The Walkers (Twilight Fan Fiction)

Chapter Fourteen

Beta: jcat5507

Chapter 14

I ambled across Jackson High School with my hands dug deep into my hooded sweater’s pockets. It was my first day back at school in over a week, and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nervous. Since Collin had told me about the vampires on campus, I found myself wondering which of my classmates weren’t really human.  As I headed toward my first class, a girl passed by me. She was pretty, with long, wavy blonde hair, and the way she walked almost reminded me of Alice. Was she a vampire?  Or, the boy, the one skulking around the shrubbery surrounding the courtyard, was it even possible? They all looked so…human.

My decision to continue attending high school confused Collin. He had told me that as soon as I was changed, I would be required to cut any connection with my human life, which included Renee, Phil, and Charlie.  The proceeding fight had ended with Una driving me home while Collin stormed off into the trees to pout.

How on earth would I ever cut ties with my parents? Collin had insisted that it would be easier if I just told them the truth, but it was impossible. My mother had a wild imagination, but I had a feeling that trying to convince her that vampires existed would be easier said than done.

I still hadn’t fully committed to the idea of becoming a Walker, which was irritating me. Every time I would sit down and try to think of all the reasons I should do it, a tiny, nagging voice would throw a wrench into everything I had decided on.  There were so many reasons why I shouldn’t join them and only a handful of reasons why I should. So why was the decision so difficult?

I pushed away all thoughts of being a Walker and deserting my parents, and instead, I focused on getting to class.

Going back to school was a difficult experience. After being absent for a week, all my teachers had loaded me with a variety of missed assignments and notes. I had spent half the night struggling with them. After struggling to complete them, I had asked Collin for help, but unlike Edward and Alice, he was just as clueless as I was.

-

“You’ve been alive for hundreds of years, Collin.” I growled at him, trying and failing to not sound irritated. “How is it that you don’t know this?”

He threw his hands up, and his eyebrows pulled together. “Human education isn’t a requirement in our way of life, Bella. The only ones who are educated are the Elders and the politically active family.”

“But you go to school,” I whined and ran my hands through my hair. “You have to know at least something.”

He shook his head. “Nothing that would help you.”

-

In the end, Nora had taken pity on me and helped me with my assignments. Since she had been the diplomatic member of the Walkers, she had learned several languages and was highly educated. During the slow period at work, she had urged me to bring out my books for a study session.  Nora was an amazing tutor. She was patient, calm, and honest. In addition, she would show me shortcuts for my trigonometry class that the instructor hadn’t shown us. In just three hours, we had managed to knock out all of my assignments, including the homework that was due for the next class.

Renee drove me home after school, and I headed off to work almost immediately.  I was actually excited to get to Pages. As soon as I was caught up on homework, Nora had started using my work shifts to teach me the proper etiquette in the world of the Walkers. I was surprised and intrigued by how many rules and proprieties there were.

“When you approach your ceannaire,” Nora explained, the appropriate gesture is to take your right hand and place it over your heart, diagonally across your chest. Like this.” She laid her hand gently over her purple blouse, and she bent her head forward. “Make sure to lower your eyes, though. It’s a Receptor’s way of saying ‘I trust that you will not harm me, and I put my life in your hands.’ If you were to keep your eyes focused on Shiloh, for example, it would be insulting her.”