Catching Renesmee (COMPLETED)

Who's That?

The forest was alive. The floor was soggy from the rain, the trees stood taller then civilisation and the sweet chirps of birds surrounded the space, enveloping my ears. I walked in deeper, watching as civilisation’s marks lightened, and then completely disappeared. I had hoisted my pants up so that I didn’t get them dirty, but I knew there was nothing I could do for my sneakers. There was far too much wet nature making audible squelches, thick coatings of mud making layers on my soles. Regardless, I continued to walk on, noticing that some of the leaves of the trees were starting to mildly change in hue. From a dark, healthy green to a lighter shade. By a month, autumn would have probably made its powerful presence known in this vast space.

The soft trots of elks were recognizable and I could hear them deeper in another direction. It wasn’t unusual for this forest to contain life. Onwards I trekked, hands balled at my knees, only wincing when twigs grazed my bare ankles. I smiled knowingly when I hit mid-way point; I could see an estranged boot some feet away.

And then I heard it.

The unmistakeable sound of a pearl giggle. It made me halt my next step and pause, scanning the surrounding forest for its source.

There it came again!

It was undeniably a girl, I deduced. I heard it yet again, but this time it was accompanied by another sound. The distinctive gruff bark of some larger mammal. Truth be told, it scared me a little. The barking oddly sounds like some animalistic representation of a chuckle; I got the weird feeling that the animal was laughing with the girl.

“Hello?” I called out, still frozen.

No reply.

“Hello?” I tried again, only to be greeted by silence.

I didn’t know why, but I broke into a run, heading in the direction of where I heard the sound. And then I saw it. The retreating back of a girl, who ran in the opposing direction, her long dark hair slightly damp from the rain. More to her left, sticking to the shadows of the trees was the undistinguishable figure of a large, furry frame.

I squinted in the rain, seeming to think that I caught the glint of russet fur. After a beat, they were both completely out of sight......What on earth?

I made it to school twenty minutes after the sighting. A few, lone walkers had been giving me strange looks; nature’s discernible dirt had made flecks all over my clothes, making me look like some kind of freak. I ignored the replica stares of disdain from the students leaning on their cars as I cut through the parking lot. One dark skinned guy whispered something to a horde of friends beside him and they all burst out laughing.

“Did you sleep in the forest?” He called out.

Their laughter increased and I bit my tongue, an insult just about to slip out. Keep cool, Tom. First impressions stick. And boy did they.

There was a sort of introductory assembly that took place in the, ironically small, though named ‘great’ hall of Forks High school. It was meant for all the beginner freshmen. And it was pretty obvious exactly where the great hall was; I only had to spot the small, lively herd of similar-in-age teenagers, all gathered around a single door. I was careful to keep to the back, watching how a girl in front of me turned around and gave me a friendly smile.

“Hi! I’m Daphne Stanley!”

I blinked at her. Those must have been the liveliest four words I had ever heard. She was practically gyrating on the spot.

“Thomas Curbs.” She gave me another smile after our awkward—well, awkward to me—handshake and started up an unasked conversation. Through the few seconds I was beginning to know Daphne, one thing rang out clear. She was a keen talker.

“Are you excited to be here? I’m really, really excited! My older sister used to come here and she said it was really cool! She says she was sooo popular....”  

At this point, I let her trail off because I heard a familiar pearl giggle.

The person standing in front of Daphne, who Daphne herself had her back to, was vibrating slightly in smothered laughter. The only thing I noticed about her was that she was my height and had long, dark hair which reached her back.

“She used to date this really cute guy once and....”

Daphne shut up when she saw the crowd starting to move, heading inside the hall. As if it didn’t matter though, I repressed a sigh of frustration when Daphne continued off her one-sided conversation, though that time in a hushed whisper. But I did see that the dark haired figure in front laugh silently one more time before she entered.

That had got to be the most boring assembly I had ever attended. I was suddenly reminded as to why I was prone to ditching. Principal Greene was probably the dullest man known to history; generic suit, beady eyes, weary voice. I didn’t know if it was on purpose, but he had a tendency to make words longer then they actually are, drawing them out until they were forever printed into your mind. And if that wasn’t enough, Daphne just kept talking and talking, though quietly, throughout the whole affair, not needing a single prompt. I worried if this was how it’d always be.

We’d been assigned a homeroom teacher. Miss Melds, a fair haired, spectacled woman who usually taught Sophomore English was ours for the year. We were all made out to line up outside of the door, called in by registry-based name and given a seat. Miss Melds had an upbeat tone, the kind that isn’t too happy, but has enough positivity in it to make you smile. As she called out the names, I tuned out, Daphne still babbling on from beside me, until a particular name caught my attention.

“Renesmee Cullen.”  

It’s her. It’s got to be.

The girl, Renesmee, stepped up to the desk with graceful lithe, smiling politely at Miss Melds. When she turned around, I almost gasped when I saw her face. She was pale...as in really pale. But I quickly saw that the only reason she looked so pallid was because her skin was in contrast with her hair; a beautiful mane that glossed a dark hardwood colour. Her features were chiselled into attractive perfection...but her eyes. The gooey brownness of them caused an unconscious, dazed smile from me. A nudge was what eventually snapped me out of it.

“Thomas Curbs.”

By Miss Melds’ voice, it was clear that she’d had to repeat my name more then once. I approached her, nodding when she ticked off my name. Wearing a smile that only a warm teacher could, she pointed to the empty seat beside Renesmee.

“Welcome to Forks High School. I hope you have a wonderful junior year.”

I managed to nod back at her.

“Thanks.”

A small part in the back of my mind was thankful that she had not mentioned the topic that was my soiled appearance. Lord knew that my sniggering classmate’s hadn’t forgotten it. I came within reach of my seat, pulled it back and sat down. Renesmee was looking forward, but turned to face me when I settled.

“I’m Renesmee.”

She didn’t proffer a handshake like Daphne did, but instead offered a small, acquaintance grin. Truth be told, my mouth dried a little when I stared back at her.

“At this point, it’s courtesy to offer your name.”

Her prim suggestion helped a little to respond.

“The name’s Tom.”

“You’re covered in dirt.”

“The result of a shortcut to school.”

She furrowed her eyebrows but I just shook my head.

“Don’t ask.”

Something came back to me. But before I could ask her, Miss Wells broke out into another preliminary speech, though this one is not as long or as boring as Principal Greene’s. I guess I’d have to wait till later.