Science was not one of Paloma's strongest subjects. If Paloma was being honest with herself she wasn't much of a school person either. She liked to think of herself as a creative individual and classes like Algebra and Chemistry were a complete bore. Sure she did her best to get an excellent grade, because everything about her needed to be perfect, but that didn't mean that she particularly enjoyed learning.

At least not in the way that Saira did. That girl's entire life revolved around school and learning.

Sitting in Chemistry class, listening to Mrs. Chang excitedly discussed acid base reactions and the experiment that they were about to do was incredibly insignificant to Paloma.

The class was dead silent as Mrs.Chang instructed them all to pair up and retrieve their tool kits from the back of the room. "I'll get it." Paloma told Siara who had been absently chewing on her pen.

She waited until most of the class had already retrieved their kits, not wanting to be caught between a bunch of sweaty and eager teenagers. Heading towards the cabinet Paloma recalled doing a similar experiment in her Chemistry class back in Los Angeles, the school's curriculum being drastically different of the one at Forks.

Paloma reached forward to pick up one of the kits, her fingers suddenly touching pale ones. It was the lightest touch, and it only lasted for a moment but it was enough to send a chill running through her body. The fingers almost felt impossibly cold, almost like touching the surface of cold marble.

That same chill caused her heart to start racing, but she didn't let that feeling affect her as she tightened her hold on the kit.

She looked up to meet Edward Cullen's golden eyes, there was a slight smile to his lips as he looked down at her. But his entitled tone turned the cold chill that had gone through her only moments before into burning anger. "I want this one."

Normally Paloma wouldn't have cared about some stupid chemistry kit. But maybe it was his tone of voice or the memory of him almost running her over only a couple of days ago that made her want to be petty over something so insignificant. "Well, I want this one too."

A small smile formed on his lips, it would have been charming if she wasn't so irritated by him. "They're all the same."

"Well if they're all the same then you won't mind if I take this one." She replied as she tugged harder on the kit and pulled it out of his grasp.

With a satisfied smile Paloma turned away from the stunning teenage boy and to her shared desk with Saira, who had clearly witnessed the entire interaction. Setting the kit on the wooden surface she took her regular seat, still feeling as if Edward Cullen's eyes were still on her. But as fearless as she was when it came to any kind of confrontation, in this case she was too much of a coward to turn around and confirm her suspicions.

Saira remained quiet as she watched the new girl's satisfied smile slip from her lips, turning into a slight frown of irritation. "What was that about?"

Paloma shrugged as she began to open the box where all the glass tubes and beakers were neatly placed. "Nothing."

"That didn't seem like nothing." Saira muttered, curious but also not willing to push Paloma further.

Carelessly Paloma slipped her hand inside the kit without looking. A mistake, as a piercing pain sliced through her palm. Instinctively Paloma pulled her hand out of the kit realizing that she had cut herself on a broken beaker.

"Shit!" She exclaimed as the pain suddenly began to spread through her arm like liquid fire as blood began to pour from the cut. The blood immediately began to pool on the desk, as Paloma held onto her hand.

The sound of a chair scraping against the tiled floor caused the class to go silent, all eyes turning to Edward Cullen who had gotten up from his seat so quickly that his chair had practically flown back hitting the other end of the classroom in a loud crash. For a brief second Paloma's eyes met his suddenly inexplicably dark eyes, that were nothing like the honey color she had looked into only moments before, but she must have been imagining things as he quickly looked away leaving the classroom.

Everyone was stunned, because who would have thought that Edward Cullen was afraid of blood?

Before Paloma could even think to react Saira was helping her to her feet and rushing her out of the classroom towards the nurse's office. "Paloma, that looks really bad. I think you're going to need stitches."

She hadn't dared to look down at the cut but the moment she did she regretted it instantly. Not that she was afraid of blood but the sight of the deep open wound across her palm was enough to send another wave of pain through her arm.

As much as she wanted to convince herself that the cut wasn't all that bad, Paloma had to admit that Saira was right. The wound was deep, and wound need more than just a bandaid to heal. And just as she suspected it was also an injury that a simple school nurse wound not be able to handle.

Sitting quietly in the shared room she had been assigned, Paloma took in everything about the hospital. She had never visited her father's work before, never really finding any interest in it. Or maybe it was because his work is what caused the instability in her life. What created that feeling that nothing in her life would ever be permanent.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Carlisle Cullen." A young doctor greeted as he approached her, the nurse moving aside to the other end of the room to attend another patient. Dr. Cullen was young, almost too young to be a doctor or the father of five adoptive teenagers. But that was the least surprising thing about the man, like the rest of the Cullens he was perfect. Almost like he was carved from stone. His eyes the same golden shade as his adoptive children, a fact that Paloma knew had to be impossible. The odds of Carlisle Cullen adopting children that all shared his golden eyes had to be impossible. "Paloma. What a beautiful name."

It was difficult for Paloma to move her gaze away from the handsome doctor, but as she nodded he looked down at her bandaged hand. "Thank you."

