Chapter 5: Bella
- Phoenix, Arizona
- August 27, 2022
Two days passed since Joe's incident at the school.
All the students involved in the incident that day recovered quickly and although there were rumours about how strange it was that Joe Schatten was the only one unaffected by the strange event, no one could blame him as there was no proof...
Joe's mother was the only one who knew the truth about what happened.
But after this event, Joe's mother, Lilith, decided that it would be better for him to stop going to North Phoenix Preparatory Academy.
Although Joe was not accused of anything and could continue normally in school, Lilith believed that the constant exposure to a hostile environment and the restraint of his emotions was what caused him to lose control of his shadow, so she told Joe about Nevermore Academy, an academy for outcasts or rather people with supernatural abilities and even supernatural creatures.
But outcasts is the name the Normies use to describe them.
Lilith told Joe that Nevermore Academy is a very prestigious school for outcasts and one of the few schools for humans with special abilities and supernatural creatures.
It is a very expensive school that does not allow just anyone to enter, only a few are accepted.
Apparently, Lilith had a case a few years ago where a man had been dismembered and supposedly died, but after a while, he came back to life as if nothing had happened.
Strange, isn't it?
Well, it turns out that this was a vampire who had rebuilt his body, and Lilith, aware of the supernatural, helped the vampire.
This vampire turned out to be part of the Nevermore ex-student board and he told Lilith about Nevermore Academy and assured her that if her son ever had any problems and wanted to get into Nevermore he could definitely facilitate his admission as he had a very good relationship with the current headmistress.
Joe had never heard of this academy, but he didn't refuse his mother's idea of him studying there, after all, it seemed to him that it might be a good idea to go away for a while.
This is because Joe knew that he still had to learn to control his shadow to prevent something like what he did with his classmates from happening again and despite having all the memories of the previous Joe, he didn't have the same control over his shadow as the previous Joe, so he decided to go to a place where he could get used to using it in a safer and quieter way out of sight of the normies.
He had all the memories of his other self to achieve this, he just needed time and Nevermore was a very good option.
Besides, going to a school in Vermont is also a good way to get away from everyone who knows him for a while, even though his life and the life of the Joe of this world are quite similar, there are still too many differences that he has to process in order to get used to his life in this world.
And if everything goes according to how he thinks, he still has plenty of time until the Twilight plot starts, so meeting at Nevermore all kinds of creatures or humans with supernatural abilities is very convenient and he was very interested in the idea of going to a supernatural school... it was like going to Hogwarts but with vampires, werewolves and many more.
...
...
It was today that Joe finally got in touch with Principal Weems and luckily she agreed to let him go to Nevermore this year.
The only bad thing was that he was moving away from Bella one of the few people unaffected by the oppression of his shadow, apparently she is not intimidated like the others by his presence which means that her shadow is stronger than that of most ordinary humans, it may be because she possesses a supernatural gift, and on the other hand he knew that she considered him as her only true friend in Phoenix, even though the previous Joe never saw her that way.
Plus by leaving he would be moving away from the Twilight plot, but he knew that it was still a while before Bella left Phoenix so he still had time to think about something...
The biggest problem was that he still hadn't made up his mind whether he should get involved in the Twilight plot or walk away...
Still, Joe decided to go to Nevermore for now, and then he would decide what to do.
At this precise moment, Joe's phone rang:
-Bella: So it's decided, you're leaving?
Joe read the message and sighed.
He had kept in touch with Bella these days, she used to text him and unlike the other Joe he had nothing against Bella so he talked to her easily.
They had talked about all sorts of things, like the fact that he was probably going to change schools and Joe even told her about the incident that happened at school, of course, he left out the supernatural part where he choked everyone with his shadow, he didn't lie to her, but he didn't tell her the whole truth either.
It was quite fortunate for him that Bella was away with her mother and her mother's boyfriend these days, otherwise, she might have ended up just like the rest of Joe's class, and considering how perceptive she was at spotting the supernatural it was likely she wouldn't have left him alone if she had witnessed what happened that day.
Although Joe didn't know whether to be grateful for the coincidence or worried, as it was too much of a coincidence that just the day after he ended up transmigrating to this world and made a big mess of the whole school, Bella's mother had also decided to make a trip for her boyfriend and Bella causing her to miss school for a few days and preventing her from witnessing what Joe did that day at school.
It was almost as if the universe didn't want Bella to know about the supernatural and who Joe was to go against the universe, after all, he had already been given a second chance to live his life to the fullest, he didn't have to complain and ruin everything.
