Questions in the Cafeteria

After I got home, I spoke to my dad about some jobs around the house that could get me some money - I need it if I wanted to pay for dinner between me and Leah.

Though I didn't explain why I needed the money today, he gave me a list of things and said he'd give me 5 dollars per thing I completed and I decided to get them done after school tomorrow, before I went to the beach.

This beach visit would be the day Jacob would talk to Bella about the legends of his tribe and what the Cullens really are. No doubt he'll bring it up to me as well, seeing as Bella will no doubt mention my talking to Edythe.

While staring at the ceiling of my room, I just lay there, feeling my body constantly being awakened to something much more than a human. It was quite peculiar. When I was busy with something, I couldn't feel it but when I lay down or just relaxed, the feeling of my body being improved was like an itch that just never went away.

I can't wait for it to be complete. Maybe then I'd get a decent bit of sleep.

Nevertheless, I soon drifted off and another day of fun at school was in store for me.

. . .

Playing with my food, I started thinking if I should make my own lunch; the lack of quality in school food was pretty annoying when you thought about it. Though I do get that they aim for quantity over quality.

Looking over I saw Edward talking to Bella, seeming to apologize to her about his behavior yesterday. If I remember right, he said something about them not being friends and this annoyed Bella, but not as much as what he was doing right now - seemingly having mood swings and just swinging Bella around with them.

It kind of annoyed me that he was doing this but in the end, I could understand it was all for Bella's safety in the end.

I was sitting off on my own today, not feeling the need to be next to Bella's annoyingly normal friends. When I got bored with playing with my food, I quickly devoured it before I felt a poke on my back.

Turning around, the person who poked me sat down next to me along with someone else before I could see them. Smelling the sickly scent next to me, I knew what the people next to me were and prepared myself for whatever was about to happen.

But a cheery voice calmed me, letting me lower my guard a little.

"Alexander Swan. You're quite a mystery, aren't you?" I looked over to the owner of the said cheery voice and saw Alice Cullen, the short bundle of joy that she was. Next to her was a handsome guy who looked at me an almost curious relief but his own relief seemed to fuel his confusion and curiosity.

He was quite tall, maybe only a centimeter or two shorter than me, with honey blond hair that falls just above his collar. His golden eyes weirdly matched his hair and they stared at me with an analytic light, obviously probing for weaknesses. But the thing that really caught my gaze was the numerous scars covering his neck, lower jaw and what was visible of his arms - he was absolutely littered in them!

Each one from a vampire as shown by the maw-shaped outline but some of them looked jagged like claws had been dragged down his skin. I wonder why they hadn't healed? The bite marks hadn't healed because of a Vampire's Venom, so maybe claws covered in Venom? I don't know. It's a big world and I'm sure there's more than just Venom which can permanently scar a Vampire.

Bringing myself out of my thoughts on Jasper and how I really did want to get him to teach me how to fight properly, I looked back at Alice with an 'innocent' smile.

"Whatever could you mean, Ms. Cullen?" leaning in, I saw Jasper poise himself to strike if I tried anything, though the confusion was still on his face as he looked at me.

Alice, knowing I wasn't leaning in to attack, leaned in herself before mischievously smiling, "Well, you're definitely not Human. Edy speaks about your scent like it's overflowing and enticing to all who are you...but you don't smell that nice to me. In fact...I feel indifferent to your scent. I also see how you move; like you're trying not to break things with your touches. I know the sight very well because my family and I have to do the same thing," her voice was low, as to not let anyone near us hear, but her cheeriness hadn't disappeared.

What she said was true, at least the last part - I don't know how my scent affects other Vampires. I've had to start being gentle with the things I touch. I exerted a small amount of force on an unopened beer can just two days ago and it exploded in my hand. The gory thought of this happening to someone's hand if I shook too hard went through my head and ever since then I'd been restraining my strength to the maximum of my ability.

Even then I could still feel the slight discomfort Bella would be in from our hugs - like she was being suffocated or something. But that's a human for you; fragile.

"That's some weird stuff to speak about, Alice...but I've noticed things about you Cullens, as well," I stated in an off-handed manner before carrying on while not looking at her, "You move...weirdly as well. Too fluid, too coordinated and way too calculated for a normal person. It's like watching a bunch of robots move about. You're all so pale as well and as I can't see, or feel, any blood pumping in your veins, I guess that's why," I stopped for a second before looking at them and chuckling lightly, "And don't get me started on how cold you guys are - it's like sitting next to a pair of ice cubes--!"

I was going to carry on but Alice's giggling stopped me as she cut me off, "Don't get started on temperatures with me, Mister, you feel like a furnace!"

Seeing she was the type to get aggressive when they found out what she was, I put my hands up in mock surrender, even catching a small grin on Jasper's face, "Okay okay, sorry. But do tell me, what does my scent smell like to you guys?" I curiously looked over at the two and surprisingly Jasper was the one who responded.

