Chapter 1 - Senses

They say that everyone has a sixth sense. Personally, my natural senses often failed me – it seemed like they were unable to coordinate me to do the simplest thing. Most people were able to walk through a door, but not me. Nine times out of ten, I'd somehow manage to either walk into the door, or hit my elbow or knee against it whilst passing through. Or walking in a straight line? Almost impossible for me - without tripping or slipping on something along the way. Oh, and don't even talk to me about holding something without dropping it a few times.

To say I was accident-prone would be putting it mildly. So, yeah, my natural senses wouldn't win a gold medal anytime soon, but my sixth sense… that was something entirely different. Everyone gets that feeling at times, the feeling that someone is watching them, but for me it was something more.

As I sat at the table, looking down at my uneaten apple, I knew someone was taking an interest in me. I guess it was hardly surprising; I was the new girl after-all, but this felt different. I glanced up at the four people who were sat with me. Jessica was talking at a rapid pace to Angela about a new handbag she had bought the previous day. Jessica's face was animated, Angela's was quite the opposite, but neither of them were looking at me.

My eyes shifted to Eric and Mike, both engrossed in a conversation about 'La Push', again, neither were looking in my direction. I chewed at my bottom lip slightly, and glanced around the school canteen – nobody, it would seem, was paying me any attention at all. Perhaps my sixth sense had decided to join forces with the rest of my senses… yet I still felt a slight prickle down my spine…

"So, what do you think Bella"?

Eric's voice interrupted my thoughts.

"Pardon"? I replied, looking a little sheepish.

At that moment, a door to my side opened and someone walked into the canteen from outside. Eric continued to speak, but from that moment on I honestly didn't hear anything he said. The figure that entered the room walked lightly towards a table at the far side of the room with graceful and elegant steps. My head turned to follow her as she moved.

"That's Alice Cullen".

I turned back and looked at Angela. After we had sat down, both Jessica and Angela has started to fill my head with names I was likely to forget. Jessica had already pointed across the room and highlighted the "Cullen Clan" as she had called them, going over each ones name individually.

Rosalie, the tall blonde who looked like she had stepped from the cover of Vogue magazine, Emmet, her boyfriend, who was even taller and seemingly built like a bear, Jasper, who looked like he was in some kind of pain, and finally Edward, who had glanced over at our table with a raised eyebrow for a few seconds before returning to the conversation he was having with his 'family'.

I had to admit it, they were all stunning looking, and from what I could gather, they were almost reclusive, preferring their own company to that of anyone else. Jessica had spat out the words almost vehemently, but to be honest, I could identify with them – okay, Angela did seem decent enough, but it wouldn't have bothered me to have lunch on my own, I could easily get lost in my own thoughts, which is exactly what I had been doing until the door opened and Alice Cullen had walked into the room.

Again, I bit at my bottom lip as she sat down next to Jasper. Like the rest of her family, she was beautiful, but she somehow seemed to stand out from the rest of them. Perhaps it was her size, she did seem very petit. Or maybe it was her hair? Short, dark and messy looking… or her skin… they all seemed pale, but she seemed more translucent, and here eyes… I suddenly stopped my scrutiny as the object of my gaze turned her head and stared at me directly… and smiled.

At that moment my heart seemed to hammer faster than I ever remember it doing before. I could feel the prickle along my spine again as I drew a quick intake of breath.

"Bella, are you okay"?

I turn quickly in my chair and looked at Angela.

"Yeah, sure… I just remembered I left something I need in the truck…" my voice trailed off.

"Plenty of time left before we start biology class Bella" was Mikes reply, "but if you want, I can come with you now?" His voice sounded hopeful, and without really thinking I replied "sure" as I got up from my seat.

I wasn't sure what had just happened, but the way I had felt when Alice Cullen and looked and me and smiled wasn't a feeling I was familiar with, and it scared me a little. I needed to escape the room, badly.

Jessica laid a hand on my arm as I pushed my chair back to get up, "don't let her (she motioned with her head towards Alice) bother you Bella…."

I didn't understand what Jessica meant, and expressed my confusion "why would she bother me?" I asked.

Jessica shrugged her shoulders, "look, you probably didn't notice, but before she came into the room, she was standing outside staring at you… well, personally, I think she was staring at what you are wearing…. Not that there is anything wrong with jeans and a shirt, but you've probably realised all the Cullen's are dedicated followers of fashion, especially Alice… just don't let it bother you, that's all…"

I looked down at my faded brown jeans and green shirt and shrugged as I walked towards the door with Mike.

As I took one last glance at the Cullen's, who were now all deep in conversation with one another, two things struck me.

Firstly, my sixth sense hadn't let me down at all – someone had been looking at me, and it appeared to be Alice, if what Jessica had said was correct.

And secondly, why had I reacted in such a puzzling way when Alice had looked and smiled at me? My heart had slowed down and was now beating with a regular thud, but as I walked towards my car I couldn't forget the way it had responded to that smile…