The Dark Side of the Moon

(Anabelle's Point of View)

The next day was cold. And wet. Predictable, I thought to myself. And I smiled. Predictable was good. Predictable was safer. I slinked into my closet, which was filled with more designer tags then a New York department store, and slipped on a pair of khaki colored jeans and a silky champagne blouse. After pulling on some brown (waterproofed) boots and a matching sweater, I grabbed my book bag and bolted out the door. I did not need to eat breakfast. The extraordinarily small amount of food my body did need would be saved until public eyes could watch.

Much to my brothers' chagrin, it had been established that I would ride to school alone today. We would appear less intimidating and conspicuous if we were first seen separately. My silver Porsche Carrera G7 made it to Forks High School in half the time it would have taken a normal person, but then again, I was not a normal person. I parked in the first empty spot I saw, and began gliding toward the small front office.

(Jasper's Point of View)

Edward pulled into the parking lot ready to slide into our usual parking space. The silver Volvo stopped however, as there was a sleek Porsche that sat intruding in its normal home. The five of us exchanged confused expressions. "What gives?" snapped Rosalie. She was clearly annoyed by the Porsche's human owner's cluelessness. I let my mind rush soothing waves over her. My actions were received with a sharp glare, but she seemed grateful nonetheless. Edward was the next to speak. "Not a problem, we'll park somewhere else." I quickly volunteered to visit the office and ask for a new parking spot for either the Volvo or the Porsche, for I was willing to take any opportunity to avoid the crowd of humans swarming into the main building.

(Anabelle's Point of View)

I walked into the front office already expecting the look on the receptionist's face. She stared wide eyed, jaw open, analyzing my features, my voice, and my movements. It took several moments but she soon recollected herself, and handed me a sheet of paper before explaining a few rules. She asked me to get my teacher's signatures and return here at the end of the day. When she was done, for pure entertainment, I lowered my eyes to hers, holding the gaze without blinking. I produced a wide, sparkling smile, and in my most mesmerizing and musical voice I replied, "Thank you ever so much for your assistance. I will see you at the end of the day!" At that, I spun on my heel and pranced out the door allowing myself a chuckle at her awestruck expression. However, my little joke had distracted me, and I almost, ALMOST, ran into another person coming in.

I looked up quickly, focusing on controlling my instincts and lighting fast reflexes from impulsively sprinting away from the stranger. The eyes I met, however, caused me to forget my sudden alarm and glued my feet to the floor. It was a boy. Although I cannot truthfully say that. I knew automatically that he was not human.

His blonde hair rested in waves atop his head. His skin glowed a clean white, smooth as marble, and was marred only by the thin scars, invisible to human eyes, which crept along his face. His body was lean, but very well built, and held the figure of a soldier. What had entranced me however, was his eyes. They were a duller butterscotch then my brothers. I could tell he had not hunted in awhile, but he was not too thirsty. There was something more to his eyes though. Behind them buzzed unimaginable thoughts and emotions. Thoughts and emotions I felt a strange longing to understand.

Hmmm... I thought. I hope this does not prove to be a complication. I smiled at him and he staggered back a bit. I could not hold back a grimace as I watched his eyes turn dark and cold. Then, as if nothing had happened, I continued to stroll out the door.

(Jasper's Point of View)

What had happened? My mind spun frantically. My simple trip to the front office had turned into quite an interesting occurrence. I had opened the door only to be confronted by a pair of breathtaking multicolored eyes. To a human they would have appeared to be an alluring violet color, but with my advanced eyesight, I could clearly see the entrancing mesh of different hues. It was something I'd never seen before, something awe-inspiring. But then I focused myself to look at the rest of this mysterious creature.

It was a young girl, perhaps about seventeen. Her hair was long, and it waved in gentle spirals that ended towards the middle of her back, a few inches above her waist. It was a deep dark chocolate brown, but natural gold highlights inconspicuously peeked through. Her skin was olive-toned and clear of any mark or blemish, not even a freckle stood out. It was, of course, a perfect asset to the rest of her flawless features, which were curved and sculpted in perfect harmony. Her body was thin, almost too thin, but femininely defined muscles were visible even through her clothes.

