Chapter 2: Cafeteria & Chess Moves
Bella POV
"Small-town high schools are like petri dishes. Add one girl with plot knowledge and watch the bacteria bloom."
If there was a word for the color outside my window, it was "wet." Yes I know that's not a color but for my sanities sake let's just roll with it.
It didn't just rain in Forks, it was like Forks was constantly drenched in water.
Mist crawled down the glass like it was trying to break in and start a gray-scale horror film. I dragged myself out of bed with the grace of a dying cat, wrestled my hair into a ponytail, and stared at the jeans and hoodie I'd laid out the night before.
It was the classic canon Bella uniform.
It was safe, comfortable and unlikely to attract Cullen attention. Or so I told myself.
The mirror reflected a vaguely disgruntled girl with brown eyes, pale skin, and the expression of someone heading into war. I made a face at myself, grabbed my backpack, and headed downstairs.
Charlie was already in the kitchen, wearing his badge and stirring a cup of coffee that looked strong enough to melt steel.
"Morning, kiddo," he said.
"Morning." I raided the cereal cabinet and found something that wasn't expired.
He gave me a quick once-over. "You sure you don't want a ride?"
I shrugged. "I've got Clementine. We're bonding."
He smiled around his coffee. "You gonna name all your cars?"
"Only the ones I plan to keep forever."
Charlie chuckled, then reached over and plucked something from my shoulder it was either a stray thread or maybe just an excuse to fuss.
"Text me if you need anything. Or if anyone gives you trouble."
"Dad, I'm not going to get shanked on the first day of school."
His brows rose. "...Should I be worried that's even a thought?"
"You raised a realist," I said, grabbing my keys.
"Remind me to apologize to your mother." he shouted at me as I made my way out the front door.
Clementine rumbled to life like a sleepy dragon and coughed the whole way to Forks High. I pulled into the student lot and parked between a silver Prius and an ancient station wagon that looked more haunted than vintage.
A few kids watched me get out like I was a new animal in the petting zoo. I just smiled politely and kept walking. The backpack strap bit into my shoulder, while the air smelled like moss and teen angst.
My plan was simple: blend in, survive, and avoid vampire drama until at least Friday.
Step one was to check in at the front office. The secretary handed me a map, a schedule, and a complimentary smile that said you poor thing.
Step two was to navigate social landmines.
First period was English. I slid into a seat in the back and was immediately greeted by a tall, eager boy with gel-spiked hair and a smile that was far too wide for 8 a.m.
"Hi! You must be Isabella Swan. I'm Eric. Your very own personal Forks tour guide."
I blinked. "Do I get a map and a decoder ring?"
He laughed like I was charming instead of vaguely threatening. "No, but I can tell you which vending machines eat your change."
He was awkward but I appreciated his attempt at humor. If I had to pick one word to describe Eric it would be, harmless. He was kind of like a socially hyper Golden Retriever. I nodded along as he gave me the rundown of local lunch traditions and who dated who last semester.
By the time I hit the cafeteria, I'd collected three more "tour guides": There was Mike Newton a blond, boy-next-door type, who was already too friendly with me, Jessica Stanley a fast-talking gossip machine girl with a secret mean girl streak, and Angela Weber who was quiet, observant, and what seemed to be the only one with any amount of social grace.
They led me to a table like I was a new transfer student at Hogwarts, and I accepted it, because it was better to be in the loop than out of it.
And that's when it happened.
The Cullen Entrance.
Five vampires walked into a cafeteria. (Badum-tsh)
No, really in all seriousness. It was like watching models descend from a fog machine. They entered in pairs Rosalie with Emmett, Alice with Jasper and then Edward. He was all alone, moody and 100% brooding. The weird thing was he was practically sparkling despite the lack of sunlight.
"They're... the Cullen's," Jessica whispered like she was offering up a ghost story. "Dr. and Mrs. Cullen's foster kids."
"They don't date anyone," Eric added, leaning in. "Well, except each other."
I tilted my head and watched them sit, they had untouched food in front of them like props for a play. Which I guess is true if you think about it. They are playing at being teenagers.
