Mr. Molina's monotonous voice bounced off the classroom walls, explaining the Krebs cycle with an enthusiasm that failed to spread to anyone.
However, in the corner of the back row, the biology lesson was the last thing that mattered.
Edward was at his limit, his body remained rigid in the chair, mimicking the immobility of a statue, while his hands grasped the edge of the table with such force that his knuckles had lost all color.
He wasn't looking at Lief, nor at Bella, his eyes were obsessively fixed on the microscope eyepiece.
Every part of his body screamed with hunger.
The scent emanating from Bella hit his senses with the violence of a flare, burning his throat.
It was physical and psychological torture.
And next to him was Lief.
He was leaning back in his chair with unconcern, holding his chin with one hand while twirling a pen between his fingers with dexterity.
He didn't seem affected at all by the silent storm occurring next to him.
'How pathetic.'
That voice resonated again in Edward's mind, but this time, the tone wasn't just mocking, but also carried a condescending nuance.
'Being able to smell it, feel it pump, but you decide to play the saint. It must be agonizing... You have a vintage of wine unique in history breathing next to you, but you insist on drinking from dirty animals to keep your conscience clean. Oh sorry, I forgot for a moment that you guys play at being vegetarians.'
Edward's body shook with a spasm, turning his head sharply, his pupils, now black from thirst, locked onto Lief's profile.
But he didn't even deign to return the look; instead, he stopped twirling the pen and raised his hand abruptly.
"Professor Molina, excuse the interruption," he said attracting all eyes, "Regarding the mitochondrial energy conversion you mentioned... the theory about the proton-motive force of ATP synthase is correct in standard textbooks, sure. But if we consider certain extreme anaerobic environments, there exists a reverse transport mechanism much more thermodynamically efficient. In fact, recent studies suggest that..."
Lief began to lecture, citing doctoral theses and subtly correcting the teacher's outline with technical terminology so advanced that Mr. Molina was left stunned.
The rest of the class, who barely understood the basics, looked at Lief as if he were an alien.
"Uh... yes, well, that is a fascinating observation, Mr. Connor," stammered Molina finally, adjusting his glasses to hide his bewilderment, "Extremely advanced for this level. Please, put your hand down... and thank you for the input."
Throughout the academic spectacle, Lief acted as if the vampire beside him, who was about to implode from thirst, simply didn't exist.
That indifference was the straw that broke the camel's back for Edward.
Anger bubbled inside him, mixing with unease.
What exactly was he?
He wasn't human, that was clear.
Not only was his mind impenetrable, but Lief had the terrifying ability to project his own thoughts inside his head.
Lief knew what he was and knew his family, while he was completely in the dark.
...
In the following days, the Forks weather kept its promise and the rain fell incessantly, turning the town into a watercolor of grays and dark greens.
As the weeks passed, the dynamic at the high school settled.
Bella discovered, to her fascination and slight frustration, that Lief was a paradox. Academically, he operated on another level, classes seemed to bore him and any exam was a formality he dispatched in minutes with perfect grades.
Socially, he was just as baffling.
He seemed accessible, always had a relaxed smile and could hold a witty conversation with anyone, from the jocks to the kids in the chess club.
But Bella, who spent more time with him than anyone, noticed the barrier.
Deep down, Lief emanated a subtle distance, a unique coldness... different from Edward. As if he were superior to everyone...
And then there was Edward.
The relationship, or lack thereof, between Bella and him was chaos. Edward swung between extremes, treating her with a mix of coldness and warmth that left her dizzy.
There were days when he ignored her completely, passing by her side as if she were invisible, with his jaw tense and his gaze fixed on the horizon. And other days, he looked at her from a distance with an expression of torment and yearning so complex and painful that Bella's heart sank, leaving her confused, uneasy and, much to her chagrin, irremediably intrigued.
Until an afternoon that changed everything.
The Forks routine was broken in the most violent way possible.
The school parking lot was covered by a thin layer of black ice and Bella was walking toward her old truck, with headphones on and her mind elsewhere, when the sharp screech of tires losing traction was heard.
A blue van had lost control, skidding wildly on the ice, spinning on its axis and heading, with the inertia of a ton, directly toward where Bella was standing.
In that heart-stopping moment time seemed to slow down.
Paralyzed from head to toe, Bella was unable to scream, watching the bumper grow bigger and bigger, filling her entire field of vision. She closed her eyes, waiting for the impact, the pain and the darkness.
But the impact never came.
Instead, she felt a push that threw her to the side, and her head hit the hard ground, although protected by something cold and hard like stone.
Crunch
When Bella opened her eyes she didn't see the gray sky, she saw Edward.
He was crouched over her, protecting her, with one hand extended to the side.
Bella turned her head and her breath froze in her throat.
The van had stopped dead, but not by braking; Edward's hand was pressed against the truck.
The sheet metal had sunk deeply under his palm, forming a dent, a mark that no human force could have created.
Edward looked at her once more with his black pupils full of a savage intensity, before withdrawing with a speed that blurred his silhouette, disappearing among the chaos of students who were starting to run toward them.
