A day like any other.  They all seemed to meld together now…they did that after a while.  The “students,” those stupid infants, filed through the rusted doors of the thing they called “school” - here in this blasted hick town.  He had taken these courses year after year after year for…too long.  He had become accustomed to the cacophony of smells, the once-tantalizing scents wafting through his nostrils, becoming forgotten in his too dull memories.  Smells reflecting the memories of dusk, the ever-present cloud cover and rainfall, rusty nails, fresh-bound leather, sweaty shoes, pussy acneous pores, and always the faintest scent of fear.  Sometimes, he Edward thought, musing, having all the traits of a bloodhound suck, he laughed at himself suddenly, his crooked grin betraying a hind of the humor he allowed himself upon a very rare but delightful occasion.  After all, who knows better than I about what really sucks or not.  Obviously not a question.
The mediocrity of each day bored him.  He was always looking to shake things up, if just a bit…but that might cause things to get…exciting.  And neither he, nor the rest of those carrying the “Cullen” name would ever be able to deal with that.  It was enough of a strain on him - on all of them, to be fair - to just be surrounded by that sea of mindless victims.  None of them would be clued into the danger that stalked them all, every day.  If any of these kids parents had the slightest clue, they should have kept their children under lock and key.  The way things were, it would have been better if all those parents had buried them all then and there.  They were just walking dead anyway.  A grim smile.
The morning passed without anything happening worth mentioning.  Nothing interesting enough to try to remember past the hour in which it occurred at least.  The lunch line was slow, girls twittered over…whatever they always talked about, blocking his path…they were good at that.  He covered up his anger at their useless behavior and, ignoring them, glided forward, artfully dodging around those girlish clusters and groups of lounging boys, bee-lining for the Cullens’ table whereupon he slammed down his tray of food, making his apple bounce off…which he caught quickly, almost by reflex.  He hardly batted an eye at that.  Now ignoring his stationary lunch, he settled down for another forty-five minutes of sheer boredom.  Any other close observer would say it looked like he was just staring at nothing…first at his puce-like, granite colored skin, then at some random point on a far wall.  Again, nothing too interesting.
Something caused him to raise his head, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end.  His eyes slowly raised, his bronze hair raising to meet the eyes of one wide-eyed girl.  She was a fair enough girl…looked to be about average height from what he could tell from her sitting position, a little on the slight side but not anorexic by any means, the pallor of her pale olive skin highlighted by the blush that crept into her cheeks as he gazed at her, just as curiously as she did at him.  He had never seen anyone like her before.  Sure, she could fit in with the mindless crowd here but that was just it.  She was different.  Even from this distance, he should have been able to sense…something…from her, but when he reached out his thoughts toward her mind he didn’t feel anything.  This was the same face that had been swimming through the minds of half of the high school populace - the majority being the male half - yes, this was definitely the one that had girls’ mouths and guys’ thoughts all twittering.  His head buzzed with irritation at the effort it took to suppress - he was angry at himself for the irritation it caused him, and angry at them for being so pathetically predictable…he shouldn’t have given in to such petty, humane feelings so easily.
He hoped that is was just a fluke, that perhaps when he got closer to her, he would be able to sense something of her mind.  But still, he would keep trying.  He smiled, accepting the unspoken challenge, and this time, it held a bit of genuine mirth.  It was more fun when the other party was caught unaware…and perhaps, this time, it would actually prove to be a challenge.




By the end of the hour he had still not succeeded, and it was truly beginning to get under his skin, but it was time to get to his next class - Biology.  Yet another boring class to endure, classes he had long ago memorized.  He would have to try reading her yet again, probably tomorrow.  He put her out of his mind for the time being.