"Your father is currently in the middle of a surgery. So I'll be taking a look at that cut for you."

The words didn't entirely register in her mind, because she found that she really didn't care if her father helped her or not. At the moment she was overtaken by her continued curiosity over the strange family. In fact she hadn't even considered the fact that it was probably going to be her father that would take care of the cut, that was why it was no surprise that he wasn't there when she needed him. "You know you look really young to be a doctor. Or to have so many children."

"Adoptive children." He corrected with a kind smile as he pulled on a pair of latex gloves.

"Right adoptive children."

Carlisle Cullen seemed to study her for a moment before finally approaching her. "Have you met any of them?"

For a moment she considered telling the doctor about the accident in the parking lot a couple of days ago, but ultimately decided against it. "Edward is in two of my classes."

He nodded as he took her hand, his cold skin causing a chill to run through her spine. She looked up to meet his eyes, the memory of her hand touching Edward's only a couple of hours ago returning to her. It was that same feeling of touching cold marble.

"Sorry about that, cold hands." He explained as he took a closer look at the cut across her palm. It wasn't bleeding as badly as before, and the pain was beginning to numb but the open wound did nothing to ease her nerves. "It looks like you're going to need some stitches."

A frustrated sigh escaped her lips, this was definitely going to be inconvenient when it came to cheer and their upcoming game. "I don't know what happened. Being clumsy really is not my thing."

"Accidents happen to the best of us."

Paloma pouted as she continued to think about the stitches. Not that she was afraid of getting them, but she was scar free. This slight imperfection was annoying to think about. "I'm guessing it's going to scar?"

Dr. Cullen chuckled softly as he began to clean the wound. "Nothing you should worry about."

"Paloma." A stern voice stated, a voice that she knew all too well. And a tone that was reserved for when Rodrigo Ibarra was inexplicably angry with her.

Only this time the anger didn't seem to be directed at her, but the handsome doctor that slowly released her hand. Dr. Cullen's smile didn't falter, but something in his body language did change.

"She's going to need some stitches." Carlisle Cullen stated as he carefully watched Rodrigo Ibarra approach them.

Rodrigo stopped a couple of feet away from them, not once actually looking at his daughter to check if she was alright. "I'll do it."

Again Carlisle's charming smile didn't falter as he looked at Paloma offering her a comforting smile, but she was too occupied studying the strange interaction to return it. "Are you sure? We're almost done here."

"I said I got it." Her father confirmed as he got between her and Dr. Cullen, who took a step back unaffected by Rodrigo's defensiveness.

"It was nice meeting you Paloma." He said with a smile, which she returned this time feeling embarrassed by her dad's attitude.

It wasn't until Dr. Cullen had finally stepped into the room that she turned to meet her father's eyes. "That was rude."

"I don't like him very much." Rodrigo replied as he looked her over like he expected for her to have more injuries than just the one on her palm.

"He seemed really nice to me."

"Don't assume you know people." He stated as he finally took her hand to inspect the wound for himself. Seeing as there was no point attempting to fight with her father Palmoa remained silent as her dad cleaned the cut again. "This is going to hurt a little."

Paloma didn't reply as she turned her head away as he felt the needle go into her palm. She found that she had no desire to talk to her dad. Not that it was anything new, but it still annoyed her how rude he had been only moments before. And as he began to do the stitches Paloma felt as tears flooded her eyes. Only moment la ago Paloma was sure that Dr. Cullen's hands had to be the coldest things she had every touched. But she was wrong. Nothing was colder than her father's touch.

"Done. Wait in the lobby, Liano is on his way." Rodrigo stated as he began to gather all the supplies on the tray. He paused for a moment, almost like he was going to tell her something else. But instead of talking to his daughter he left the room.

Palmoa sighed as she slipped her coat on and picked her bag up from the floor. She wondered if she would ever have the relationship she once had with her father. But everyday they grew further apart and it was becoming a fool's dream.

Looking around the almost empty waiting room Liano was nowhere to be found. There was no knowing whether he would tease her about the clumsiness that led to this situation or if he would be as irritated as their father. Emiliano tended to be incredibly overprotective of her, to the point where it could be annoying.

Sitting in the closest chair, Paloma looked down at her bandaged hand in disgust. She should have just let Edward Cullen take the stupid kit, then he would be the one that would have bled out in front of the class needing a trip to the hospital.

Suddenly someone took the seat beside her, and just was she was about to tell them to fuck off the words died on her tongue as she met the golden eyes of Edward Cullen. It was almost like she manifested him into being, and although she wanted to question why he was sitting beside her, Palmoa decided to let him speak first as she looked forward away from him. Ignoring him ultimately felt like the best way to find out what he wanted.

"I just wanted to apologize for the other day." He said casually as if they were lifelong friends. Palmoa raised her eyebrows questioningly in response, in complete disbelief.

"You mean almost running me over?"

