Author's note:
Well hi there. 2 years later - I have nothing to offer but apologies. Unfortunately, the year following my last upload was a busy one. I was finishing up the final year of my teaching degree. The year following that, I went through my own breakup and my step-mom passed away after a long battle with COPD. Suffice it to say, I was not in the headspace for writing for a long time. I could not think about this fic because Bella's feelings in New Moon reminded me too much of my own. Lately, however, I have been doing well! I am feeling happy with where my life is and thought it might be nice to revisit this story. I hope you are well. I won't promise a super consistent upload schedule at the moment, but I do hope to get on one at some point. With that out of the way, I hope you enjoy Chapter 4.
4. Interference
Bella's Point of View:
We appreciate your understanding of this sudden change. If there is any confusion, do not hesitate to contact Admissions or Registration with your questions. Please enjoy your first week of classes and join Olympia College in welcoming a new, first-year professor: E. Masen.
My eyes passed over the last line in the email several times, squinting to ensure I had read them correctly. I stared at the name on the screen, my mouth hanging open stupidly as my mind raced. "Masen" had to be a popular name, and there were probably hundreds of names that started with E.
"Bella?" Angela's voice sounded far away, but I knew she was standing only a few feet from me. "Bella, are you in there?"
Tearing my eyes away from the screen, I looked into Angela's half-amused, half-worried face.
"Oh yeah," I muttered. "There's just a new professor for my Gothic Literature class."
"Oh really? Who is it? Strange that they would change a professor on such short notice," she mused, her hand resting on her chin.
"Someone called, um, 'E. Masen'," I said, the name feeling sticky on my tongue. I swallowed hard and looked back at the email. With my mouse, I scrolled up and back down quickly, searching for any other hint of a first name. When I didn't find one, I felt the thick coagulation of saliva in my mouth.
"Never heard of 'em," Angela mumbled as she started to hang up a poster. I watched as she tore a piece of tape and stuck it to the top corner.
"It's a first-year professor," I said, swallowing thickly. "They're new."
"Hopefully they're good," she muttered back. She finished taping and stood back to admire her handy work. She had attached a biology-themed anatomy poster to the wall. She turned and smirked at me. "Listen, I know you're learning all about the greatest poets of our time, but someone's gotta know what bones we use to write those poems."
Usually, I would have smiled at her poor attempt at humour but I just stared blankly at her.
"Bella, what's wrong?" Angela's face turned to worry and she came to sit beside me at our small kitchen table.
"It's just the name," I said quietly. "It sounded familiar. I was just, uh, I was just trying to think of where I had heard it before."
"'E. Masen'?" Angela hummed. "I don't think I know anyone with the last name 'Masen'."
But I did. The reason behind my sudden distress was impossible to explain to Angela. I gripped the sides of my laptop's screen as I frowned at the email. His human surname was Masen, but it was decades ago that he went by this name. The rational part of my brain took over as I contemplated the chances of someone having the same initials as human Edward, almost a century into the future. There had to be many people who still went by this last name. It could be as popular as the last name Smith or Johnson. I felt my heart beat slow down as my brain reasoned with it.
"I'm just curious as to who it is," I said quietly as I opened the search engine on my computer. The cursor blinked expectantly at me. I typed: E. Masens in my area. I watched the wheel on the screen rotate slowly as it brought up possible answers to my search. I clicked on the local directory website and read 6 search results:
Easton Masen; Emma & Jack Masen; Elizabeth Masen; Eden Masen; Ethan Masen; Edison Masen.
I read the list multiple times, feeling my shoulders relax each time I saw the names. Just a freaky coincidence then, I told myself. Of course, this is really dumb of me to be freaked out about.
"I mean, I'd be annoyed at a sudden change like that too," Angela said, her voice bringing me away from my laptop screen. I heard her rustle about for another piece of pizza left in the box. "But I'm sure there's nothing to worry about. They wouldn't just hire anyone!"
"You're right," I sighed as I clicked out of the directory page. I closed the email and shut my laptop. "I guess I am just nervous," I said quietly. Angela nodded.
