"Police facilitated kickboxing and self defence classes," Astrid read aloud from a poster on the school notice board.
"My dad's a part of that," Bella muttered. "They mostly have retired cops and martial arts instructors volunteering, but he'll be helping to coach sometimes too."
"Cool," said Astrid. She took out a pen and signed herself up.
"You're actually interested?"
"Yeah. You don't think that after what happened with James and his gang that it could be a good idea?"
Bella shrugged, but Astrid could understand why she might feel awkward about joining a group where her father would be coaching her in front of others.
"Is that from Jasper?" Bella asked, pointing to the necklace she was wearing. Astrid nodded with a grin.
It was a gold chain with a pendant that had the Knight family crest engraved on one side and her name on the other. The gift was just another reminder that Astrid had one of the strangest relationships ever. Her boyfriend was a vampire and she was a half-elf whose family executed vampires for centuries.
"You know, I feel different," said Astrid as she and Bella walked slowly to homeroom. She spoke softly to keep their conversation private, but the other students at Forks High were occupied with their own conversations anyway. "I can't really explain it, but aside from needing weaker glasses because my vision magically improved - literally, I feel like I can do a lot more than I used to believe I could. You know that my family was part of a line of Slayers."
"That doesn't make you one of them," said Bella.
"I know, but I feel like I could do it if I tried." Bella frowned.
"You know my boyfriend's a vampire, right? And so is yours."
"I know," Astrid laughed. "But that doesn't mean I can't know more about my roots."
"Are you gossiping about us?"
Astrid turned around when she heard Jasper's voice and the light southern accent that she found so endearing. His arm came around her waist, cool to the touch, but reassuring, because it was a touch she knew. She saw his admiring eyes on her; the colour of amber, and his playful smirk. Edward was with him.
"No, we're not gossiping about you," said Astrid, tipping her head back against his shoulder as if she was daring him to kiss her. She felt his chest rise as he looked down at her, his eyes skimming over her neck and her natural scent teasing him. She hadn't worn perfume that day.
"Just talking about the Knight family history of staking vampires," said Bella. "And whether Astrid is capable of that or not."
"Oh, she's definitely capable," said Jasper.
"Should I be flattered or offended?" Astrid asked.
"Both," said Edward. "Seems like everyone here has a complicated history, except for Miss Swan."
"I can be complicated," said Bella.
"Not as complicated as being a confederate rebel," Astrid murmured.
"I was stupid, I know better now," said Jasper.
"I hope you do," said Astrid, and Jasper smiled at her teasing.
The four of them were almost in the classroom when a teacher called Jasper to talk to him. They continued without him. Astrid took her usual seat, expecting him to catch up and take the chair beside her, but before Jasper could arrive, the catalyst for the next insane events in her life walked in.
"Look at that," said Bradley Cunningham. Brad was a young man on the football team and he was as muscular as he was stupid. "New blood," he murmured to his buddy, Dean Young, who was just as dense, but a little less built.
Astrid looked up and stared, along with the rest of the class, as a boy stepped over the threshold. He had the build of an athlete, the edges of a tattoo on his bicep; angular facial features, and he was white. Not just caucasian, but white, like snow, from his hair to his fingertips and every bit of skin in between.
He must have been used to getting stared at, because he didn't pay any attention to all the eyes on him as he looked for a seat. The talking returned in a low murmur. Astrid noticed that his eyes landed on her for a moment, but she was still surprised when he came and took the chair beside her, draping a biker's jacket over the back. A pair of dog tags clinked lightly against his chest as he bent down to place his bag on the floor. The tags were old-fashioned and they looked as if they'd been battered and stained by the true elements of war. He'd taken Jasper's seat, but it would have been rude to tell him to find another one, so Astrid kept quiet.
Why is it always you? Astrid was almost startled by the voice in her head, but she'd come to recognise Edward's presence. They'd recently discovered that they could talk to each other telepathically, instead of him just reading her thoughts.
Whatever do you mean? Astrid asked him, smiling to herself as she took out her books.
You always get the strange ones, he replied. I can't read his mind.
Jasper stepped into the classroom and froze when he saw that his spot was taken. She mouthed an apology to him and he gave a signal that he didn't mind. But he was curious about the other boy. Mr Mason entered the class, and after greeting them, he announced what they already knew. There was a new student.