"It smells ancient. Nothing I've ever smelt before. Like an extinct animal is right in front of me," he smiled, his southern drawl really coming through, "I'll have to admit, it's an interesting scent but I hold none of the infatuation with it that Edythe does," he laughed before lifting his hand to catch the apple thrown at his head.

Surprised I looked to see where the apple had come from but I saw no one, though I could guess who'd thrown it.

Smirking, I looked at Jasper, "You shouldn't tease someone when they can hear you - it'll get you hurt," laughing, Alice joined me with a cheeky smile on her face, obviously knowing that Edythe would've thrown that Apple with her precognition but not telling Jasper in the mischievous hope that the apple would hit him.

It was just a bit of fun and from the smile on Jasper's face, he didn't mind.

Putting the apple down, Jasper looked over at me and shrugged his shoulders, the gesture looking stiff as if he hadn't done it much, "But it's hard to come across her acting like such a teenager I can't help it. She's usually so calm and collected."

Silence soon fell on us and both the Vampires smiles faded before Alice looked over at me with a rare seriousness in her eyes.

"You know what we are, don't you?"

Smiling, I nodded my head, "Yes, I do. Though it doesn't matter to me," I shrugged, relaying my actual thoughts - I truly didn't care that they were Vampires.

And Jasper only helped with his ability to read emotions.

He stared at me for a few seconds before looking to Alice and nodding his head which caused a wide smile to spread across Alice's face, "Well, that's good. Though we don't know what you are?" she 'innocently' inquired but I wasn't fooled by her, she was decades old and knew her way around manipulating someone, despite her not being a cold or manipulative person that did it often.

I guess knowing what I was, took precedence over her normally cheery personality?

No matter, I ignored my thoughts and gave her an answer with a nonchalant smile, "Hmm, I don't think I'll tell you that. Go and talk to Carlisle and he should shed some light on the situation - though he doesn't know what I am either. I worked out what you guys were, so you guys should try and work out what I am," I smirked, "It's only fair, right?"

Frustration filled Alice's face, while Jasper's face went a little dark as he leaned in and whispered to me with an intimidating look on his face.

"What if I torture it out of you?" he tried to make his words sound dark but the stiffness of them made me have to stifle my laughter. I stared back into his gold eyes, while he stared back into mine before his widened a little, obviously seeing something of an animal behind those human eyes.

Smiling and showing all my pearly whites, I had no doubt my smile right now looked very predatory, "If you were the type of person to do that, Jasper, you'd have done it without sitting down and talking to me with Alice. But if you wanna try it...Go ahead," I practically growled out the last part, feeling a flare of anger from deep within me, followed by a ferocity that told me I didn't need to be stronger than this man to kill him, nor did I need technique:

I'd take him down with me if it came down to it.

The voice inside me whisper sweet promises of violence and wonderful acts of merciless horror which stoked something primal within me but closing my eyes and a few calm breaths and I felt calm enough to address the two in front of me again.

"Let's not become enemies, okay? I'm sure neither of us wants that. You, because I'm an unknown to your coven, and me, because I rather enjoy my friendship with your sister, Edythe," I let out a sigh before carrying on, "So, just try and figure out what I am. If you can't - don't worry about it! I'm sure you'll find out soon enough," getting up, I still felt that anger inside of me and decided to head outside to the woods behind the school while I still had some time before classes started again.

The last thing I wanted was to gut a teacher for questioning me, after all. The scariest part about that is that in the mood I'm in right now...I'm quite sure I'd actually do that.

So, leaving the pair of Vampires behind, I rushed out of the cafeteria. I heard my sister call for me, but I knew even she wouldn't be exempt from this anger, so I ignored it and carried on.

Once outside, I picked up the pace before I was fully sprinting, kicking the dirt underneath me and sending it flying as if a mini-explosion had just happened on it. The booms of my footsteps slowly hypnotized me and I continued running to the beat.

I kept running until I was up in the forest by a good few kilometers. By then I'd calmed down a bit but the anger was still there, exuding the barely contained violence of a predatory animal.

I stood still and calmed myself, thinking about things to calm myself.

Dinner with Leah. Bike riding with Jacob on La Push later today. The chores I had to do to get enough money for dinner with Leah. History with Edythe after lunch.

All these things brought back a rational reason to my head, allowing me to suppress my anger. Jasper didn't help but how did he know I'd react so angrily? Most people who could call his bluff would instead find it funny that someone who's a vegetarian Vampire like Jasper, was threatening someone instead of just doing it. But then again, most people didn't have the ferocity and instincts of a literal animal brewing inside of them.

Breathe. In and out. Calm. Just breathe.

Finally feeling the anger settle down, I was unsettled myself as I felt that the anger wasn't gone, it'd just, for the lack of a better way to describe it, gone to 'sleep'. Luckily for me, I could feel myself merge with this inner beast as the seconds passed and as each part of it merged with me, I gained more and more control over these savage instincts.

Note to self, look up anger management techniques when I get home today. Can't have myself going into a homicidal rage at the drop of, well, anything, can I?

Feeling safe that I could now go back to school without something unbecoming happening, I broke out in a sprint back to civilization. Hopefully, I'm not late for History.