Notes: I've been bitten by the 'soulmate' bug I've seen in so many other fandoms. Here's a Soulmark AU where the name of a person's soulmate is printed on their wrist. This will be a shorter fic, just to jump back into the swing of writing after my (long) hiatus. :)

Synopsis: Isabella Swan doesn't talk about soulmates and soulmarks. She's uninterested by the romantic stories and dreams of most people who haven't met their match. Really she'd rather pretend that the marks don't exist. It's hard to get through life when what should be a romantic promise instead tells Bella without a doubt that her match - Jasper Whitlock - is dead and gone. No, Bella's not interested in fate. (Eventual Jasper/Bella)

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the Twilight franchise.

...

Words in Grey: Part I

Bella scowls slightly, staring at the door in front of her. Here is is - the thing she has been dreading most about the move to Forks Washington and starting out at a new school. Deciding not to put it off any further, the teen knocks on the door. A soft "come in" echoes through the wood and Bella looks over her shoulder wistfully before slowly opening the door and slipping inside.

"Hi," the girl says, dragging her eyes up to meet those of the woman sitting behind the wooden desk and smiling at her. "I'm, uh, Bella. Isabella Swan."

"It's very nice to meet you, Bella. I'm Virginia Hadley."

Bella just nods and clumsily slumps into the chair on the other side of the desk. The teen knows the drill and after the stress of dealing with new people all day, she's not feeling inclined to play nice with this Virginia Hadley woman.

"You know why you were asked to stop by, correct?"

"Look, I know it's the rules and all, but I really don't think we need to talk about much. I'm okay. I've always been okay. I'm not about to let some grey smudge on my wrist ruin my life, so don't worry."

"I'm glad to hear it. Believe it or not, I do prefer it when my students are happy," Hadley says quickly, forcing the overly-nice smile on her face to grow even wider. Bella forces out a halfhearted wince of a smile in return. There's a long moment of silence, where both occupants in the room wait for the other to start talking.

It's the counsellor who finally gives in.

"As you do seem to know the drill, how about we get through the questions so you can go on your way, hm?" Hadley pulls a form out of a cabinet, picking up a pen and skimming the document. Bella can't help but wonder if this is the first time the woman has needed to fill out this form. She sure hopes not - the counselors who aren't used to people like her are always overly attentive and emotional.

"Okay," Bella says, carefully watching the woman to try and divine how well Hadley actually knows the questions. Unfortunately, the teen isn't a mind reader or particularly adept at gauging things like this, so the counselor's experience remains a mystery.

"So, Bella, are you aware of what a grey soulmark means?"

Hadley doesn't look up as she reads the question, and there's an all-too-honest softening of the woman's smile that has Bella ready to bolt. But instead of running out of the room screaming, the girl forces herself still and detached as she answers.

"Yes."

"I'm sorry, Bella. I'm going to need more than-"

"He's dead. My soulmate is dead. That is what the greyed out mark means." Bella bites out, trying to look as fine and unbothered as she knows she needs to in order to get out of this meeting without any follow-ups.

"Thank you, Bella. And how long has your mark been grey?"

Bella can't help but wince a little - there's the million dollar question right there. But she still is able to answer calmly. "My whole life. I was born with my mark and it was grey from the start."

Despite Virginia Hadley's efforts to hide it, the surprise that flashes across her expression is easily noticed given how intently Bella has been staring at the woman. And Bella can understand the surprise, honestly. While it's not unheard of to have a grey mark at Bella's age, it is rare. And it is unheard of to be born with a grey mark.

But after just one moment of awkward shock, the woman recovers quickly and continues on with the questionnaire. "... And are you aware of the services offered to you by the Department of Matches, as a United States citizen with a grey mark?"

"Yeah. Upon my 21st birthday, I can enter into the database of Unmatched database and use that to help find a suitable partner. If no partner is found by my 65th birthday, I will be eligible for Unmatched Security in addition to Social Security for economic support. I also can make use of the Unmatched hotline and other counselling services at any time." Relieved that Hadley is at least professional enough to not get emotional, Bella easily rattles off the list of services without hesitation. She knows the standard answer here by heart; every time she's gone to a new school, a summer camp, an extracurricular activity, she's had to answer these questions.

"That is correct. I'd also like you to know that I am a certified counselor for the Department of Matches. If you ever need to talk, I am here."

Bella's pretty sure she doesn't manage to hide her wince at the offer. Talking about her mark is literally one of the last things she wants to do on any day. She'd made peace with it, she just wishes that the rest of the world could as well. "Like I said, I'm really okay. I mean, can't miss something that's never been around, right?"

The counselor seems to be a bit of a loss at what to say at that. Instead the woman just cranks up the wattage on her phony smile and strokes her own - clearly marked in vivid black - forearm. Bella winces again at the sight and immediately re-evaluates the woman's professionalism and experience. A hurried goodbye after signing the questionnaire, and Bella is out of the office as fast as she can.

