Close to Nothing

AP Biology. Great. Thanks to Christopher, I would have to endure slicing open frogs and studying rare beetles and learning about the human body. Fantastic. The teacher sat me down next to some guy named Emmett but I couldn’t care less. I was fuming from anger.

“Bio, fucking bio for the past 50 years,” I muttered to myself. I didn’t notice how that Emmett guy suddenly snapped his head up at my words. I kept on muttering darkly to myself until the kid said, “Do you always talk to yourself?” I looked up at him and glared.
“Yes, yes I do, is that a problem?” I snapped. The guy gave a lazy lopsided grin.
“No, just wondering.”
The bell finally rang and I was the first one out of the door. I called Christopher.
“What is your problem? Bio? You put me in bio?” I demanded and Christopher chuckled.
"I thought it’d be funny,” he answered and I gave a small growl.
“I don’t like learning about humans and plus, I’m sitting next to some big buffoon that doesn’t like the fact that I talk to myself.”
“Well, that’s your problem, how’s the search going?” he asked.
“I haven’t really started and I need your help,” I said. “Be a doll and get me the passwords to federal migration files, alright?” Christopher sighed.
“Fine, fine but do me a favor and go out sometime okay?”
“I go out every four days,” I pointed out.
“Eleanora, tell me, how many friends have you made?” he asked.
“It’s been only a week,” I said defensively. “I talk to this Kevin kid sometimes.” Christopher didn’t answer, he just stayed silent. Something was wrong.

“What’s the matter, Christopher?” I asked, tension growing in my chest.
“I…I’m going to SI in about a month,” he said quietly and my breath caught in my throat. Staten Island was where we used to live approximately 40 years ago. We both didn’t like to go back there because it brought up memories that were much too painful.
“Why?” I asked.
“I want to know what it’s like, I’m also going to…check up on mom and dad,” he finally answered.

Our parents were still alive at the age of 86 and 87. They were in a nursing home back home. I put a hand to my head; it was starting to ache.
“Don’t get too close,” I whispered.
“Of course, I won’t,” Christopher assured me.

Our parents, Jonathan and Megan Treft, were the most amazing parents. When we lived with them, there wasn’t a day that they didn’t proclaim their love for us or for each other. You can’t imagine the pain they felt when they found out that their son and daughter ‘died in a terrifying car accident’. Occasionally we would go back to SI to visit them but only from afar. We always watched them to make sure they were safe together.

Christopher and I bid good-bye to each other and I hurried onto to my next class. When lunch came around, I sat at the same table as before. Kevin sat down next to me.
“Hey Ella,” he said and my head shot up. I looked at him with disgust.
“What did you call me?” I growled. I didn’t notice how the people at our table suddenly went quite. Kevin looked unsure and gave an uneasy smile.
“Ella, if you don’t like it I could call you Ellie, I could call you that,” he blabbed on.
“My name is Eleanora, I prefer that,” I spat out and Kevin flinched.
“Sorry.”

I snapped my head up and looked at the people around me. They all averted their gaze and continued on with their conversations. Of course I couldn’t explain to Kevin why I hated the name ‘Ella’. I could imagine his reaction when I told him that the vampire that changed me kept on muttering ‘Ella’ every five seconds as he approached me. He said it so sweetly so lovingly that I was a little disturbed and not only that but he seemed to know me inside out. He claimed that he watched me for months.

“Sorry Kevin, I just don’t like that name,” I muttered and he nodded, his bright smile returning. He went on talking about his algebra homework and how hard it was so I tuned him out. I picked up my eyes and my gaze collided with another one.

Edward Cullen was staring sympathetically at me. The girl Rosalie leaned in to talk to him and he said something without tearing his eyes away from me. The girl raised her eyebrows and nudged the big guy, Emmett, next to her. Suddenly they all averted their eyes from me. Something was definitely suspicious.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

It was eight o’clock. I was on the internet, searching all over the federal websites that had anything to do with migrations. Christopher was with me, on speaker.
“Find anything?” he asked and I frowned at the computer screen.
“Yeah, I think there’s a whole family of our kind living here in Forks,” I muttered.
“Great! Get to know them better,” he said in a cheery tone.
“I didn’t come to Forks to make friends,” I replied simply.
“But your hunt isn’t going anywhere, usually you can figure out if the guy is there within 3 days and it’s already been a week.” I sighed. He was right of course. It was hard for me to find this guy here. I kept on searching the woods for any familiar scents but nothing came. Only once did I get a whiff of that mint smell but I heard voices so I had to get away. I started to feel myself go calm. Maybe I should stay here for a while and not bother with the hunt, the vampire family seemed nic-
“Stop it!” I suddenly shouted. Christopher merely grunted.
“Don’t you dare push me! Not only Is it dangerous for you but I don’t like to be ordered around,” I hissed.
“I’m doing what’s best for you,” he said quietly.

Christopher’s ‘gift’ came in handy sometimes. He could make people do small things that didn’t matter much. Like getting a lady to sell the house I lived in right now over the phone. But that’s the problem: he could make people do things, no one said anything about immortals. Every time he pushed a vampire, he’d stay sick in bed for days. And I hated when he used it on me. He used to make me visit my parents even though it hurt too much. He made me move with him anywhere he went because he was afraid for me.
“I’m going out, I’ll search the area some more and get myself some food,” I said darkly, anger still bubbling under my skin. We bid each other good bye and I went on to hunt.