"Hello! Nice to meet you, I'm Erica." After the first period, a girl went over to my seat at the back and introduced herself.
"I'm Chris. The feeling is mutual." I nodded with a soft smile, shaking her extended hand.
"Where's your next class? I can take you there." She asked, moving a little bit closer.
I don't think I need help with navigating the school since I've memorized the map earlier, but nothing's wrong with a bit of socializing, right? I want to start a normal life here, and socializing is something that every normal student has to go through.
"It's Government, building six." I recalled the content of the schedule slip.
"I'm on my way to building four, I could show you the way if you want!" She has a bubbly personality, if it's not obvious enough.
I accepted her offer, grabbing my bag as we went out to the hallway. There are already a number of students walking outside the hallway, but it wasn't so much so that it's crowded. Erica and I kept walking, with her in the lead and me following a few steps behind, taking in the sight of the school.
"So, where are you from?" Erica asked as we left the building.
"England." I answered honestly.
"Well, figured. You do have a handsome accent." She chuckled a little, turning her head back a little to see my reaction to her slight teasing.
"That's quite nice of you." I only nodded in response, keeping a small smile on my face.
She turned her head back towards the front, but I didn't miss the slight glint of disappointment that flashed by her eyes. As for why she was disappointed? I have no idea. Nor do I care, really. Women are strange creatures; I'd rather not open that can of worms by asking her.
"Is the weather here similar to what you have back in England?"
"Honestly? I would forget I'm not in England anymore when I wake up in the morning sometimes." That was true. England has quite the weather shenanigans, and Forks is doing a great job mimicking that.
"Well, I hope you get used to it soon. Forks is a great place once you got over the gloomy weather." She slowed down to walk side-by-side with me.
After another bout of small talk, we reached the building I was supposed to be in. I bid goodbye to Erica, thanking her for showing me the way as I opened the door.
The rest of the day was quite uneventful. I introduced myself in front of the class a few times, and sat at the very back, writing lecture notes without any care in the world.
It was peaceful. It still feels surreal that I managed to get here and am currently studying. A year ago, I never would've thought that I'll be here, away from that place, away from those people.
Some classmates didn't shy away and went to befriend me. I did my best to reciprocate their eager personalities, laughing every now and then to paint myself as an outgoing and casual person. I got a few jokes about my accent, but it's all in good banter. No one has attempted to genuinely bully me so far, and I think that's lovely. As much as I want to live a normal life here, being a target of bullying doesn't sound so fun.
It was time for lunch, and everyone was headed to the cafeteria. A guy with crazy curly hair stuck with me, taking the role of my personal guide during my first day of school. His name was Jeremy, and he seemed like the guy you'll easily get along with. He's chill, and I love that about him.
"Is it true that all British people drink tea every chance they get?" He asked, walking beside me towards the cafeteria along the slightly more crowded hallway.
"It's some sort of genetic obsession. I know some people who are practically 70% tea." I mused, thinking back to the small number of people I have any personal connection with back in England.
"So, are you one of them?"
"Nope. More of a coffee person. Though I did have to hide it, British people aren't quite fond of someone liking coffee more than tea. It's considered a travesty."
We reached the cafeteria, and Jeremy led me to a table. There are other people in there, presumably his friends. I did my best to fit in as he introduced me to his circle. They were quite extroverted, having so many things to talk about. The topic of the conversation shifted from my personal thoughts on Forks to the consequences of the Spanish Inquisition in the 1500s.
I decided to just listen for now, to get an accurate grasp of their humour and personalities. Knowing that would help me fit in better with the school. As Jeremy was starting to heat up while talking about the White Man's Burden, my nose smelled something familiar.
Knowing that it was, without moving my head, my eyes shifted to the other end of the cafeteria. There, the 5 people from the Volvo sat, isolated from the other students. They were talking, keeping their voices low and hushed, as if afraid to let someone else hear them.
After giving them a quick glance, I turned back to the conversation at the table. Jeremy, however, seemed to have caught the brief glance I threw at the isolated group at the other end of the cafeteria.
"Oh, you saw them, huh?" He put an arm around my shoulder, lowering our bodies a bit as if we're talking about something secret.
"You mean those people over there?" I pointed with my eyes.
"Yep." Jeremy flicked his finger. "Those are the Cullens and the Hales. Edith, Eleanor, and Archie Cullen. Those two with the same hair-color are the Hales. Twins, I think."
I made an "oooh" sound with my mouth, nodding lightly.
"Now, their appearance might tempt you to come over, but don't bother. They don't interact with us mortals. It's like they're living in another world than us. Someone tried in the past, but all he got was the cold shoulder and a threatening warning to not ever talk to them again. Since then, no one has tried." Jeremy spilled, taking a sip of his orange juice.
Living in another world than us, huh? Well, that's not really that far off.
