Disclaimer: Twilight and everything asscociated with it, does not belong to little olme.

Chapter One – Inkling

"It started out as a feeling,

which then turned into a hope"

- "The Call," Regina Spektor

I rejoiced at the electronic drone of the bell, it was the most beautiful sound in the world. It heralded the end of what was definitely the worst morning of my life. A part of me realized the afternoon was probably going to be just as torturous but I quickly squashed those thoughts. It was lunchtime and I had an hour of freedom before I had to face entering a classroom again.

The girl I was sitting next to - I couldn't remember her name - had walked me here from our previous class together, and from the way she started chatting to me once the bell had rung she obviously wanted me to follow her to the cafeteria. It wasn't a long walk, this was a small school. And, despite her inane babble, I was thankful to have a friendly face in the sea of strangers.

"Jess!" A boy sitting at a table beckoned us over. Jessica, that was her name.

Jessica waved enthusiastically back at the boy as we headed for the food line. I wasn't hungry but I didn't want people to think I was nervous or anorexic. I picked up an apple and a bottle of juice.

I followed Jessica over to the table she had been beckoned to. There were now five people sitting at it, trying to ignore the narcissistic paranoia that said everyone was staring at me.

Yay. More people to meet.

The one who had yelled was named Mike. He was sort of cute in an unobtrusive way. I could tell that Jessica's description of him would have been a lot more enthused. There was a smaller boy named Eric and a "scruffy on purpose" looking one named Tyler. The other two at the table were girls, Angela and Lauren, and they seemed nice enough.

Mike pulled up an extra chair for me as Jessica was introducing everyone.

"She likes to be called Bella," was all she said about me to the table. Obviously my arrival had been expected and the source of much discussion.

The others all fell into easy conversation born of hundreds of lunchtimes together. I stared at my apple and contemplated taking a bite. Just as I raised it to my mouth a shadow fell across the table. I looked up to see a short yet utterly beautiful girl standing next to the table.

"Jessica, do you remember what the history homework was?" Her voice was high and melodious, like Christmas bells.

"Uh..." Jessica looked absolutely bewildered by the simple question. I grew suspicious.

"Well, there wasn't any." Jessica was obviously confused.

"Oh, right." The beautiful girl paused and then pretended to just notice me. She was such a good actress it would have been hard to tell if I hadn't been expecting it.

"Oh, hi! I'm Alice Cullen." Her smile as she looked down at me was impish and filled with delight. Her short, ink black hair stuck out all over the place but you could tell that each strand had been placed very specifically. She was wearing a knee length, back, peasant skirt and a light shirt with flowing sleeves that was a dark grey with black trim on the edges. Around her neck was a cute pink necklace. She looked gorgeously adorable. Her expressive, almost transparent, grey eyes assured me she was being sincere in her introduction.

"I'm Bella. Bella Swann." My voice had never sounded less appealing to me.

Her smile brightened, if that's possible.

"It's nice meeting you." And with that she danced away, her every step full of energy and grace. She sat down at a table with four others at it and I turned my head almost went back to my apple before my mind processed what my eyes had seen and whipped back around. The others at her table were just as striking looking. All of them beautiful in different ways.

In the middle of the table a big burly guy with short, curly brown hair and an intimidating face had an arm wrapped around the most stunningly gorgeous girl I had ever seen. She had lustrous blond hair flowing down her back and piercing blue eyes. It was hard to tell because she was sitting but she looked tall and slender with a body that most girls would die for. The one that had come over, Alice, had sat down next to a shorter, slender boy. He was blond as well, with curly hair that hung down the side of his face. He took Alice's hand as she looked over at the other boy sitting at the table, off to the side a little.

I nearly gasped when I looked at him. He was tall, which made him look lanky but the way he held himself spoke to an undercurrent of strength. He had messy copper coloured hair. And his eyes. He had the most intense green eyes I had ever seen, almost like emeralds. I couldn't help but stare at him.

I saw him shake his head at Alice, answering a question I hadn't seen her ask. She looked surprised for a moment then smiled at him in a way that could only be described as mischievous as she told him something. He looked a little apprehensive at whatever it was that she said.

"Jessica?"

"Yes?" Jessica turned away from Mike to look at me.

"Who are they?" She looked in the direction I was staring, my eyes locked to his face. I heard Jessica giggle a bit.

"The Hales and the Cullens." I tore my eyes away and turned to look at Jessica.

