POV: BELLA VINCENT
Monday, October 30 2017
Despite being deep in a dream, I was starting to feel conscious. The pain was real.
I could feel my nose burning. I also vaguely heard someone calling my name, but I couldn't see anyone.
"Bella!"
I knew the voice, but I was too exhausted to search for him. It was dark wherever I was.
"Bella! Bella!" The voice was louder. "Wake up!"
I felt a searing sensation near my torso and shot up. My bedroom was on fire.
It was Aaron who was screaming for me. He was standing in the threshold of my door, trying to find an opening to get to me.
"Aaron!" I was on my feet now, pressed against the wall above my bed. The flames were in a ring shape around me.
"Suctus incendia!" The fire dispersed, then disappeared. There were no burns or heat damage anywhere.
"What the..." He looked confused but hurried over to me. "Are you okay?! What was that?!"
"Don't worry about it." I would worry enough for the both of us. "I'm fine. Are you?"
"Once my heart rate slows down, I'll let you know." He sat down next to me. "Listen... I know I obviously haven't earned a real answer from you, but the fact that there are holes in my memory is... unsettling, to say the least. What is going on?"
"I'm sorry. Sincerely. I didn't plan for any of this to happen... I'm not supposed to be here. I can't explain it because I don't know the answer myself. And if you want to fill those holes, all you have to do is ask. But make sure that's when you're ready for the truth."
He sighed and headed for the door.
Getting burned alive is one hell of a way to get woken up.
I took my time getting dressed for school.
Aaron had already left for work by now, so it was quiet. I finished the last of the blood bags, then grabbed a water bottle before getting my school bag. I felt my back pocket for the new phone I got yesterday, coming up empty.
"Ugh."
I went back upstairs, feeling through my bed for it. I lifted up the pillows and gasped at what I found underneath.
The only thing that left a singed mark from the fire. Everything else was perfectly intact as if the flames hadn't touched them.
A pentagram. A witch's symbol.
Another witch did this to me.
Witches use pentagrams when they want to eliminate a threat. The five elements are what bind the spell to the target, making the blow even stronger.
Great.
It took me ten minutes to get to the school. I parked at the back of the lot.
I noticed two vehicles that were fancier than the rest: a silver Volvo and a white Jeep. Almost everyone else had bland cars that were probably passed down from their parents.
It was still early, so I took that extra time to sit in the truck. I opened my new notebook and started writing down every relative spell I could to derail the mysterious witches.
Who were they? Why would they want to hurt me? Were they the ones who dropped me in this strange place?
I don't remember making enemies with such a powerful witch before.
That's when it hit me: Klaus.
He knows tons of witches. His own sister, my beloved friend Freya, was the most powerful witch I'd ever known.
But I'd betrayed her. Betrayed them all.
She would have every reason to do this. And she wouldn't even need help from other witches. She'd be able to take me down with this all on her own.
I slammed the journal shut, shoved it in my bag, and hopped out of the truck.
I didn't even get to the door before someone spoke to me.
"Hi! Are you new here?" A boy who was three inches taller than me and had shiny black hair caught up to me atop the steps.
I chuckled. "Is it that obvious?"
"Kinda. I'm Ben Cheney." He held out his hand to shake mine.
"I'm Bella. Coach Vincent's sister."
"Oh, wow. I didn't know he had any family."
"Yeah, this is my first time here."
"Well, it's a pretty nice place. If you need a lunch date, my girlfriend and our friends have an open seat that you're welcome to."
"I just might take you up on that. Thank you."
"No problem. See you around, Bella. Welcome to Forks High."
I smiled at him as he walked away. He seemed genuinely welcoming. I hoped his friends were, too. I didn't need drama at my place of distraction.
My first four classes passed pretty quickly. I walked into the cafeteria with no intention of eating.
"Bella!" I saw Ben waving me over, then patted the space next to him for me to sit. "Guys, this is Bella Vincent, a new student. She's the coach's sister."
"Hi." I looked at each of them briefly.
"This is my girlfriend, Angela. This is my best friend, Austin, and this is Eric, Mike, and Jessica."
"You're Vincent's sister?" Jessica narrowed her eyes. "I guess I kinda see the resemblance. How old are you?"
"Nineteen." I laughed internally at the resemblance part. "Thanks for letting me sit here. I was worried I'd have to awkwardly walk around the school during lunch."
"Of course," Angela exclaimed. "Aren't you gonna get something to eat?"
I shook my head. "Not hungry." Not for this, anyway. I'll get someone on the way to class.
I felt several pairs of eyes on my back and faced them. It was a group of five sitting with untouched food on their trays.
The first was a beautiful blonde, and next to her was a vastly-muscled guy. On the other side of him was a tall, lean boy with shaggy blonde hair, who had his arm around a small girl with dark spikes on her head. The last was a guy with bronze hair that almost looked red.
