Jerking with a start, Alex gazes around the dimly lit room with wide eyes. Blood pounding in his ears, skin prickling with sweat, and muscles tense. Struggling to breath, he takes a moment to scan the room for any immediate signs of danger. Once reassured to see only the faint sun shining through the windows and Tom's sleeping form does he slowly relax.
'It... It was a dream...Nothing happened...You're fine, Tom's fine...You're safe now...'
With a shaky, deep breath, Alex sighs in defeat when he sees the clock reading 4:47 a.m.
'So much for sleeping in.'
Getting out of bed, Alex peeks around the window curtains to see the sun covered with clouds, barely visible. Backing away, he carefully opens the closet door, careful to not disturb his brother. After grabbing a blue, long sleeved flannel and a pair of black jeans he quietly walks into the hallway bathroom for a quick shower.
The hot shower loosens the tension in his back, traces of his nightmare melting away. Once done Alex tosses his sweat soaked night clothes into the laundry basket in the closet before quietly going downstairs to the kitchen.
Today would be the teenager's first day of school in Forks, first day of living their new lives. The three of them had gone into town Saturday for school supplies and bedroom essentials. Afterwards Eagle took the two of them to a local diner with a couple of jocks outside. Tom immediately made fun of how Americans would walk around with their pants down. He said, and quote, "It looks like they took a dump in their pants and now their bloomers are just hanging out for everyone to see". To which Eagle found that hilarious and started laughing his ass off in the diner.
Sunday was a bit more exciting. Eagle had taken the teens to the shooting range so Tom could learn the basics and Alex could brush up. There had been a couple slipups with calling Eagle "Charlie", but luckily there weren't many people there. Tom got the basics down pretty quickly, but Eagle said he wanted them to go there again every weekend if possible since they're becoming his pupils. So weird.
In the kitchen, Alex makes a bowl of oatmeal as he waits for the coffee to brew. He's just about finished when Eagle comes down in his police uniform, giving the blonde a smile. "Hey, Al. You sure get up early."
Shrugging, he gestures upstairs. "What can I say, when I live in a room with that lazy bum you tend to not get enough sleep with his snoring." Alex lies, not wanting to worry him or Tom about his nightmare, especially since this probably won't be the last of them.
Eagle glances at the clock on the wall while pouring himself a mug of coffee. "Alright, well you might want to wake Tom up if you two want me to drop you two off on time."
Looking at the clock, Alex puts his bowl and mug in the dishwasher. "Alright, thanks!" Dashing upstairs, he opens their bedroom door and immediately jump on Tom's bed while shaking him. "Tommy boy! Wakey, wakey!"
Sleepily, Tom tries to kick him off, unsuccessfully since Alex continues to bug him. "Alex! Give me five more minutes!" He groans, pulling the blanket over his head.
Unable to stop himself from rolling his eyes, Alex gets off and pulls the blanket off of him. "Come on, Tom." Tossing the blanket to the other side of the room, he walks over to the window and pulls the curtains open. "We're going to be late for school if you don't get up." He shakes his head at the groan Tom gives him. "Eagle made pancakes down-"
"PANCAKES!" Tom yells, jumping out of bed quickly.
He rushes to pull on his blue jeans and the green sweatshirt he had laid out on his chair as he rushes downstairs. Chuckling, Alex grabs their backpacks off the ground and Tom's phone before going downstairs.
By the time he makes it to the kitchen, Tom is sobbing in his arms at the table with Eagle looking at him with a confused face. Turning to Alex, he gestures to Tom. "What's up with him?"
Dropping their bags by the doorway, Alex goes to the cabinet to make Tom a bowl of cereal. "Told him there were pancakes-"
"He lied!" Tom wails.
"-and now he's upset." He finishes, not even phased by Tom's interruption. Patting him on the back, Alex sets the bowl of cereal in front of his wailing friend. "Tomorrow, I'll be sure to make you some."
