The cafeteria buzzed with whispers, but at the Cullens' table, laughter exploded after Lucas cracked a joke at Edward, so much so that Emmett and Alice clutched their stomachs, doubled over with amusement.
Edward, however, sat frozen, Bella pressed close to his side, his jaw tight and eyes locked on Lucas with a glare, sharp enough to cut steel.
Lucas, unfazed, leaned back with casual ease as Rosalie snug against him, acting as if Edward's anger didn't exist at all, with Rosalie teasing, showing her tongue to Edward in a mockery.
Alice, containing her laughter, turned toward Bella with a bright, welcoming smile. "So, Bella," she said warmly, leaning forward on her elbows. "Edward's been keeping you all to himself. It's nice to finally have you here."as she greeted her.
Bella blinked and looked towards Alice, caught off guard by the friendliness of her. "Um… thanks. It's… nice to meet you too," she murmured softly, her eyes flicking around the table, as curiosity tugged at her expression, as she wanted to know what had made them laugh so loudly.
Lucas noticed the curiosity in her eyes. "Curious about the joke?" he asked smoothly, with a grin tugged at his lips under his mask, as his gaze slided toward Edward, with amusement sparking in his eyes.
Listening to Lucas, Emmett and Jasper both covered their mouths, shoulders shaking as they tried, but failed, to contain themselves and laughed out again looking at Edward's expression.
Edward stiffened, his jaw clenched as his glare snapped to Lucas. "Don't," he warned, voice low and sharp, only audible to those at the table, who has good hearing like him.
Bella hesitated, then tilted her head, curiosity winning again. "Yeah… can you tell me?" she asked, her voice hopeful but cautious as she looked towards Edward's expression.
Lucas caught the strain in Edward's tone and, after a beat, relented as a chuckle slipped from him, as he leaned back. "Maybe some other time," he said easily, flashing Bella a disarming smile which she can't see.
Bella glanced between Edward and Lucas, unsettled and tensed atmosphere around them. The unspoken tension made her shift slightly in her seat, though she kept her composure.
Her gaze roamed again over the Cullens, their unearthly beauty, their stillness, the way they were so different from the humans around them. But when her eyes lingered a little too long on Lucas as if curious to how is he not feeling uncomfortable, sitting there like, as he was a part of their family, and which Rosalie noticed immediately.
Rosalie's golden eyes narrowed, her tone sharp. "Why are you staring at him like that again?"as she looked towards Bella, with eyes like a blade placing against her throat.
Bella's cheeks warmed as she averted her gaze, looking towards Rosalie who was resting in Lucas arms. "No, I was just… wondering how Lucas found out you were vampires," she admitted quickly, curiosity slipping past her nerves, as she looked at Lucas and Rosalie closeness.
The table rippled with soft chuckles, to which Rosalie relaxed, a soft smile curved on her lips, she took a hold of Lucas arm. "After Edward's little stunt saving you, I decided to tell him about ourselves ," she said smoothly, hiding the fact that Lucas had already know before, that they are not human.
Bella turned towards Edward as she heard Rosalie words, to which he looked away, his expression hard enough for anyone to know, as she frowned. "Well… that's good of you. Not like Edward," she said, her words carrying a comparison between Edward and Rosalie.
Bella forced a small smile as she looked at their expression, after her comment, "At least it's nice having another human around. Makes me feel… less out of place."while adding quickly.
The Cullens shared quick, unreadable glances, but stayed silent, inside they were laughing at Edward's as they hear Bella words, which annoyed him as he reads their mind.
And about Lucas being a spirit, none of them were devil enough to shatter her fragile heart, as to tell her the truth about Lucas not being human.
Lucas only chuckled softly as he listened to her, also not wanting to tell her. "So, Bella," he said kindly, playing with Rosalie hair, "how are you holding up?"with as smile beneath his mask.
"I'm… surprisingly fine," Bella admitted as she looked in his eyes because of his mask, though confusion flickered across her face, like she couldn't quite believe it herself.
"Strange. She's... telling the truth," Jasper muttered low enough for other to hear, except Bella, as his brow frowned while carefully tracked her emotions again.
Lucas just shook his head, when he heard Jasper confirming Bella words, and Bella just looked at Jasper in confusion, as she found his lips moving.
Silence followed after Jasper comment, thoughtful and heavy, to which Lucas looked unbothered as he had already seen the movie.
Emmett feeling the heavy silence, decided to broke it with a booming grin. "Well, she's holding her ground," He said, glancing at Lisa whose expression looked unreadable, but for him it was easy, as he saw her shoulder tensed.
Lisa remained quiet, her expression unreadable but her thoughts were clear. She wasn't upset with Bella sitting with them or them being hand in hand, her frustration was for Edward. She already know that Edward had already decided that he'll never turn Bella into a vampire, yet here he was, pulling her deeper into their world, ignoring his own words, and it's not that she was doing injustice to him, when she approved of Lucas.
Unlike Rosalie, who had chosen to accept Lucas as he was and decided to turn him, when needed, for his safety and for her family safety. And about Lucas, he was strong enough that time to protect her and them and now she don't know how powerful he is as a spirit, but she knows one simple thing that Lucas is very very strong now.
Lisa looking towards them couldn't see the sense in exposing Bella to their world even she found out about them being a vampire, and Bella isn't powerful like Lucas to face the problem which will come. For her, it was reckless, a danger to Bella and to all of them.
Sensing the tension coiling inside her, Emmett slipped an arm around Lisa and pressed a kiss to her head, to which her shoulders softened, and a small, reluctant smile tugged at her lips as she leaned into him.
Meanwhile, Lucas kept the conversation flowing while noticing Lisa behaviour abvious to him through her aura, but ignored it as he saw Emmett comforting her and it's not his place to say anything to her.
Emmett while comforting Lisa, occasionally tossed in some jokes to which Alice sprinkling in cheerful remarks for making Bella comfortable.
Rosalie, though nestled against Lucas shoulder, never once stopped watching Bella, her golden eyes narrowing at every glance Bella gave him. To which Lucas noticed but didn't say anything about it, only shook his head with a faint smile and drew Rosalie closer, his arms tightening protectively around her as he put his head on her head, making her relaxed.
While Jasper sat stiff and tense speaking little in between conversation, as he controlled himself and Alice, sensing every shift in him, slid closer while wrapping her arm through his, as she patted his arm gently,"It's okay. Everything's fine."she said to him, her voice soft as a whisper of wind.