The inevitable moment of departure finally arrived.
The huge entrance gate, which had been brutally torn off during the heroic assault, now hung back in its place.
The butler Lurch had done a rushed and crude repair job, welding the metal with his own bare hands, which gave the entrance an even more twisted look.
"My dear friend!"
Gomez lunged at Lief with the strength of a bear, wrapping him in an embrace so passionate and tight that Lief could hear the warning creak of his own ribs.
"Listen to me well!" he continued letting him go and holding him by the shoulders with his eyes shining with emotion, "These gates will always be open for you! When you return I promise that I will have a French guillotine freshly sharpened and oiled, ready exclusively for your neck!"
"....Thank you, Gomez. It is the most... touching gift I have been given in years." Laughing, Lief patted him on the back, "Say goodbye to Fester for me too, it seems he is busy."
Boom
As a response, an explosion shook the ground beneath their feet, coming from the direction of the rear swamp, followed by Fester's laughter and Pugsley's screams.
Apparently, uncle and nephew were celebrating.
Morticia glided toward them, floating over the path with her usual elegance and in her hand she held pruning shears and a flower she had just cut.
An exotic beauty with purple petals and sharp teeth that was still trying to bite the air.
"Here," she said, extending the carnivorous plant to him, "May your journey be like this little one: beautiful, seductive and capable of devouring the unwary..."
"I will take good care of her, Mrs. Morticia." Lief took the flower carefully, making sure to keep his fingers away from its jaws, and nodded with a grateful smile.
Finally, his gaze settled on the small figure that remained apart.
Wednesday watched him in silence, with her arms crossed and her usual expression.
Lief had already started Fenrir's engine, but the throaty sound of the motorcycle didn't prevent him from hearing her.
"I will return to 'Devil May Cry'," said Wednesday suddenly, "I must witness the results of Victor's memory transplant experiment with my own eyes."
Lief smiled, adjusting his gloves.
"You are always welcome. I'll just ask you for a favor: try to make sure my office still has four walls and a roof when I return."
For a fraction of a second, something resembling a smile, or perhaps just an ironic muscle spasm, curved the corner of the girl's lips.
With a final nod, Lief accelerated.
Fenrir's engine roared, releasing all its power, and the motorcycle shot out onto the road, speeding away from the mansion.
While the speed increased and the wind hit his face, he took one last look in the rearview mirror.
Gomez waved his hand frantically, Morticia remained motionless like an elegant statue, and even the gigantic Lurch had raised his huge hand.
...
The trip from gloomy New Jersey to the Pacific Northwest corner was a long blur of asphalt and changing landscapes.
Lief didn't encounter any more supernatural mishaps on the way; the journey was surprisingly quiet, almost as if the world were giving him a break.
When Fenrir's tires finally bit into the soaked asphalt of the small town of Forks, the change in the air was immediate.
It didn't smell like smoke or city, but like a penetrating and fresh mixture of pine, sap, and wet earth.
The sky was a gray slab, a layer of clouds so dense and low that sunlight seemed like a legend.
He checked into a simple motel on the outskirts, shaking the water off his leather jacket, and the first thing he did was dial home.
"Hello, Mom. I've arrived."
Sarah's voice sounded instantly, "That's good, honey. How was the rest of the trip? How is Forks? I saw on the news there's a cold front, they say it rains almost all year there. Make sure to dry your clothes well and bundle up."
"Everything's fine, Mom, the place is quiet. Don't worry about the cold."
"Brother!" Lillith's shrill voice interrupted the calm, snatching the phone from her mother, "When are you coming back? Emma is using my favorite doll for her 'practices' again! She ripped its head off!"
Lief let out a soft laugh, "Let her play, Lillith, and tell her for me that next time she should try with something that is alive. Oh, and Lillith... don't think I don't know it was you who used an illusion to scare Esther last night. Making her wet the bed is a low blow."
With a nervous laugh, Lillith hung up the call.
After hanging up, Lief allowed himself a night of rest and the next morning, the sky remained just as gray.
He mounted Fenrir and headed to Forks High School.
His arrival did not go unnoticed, but he handled it efficiently. After a "chat" with the principal, Lief was handed over to the custody of Mr. Molina.
The teacher was a man with an excess of energy for such a rainy morning, and he chattered endlessly during the walk through the halls, speaking wonders about the "glorious history" of the Spartans and assuring him that the students were "simple and welcoming people."
They arrived at the classroom just as the bell was about to ring.
Mr. Molina opened the door and the chatter of thirty teenagers cut off abruptly.
Lief entered with a calm step, with a hand in his pocket and the backpack on his shoulder, projecting an attractive confidence.
Immediately behind him, almost hiding in his shadow, entered another figure: a dark-haired, pale girl, who clutched her books against her chest as if they were a shield, visibly uncomfortable.
"Alright, class, attention please!" Mr. Molina clapped with a radiant smile, "Today we have a special day. Two new classmates are joining us for a while. Let's give them a warm welcome!"
There was some scattered and half-hearted applause, but what really filled the air was the sound of whispers.
Glances went back and forth, scanning the newcomers as if they were new species.
Lief pricked up his ears.
"Forget what I said about Tyler," whispered a blonde girl in the second row, leaning toward her friend and covering her mouth.
"That leather jacket... he looks like he was taken out of a movie," replied the other, shooting a shameless look at Lief, "Do you think he comes from California? He looks like he has a big one."
"Poor new girl, the one in the back," commented a boy chewing gum with his mouth open, "She looks like she's going to vomit from panic."
"I hadn't even noticed her," replied his friend, lowering his voice, "But the guy... seriously, who does he think he is?"
"He's going to be serious competition for the Cullens," murmured someone else in the back, with a tone of poorly disguised envy, "Just what we needed, another mysterious and handsome guy for the girls to ignore us for the rest of the semester."
Mr. Molina gave a loud clap and cleared his throat.
"Alright, guys, keep quiet," he said, sweeping the room with his gaze, "Before starting with the syllabus... Why don't you introduce yourselves first?" His attention focused on the boy, "Mr. Connor, would you mind breaking the ice?"
Lief didn't need to be told twice. He walked with a relaxed step toward the center of the board, projecting a confidence that filled the space immediately and while he turned toward the class, his eyes performed a quick sweep.
His gaze stopped for a fraction of a second on a group of students whose faces were notably pale and beautiful, but he soon realized that the person he was looking for was not among them.
"Hello everyone," he said with a voice that captured the room's attention instantly, "My name is Lief Connor. I am an exchange student and I will be bothering you around here for the next month."
"And regarding my interests..." He made a deliberate pause and a mischievous smile curved his lips, "Let's say I enjoy cloudy days, hiking and, when I have free time, I dedicate myself to hunting vampires and werewolves."
"..."
The words left the room in silence for a second, before the entire classroom erupted in laughter.
"Hahaha, watch out, guys, we have a Van Helsing in the class."
"Have you watched too many horror movies, dude?"
"I like him!" whispered a girl, "At least he has a sense of humor."
Most took this comment as a tension-breaking joke; however, a few students had remained completely motionless, exchanging glances.
Not caring about the general reaction, Lief, without adding more, stepped away from the center and walked toward an empty seat next to the window.
"Well, enough commotion," the teacher intervened, smiling and shaking his head. "Student Connor is, without a doubt, a person with wit and let's hope he applies that same creativity to the class."
Then he turned his gaze toward the other figure who had remained static.
"And now, our other new addition. Please come forward."
All eyes turned to the dark-haired girl.
Unlike Lief, she didn't seem to want all the attention.
She took a deep breath, and spoke in a low voice.
"My name is Bella... Bella Swan."
________
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