Bella the Witch (2021)

Chapter 3: A New Purpose

Eric found me by my locker once lunch ended. I did my best to hide how shaken and confused I was. Luckily, he was none the wiser when I put on a sweet smile. He led me to our shared class it seemed. Eric, Mike, Angela and I shared the same Biology period. As we neared the class room, I felt it again but it wasn't as strong. I turned the corner and saw Edward Cullen at a table by himself  right up front and close to the window. Eric introduced me to Mr. Banner then went to sit with Angela. 

I shook the teacher's hand and in return he handed me a textbook. "All the seats are taken so you'll have to sit next to Mr. Cullen." He grinned at me before going back to his desk to get his material in order. "Alright, everyone settle down."

I gulped and walked toward the vampire. His dark eyes found mine and I quickly looked at the ground. Edward stiffened in his seat as I sat next to him. Out the corner of my eye I could see his eyes were closed and his left hand was clutching the lab table as if he was trying to restrain himself.  Obviously he sat by himself for a reason. He could smell everyone but what was it about me? Was I too close?  Or did he smell something in my blood? Could he tell that I wasn't normal?

I tried my best to concentrate on the lesson, but I couldn't. He was staring at me and I made sure to sit as far away from him without raising too much suspicion. Finally, the bell ran and before I knew it Edward was out of his seat and out of the door.  

The rest of the day was slow and I didn't have any of the other Cullen siblings in my classes. The others were probably posing as upperclassman to keep the illusion that they were all different ages. They were different in age, that I could tell. But instead of having two or three years between them, they might have been decades apart. While still freaked out that they attended human high school, I was intrigued to know where they had come from. More specifically when they came from.  They've seen so much but how many bodies did they leave in their wake? 

Vampires needed human blood for sustenance, everyone knew that. Even those who believed that they didn't exist knew that irrefutable fact. But they could go after students, anyone in Forks, my father and leave them for dead. That couldn't happen and that wouldn't happen, not while I was Forks. From that moment on, I made it my mission to keep a close eye on the vampires and if they needed to be stopped, I'd do my absolute best.

The final bell rang and a collective sigh fell over the entirety of the school's population. As I walked past the office, I sensed a vampire. I peeked and saw Edward hunched over Mrs. Cope's desk. 

"I'm sorry dear, every class is full. You'll have to stick with biology." She told him. His fists were clenched at his sides. He grumbled something then stomped away from the desk, passing me in the process, his shoulder barely touching mine. His transfer to another class, would've eased me but if he was stuck in Bio,  it'd be easier to keep an eye on him. 

Out in the parking lot it started to pour. Edward was already in his silver car and he and his siblings jetted away. Using my bag as a makeshift umbrella, I made it over to BEAST and took a small respite from the rain. 

                                                                               *****

Dad's shift ended in a couple of hours so I did my homework after I got in after the rain. In dry clothes and towel wrapped around my head I started on dinner. As I chopped the veggies for the salad, I read over my vampire mythology book to see if I had missed something in my assessment of the Cullens. 

The origin of the modern vampire was muddled. Thanks to the likes of Bram Stoker and Anne Rice's meddling, true vampiric lore was lost to time. The ridiculous weaknesses that mortals came up with like crosses, holy water, garlic and sunlight were false. However if they were to go into the sun, they'd risk exposure. Since their skin changed so drastically after turning, it was hard, smooth and reflected the sun's rays. 

They were dangerous, but in rare cases when a human is turned they awake with a special gift. Gifted vampires could have the same power but it could manifest differently depending on the individual. Reasons for these gifts are unknown, although theory suggests it came from a trait they exhibited while human and as a vampire it was multiplied. That was something to worry about. Seven vampires in town and they could all posses a gift, which made them infinitely more threatening. 

 Next in the book was a passage on physical traits. When a vampire chose to change someone, the venom they had comes from a deadly bite. They tend have darker eyes when hungry and red when they have fed. They had paler skin than usual and they all possessed unrivaled beauty to become the perfect hunter. 

 Charlie came in, hung up his gun and took off his jacket. " Hey, Bells. How was your first day of school?" He asked. 

What was I suppose to say? Hey, Dad. My first day went great. I found out that five of my classmates are vampires. How was yours?

"It was good, I think I made a great impression." I lied.

"Good." He kissed the back of my head and peered down at the book from over my shoulder. "Is that a cook book?"

"Oh, so you do know what one looks like?"I teased. All magical texts had spells on them, if someone with no magical power ever got a hand on one they'd look like a calculus textbook or a book on tax law; the more boring the better. 

The next day, I made sure to keep an eye out for the Cullens. I sensed them before I saw them for the day and at lunch they were at that back table. But Edward was missing and their eyes were a brilliant shade of gold. How could that be? Shouldn't they have red eyes? Are they another type of vampire? Is there such a thing?  I needed to find out everything about the Cullens, sooner rather than later.