"I'm nervous too," she said around a mouthful of cheese pizza. "It's why I've eaten, like, this whole pizza!" She swallowed and then added, "you're going to be hungry tomorrow! You only ate one piece!" I offered her a small grin.
"I don't want to make my nervous stomach any worse."
"More for me, then!" Angela laughed and started on another piece. "Sooo good!"
I looked back to my laptop and then felt the very nervous pit I mentioned open in my stomach. For some reason, this was just a feeling I couldn't suddenly shake. I worried my lip and reminded myself of the E. Masens that showed up in my search. It was obvious that my professor would be any of those 6 people. I breathed in and told myself I had nothing to be worried about.
And, really, I didn't. I didn't know where the Cullens had moved to. The rumour was Carlisle had gotten a job in a top Los Angeles hospital. LA was likely one of the more challenging and conspicuous places for a family of vampires to relocate to, but they had decades of practice blending in. If they were really there, they would do their best. If they really were in LA, then Olympia was well out of their immediate reach. Of course, they had ties to a coven of vampires near Olympia. My heart thudded in my chest when I suddenly remembered this. It wouldn't be out of the realm of possibilities for them to still be in Washington. There was less sun as opposed to brighter states like LA, as well as more wildlife to hunt. I shook these thoughts from my head. It both tore at my heart and relaxed it to remind myself that Edward Cullen was currently nowhere near me.
Edward's Point of View:
In my time away from Forks, I noticed that days seemed somehow longer. They felt more drawn out, each hour condemning me to an eternity of purgatory. I had to remind myself that this is where I should be. This never-ending purgatory is what I deserved for the sins I had committed. It was simply a ramification, a consequence of my actions. I had at one point been the biggest threat to Bella's life. Now there loomed an even larger one, which was entirely my doing. Had I stayed away from Bella like I originally planned, Victoria would not even be aware of her existence. Had I been strong - had I fully understood the gravity of what I was in relation to Bella's human soul, I would have avoided all of this completely. But I had been unable, unwilling to keep her safe until I was forced to abandon her. I was a selfish, soulless, damned creature. So naturally, two days after Alice and I arrived in Olympia, I found myself closer to Bella than I had been in almost a year.
350 days, to be exact. I had ached for 350 days - 8, 500 hours. That was 510,000 minutes, or 306, 000, 000 seconds. I couldn't lie to myself and say some deranged part of me was proud of this little streak I had going. I had managed to stay away from Bella - I had even managed to keep my distance from Forks. This was safer for her. Of course, this time was mostly spent devoted to her. I had surrendered the rest of my existence to Bella for as long as she lived. She would grow older and one day forget me, but I swore to everything that was holy to protect her from afar for as long as she lived.
Till death do us part.
But now, as I stood with Alice in the Dean's office at Olympia College, with Carlisle on the phone, I realized with horror that my streak could very well end in less than 48 hours.
I'm sorry, Alice thought to me as the Dean, Mark Talbot, spoke cheerily to Carlisle on the phone. I could hear my father laughing and agreeing to something but it was just background noise. You know my visions aren't always correct. But I promise to do my best.
I stared back at Alice, keeping my face resolute as I ran over the events of the last day and the previous hour in my head. How I had wound up in this situation still seemed incredibly sudden even for my advanced, albeit undead, brain to process. Truthfully, I likened my current state to that of shock.
Alice had suggested I relocate to Olympia for the time being, only on the premise of being in the area should Victoria come near and Bella need protection. I had agreed to this, and Alice had even offered to stay with me for a short while as my lookout for Bella's whereabouts.
"I had a strong connection to her, as you know, Edward," Alice had said. "I still sometimes get visions about her. If I'm close to her here, I'll probably be able to see where she is or if you are in danger of running into her directly." I agreed that Alice's uncanny talent would be useful here, and truthfully, I had become glad of her company in recent days.
What I had not been glad of, however, was when Alice explained this whole plan to the rest of our family, who were currently vacationing on Isle Esme. In fact, I had not been ready to talk to them at all. But I had returned from a small, lone hunt one evening when Alice was on the phone in our hotel room.
