Living Dead Girls

The only two words that came to my very expansive mind for Forks, Washington would be plain and rainy. The rain is okay. Plain, I'm not so used to. But it's possible for us to be out during the day in public. More often. Which is usually nice. I find it difficult to choose between being cooped up in a house and going out in pubic, possibly reverting to what I used to be.

It wasn't pretty. Believe me when I say that.

So why was I parking one of the most amazing cars any of these small-town-that-passed-for-a-city-kids had ever been within reaching distance into the parking lot of Forks High School? Two reasons.

One: I wanted to show off said car. Hey. If you had a fully restored 1967 Ford Shelby Mustang GT500 convertible, you would do the exact same thing. Don't lie. A vintage, muscle car such as the one I drive should not be locked away in a garage. It should be flaunted and envied.

Judging by the students standing around and the comments coming from them, it was. Which catered slightly to my ego. Despite the fact that it was not my own doing, but a gift. Either way. It was my car.

Two: Simple. I get bored.

However, quite a while had passed since I had gone to a school of any kind for a period longer than a few days. That time being when I was human. I had tried it once with this family a few decades ago, but knew that I could not do it. Still. I felt that I owed it to myself to try. Attempting to make myself a better person, for lack of a better description, included taking chances.

Even though I failed, at least I could say that I tried which was better than nothing. I will never openly admit to my failure. In anything. Especially in trying not to maim and kill living things that speak. So I opted to leave the school, and keep myself and what was left of my sanity back at home with my existence partner, Zachary. And my adoptive mother, Esme.

Clamping my teeth together, I pulled the keys from the ignition and opened the car door. I had expected attention. Rosalie had previously prepared me, but I had not anticipated the particular amount of attention that we had attracted. Maybe my car wasn't the best idea.

Almost immediately I had fallen back into my old thinking habits, picking which child would work for which situation I happened to be in. Who would be an easy catch if I was hungry and didn't want to chase anyone; a young girl, towards the back, by herself. She would be too shocked to not respond to someone such as me, willingly talking to her like a friend. Or a boy finding me attractive enough to be unable to resist. Then who would be a reasonably good hunt: an athletic looking group, any one of them would do.

Any of the others, I could make them think that they wanted to keep standing right in those exact spots, or that they wanted to follow me to whatever destination I decided to take them to. They wouldn't know what hit them until that last second. Maybe not even then.

It's a sick thing to say, or to even think, that I miss my old life. And I'm sure that the man who had changed me and made me believe that humans were nothing but food or objects to play with would probably be pleased that these thoughts still flitted through my head so easily and freely.

Emmett stared up at me from the seat. "I don't appreciate being stuffed in the backseat."

"I asked if you wanted to drive," I muttered when he hopped out of the backseat, my lips barely moving as my eyes scanned the visible students huddled near our cars, stopping for a brief moment at the girl who had chosen to stand directly in between them. No one was standing relatively close to her. Not close enough to look as though they were her friends. I was almost curious as to why. Almost. No one would miss her..

"And I said yes."

Zachary's arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me to him. I could feel myself relax. Him standing there put my mind slightly at ease, made it easier to push some of those previous thoughts from my head. I was grateful for even that.

Being older than four of the other five of my siblings(and older than Esme), you would think it would be easier for me to simply stand there. Looking perfect in every sense of the word is quite different than embodying the word.

I turned away from the students to face my only-in-size-and-human-age big brother. "And I gave you the keys to your Jeep. You have your own vehicle for a reason, my darling brother."

"Elizabeth," was the first word from the driver's side of the silver Volvo. A warning. My mind-reading brother eyed me. While I should be thankful that someone is in there to .. scold for thinking those horrendous things, Edward intruding on my brain was very uncomfortable and completely invasive. On most occasions I did not like it.

"I can't completely ignore it, Edward," I replied, stopping my false breathing. No one who needed visual recognition that I was exactly what I was supposed to be posing as, was not looking. I did not need to bother at the moment. "Not everyone is adept to certain things as you are."

