𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭 | carlisle cullen (2)

(𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐰𝐨) bella swan

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"THERE'S A NEW STUDENT STARTING TOMORROW" Hazel said casually, flipping through a history text book and scrawling with red pen over words that stuck out to her.

"Is that odd?" Este asked. Considering how small the school was regarding population it wouldn't be surprising that new students came rarely. It was January now, 2005. Este had been at the job for a year and four months and there hadn't been a new student yet although people didn't often join in the middle of the school year.

"Yeah" Hazel nodded, "we don't get many new students, she's moving from Arizona to live with her dad. You've met Chief Swan?"

Este would've dropped the book she was holding if not for her quick reflexes, Hazel didn't even notice her slight of hand. She didn't look up from scribbling in red pen which was good because the look of surprise on Este's face would've caused some unwanted questions.

"No I haven't, I've heard of him though" Este tried her best to retain a calm in her words. Vampires didn't need to speak so slowly, often in important situations they'd talk so fast that their words would blur together. Humans wouldn't be able to understand. Now she wanted desperately to know everything that Hazel knew about this transfer. It seemed Alice's Forks mystery was getting more interesting by the second.

"She's called Isabella, starting today" Hazel went on, "don't know much about her really but I do pity her. It must be so awful to start halfway through a school year. Especially in Forks, people are already talking about it as though she's a celebrity... this town loves new arrivals"

"Yeah I saw that first hand" Este scoffed, "you said she's starting today?"

"Yeah... I'm sure you wouldn't Este but don't make a spectacle about her, you know when teachers make students introduce themselves to the class? I bet Mr Bertie's going to make her talk about Arizona so his students forget how boring he is"

Este laughed at this, Me Bertie was boring even outside of teaching Mathematics. "I would never make her stand up in front of everyone, I can imagine how hellish that would be on a first day"

"Good" Hazel smiled as she snapped her book closed, "it's ridiculous, this town and the way they view people. It was bad enough when your family arrived but... poor Bella's only seventeen and she doesn't know anyone here"

"Must be hard" Este agreed before she watched Hazel pace out the room.

Registration would be starting soon but Este barely had anything on her mind accept the idea of calling Alice. She couldn't, Alice would be in class and she didn't want to risk getting her own child's phone confiscated. Este instead stared at the clock. She felt as bad as all the students who were walking around gossiping in anticipation. She was supposed to be better than them but Este supposed she had more reason to be curious.

Este didn't have her own registration class. She ignored the teachers walking in and out of the staff room, giving her odd looks and whispering behind their hands. No better than a bunch of teenagers. She was pretending to read, a copy of Hamlet in her hands. Hamlet was what she was teaching at the moment, it wasn't going down too well with the juniors. The hand on the clock moved in slow motion, a whole half hour before she could get to her first lesson.