“You smell like wet dog,” Rosalie said as I climbed into the passenger seat of the silver Volvo. Alice jumped into the back seat, her cold skin brushing mine.
“Well what do you expect? We all heard Jacob come in.” Alice’s laugh rang like bells behind me. My eyes widened in shock and Rosalie snickered, flipping her blonde hair and glancing in the rearview mirror.
“Come on Ness! Jacob’s quiet but he’s not that quiet. We all heard him. Emmett was getting ready to rip him to pieces when he heard him but once you were asleep Jacob came down and explained that you asked him to come,” Rosalie’s eyes narrowed on me and I stuck my tongue out at her. I loved Alice and Rosalie but sometimes Rose was just…annoying.
“Does my dad know?” I seemed to shrink into my seat, my bronze curls splaying across my face. Alice’s expression immediately became guarded.
“No we’ve all been very careful with our thoughts around him. But you may have to talk with Jazz and Em. I’m not completely sure there okay with Jacob in your room at night,” I sighed and straightened up. To me it wasn’t a big deal. Jacob was my best friend. And it calmed my nerves when he was closer. He had laid down next to me, letting me rest my head on his chest, and then disappearing as soon as I was asleep.
“Why do you guys make me go to school?” I mumbled as Rosalie flew down the driveway. Alice’s laugh tinkled behind me.
“We have to keep up a human appearance. Your Vanessa Cullen and your Edward’s brother’s daughter. At least that’s the story. You have to go to school Ness. You look like a Sophomore, or maybe even a Junior.” Rosalie rolled her eyes. I was a Sophomore this year and quite annoyed. High school was slow for me, everything was already something I had learned. As my mind had progressed just as rapidly as my body, I had taken in a lot of information. I spoke my first words when I was seven days old, though if I had wanted to I could have spoken them a few days before. I just preferred using my talent rather than speaking aloud. I remember Jake smiling and clapping for me when I had first walked, and remembered seeing the hysterical look in his eyes. I knew now why he had that look. Because they had no idea when I was going to die or stop growing. But my lovely Aunt Alice had found someone who had saved us from the Volturi and told me what would happen to me. Nahuel was a vampire who was older than my father. He was now a hundred and fifty-six years old now. Speaking of Nahuel, there he was, leaning against his car. Rosalie and Alice both laughed quietly as I began to walked through the rain towards Forks High School. Nahuel followed behind me, something he did everyday. I smiled at him and he returned the smile. Nahuel had dark black hair that he had finally released from a braid and cut, and had liquid teal eyes. His skin was a warm dark brown and he was tall and lean. He was just like me, half-human and half-immortal.
“How was your weekend Ness?” He asked, before we stopped outside the door. I sighed and shrugged, listening to his thick accent.
I opened the door to my first class which was English, and clenched my teeth at the smell of all the human blood. Since I wasn’t all vampire it wasn’t such a desire, but the pull was still there. But ever since I was little I had been able to control myself around Grandpa Charlie and Sue, who were now together. I took my seat and Nahuel took his at the front of the class.
“Hey Ness!” A bright voice rang from beside me. I turned and smile. One of my favorite humans, well besides Jacob and Seth, though you couldn’t completely count them human,
Emily was sitting next to me in her seat. Emily had thick brown hair that fell past her shoulders, when she wore it down, and dark brown eyes. She was lean and skinny and a good basketball player. Overall a very pretty girl.
“What’d you do this weekend?” I asked her. But before she had time to answer, Mr. Mason, who had been my parents teacher walked into the classroom, carrying a stack of books. He passed them along the rows of tables and I took one, opening the beat up spine. Mr. Mason cleared his throat and began to read. I didn’t listen. I would ask Alice what it was about and when we had a quiz. The rest of my day passed slowly, not going fast enough. I wanted to see Jacob. I had asked him to come over after school and he had agreed. When the final bell rang Nahuel told me goodbye and I waved brightly to Emily, disappearing faster than anyone else from my seat. The rain had slowed to a slight drizzle by the time I walked outside.
“Ness!” A deep voice called from behind me. I stopped, recognizing the voice. Seth Clearwater trotted towards me, a warm smile on his cute face. I smiled at him as he stopped in front of me, towering over me with his giant height. Seth was a werewolf too. One of Jacob’s good friends and the first one to join his pack, though at first not to Jacob’s liking.
“What’s up Seth? How come your not down at La Push?” La Push was the small Quilete reservation down by First Beach. It was a small place and covered in werewolves, though I wasn’t sure everyone knew that.
“Jake sent me down here. He said he’s sorry Ness but he can’t come by tonight. He has to do patrol. There are unfamiliar vampires around and we have to protect our people,” Seth tried to smile when my face formed into a frown.
“Oh okay. Tell him it’s fine,” Seth smiled sympathetically at my broken expression.
“Well you better hurry up and go cuz your getting all wet Nessie,” I laughed and watched as he disappeared into the line of trees that surrounded my high school. I searched the parking lot for a familiar car, and my eyes rested on Carlisle’s Mercedes. I knew that is was Esme, because even though Carlisle didn’t work in Forks anymore, he still worked as a doctor. He had to leave the job and take one in Seattle because he couldn’t stay in the Forks hospital and not age. So he was in Seattle, pretending to be younger again. They had excepted him gladly. I opened the door and jumped in, surprise coursing through me when I saw my mother driving.
“Why are you picking me up?” I asked. She cringed and I looked at her questioningly.
“We have visitors and I wanted to be the one that would take you home.” she said, her voice colored in something. Fear maybe?
“Who is mom?” I whispered, her fear making my stomach twist. She forced a smile onto her face.
“Huh? Oh nobody just people your father knows,” Her voice was tense. I didn’t ask anymore questions as she rushed through town into our driveway. I listened for a heartbeat that I may recognize as I climbed out but I couldn’t hear one. My mother wrapped her arm around me and I sighed, walking through the door.
“Bella! Nessie!” My father’s strained voice called to us, putting on a false happiness.
I looked at my father and then the strangers behind them. But I already knew who they were. But why were my parents so nervous.
“This is Charlotte and Peter, Nessie, Jasper’s friends.” I nodded and smiled warmly at the vampires. Charlotte had burgundy hair and red eyes. My stomach lurched. That’s why my parents were nervous. They drank human blood. I moved my eyes to Peter, whose body was just as scarred as Jasper’s. The nervous tension in the room was sharp and annoying.
I closed my eyes, wishing that I didn’t have to deal with them and that I could be with my Jacob.