Of course, it could also be all his own imagination, but he thought it didn't hurt to be careful.
Picking up his mobile phone, Joe answered Bella's message:
-Joe: Yup, I already talked to the Principal of Nevermore Academy and she accepted me.
-Bella: ...
-Bella: Oh... I see, good, I'm happy for you .
-Joe: Haha don't lie.
-Joe: I know you're gonna miss me .
-Bella: Jerk, it's just that school is going to be hell staying on my own .
-Joe: Well, at least you're not being avoided or picked on, maybe it's time you made some other friends... for a change .
-Bella: ha, funny, you know I don't feel comfortable talking to them.
-Joe: Come on Bella, just put in a little effort and that's all.
-Joe: I've seen the way Michael looks at you, I can tell he's interested in you.
-Bella: Michael?...you, you're crazy!, he keeps bothering us and I would never go out with someone like he.
-Joe: Wrong...
-Joe: Picking on me you mean, with you he's just joking around.
-Bella: Never mind, I don't think it's funny.
-Bella: final verdict 👩 ️.
-Joe: okey okey, as ordered madam judge.
-Bella: ...now seriously, you know... I was looking for this Nevermore Academy and well... it's for people ...you know...
-Joe: Rich kids who are troublemakers, weirdos, outcasts of all kinds, yeah I know, but it's also a very prestigious school with a good education.
-Joe: And I told you my madre thinks I need to go somewhere where I can fit in.
-Bella: I know, but I still don't understand why she thinks you'd fit in with all those outcasts, they can be dangerous people.
-Joe: Well... A school for outcasts is the perfect place for one lone freak.
-Bella: Stop joking, Joe.
-Bella: Besides I'm your friend and I know that your circumstances aren't the same as the students at that school, they're different.
-Joe: Huh?... And I'm not?
-Bella: N..., well yea, both of us are, but it's not the same. You know what I mean.
-Joe: No, no, please explain.
-Bella: Ugh..., we're different from the rest, you and me, but in that school, there are violent and even crazy people.
-Joe: Oh... and why do you say that?
-Bella: I read that many of their students were expelled from their schools because of behavioural problems or put there by their parents because of their lack of common sense...
-Bella: There is even mention of many strange incidents that have something to do with that academy and its students.
-Joe: Look Bella, people like to exaggerate and almost everything that is said about that school is just rumours.
-Joe: Or do you really believe that there are wolves and sirens like many people claim to have seen there?
-Bella: I..., I don't know, but there's something weird there and I'm concerned about you going there.
-Joe: Don't worry, I'm sure if anything happens to me my madre will be able to find the culprit.
-Bella: It's not funny, seriously, be careful and tell me if anything happens.
-Bella: Okay?
-Joe: Alright fine, send my regards to your madre and tell her I wish her the best with her boyfriend.
-Bella: Okay...
-Joe: Is something wrong?
-Bella: No, nothing…, it's just weird that you're asking me to greet my mom.
-Joe: So, I'm not allowed to wish her luck now that she's finally in a relationship with someone after years of being single?
-Bella: ...?...
-Joe: Well, you know, she's a very beautiful young woman.
-Bella: Gross. Joe, she's my mother!
-Joe: What?, I'm just being honest, it's not like I want to be with her... yet...
-Bella: You..., shush, alright, that's it, fine, let's not talk about my mom anymore.
-Joe: Haha just kidding Bella.
-Bella: I know…, but it's still awkward and uncomfortable.
-Bella: And you're weird too, you never joke that much.
-Joe: Right, but you better get used to it, now that I won't be seeing my madre much. I can only joke with you over text.
-Joe: Plus I may have been joking but it wasn't a lie what I was saying about your madre.
-Bella: You...! ok, I have to go…, I'll talk to you later.
-Bella: And not about my mother!
-Joe: Sure, sure, as you wish.
-Bella: You know… sometimes I wonder what happened to the quiet, silent Joe I used to know.
-Joe: Aw, well, if you prefer I can go back to talking to you with just: "Yes" "No" "Ok" "Sure" "Good".
-Bella: Ha, I never said that jerk…, I kinda like your change… just stop messing with my mother.
-Joe: Hmm... no promises.
-Bella: ... Bye Joe.
-Joe: Tschüssi.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi readers,
Let me clarify that there are parts where Joe says "Madre" or says goodbye saying "Tschüssi", well just so you know, that's because besides English he knows several other languages,
But the ones he uses the most are German and Spanish.