"This is Mr Hoffman," he said. "He's from out of the country, but since this is a class for first language English, it would be best if he started practicing that right away. So, why don't you tell us a bit about yourself?" he suggested.
The student cleared his throat, and then spoke with the confident ease of someone who knew English like their mother tongue. His voice had a low, cello-like timbre awash in a German accent.
"Hello. My name is Klaus Hoffman," he said, "I am from Berlin, Germany. I moved here because my mother is making an extended documentary about the Quileute Nation. And my father is a biologist, who is helping to reintegrate the grey wolf into the area."
"Anything interesting you can tell us about Germany?" the teacher asked.
"It's where the Nazis live," said Brad. A couple of students laughed.
"Mr Cunningham, another comment like that will land you in detention."
"It's freedom of speech," said Brad. "And it's true."
"Actually, there are plenty of neo-Nazi groups here in the USA," said Klaus. Mr Mason asked Klaus what he liked about Forks. "...It's quiet," he replied.
"Well. I don't think you're going to have much of a problem here, Mr Hoffman. You speak very good English."
"You mean, I speak English well," Klaus corrected. The class sniggered again, and Astrid could see the slight irritation on the teacher's face.
"Anyway," Mr Mason continued. "If you do have any trouble, the young lady sitting next to you achieved the highest English mark in class last year, and I'm sure she'll be willing to help you."
Astrid wasn't expecting that at all, but she managed to flash Klaus a smile as their teacher told them what page they would be looking at in their books.
"Astrid Knight?" She whipped her head round to stare at the boy in total surprise. "That's you, ja?" he asked.
"Er, yes," she said. "How did you know?"
"Your name is on your book."
"Of course it is," she said sheepishly. Astrid turned away, blushing as she paged to the right spot in their Shakespeare play. From the corner of her eye, she could see the smirk on his face.
*****
"Well, he's cute, but he's a little scary," a girl whispered to one of her friends as they walked through the hallway.
"Everyone's talking about the new kid," said Emmet.
"What's he like?" Alice asked. She and Rosalie were the only ones who hadn't seen Klaus yet. "You sat next to him, right Astrid?"
"Yeah, but that's all I did," she said. "I sat, and I read, and I worked. It's not like we're supposed to get to know people during class." The conversation wandered between subjects as the group of friends got their lunch and sat down.
"Here he comes," Edward murmured as Klaus stepped into the cafeteria.
"He's an albino?" said Alice.
Astrid nodded. "It might be better to say he has albinism though."
Rosalie looked him up and down. "Well, he's tall," she said as she watched him. Emmett raised an eyebrow. "Don't look at me like that," she scoffed, rolling her eyes.
Astrid couldn't help glancing in the new student's direction. He reminded her of herself when she first arrived at the school. Cold and closed off, wanting to be done with whatever needed doing without a fuss, and without trying to make friends. She couldn't deny that he was statuesque. Perhaps a little taller than Jasper.
"Hey, Fritz!" Half the people in the room turned their heads when Bradley's voice cut through the chatter. When Klaus looked, Brad stood up straight, stiffly clicking his heels together and giving the Nazi salute.
There were gasps and murmurs as Brad waited for a reaction. Klaus stared at him, pale brows creased and bright blue eyes assessing the jock. Astrid was reminded of a lion observing the taunts of a young challenger. Charge, or ignore him? After a few tense moments Klaus turned away and kept walking, having decided the jab wasn't worth his attention. She watched him go to the empty table where she used to sit when she first came to Forks High School.
Bella and the Cullen's silently exchanged looks of horror. Astrid was fuming. Jasper could sense her anger, but before Edward could realise what she was thinking, she stood up with her Coca Cola in hand.
"Crap," said Jasper as they watched her move towards Brad's table. She walked with quick strides and for a moment it looked as if she would simply pass by, but then the can slipped from her grasp. She clapped a hand to her mouth with a gasp.
"What the fuck?!" Brad shouted, standing up and whirling round to face her with the drink running down the back of his shirt.
