The school parking lot buzzed with life in morning, engines humming, doors slamming, and voices carrying over the crisp air. Yet all the noise seemed to fade when the Cullens arrived.
Parking their cars in the school lot, the Cullens drew countless stares, as they always did. But today, most eyes lingered on Lucas and Rosalie. The two stepped out of his car together, their movements strangely synchronized, almost magnetic, to which whispers broke out instantly. Some students gasped, others exchanged looks of disbelief as they looked at them. Then the hush rippled through the crowd when a few caught sight of the faint, strange tattoo across Lucas's forehead.
Eric, Mike, Tyler, Angela, and Jessica didn't look surprised. They had already seen Lucas without his disguise before. But Rosalie comming school with him? That was new, and to which Jessica and Angela exchanged glances, as jealousy flickering in their eyes, though neither dared voice it aloud.
Lucas, calm as ever, reached for Rosalie's hand, as she did the same, holding each other hands with fingers entwined, they walked toward the entrance with the rest of the Cullens trailing behind.
As they moved towards the entrance, Lucas already knew what was about to unfold, but others didn't, to which their steps faltered, curiosity spiking, when Edward suddenly broke away from the group and strode toward Bella, who stood frozen by her truck as she see him comming towards her.
Arriving in front of Bella, Edward's eyes lingered on her for a heartbeat, full of hesitation, before he finally turned away.
Edward said quietly to her,"Follow me," his voice carrying a weight Bella couldn't ignore and without waiting of her, he stepped into the woods.
The Cullens glanced at one another in silence. None spoke. Only Lucas allowed himself a hidden smile beneath his mask as he watched Bella hesitate, then, unable to resist, step after Edward into the woods.
Bella hesitated only for a moment before her feet carried her after him in the woods, her breath quickend as branches and shadows closed in around them. The deeper they went, the thicker the silence became, until only the sound of her heartbeat seemed to fill the space between them.
After walking deeper into the wood, Edward stopped. He turned, his gaze sharp and unyielding, as if daring her to speak the truth aloud."You know what I am," he murmured while looking towards her.
Bella's chest rose and fell rapidly, but her eyes didn't leave his. "I know what you are," she whispered as she replied back.
Edward's jaw tightened. "Say it. Out loud." As he took a step closer, his voice low, but commanding.
Her lips parted as she listened his commanding tone, trembling with the weight of the words. "…Vampire."
As the world come out of her mouth, for a moment, the forest itself seemed to hold its breath.
Edward moved around her, his presence overwhelming, every step deliberate. "Are you afraid?"as he asked noticing her every expression.
Bella shook her head firmly, her voice steady despite the rapid thrum of her heart. "No." as she replied with no fear in her face.
A flicker of pain crossed his face as he heard her reply. Then, in a blur of motion, he seized her hand and before Bella could blink, the world became a rush of color and speed as wind tore past her hair, trees blurred into streaks of green and brown, and her breath caught in awe and terror all at once.
As they came to a stop in a small clearing, where sunlight spilled through the canopy. Edward released her hand and stepped back, his face shadowed by conflict. Slowly, as if he had decided something final, he moved forward into the beam of light.
To which Bella gasped as she looked at him.His skin glittered like countless diamonds, as though his body had been carved from crystal and set aflame by the sun. Every inch of him shimmered, radiant and inhuman.
"This is what I am," Edward said bitterly, his voice breaking with anguish. He lifted his hand, watching the sunlight scatter across it like broken glass. His eyes, darker now, locked onto hers. "This is the skin of a killer, Bella. I'm dangerous."as he said to her.
But Bella, instead of recoiling, took a small step forward. Her gaze softened, her fear nonexistent."You're beautiful,"said as she breathed.
Edward's expression twisted, caught between frustration and longing as he moved suddenly, his speed reminding her again of what he truly was and in an instant, he pressed his hand against the trunk of a tree, splintering the bark with effortless strength.
"You don't understand," he growled. "My strength, my thirst… everything about me invites you in. You shouldn't want this. You shouldn't want me."
Bella's voice trembled as she listened to him, not with fear, but with conviction. "I'm not afraid. I trust you."as she replied back with confidence.
Edward's eyes softened as he hear her reply, his torment battling with something deeper, something that bound him to her as strongly as the danger that should have driven her away, but in that clearing, under the watchful sunlight, their truths stood between them, undeniable and unbreakable.
In the classroom, Rosalie as always sat beside Lucas, her slender fingers intertwined with his as if they are glued together never leaving each other.
As if thinking something, Rosalie leaned slightly toward him, her golden eyes flickered with a trace of unease."What do you think?" she whispered, her voice soft but tinged with doubt. "Will Bella fear us… or not?"as she asked him.
Lucas turned his head toward her as he heard her question, a faint chuckle escaping beneath his mask. His eyes glimmered with reassurance. "My beautiful, sweet, charming, darling, honey, baby Rose," he said, with affection spilling out of his mouth like a flood, "don't think too much about it. We'll find out soon enough, when we meet Edward in the cafeteria." as his free hand reached up and playfully brushed the tip of her nose with his finger.
Rosalie's lips curved into a rare, genuine giggle, the sound light and melodic as she listened to his cring but affectionate words.
Her earlier doubt melted away as she tightened her hold on his warm hand, grounding herself in his presence as if forgetting the question she had asked.