Shifting Moon Ch 4

When Bella noticed the boy looking at her, she had dropped her eyes quickly in embarrassment. Jessica giggled and continued her speech in a low tone so only those at the table could hear her. "The big one with the girl in the lead are Emmitt and Rosalie, the little one behind them is Alice and the one that looks like he is constantly in pain is Jasper. They are both couples." She said the last with a tone of condemnation and shock I didn't understand.

"They live together… Like brothers and sister, all adopted by Dr. Cullen and his Wife." She stared at us as if waiting for us to be repulsed by what she said.

"Well, they aren't blood-related and have lived together for years so no surprises down the relationship road. I would say they have a better chance of making it work than most people these days." I said, letting Bella take her time absorbing the information and sparing her from having to respond.

"And… And the other two?" Bella asked, with a skip in her voice.

When I looked up again, I saw them all seated at the table I noticed earlier, the one I wanted to sit at. This must be their usual table and that would be the reason no one else dared to take it. My attention was caught by the girl sitting with her body mostly facing me. She must be right at or under 6ft tall, it was hard to tell as she was seated now. Her facial features were near perfect with the minute blemish of her lower lip being slightly too big compared to her upper, it gave her a perpetual pout. Her high cheekbones and sharp chin gave her a remarkable and fierce look. Thomas's first impression was that he didn't want her to get mad at him.

Her hair was almost the same as the guy Bella couldn't take her eyes off, but just a shade brighter. A more polished copper, I thought to myself. If I were to compare them to god's I would say Rosalee was Aphrodite and this bronze-haired beauty whose name I didn't know would be Athena, The goddess of Battle and Wisdom.

"Oh, that's Edward and Edythe. They are twins, so at least they aren't together. Not that it matters as they won't even look at anyone in this small town. They are too above us townies!" Jessica said with venom in her voice.

I wondered how many times she got turned down before she went from infatuation to hate. Then I wondered if it was just Edward she had been infatuated with, not that I would judge. But damn that's a hot thought… That I needed to shake out of my head right now. Damn pervert, I told myself.

"Who are the Cullen's? I don't remember hearing about them before." Bella asked.

Jessica took a deep breath, "The Cullen's are new to town, only been here for a couple of years. Dr. Cullen is in his late 20s or early 30s I think, and he is the doctor at the clinic/hospital here. His wife is Esme Cullen, she is a stay-at-home wife who takes care of all the kids I assume. After all, it's a big family to feed and clean up after."

"That is super cool of them to be willing to adopt older kids at such a young age. It couldn't have been easy with Dr. Cullen going through school or doing his time as an attendee. If you work out the ages, it's a lot of responsibility at a very young age. I am glad that as teens, they got someone so good as guardians. Being an orphan is no easy thing." I said, making my stance clear.

Jessica seemed to pull back and glance around, looking at her friends. I looked back at the table to see Edward staring at Bella with a look of slight frustration on his face and then he turned his eyes to me. Suddenly he flinched and I saw his teeth clench as he broke eye contact, turning away from me and bringing his hands up to his head. A muffled groan of pain made it to my ears and if I heard it from here then at the table it must have been very loud.

Suddenly everyone at the Cullen table tensed up and Emmitt half rose from his seat. Edward quickly motioned with his hands and started talking to everyone there. Emmitt sat back down, and everyone else started to relax. I could see Alice lean in and speak for a few moments with Jasper adding in a word here and there. Edythe put her hand on Edwards's shoulder and glared at me for a moment.

Their reaction had me back on edge and I had already moved one of my legs from under the table, ready to spring into whatever action I found necessary. With everyone at my table now staring at me, I had to complete the motion of standing like it was what I intended to do from the beginning. I was mad that their reaction got to me so much that I just glared right back at Edythe as if to say ("What's your problem?"). Here I was just thinking that her being mad at me would be a bad thing. At least I had managed to finish my lunch I thought. I turned back to the table I had been sharing and grabbed my backpack with my free hand. "Well everyone, I am going to explore my new school a bit before lunch ends. Thanks for letting me sit with you. See you after school sis, I will meet you at the main office."

