The Hybrid

Chapter 3

       The car ride is pretty silent except for the slow piano music in the background. Alice and Jasper are holding hands as they usually do and I focus on the trail of trees outside the window. It's calming but I wish I could run through them instead of sightseeing. Feel the cool air on my face and just be free. Maybe even shift and feel the air in my fur coat. I haven't done that in a long time. My wolf form isn't something I love about myself. It just reminds me of my brutal past. You can't think about that right now, just forget about it. I shake my head slightly and go back to watching the trees. Soon, we're back in town and I watch people walking along the sidewalk, going about their business. Sometimes I wish I could have that kind of normalcy, but then I remember that I never would've met Carlisle and been welcomed into this family.

       After a while, I zone out and before I know it, Alice is parking her car in the traditional spot that no one dares to take. I step out and walk over to meet everyone else by the other cars who are waiting for the bell to ring. I look around for a second and stop right at a bright red truck that looks damaged beyond repair, and see Bella leaning against the front hood reading a book. It's To Kill A Mockingbird and I think to myself that she has good taste. I couldn't help but look at the other details of her face. She's not half bad looking, actually kind of beautiful. I guess Edward has good taste too. Wait, why is my heart beating faster? Why am I getting nervous? It can't be because of her. Can it? I mean, she's only a human. Compared to my life, she's insignificant. Just brush it off, I'm sure it's just a coincidence. I'm just nervous about the meeting. I look away quickly and catch eyes with Jasper. He looks concerned at first but then he raises his eyebrows at me, seemingly knowing what's happening inside my head. He must've felt my feelings and caught on to the "coincidence". I shake my head at him wordlessly telling him to brush it off and not worry about it. He raises one eyebrow but turns his head back to the rest of the group.

       I don't really listen to the conversations in the group because I'm still thinking about how the meeting will go. I'm freaking out a little bit inside and I guess Jasper notices and sends me a few calming waves which makes me look up at him and word out "Thank you". He just gives me a small smile and nods at me and goes back to the conversation.

       After a few more minutes, the bell rings for first period. We all walk as a group up the flight of stairs to the main door and go our separate ways to class once we're inside. Alice gives Jasper a little peck on the lips and they separate, Jasper going to the left and Alice and I going to the right. We make small talk until we get to the classroom door and take our seats quietly in the back of the room. The teacher starts talking and I zone out completely, answering a few questions so she doesn't think I'm a slacker. I know all the answers anyway so it's not too hard to get through the hour.

       The other periods blend together. Some classes with Jasper, some with Emmett, none with Bella. Thank god, I don't think I could handle that right now.

       Lunch eventually rolls around and we all meet up to get food that no one will eat. It's just so people think we're normal. I usually sneak outside and eat there because I love the smell of the forest and the chill air. However, Emmett wanted to talk about the new game he and Jasper were playing. Rosalie hates that stuff as you already know. So, here I am, in the lunchroom, with lots of noises and conversations, talking to Emmett about how detailed the killing and blood is in the new Viking game.

       At first, it was easy listening and hanging onto his every word, but after about ten minutes of that, the other noise starts to creep its way inside my ears. So much to listen to, so much to hear. It's too much, I can't control it.

       "Hey, Harley, are you ok?" Jasper asks me, worry evident in his tone. He must've noticed that this wasn't the usual anxiety and nervousness that I had been dealing with all day. And it wasn't. This was something else. Something that I couldn't just block out and keep going about my day. I can feel every vibration of sound and word coming from everyone in the lunchroom. It was too much. This is why I didn't eat inside. While vampires already had an acute sense of hearing, I had that but tenfold since I was mixed with vampire and shapeshifter. I could usually control it, but this was different. My head was throbbing and the lights were blinding and it felt like everyone in the world was talking right at my face.

       I didn't answer Jasper because everything was blending together. However, he did notice my claws starting to come out. That's not good. I close my eyes hard to try and shut everything out.

       I could hear murmuring from around the table but I couldn't make anything out. I could make out Edward talking though. He must've come back to the table from talking with Bella.

       "Get her out of here, now," Edward said over everyone else. "She's freaking out inside and I don't know how long she'll be able to control her instincts".

       I felt Alice's hands on my shoulders, silently willing me to get out of my seat. I slowly stood up and braced my hand on the table. Alice however, covered up my hand on the table with her hand. I guess my claws were more prominent than I thought. I open my eyes so I know where I'm going only to see everything with my wolf eyes. Oh man, this is so not good. I could see waves and auras on everyone in the room, throbbing with every word the other students spoke. Luckily they weren't staring back at me. Except...Bella. She was looking over her shoulder with scrunched eyebrows trying to figure me out. I knew my eyes were a deep red color so I shut them so quickly that I felt dizzy afterward. I could see flashes of my past, overwhelming me to the point I could barely move. She's going to know something is different. She's going to hate me. I'm going to put my whole family in danger, just like last time.

       Alice and Jasper take both my arms and lead me out of the lunchroom, while the rest of them stay back so they don't look suspicious. Bella will no doubt ask Edward why I'm different. It's all my fault. It's always my fault.