POV: BELLA VINCENT
Monday, November 13 2017
"I'm going to ask you one last time," I started, staring intently into Mike's eyes. We were sitting in my truck in front of Aaron's house. "Are you sure you're ready for this?"
"Yes—"
"Because there is plenty of time for—"
"Bella."
"You still have a lot to learn about—"
"I said yes."
"We don't have to rush into—"
"Bella!"
I looked over at him.
"I'm aware I... may be sliding back into my life a little too quickly. I'm aware I may screw everything up. But I need something to live for." He smiled enthusiastically. "For lack of a better word."
I rolled my eyes. "Very funny."
I parked in back, just a few minutes before the bell would ring, dreading what I knew was waiting for me.
Edward Cullen was leaning against his car, eyes unwavering. Alice was by his side, practically beaming in place. I rested my head on the steering wheel for a moment, trying to resist the urge to flee.
"Do you need a minute?"
"I just need to get through it," I vacillated as Mike and I stepped out of the car. "Wait right outside the front office. I'll be there in a minute."
He stepped away hesitantly. "If you say so."
When he was enough of a distance away—he hadn't quite mastered the distant hearing thing—I approached the Cullens. "What the hell do you want?"
"Where have you b—"
Alice cut him off. "We were just curious to see how it's going with Mike. How's he handling the adjustment?"
I raised my eyebrows in astonishment. "The... adjustment? I don't know what vampirism is like for you people, but he died. Mike actually died. So, I think it's safe to say this life adjustment has been a little rocky. Which is why I have to do this."
They exchanged a glance as I turned away from them and faced the entry to the parking lot.
"We'll see," he whispered, just barely audible enough for me to hear. I remembered what Jasper told me about his gift. What did she ask him in her mind?
I raised my hands outward, my focus solely on Mike.
I haven't said it aloud, but I'm sure Mike knew I didn't totally trust him yet. He's only been a vampire for five days. Less than a week! He's a fetus. I needed to be cautious.
"Otum adnarvet esnavit atim," I chanted. "Otum adnarvet esnavit atim. Otum adnarvet esnavit atim." A wave of wind blew my hair back. I opened my eyes and nodded to myself in satisfaction.
"What was that for?" Alice asked cautiously.
"It's a boundary spell," I informed them. "It's used to seal people into an enclosed location. No one can enter and no one can leave the school grounds without my say so."
"Excuse me?" Edward's voice rose.
"Can you relax? Not everything's about you." I pushed past them. "It's for Mike. In case he loses control, or anything else happens, the problem is isolated and I can deal with it." I turned back to face them, a wide smile twisting into a rictus. "You seem to be a glass-half-empty kind of guy, so you may want to take the day off. You're free to pass the threshold as you wish."
I returned to Mike. He was leaning against the wall next to the office doors. He smiled in relief when he saw me.
"That didn't take long. What did they say to you?"
"Things they had no business asking." I opened the door and waved my hand through. "Shall we?"
"Are you all right? You look upset. I kind of prefer you freaking out over my decision to be here." He chuckles uncomfortably.
"I'm sorry." I sigh to expel some anger. "I'm fine. Let's just get this day over with."
We walked through the door and inside at the desk sat Ms. Cope. Her eyes lit up. "Oh, Mike! I'm so happy to see you!" She rounded the counter to give him a sweet hug. "I'm so sorry about Jessica, dear. Where have you been? Your parents haven't been answering our calls."
He looked over her at me with panicked eyes. "I..."
I took her arm lightly, turning her to me and staring deeply into her irises. "Ms. Cope, calm down. The important thing is that Mike is okay. I'm sure he's plenty overwhelmed as it is, and doesn't need to be bombarded with questions, now does he?"
She slumped over her shoulders, tranquility taking over. "Of course. It's such a relief to have him back." Her gaze passes between us a few times. "You have any problems today, Mike, you come tell me. I'll make sure your transition back in class is seamless."
"Thank you, Ms. Cope," he said gratefully.
"I'm sure your teachers will be happy you're here. Try to have a good day, and take it easy. You, too, dear," she directed at me. I nodded my appreciation.
"Do you want some company? In case people crowd you?" I offered sincerely once we got into the hall. It was quiet around us. "I wouldn't mind."
He grinned. "I think I'll be okay. You won't be far if anything happens, right?"
"Right," I promised. "You remember what I taught you? If you feel like your control is slipping, you turn around and walk away. Don't run, don't panic. Just walk away calmly."
"Calmly. Got it."
I squeezed his hand. "I'll see you at lunch."
He nodded before we parted ways. I watched him disappear down the hall and around the corner then retreated to my own classroom.
I entered building three and opened the door to Mr. Mason's classroom. His teaching voice halted when he saw me, his tone now annoyed. "Miss Vincent. I was unaware you were still in this class."
Eric Yorkie, Mike and Ben's friend, was sitting in a desk near me. His expression was unreadable.
I walked up to Mr. Mason's desk. He was sitting on the edge of it, reaching back to rifle through papers, probably looking for the attendance sheet. "In the two weeks since you've been a student here, this is the... third time you've attended class. To what do I owe the pleasure on this fine day?"
He crossed his arms, very alpha-male like. I fought the urge to roll my eyes.
I was all too aware of the sixteen children in the room with us, eyes unwavering.
"Let's just hope it was worth it." I smiled sweetly.
The class erupted in quiet oohs and laughter.
"Excuse me?" He leaned off his desk, taking a step toward me.
I lowered my voice. "Just do your job and pretend I'm like any other student here," I compelled him, then went to a desk in the back to sit.