"I can show you around!" Both Jessica and Lauren said it at the same time, and then they stared daggers at each other.

"No thank you, ladies, I will be moving fast to help settle my lunch before gym class. See you all around." I quickly left before anyone could say more or point out the stupidity of my comment. I separated my trash and put my tray on a pile and then moved out the door glancing around. I figured the direction didn't matter so I just moved.

-(Time/POV Shift Edythe)-

I think my brother is right, high school is Purgatory. Being condemned to repeat it every 10-15 years or so should definitely count towards atoning for any sins we have committed. Not that I believed in God, well at least not in the one people preached about. I had always lived my life in the belief that so long as my actions didn't hurt the innocent, and I had a clear conscience than me and whoever was taking notes on my life's actions could talk it over. If they felt I did wrong, and I felt I did right, then we could agree to disagree and go from there.

In that unlikely event, I will point out my days that seemed more impossibly monotonous than the last and say, "Time served, right." I stared at the floor as we waited for the line at the lunch counter to die down so Jasper wouldn't feel too crowded. Him being the newest vegetarian of the group, combined with his years of a grab and drink as you please diet, made him touchy around lunchtime. He was good at interacting in one-on-one but in a group, the emotions all combined along with his power, made his control spotty at best.

As much as he could control people's emotions, they also controlled him at times. We have found that when he is fighting off the emotions, then he can lose control of the feeding instinct. Edward also suffered in crowds like you find in lunchrooms. All those thoughts hitting him at once and the effort he has to go through to narrow them down to hear specifics or even just shut them all out is beyond me. Having to take note of what questions were asked out loud and what was just in another person's mind would drive me insane. That and having to listen to every boy's fantasy about me would plant me firmly in a monastery where all the men have taken vows of celibacy, but what I know of men, even that wouldn't work.

I am sure today's thoughts are all the same, in varying shades of the Sheriff's daughter with the flighty ex-wife has returned to forks at last. Isabella Swan, I heard was her name, and her brother/cousin/boyfriend (No one can decide yet.) Thomas Raizel. Thomas, I have overheard was a monster in size comparable to Emmitt, and the rumors running around say that he has already had a run-in with Jasper over Alice. I laughed at that thought, the idea anyone could separate those two was laughable. I will have to ask Alice about it later tonight, she is concentrating on Jasper at the moment so it's best not to bother her with the little stuff.

The lunch line finally died down enough for Jasper to be a little more comfortable, so we proceeded to head in and grab our props for the day. Rosalee first, who slowed the process down by catching her reflection in the glass separating the students from the hot pans. She had to stop and adjust her hair and put just enough behind her ear to show off the earrings Emmitt had gotten her recently. Naturally, Emmitt was right beside her inflating her ego in the way only he could.

Alice followed, picking her food by color, and ignoring the looks from the lunch staff, then doing a little pirouette before approaching the register. Jasper just put his plate out and let them do as they pleased. Trying to keep his face emotionless, he stayed with Alice, minus the pirouette. Edward with his perpetually bored and martyred look on his face just took things at random. I tried to copy the plate of a girl I saw at the closest table, so I didn't stand out too much.

As I walked to the register, I saw Alice waving at someone, and it drew my attention, so after I paid for my food, I looked at the table Alice had waved at. He was a giant sitting among children, his white hair was nearly the color of a vampire's skin. It was cut in a high and tight style along the sides with the front doing a little swirl that I could imagine running my fingers through. His eyes were a clear sky blue that reminded me of the weather we could never go out in among humans, or we would expose ourselves instantly. He had a tense weary look about him and I could see him running his eyes over my whole coven, taking notes, and filing them away in his mind.