Alice noticed me first. Her golden eyes locked on mine like she knew something I didn't.
Spoiler Alert: she probably did.
Luckily Edward never looked up. Which was fine by me. I wasn't exactly ready to play that game yet.
Edward's POV
I hated this classroom. The scent of preserved specimens always clung to my clothes for hours afterwards. But I still arrived early as always and took my seat, facing the door. It was routine at this point. It kept things controlled.
Until she walked in.
The girl. Isabella Swan.
I smelled her before I saw her.
A scent unlike anything I'd ever known, it was wild and rich. Like warm cedar, ink and something sharper beneath the surface. It struck me like a punch to the gut, visceral and instant. It caused my throat to ignite and my vision to tunnel.
'No' I all but shouted in my head.
She walked to our shared table, oblivious of her impending doom.
Her brown eyes scanned the room, then me and then lingered for just a moment. But what I saw in her eyes wasn't the fear I had expected. Nor the awe that some humans get when they look at us. No with her it was just… scrutiny. Like she saw through everything.
I quickly held my breath, because I couldn't breathe if I was going to make it through the hour. If I was going to keep her and every other human in this room alive.
She took her seat beside me.
And I, a hundred-year-old monster masquerading as a boy, gripped the edge of the table and prayed to whatever gods I still believed in not to lunge for her throat.
Bella's POV
So, there I was.
Sitting next to Edward Cullen. The legend, the myth, the Vampire and future emotional wreck.
He however didn't inspire fear in me he just looked like I'd personally drop-kicked his puppy.
He was rigid, pale (well, paler), and clearly either holding in a fart or suppressing the urge to commit homicide. His fists were clenched. His jaw was locked and his eyes were black, while his gaze was glued to the table.
I had to bite the inside of my cheek to stop from laughing as I looked at him. Because he looked like a constipated Adonis.
This was the scene, the one where movie-Edward looked like he wanted to barf and Bella just looked confused. But here I was, not just watching it, but I was living it. Fully aware and barely holding it together.
"Hi," I said softly, because I had to.
His head snapped up and his eyes met mine.
And I swear to God, he flinched.
We didn't speak for the rest of the period.
Mr. Banner droned about cellular anatomy while I doodled spirals in my notebook and Edward pretended I didn't exist. I'd seen people restrain themselves before during family dinners, around screaming toddlers, but this was Olympic-level denial.
When the bell rang, he bolted.
Like, vampire speed bolted. He was lucky no one else was watching him because if they were it would have been easy to guess he was more than human.
The rest of the day passed in a weird haze.
Everyone wanted to know how I liked Forks, what I thought of the rain, if I needed help finding the gym. I smiled, nodded, and filed information away like I was a walking clipboard.
But inside?
I was rattled.
Not by Edward. I'd expected him to be intense.
It was the dream from last night. It was about Damon. He was young, human, and smiling. He felt real, too real. Like something inside me had been cracked open and now the air felt different.
Twilight was no longer the only supernatural energy in play, and that scared me a little.
Charlie was on the couch when I got home, flipping through channels with the intensity of a man avoiding thought.
"Hey, Bells. How was school?"
I dropped my bag and sank into the armchair with a groan. "I survived a cafeteria entrance, a Cullen meltdown, and three teenage boys offering to show me the vending machine. I deserve a medal."
Charlie chuckled. "You want a beer?"
I raised an eyebrow. "Is this a trick?"
He tossed me a root beer. "Nope not a trick. Root beer is close enough."
I just rolled my eyes at him and drank my beer with a smile.
That night, I wrote in my journal. Renee had bought it for canon Bella and I have thus repurposed it into my dream journal.
> Dream #1: Staring Damon Salvatore, sometime in 1863ish before Katherine. He looked young. There was men training for war and he called me ghost girl.
>Edward Cullen: Currently avoiding me like I'm contagious. Might be planning a dramatic inner monologue.
>Goal: Stay alive. Avoid sparkly angst. Possibly warn Damon not to trust anyone named Katherine or Augustine.
Having written down all that I wanted to for the night I crawled into bed and let sleep take me.