Lifting his head up with a pout, Tom grabs the bowl and starts to eat. "Killed my childhood spirit." He mumbles to himself, ignoring Eagle and Alex laughing.
They wait until Tom finishes his breakfast before leaving, for school and work. With Alex in the front and Tom in the back, the three discuss their plans for the day.
"The school doesn't have a lot of buses under their pay, so I'll have to pick up and drop you two off at school for now. Unless you find another ride. Either way, you two get out before my break starts so you'll have to stay a little longer after the day ends for me to pick you guys up." Eagle explains.
"And should we still keep our suspicions up about the Cullens?" Tom asks, glancing back at Alex.
Mulling it over for a bit, the big guy just nods. "Yeah, I guess you two could. I doubt they'll do anything, but just be careful about what you say in front of them and the others. No one can know your past life."
Finally making it to the school, Eagle pulls up near the entrance of the parking lot as students walk past us. Obviously gaining the attention of everyone passing by.
"Thanks for the ride, Charlie. See you after school." Alex says as he gets out of the cruiser, pulling his backpack over his shoulder.
Hearing a banging on the side of the door, he looks back to see Tom gesturing for him to open the door since it's locked from the inside. Charlie probably forgot to unlock it before heading out.
The blonde gives him a grin as he leans against the door and waves his fingers. "Hey, Tommy boy. How's it hanging?" He teases, earning a middle finger from his brother. Chuckling, Alex opens the door while sweeping his arm out with a bow. "Your destination, good sir."
Smacking Alex's head lightly while getting out, Tom gives Eagle an innocent smile. "Thanks for the ride, Charlie."
He gives the teens a two-finger salute while laughing, probably already used to their antics "Have fun you two, try not to kill each other."
Glancing at each other, the two turn to him. "No promises." They say in unison before closing the door and walking towards the parking lot as Eagle pulls away.
While discussing their class schedules for the day, the two are interrupted by an Asian guy walking up to them with a smile. "Hi! I'm Eric Yorkie, I'm a part of the welcoming committee. Judging by your looks and accents you two are the new transfer students, right?"
"Yeah, I'm Tom and this is my mate Alex." Tom gestures to Alex who gives him a nod of his own.
Eric gestures towards the main building with a big smile on his face. "Well, how about I give you two a quick tour to the office and your morning class?"
"That'd be great, thanks." Alex says while giving him a smile. 'Kind of reminds me of a corgi....'
After walking inside the building, Eric leads the two to the main office. The hallways are filled with other teenagers, all vying for a glimpse of the foreigners. Snickering, Tom elbows Alex in the side when he sees a couple of girls sending looks his way.
"I'm starting to love this place more and more." He whispers, waving to one of his admirers who gives him a confident smile.
Rolling his eyes, Alex leans over and wraps an arm around Tom's shoulder. "Yeah, until they actually get to know you-OOF!" Rubbing his bruised side, Alex gives him a glare. "Mate, no need to bruise me so much!"
By now Alex has noticed that the majority of the girls are staring at them interact with a certain look in their eyes. 'Interesting...' A sly idea starts to sneak its way in Alex's mind as Tom pats him on the back.
"As if you don't have your own bruises already." He teases, referencing to the ex-spy's bruises from past missions.
Grinning, Alex leans in close to Tom's ear while gently sliding his hand against his cheek. "What? You mean the ones you left on me all of yesterday?" Dropping his voice down an octave, the teens whisper quietly enough for the audience in the hallway to hear. "Or last night?"
"A-Al? What's with you, mate?" He stammers out, flushing a deep red. But when he sees the glint in Alex's eye, he grins, understanding what he's trying to do. "You cheeky bastard."
Giving him a wink, the teen pulls away and head over to the receptionist's area. "I don't know what you're talking about." Alex turns to the middle-aged secretary, ignoring Tom's snort of amusement and Eric's confused look. "Hello, I'm Alexander Swan and this is Tom Hernandez. We just transferred here from England."
