Mortality

Curiosity

When I wake up for the second day of school, the first thing I notice is the absence of sound. I sit up and squint at the blurry window. It's still gray outside, meaning I'll wear a hoodie or jacket just in case, but the lack of rain is enough to give me a small boost. I trudge over to the single bathroom, warning Charlie not to use water or I'll kill him, and take a quick shower.

Something about this day feels better than yesterday, and as I brush the knots out of my hair, I wonder just why that is. I mean, weather aside, it seems to be a typical day in Forks. Maybe it's because I have new people to talk to, and I know what to expect. That is quite the weight off my shoulders, come to think of it.

I shake my head and turn the water off. I can't risk lulling myself into a routine so soon. You never know when things are likely to change. A shock of cold water sends a scream out of my mouth, hammering the point in.

Mr. Jameson has written on the board our task of the day. Read over Macbeth and take notes. It can be silent, or group work. I'm not really given that choice, as both Eric and Mike crowd around my desk, begging for help. Mike even goes the extra mile with a puppy pout.

I pull out my old notebook and adjust my glasses. This is going to be fun.

It takes about fifteen minutes of careful explaining for Eric to understand the simplicity of Shakespeare's apparent complex phrasing. Matter of fact, he's helping me explain by the time Mike's face meets his palms with a light slap.

"I don't understand what they're saying!" He groans and lays his head down on his desk. "The language is too damn old, how can anyone read this?"

"This was the language of the common people, actually," I say, leaning over and transcribing the phrase into modern English as a last-ditch effort. "Shakespeare created many of the words we use today. Here, is this easier to read?" I slip it over to Mike, poking his head with my pencil until he looks up.

" .... Yeah, this makes perfect sense now. She's manipulating him into killing the King, right?"

"You got it, dude!" Eric celebrates, throwing his hands in the air.

"Man, do I feel stupid..." Mike chuckles, looking at me. "Thank you so much, Bella."

"Anytime," I wave my hand, looking away in embarrassment. "And don't feel stupid. Times change; language changes faster. You're not used to all the thous and thys. I've got a modern English copy of this at home, I'll bring it for you tomorrow."

"God, you coming here is just a miracle for me." He muses, leaning on his hand. Eric takes the initiative from me and smacks the back of Mike's head.

The rest of the morning goes by smoothly, and then lunchtime comes. I ready myself to grab some salad and juice, but I'm stopped before I can get in the line. My stomach sinks and Edward Cullen smiles down at me, his hands shoved in his pant pockets.

"Can I help you?" I force myself not to shrink down. To my surprise, he doesn't have the same Ready-To-Slaughter expression that radiated off him yesterday. In fact, he seems ... nervous. He bites his lip and looks around, then right at me. I blink rapidly as the buzzing rises back in my brain. I sigh, shaking my head to toss the pain out. "Look, I don't mean to be rude, but I'm starving."

"I uh ... see you in class..." He walks to his table, pulling his knees to his chest and hiding in his hoodie. Something about how small and awkward he looks radiates with me.

The other Cullens look from him to me, their eyebrows raised in unison. Then the pixie one, Alice, gets this excited look on her face. Almost cartoon-like. Her mouth and eyes grow huge. She scoots down and starts prodding on Edward, trying to get his attention.  She earns a shaking head from Rosalie Hale — and a photo-op from Jasper.  Found the fun twin. I gather my food and head to my new group's table.