There's about ten minutes left of the lunch hour by the time Bella finds herself free of the school counsellor's office. More drained by the encounter than she's happy admitting, Bella heads for her locker - and the sandwich she'd stashed inside this morning.

…..

Bella is exhausted and more than a little grumpy by the time she finally gets back to her father's house after her first day at school. She'd never managed to find her way back to her locker and had also been ten minutes late to her afternoon English Lit class. So she'd faced the rest of her day hungry and stressed and overwhelmed with the new faces that seemed to alternate between welcoming, indifferent, and way to curious for Bella's comfort. As soon as the final bell of the day had rung, Bella had bolted, forgoing any attempt to locate her locker and just letting the crush of students wash her out the front doors of the school and into the overcast, chilly afternoon.

She lets herself into the strange house, turning on lights as she trods up the stairs to her room. It was a small mercy that Charlie wasn't home - one less awkward conversation she'd have to get through. After a shower and a phone call to her mother's answering machine - "Hey mom, everything went okay today. Talk to you later. Love you!" - Bella's feeling a bit more human.

She heads to the kitchen, using the brand new cooking supplies she'd bought with Charlie just days ago when she'd arrived in town to assemble a chicken salad. The teen devours her half within moments of sitting at the table. "I really need to find my locker again," Bella confides to her empty plate.

"I'm home!" A loud voice calls out as the front door lock unlatches. Bella takes a deep breath as her father walks inside and spots her at the table.

"Hey, Charlie."

"Bella. You ate? That's - good, that's great. Eating is great." Charlie says, standing at the other side of the table, looking down at the girl and looking almost as uncomfortable as Bella feels watching it.

"I left you some. It's in the fridge," Bella waves behind her towards the kitchen, trying to get the man to do anything other than stumble around unnecessary attempts to get to know her again. At least not on a day like today when she's already running low on patience. She'd rather leave 'bonding with her formerly estranged father' for a day when she's in a bit of a better mood.

Luckily, Charlie takes the hint and runs with it. "Thanks, Bella. Hey, leave your plate and I'll wash it when I'm done."

The girl is on her feet and heading to the stairs an instant later. "Thanks, Charlie. Night."

"Good night, Bella."

…..

Bella stands in the hallways of her new school scowling at her faulty memory. She'd put off finding her locker yesterday, but was no closer to remembering where it was today than she was the day before.

"Why do we even need lockers anyways?" She grumbles to herself, turning into another hallway and looking for her number to magically appear on one of the metal boxes. "We never needed them in Phoenix, perfectly capable of carrying our stuff."

"But what about all the poor one armed teens in the world?" Bella looks to the side and sees a boy grinning at her, looking very pleased with his insight.

"I assume they'd have bags," Bella says dumbly, trying to figure out how to get this over enthusiastic teen away from her. Her discomfort ramps up when instead of looking put off or taking the hint, the boy just laughs way too loudly and enthusiastically for 8 in the morning.

"You're so funny!" The boy says once the initial burst of laughter calms. "But, hey, what's the number? I'll help you find it."

Bella knows she needs help, so despite her initial urge to brush him off, she replies, "312."

The boy thinks for a moment, talking out loud as he does, "Let's see… I have a friend who has 370 and his locker is over by the English classrooms. So lets start there!" Then the boy is waving the girl to follow as he starts down the hallway.

"Thanks," Bella says, remembering her manners as they walk.

"No problem!" The boy looks over to her and smiles. "I'm uh, I'm Mike, by the way. Mike Newton."

Mike is looking intently at Bella, likely looking for a reaction to the name and waiting to hear hers. She doesn't want to keep him hoping so she quickly introduces herself as well. "Bella Swan."

The reaction is immediate. Mike looks down with a wry smile and a quiet, "I see."

As he continues to walk, he finally outright broaches the topic Bella was both dreading and expecting. "So, you meet your match yet?"

The question is one she's heard before, and not just from guys trying to flirt. After all, it was one of the most important distinctions for people to make in their interactions. Even the skeeviest guys usually don't flirt with people who've found their match. But if they hadn't, well, a lot of teens dated fast and free, enjoying the impermanence of fleeting interactions before they find their True Love and live happily ever after or whatever.

Even knowing she had not fated meeting waiting for her in the future, Bella wasn't about to jump into a teenage hookup just because. One of her last shrinks had told her it was because knowing that there isn't a likely match in her future made her less willing to bide her time on something meant to be fleeting. Bella hadn't been able to disagree with Dr. Thesin, but she'd also never admitted buying that crap out loud to the woman either.

So instead she threw out the one other answer besides 'yes and we are so much in love' that almost always guaranteed to get her left alone.

"No, but I'm waiting."

Immediately Mike let out a soft 'ah' and took a full blessed step away from her. "That's uh, that's great. Waiting, that is. My, uh, my mother said she did too."

