chapter two

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— THE COLD RUSH OF AIR BRUSHING PAST HER SKIN AS THE DOORS FLEW OPEN FELT REFRESHING ON HER FACE. The umbrella had still carefully protected her hair from the small droplets of water as they fell from above. But it was replaced with the promise of refuge in the warmer walls of the busy cafeteria.

Walking from her previous class to get lunch had taken her longer than expected as some of the kids badgered her with their presence. Three by the names of Jessica, Mike, and Eric. The brunette with glasses from her first period, Angela, quietly followed behind them as they pressured her with questions.

She did her best to ignore them, shooting down their questions with questions of her own.

If they asked her anything about her or her life, she would simply change the topic, "Do you guys know where the gymnasium is? I have a map, but it's a little confusing." It hadn't been at all.

The map was perfectly easy to understand and it only took her a few seconds to engrave it into her brain before never having to look at it again. But, she was desperate to keep them away from questioning her.

Standing in line behind her now was Angela. The only person in the small group that walked with her who didn't make her want to rip her hair out. She stood quietly minding her own business, but still couldn't help but let her eyes linger on the stunning presence that was of Elle Foster.

"So, what's your deal?" Elle broke Angela out of the trance she had fallen in.

She shook her head for extra measure, trying to fully come back to reality. She realised the line had moved a little so she moved closer to Elle, brushing her arm and almost jumping out of her skin as she did. "Um, sorry." She nervously laughed, "What do you mean?"

The corners of Elle's lips turned upward, her dark eyes looking at Angela as they both continued to move along in the lunch line. "You seem perfectly nice, what's got you hanging out with a bunch of..." She peaked over Angela's shoulder, trying to find a word that wouldn't offend the girl if she was truly that close to them, "ill witted gossipers."

It came out much harsher than she had meant for it to. But she didn't falter in the way she looked to the girl, or the way she spoke and carried herself. It's like the judgement she might get meant nothing to her.

Angela seemed surprised, but not necessarily offended or hurt. "Forks is a small place. You kind of get to know everyone if you live here long enough. They are the only group I have ever felt I somewhat belonged with."

The lunch lady stood at the end of the line waiting for Elle to hand her her money before she was allowed to find a place to sit.

With a quiet "ah" notifying that she understood, she finally turned to the woman waiting to be paid and left the line. Angela followed close behind and as Elle stopped to look for a table, she stood by her side, "You can come sit next to me, if you want. I mean, I'm sure you had other invitations for lunch. But if you wanted-"

She seemed endlessly embarrassed by her attempts to befriend Elle. And just like she did every time, she started to curl up and shy away. Elle noticed immediately and rested her hand on her back, "Thanks." She spoke with laughter falling off her words. "But, I think I'm going to sit alone for today. I want to catch up on my reading."

Angela nodded, she seemed to be a lot less tense than she had prior to Elle trying to reassure her. She now stood with rosy cheeks as Elle smiled and walked to an empty table by the wall of windows.

She pulled out a large book from her bag and set it on the table with a thudding sound. It made a few of the people at surrounding tables look at her before quickly looking away to avoid her dark gaze.

Her eyes quickly scanned the room. It was full of normal faces and human eyes. Just like most of her classes had been, until she finally found them. The group of five honey-eyed people with perfect faces, all sending quick and cold glances to her.

She sat quietly and observantly as she looked to them. Her facing the back of the head that belonged to Alice Cullen. The girl from her first period that left her thoughts wandering all day.

And just as her own eyes burned into the back of her skull, she turned around and locked eyes with her for a moment. And there it was again, the gentle smile that made Elle gasp as her heart skipped a beat.

The blond boy next to her looked over briefly before looking away with a sly smile. Elle couldn't read his mind, but she had a feeling of what could possibly have sparked the reaction out of him.

Alice chuckled before turning back towards the group, leaving Elle in shambles as she collected herself and finally looked back down to the book in front of her. It was just as heavy as it looked, made with a hard exterior. Thick with what looked like runes carved into it. It was one of the very few things that her parents had left behind for her.

Full of stories and information all about the kinds of things they had stumbled upon in their lives. From what they like to do on weekends off to how to kill them if necessary.

An encyclopedia for the world's folklore and fairytales. A book that could easily be passed as fiction if it fell into the wrong hands.

She opened the book and turned to one of the most recent pages. A page where a woman with bright red hair was painted, and dark red eyes that made her pale skin even more dull. There was something haunting about the way she appeared, even in a picture that was made with oil paints.

But hunting her down would be exactly what Elle did. Even if it was the last thing she'd ever do.