He had high cheekbones and slightly sunken cheeks that flowed into a strong-looking chin. His thin lips looked even thinner as his mouth was pulled into a frown as he tried to take in all the information his eyes could steal. I wonder if I had looked a little sooner would I have seen a smile as he waved back to Alice? After all who would not see her and smile? If I had a beating heart it would be pounding in my chest right now. Pushing blood and endorphins to all sorts of interesting places in my body.

His outfit was so casual it looked like it was designer clothing. The shirt design especially stood out with the Yin Yang symbol lining up perfectly with his pecks. She took joy in noticing that the little bit of opposite color in the Yin Yang was directly over his nipples. Oh… if I was a hundred years younger… The things I would do to him. I could finally use all that information the Denali Coven had forced me to listen to. Tanya especially, that little succubus.

That thought finally brought her back to reality. Shut up you old hag, he is out of your reach and better off without you. Now get your shit together and move. Shaking her head as if to clear it from her split-second fantasy that she didn't want to admit hurt her terribly. She noticed Edward was just standing in front of her and blocking her path of retreat from those glorious eyes that had yet to turn her way. She wanted to move before that happened and she got caught in them. "Don't just stand there stupid!" I nudged him with my hand for good measure. I then focused my eyes on the seat that was normally mine and was secretly happy it was turned to mostly face the middle of the cafeteria.

After I sat down, I took a deep breath and tried to organize my thoughts. Naturally, my stupid brother stopped that from happening.

"Jessica Stanley is giving the new Swan girl all the dirty laundry on the Cullen clan." He murmured to the table too low for anyone listening in on the table's conversation.

Emmitt chuckled. "I hope she is making it good."

"Rather unimaginative, actually. Just the barest hints of a scandal. Not an ounce of horror. Very disappointing."

I spoke up, "That's good, it means we are blending well."

Emmett continued, "What about the new girl? Is she disappointed in the gossip as well? What about the big guy next to her, he looks strong… For a human anyway."

Edward paused for a moment, to the unknowing it looked like he was thinking deeply about something. A frown overcame his face, and he turned toward the table the new kids were at. "I… I am not getting anything. I can't hear her?"

I focus on my ears and listen and easily pick up a voice that sounds deep and smooth as honey. "I hear him defending and complimenting Carlisle's and Esme's choice to adopt us. Guess that story is still holding." I kept to myself his comment about being orphaned, he said it weird. Guess I have my research project for tonight. "Sounds like he put the small-town rumor monger in her place with a few words." I chuckled.

As if hearing my words, I noticed him look over at our table and suddenly Edward tensed and turned to face us, grabbing his head in obvious pain. We all reacted like Edward had just been attacked and Emmitt started to rise from his seat when Edward started waving us back down. "Don't draw attention, sit back down, and relax. It's ok, somehow, he defended himself from my ability. As soon as I stopped trying to read his thoughts the pain stopped."

"We are not in any danger; my visions show us all leaving the cafeteria safely. So long as we stay calm." Alice said.

Edward took several deep breaths, and I reached out to support and comfort him by placing my hand on his shoulder. I looked over at the table with a questioning look only to meet his angry gaze. I felt like his eyes would burn right through me and leave me wounded. He got up from his table and left the cafeteria but the whole time he was defensive towards us and our table.

"What happened Edward?" I asked him intently. That look of anger he hit me with made me feel pain. Is that what he did to Edward?

"My thoughts were again interrupted by Edward. "I was trying to read the girl's mind, but I couldn't hear anything. I wondered if my powers stopped working but I could hear Jessica just fine. So, I tried to look into the guy's mind and suddenly it felt like I was on fire. Comparable to when Carlisle turned me, level of pain. It stopped when I stopped trying to read him, but it took a couple of seconds to recover."

That doesn't sound like the pain I felt from his glare, it felt more internal. What is going on here?

