CHAPTER THREE
ᴛᴇxᴛ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ɪɴᴛʀᴏᴅᴜᴄᴛɪᴏɴ

I'd like to be able to say that each day from the moment I'd stepped into Forks had been individually exciting and different. But it hadn't. Christmas had come and gone by in a flash, most of which I was stuck brooding in my room, too depressed by the idea of an annual celebration of a birth, of presents, to even try and join in.

In another time, I think I would have loved the winter celebration. I wouldn't know. Details like that were faded now. It was only those memories of the people I was surrounded by in the last month, both good and bad, that stayed vivid as if they been no more than a month ago. But the only good thing that Christmas brought now, was the cold weather, the frost levels that scaled the roads like an ice rink sparkling against the dull, grey light from constant cloud cover.

January brought school. I'd started on the first day back after break; not ideal but much preferable to a later date that I could have decided. I wanted to go back too, despite the fact that I could probably list the whole specification by now.

It was the temptation that I liked. The young and healthy blood that pounded through their veins. I was much like a child in a toy shop: seeing, wanting yet never being able to touch. But what was illegal on their part, was straight immoral on my own. The temptation paradoxically gave me strength. By smelling it, it was almost as if it was my own scent of blood and not theirs, and while to another vampires I'd smell normal enough to not stand out, it'd probably smell the same in the end.

On my first day, I'd almost convinced myself to stay in my shabby room rather than go out. For the first time in most of my stay, the sun had peaked out from behind the clouds, enough to leave little trickles of golden light dotted around the streets. While I'd been gifted with the ability to hide myself, I would always be wary of the sun. Each time I felt it on my skin, showing me up to be near translucent, my eyes played tricks, finger tips looking like they'd sparkle in the sun. They would too, if it was hot or sunny enough, but that was rare and if I was scared of being caught out, I'd remain.

But for the first day, I braved it, clenching my teeth for the whole drive to the school, blinking harshly against the brightness I hadn't felt in a while. I wondered what my eyes looked like too. I hadn't seen them in sunlight for so long.

They should be golden, bright like a brilliant necklace thanks to the feeding I'd had only the previous night. They should turn darker, onyx, in less than a week, like eyes of the last vampire I'd encountered, mad from hunger. But again, I'd always been able to camouflage, my eyes being a constant brown, fluctuating between amber flecks and chocolate rims depending on my diet. They'd never been golden or black. I'd never allowed myself to see if they'd turn red.

While being alive for so long had given me immense knowledge, my gift was one thing I didn't understand. I knew vampires were given one from somewhere and somehow, but until 1920, I'd survived without knowing. Now I was just thankful for it.

The smell of young blood hit my nose as soon as I turned into the car park, seeing a small cluster of buildings that looked more like a low-budget retreat than a school. Even here, we were surrounded by tall trees, a calming scent of pine and grass tempting to overpower that of the people around me.

I must have looked strange, smiling to myself, hair pinned in an old fashioned way that I'd loved in my repeated youth. It was old enough to surpass being called vintage charm. A folder was tucked under my arm, a green bag over my shoulder, too small to fit anything worthy in. Closing the door behind me, I headed to the only place I could think of: the reception. I didn't mind a schedule- it consumed my days enough that I could never feel anymore than slightly unfulfilled.

Dulled cars eventually rolled into the car park, filling spaces around the school and making way to the minimal crowds of students looking bored at the idea of classes, but upturned by the pairs of friends that joined sides. Perhaps the sun was a mere way to brighten what could inevitably be an incredibly tedious day- either way I couldn't be annoyed at anything but the impossible paleness it coloured my skin.

My feet shuffled against the ground as I ascended the steps, pushing my way lightly through to a grassy path, edged with planters and the odd notice board. Of all the schools I'd been to in my lifetime, this looked least like a place of learning. All I could imagine was a rehab centre, surrounded by green and dotted flowers, but as dry and monotonous inside as a prison.

My pulse would have raised in another time when a student jumped in front of me, an unusually wide beam on his lips.

"Hi?"

He raised a brow. "You're new, aren't you?" I nodded, watching as his smile only grew. "I'm Mike. I'm a junior."

"Me too," I nodded, smiling. "Elide."

"Where you from?"

"I just moved from Canada."

"You don't sound Canadian."

I let out a friendly laugh. "I was born in England and moved to Canada later. Now I'm in America."

"Clearly. Still can't see why anyone would move to Forks though," he said, continuing to walk beside me.

I could feel his eyes only the side of my face, hear the pulse of his veins beneath freckled skin. I hadn't been this close to a human in so long. I hit my lip, watching as his head spun away the moment my eyes were diverted to his.

"It's not bad," I shrugged. Mike's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Do me a favour and show me to the reception?"

"It would be my pleasure."

In the reception, I was given my time table, a letter and a map of the school, despite its small size. Hiking my bag onto my shoulder, I left with a muttered thanks and pushed the door open.

"We'll need that form from you by the end of the day!" They shouted after me.

