The Cullens

The art class was fun. By the end, the teacher had praised my "artistic talent to bring the finest detail to life," as she exclaimed when she saw my finished work. I had drawn the golden apple in Arianrhod's hand. I suppose centuries of drawing, painting, sculpting, and the like would have created something like artistic talent.

I dropped Seraphina off at her government class and then headed to my trigonometry class. The day went like this until lunch, when we sat at a table near a window, a distance away from the other tables. The stares we got for our choice of seats were puzzling, but we did not mind it. I was famished and enjoyed hearing Seraphina's take on high school life. 

"Apparently, it is normal for girls to rate boys in school," she announced after swallowing a bite of her steak and herb potatoes. "Guess what the rating has been since this morning?" She smirked and took a sip of red cranberry juice.

I took a bite of my own bloody steak. Hmmm. It was delicious, as always. Mother's food was divine. There was just enough blood to satiate my vampiric cravings without overpowering the meaty taste. 

I tilted my head, contemplating her teasing as I listened to the conversing students in the cafeteria. 

"Is that steak?! How is it still hot?! I can see the steam from here."

"They must have some kind of heating packaging lunchboxes."

"Why do they look like they're on a fancy date or something."

"He is soooo hooooot!"

"They really make a beautiful couple."

"Who do you think is hotter, Malakai Rook or Edwad Cullen? I personally think Malakai is the most attractive guy I have ever seen."

"Malakai, for sure, there's no competition."

"Um, I think Edward."

"Malakai. That gentleman vibe he has going on with a touch of danger is just..."

"So True."

I chuckled at the fickle minds of the youth. "It would appear the verdict is out between me and a certain Edward Cullen."

She laughed, her beautiful gemlike green eyes lighting up. She began to say something when the cafeteria doors opened. Like all the others, we looked up to see a group of four attractive young adults coming through the doors only for them to stop and stare...straight at Seraphina and me. Hmm, Edward must still be in Alaska with the Delani's.

Although it was in a flash, I saw their reactions to our presence. 

Rosalie was outraged when looking at Seraphina.

Alice looked surprised and confused. She must not have been able to predict us.

Jasper... looked just as uncomfortable as the movies betrayed him—poor guy. Having the ability to feel other people's emotions, must be terribly hard to deal with.

Emmet was just amused. Nothing seemed to bother him.

Leaning back in my seat, I waited as they headed to us—or at least the empty table close to us. Whispers started up from the other students as the four Cullens sat down at their table beside us. They looked like they wanted to ask questions. 

Alice, her black pixie-cut hair and chipper smile, unnerved me. The blood she was sustaining in her dead, cold body spelled unpleasant, like an old lemon sponge cake that was left out too long. It was edible but had a wrong aftertaste that wasn't there an hour ago. 

She was the first to introduce herself. "Hi, I'm Alice Cullen. You're new to Forks, right?"

Seraphina and I exchanged glances before introducing ourselves. "Yes, our families just moved here from New York a month ago." I put out my hand for us to shake. She grabbed it and shook it. "I am Malakai Rook, and this lovely creature is my beloved Seraphina."

Seraphina did the same and shook Alice's hand in greeting. "A please to meet you."

Alice chuckled and gestured to her family around her. "The one who looks like he is in agony is my boyfriend, Jasper Hale. The girl who is shooting daggers at Seraphina is his twin sister, Rosalie Hale." Rosalie turned those daggers on Alice for a second until she returned them back to Seraphine. My wife was clearly finding this amusing on account of the smirk she was giving Rosalie in return. "The big lug playing Stack the Biscuits is Rosalie's boyfriend, Emmett Cullen." Emmett, without pausing, grinned at us in greeting. "You won't be able to meet him today since he is with cousins in Alaska, but we have a brother named Edward Cullen. Anyway, are you from England originally? I hear a British accent from you. And Seraphina? Italy?"

I grinned, "Yes, I was born and raised in Yorkshire. My mother, Branwen, is old friends with Seraphina's parents, who lived in Italy until we all moved to America a year or so ago. When we moved to Forks, my mother bought 10 acres of land near Calaway River and Sol Duc River and had a mansion built there. We enjoy hunting, you see, so 10 acres of land was necessary."

Emmett got excited at that. "You like hunting too? Awesome. Hey about hour families meet up and go hunting together sometime?" 

"Emmett. We just met them; you can't just invite them over to our property to hunt. You don't even know-"

"Well, that would depend on what you hunt. I enjoy coyotes myself. You seem the type who likes Bears more, so that would work out well, I suppose." I interrupted Rosalie's reprimand of Emmett. I understand the caution, but I would rather have them know who I am now, so misunderstandings won't occur in the future. 

I leaned close to them and sniffed. I grinned in humor. "I see you're also Vegetarian. Good." Then I flashed my blood-red eyes before they turned back to their sapphire blue. At that moment, the bell that indicated lunch was over rang. Before they could recover from their shock, Seraphina and I got up from our seats, grabbed our lunch bags, and headed out the cafeteria doors. 

I heard Jasper whisper, "So they are like us?" Huh. Even his voice was stiff.