"I am so sorry," said Astrid. "It just slipped out of my hand." Her eyes were wide and she seemed so sincere that even her friends almost believed that it was an accident. Brad sneered and Melissa, the pretty brunette from ballet who was sharing a table with him, did too.
"Don't worry about her, Brad," she said. "She's so clumsy, I'm surprised she hasn't broken an ankle yet." Astrid was anything but clumsy, but Melissa would find any excuse to insult her. Bradley glared for a few more moments, but eventually sat down again. Dean was laughing, but he quickly stopped with a fiery look from his friend.
"You're crazy," Bella said when Astrid returned to them.
"It was clearly an accident," said Astrid, though she was smiling at the same time.
"Clearly," Edward said sarcastically.
"Feisty," Jasper murmured, smirking at Astrid.
"You shouldn't be surprised by that anymore," she replied.
"I'm not," said Jasper. "I like it."
"Please stop with the cheesy teen romance stuff," Rosalie sighed. Lunch was almost over when someone placed a new can of Coke on the table in front of Astrid.
"That was an unfortunate accident back there." Astrid looked up and saw Klaus standing above her.
"Oh, yeah, um..."
"It was an accident, right?" he asked.
"Totally," said Astrid.
"Because you wouldn't do something like that on purpose to get back at him for the Nazi salute, would you?"
"No. Never. I mean, I don't even know you. I don't just get revenge for random strangers." Klaus smiled for the first time that day; a smile that was higher on one side than the other. His eyes had a new light in them without the coldness from before. Her heart did a skip in her chest. He really was beautiful. Astrid had to look away before she blushed. She introduced the others.
"Nice to meet all of you," said Klaus once she'd told him everyone's names. He looked directly at her again. "I'll see you around, random stranger." Klaus left and the bell rang.
"Tall, good-looking, playful," said Bella. "Hearts will definitely be broken."
"There's something else about him," said Jasper. "Something weird. Aside from the fact that I can't feel his emotions."
"You still can't?" Alice asked. Jasper shook his head.
"It's like trying to reach into a dark hole expecting there to be something, but you grasp around and there's just nothing. It's eerie."
"I've been thinking the same thing," said Edward. "I still can't read his mind." Jasper looked at Astrid.
"Be careful around him, okay," he said.
*****
"You can't read my mind," said Bella. "Maybe he's just like me." This was the conversation in the hall the next morning as Edward tried to hear Klaus' thoughts from a distance. Edward shook his head.
"This is different."
Klaus was in the seat next to Astrid's again in English. Sitting this close to him she paid more attention this time. There was a subtle smell of fire and gasoline on him. His eyes were pale blue in this light, and he was left-handed. He brushed some stray hairs back into place, and as he did, Astrid could see more of the tattoo etched in black ink on his pale skin. It looked like the tail of a reptile was curled over his upper arm.
"Well?" Astrid jerked in surprise when Edward "spoke" to her while they waited for the lesson to start.
Well, what? she replied in her thoughts. I'm trying to concentrate.
Notice anything suspicious? He asked.
No, she said.
"Who are you talking to?" Astrid's heart skipped a beat when Klaus whispered close to her ear. Did he really just ask that?
"I wasn't talking to anyone."
"Your thoughts are very loud," he said.
Mr Mason finally came in and they began their lesson reading Much Ado About Nothing - one of Shakespeare's comedies. Astrid found it quite entertaining, but you had to understand old English to appreciate the humour.
"Okay, let's have one of you read," said Mr Mason as they reached the end of scene two. He chose Klaus to start with the third scene. The class went completely silent as they listened to his beguiling voice. The girls were simpering and the boys were rolling their eyes.
Astrid had to admit that Klaus was attractive, and she had a bit of a weakness for accents, but she couldn't understand the rest of the swooning.
She felt a familiar prodding in the back of her thoughts and looked towards Edward's desk. He propped his head up on one hand with his elbow resting on the table and pretended to fall asleep, his head slowly sliding towards the desk, before his eyes snapped open and he sat up straight again.
Astrid shook with silent laughter as he looked back at her and smiled. Bella noticed and twisted round in her seat, watching as they exchanged glances, and stifled laughter flitted in between them.
