." For some reason her phrase she her chest aflame. It didn't make sense to her why. She hadn't been there and there was no harm in Jasper branching out to meet…. Hensley paused. Why was this angering her so much?
"Are you alright?" Jasper looked genuinely concerned, which was very nice of him. She nodded and rose her hand for Mr. Banner to check their work.
The final two vampire boys were in her next class, which was gym. She didn't get a chance to speak to them since she got to sit out for the first day, though it was interesting to watch them interact with others. Both boys were more vocal and carefree than the other two males Hensley shared a class with, running around roughhousing with each other when no one else was looking. Even the things they did and said to others seemed to help the humans be more at ease around them. Human subconscious was so interesting. It knew there was danger about, yet it couldn't quite pick it up.
Her final period was study hall and if she didn't have to have the stupid slip signed by her teacher she might have skipped. She didn't have any homework and didn't bring any reading material since she thought she'd be busy all day. What was she going to do? Admire her onion?
She watched the big dark-haired vampire walk in behind her and determined that would be her entertainment for the period. Until Jasper and the blonde girl who'd been sitting with him at lunch walked in a few moments later as the teacher was signing her slip. Then Jasper was going to be her entertainment.
He didn't seem appalled that they shared the class together, giving her a smile as she made her way towards him.
"Mind if I sit?"
"S'a free country." Jasper nodded at the empty spot next to him.
His…sister? Friend? Whatever she wanted to be called in relation to Jasper, turned to stare at Hensley. Normally Hensley didn't mind the staring – she had been the odd one out, both in school and at home, enough that it didn't faze her. The weird thing about the girl's staring was that it was almost analytical, like she was looking for something.
The big guy, who she had ended up sitting behind, spun around in his seat and stuck out his hand, "I didn't get to introduce myself last period, I'm Emmett."
"Hensley." She told him, shaking his hand. It wasn't as cold as she thought it would be for his kind. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jasper give her an odd look. As she realized what she did, she gasped, "Oh, sorry. Lexi. Old habits die hard."
Emmett chuckled, raising an eyebrow, "You giving out fake names or…."
"No," She laughed, shaking her head. This would be another hard to explain. "Hensley is my last name. I'm just, kind of used to introducing myself that way."
"Where do you go that you have to introduce yourself by your last name?" Emmett gasped before she could respond, looking far more intrigued by the thought he had, "Are you in witness protection? Wait, can you even tell me that?"
"Emmett!" The blonde girl snapped at him, but Hensley burst out laughing. Of all the places for his mind to go, that was the best one.
The bell rang to start the period, effectively silencing Hensley's already dying laughter, and a bunch of students stood up and started heading for the door. She watched them walk out without a word from the teacher. Even Emmett, Jasper, and the blonde girl were getting up to leave. Maybe you really could skip a study hall period in this school. That would certainly make it one of the best Hensley had been to.
"Would you like to join us?" Emmett asked her, throwing one strap to his backpack over his shoulder. The girl shot him a look that said Hensley wasn't quite welcome.
"Um, where exactly?" She figured she should ask the question before blindly agreeing to anything.
"Just out to the cafeteria. You can go there during your study hall to spread out more."
Ahh. And here Hensley thought she was being invited to his house, which she may or may not have said yes to. "Um, that's alright." Hensley glanced at the other girl, who still had her disapproving expression.
"Are you sure? I promise not to ask about your witness protection anymore."
Hensley smirked. It was incredibly tempting to say yes, and most likely more fun, but pissing off a vampire on her first day of school was not on her agenda. Though, no one said she had to sit at the same table as them. Perhaps she could go out there and breathe or work on her mediocre drawing skills. With her mind made up, she grabbed her bag, "Sure. I'll probably catch a different table though. I don't want to intrude." She spoke the last sentence to the blonde so the girl knew Hensley wasn't a total jerk.
"You don't want some company?" Emmett asked again as they got out into the hallway. The girl gave him another look as though she was warning him to keep his mouth shut. He lowered his voice to a point where he probably thought Hensley couldn't hear, "What? I'm being friendly to the new kid."
