Chapter 3
Edward looked at Bella one last time with a frustrated expression, and it immediately made her uncomfortable. She hid her face behind her hair.
When they entered Biology class, they noticed lab boards set up on the tables.
There were already several students sitting in their seats.
By the time Logan and Bella finally arrived—after many failed attempts and walking into the wrong rooms—Mike had already taken his seat. Obviously Jessica didn't want to walk Bella to class, which caused both her and Logan to get lost several times.
When Mike told Mr. Molina that they were waiting to speak with him, the enthusiastic biology teacher simply told them to sit wherever they liked and enjoy the class.
As Bella walked through the center aisle with Logan, she almost slipped and accidently saw Edward. He stared at Logan as if he was something abnormal, which made Logan instantly uncomfortable, so he chose the fastest escape route.
"Bella, there's your boyfriend. Why don't you go sit with him?" I said, trying to make that weird vampire stop looking at me.
"Jimmy, stop saying that, especially here," Bella whispered, pinching his arm.
"Ow!" Logan twisted in pain. "Okay, but you didn't have to get violent, woman."
Before they could sit, Mr. Molina said, "Miss Swan, why don't you sit there?" He pointed at the empty seat beside Edward.
When Edward heard this, he showed an uncomfortable look and quickly covered his nose. His eyes darkened as he stared at her.
Logan caught this instantly and went into high alert in case anything happened. He knew many things about vampires, but he couldn't cause a scene now; it was better to wait and stay watchful.
"I think you didn't shower today," he whispered to Bella, mocking her.
Bella walked timidly toward the seat, confused and red with embarrassment because of Logan's comment.
"And you, Mr. Black… sit in the back row. Unfortunately, you won't have a partner today, but don't worry, the lesson isn't hard," the teacher added.
"Yes! I got away from that weird vampire and got a seat all to myself. What more could I ask for?"
Instant relief washed over me.
Maybe I can survive this day without someone trying to kill me.
(If not, then… I don't think I'll last long.)
Logan tried paying attention to the class, but his eyes were fixed on Bella and Edward; his heightened senses locked onto them. He wouldn't allow anyone to hurt Bella—not anyone in that room.
He noticed the way Edward looked at Bella with an expression that, if looks could kill, she would already be dead.
"Today we'll be observing the behavior of flatworms," Mr. Molina announced enthusiastically as he placed Petri dishes on the tables.
"All right, you have to cut them in half," he said, showing a demonstration as they regenerated into two different worms.
Bella looked at Edward. He was holding his hand over his nose, which made her think she smelled horrible. Nervous, she lifted a strand of her hair to her nose to check, but nothing smelled wrong.
The teacher handed the materials to them and then said, "Yes, kids, zombie worms—crazy, right?"
Edward took one of the plates and slid the other toward Bella as if she had some contagious disease.
Bella saw his hands, his expression, and felt a wave of discomfort. His fists were clenched, and everything about him confused her completely.
Class ended. Edward rushed out of the room, and Bella felt tears building up and a sharp ache in her chest—but she refused to feel that way. Quickly, she left without looking back.
Logan noticed this and followed her.
"Hey! Wait for me!" he yelled from behind, making her stop.
When she turned, she looked at him with confused and sad eyes.
"Jimmy, tell me the truth… do I smell bad? Am I weird?" she asked, blushing deeply from embarrassment.
"You think you smell bad?" Logan answered, bursting into laughter.
"HAHAHAHA!"
Bella glared at him and stormed off, leaving him laughing alone like a madman.
"Come on, wait!" Logan shouted, trying to fix the mood.
"Bella, please!" He hurried to catch up to her. "It was a joke. You actually smell really good, I swear."
Now she wasn't angry—just extremely uncomfortable by what he said.
"It's fine, don't worry. It was just weird, okay? It's like he was avoiding me like I'm some plague," Bella said while opening her truck's door.
"Nice truck," Logan said, mocking her again.
"Well, at least I have one. And I see you walking," Bella shot back, mocking him in return.
Logan's face went pale, and his words froze.
"Hey, don't make fun of poor people," he said, pretending to be hurt. "You know, some people freeze on the streets. Don't joke about that!"
"Enough, you made fun of me all day," Bella scolded as she climbed into her truck. "Do you want a ride, little homeless boy?"
He laughed at the joke. She seemed different, but also exactly the same as he remembered. Some things never change.
"Thanks, rich girl, but today I feel like stretching my legs," Logan replied with a smile. "Take care, text me when you get home."
"You too," Bella said, waving goodbye.
As Logan walked, he looked toward the forest. Carefully, he checked that no one was watching and slipped into the woods once the path was clear.
Inside the forest, something felt different today. He wanted to feel how far his body had evolved. He felt stronger every day after his transformation, and from the legends of his tribe, awakening their gene required vampires nearby.
That made him wonder:
Did I awaken because of the Cullens?
But he had never seen them before, and Jessica said they arrived two years ago and he was seventeen now. If his transformation happened at fourteen… either the Cullens arrived earlier, or his awakening didn't require vampires at all.
Logan pushed the worries aside and took off his clothes, folding them neatly over his backpack, and he ran. He ran faster than anyone could—far faster than any normal human would. He felt the wind, the cold, the earth beneath his feet; nothing stopped him. He felt invincible.
Then he changed: he shifted into a gigantic bronze-colored bear.
He could run faster than anything in the forest, slice trees with his claws, and his teeth could bi
te through the hardest stone without effort.
Without a doubt, he felt unstoppable.
To be continued…