Before Edward and I could argue any further and possibly cause a scene, Zachary pulled me towards the school, following Emmett and Rosalie who, in turn, were behind Alice and Jasper. The four of them were most at ease here. Seeing as how they and Edward had previously been here for a few odd years, they should be.

Though Edward wasn't. I caught a glimpse of it. Rose had told me why he was reluctant to come to Forks, but did because of his family. A girl, the girl, that he loved and had met here, died in this exact city. Worst of all in their house. It doesn't get worse than that. If I had to watch Zachary die then.. no, I won't even think about it.

At least we aren't staying in that exact house, she had said.

Thinking slightly of the easy group of kids, but more-so of my car, I said "I need to put the top up." But Zachary wouldn't let me go.

"I'll do it," Emmett said happily, turning and snatching the keys that were once clutched in my fist. It was probably for the best that someone else go. And Emmett wouldn't damage my car. Or I would hurt him. Rose wouldn't be bothered, because it's not like I'd be killing him.. Besides, it's hard to hurt Emmett in any aspect anyways.

The real test would be being trapped in this small, enclosed building. Compared to that the parking lot was nothing at all. In there, they would be only feet or even inches from me. Knowing that at least one of my siblings would always be near was somewhat comforting.

I forced myself to start my unneeded breathing again a few steps before getting into the school.

Rosalie fell into step next to me, a few of the boys -- much to her unspoken pleasure, I could tell -- turning their heads to follow her as we walked down the hall. "They always look," she said, tossing her long, golden blonde hair off her shoulder. "You get used to it."

Much to my other sibling's confusion (and sometimes Zachary's), I was not as easily annoyed by my bordering on vain, blonde sister. Actually, I don't mind it much. It's who Rosalie is, who she was. And no one can or could change it. Just like no one would be able to change my overt hostility towards those that I did not deem worthy of my trust or attention.

"I hope so."

She gave me a small smile that only I noticed, and turned back to wait for Emmett.

---

"Edward, who was that girl gawking at you earlier?" I asked casually, gripping Zachary's hand under the table as students walked in. The very Edward glare that I got in return did not frighten or surprise me. It was something that happened on an almost daily basis. I had grown accustomed and immune to it. "She was staring as though you were some magnificent piece of art or a-- " I almost snickered at the word, "Masterpiece. Which--"

Zachary yanked on my hand.

"I am making conversation." I turned to glare at him.

"Elizabeth, one of these days.. he will fight you," he finished lamely.

"Ha!" That was a day that I would love to see come. Edward may be older than me, and able to read my mind, but I had a gift more superior to his. I would win.. I think. If he could read my mind, would my power counteract with his? Still, I wanted to know if he would even try. "Alice?"

There was a moment of silence before: "No. He won't, Zachary."

Zachary sighed. "Thank you, Alice. For ruining my point."

"Sorry."

Our homeroom teacher had gone from the front of the room to the back, where Edward's fan had immediately migrated to when she entered. Alone. Again.

"Miss Parish!" The slightly balding man yelled, getting a hold of her arm to keep her from falling right off the side of her chair. The girl looked out of it enough that it might just happen. "Vic!" He shook her gently. "Vicious!"

Both Edward and I turned. My reasons being both amusement and curiosity, I was not completely sure what his was. Probably the second. Surely he wasn't worried about her.

It was not until Edward had turned his full attention to her that she lost all consciousness. I glanced at him. He had power over girls and women, sure, but he had never made them downright pass out before. Not that I had ever seen. They fell all over themselves when he did that little half smile thing, but he hadn't even intentionally or unintentionally done it. Yet.

So why she passed out because he looked at her is her own stupid human problem. No, her weakness. Edward would be her Achilles' heel if she reacted like that every time he was around. Seeing as how the group of us were Juniors and the lack of space in this Hellhole, that was sure to happen on a fairly regular basis. Which I would probably find amusing.. on a fairly regular basis.

"What kind of name is that?" I scoffed. "She doesn't look all that vicious to me. Honestly."