Chuckling inside, I waited for Jeremy to tell me more.
"Well, not like there's any reason to interact with them though. Royal and Eleanor, Archie and Jessamine. Those pairs are dating. And as for Edith, she won't even bother looking at us. It's like we're just pebbles on the sidewalk. Now, you might be into that, but trust me, it's not worth it." Jeremy patted my back, releasing my head and heading back to his pizza slice.
"I appreciate the heads up." I chuckled, grabbing my own can of orange juice and taking a sip.
I turned my head down, focusing on the food on my tray. My ears, however, were strained. Reason? To eavesdrop from the Cullen's conversation.
They were talking really quietly. Even with my hearing, it's impossible to make out their conversation, save for a few words.
"... smell... corpse... decaying..."
It was all I could gather. They were too discrete; I have no choice. However, it was enough to alarm me. I know what they're talking about, and I was prepared for them to find out soon. Not this soon, however. And that made me shoulders slump a little.
Looks like I'm reaching my limit soon.
Haah, what a shame.
"Hey, Chris. You also have Biology as your next class right? Allen also has the same schedule, you two should go together." Jeremy mentioned, pointing to the relatively quiet guy sat within our table.
"Huh? Well, alright." Allen shrugged, quite introverted.
Lunch passed quickly, and we had to go to our next class. Allen and I walked together, silent along the way. We entered the classroom, and Allen went over to his black-topped lab table. Every table has two people, and Allen already has a neighbour.
I first went to the teacher, introducing myself to her and having my slip signed. Mrs. Banner, the Biology teacher, signed my slip and handed me a book without any further words. She instructed me to take a seat, turning around to prepare the lesson.
I turned around, scanning the room for any seat that I could take. There was only one, and I couldn't stop the sigh that escaped me when I saw who I'm going to be sat next to.
The only seat left was right beside Edith Cullen. The person I had eye contact with earlier today. I'm sure she smelled something from me, and I'm a little worried that she's going to ask questions about it. It's going to be hard to explain, and it could even result in bloodshed. Scratch that, it'll definitely result in someone dying.
Well, she's cold and quiet, so I'm hoping she's not going to raise a question about so. I went over and took the only seat next to her. I set my bag on top of the table, and opened the book to the page the teacher told me they are at.
The lesson was about cellular anatomy. I had my notebook open, taking notes every now and then. I don't really need to do it, since I studied everything on the curriculum during my overexcitement of attending school. Still, I'm a big fan of organizing and notes, so I did so. I focused on the lesson, but my eyes would occasionally wander to my enigmatic seatmate to see how she was fairing.
Her face was annoyingly beautiful. She looks too pretty, it's almost like someone wrote a self-insert Mary Sue and I'm currently living inside the story. I can't blame anyone that wants to romanticize her, even with the certainty that they'll only get rejected. It's not her face, however, that I'm focusing on.
It's her eyes. They are dark. Darker than what you would normally see from someone. Her long eyelashes framed her eyes perfectly, highlighting her black orbs even more so.
She's currently focused on the class, facing the front of the classroom. From my discrete glances though, I can see her nose twitch every now and then, with her face showing a trace of confusion and contemplation.
She's probably smelling me. And she's confused about the smell.
I'm not surprised that she is. It's not every day that you come across a living person that smells weirdly of decaying corpses. It was faint that normal humans won't recognize it, but as a vampire, this girl definitely noticed that anomaly. That must've been the reason why she stopped to look at me earlier this morning on the parking lot. She smelled it.
The class went on as usual. I filled about two pages of my notebook with notes. It's messy, but I will be organizing it later. It's some sort of hobby. Organizing just makes me feel like I have my life in order for once.
As the class was about to end, Mrs. Banner passed some quizzes. She handed me one to give to my seatmate. I lowered my gaze to glance at it. A perfect 100%. I moved my eyes to look at her name written on the top-left. Oh, so that's how it's spelled.
Edythe Cullen.
Strange, but it fits her somehow. Well, vampire things.
"Here." I handed the paper to her, a slight smile on my face.
She didn't take it yet. She was staring at me. Nope, glaring is the right term. It was a mix of suspicion and wariness, but her deep dark eyes are still as charming as ever.
After a second or two, she took the paper, her fingers making contact with my hand as she does so. Her fingers are cold. Like, freezing cold. It's like the body of someone... not alive.
But that's a given. She's a vampire. I'm not surprised.
But she seems to be, however. Her eyebrows raised quite an amount, with a frown spawning on her face. Her face started to show her inner confusion.
I shrugged, putting my notebook and book back into my bag. She can stay confused. I'm not going to explain anyway.
The bell rang, and I stood up. Edith, or rather, Edythe, had stood up faster, grabbing her bag and heading out the classroom in a display of royal elegance. Looking at her departing figure, I snickered inwardly.
Vampires. Pretentious snobs, I tell ya'.