My eyes were perceptive to the more minor details. They all looked the same but distinctly different. Something about them reminded me of the doctor I met at the hospital.
I turned back to my table and whispered to Ben, "Who are they?"
He didn't look surprised by the question. "The Cullens. Their adoptive father is an amazing doctor at the hospital, and everyone there says they're grateful his wife wanted to move to a small town. They kind of keep to themselves, but they're really polite. And they're all together."
They're dating their adoptive siblings? Is not that strange in this place? I know they're not bound by blood, but... still.
"On the left is Rosalie Hale," he continued. "Then Emmett Cullen. They're together. Then there's Jasper Hale, who's with Alice Cullen. He and Rose are twins. Then next to Alice is Edward Cullen, who isn't with anybody."
I wondered if they were the ones with the fancy cars. No doubt, with their doctor dad.
"They're staring at you."
"Still?"
"Probably just because you're new. We don't get many new people in this town... Oh, hey, what are your last two classes?"
"Biology with Mr. Banner, then gym with my brother."
"We have that bio, too! Well, except for Austin. And there's one last open seat on the table next to me, so I'll be close if you need anything."
"You're so nice. It's rare for me to come across. Thank you. You're really making me feel welcome in a place I never thought I would."
He grinned. "It's my honor."
We took our time walking together with Angela, while the other three were a few paces behind. Angela was exactly like Ben, so genuine and sweet.
"I'm going to stop by the bathroom. I'll see you in there," I told them. They nodded.
I started walking down the next hallway, hoping the bathroom wouldn't be empty. I needed to eat.
Thankfully, I wasn't alone in there. There were three other girls in front of the mirror. I pulled out my phone and leaned against the wall. The last one to leave would be the unlucky one.
Two of them went to class, and the loner was still touching up her hair.
I slid my phone back in its place just in time. My prey took a step in front of me, and I grabbed her arm. She wheeled around to face me, and I stared deeply into her eyes.
"Don't scream."
She didn't answer. I tore into her jugular, getting lost in the moment. It had been too long since I've fed live. The warmth was overwhelming.
Her heartbeat was slowing; I usually stop before I hear that.
I knew I should stop. I just didn't want to.
But the trouble to bury her corpse outweighed my desire to kill.
I pulled away, closing my eyes in euphoria. As I was getting it together, the second bell rang.
I punctured my wrist, then shoved it in her face. My blood entered her system, letting the bite wound heal.
"Leave, and forget about this," I compelled her. She nodded, making her way out into the hall.
When I got to the class, everyone was already there. I saw the last open seat... next to Edward Cullen. Like the rest of his family, he made me feel uneasy. Especially with all the staring. And not noticing their father's heartbeat last Friday...
Even though I already knew where I would have to sit, Ben guided me there anyway.
I wasn't sure how long I'd been holding my breath, but I kept my lungs still anyway, ignoring the burn it caused me.
My chair lightly scraped the floor as I pulled it back. Edward Cullen was visibly trying his hardest to keep his eyes forward, but I caught him fail every now and again to briefly look at me.
The doctor's son didn't have a heartbeat, either.
Okay, I am officially going nuts. Was there something wrong with me?
I thought not, since I heard the other sixteen around us. I heard my own.
What is with this family?!
What the hell kind of creature doesn't have a beating heart? I didn't know whether to be terrified or fascinated.
A middle-aged man walked through the door, pleasantly greeting his students.
I breathed in deeply, relief filling my body as the teacher started to speak. The small bubble around my seat was no longer crowded with awkward silence.
With this strange boy sitting next to me, stealing glances my way, I felt claustrophobic. I didn't hear him breathing, either. That instantly stopped my lungs again, my predatory nature sensing for danger.
I heard what sounded like wood cracking and looked toward the noise. I didn't move my head, just my eyes.
It came from under the table, and I saw Edward's fingers making indents in the frame.
My body froze. Suddenly, I desperately wanted to get out of here, away from him, because I felt the overwhelming need to attack.
My fingers twitched in anticipation. I fought hard to ignore it, but the more I did, my arms started to shake, too.
If I didn't control myself, I would regret my next moves: killing Edward Cullen, ripping out the throats of all witnesses in the room, then fleeing.
I knew I wouldn't be able to fight the urge much longer. I was grateful that we were seated in the back. Only five minutes into class, I decided to leave. I quickly and quietly picked up my bag and slipped out the second door, ignoring my new friends' eyes following me. As far as I knew, Mr. Banner didn't catch it.
I rushed to the gymnasium as fast as a human speed would carry me, in case there were cameras or prying eyes I was too out of it to notice.
His students were still in the locker rooms, and Aaron was alone on a bench. I hissed his name, calling him over to me. He jogged over to me.
"Are you okay? Why aren't you in class?"
I ignored his questions and told him I needed to go; I'd see him at home tonight. I turned my back, gone before he could ask anything else.