Dimitri showered, got into his usual all black getup and started the car. There was no need for any formalities. The system had already signed him up for school, all he had to do was get his class schedule and a slip to be signed by the teachers from the administration building.
Pulling into the parking lot, he caught sight of Bella trying to get off an old pickup truck. He slid his car into an empty spot, stepped out with his jacket in hand, and headed her way.
Bella stood by her truck, chatting with an Asian guy.
"Hey, Bella," Dimitri called, cutting into the conversation without acknowledging the other guy.
"That the truck Charlie mentioned?"
Bella grinned, landing a playful punch on his shoulder. "Yeah. Why, you see something wrong with it?"
"It's great, has real character. It suits you Bella, really." Dimitri raised his hands in mock surrender before turning his attention to the boy. "Dimitri. Nice to meet you."
The boy shook his hand, looking startled. "Eric. Uh... I was just gonna show Bella around. Wasn't tryin to start anything."
Dimitri struggled to keep himself from laughing. He didn't even bother to clarify, it wasn't really a problem anyway. Eric could think whatever he wanted, and Dimitri still wouldn't care.
"Sure. Whatever, buddy." He turned back to Bella. "I'll see you at lunch, and try to stay out of trouble." He flashed her a teasing smirk before running off toward the main building.
Eric watched him leave." So... you guys a thing?"
"What? No." Bella chuckled. "He's just a friend." She walked toward her class, Eric trailing behind in silence.
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Dimitri wandered around a bit before finding building six, where he'd have his American History classes. It was nothing special, just like the other buildings with dirty, damp walls.
Without wasting anymore time, he went in.
Inside, he caught sight of an elderly man, whom he assumed was Mr. Weimar mentioned in the slip. He handed it over to Mr. Weimar, who barely glanced at him before signing.
"Empty seat by the window, Mr. Ivanov. No introductions necessary."
Dimitri nodded and crossed the room with slow, unhurried steps. The started before he even sat down. Mostly from girls who tried to keep their voices low, but not low enough. He heard everything.
Halfway through the lesson most of the attention on him had faded. Except his desk mate who didn't take her eyes away from him. Golden brown eyes, steady and unblinking. Her skin, pale as his own, complimented her already beautiful features. She was a vampire–a Cullen, but exactly which one, he couldn't recall.
He tried to ignore her, to pretend he didn't notice, but it was starting to bother him.
Finally, he decided to break the silence.
"Are you going to introduce yourself, or just keep staring? I'm Dimitri."
Her lips curved, but there was nothing friendly about it.
"You're new," she said softly." And clearly don't know your place."
He raised an eye brow. "Is that so?"
"This is our territory," she continued, her voice even. "And you're out numbered." Her gaze never left him." Think you can handle the consequences?"
Dimitri leaned back in his chair, letting a soft sigh escape. He studied her, as if weighing her words.
'So she figured it out...well that was quick.' Dimitri was expecting it. Had he been in her spot, he'd be suspicious too, considering his body didn't function like a normal human's, it was only a matter of time.
"That sounds like threat," he whispered, so only she could hear.
Her expression didn't change. "It's a fact."
He smirked. "Facts usually come with proof. Where are yours?"
That earned the smallest tilt of her head, like a predator deciding whether to pounce.
" Careful Dimitri, if you make the wrong move..." She never took her eyes off him.
"You forgot something. "Dimitri brushed off her threat without a second thought. The Cullens weren't the aggressive type, and even if they were, he was strong enough to handle himself, though he still didn't fully understand his powers yet.
She narrowed her eyes. "And what's that?"
"Your name," he said, an unconcerned smile tugging at his lips. "You still haven't told me your name."
For the briefest moment, her eyes widened, and then, uncharacteristically, she looked away.
'It's Alice," she whispered, her voice too soft to be heard by humans. But of course, it couldn't escape his ears.
He parted his lips to respond, but the bell rang before he could, stopping him from going any further.
Alice gathered her things in one smooth motion and stood. "Welcome to Forks, Dimitri. I hope we can get along, I really do."
As she walked away, her scent lingered, sweet and sharp with a metallic tinge. He couldn't help but wonder whether she really wanted him gone or not.
[A/N: His presence is like a vampire's, for convenience's sake, because I'm not good enough to come up with anything better. LOL😅]
The morning passed in a blur of classes and half hearted introductions. Soon enough, the stares on him faded away leaving only a few of the more curious ones.
By the time the lunch bell rang, Dimitri had organized his thoughts again. Getting on the Cullens badside wasn't really desirable for him, considering they were an outlier among vampires.
Closing his locker shut, he mixed in with the crowd headed for the cafeteria.