"Oh! Charlie told me about some relatives living with him. Nice to meet you two, let me just get your papers and Eric here," she gestures to him, "can show you two around, can't you?"
"Of course! Not a problem." Eric happily chirps.
'Yippy, more of the active puppy dog' Alex stifles a snicker as he nods his head furiously. 'I hope he doesn't bruise himself or something.' Turning around to check on Tom, he sees him leaning against the door frame while talking to the brunette who he winked at. 'Wonder what tales he's spewing out.' Alex wonders before making his way over.
"So, after we escaped from those bullies, we ran all the way back to Al's house. We were so far out of town that it took us all day to get there. We didn't have any money, only the clothes on our backs and the will to keep going. When we finally got back, I told Al, I said "Al, buddy. Although I regretted running those last miles, but if we had to save that little girl all over again, I would." So then-"
"-So, then he crawled on off to my room and refused to leave my house until he took a nap." Alex interrupts. Leaning against Tom's shoulder, he rolls his eyes. "It was quite sad really; I couldn't sleep in my own bed that night cause this bloke just had to hog the covers." He teases, elbowing Tom's side.
"Alex!" Tom exclaims, wrapping an arm around his neck and pulling him down. Distracting him enough so he could rub his fist in his hair. "Why must you always ruin my stories?"
Pushing back against his hand with a laugh, Alex tries to get out. "Why must you always snore in your sleep?" He shoots back, laughing even more.
Meanwhile, the brunette just watches them with a smile on her face. "Wow, you two must really get along. I have a couple of guy friends who wouldn't be caught dead doing that."
Calming down a bit, Tom finally lets him up and they both give her a grin. "That's because Al and I are like brothers. We grew up together and have seen the tougher part of life too." Tom explains, giving him a pat on the back.
At his words, Alex punches him on the shoulder lightly with a smile. "Aww, thanks man. I never knew you had such a way with words."
"Boys," they both turn around to see the elderly secretary giving them amused smiles, "I would hate to break up this touching moment, but I do believe that you two need to head to class if you want to make it on time."
Giving her a sheepish look, the two accept their papers. Looking down at them, they compare their schedules. Alex can't help but chuckle at Tom's groan of disappointment. "English and Government first thing in the morning? I'm going to go crazy before lunch even starts." Tom mutters.
"Don't worry," Eric contributes, "your teachers are pretty cool. They mainly let the two of you do whatever, just as long as you get A's and do your homework of course." Wrapping his arms around their shoulders, he then ushers them out of the office. "Now let's get to class, you two! Enough dilly dallying!"
' "Dilly dallying"?' Alex wonders in amusement. 'Americans sure are weird. That or this guy is one of a kind.'
"So," the puppy...er, Eric starts, "what was it like living in England?" He asks, automatically making the two teens concerned to remember their cover story.
"You know, Al. We better get to class." Tom interrupts, giving him a sly smile, fooling Eric completely. "Talk to you later, mate." He then places a hand on his brother's back and the two head in the direction of their class.
It's not until they round the corner, well away from Eric's ears, that Alex lets out his contained laughter. "He's like a hyperactive puppy!" He exclaims, ignoring the curious looks sent their way.
"Man, Americans sure are funny" Tom chuckles along.
Once they calm down Alex pulls on Tom's arm, fighting against the wave of teenagers trying to get to their own classes. "Come on, Tom. We should hurry, don't want to be late on the very first day now, do we?"
Glaring at his brother, Tom just walks away. "Shut up, Alex!"
"I would, but I'm just too cool to do so!" Alex shouts back before turning around to see Eric rushing to keep up with them.
"Wait, you two! You're going the wrong way." He warns, pointing to the hallway behind them. "It's this way."
Alex watches as Tom halts, immediately turns around, walks over to Eric and pushes his back to walk in front of him down the correct hallway. Unable to take it, Alex doesn't even try to hold in his laughter. By the time they make it to class, the bell rings just as they enter the room.