Bella's annoyance fades a bit now that this discussion is winding down, and even feels a small spark of sympathy for the boy. "Thanks for your help," She says for the first time, giving the boy a small smile now that it's safe. His returning smile is less intense than the ones from a few minutes ago, and Bella is relieved that Mike is polite enough to let it go easily.

"No problem. Hey, what class do you have first? I can help you find it!"

"Spanish 2," Bella responds.

Mike's face lights up, "With Mrs. Ibasa? My friends Jessica and Angela have that class first today to. Come on, I'll introduce you."

Then the boy is off again, leaving Bella trailing behind.

…..

Angela and Jessica are nice, though Bella can tell that Jessica is not the type of girl Bella would want to spend too much time with. She may have ignored it in the initial meeting, but the girl definitely noticed the challenging tilt to the head, the superior smirk and the slight competitive drawl to everything Jessica said. Bella can tell within one conversation that Jessica likes to be seen as the best. But, it is also nice to not be completely alone in classes, to have a known face to give a smile to when the teacher makes a bad joke or someone to wince with when seeing the amount of homework handed out.

So she appreciates the acquaintances, but still plans to slip outside to eat alone when the time comes.

…..

Bella has always had a love hate relationship with the sciences. On one hand, it's one of the subjects least likely to bring up the matter of soulmates, or at least the romantic idealization of soulmates. But on the other hand, classes that require group work have never made Bella comfortable. And today, on her second day in a new school and knowing only one other person - Jessica, who is seated next to another girl clear on the other side of the room - Bella is pretty sure the class is going to be super awkward.

She slides into a seat at the only empty table, pulls out her crisp new notebook and textbook, and crosses her fingers under the table. Please be dull and nice. Please be dull and nice. Bella repeats her mantra in her head as she fidgets in her seat and waits for someone to sit next to her.

She glances around the room in an attempt to stop fidgeting. On the way, her eyes make contact with Angela, who gives a quick grin at the brunette before turning back to talk to her partner. Taking a deep breath Bella sees the door open and an oddly handsome boy walk into the room. He looks over towards her and she gives a small smile acknowledging the eye contact.

When the boy walks over and sits next to her, Bella mentally steels herself to say hi. As if she wasn't intimidated enough at the prospect of group work with a stranger, group work with a freaking handsome, chiseled stranger is a bit much for her frayed nerves. Before the silence can drag on too long, Bella looks at her new neighbor again. "Hi, I'm Bella."

The teen gives herself a mental high five at how normal and fine that came out. She's just starting to think the class may not be so bad when she realizes the boy's face is not exactly welcoming. Blinking in surprise, Bella realizes the teen before her looks almost disgusted as he stares at her.

"Um…" Bella starts, not knowing what to say to figure out what on earth she could have done to offend this guy so much. But before she can scramble together a question, the boy shoots to his feet and stalks out of the classroom.

"What the hell?" Bella murmurs, staring in shock at the empty doorway.

…..

Bella's plans to eat alone at lunch are derailed when Jessica immediately clamps onto her arm and leads her into the lunch room and down beside Angela and Mike. Bella is still confused by that weirdo's behavior in class that she barely processes the action.

"So, that guy who sat next to me in Biology, what's his deal?" Bella asked with a slight scowl on her face, as she looked towards her new acquaintances for answers.

"Oh? What's this? Already got your eye on some man candy, new girl?" Mike asks with a flush on his face and a bit of bitterness in his tone.

"I doubt it. Bella has a bit of an… awkward encounter with one of the Cullens," Angela answers. Then she pauses and looks over at the brown haired teen with a curious look. "Unless, maybe your name is a familiar one to him?" Angela shakes her own covered wrist and raises her eyebrows.

Bella rolls her eyes, uncomfortable that the conversation has already gone in that direction. "Trust me, Cullen is not a name I'm familiar with."

"Hmm, then I'm not really sure what that was all about," Angela says softly after taking a sip of her soda. "Though the Cullens have never been very sociable. They kind of stick to themselves."

"Stick to themselves? How many of them are there?" Bella asks, startled by the idea of a bunch of teenagers spending all their time with their siblings. She didn't have any sisters of brothers herself, but she always thought that siblings tended to not want to live in each others's pockets.

Jessica takes over the explanation with glee, happy to give the gossip to new ears, "There's five of them, though they are apparently two sets of siblings and a fifth kid, all adopted by this super rich doctor who moved to town a year ago. It's super weird though, because Rosalie and Emmett are totally in a relationship with each other, even though they are legally siblings. Rumor has it that Jasper and Alice are too, though nothing concrete has been observed at school."

Bella's eyebrow twitches at the sound of the name 'Jasper'. Every time she's heard that name over the course of her life she's had to fight down the flare of hope. Even if she met someone with the exact name on her wrist, if his heart is beating it won't be her Jasper. So the protective and petty part of her dislikes everyone who reminds her of that.

"-mean how can that work?!" Bella tunes back into Jessica's explanation at the tail end of something that has her hands waving excitedly. So the teen just gives a small nod to pretend she was paying attention and digs into her lunch.

…..