"-I know the Dean of Arts there, Alice." It was Carlisle's smooth tone I heard as I entered the hotel and began the ascent to the seventh floor.
"When you said you and Edward would be there for a while, I contacted Mark. I heard rumours that one of their professors had taken a sudden leave."
Glancing around, I made sure there were no humans present and I flitted up seven flights of stairs. Whatever, I thought as I entered the seventh floor and came face-to-face with a security camera. I hadn't accounted for these in the stairwell. They will just think it's a glitch. I was in too big of a hurry to know what Carlisle was talking about to truly care about this detail, and I knew most security camera footage was cleared within days, anyway. I stalked down the hallway until I was at our door.
"Alice," I said dangerously as I opened the door to our hotel room. She turned, phone in hand and on speaker mode, and looked at me sheepishly.
"Perhaps you would like to explain this to him yourself, Carlisle," she said quickly, her light voice tinged with nerves. "Edward just came back from his hunt."
Are you sure you just fed? Your eyes look pretty dark, thought Alice nervously. I rolled my eyes at her.
"What are you two scheming?" I snapped.
"Hello, son." Carlisle's voice was quiet on the other end of the phone. It sounded distant in my ear, a sound I hadn't heard for months.
"Is that him?" I heard Esme's voice, an octave higher than normal on the other end.
"Yes my love, it's Edward," Carlisle said gently.
"Oh, Edward!" Esme's voice was closer now, the same level as Carlisle's. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, Esme," I said, softening my voice. I had to admit it felt too good to hear my mother's voice after so long. I felt a slow ache spread across my chest. It seems, against my own judgment, that I had missed my family to some degree.
"We are so glad Alice is with you," she said in a rushed voice. "I am so happy you are no longer alone."
"He's much better with me here, Mom," Alice chirped. She grinned at me. I could almost feel Esme relax on the other side of the phone.
"Now Edward," Carlisle started, "I realize I may have overstepped." My head snapped back to the phone in Alice's hand. I outstretched my hand for it and she placed it in my palm. She avoided my eyes and turned to face the window. She suddenly started thinking very intently about the sunset behind the mountain outside our window. She was doing a surprisingly good job.
"Go on, Carlisle," I said quietly.
"Well, as I was saying to Alice before you arrived, I know the Dean of Arts at Olympia College."
"Yes, I heard this part," I said, growing impatient. I had a feeling whatever came next would either be painfully frustrating.
It was worse.
"Well, I heard through a colleague that he was in dire need of an English professor." My hand tightened around the phone. "Mark Talbot is a good man, Edward. I told him of your English degree and suggested you two get in contact. He was very interested in the idea of a bright … young instructor."
"Carlisle," I said calmer than I thought I was capable of. The angry discomfort rising inside of me was beginning to overflow.
"Now, I had not realized that Bella would be attending this college."
"Indeed," I said, now fully glaring at Alice, who was still averting my gaze. I found it suspicious that she had not seen this interference coming.
"Son, I know you must be upset. But Alice said she saw Bella choosing mostly pre-requisite courses. The courses Mark would have you teaching would be more advanced than that. Alice has not even seen you coming into contact-"
"It's too risky," I interjected. "I am only here to protect Bella from afar. I cannot be in such close quarters with her. It is too risky and I run the chance of ruining what progress-"
"It is very unlikely you and her will cross paths," Carlisle insisted. "Mark has already really latched on to this idea, Edward. You would be a great fit. Perhaps this is a good way for you to start over, to distract you from the events of the last year somewhat."
"If you are on the same campus, Bella is even more protected from Victoria." Alice's voice was suddenly right beside me. "And if you want, I can give you warnings." She met my narrowed eyes, hers wide and imploring. "I know you don't want to risk coming into contact with Bella, Edward. I promise to do my best."
"You will be paid well," Carlisle added. "And you do love exploring the classics. Edward, this could be good for you."
"And if she sees me?" I could hear the acid in my tone. My monster sat, unbridled, near the very top, threatening to escape. "What then? Did any of you think of that in this little scheme of yours?"