"Yes, that." He replied with a perfectly crooked smile, and she had to fight the urge to roll her eyes at herself for finding his smile charming. As much as she was annoyed by him and all the interactions they had until now, she was still a sucker for a cute boy. And there was no cuter boy than him. "I'm Edward Cullen by the way."

Although her heart was beginning to beat rapidly in her chest by his proximity as he leaned a little closer, she continued to give him short answers. She wasn't about to let him know that like every other girl at school she was fascinated or interested in him."I know."

"And you're Paloma Ibarra?"

"Why ask if you already know?"

Edward chuckled almost like he could see right through her act. "You must really not like me. I should have introduced myself before."

"It doesn't matter."

"How's your hand?" He questioned almost like genuinely concerned.

Looking down at her palm again Paloma shrugged, faking indifference at the wound that caused her little trip to the hospital. "It's fine."

"So what brings you to Forks?" Edward asked, the sudden change in subject causing her to finally meet his eyes once again. A mistake as looking into them for a little too long was like they were pulling you into a dream like state.

"My dad's work. He actually works with your dad."

His eyes were entirely focused on her, almost like if he concentrated long enough he would be able to see right through her. "I'm assuming you aren't very happy about the move?"

"Not really. No." She replied slowly wondering why he suddenly seemed so interested in her. Or why he was asking her all these questions after being so indifferent about her before. Now he was acting incredibly charming and like he found her to be absolutely fascinating. The change in attitude was so sudden it was like whiplash.

And as much as she wanted to continue to give him short answers that didn't leave room for much conversation, Paloma couldn't deny that she also enjoyed the attention he was giving her now.

"Why are you suddenly so interested in me anyway?"

"You just seem like a very interesting person." Edward replied as if the answer was obvious. For the first time since their conversation began he looked away from her eyes and down to her neck. "That's a nice necklace. Family heirloom?"

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, not understanding why he suddenly found her stupid old necklace so interesting. And admittedly she missed looking into his eyes already, a weird feeling that she couldn't really explain.

"It is. My dad always freaks out when I don't wear it." She explained as she looked down at the pendant, having always truthly found it ugly. It always clashed with most of her outfits but after one two many scoldings from her father she learned to reluctantly wear it everyday. "Not sure what the symbol is though."

"You've never been curious enough to try to find out?

"Never really cared." She looked up to meet his honey eyes again, already bored with their conversation about the stupid necklace. He had a lot of questions, but she also had some of her own. "Does your whole family wear the same colored contacts or something?"

The smile on his lips vanished and his casual demeanor changed as he became rigged in his seat. The sudden change surprised her, and she suddenly regretted asking the question even though she was desperate for an answer.

"Hi!" A bright voice chimed, and suddenly Alicen Cullen was sitting down in the empty chair beside Paloma. "I'm Alice Cullen. I just have to say that I absolutely love the way that you dress! I'm always excited to see your new look for the day."

"Thank you." Paloma replied slowly, shocked by the girl's sudden appearance. Once again she was unsure of why Alice had suddenly decided to speak to her. She was beginning to wonder what other Cullen would appear out of thin air taking a sudden interest in her.

Although Alice Cullen seemed just as nice as Carlisle, her first introduction to her would always continue to be incredibly weird. Looking at her up close, Paloma couldn't help but be slightly jealous of her flawless skin. Another trait that all the Cullens seemed to share.

"Your outfits are always incredible too." She told the Cullen girl whose bright honey colored eyes looked at her like she was some kind of anomaly. Her words were true, Alice Cullen, clearly took pride in looking as perfect as could be. Something that Paloma could respect as she felt the same, although it seemed that Alice was just naturally perfect in every way.

"Paloma." A familiar voice echoed through the quiet waiting room. The three teengaers looked up to find Emiliano at the other end of the room. The pure anger in his eyes was enough to cause Paloma to slowly get up from where she was seated between the two Cullen siblings. "Come on, let's go."

Looking back at the two siblings, Paloma acted as if her brother's tone didn't affect her. Or that she didn't feel slightly embarrassed by the way he spoke to her like a child that didn't know better. "I'll see you tomorrow at school."

She had no plans to actually approach them the following day, but they were words directed at Liano who clearly didn't like the two siblings.

Without another world Paloma walked toward the hospital exit, walking past her older brother as if he were a stranger.

"I don't like those two." Emiliano muttered to himself as he increased his pace to walk beside her.

She could understand why Liano disliked Edward, considering what happened in the parking lot a couple of days ago. But as far as she knew Alice had done nothing to deserve his anger.

"You and dad are so weird." Paloma replied, choosing to drop the subject altogether.

All she wanted to do now was go home and take a warm shower. She simply didn't have the energy to argue with her brother over the way that he behaved toward her back inside the hospital.

But once she got her warm shower she was going to make sure that Liano and her father didn't treat her like a defenseless child anymore.

A/N: I really do have a lot of current inspiration for this story. Let's see how long it lasts lmao. I'm going to be setting up a lot of little mysteries, so if something doesn't seem to make a lot of sense it's going to be explained in the future I promise.