"I should tell you all that I can't see Thomas in any of my visions either. But I see Bella in a bunch. She is still so blurry though, there is a major choice coming and once it is made everything should clear up." Alice ended her sentence in a whisper that was hard for even us to hear.

She can't see him in any vision, does that mean he is going to leave? No that doesn't sound right, she would see that. Will he die soon? I don't… don't want him to go. I want to look at him more. I don't want my last look from him to be an angry one.

As if to throw me a lifeline Alice spoke again. "But I didn't see him before today either. So, it could just be that Vampire powers don't work on him."

"Remember Alice, my power was able to work on him and ease his anger when we met him this morning." Jasper was intent on watching me drown in the possibilities it seemed.

"What happened this morning" I asked, "Please! Tell me everything!"

Everyone looked at me in surprise and I too was surprised by my intensity. Why am I feeling this way? Everyone looked like they wanted to start talking but the first bell rang surprising all of us as we normally were gone by now. "We will talk after school; we can try and make sense of it at home. Maybe Carlisle will know something." We all got up and went to our respective classes all thinking something different. Unaware that it was Edward's choice to make on whether or not to kill Bella that everything hinged on.

-(Thomas POV)-

After walking around for a while to clear my head I started to feel better. Being in the middle of a crowd was not comfortable for me. I was able to hold it together for the most part. If I ignored my little interaction with the Cullen table. "That was just weird," I told myself out loud. Luckily no one was close enough to hear or it would just feed the rumor mill even more.

I hope I didn't make Alice mad, though I still don't know what I did to earn a glare from Edythe. They are the ones that scared me to the point I reflexively acted. For the longest time, this was a daily occurrence, Halloween was a nightmare for me. Everyone running around in masks and skull pattern makeup, I shuttered at the thought.

Pulled from my thoughts by the bell that signified the end of lunch, I began to walk back toward the main building as that was where the map said my gym class was. Once I found the locker room for the boys, I started to look for the teacher. My schedule said his name was Coach Clapp, wow I bet he got made fun of as a kid. Asking around I finally got a general direction from a somewhat helpful classmate and moved that way. Once I found him, I introduced myself and smiled as he took in my size and muscle definition.

The first thing he said is that the school wouldn't be able to provide gym clothes in my size but as long as I got a plain grey shirt and black sweats or shorts, I would be ok. He recommended Newton's Olympic Outfitters, they usually provided the best options in Forks. For anything better, I would have to travel to Port Angeles or Seattle. I had planned to go there anyway to look at their selection of weight training equipment and I would need a new pair of shoes for this class also.

After that was the conversation I knew was coming. "No, I don't want to play football for the school", "No wrestling either." "Yes, I knew it was a shame not to put my physique to use for school." "Ok, I will talk it over with Charlie and let you know if he can change my mind."

Once he finally signed my schedule I went and sat down on the bleachers and watched the rest of the class play Volleyball and told myself to let the coach know about Bella's lack of coordination. She has gym as her last class if memory serves. It takes me a few minutes to recall all the damage she took and dished out during the Volleyball class back in Phoenix. If the coach listened to him, her classmates should throw me an all-you-can-eat party for sparing them the trauma she would inflict on them all.

After gym was over, I looked at my schedule and saw for my final class of the day, I had Spanish with Ms. Goff in building 7. I knew this would be my easiest class of the day, my secret for scholastic success was that I had an Echoic memory. The only class that challenged me was math and ironically it was my favorite subject. The "Read-aloud" technology, also called "text to talk" was one of the best inventions for me. Audiobooks were so limited before its advancement, but now everything can be read out to me to file away. Yet another thing that Bella hated, but after I told her about my lack of enjoyment from hearing the same thing over and over, she settled down a bit over it. She just loved rereading her classic books.

I found the class easy enough and before entering I saw a sign that read [The only language in this room is Spanish, no matter how little you speak please try.] So, I walked up to the teacher who was sitting at her desk and placed my schedule on it.

