Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
CHAPTER FIVE ʙᴇʟʟᴀ
As lunch neared to an end, Bella was eager to leave. Every ten seconds or so, she would glance between the group and the door, her leg bouncing violently against the floor. I couldn't tell whether she was looking for the Cullens or was rather just too bored of the dull conversation that hadn't changed since the strange family had left, but either was I was pleased to join her.
"Biology?"
Her head snapped around in surprise upon hearing me question her. Bella smiled. "Yeah. Mr Banner."
"Come on. I'll show you where the class is before they make us late," I said, pulling my bag up and standing smoothly.
Jessica didn't bother to stop her conversation, but Mike glanced over sending a smile as I announced where we were going. The two of us piled into the corridor, arms staying close as the stream of students gradually increased along the school. We had to go outside to be able to cross into the silence block, and an immediate shiver went through Bella's arms as we reached the door. It was drizzling by the time we crossed the courtyard, the air a fine wet mist. Bella groaned.
"Don't like rain?"
"No. It's... wet," she said with a cringe.
"That's generally what rain is," I said, chuckling.
Bella smiled, her cheeks flushing again. "It's cold. I like the sun."
We hurried across the grass in silence, the sound of pattering rain and squelching mud filling up any need for talk. I liked Bella for that reason: we didn't have to talk unlike the rest of the group we'd been pulled into.
I was too preoccupied with my own worry to be able to function on a normal conversation. There were vampires in the school. The idea of them finding out about me unsettled me to no need, and while my gift of hiding had never failed me before, I didn't know what to do. I was never one to risk things, but I could just up and leave now. Especially if they knew what I was.
Nothing about their movements at lunch had given away that they knew about me. But they were vampires. They were built to be inconspicuous in their advances, perfect in their appearances. If they knew about me, there was no way I could know. I tried to forget about it until the end of biology.
"Don't worry. Mr Banner doesn't do introductions. He's alright," I said, watching her shoulders sag in relief.
When we entered the classroom, I pointed Bella to the teacher and said a quick goodbye as I headed to my seat in the back of the classroom, waiting for my bench partners to show. By the time Mr Banner had signed her form and found her a textbook that she needed, the class was full and loud with chatter. Mike had announced himself rather obnoxiously with Jessica following soon after.
There was only one spare bench, and one of the seats had already been filled by Edward Cullen. Realisation spread over Bella's face. He was rigid, like a statue in his chair as she passed. He was staring again, a glare so mean and belligerent that I was almost ready to push against the tables and growl at him myself.
Bella frowned, blushing as she noticed his hostile glance. She tripped on her way forward, gaining a few giggles from the girls that'd left the stray book on the floor. Jessica laughed too. I gave her a glare.
Mike had begun to talk at me again. I only half listened, choosing to watch Bella's wary movements around the boy she had to sit with. Edward was leaning so far away from her that it looked like he would fall from his stool any minute. His mouth was covered with a large hand. In that moment, I scowled. It was her blood that he was so offended by.
Perhaps it was me. What if my smell, so different to that of both humans and vampires, repulsed him? What if he was sitting at the edge of his seat, gripping to the table, in a way to prevent himself from turning around and snapping at me in warning? I reminded myself to blink, breathing out heavily.
The lesson dragged on. I didn't bother to write notes. I'd done the same lesson multiple times. It was cellular anatomy- easy. Three quarters of the way through the hour, Mike nudged me, nodding his head toward Bella.
"Check out Cullen," he said, almost laughing. "He looks like he's in pain or something."
"Yeah, or something," I murdered, watching as Bella leaned in to sniff herself.
"What's his problem?" Jessica asked, but I could still see the untrusting jealousy in her eyes.
"I have no idea."
After biology, I walked to gym with Bella and Mike. He'd had the never to ask her about Cullen, but she shrugged, acting as if she hadn't noticed. But again, she was a bad liar, and hadn't even bothered to hide her frown.
In PE, we were doing volleyball. Halfway in, Bella had already tripped and fallen and I'd offered to sit out with her. It was either that or pretend to play on the sidelines. There was something about playing sports with humans that I didn't like. I suspected it was the fact that I was built to always win. It meant the competition couldn't ever be fun.
On the way out, Bella dropped into the office to hand her letter in. I'd asked her about Edward and she'd promised to meet me outside to talk about it.I could tell she didn't want to speak about it, but by the time I'd went to tell her she didn't have to, she'd already disappeared into the direction of the reception.
Outside, the rain had cleared, leaving behind miserable, grey clouds and a damp floor. The flower pots were drenched, dull, yellow heads dripping, rather depressed. I leaned against my car, bag dumped in the front seat. I didn't know how Bella got to school and my car was close enough for her to see me anyway.
Two minutes after I'd left the school, the Cullens emerged, walking effortlessly across the slippy floor ways, as if they glided on the earth. There were only the four of them, Edward missing, as they walked to a shiny Volvo, probably the newest of all the cars in the block.
The strolled past me, filling the air with their scent. It was the strangest, earthy like rocks but metallic like dried, spilled blood- nothing like the freshness of human scent. It was a neutral smell though. Something I could surround myself with ease. Yet there was a draw to it, not like the lustful pull to human blood, but a want to be surrounded by the same. Perhaps I'd been by myself for too long. I shook off the thought.
It was as they were passing, that I caught her eye. Alice Cullen gazed at me as she past, her head barely tilting to observe my brown eyes. Her eyebrows raised only slightly, and I wondered what it meant. But it seemed like only a second again until she looked away, head straight and chin tilted as if she'd never moved an inch.