Something similar like that happened in my next three classes. Nothing I couldn't handle.
Occasionally, I would perform a spell to see through Mike's eyes, to make sure everything was okay.
I was proud. He didn't slip up once. He stayed calm, even when the teachers and students crowded him with their questions and concerns.
When lunchtime finally arrived, I waited for Mike at the entrance doors. The students stared at us, leaning in and whispering as we walked with Ben, Angela, Eric, and Austin through the food line.
"You need to eat something," I mumbled to Mike, noticing he only had a juice carton and a mini loaf of banana bread.
"None of this looks good to me."
I nodded. "Which is why I didn't mean any of this."
He met my eyes sharply. "You mean—"
"Yes."
He paid for his meal and the six of us walked to their usual table. I held his arm when he put his tray down, motioning for him to follow me.
"We'll be right back," Mike told the rest of them.
Right before we exited the doors, I met Edward's eyes intently—he was already watching, and probably already listening. This was my way of giving him courtesy for what I was about to do.
The rest of his siblings were also staring at me. I knew Edward couldn't read my mind, but I hoped he remembered what I told him this morning. I didn't expect there to be no bloodshed today. They needed to be prepared, or they needed to leave.
I led Mike to the bathroom. Not the one nearest to the cafeteria, but the next one.
"Tell me what I taught you."
He nodded, recalling. "Snatch, eat, erase."
"Yes," I encouraged.
"Listen to the heartbeat," he continued.
"Feel it in the blood. And when it slows down—"
"And when it slows down, I stop. I make sure the bleeding is controlled."
"And then?"
"I compel them to forget and send them on their way."
I smiled. "Good job."
Within three minutes, we heard two guys make their way here.
As soon as they entered, I cast Claudo te to lock the door behind them. Mike and I stepped out of a stall together, catching the attention of them both immediately.
The taller one laughed. "Damn, Mike. You didn't waste any time after Jessica, did you?"
The other boy clapped his shoulder as they chortled together.
I saw Mike's eyes turn dark just before it was too late, and grabbed his arm. "Don't. Remember what I taught you. Stay in control," I commanded, volunteering to go first.
Since Mike was six inches taller than me, I reached out for the shorter boy who came in. Plus, I knew Mike wanted to be the one who fed on him—the one who mentioned Jessica.
"What the?" mine exclaimed.
I batted my eyelashes at him. "Do you wanna join?"
"Uh—" they both sputtered.
I nudged Mike, insinuating that he go along with it. I pulled the hands of them both with locked gazes. Mike followed behind them.
I pushed mine up against the wall. "Stay calm," we told them at the same time. "Don't scream."
We fed for several seconds, until I heard the bathroom door attempt to open. Mike wasn't paying attention.
I felt the air to try to get a sense of who it was. It didn't take me long to smell that sickly sweet, honey and lilacy scent. Edward and Emmett Cullen stood just on the other side, no doubt wondering how the hell their brute strength wasn't getting past a simple lock.
Good to know my hybrid magic was no match for them.
"No need to break the door," I told them.
Mike lifted his head.
"Can you, please?" I asked, referring to the two boys. I watched as he compelled them to forget what just happened. "Perfect." I smiled.
They stood still in the stall for a moment. Mike stepped forward to join me, but I instinctively held an arm in front of him—almost protectively, maternally.
I held another arm in front of me, palm out, as I chanted. "Dissera portus."
The lock clicked and the two Cullens rushed in to witness what they knew was happening. I knew they could hear us and smell the blood before they even left the cafeteria. I was just shocked it took this long.
"Can we help you?"
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Edward demanded. Emmett stood silently beside him, arms crossed. I saw the light in his eyes, clearly showing he was more than amused.
"Just having some lunch. You want some?" I smiled.
Emmett lost it, letting out a light laugh. Edward grimaced at him.
"You're in a public place. Do you have no control?"
I rolled my eyes. "How does this express a lack of control to you? Nobody died. They're not passed out. They're fine. It's not our fault if you don't know how to—"
"This is our home. You can't just waltz in and screw up everything we've built here."
"How are we screwing anything up?" Mike butted in. "I think we did a pretty good job."
"I'm really proud of you," I praised him. "You're doing a lot better than I did when I was young."
He looked down, cheeks red. "Thanks, Bells."
"You can go back to Ben and them. I'll finish up here."
He sounded uneasy. "You sure?"
"I am."
"If you say so. I'll see you soon." He kissed my cheek and walked out.
"Em, why don't you return to our siblings? Tell Alice she has nothing to worry about."
"Cool." He walked out without an argument. I had a feeling it was because he wasn't as uptight about this as Edward was.
I locked the door again when Emmett closed it behind him. "Okay, this is getting old. What is your problem?"
"You're hurting people," he said simply.
"I'm not, though," I insisted, exasperated, trying not to get angry. "Nobody even remembers the encounter once it's over. They don't develop PTSD. They don't die from blood loss; I stop way before that happens. So I'm gonna ask you one more time. What the hell is your problem?"
She shakes his head silently at me.
"Maybe you're too young to understand—"
"I'm not much younger than you are."
I continued as if I didn't hear him. "—and I don't really care. But are you honestly telling me you've never fed on human blood in your entire life? Never killed a single person, for any reason?"
His eyes darted to the floor for a quarter of a second before returning to mine.
"Exactly."
"The difference is that I've learned from my mistakes. You clearly haven't."
I raised my eyebrows. "You don't know anything about me."
"I know enough."
"You just can't stand the idea that you might be wrong about something. Why can't you just—"
My words were cut off when he closed the space between us, his cold lips meeting mine.