'Talk about saved by the bell.'
"Eric?" The teacher questions, looking up from his notebook. "What are you doing here? I don't have you until 4th period."
"Oh! I'm just showing Alex and Tom to your class." Eric explains, earning the attention of the entire class.
"Thanks, Eric. Let me write you a pass to class." The teacher says, grabbing a notepad and scribbling on it quickly. Handing it to him, the teacher turns to the two Brits as Eric leaves. "Nice to meet you two. I'm your teacher, Mr. Mason" He then glances at his attendance sheet. "Alex, why don't you sit next to Edward. Tom, behind Seymour."
Paying attention when they hear one of the Cullen's name, the two look and see the guy from the picture sitting at the side. 'Edward...', Alex gives him a smile, 'Better play it safe,' but it seems to backfire at the way Edward tenses up.
As Tom and Alex walk to their tables, Alex slides into his seat, not realizing that his and Edward's chairs are so close. There's a faint growling in the air, making him more alert on the inside. Training kicking in, Alex discreetly assess his surroundings while maintaining a relaxed posture. Glancing at the teen, Alex gives Edward another smile when received with a glare. Deciding to play cool, he sends a wink to the tense teen.
"Alright class, like I announced yesterday, I have a faculty meeting to attend shortly so your sub will be here. Just use this class time as a study hall." The teacher announces.
As soon as he says this, everyone immediately begins to talk and go on their phones. Sharing a look from across the room, Tom nods to Alex and is about to get up when a guy with blonde hair pulls him into a conversation. Smiling at the look of joy on Tom's face at making new friends, Alex turns and give the infamous Cullen a smile in return for his suspicious gaze.
"Hi," he starts, holding a hand out, "I'm Alex. Nice to meet you."
Staring at his hand for a tense moment, Edward nods before shaking his hand carefully. The cold from his hand is slightly shocking, but before Alex can get too curious Edward pulls his hand away.
"Edward." He replies, going tense once more. He leans away from Alex, practically on the edge of his seat, completely obvious that something is wrong.
Raising an eyebrow at him, Alex nods before taking a notebook from his bag. "Good to know." He gestures to his notebook. "Do you mind if I-". Edward practically shoves his own notebook into his hand before Alex can finish his sentence. Immediately after, he leans away and covers his mouth, averting his gaze "...thanks."
'Note to self.... hates me.'
The two sit in complete silence as the rest of students talk. Alex keeps glancing over at Edward, sometimes he pretends to be on his phone, other times he stares at him and it sends shivers down the teen's spines.
'Note to self...Likes to freak out people with his stares'
But he continues copying down the notes, completely aware of Edward's scrutiny. Just as he's finished copying down everything, the bell rings with a shrill chime. Startled, Alex looks up while closing the book. "Thanks for..." he starts, only to find himself watching Edward's back as he races out the door. ".... the notes."
"Alex?" Turning around, he sees Tom and the blonde kid standing beside him with curious looks.
"What's up with Cullen?" Tom's friend asks, nodding towards the door. "I've never seen him leave that fast before."
Shrugging, Alex puts his stuff away, including his book. "Well, looks like I don't have to worry about making conversation with him. By the way," Alex starts, giving Tom's friend a confused look, "does he always stare at people like they're accused of murder? Freaked me out."
"Ha! That's an odd description. Oh," He holds his hand out to Alex. "I'm Mike by the way."
Shaking his hand, he gives him a smile. "Alex, but you probably already knew that."
"I'm not really sure. I mean, I've been to this school just as long as Edward has, but he's only associated with his family. They're pretty tight knit, no one really got a chance to get to know them very well." Mike explains, being casual about the whole thing.
'Yeah, well there seems to be more to it....' Alex glances over at Tom and remembers how much happier he looked in a new school and environment. He shakes his head.
'I promised a new life for us, I can't ruin it for us by getting involved where I don't belong...'