A bit of jealousy that Bella never even knew was there made her scoff. Edward was her boyfriend, yet Astrid was the one who could sense when he was in her head and who figured out a way to talk back to him in her thoughts. Bella had always thought that Edward's inability to read her mind made her special, but now it was starting to make her feel left out.
"Thank you, Mr Hoffman," Mr Mason said halfway through the scene. "Perhaps, since Mr Cullen and Miss Knight find this play so amusing, they can be the ones to continue. Astrid, you read the lines of Beatrice, and Edward, you'll be Benedick."
The teacher's plan to make his students suffer was unsuccessful as Astrid and Edward began reading the lines of the play in character with animated voices. The banter between them, the expressions, and the snappy comebacks had the rest of the class laughing in minutes, even the ones who could barely understand the Shakespearean language. Bella didn't seem so amused though. The fact that Beatrice and Benedick ended up getting married in the story only made her more upset. She didn't mean to be jealous. Sometimes it was just hard being the only human in a group of supernatural friends that would live forever.
"Alright, alright," Mr Mason said, trying to calm the class down as they laughed. "The lesson is almost over. I want everyone to write summaries on what we've read and they will be for marks.
There was a collective groan as the students left.
"What's wrong?" Edward asked Bella when they were walking out and he noticed the scowl on her face.
"My boyfriend talks more to my best friend than he does to me," she said. "And I can't hear half of what they're saying."
"Bella, we're just fooling around," said Edward. "Making jokes. That's all... Don't you trust me?"
"Of course I trust you. I'd trust you with my life... With everything. I just wish you'd be like that with me. Why can't you talk to me telepathically? Why only Astrid?"
"I don't know," he said gently. "One of the many mysteries about you that I love." She still refused to face him. "Bella," said Edward. She turned her face upward to look into his eyes.
"There's no where I'd rather be than in your thoughts," he said, offering a gentle smile. Bella decided to let it go and smiled back at him as a sign of her forgiveness.
*****
"You're really going to attend these classes?" Jasper asked. "You already do ballet three times a week, now you're going to fill the other two afternoons." He expected Astrid to go home with him and the others that day, but she said no, the first martial arts session was taking place in the school gym that afternoon.
"I know, but there's still the weekend... Does that bother you?" she asked.
"Bella said you were talking about being a vampire slayer."
"It's kickboxing, Jasper, not Slayer boot camp. It will probably be fun. You should come too."
"You know I can't do that," he murmured. Jasper still had trouble with his bloodlust. It sometimes felt like he was talking about an addiction. Some days were harder than others and sometimes he couldn't even be close to her. Astrid stepped towards him for a goodbye hug and Jasper moved away. "It's not a good day," he said. Astrid sighed.
"Well, I'll see you tomorrow." She blew him a kiss and walked away.
*****
"Remember the object is not to hurt each other," said Chief Swan. "We're here to learn good technique and skills to keep ourselves safe... And to get a good workout," he added.
Astrid glanced at the people behind her. She'd been surprised when she was the only girl to show up for the class. There were only six of them all together and Klaus was one of them. Their other coach was a retired policewoman in her early forties. She looked younger.
"Learning to fight requires stamina, strength and flexibility, so today we'll mostly be doing fitness training before we learn fighting or self-defence," she said. "Let's start with a warm-up. Suicides, go!"
*****
The next day Jasper made sure to get to homeroom early.
"Finally sitting next to you again," he said when Astrid arrived. "How was self-defence class?"
"Fun. We did a lot of fitness, and then learned how to push someone away when they have an arm around us. Easy stuff, working up to the harder things."
"Where's your necklace?" Astrid looked guilty.
"I was about to tell you. I took it off during class and I forgot it in the gym. When I went to look for it this morning I didn't find it. The janitor was in there and he even helped me look, but we didn't see it anywhere. He said he'd keep an eye out for it." Jasper looked almost as devastated as she was. "Don't worry. I'll ask around and if nobody owns up, then I'll ask Chief Swan. He'll probably help me... Why were you looking at my neck anyway, Jasper?"
"I was just, um. I wasn't thinking about that I..." Astrid smiled and he realized that she was teasing him. "I hope you find it."
"Me too."
When Klaus came in he went straight towards them. "Hi Astrid."
"Hi," she greeted with a smile.