A gust of air swept past me as I stepped into the hallway, which was now bustling with students, the bell having rung two minutes ago. Mike was leaning against the wall when I came out, his foot the only thing keeping him upright. He almost toppled over when he spotted me by the door, sliding over, thinking I hadn't seen.

"Biology next by any chance?" He asked when he was only inches away, a grin somehow still on his face.

I let my face mirror his, smiling. "You scared me."

"You didn't look scared."

"I don't need to scream to be scared," I said, setting off to the right.

"Alright Canada."

Mike smirked, taking up my other side as we walked to bio. He talked and I pretended to listen, his voice like a fly buzzing in my ear. And I wanted to hear him, to know what he thought was important enough to say. I loved that about humans, they thought everything mattered, when in fact it was most likely minuscule in comparison to the problems of the world. But all I could concentrate on was the scent that flooded through my nose. So fresh and in such magnitude all around me. It was hard to ignore.

The classroom was full when we entered, only three seats left bare. Mike nudged me, smirking as he weaved around the benches, heading to the back of the class and sitting.

"Ah, you must be Miss Masters," he said.

I nodded, taking the textbook and slinging it under my arm.

"They've asked me to get a form signed by my teachers."

"No problem, remind me to give it to you by the end of the lesson."

Mr Banner took the sheet of paper and placed it on the desk. With a smile, he turned to the class. For a moment, I thought he was going to make me introduce myself, but instead his eyes flicked over the absent seats, landing on one near the back, disregarding a full empty bench.

"There's a seat spare by Miss Stanley. Raise a hand Jessica," he finally said, nodding to himself in confirmation.

Jessica Stanley raised her hand, elbow leaning against the table so that her arm was blocked by a tall boy in front. On the bench across, Mike sat with a grin I was already familiar with.

"Hi," the girl said, her face turned away as she stared at Mike.

All I could see was the back of her head, her bark coloured hair dull against the yellow lighting of the room. The whole school was the same: very little natural light, whole areas cast in dark shadows of the trees that surrounded it.

I'd already recognised Jessica. She'd been one of the girls who'd walked past my car only the week before. Her sweet smelling perfume would have hurt my nose.

"Hey."

From the minute I sat in my seat with my bag leaning against the table, Mike leaned across the gap toward our bench, speaking to me once again.

"So what was Canada like?"

Jessica's head finally snapped toward me, her small eyes narrowing. She'd recognised me too. 

"Hey, didn't I see you down the woods the other day?" She asked with a bubbly voice, so fake that I was surprised Mike couldn't see through it.

"The woods?"

"Yeah, when I was with Angela." Her eyes flicked to Mike, taking in his reaction, but he wasn't even listening.

"I was looking around town and decided to take a look. It was a nice day that day," I added, waiting for her eyes to edge toward to Mike again. He was looking by at me now.

She shifted, brushing her hair over a shoulder and leaning forward. "Yeah, it's nice to get out into nature now and again. I try to do it as much as possible."

Mike brightened. "We should totally go on a hike together!"

Jessica agreed immediately, grinning as she brushed a hand over his arm.

"Elide?" He asked.

I raised a brow, surprised they'd asked me so soon after meeting, agreeing all the same. We agreed to sort it the following day at lunch, Ana I had no doubt that Mike would find me and lead me to their table.

And that was exactly what he did. The next day after English, Mike popped up at my side, Jessica following soon after. She wore a grin, pearly teeth in show- it was so big that I had trouble figuring out if it was real or not.

They sat in the middle of the dining hall, on two, round tables pulled together. Mike pulled out a chair, urging me to sit down in it.

The girl beside me was the one I'd recognised with Jessica in the woods the other day. Up close, she was even taller, even sitting, and sat furled into herself, eyes never meeting. I made a bigger effort to smile her way, watching as she blushed at the attention. The reaction made me surprised too. How was a girl as shy as her friends with someone like Jessica?

"Guys this is Elide." Mike said, pulling out a separate chair and forcing it between Angela and I. "She's coming hiking with us this weekend."

"Nice." A boy added- I recognised him from my English class.

"Really, doesn't anything more exciting around here happen?"

Jessica laughed. "Nope. The last thing worth talking about happened two weeks ago, and all that happened was Tyler broke up with Tina."

I cringed, hearing the scrape of yet another chair from behind. I smelled him before his head popped in between Mike and I, only centimetres from my face. So close. He smiled, a dazzling smile, dragging his eyes along my face.

"You mentioned me?" He said, winking on the end. "Tyler."

"I gathered."

For the rest of lunch they talked of nothing but teachers and classes and about people who's names I didn't recognise, or at least couldn't remember. For the most part, I stayed silent, watching out of the window as the sun light streamed in, making light patterns through the dirty glass. Angela talked to me a few tries, asking how I'd liked Forks so far. I was nothing but truthful. It wasn't as bad as it could have been.

But still, something was missing. I'd left Canada not only because I had to, but because I needed change, something different from the day in and out that it'd lived for so long. But Forks hadn't given me that something different. And I wasn't sure if it ever would.

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