"People see each other sometimes after break ups, Edward." Carlisle's reminder was gentle. "I even took the liberty of giving Mark your original surname."
"This isn't a break up, Carlisle," I seethed. "This is to save Bella's life. Her soul."
"And you will be in the best position to protect her," he countered.
I wanted to scream. I wanted to yell. I wanted to stretch my arm out and punch through the hotel room's flatscreen TV next to me. No, I wanted more than that. I felt truly angry at my family at this moment. I wanted to throw the phone through the wall and listen as it disintegrated into a thousand tiny pieces that scattered to the ground below the hotel. I wanted them to know how angry I was. I had worked incredibly hard over the last year to stay away and now all my efforts were being undone by the work of others.
"No!" I growled out. "I refuse, Carlisle. I refuse to put Bella in this situation again. She cannot be near me, it's dangerous for her. You saw what happened whenever she was in my - in our - presence. She almost died, for God's sake, Carlisle!" I roared this last part over the phone and Alice flinched beside me. She reached a hand out to my arm and I roughly pushed it away. Alice was small, but she was strong. I knew I hadn't hurt her.
"Edward," Carlisle said, and for the first time in almost a century of knowing him, I found his calm tone of voice irritatingly frustrating.
"What?" I felt my hand shake, the venom running through my veins would have been boiling if that were possible. Instead, I felt it rise in the back of my mouth as I felt rage pierce through me.
"No, this is utterly preposterous," I growled. "I'm leaving. I have to leave. Again. You all have given me no choice." I started to close my fist around the cell phone and turned towards the door.
"Edward!" Alice's sharp yell caught me by surprise. I looked down at the phone, which was holding surprisingly strong in my tightening grip, and wheeled around to look at her. Her amber eyes blazed, and her spikey hair seemed almost electrified.
"If you leave, I will go to Bella myself."
"What?" I asked, the unnecessary breath escaping my useless lungs.
"That's right," she said, and suddenly I could see a vision playing out in her head. Me, leaving. Alice, storming into Bella's first America History class and walking straight to her chair. Bella's face - oh, god, her beautiful face - white as a sheet, and her deep eyes huge and round as she processed who was coming towards her. Alice was as sure of this decision as she was that the sun would rise in the morning.
"And I will tell her where you are," she added. You know she'd come looking, she added in her thoughts for extra measure. "Edward, if you walk out that door, you leave Bella unprotected and me with no choice."
"Alice is right, Edward. You forget that we can offer her safety, also." Carlisle's voice drifted quietly over the phone. "I respect most of your wishes son. But you are the best protection she has until Victoria is dealt with."
I swallowed the venom that had pooled in the back of my throat. Was I going to give in to my family this easily? And yet, the vision had been so clear in Alice's mind. She was sure of her course of action if I did not go through with this. My mind raced over the possibilities that came with Alice revealing herself to Bella. I thought over the possibilities that also came with me teaching at the college Bella had chosen for herself, for her new life. If I were here, I would remain in some control of these outcomes. All at once, my senses returned. Though I hated the creature I was, it gave me advantages in this situation. I couldn't hear Bella's thoughts, but I knew her well enough. I knew the sound of her footsteps - in fact, I had gotten very good at picking them out over a crowd of others. I knew the sound of her voice from miles away, the cadence of her words. I would recognize the pattern of her breathing and the steady beat of her heart.
Lastly, though perhaps it would be the first thing I would notice, I would recognize her scent. My eyes fluttered closed as I was reminded of all the things that made Bella so uniquely her. The lilt of her laugh, how her hair swayed when she wore it up in a ponytail, and how it sounded brushing over her shoulder. How her shampoo - strawberries - mixed with the floral scent of her skin, and the blood that pulsed beneath it. I felt the monster stir once more in me. My eyes snapped open when I realized that there were other forces that also knew these nuanced details of Bella's existence. If I could tell Bella was near just by the sound of her steps, then others of my kind likely could, too. Victoria's face flashed behind my eyes, surrounded by red fire and revenge-thirsty eyes. My resolve in this moment crumbled and I nearly fell to my knees in defeat.