"The two blonds are twins, Rosalie and Jasper Hale. The big one is Emmett, the one that came over is Alice, and the other one is Edward."

Edward Cullen. I couldn't help looking back over at him again. My brown eyed immediately met his piercing green ones. He was staring back at me. I blushed hotly and quickly whipped my face back around towards Jessica.

"So, Emmett, Alice, and Edward are all siblings?" I tried to seem casual but I don't think Jessica was buying it.

"Sort of. All five of them are, well, orphans." Orphans, who used that term anymore?

"They were all adopted by Carlisle and Esme Cullen. Carlisle is a doctor over at the hospital. They moved here two years ago and live on the outskirts of town in house no one has ever seen."

So, I wasn't the only outsider. It sounded as if the Cullens were the subject of much town gossip. Especially considering the way some of the 'siblings' were with each other. You could tell there was more than brother and sister between some of them and that was a little odd.

I chanced a subtle look in their direction again, not sure why I was so fascinated.

He wasn't looking at me this time. They all seemed to be in deep conversation so I took the chance to study him unabashedly. He was nothing short of gorgeous.

Was I really this shallow? Completely fascinated because of his looks?

Suddenly he looked directly at me again. An expression of pure frustration on his perfect face. For a moment I couldn't look away. His eyes were mesmerizing. Deep pools of green and I was drowning in them. His look of frustration softened and we both just stared for an eternity.

Jessica coughed beside me and I felt my face turn into a tomato as I looked down at my lap. I saw him smile in amusement first though.

"He is unbelievably gorgeous but he doesn't date." Her voice sounded a little petulant. I wonder how long ago he turned her down.

Once I was sure my face had calmed down I looked back at the people I was sitting with. They were all engaged in normal, lunch time chatter, filled with their own lingo and inside jokes. I listened to the foreign conversation ebb and flow around me while trying desperately not to look back at them. At him. I didn't want to be here at this table. That one was beckoning.

"Bella?" I heard Jessica's voice, loudly, right by ear. I looked up at her and gathered from everyone's stares that someone had been speaking to me.

"Sorry, what was that?" Jessica gave me a knowing smile but luckily everyone else was just looking at me like I was mentally handicapped.

I was so ready for this day to be over.

"I was just wondering what class you have next?" The first boy asked me. Names just kept escaping me.

"Oh...um," I took out my schedule to double check, "biology."

His face lit up. "That's the same as me. I can walk you there, if you like." I caught a glimpse of Jessica's face as he said this.

"Great." I answered with false enthusiasm. Great, my first friend was probably going to hate me for moving in on her territory.

A few minutes later the boy, Mike, stood up and said we had better get going if we wanted to be on time. Walking down the hallways, Mike babbled on as I made polite 'interested' noises and I tried to cling to the fact that I only had two more classes to go.

We got to the biology class and the first thing I saw, before even walking through the door, was a head of shockingly copper coloured hair. He was in this class also. Edward Cullen.

And he was sitting next to the only empty seat.

I was going to fail biology because I couldn't stop staring at the Adonis next to me.

I'd taken my seat after introducing myself to the teacher and getting him the slip that I needed to bring back to the office later. After signing, he pointed to the seat that I was both dreading and hoping for. He even filled in a seating chart. Great.

I threw my bag on the black topped lab table in front of me and started ruffling through it, telling myself that I was looking for my last blank binder and not trying to distract myself from him. I shouldn't have to distract myself. He was just a new acquaintance. A fellow student that I would have to be lab partners with. I was not scared of my eyes getting stuck on his face if I looked at him.

I started ruffling through my bag looking desperately for my last blank binder and pretending I couldn't find it long after I was sure it was the light blue one. It took all my will power to not look over and just drink him in.

"Hello." His voice. His perfect, musical voice.

I looked over.

His intense green eyes were looking into me with more concentration and intensity then I had ever seen on anyone's face, ever. I was trapped, drowning, and I didn't want to be saved.

"Uuhh..." Before I could remember whether or not I knew how to speak he ruined all my green eye filled fantasies.

"Is there something wrong with you?"

He looked perfectly serious as he said this. And before I had a chance to really take in the question, he burst into laughter. I mean head resting on the table, tears leaking out of his eyes, laughter.