All of these images flooded into my brain, confusing me, and preventing me from forming a coherent thought. A breeze floated through the door, and as if she were reacting to the cool arm she smiled. Brilliantly white teeth almost blinded me, but I was too distracted to notice. The breeze had blown her scent towards me, and all of a sudden this beautiful girl, whom I had been so positive could not be human, became my worst nightmare. The smell of her blood filtered through my nose, seemed to leak through my pores, affecting me like a drug. It felt like a sharp punch had crippled me, and it pounded me with the best and worst sensation I had ever felt. And then she was gone.

(Anabelle’s Point of View)

I steadied myself on the outer wall of the main building. I flexed my unusual power and wrapped it around me, forcing my mind to control itself. I took a deep breath, and made a list of things to think about. Whenever I am nervous or stressed I always made lists. More control.

1.) There was at least one other immortal here in Forks.
Possibly more. At least he was a vegetarian. That made things easier. I would have to tip off my brothers soon. But it was the second item on my list that bothered me. That confused me, made me euphoric, and clenched at my stomach in fear and sadness all at the same time.

2.) This vampire had some sort of control over me.
My body’s reaction to him surprised me. How could one look at this boy cause so much emotion to rush through my veins? I shook my head, forcing these ideas to the back of my mind, and focused on the day ahead of me.

I walked down the hall to my homeroom. Reed was already there, having taken a seat in the back corner. Isolating himself. As always. I sighed, and ignored the unending stares of the other students. The teacher, Mr. Varner, signed my sheet with trembling hands, constantly glancing at me from the corner of his eye. When he had finished I strolled to the empty seat next to Reed. All eyes followed me as I progressed.

I sat down and knew what he was going to say before he said it. “We are not alone.” I did not worry about others hearing. He spoke in too low of a frequency for the humans’ ears to pick up. “I know.” I whispered back. His perplexed look encouraged me to continue. “There is a vampire. Blonde. Male. Looks like a soldier.”

I watched as his eyes widened and he shook his head. “Then he is not alone. He has friends too.” Now it was my turn to look confused, and it took all my patience not to beg for him to go on. “Two females. Two males. Vegetarians.” My mind calmly registered his statement, and I nodded. There was no immediate danger, and we could more thoroughly research this later.

The next few hours passed by slowly. All of the members of my family had been updated on our companions, and it was unanimously agreed not to take any course of action just yet. But I could not get him out of my mind. The war waging behind his eyes had mesmerized me, and my only distraction had been the introductions of a few brave students. Their names were automatically stored in my flawless memory. I answered their questions warmly and acted enthralled in their conversations, so by the time the bell rang for lunch, I had made a decently large following. I smiled at them all and excused myself to go and meet my brothers.

(Jasper’s Point of View)

We all sat tensed in the lunch room. Edward had listened to the thoughts of any other students that had contact with the strangers all day. He could see the two vampires. They were twins, which was a rarity for us immortals. They were very attractive even by our standards. “The females are swooning over these guys.” Edward muttered. His voice sounded disgusted, but his mouth turned up in a smile. Girls often fell for me and my brothers in a similar fashion.

He could see the other boy too. He wasn’t a vampire, that was obvious, but he definitely wasn’t human either. Edward said this boy’s name was Reed, and he mainly kept to himself during his classes, despite the fact that he was just as attractive as his brothers. I listened to all of his explanations impatiently. There was only one individual I wanted to know about. “What is SHE thinking?” I breathed. Nobody found my curiosity out of place, for we were all intrigued by these new strangers. Edward looked down sheepishly. “Well…actually…there’s a slight complication.” He whispered. “Let me guess,” Rosalie growled, “You can’t read any of their minds.” “Yes.” Edward sighed, “Anything I’ve heard about them has been through the minds of others. People seem quite taken with them.” “I can only see the two vampires,” Alice confessed, “The other two fog up my visions.” There was nothing to say after that. We waited.