"I think this is yours," he pulled the gold chain out of his pocket.
"How did you-?"
"When you left the gym I saw it under the stands," he said. "It must have fallen."
"Thank you. Thank you so much!" Astrid jumped up to take it from him. "I was worried sick over it."
"My pleasure. Are you a South African ballerina?"
"Ja. How did you know?"
"First of all, you just said "ja" instead of "yes", and I recognised the accent."
"Well, you're the first," said Astrid. She was grinning with pride. "And the ballerina part?"
"You did a full split in the gym yesterday, you instinctively stand in first or third position, and you have very impressive balance. I used to dance in Germany."
"Really?" Astrid was surprised. Klaus didn't strike her as the ballerina type, but now that she looked at him, she could see his physique was perfect for it.
"Sounds like you're very observant," said Jasper, his tone cold. At that Klaus knew his welcome was worn out. He said goodbye and went to the back where the only remaining chair was.
"Jasper what was that?" Astrid whispered.
"He does know that I'm your boyfriend, right?"
"Jazz, he was just being friendly. And we were in the self-defence class together, of course we're going to have things to talk about."
"I don't trust him, Astrid."
"Because your powers don't work on him? That's not very fair considering Bella and the fact that I'm a half-elf with a family history of killing vampires."
"How did you even forget the necklace if it's so important to you?"
"Jasper, it was just a mistake," she said earnestly. "And I never wore jewellery very often before, so not having it on just felt normal to me." Their conversation was put on hold when the teacher walked in. When they were allowed to go to their first class Astrid got up and walked away.
"You're upset," said Jasper, walking fast to catch up with her.
"Yes," she said. "I hope you can accept the fact that I might actually be developing a friendship outside of the Cullen family."
"Hey Astrid." One of the janitors stopped her in the hall. "Oh, I was just about to ask if you found your necklace, but I see you have. So you don't need me anymore."
"Oh, thanks, Jerry. One of the boys picked it up yesterday and just gave it back to me. But that's not true, we definitely need you. It would be a shame if no one kept the gym looking good. I appreciate your help."
Jerry was a bit of an odd guy, probably in his late thirties, with early male pattern baldness, but he was polite and friendly when spoken to. He'd been a valued member of the staff for almost ten years.
Astrid went on to class, leaving him and Jasper without a backward glance.
At lunch Bella and the others also wanted to know how the martial arts class went. Astrid went into greater detail about the exercises they did.
"Who was in the class?" Alice asked curiously. Astrid listed the names and when she said Klaus they weren't expecting it.
"Does he look like he can fight?" Rosalie asked.
"We didn't do any fighting, it was just a defensive move," said Astrid. "He's very fit, though, probably the fastest and strongest in the class. He told me that he used to do ballet." Emmett snorted.
"Then you've got nothing to worry about, Jazz," he said. "Cause if he did ballet then he's probably not into... You know..."
"Emmett," Alice scolded.
"That is just not true," said Bella.
"Yeah, there is no correlation between a person's talents or passions and their sexuality," said Astrid.
"Well, either way, you wouldn't be into that," said Emmett. "You prefer the more masculine type, don't you?"
"Who's to say what's masculine and what isn't?" Astrid asked with a playful air of superiority.
"You think male ballerinas are hot," said Edward.
"The only thing I hate more than you reading my thoughts is announcing them out loud."
"Come on. A ballerina?" said Emmett.
"Yes, they're awesome," said Astrid emphatically. "Do you know how strong you have to be to lift another person, or catch one in motion, while making it look like nothing."
Emmett shrugged. "I could throw anyone at this table across the room."
"Whatever, you have an unfair advantage."
"Is he still unreadable?" Rosalie asked. Edward and Jasper nodded.
"Well, he's not a vampire, cause his eyes would be different and you would recognize another one of your own," said Bella.
"He could be some kind of sorcerer who's cast a spell on himself," said Edward.
"Or he could be a human with natural immunity like Bella's," said Astrid.
"He doesn't smell human," said Jasper. "He smells like fire. And for us, that's danger.
Author's Note: If you're enjoying this so far please consider voting or leaving a comment. They are the things that sustain us writers when we're hunched over our desks with no snacks or sunlight.