A Moon Of Blood • Paul Lahote

Chapter Three

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To Bella's surprise and Cerise's dismay, the Cullen boy hadn't turned up to school for a while. Cerise, however, was happy that Bella had seemed to settle in more. She was starting to get used to the chaos that was Cerise's friends. She was a part of the group. The two had grown closer too. How that was possible, the two couldn't comprehend. Bella often went to work with Cerise on weekends, where she sang at a local bar. It wasn't much money, but it was something. Bella didn't mind it. The bar was a welcoming space run by two British people who had moved there three years prior. The couple were young and had moved to America seeking a better life than the British city. Cerise almost felt bad for them. Considering they were slumming it in Forks instead of living the dream in the Big Apple as they had wanted. 

"Did you hear about the Animal attacks?" Cerise asked Bella, smoke rolling from her lips as she asked. A newspaper in her hand. Her dad loved to read them. Getting him in the know of what was happening outside of his room. The four walls seeming less constricting. She'd often take them first, reading through and removing all the negative stories. Forks didn't tend to have much going on, so most times, he would get the majority of the paper. That day, however, was all about the supposed animal attacks. 'I'll have to tell him it got ruined in the rain', She thought.

"My dad's gone to try and help them hunt it down," Bella added. The fear washed off her like a tsunami. Cerise shoved the paper in her bag, wrapping her arm around Bella's shoulders and pulling her into a hug. The worried brunette gladly accepted it. 

"He'll be alright Bells, we both know how good he is with a gun. Not even a vampire could get close to the guy," Bella laughed, though a flash of something crossed her face beforehand, grinning at her friend who smiled right back at her.

"Bella! Cerise!" Eric called, walking over to the two as they pulled away. Cerise smiled and waved happily at him. She dropped the cigarette, putting it out before the three of them began walking into the school. Cerise turned, looking into the forest. It felt like a string was pulling her towards the cluster of dark green. 

"You guys go ahead. I left something in the car," She told them. They nodded their heads and walked inside. She stepped closer to the forest. Looking for the eyes that were trained on her like a hawk. Her stomach was doing flips. She couldn't see anything. But the feeling of eyes burning into her soul was a feeling that stuck with her through the day.

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"So he talked to you like it was nothing?" Cerise asked Bella. She shook her head as if the motion would allow her mind to get around what she was hearing. Edward had finally come back to school. On top of that, he acted as though he had done nothing wrong. It made her want to punch him more. Bella seemed happier than ever. As though she had completely forgotten what he had acted like.

"He actually talked to me today. He was asking about why I moved and the weather-"

"The weather?" Cerise asked, her brows furrowed. Her mouth was pushed up in disgust. The nerve of the guy sending shock waves of anger through her veins.  

"Look, it's not a big deal. Let's just head home. Are you coming over to get started on English?" Cerise sighed but nodded.  The moment they stepped outside, her eyes locked with those of Edward Cullen. She glared at him. It felt like ice formed in his veins as a chill ran down his spine at her look. Her warm eyes now colder than the snow in the Arctic. Her pleasant thoughts replaced with ones of her sending a nasty punch across his face.

Edward looked down, breaking eye contact with the girl. Despite being human, Cerise was terrifying. Her thoughts were too. He admired how she stood up for Bella, considering she didn't seem to herself. Though having your soulmate's best-friend hate you isn't the best way to start out. The only ounce of hope he had was one of Alice's visions. The three of them laughed together. However, what pained him was the fact that in that vision, neither of the two were still human. All of the Cullens could agree that Cerise would be a strong Newborn, potentially an extremely gifted vampire. Edward had talked about how she seemed to read people. As though she could already hear their thoughts and feel what they felt. Alice talked about how the girl had apparently dreamt of the two doing a certain project together and had even written it in a dream diary months before the two met.