Apallingly, he could already hear the teacher’s boring voice droning on about osmosis and the various phases of this and that.  So important, especially to him…I’m not even freakin’ ALIVE!  He shrugged his well-developed shoulders and snorted as he got up and walked rapidly into the classroom and took his stool at the lab’s long table - gratefully still alone.  It could easily seat two or three, if they squeezed together, but human contact was the last thing Edward wanted at this point.  By using a bit of his “influence”, he had been able to convince the teacher that he didn’t need a partner and really did work well enough all by his self anyway.  It had worked out well enough.  There was an odd number of students in the class and no one wanted to approach him on such familiar terms…and he liked it that way.  That proved to make less chance for any of them to get hurt.  It sure was a good thing that these humans were so easily swayed - well, most of them, he mused.  Now about that girl…
Abruptly, as though his thoughts had summoned her, there she was, rushing down the middle aisle toward the teacher, a paper clutched anxiously in her sweaty hand.  Yes, sweat, cherry blossom, strawberries(obviously fake…her shampoo), and a tightly controlled fear that just roiled off of her - on her passing breath he smelled her breakfast, and he couldn’t repress a sharp intake of breath.  It wasn’t all of those smells that was driving him insane right now, oh no, she smelled so DELICIOUS, her BLOOD drove him mad with desire.  He almost jumped on her then and there, but that would ruin everything that Carlisle had worked for.  He couldn’t spoil it now.  But maybe later…
The teacher sent the girl to the one seat still available in the small labroom…and it just HAD to be the one empty stool next to his.  She rushed by him and the breeze she caused in her haste(almost tripping over her stool, she really needed to watch where she was going) instilled in him another mad desire to pounce.  All throughout the class he suppressed the animalistic thirst, trying to occupy his mind otherwhere.  His thoughts kept drifting back to her though.
She’s right here, next to me.  The scent off of her hair, only just concealing her pearl throat, her beautiful, luscious throat, the cavity concealing her rich, dark, chocolatey blood.  He could see it flow in his mind’s eye.  NOOO!  NOT that.  He couldn’t, wouldn’t.  But he certainly WANTED to.  Oh, the many ways he could devise to get her alone, he would lure her into a dark corner.  He would set a trap for her, just as they stalked those bears when they traveled south of Mt. Rainier, on his family’s frequent hunts…she was just another prey to him, and he WOULD have her.  But NO, not after all that Carlisle and Esme had worked for.  They had a treaty to keep, and he was obligated to keep it.  The side that repulsed him to his inhumane desires threatened to make him lose his lunch - had he actually been able to eat.  He would have to try to stay away from her.  But if her current skills of balance continued to manifest herself in this way, then there was no way he could avoid physical contact with her for long.  She was a living and breathing cause of disaster.
Minutes later he glided up and out of his seat and was out of the room before most of the other students had a chance to breathe.  He paced the hall in-between his next class time.  He didn’t remember a thing from his last class, and almost dove out of the class in his haste to leave.  No one really noticed.
He was in the main office quickly enough, and he HAD to wait impatiently for the secretary to finish speaking with another student first.  She was a squat, plump motherly looking thing with thick batty glasses threatening to fall off of her pointed nose at any moment.  She took her own dear sweet time once the nameless student had gone, and he took a deep breath before stepping up to the desk, putting on his widest smile and staring deep into the receptionist’s eyes before speaking.  He laughed silently at her reaction to his smooth, velvety voice…her mouth was dropped and he imagined seeing a drizzle of drool leaking down her face and her eyes definitely looked overly-glazed.  A good start.
“Excuse me, Ma’am.  I have an urgent need of your assistance.”  He let her speak.
“Uhhh, ehh.”  She shook herself.
“Yes, thank you so much.  You see, it has come to my attention that one of the classes I am taking this year is not working with my schedule.  My Biology class you see.  It’s sixth hour with Mr. Rainey.”
“Yes, what is the problem?”
She was proving to be a greater trouble already.  “Surely you can understand.  The time of day.  I find I cannot work aptly under the circumstances I am presented with.  Now, if you please, I need this class switched to ANOTHER hour.  ANY hour…” He choked.  It was that smell again.  Oh God, not HER.  He closed his eyes in pain, trying to control the thoughts struggling to overpower him.  He couldn’t let it, the treaty.  He HAD to think of the treaty!
“Never mind, I see that there is nothing you can do.  Thank you.”  He zipped off and almost ran out of the office, practically ignoring the door and, leaving a bewildered secretary and the hurt Bella behind him.