Stepping out of the Mustang was a mistake.
I realized that immediately.
The engine cut off, the door opened, and for exactly half a second, the parking lot existed normally.
Then—
Whispers.
Gasps.
The kind that ripple outward like someone dropped a rock into a very judgmental pond.
"Who's that?"
"Is he a model?"
"Did Forks just… upgrade?"
"Why does he look like that?"
I closed the door calmly.
"Breathe," I muttered to myself. "You trained for vampires. You can survive teenagers."
I started walking.
Every step felt like walking through a spotlight I never asked for.
People stared. Some openly. Some pretending not to. Some failing spectacularly at pretending.
I caught my reflection in a car window.
White hair. Blue eyes. Tall. Too composed.
Yeah.
I sighed.
"So this is my villain origin story," I told you. "High school popularity."
Administration Building: Paperwork, My Old Enemy
The administration building smelled like coffee, paper, and quiet despair.
I knocked, stepped in, and was immediately greeted by a woman who looked like she'd seen every transfer student mistake possible.
"You must be Adam," she said.
"Yes, ma'am," I replied politely. "I come bearing documents and zero drama."
She raised an eyebrow. "We'll see."
Paperwork happened.
Names. Signatures. Schedules.
"You'll start with English," she said, handing me a paper. "Room 12."
Of course.
English class.
Where protagonists went to suffer symbolism.
"Thank you," I said, taking the schedule. "I'll try not to disrupt the narrative."
She paused.
"…What?"
"Nothing," I smiled. "Nerves."
She waved me off.
First Class: English (Because Fate Is Lazy)
Room 12 was already full when I arrived.
The moment I opened the door—
Silence.
Every head turned.
The teacher blinked. "Yes?"
"Transfer student," I said. "Adam."
She checked her list. "Ah. Take the empty seat."
I followed her finger.
Front row.
Center.
The protagonist seat.
I stared at it.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
I sat.
Chairs scraped. Whispers resumed at low volume.
I felt it again.
That gaze.
I didn't look at first.
I already knew.
Alice Cullen.
Across the room. Perfect posture. Eyes bright.
She wasn't just staring.
She was watching.
Like I was a puzzle she couldn't see the future of.
Our eyes met.
The room faded slightly.
Not dramatically. Just… enough.
She smiled.
Small. Curious.
Dangerous.
I looked away immediately.
"Do not engage," I told myself. "This is how plots attach."
The teacher started talking about symbolism in classic literature.
I took notes.
Not because I cared.
Because looking busy was survival.
Every few seconds, I felt it.
Her gaze.
Persistent.
Unblinking.
I resisted the urge to glance back.
"You are not prey," I reminded myself. "You are a walking anomaly with a shadow god roommate."
Still.
Uncomfortable.
The bell rang.
Freedom.
Lunch: Solitude as a Strategy
Cafeteria.
Noise. Smells. Chaos.
I grabbed a tray, ignored the looks, and sat alone at the far end.
Intentionally.
Strategically.
"Isolation," I told you, "is a defensive maneuver."
I reached into my inventory.
Music Player (All Songs up to 2030).
Thank you, gacha.
I slid on earphones and hit play.
Music flooded in.
Familiar. Comforting. Anchoring.
The world dulled.
Voices turned into background noise.
I leaned back, watching Forks High School exist around me like a documentary.
Bella sat with her new friends. Awkward. Human. Unaware.
The Cullens sat together.
Alice laughed.
Rosalie didn't.
Edward looked… tense.
I did not look back.
I chewed mechanically, letting the music carry me.
For a brief moment—
Peace.
End of Lunch, End of Day
The bell rang.
I removed one earphone.
Reality rushed back.
Classes passed.
Math. Science. Things I already knew or would never need in a supernatural arms race.
The final bell rang.
Students flooded out like they were escaping captivity.
I stood, slung my bag over my shoulder, and walked back to the parking lot.
Rain still fell.
The Mustang waited.
Reliable. Non-judgmental.
I slid into the driver's seat and exhaled.
"One day down," I said softly. "Infinity to go."
The engine started.
As I pulled away, I didn't look back.
I didn't need to.
I could feel the eyes on me.
Watching.
Calculating.
Interested.
I smiled faintly.
"This," I told you, as Forks disappeared behind me, "is going to be complicated."
[Chapter Seven Complete.]