It wasn’t long before they came. Everyone in the lunchroom had been shifting anxiously in their seats, continually moving their eyes between the door, and the only empty lunch table left. My extra sense picked up on the excitement pulsing through the room. And then they were there, gliding so gracefully that even my siblings swallowed gasps. The boys all walked around the girl, almost like… they were protecting her? “How strange.” I heard Alice whisper. She had noticed the brothers’ defensive stances as well.

Everything about them was beautiful. The brother named Reed, and one of the vampire twins grabbed a couple trays of food for them all, while the girl was quickly escorted to the table by the other twin. They sat unmoving, not talking. Their expressions were emotionless, much like my own. The other two siblings returned, and after a few moments of silence the girl nodded. They all stood up, moving in what seemed like slow motion. They left the rest of the cafeteria entranced as they parted, individually approaching different tables to gather a few of what I assumed was the new “friends” they had made.

I felt my siblings shift their eyes warily to the vampires. How could they seem so calm, so controlled around these humans? Then I remembered the intoxicating smell of their sister, and venom began to flow freely in my mouth at the memory. I scowled. Their resolve and control must be as strong, if not stronger, than Carlisle’s to be able to deal with THAT.

I was so involved with my thoughts that I did not notice the short exchange of words that took place between the girl and one of her vampire brothers, or her slow approach to our table. “Hello.” I looked up. That voice…it couldn’t be human. My sensitive ears didn’t pick up a single change in her tone or crack in her voice. It was too, angelic, too perfect, to be human. Yet, at that same moment, I caught her scent, the same maddening aroma as before. I shot a sharp glance towards my siblings. Their faces were frozen, eyes dark, the same expression of pain and confusion that I’m sure I wore on my own face. So they smell how strong she is too, I thought. But just as my mind began to plan how to pounce on my victim, it was gone. The irresistible allure of her blood had disappeared.

Five sets of eyes glared at her face, but this was no easy task seeing as it was painful to keep our eyes on her too perfect features. The girl’s eyes had gotten wider, more intense, and her hands were clenched, as if she was concentrating very hard on something. Was she responsible for the sudden control and calm we all felt?” “You must be the Cullens.” She sang again. Her body relaxed and she unclenched her fists, but her eyes were still wary, concentrating.

Edward was, of course, the first to speak. “That’s correct. May we have the pleasure of knowing your name as well?” His voice was strained but polite. I could feel the anxiety and confusion emanating from him, but I didn’t bother comforting him. The angel girl smiled. The warmth behind her expression shifted my siblings’ moods a bit. They relaxed, and their anxiety began to pass, while curiosity took its place. “I’m Anabelle, but I much prefer to be called Ana.” She stated.

She was holding out her hand, reaching towards Edward, who had been the one to address her. I felt a sudden pang of…jealousy? What was that about? I refocused, and watched Edward cautiously return the handshake. He tried to respond as coldly as he could with that angel smile still penetrating him. “I’m Edward,” he managed, “and this is Bella, Alice, Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper.” Anabelle’s eyes glanced towards each of us, stopping at every new face as if she were searching for something. When they rested on me, I didn’t look up. My body ached to gaze into her mesmerizing eyes again, but I was too afraid too. My siblings watched her every movement, and I could feel their burning curiosity. Each of them yearned to ask questions, and to receive answers. Yet it remained silent.

She suddenly turned back for a moment, and for the first time we noticed her two brothers, the twins, glaring at us. Anabelle sighed. “So unsociable.” She quickly grinned back at us. “Please excuse my brothers, Avis and Malcolm, they are not usually so cautious, but they worry about me. I will have to introduce you all sometime.” She began to take quick, lively step back to her table, but something stopped her. She spun back around, and gazed directly into my eyes. “It was very nice to meet you all.” After a second or so she looked away and smiled at my siblings. She then proceeded to move lithely back to her family. We remained in an awestruck quiet. None of us wanting to ruin the perfect silence she had left us in. Emmett was the first to break it. “Holy Shit.” He murmured, as his eyes roamed appreciatively over towards the beauty. That was an understatement.