"Hola Sra. Goff. Soy un estudiante nuevo y me dijeron que cada maestro firmara mi horario."

"Hello Ms. Goff. I am a new student and was told to get my schedule signed by each teacher."

After looking at my schedule she replied.

"Hola Tomás, es un placer conocerte. Su español es muy bueno."

"Hello Thomas, it is good to meet you. Your Spanish is very good."

(A.N. The rest of the class interactions will be in Spanish but I'm not looking to pad my word count for those who don't read or understand that language. I had to use Google Translate so please let me know if I got something wrong. Thanks)

"Why don't you sit in the back with Emmitt and Edward, they both speak excellent Spanish as well and by sitting in the back I can work with those that need help. You may work on whatever you like so long as it doesn't distract the class. If your grades start to slip, then I will move you closer to the front so I can get you back on track."

Translation, "You can speak Spanish just as well as I can, so sit in the back and do the work I ask, then you can do as you wish, so long as you don't interrupt class." My favorite kind of teacher. After moving to the seat Ms. Goff pointed out, I had time to think about what she said about two other students who spoke Spanish. Emmitt and Edward, there was no way there was more than one person each with those names, so I assumed I had two Cullen's in this class. One was the guy that was bigger than me and the other was the one Bella couldn't take her eyes off.

I smelled him before he came into the classroom, I wondered to myself if the skincare product they used made them smell sweet. I would have to ask if anyone else noticed the smell. He walked in and I was instantly on alert again. The guy was just intimidating, his size, his easy graceful movement, it all screamed danger to me. The only thing that kept me from standing up was the easy-going look on his face, the chubby cheeks made him look innocent for some reason. But most of all it was his eyes, they held no malice or calculation, just mirth. Like he was just done laughing at someone's joke.

He sat down and leaned over to offer his hand. "Hello, I am Emmitt"

I took his hand and instantly regretted it; this man had a handshake like a vice. But being me, I couldn't let that show on my face. "Hello Emmitt, I am Thomas." I tried to squeeze his hand back, but it didn't feel like I left any impression on him.

He continued smiling at me and asked, "How are you liking your first day so far?"

"It's school. Not much different than the others I have been to. Though it will take some time to get used to this cold. I don't know what I will do for a workout if it snows heavily again or gets icy. Just working out with weights would throw me off." Looking at his size, I assumed working out would be a good conversation for us.

Emmitt laughed, "Has the Coach tried talking you into playing all the sports he coaches yet?"

I liked his laugh; it was free and joyful. "He sure did, and I get the feeling he won't take my refusal to heart. I expect him to be on the phone with my uncle to try and get him to convince me or maybe go talk to him in person."

Emmitt laughed again loud enough to get a look from the teacher, "Yes, he invented all sorts of reasons to go to the hospital and ask Carlisle to convince me to play. Promising everything from health coaches and scholarships. Too bad I'm just not into picking on weak guys."

He glanced around and leaned in closer to me, and I tried to keep my reactions normal. In a whisper "So is it true you have a thing for Alice?"

It was finally my turn to laugh, "Does no one talk to your family without ulterior motives? Just because I spoke to her and drew a picture the whole school thinks I'm after her."

For the first time, I saw a shrewd look in his eyes. "Well, she is cute as a button, nothing comparable to my Rose but still, I can see the wistful look some boys get when she is around."

"I am not really the type to think looks matter much in this world. Don't get me wrong, I like healthy girls over obese ones or the bone-thin idiots that try to look like those fake magazine pictures, but that's just from a health perspective. Besides, anyone who sees Alice with Jasper must know that they belong together forever. I feel that Jasper is like me with a burning inside him and Alice is his calming influence."

"Anyone that sticks so much as a finger between those two will lose their hand to Alice and their arm to Jasper and that's if they are lucky." I finished.

Emmett flashed me a knowing grin. "You have no idea."