"Ex...excuse me?" I tried to sound scathing, mostly I just sounded bewildered. As I turned to give him a proper look of disbelief and anger, I knocked my bag off the table and my books went tumbling all over the floor. As I got off my stool to retrieve them my foot got stuck on the leg of the chair that it had previously been wrapped around and I joined my books on the floor.

And he was still laughing.

At this point the teacher decided it was time for class to begin so I had to quickly collect myself and my books and get back in my seat. The best part about this whole situation was that everyone else was too stunned by the whole incident to be laughing. Apparently Edward Cullen didn't laugh all that often.

For the rest of class I decided that the best course of action would be to ignore the rude yet gorgeous boy sitting next to me. He apparently had the same though. Thank god I only had one class left after this one.

At the end of the lecture on relative dating, in which the teacher attempted to make a joke about incest, I hurriedly packed up my things hoping to get out of there before he could speak to me again. I could see Edward out of the corner of my eye and could tell he was staring at me again. He had the same intense look in his eyes though this time I could see irritation in his face.

I really did not understand what was going on. I didn't know him at all. Had never seen him in my life before today. And yet...

"I'm sorry." His velvet voice drifted to me. Quiet and truly apologetic sounding. I stared at him blankly.

"I was very rude earlier. My parents would be appalled with me. I'm appalled with me." His eyes looked pensive now yet still irritated. As if he had been seconds away from discovering the truth behind some mystery but then felt all the clues slip away from him.

"It's just, you...you intrigue me." His emerald eyes burned into my chocolate ones like green fire for a moment. Then he was gone. Out of his seat and walking out of the room without glancing back.

I guess intrigue wasn't what it used to be.

Mike came over then and asked what I had next. That's when it hit me that I had gym coming up. And that news killed whatever happy dance I was forming in my mind in celebration of the last class of the day. Mike's face brightened though. He had gym next as well. I guess someone should benefit from my misery.

Luckily, though, since I hadn't known I was going to be taking gym I had not brought the proper type of shoes. I got to spend the class sitting on the bleachers watching everyone else play basketball. I felt bad for these people tomorrow when they would be introduced to me and my gracelessness.

Unfortunately, this time on the sidelines gave me ample opportunity to think about biology and the horribly confusing Edward Cullen.

Is there something wrong with you? Why would he ask that? Who just says that to someone they don't know? And the way he said it! Not derogatory or mean, but curious, concerned. As if he was actually worried about me and wanted to offer what help he could.

I wasn't sure if this made it more or less insulting.

And then he just burst into laughter. Ugh. As if I was the butt end of some joke the rest of the school was in on.

And his apology afterward. What did that mean? How on earth did one person run so hot and cold?

Edward Cullen was completely infuriating, even if he was divine looking. I couldn't comprehend how I was going to spend the rest of the year sitting next to him.

Once gym was over I finally got to do my mental happy dance. I had to make one quick stop at the office and then I got to go home.

I practically ran to the office; it was a miracle I didn't fall. I had the slip of paper that all my teachers had signed in my hand and ready to hand in as I walked in the door.

He was in there. Leaning all willy-nilly against the desk, talking to Ms. Croft.

That was who I needed to talk to.

I took a step into the office and he stopped talking abruptly and turned to look at me.

"Thank you for all your help." he said to the secretary while still staring at me, his eyes frustrated and piercing as if he was trying to plumb the depths of my mind with his eyes. It was the most disconcerting feeling. He was obviously expecting something to happen.

As he headed for the door he didn't take his eyes off mine, I couldn't move, they were pinning me down. When he was right in front of me he paused, stared a moment longer and then he smiled.

His smile was breathtaking.

Then he chuckled at me and left the room.

After a moment to collect myself I approached the Ms. Croft who, having witnessed the exchange between Edward and I, raised an eyebrow at me. Thankfully, though, she didn't say anything. I gave her the paper she needed and rushed out of there.

I got home as fast as I could and went right up to my room. I stayed there all night despite the sounds that my father, Charlie, made downstairs. I gave myself this one night to wallow in misery.

I thought of my mother. And I tried desperately not to think of our last goodbye.

I thought of my new friends. And I tried desperately not to think of piercing emerald eyes.

I failed miserably at both.

Hey everyone. This is my first non-oneshot story. I so excited to be writing it. I need to thank my awesome, speedy Beta The Romanticidal Edwardian. Check out her stories, they are great! Please tell me what you think so far. Im aiming to have chapte two up this weekend but, as Breaking Dawn comes out, Im not sure that is going to happen. Thanks for reading!