The Other Sister

I tried not to think about what was coming, but I couldn’t keep my mind from wandering back to it. I knew it was something big and that was about all the information I could gather. It’s been about a month since my trip with Jasper and I’ve been trying to keep happy, or at least not miserable. I hate when he has to feel that all the time with me around. Edward too, he can hear all my worries about this big change. I hate to make them suffer, so I try to keep it locked up until I can get far enough away not to bother them. Alice agrees with me though, she can sense something big, she just doesn’t seem as worried as I am.

“I’ll be more worried when it becomes more clear as to what it is. It can’t be too near if it’s so hazy and erratic. Don’t stress too much about this Evelyn, it’ll give you a migraine trying to concentrate on something so indefinite.” Alice said one morning in January as we rode with Edward and Jasper in the Volvo. Rosalie and Emmett were behind us in Emmett’s Jeep.

“ I know you’re right, I just can’t - Oh… Isabella Swan is here.” I said cutting myself off. I laughed as Edward didn’t know what I was talking about. Today was going to be her first day, the whole town was excited for her arrival. Well, most of the town anyway. She was just another human, I didn’t see why everyone was so excited, but I suppose after you’ve lived your entire life around the same people, someone new was exciting. They had the same reaction when we first arrived. Excitement, until they realized we weren’t anything they expected.

The school day was rather repetitive and I didn’t bother paying attention in class, although I appeared to be doing my work the whole time. When fourth period Spanish rolled around I was neither excited nor bored. I let out a small sigh as I took my seat in the far back corner on the right side of the room. There was just something off about the whole day and I didn’t like the feeling.

A few minutes later and a new scent entered the room. I looked up to see Isabella Swan enter the room. I quickly breathed in her floral scent, it was appealing but nothing that was bothersome. She handed the teacher her slip she needed signed and then sat in the empty seat available. I felt bad, it was right next to Jessica Stanley. She was a very talkative, gossipy kind of girl. She fancied more of the male population than necessary, even Edward was part of that group. He and I both were thankful she moved on from her fantasies about him, it was not amusing when it was constantly so graphic.

Jessica blabbed to the girl before the final bell rang. I had watched her a few times from other’s points of view, she was a quiet shy girl, she liked to keep to herself and she had a unique sense of humor. Something a lot of people here lacked. It was strange though, I was unable to read her thoughts. I didn’t question it too intently, sometimes I had glitches with my acquired abilities.

I heard as she correct everyone when they called her Isabella. She preferred Bella, I could sense her distaste for such a formal name. It was pretty though, sort of fit her well. She carried herself like an adult instead of a child like the rest of the students here. She seemed a little more interesting than I expected. Maybe it was nothing, or maybe all the curiosity in the room was finally getting to me.

She had an interesting face that separated her from the other human girls. Her lips were a little full for her jaw line but it wasn’t a bad thing. She had a simple yet natural beauty and a clean complexion that any girl here would kill for. She looked so much more vulnerable than the other students though. Her shoulders slightly hunched, like she was trying to protect herself from something.

She was more than likely uncomfortable in the spotlight, and today was probably not she‘ll want to remember.

The bell rang and the students exited the class. I filed along like the rest of them, trying to act as a human teenager. It was time for lunch. I sat down at the table next to Jasper and across from Edward. I was the last to arrive.

Rosalie and Emmett were engaged in a quiet personal conversation while Alice and Edward were finishing up their own secret conversation. They did this often when they didn’t want anyone to know what they were talking about, well besides me. I couldn’t help but hear as well. It was interesting how they did this, Alice would talk mentally and Edward would move his eyes or his head slowly, as if he were shifting out of habit.

This time they were talking about Jasper, Alice worried about him. He had a hard time with the lifestyle we followed and often found himself less under control than necessary. He didn’t want to appear weak and have to hunt more than the rest of us. Sometimes he and I would go alone, more than the others, but he still felt it made him appear weak.

Edward had just distracted him from his own thoughts about a petite girl who was a little closer than she should have been.

“Sorry.” He murmured, ashamed.

“You weren’t going to do anything.” Alice lied, I could hear Edward thinking the same. Edward saw it that we had to stick together, the freaks among freaks. We had to have each other’s backs, protect one another.

I tuned out their conversation as I saw something, a look of curiosity, admiration? It was concrete, about to happed in about two seconds. It was Bella, she was about to turn and look at our table. Strange, that wasn’t something I’d care about.

Just then Alice got up and walked away, dumping her untouched tray of food in the garbage as she passed. She knew when Jasper had enough, and she knew when to back off.

“Who are they“ I heard from across the room. I knew who it was, although I’d only heard her speak briefly with the other students. Bella Swan. Jessica looked at us quickly, and smugly began telling Bella about us.

She was happy to have befriended the new girl, being able to fill her in on who’s who and the silly high school groupings. Jessica loved the attention it was getting her too, she was just basking in it.

I watched as Edward turned to the sound of his name as Jessica thought of him. He turned away quickly, bored, and went back to looking at the ceiling tiles.

“Jessica Stanley is filling the new Swan girl in on the Cullen clan.” Edward said more to Emmett and Jasper than me, there was no need I already knew that.

Emmett laughed. Hope it’s something interesting.

“Nothing original, just the same that’s been said before.” Edward seemed a bit disappointed. Jasper continued to stare out the windows seemingly uninterested in the news.

What’s the new girl think of it? Edward, Alice, and I were more or less responsible for watching out for our family. It helped having these abilities, to know if anyone ever grew suspicious of us. We’d leave before anyone ever found anything out. I could tell Edward was starting to concentrate on the voices. They grew very loud in his mind.

What are you doing Edward? I asked, he’s never needed to concentrate so hard on his extra hearing. He’s never needed to concentrate on it at all. For him it was natural, just as it was to breathe, it just happened.

I can’t hear her. He thought aggravated. He turned to look at the girl again, they locked eyes for a fraction of a second before Bella looked away. Edward continued to stare. Can you hear her?

No, I just thought it was me though. Unlike Edward, my ability wasn’t perfect, at times the abilities I acquired failed me. It was annoying, to say the least, but it rarely halted altogether.. I listened as Edward continued concentrating on the voices.

“Which one is the boy with the reddish brown hair?” Bella asked Jessica. Almost instantly Jessica’s thoughts mocked the new girl. Her answer though showed none of the bitterness for the girl.

“That’s Edward. He’s gorgeous, of course…” I didn’t bother listening to the rest of her response. For some strange reason I was aggravated with the girl. Never once before had her rude tone bothered me, but when she used it towards Bella I felt differently. Edward was feeling protective of the new girl as well, maybe that was why I felt it.

Rosalie signaled us to leave, the bell just about to ring, distracting Edward from the silent thoughts of Bella.

“Is the new girl afraid?” Emmett asked again, Edward just shrugged, not wanting to disclose the silence of the girl just yet. We all went our separate ways to our next class. Suddenly I wanted this day to be over. I had an anxious feeling again, like something was coming, but I saw nothing in the future.