CHAPTER ELEVEN
ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ
If the fact that Edward and his family were possibly onto me wasn't enough to make me stressed, then the sight of the ready set equipment in biology after lunch was. I could almost smell the blood that hadn't yet been spilled. Testing blood types- that'd be a good lesson to skip. And despite everything, I couldn't find it within me to care that it would be another set of evidence piling up to pin against me. I couldn't do it. No matter how strong I thought it was.
Stalking out of the door, I spotted Edward across the hallway, making his own way to the outside of the school. He could feel my eyes on him, undoubtedly, and he turned stared his scrutinising stare and strode off again into the even dimmer light of the car park.
I followed after him, chasing through the small grass way that bordered the lab building, a small pond trickling in the middle. He circled around, I could smell him, nothing personable- just vampire.
Perhaps the sudden scent and thought of blood had drove me crazy, or maybe I was just sick of his suspicion, but I hunted him down, following his track until I stopped dead at his feet. Bella in his arms.
"What are you doing?"
"She fainted," he growled, moving to shrug me off so he could hurry down the hallway.
"Bella?"
"It's fine. He's taking me to the nurses office. Wait by the car, I'll drive early," she said, nodding encouragingly.
She looked pale, paler than she always was, the tired bags under her eyes more pronounced. Her fingers tightened together.
The blood had made her faint. My eyes flitted toward Edward, seeing the cringe that already set his jaw square.
"Okay. But I'll drive you."
Edward spun smoothly and walked toward the nurses office, Bella's arms looped around his neck, hands on his shoulders. What control he must have.
The sight of Bella's rusty, orange truck plunked in the middle of the grey setting was enough to catch a grip. I dropped my bag in the boot, took out a book and tried to concentrate on the words- on anything but the beating hearts that were suddenly so loud in my ears that it could be mistaken as my own.
I'd eaten only two days ago, and yet I was hungry again.
I caught Alice's smell before she'd even left the building. It was like Edward's, but prettier. She floated down the steps, a permanent, soft smile on her face as she walked past the line of silver cars toward her own.
I tried to ignore her, keeping my face and eyes planted on the book in front of me, elbows resting against one knee and the side of the truck. But her smell became stronger, as if she was moving toward me rather than away. And then she was standing beside the truck, peering over the boot at me with her calming gaze.
"Hi," she said, her voice like a song. I couldn't pull my eyes away. Alice held a ring of keys up. "Get in, I'm driving."
"Excuse me?" I said, dropping the book down into my bag beside me.
"Edward had to take Bella home after biology," she said, while clicking the door and pulling it open.
"I was going to drive her," I insisted, shaking my head.
Alice climbed in and wound down the window, leaning around it so she could see me. "Yeah. Now you don't have to."
I frowned. While I'd come to terms with the fact that Edward was unlikely to do anything to her at school, I would never get rid of my worry.
"She's fine," Alice said softly, as if she'd read my mind. "It's either you get in or you walk home. Your choice."
I sighed, slung my bag onto my shoulder and climbed into the truck. It took seconds for Alice to turn the key and for the truck to be halfway out of the car park.
I sat squarely, arms tucked in and hands clasped between my knees. Beside me, Alice was relaxed, her smile never faltering, even as I frowned out of the window or gazed to the side of her face.
She was so different up close. The hair, tinted flecks of red under the light. Her eyes, so much wider and brighter, the colour of the sun, not darkened by malice, like the only other vampire I'd seen up close. Even the curve of her nose was different, softer, pointed like a fairy's.
"So Elide, is it?" She asked. "I'm Alice Cullen, Edward's sister."
"I know," I mumbled, turning away quickly as she stared at me.
Alice laughed. "I'm just trying to help."
"Sorry," I cringed. Despite the lack of sadness in her voice, I still felt guilty. "Elide Masters."
We spent another few minutes in silence, the scent of damp pine from this morning's rain filling in through the open windows. It wasn't until Alice spoke again, that I realised she'd not bothered to fake a breath, her chest staying flat and small nose never flaring. I tried not to stare.
"So you're friends with Bella? Two new girls." She spoke as if it was fun, being new. "What made you come to Forks, Elide?"
I shrugged, blinking. "I needed somewhere to stay. Here was as good as anything, an old family member used to live through town."
"Where can I drop you?"
I paused. "Just drive through, I'll tell you when."
She nodded. I didn't doubt that she already knew where to drop me off.
"I like your hair." She added, "very vintage."
I tugged at the ends that curled just below my shoulder blades. My hair was piled and pinned at the front and back again. Plain.
"Thanks."
She tilted her head, not looking at the road again as she spoke. "Where did you see that style? I'd quite like to recreate it on Rose's hair."
"In a magazine."
"What was it called?"
"I don't remember," I mumbled.
"And your jacket, Esme would love it! Where'd you get it?" She exclaimed.
"A charity shop. In London."
We fell into silence again. Alice wasn't affected by my reluctance to speak. I knew what she was doing, of course. She was asking questions, trying to trip me up with an answer that would reveal what I was. They knew I was different, they just didn't know how or in what way. A little bit of smugness came from that.
"You aren't afraid of the speed?"
I glanced in front of us again, at the needle trees that shot past the truck in a blur. I'd not thought anything of the speed. I hadn't thought to comment on how unnatural it was. Even Bella with her death wish and distraction didn't drive this fast.
So I shook my head. "No."
"Do you like girls?"
The randomness and mere bluntness of the question startled me. "What?" I spluttered out, far too surprised to play it off as cool.
Thomas had asked me that very question once. It was more a hissed out statement than a question though. Men were even more arrogant of their assurances back then. My bag weighed heavy in my lap, the scrapbook inside suddenly feeling like a lump of brick. It was the same day he'd chucked that book to me.
"Do you like girls? Edward keeps looking at you and we can't figure out why he's so suspicious. We think he's jealous about how close you and Bella are," she explained, eyes wide expectantly.
"Why would he be jealous?"
"You've got to be joking! Have you seen how he looks at her?"
She laughed and I couldn't help but smile.
"All too often."
The truck pulled up in front of the bed and breakfast. The blinds flickered, swishing against the fogged up windows, Mrs Rochester peering out behind, her curlers catching in the curtains. I glanced back to Alice, who was still watching me carefully. I hadn't told her the address.
I didn't know what Alice wanted me to do, to say. She stared at me expectantly, waiting to react. But I couldn't, wouldn't. I wouldn't give the Cullens something to feed their suspicion.
I shut the door behind me, waiting for her to pull away. But Alice leaned over smoothly, hand rolling down the window.
"It was nice talking to you, Elide. I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot of each other," she said.
She pulled away, the wheels of the truck screeching as if pleading for her to slow down. I waited until the street was clear to push through the doors of the bed and breakfast, the old Mrs Rochester waiting nosily by the front desk.
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