— SHE WAS LUCKY TO HAVE STARTED HER FIRST DAY ON A FRIDAY. It gave her ample time to go home and start unpacking boxes before a weekend of preparation. So she could at least make sure she had a comfortable bed to sleep in for the next few nights, rather than the cold press of an air mattress on her back.

Renting a moving truck and moving it over two thousand miles all alone had been one hell of a trip. So the first few days that she spent in Forks were mostly spent catching up on sleep. However, she came out unsuccessfully. An air mattress can only be so comfortable.

There was something about opening up all these boxes for the first time in over a month that reopened the wound of the first time she closed them. The reintroduction of all the things her parents lost and left behind. All the things she had to live with.

She was torn between wanting to hold it all close, so she never lost the feeling of them standing right besides her. And the feeling of wanting to burn it all to the ground, tearing away all the pain she was scarred with.

The box she found herself working on now was filled with picture frames that had covered the mantle in their home. Surrounded by the warmth of a fire and the warmth of the love that suffocated the home.

From the moment Elle had been born to the moment she became an adult, pictures had filled the home. Despite the constant moving and always working, her parents never forgot to make time to make sure she knew she was loved.

She was the most important thing in the world to them. They would have done anything for her.

But in her mind, they didn't.

Bitterness overtook her as she looked down at the photos in her hand, and before she knew it, she was placing them back in the box and closing it shut. Placing it in a small closet near the front door.

The apartment she had managed to find was surprisingly well sized, especially for her being the only person who was living there. Forks mostly hosted families, so it was obvious it had been made to hold a family of three and perhaps a pet.

Two bedrooms, two bathrooms. It was more than enough room.

She had never needed that much even when she did live with her parents. And now she was left with a hole she needed to fill. And the idea struck her as she opened the top box in a pile, filled to the brim with books upon books. An office, mostly filled with books.

But a place she could work and keep the things she was going to need in her time here.

Another task she managed to complete in her first few days in Forks was to carry in all her heavy objects while everyone was away. While kids were at school and parents were at work, she snuck into the lot and opened the truck where she pulled out her desk, bookshelves, table, and sofa out and into her apartment. Making sure no one saw her carrying it in by herself, so her story that an uncle came by and helped would stick.

The only larger object she didn't manage to get in was her bed frame and mattress. Hence why she had befriended the plastic one filled with air.

It was the afternoon after school, and so she knew families would be coming home soon and she had no other choice but to spend another day or so with the one that didn't help her get any rest.

That or she could simply give up and take the sofa.

As she took a gander at her extensive book collection, she realised that she had grown quite hungry. Only having eaten a small bit at lunch in between reading and avoiding glances shared between her and the Cullens.

But when she looked into her fridge, she was disappointed by the looks of a sad half drunk bottle of cranberry juice and three hard boiled eggs. It seems she had eaten the small amount of groceries she had picked up on her first day.

Pulling herself to the front door, she took her coat off the hook on the wall while slipping into her boots and making sure to grab her umbrella along with her bag.

There wasn't a lot of ground to cover when it came to the livable areas of the town. There was one main road to follow to get just about anywhere, so Elle had found herself at the store quicker than she expected.

It was big enough to hold all it needed, but much smaller than any grocery store she had seen before. But she quite liked how quickly it helped her manage to find the things she wanted before she finally found herself checking out. Leaving with multiple bags to stock up her supplies at home.

Loading them into the car was somewhat of a struggle though.

Like it had been at most points, it was pouring down outside. And while she had her umbrella out and ready, she was having trouble moving back and forth to load all the bags into the trunk.

Just as she was reaching over to grab another handful of bags, someone came running over to her from the other side of the parking lot. It was Angela.

Her glasses were fogged up and rained on. She was bundled in a few heavy looking coats, and just like it was before, her hair was pulled back into a ponytail.

She stood underneath the heavy rain with a weak smile, "I saw you leaving the store. I figured I could help you load your things in the trunk since you probably aren't too used to the rain yet." Her voice was slightly raised to compensate for the fact that the rain roared.

Elle smiled, "Thank you!"

With two sets of hands, it was almost no time before the car was stuffed full of all the food she had bought. And in those short few minutes, the rain died down a little. Still pattering quietly on the top of the car and on the sleek black material of the umbrella.

The two girls stood facing each other in the misted road of the parking lot. Smiling briefly before they figured it was time to bid farewell.

"Thank you for your help, again. You didn't have to, so I really appreciate it." Elle's voice was soft and gentle, her smile genuine. Rosy cheeks found their way back to Angela's face.

She shook her head, water falling out of her hair as she did, "It's no problem! It was the least I could do considering you are new and, well, I was hoping maybe we could be friends."

With the slight nod of her head and a quiet chuckle, Elle agreed. "I'd like that very much."