The cafeteria was loud, with the air charged with the pungent smell of frying. Dimitri grabbed a tray, more out of habit than hunger, and followed the line.
He took a sandwich and some fries to keep up appearances, though the food was meaningless to him, he still felt attached to its fulfillment. Tray in hand, he scanned the room.
It wasn't hard to find them. They were sitting in the far corner, away from the bustle.
The Cullens stood out among the others, with their perfect features and pale skin, the golden brown eyes only set them further apart from humans. With his enhanced senses, Dimitri could tell them apart in seconds. He'd already asked around about them, their names and all that to refresh his memories.
His eyes briefly flickered towards Alice. She was already looking at him. No surprise there. Her lips were curved slightly, forming a barely perceptible smile that went unnoticed.
Bella was sitting with Eric and some others he didn't know at a nearby table. She noticed his gaze and gestured for him to come over. Dimitri shook his head before she could insist. The Cullens were already testing him, avoiding them would only make things more annoying.
With easy confidence, he crossed the cafeteria, ignoring the whispers in his wake. He set his tray across from Alice, forcing the others to adjust around him.
"Hope you don't mind me sitting here," he said casually. "I thought maybe I should introduce myself, you know, since I'm the new guy in town."
A muscle in Rosalie's jaw tightened. Emmett leaned in, his grin sharp. Edward studied him in silence, and Jasper...he kept to himself, not showing any reaction. Only Alice seemed somewhat amused.
It was Alice who broke the silence first. " You're bold Dimitri, coming straight to us," she said with a light smile at her lips.
" Or stupid." Rosalie muttered. Not bothering to hid her distaste.
"Hey, give him a chance," Emmett chuckled, his booming voice attracting more than a few stares. "I like his style."
That earned the faintest trace of amusement from her, though it quickly faded when she faced Dimitri again.
Edward leaned in, his gaze sharpening. "You feel like one us, are you?" He kept the fact he couldn't read his mind secret.
Dimitri was deep in thought, he too could feel the vampires were similar him, lesser but similar. He shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe... I was born this way."
He tilted his head, smirking. "I take it we aren't close enough to share our secrets yet?"
Edward nodded, his gaze never leaving him. "Fair enough. As long as you don't make trouble, you won't have any problems with us."
Alice, to side, gave Dimitri a low smile, seemingly relived. "I told you he's interesting."
The atmosphere relaxed visibly, and Dimitri took his chance to finish off his sandwich. The Cullens of course, left their food untouched. They saw no reason to pretend in front of Dimitri, though they did make strange faces whenever he took a glance at them.
Dimitri instinctively wiped his mouth. "What? Is there something on my face?"
Rosalie scowled, her disgust palpable. "Just the fact that you're trying too hard. You aren't fooling anyone."
"Relax Rose, maybe that's just how he is." Emmett put a hand over her shoulder, and gave him a wink.
Dimitri didn't rise to the bait. He stayed silent, though Emmett's overbearing grin was starting to get on his nerves. He felt like he was being sized up, like he was seen not as prey, but a challenger. Though he was reylived to see that not all of them were obnoxious narcissists like Rosalie.
He brushed off his hands, gave Alice the faintest nod, and pushed back his chair.
Others in the cafeteria had started sneaking glances their way, whispering to each other, thinking they couldn't be heard. The longer he stayed at the Cullens' table, the heavier the attention on them became. Dimitri had no intention of prolonging it.
"It seems I've overstayed my welcome," he said, tone light but edged with playful humor. He bent at his waist in a graceful bow, hand pressed theatrically to his chest. "I shall be on my way, dear sirs and madams."
The gesture was more mocking than respectful, but he straightened with a smile that made it impossible to tell for sure. Without waiting for a reply, he slung his jacket over his shoulder and strode towards the exit.
As he passed, he caught Bella's bewildered stare from across the room. He gave her a careless wave, as if nothing was amiss, before disappearing through the cafeteria doors.
For a moment, the Cullens sat in silence, unsure whether to be offended or amused.
Once the cafeteria was emptied out, Edward took out his phone and dialed a number with practiced ease. It was painfully obvious that they weren't capable of handling this alone.
"Carlisle, we might have a problem..."
(End of chapter)
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A/N: I've been writing this chapter for weeks now, so it might've been inconsistent. Let me know what you think about the story so far. It'd help a lot. I'll try to be more consistent from now on, though I might be a bit late ( okay, suuuper late) with the chapters once in a while. Just know that I won't drop it without letting you all know. Thank you so much for your support.
PRAISE DAGON!!!!! ╰（‵□′）╯