Sheilds of power

Chapter 3- Schooling

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any part of Twilight or its characters, they are all owned by Stephanie Meyer.

Chapter 3- Schooling

I was excited. I was finally ready for my first day of school. Renee and I had been taken on a tour of part of the castle a few days ago, where mum was shown a couple of rooms with desks, chairs, laptops etc. To make them seem like normal classrooms. She had then met some of my "teachers."

All in all, she had been very satisfied with the knowledgeable demeanours of the staff, and the classroom setup. I chuckled, imagining her reaction if she had realised that their knowledge had come from centuries of living, rather than the few decades they appeared to be.

I said goodbye to Renee outside the castle entrance before heading through the doors alone to meet some of the world's most dangerous predators.

Once I closed the doors, I was startled to find two large male vampires suddenly appear in front of me. I calmed myself, and gave myself a mental reminder to get used to the extreme speed that vampires moved at.

"Hi, I'm Felix," The larger of the two introduced himself.

"And I am Demetri." The second vampire stated.

"It's nice to meet you," I said, shyness suddenly overcoming me. "I'm Bella."

"Well, you're just as cute as Aro said." Felix cooed at me.

I snapped. I hated being called cute. I pushed out a shield and sent him flying into the wall. "Don't call me cute." I glared at him.

Demetri started laughing uproariously at his partner's misfortune. "Felix, I can't believe you just got smashed into a wall by a four year old!" he choked out between laughs. "Well done Bella! You looked like an angry kitten."

I gritted my teeth and sent him flying into the wall too. "I'm not a kitten," I hissed.

He was saved from replying by the entrance of Aro, Marcus and Caius, who had stood to the side, watching the display with amusement. "Well done Bella, I can see that you are going to fit in well here." Aro congratulated me. I smiled smugly at Felix and Demetri, who both wore appropriately abashed faces.

"I'm glad you can keep Felix and Demetri in line." Aro continued, "Because they will be your personal guards while you are here." They looked dismayed at the thought of babysitting me, but quickly composed themselves when Aro glanced at them.

They led me away to another room where there were seven other vampires all waiting, curiosity evident in their expressions as their eyes raked up and down me.

Aro proceeded to introduce everyone. "This is my mate, or wife Sulpicia." He proudly indicated the tall, beautiful women closest to the door, her brown hair billowing around her shoulders as she leaned down to shake Bella's hand. "Welcome little one," She smiled at Bella before withdrawing her hand.

Aro moved on to the next in the line. This lady exuded grace and beauty, her expression soft and kind. "This is my Marcus' wife Didyme." (AN: in my story she doesn't die, because I always thought she would be a nice character)

She effortlessly knelt until she was at my level before drawing me in for a soft hug. "Welcome Bella, you have caused quite a stir here with your talent. We are glad to have you around; nothing has been this interesting and surprising for us in nearly a millennium." She observed. I smiled softly back at her, before turning to the next lady.

This lady was tall and very glamorous, her long mahogany hair was artfully style in waves, and her clothes were bright and looked designer in origin. "I am Heidi," she introduced herself, smiling at me.