"She can hear you." Jasper informed them before Hensley got a chance to. The pair turned to stare at Hensley once again, this time with more surprise than annoyance or approachability.
To make Jasper's point she added, "I appreciate your 'friendliness to the new kid' but I'm really ok. Just getting out of the classroom is nice enough, thanks."
"How can you hear that?" The girl asked, stopping her pursuit to the lunchroom to fully face Hensley.
Her earlier approach to avoiding Bella's hearing was backfiring immensely. How could she be so smart and so stupid all in the same day? Of course, they would ask questions. It was only natural that they would comment on someone who had abilities that a human shouldn't have.
"I was in a car accident when I was little, and I have advanced artificial hearing." Hensley easily recited the lie she had been practicing since she was born.
The girl didn't look like she believed Hensley so easily, but Emmett certainly did, "Wicked! Can you hear that good far away or just up close?"
"Just up close, like 5-6 feet." This was not part of a recited lie and Hensley was minorly nervous at how much this would blow up in her face.
"That's cool. I mean, the car accident sucks, but you seem fine."
Jasper shook his head, exasperated with Emmett's lack of awareness for invisible injuries or illnesses, "I am very sorry about him."
"Don't be. He's fine." Hensley waved him off.
They all sat at their lunch table, even Hensley after some convincing from Emmett, an awkward silence filling the air. For all the times that Hensley had been a new student, one would think that she'd get better at making small talk. When she had moved to other schools, she wasn't worried about angering or outing herself with vampires though.
"So, Lexi, what brings you to Forks?"
Oh yeah. She hadn't finished her conversation with Jasper earlier. He remembered as well because he told Emmett, "It's complicated."
"Where did you two meet?" Emmett asked him.
"Biology. He's my tablemate, we won an onion, it was a good first day." Hensley held up the onion after detailing her afternoon.
Emmett chuckled, sharing a look with Jasper that Hensley couldn't quite dissern. "Edward's in that class too, right? Ya meet him?"
"Jerkward? Yes." That phrasing earned Hensley the blonde girl's acceptance, or at least made her hate Hensley a little less because she laughed.
"Do tell what Edward did to earn such a nickname." Emmett leaned forward, wagging his eyebrows.
With all the gossiping that happened at this school Hensley couldn't believe Emmett hadn't heard already, but she answered him anyway. "He hates Bella for no reason."
"Oh, he doesn't hate Bella."
"So, he does like her!" Hensley proudly shook her fist up, "I knew it!"
That lost Hensley any non-hatred with the girl because she angrily muttered, "He doesn't like Bella."
"He likes Bella, Rose." Jasper lightly pushed back on her.
Hensley felt incredibly awkward starting and listening to a fight between...whatever the hell they were in relation to each other. She really hadn't meant to cause any trouble. It had been more of a joke than anything, really.
Thankfully Emmett picked up on the pressurized air and was nice enough to try and distract her. "They fight like that all the time. Siblings, ya know?"
"I can only guess, with them having you around all the time." Hensley gave him a smirk, less worried about him being offended or angry based on prior conversation. Emmett seemed very relaxed and a 'go with the flow' type. "You bully that other blond-"
"Shh!" Emmett moved to put his hand over Hensley's mouth, but before he could get there Jasper's firm hand had him by the wrist. Rosalie was quick to glare towards her brother. "What the hell do you think you are doing?"
His expression was just as murderous, maybe even more so, but he didn't take his darkened eyes of off Emmett. "Don't touch her." He growled.
Rose snatched Emmett's arm out of Jasper's grasp, grabbing her things to leave, "Let's go, Emmett."
"Uh, I have-" He started to lightly protest, keeping a much cooler head than the other two, but Rose cut him off.
"I know. We're going."
Em stared at her for a moment before sighing. He bent over to pick up his backpack and as he did so muttered to Hensley, "Sorry about this."
Feeling like she may have almost died and pissed off vampires enough for one day, Hensley grabbed her bag and headed in the opposite direction to find any other exit.