CHAPTER SEVEN
ʟᴀsᴛ sɴᴏᴡғᴀʟʟ

There's something about snow that's melancholy. Perhaps not the iciness itself, the vast blanket of white across a landscape, but the season it sits hand in hand with. Winter, the season for death, when the earth is barren and cold and few can live on it.

The frost crunched under my boots, clinging to the last of the fallen leaves that lay like coffins on the stiff ground. The trees somehow still stood tall, unshaken by the icicles that dropped from their twisted branches up in front. Every so often, as I walked along the edge of the woods, my hands would trail across them, lack of heat holding no effect. I almost imagined the single tear of melted water freezing under my swaying touch.

I walked to school that morning, setting off early to allow myself to maintain a slow pace as I trailed across the forest. Everything was so quiet at that time of the day, cars still absent from the winding roads and people only just raising from their beds, stumbling with groggy eyes to the kitchen. Something that could be called perfect.

It was early when I arrived to school, my feet subconsciously quickening to an unnatural speed as I drew closer. I found I was eager to see them, to check if the Cullens emerged from their usual expensive and clean car, as effortless as a superhuman. I imagined I was as eager as Bella.

I didn't find her again until lunch. She was the first to our table, already sat in a position so she could stare at their table without it being suspicious. As I sat by her side, it was the first thing I noticed too. Edward was in school, smiling to his family as if nothing had happened. His eyes were lighter, he'd fed.

I could hear her heart raise, the blood pumping quickly through her veins as he turned to look at her.

"You alright?" I asked.

"What?" Her head turned to look at me. "Oh yeah. Just thinking."

"He showed."

"Yeah. Charlie- my dad- told me about them last night," she said, prying her eyes away from their table. "Said they're off a lot. For hiking and things like that. Carlisle, he's a doctor. Everyone likes him apparently."

My head snapped toward her.

"A doctor!" I exclaimed, as if I'd misheard her, but I knew there was no chance of that.

"Yeah. At the hospital."

The thought of it would have made me sick once upon a time. A vampire... a doctor. Surreal, was all I could think.

"It's weird. No one else seems to find them..." Bella trailed off.

"Strange?"

"Yeah. I guess." She shrugged, smiling, tucking a stray strand of dark hair behind her ear. "I don't know. Maybe I'm just bored."

"No, I understand," I said. "Although Forks isn't the most exciting of places."

Her gaze had gravitated toward the table again, and mine naturally followed. They were laughing at something, the sound was loud in my ears, such a gracious noise. Unnaturally attractive. My eyes drifted along their line of chairs again, eyeing each one of them with nervousness until my eyes went to her again.

I'd felt her gaze before I met it.

Alice was looking at me, her head tilted, hair falling perfectly over her leaning face as if gravity didn't affect her at all. She smiled slightly, noticing my awareness. Forcing myself to look away, I took note of the snow that was dripping against the foggy window, now falling heavier than it had that morning.

"How'd you like the snow?" I asked.

Bella cringed. "Oh I don't."

"Thought as much," I said, smiling.

"I could barely drive without almost crashing."

"I love the snow."

"I can't imagine why," she snorted.

"It's peaceful, don't you think?" I said, following a trickle of water that drifted straight past Alice's dark hair. "Everything's so quiet when there's snow."

"And dead."

I held back a laugh.

"Maybe," I chose to say. "Ready for biology?"

"Not in the slightest."

"It'll be fine," I turned to smile at Bella, letting her follow after me on the way to the lesson. "His glare can't get any worse than last time."

It was truly was strange.

I couldn't quite get my head round it. For the whole of biology, Edward sat talking to Bella as if they were already well acquainted, and as if he hadn't spent the previous lesson glaring at her. Bella was equally confused, but talked with him happily either way, her cheeks flushed the entire time. I sighed, watching them warily.

"Hey, you feeling good?"

I turned to see Mike's frowning, something I'd also frown used to. If he wasn't grinning, he was frowning, either from lack of attention or pure concern.

"Yeah, why?"

"You look pale."

Another line that made me want to laugh.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just cold. I forgot to bring a coat today," I said, nodding to the window that was caked in white.

"I guess that means you won't be in the snowball fight after gym?"

"Really?"

My reaction made him frown again, as if worried I'd think him childish. And even if he was, even if I didn't think that, I shook my head, pulling on an expert grin. The snow wasn't so bad.

"There's nothing that could make me miss it," I said.

Mike flushed a deep red. "Cool!" He exclaimed. "Great! It'll be fun."

After biology was gym, which I skipped with Bella, choosing to catch up on some work, again in the comforting silence that we easily shared. I found she loved literature- a copy of wuthering heights had peaked out from her bag, to which I commented on. It was one of my favourite novels, once.

"So first he shows up to school, and now he's talking my to you," I said, watching as her pale cheeks flushed again. "Think he's come down with something?"

"I don't know." She cringed, turning in on herself with each added shrug. "It was weird. But it was nice."

I found it hard to believe. "It was?"

"Yeah. He was nice." She shook herself out of the trance, shrinking further as she glanced over my shoulder. "I think Mike wants you."

"When does he not?" I joke, sighing as I caught sight of him again from across the corridor. "Jessica was lying when she said he'd get over us."

Bella laughed. "I think I'll pass on the snow."

"I don't blame you," I said, pausing to pull my bag onto my shoulder. "Be careful."

"You too," she said, before turning to leave through the closest exit hurrying to her car before the chaos could begin in her path.

I smiled to Mike as I approached, watching his grin widen.

"Just so you know, I don't lose," I said.

Mike chuckled. "Oh, it's on!"

We stepped out of the front doors side by side, side stepping the corner as a snowball flew my way. I heard a crunch and a groan and stifled a laugh.

Turning swiftly, I choked on a laugh, watching as Mike rubbed at his face that was now red raw from the ice that had pelted him. His jaw tensed, eyeing Tyler who hid behind his truck.

"Oh it's on."

He stepped down, legs slipping and sliding over the slush that barricaded the ground. Dipping smoothly, he packed a ball into his hands, piling them quickly to the side. As he reached for another, Mike glanced off, the smirk in his lips yet again.

"Are you helping or not?"

I smiled as he went back to piling up his fleet of crumbling snowballs. Silently, I scraped the snow from the floor beside me, forcing my hand to move carefully and slowly. Another splat of snow landed on his head, dripping water down his back.

"Who said I was on your team?"

☾