Bella Swan: The Enigma

Chapter 1: Mental mute

(EPOV)Edward

Moving from place to place every few years got boring after the fifth time, repeating high school was bad after the second time and history was the worst since I had lived through the last hundred years of history, read and watched everything on it as it happened. Forks is a tiny little town in Washington. My family and I hadn't been here before, which was something, at least. It was wet and had rare sunny days- a small bonus in this world.

''Edward, we're going to be late.'' Alice wines, poking me. I merely glance at her from where she is perched on the passenger seat. Her visions reassure that we will make it on time but she does it to annoy us all anyway- a beautiful specialty of her's.

She hits my head, earning a snicker from Emmett in the back. ''We need to get our timetables, plus, something big is going to happen, all my visions are fuzzy lately.'' She shows me an image of a girl; I keep my face blank of emotion. She was attractive; there was something so innocent about her, with her gentle features, soft brown wavy hair, delicate blush and deep brown eyes, I only see her for a second and her face is already etched into my brain.

I know I shouldn't judge so soon, but she is probably like all the other girls in this small town, self-obsessed and lacking academically. I pull the Volvo into the parking lot of Forks High, earning a rush of thoughts to flow through my head as I accidentally let the blocking damn I try to uphold down, they were impossible to ignore when all five of us get out and stride towards the office.

Are they the new kids?

They're beautiful . . .

Their eyes. . .

Golden . ..

Wow. . .

That last one, Mike Newton, is staring at Rosalie like she's a piece of meat, then I see a flash, and he is vulgarly comparing her to the girl from Alice's vision. I instantly growl.

''Dude, calm down,'' Jasper mutters, barely moving his lips as a small twinge of calm floods through me.

''Sorry,'' I reply just as lightly, smiling to show my thanks. ''I'm trying to ignore the images of horny teenage boys imagining themselves in compromising positions with my sisters; those images need to be bleached from my brain.'' I shiver and glance back to Mike.

Emmett chuckles, showing his dimples, he follows my stare and says; ''Sorry man.'' I shrug it off, He doesn't care, obviously not feeling threatened. I tune out all thoughts as we walk through the door of the office.

Oh my! The new kids! Mrs. Cope is staring at me uncomfortably Silly, she thinks to herself. He's almost young enough to be my son. Too young to think of that way…

If only she knew I was old enough to be her grandfather.

''How may I help you?'' She asks me directly. Too young, too young. She chants; my shoulders tense in unease; though I show no discomfort.

''We need our timetables.'' Alice giggles, knowing where Mrs. Cope's thoughts are heading.

''Of course, the Cullen's I presume.'' They're all taking AP subjects! Wow, they must be home schooled or tutored. Her eyes widen as the glances at the timetables, handing them to the right people, she notices how close Alice and Jasper, and Emmett and Rosalie are, she was going to go and spread rumors now, the bell rings for first period and we leave.

The first four classes are an annoying repeat, I walk in, people gawk, I introduce myself, sit beside a random person who would sit on the edge of their seat, just itching to leave.

Before I knew it, its lunch; in which all six of us waste food excessively. ''Does anyone know the new kids' names?'' Hisses a voice, I fish out the source of the voice, Jessica Stanley, she's sitting at the opposite end of the cafeteria from us, leaning forward on the chair expectantly. I'm surprised I can actually hear her thoughts through the vast amount of hair piled atop her head.

''The Cullen's, that's all I know.'' Mike Newton answers in a 'dreamy' voice, he is staring at the girl, Bella Swan I realize her name is, I try fishing out her thoughts, but come up blank. I frown, perplexed.

To my surprise, Bella, the one from Alice's visions, speaks up. I melt at her voice as it cuts through me. ''The Cullen's, adopted by Dr. and Mrs. Cullen, Dr. Cullen got transferred to Forks hospital from Alaska. Rosalie is the blond girl, she's with Emmett, the big one-''

''Wait, you mean together, together?'' Jessica asks in awe.

''Yes,'' Bella says in a bored tone. ''They're not actually related, they just live together, it's not weird, anyway. Jasper, the blond guy who looks like he's in pain, is Rosalie's twin, and with Alice, the little pixie one. Edward is the other guy.'' She explains, her tone cold, it wasn't like she was gossiping, more like she wants her friends to shut up. I look up, she is there, but her mind wasn't, I couldn't get a read on her.

I am beyond frustrated at this. ''So, he's single?'' Jessica questions, her thoughts turning worse than Mrs. Cope's had.

''Don't get your hopes up Jess, but yes, he is.''

And like that, Bella becomes a quiet enigma once again.

Oh my god, Mike thinks. Bella spoke, I think that is the third time this year since she moved, wonder what happened to her in Phoenix to make her so mute?

So, she doesn't usually talk, could this be the cause of her mental muteness? It irritates me not knowing the secrets inside one's head, I guess I am just used to it, the noise that would never go, that hum I was destined to listen to forever, sure, it came in handy sometimes, but it was a pain.

Bella moved here less than a year ago then, and she hadn't spoken much, she seems like a normal girl, apart from her unnaturally quiet state of mind, there isn't anything about her features that seems different; in fact she was just a plain Jane, but she also had a quality, one that I couldn't pinpoint that drew you in.

Take a picture Eddie, it'll last longer. Emmett booms mentally, I wince slightly, not enough for humans to see. I simply ignore him, but Alice was harder to ignore. You can't hear her, can you?

I sigh slightly, looking towards the opposite wall and back again, to anyone else, I was just moving my head, it was random and unplanned, only Alice knew I had shaken my head. She frowns, grabbing her tray and dancing up. ''I need to concentrate.'' She breaths, dumping her tray in the bin.

I know she is just going to go sit somewhere quiet and try and see the fuzzy future.

And I know it is because of this girl.

Ugh, look at Mike just openly drooling over her. The weird emo girl! She's a freaking know it all, and she never talks! Her eyes look so depressed all the time, you'd think with all the attention she gets from the boys, she'd at least act normal, or even when she ignores them, they'd get the hint, no, it makes them come back for more. It's just sick. Jessica's thoughts held a vicious edge to them. A strange feeling washes through me, and I have to suppress the impulse of jumping up and protecting this girl from Jessica's thoughts.

I don't know why they bother me so much, what was she but another little human girl? Even if I couldn't read her thoughts, she probably just thought she was too good for everyone else. I am staring at her again, transfixed.

''Shall we?'' Rose whispers, dragging my attention away from the human girl, that's all she was, another human girl.

Whom I couldn't read.

She is even interfering with Alice's visions, I want to ask Jasper if his gift worked on her but now was not the right time. We rise from the table, disposing of our lunch in the bin and I make my way to biology. I don't know why I feel a jolt shoot through me when I read Mike Newton's thoughts and find out she is in my Biology class.

And I am afraid of the answer.

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-BATTM