A few meters away, Lief was leaning calmly on the seat of his motorcycle. As someone who knew the movie, there was no surprise on his face, but seeing this scene in person certainly gave him a new perspective. Whistling softly, he crossed his arms while observing the direction the vampire had fled.
"Not bad for a vegetarian."
...
That incident was the breaking point.
Bella's reality, as she knew it, had shattered; she could no longer lie to herself, Edward was not a common person.
The tension built up for days until, one weekend, Edward agreed to take her to a secluded place.
They walked deep into the woods surrounding the town, away from curious glances.
The place they reached was beautiful and strange.
And for the first time in weeks, the clouds opened up and the sun struck the earth directly.
Under the raw sunlight, Edward stopped and turned toward her.
"This is what I am, Bella..." he said softly.
He removed his shirt and exposed himself to the direct light.
!
Instantly Bella let out a gasp, bringing a hand to her mouth.
Edward's skin sparkled, thousands of tiny facets reflecting the light as if his body were carved from diamond.
He was beautiful...
"... I am a vampire," Edward finally confessed.
"..."
Bella felt an initial wave of shock and the idea of running away even came to her mind, but when she looked into Edward's eyes she saw the same loneliness and the same sincere pain as always...
Her fear dissipated instantly, replaced by certainty.
She didn't care what he was, she cared who he was.
!
However, while her brain processed this incredible revelation, some memories struck her mind like lightning.
The introduction in Mr. Molina's class... Lief's playful smile.... The conversation in the cafeteria...
"I like hunting vampires and werewolves."
"What if I told you that those things really exist... and that I am an expert in dealing with them?"
The blood drained from her face so fast that Edward, alarmed, took a step toward her.
"Bella? Are you okay?" he asked, worried about having terrified her with his appearance.
But Bella's terror wasn't because of the being in front of her.
"Oh my God..." she whispered with a trembling voice. She grabbed Edward's cold arm with desperation, "L-Lief! Edward... YOU HAVE TO LISTEN TO ME!"
Edward frowned, confused by the sudden change.
"What about Connor?"
"He said it! The first day of class... he said he liked hunting vampires!" Bella felt panic closing her throat.
What had seemed like a tasteless joke now sounded like a death sentence, "I thought it was a stupid joke, but... Did he...? Did he know? Did he know from the beginning?"
"..."
A shadow passed over Edward's face.
He remained silent for a few seconds, and finally nodded gravely.
"I'm afraid so," he admitted, his voice acquiring a somber tone, "The first day, in the cafeteria... when I tried to read his thoughts to know who he was, I hit a wall, but not only did he block me... but he spoke directly to my mind."
"He knew exactly what I was before I knew his name."
Speaking, he looked toward the darkness of the forest, as if at any moment Lief would emerge from among the trees.
"Lief Connor is not a common person... he is strange." He focused back on Bella's eyes, and for the first time, she saw real fear in his eyes, "You have to promise me something, Bella. Stay away from him as much as you can. He is dangerous..."
A chill ran down Bella's spine.
But not because she felt fear of Lief, no, Lief had always been kind.
But the idea that her friend was actually a hunter, then turned his presence in Forks into a ticking time bomb for the Cullen family.
To calm Bella's nerves, and perhaps also to show her that his existence wasn't solely blood, Edward made the decision to cross the last frontier he had left: taking her home.
They ventured deep into the forest, far from any road, the Cullen residence emerged from among the ancient cedars like a modern and shining secret.
Defying any stereotype about vampires.
When they walked through the door into the spacious living room, the family was already there.
Carlisle, the adoptive father, was standing by the fireplace, radiating a kindly calm of his own, next to him was Esme, whose maternal warmth was palpable even without her saying a word.
On the sofa, Emmett, with his huge football player stature, offered her an amused smile, while Rosalie, as beautiful and cold as an ice statue, kept her distance.
Further back, Alice seemed unable to stay still, although her usually cheerful face was shadowed by a grimace of worry and at her side was Jasper.
"Welcome to our home, Bella," said Carlisle, taking a step forward with a soft smile.
"Hello..." replied Bella, feeling suddenly small.
"Edward has told us a lot about you," added Esme, approaching to offer her a warmer welcome, "We are glad you decided to come, despite... well, everything."
Bella nodded, grateful for the kindness, but she noticed how the air in the room changed subtly.
But it wasn't because of her.
"We know," admitted Carlisle, and his expression turned grave, "Edward has told us about his abilities, it is a delicate situation."
Suddenly, Alice stood paralyzed.
Her golden eyes unfocused, losing sight of the living room and locking onto an invisible point.
Her small body went rigid and Jasper, attuned to her emotions, immediately placed himself at her side.
"Alice, what do you see?"
Alice blinked several times, returning slowly to the present, but the vision seemed to have left her frozen.
She looked at her family and then at Bella with an expression of uncertainty.
"I saw him... or at least, I tried to see him," she whispered with frustration, "It was as if someone were blocking what I want.... His future is a fog, it appears and disappears... I can't see his decisions clearly, he definitely blocks it."
But pausing, swallowing, her gaze darkened.
"But there was a moment... a clear image that filtered through that fog..." she continued, and the silence in the room became absolute, "I saw him here... He was standing right at the door of our house, in the rain. And in his hand... he was holding a weapon."
________
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