"Fine," I said quietly. "Fine."
"You'll do it?" Carlisle's voice was brighter now and I saw Alice visibly relax.
"Yes," I had said. I handed the phone to Alice after this and indeed left the hotel room, but only to go for a run in the forest to clear my head.
Presently, I sat in a chair across from Mark Talbot as he handed me my schedule and boasted about the facilities.
"Sue makes a fine cappuccino if you need something to perk you up in the morning," he said, grinning. I nodded back, aware that I would never need "perking up" in the morning but playing the part of a human. I had fallen back into this role surprisingly easily despite not having played it for an extended time now.
"Here's your schedule, Edward," Mark said as he slid a piece of paper to me. "Just three classes this term. I like to keep first-year professors' schedules light, but open for change if needed. Take a look and see if these times work for you." I glanced at the schedule, knowing the times mattered little to me and anything he handed me would work. I certainly had very little in the way of a personal schedule. He had entrusted me with three first-year level English courses and their respective dates and times:
A History of Victorian Literature: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM
The Influence of Victorian Literature: Tuesday and Thursday, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
A Survey of Gothic Literature - Tuesday and Thursday, 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM
So, this would be fairly simple for me. In terms of planning, I quickly mapped out a plan for the term for each class based on the curriculum I had briefly skimmed in its entirety when Mark showed it to me.
"This looks fine, Dr. Talbot," I said.
"I understand how incredibly short notice this is," he said, rustling some papers. "I will have an email sent to your students to warn them of the change in professor so there is no confusion. And do not feel pressured with too much planning. I'm sure they can handle whatever you throw at them," he said, winking as he swiveled in his chair and started typing an email.
"Edward you're going to be a great professor!" Alice squealed and Mark laughed.
"It is so nice to finally meet two of Carlisle's children," he said, running a hand through his curly grey hair. "If you have his brains, Edward, I expect things to go smoothly for you." I managed a polite smile and nod as I slipped the schedule off the desk and into my satchel bag.
"I appreciate your time, Dr. Talbot," I said. He turned in his chair and barked a laugh.
"No need for the formalities, Edward! You're faculty now. That is just Mark to you." I nodded and thanked him again for his time.
"Any question, don't hesitate to ask. We here at Olympia College pride ourselves on being able to support our instructors. I wish you luck on your first day, Edward."
"Thank you again," I murmured as Alice and I turned to leave his office. She grinned at me as we started down the hallway, towards the Art Department exit.
"I will get you back for all of this one day, Alice," I threatened as we approached the car. I had taken her advice and bought myself a new car as compensation for my family's interference in my existence. It was a sleek, black Audi 8L W12. It might have been too flashy for a first-year English professor, but I allowed myself this one indulgence.
"I think you may thank me one day actually," Alice suddenly said cryptically, her eyes unfocused, and a small smile creeping on her lips. I glared at her and tried reading her thoughts, but she was now focusing very hard on the grooves in the dashboard and each speck of dust floating through the air.
As we drove back to the hotel, I took my attention off trying to break through Alice's defensive thoughts. Perhaps, I didn't want to see what she saw coming for now. Instead, as Alice suddenly started suggesting alternative living arrangements, I allowed my own thoughts to drift. I considered the many new tasks I now had. One, play the new role as the new professor at Olympia College. Two, I had to focus my effort on at least playing this role to the best of my ability, realizing the responsibility I suddenly had to deliver this content to my students. And three, protect and avoid Bella Marie Swan at all costs.
A/N: I know this chapter was short, and not a lot happened aside from Edward's whole plan erupting. Getting back into writing after so long is challenging! But, I wanted to get something out. If you have returned to this fanfiction after my long disappearance, I thank you. I intend to keep going with it. I am a new teacher and the school year is just starting for me in Canada, so I will do my best to update either once a week or every two weeks. I am hoping to upload on Sundays, but I will determine a more set uploaded schedule as I go.
I hope you enjoyed it! It is so nice to be back doing something I so thoroughly enjoy. Lots of love!