Proper Introductions After a Week

I walked toward Edythe, my heart beat matching my steps - unsteady and a bit too quick. But I did my best to keep my calm.

I kept a straight face and I sat down next to Edythe who looked...different.

More at ease. Less tense. She was definitely sitting closer to me than before as well.

I was caught off guard by this sudden change in behavior. I thought she was creeped out by me? Maybe some Vampire thing? Maybe...maybe my blood put her on edge a little? God, I don't know. Other than them being 'monsters' Billy and Sam don't tell me anything else about Vampires.

"H-hello," surprisingly, Edythe started the conversation, a slight stutter to her voice. I turned to her, visibly confused, "I'm sorry I didn't get to...properly introduce myself to your last week. I get quite socially anxious around new people. I hope it didn't sour your impression of me," she said and I instantly felt over the moon.

It was most likely a lie but it proved that she wasn't as averse to me as I thought. Plus, if what Sam said about Shapeshifter blood, Edythe and most other Vampires wouldn't be attracted to my blood. Most would even show disgust.

Which brings me back to a big question - why isn't Edythe reacting to my scent? Why aren't any of the Vampires? I was prepared for them to know exactly what I was as soon as they saw me.

But they didn't seem to be able to tell the difference.

"No, it didn't," I answered hurriedly after realizing I'd just been quietly staring at her, "You could say that I was just confused. I thought there was something wrong with the way I smelled or something," I joked, wanting to sort-of break the ice between us.

Even knowing she was a Vampire - a being that kills and drinks human blood - I didn't want to stay away from her. It was strange. Like some kind of gravitational force just pulling me toward her whenever she was near.

Translation: I couldn't stop myself from wanting to get to know her.

"No, you smell fine--In fact, you smell great," Edythe got out indignant, for some reason, but quickly became embarrassed when she realized what she said, "Ah, I don't mean--Well, you do smell nice but--I didn't mean it in a creepy way," she said, becoming visibly embarrassed just without the red blush usually associated with such a feeling.

Meanwhile, I felt like I was on cloud nine. She said I smelt nice. What a nice compliment.

Laughing, I shook my head, "No, no, it's fine. I'll take the compliment," I smilingly said before nodding to her, "My name's William Riley, it's nice to meet you," I said in greeting.

Of course I knew her name - but did I want to come across as the type of creep who asked the teacher for Edythe's name when she was absent? Absolutely not.

"William..." she whispered, much too quietly for a human to hear - but I could - and then she carried on with an absolutely dazzling smile, "I'm Edythe Cullen, it's nice to properly speak to you, William," she continued smiling and I felt like everything else in the room had gone dim. Like the lights above had turned off and my only source of light was the smile right in front of me.

Edythe...was stunningly beautiful. Her facial features were perfect, her lips were full, her hair was perfectly styled, her skin was flawless and looked ever-so soft and her fashion-sense seemed impeccable.

Right now she was wearing a sort of summer dress which was an odd pick for the end of March in Washington but she is a Vampire so I doubt the cold really effects her too much.

Over the top of her dress she wore a fashionable black cardigan which contrasted beautifully with her pale white skin and the pure white dress she was wearing.

She looked like some sort of statue made with the perfect traits in mind.

It kinda knocked my self-esteem just looking at her. Thinking about it, the same happened when I looked at most of the Cullens. Vampires and their goddamn good-looks, huh?

Before I could speak up again, Edythe beat me to it, "I heard from my sister that you asked about me?" she said with a somewhat teasing tone and smile, though there was some genuine curiosity in there as well.

But most of all, I felt embarrassed that I'd been caught out asking about her.

What did I expect though? I did ask her sister. Of course she'd find out, idiot.

. . .

POV Change - Edythe Cullen

I felt selfish. No, actually, I AM selfish.

Right back next to this boy, William, despite knowing what would happen if I lost control. I put him, my Coven, and everyone else in this class at risk...so I could bask in this selfishness just a little bit longer.

And it wasn't just because of his scent. There was more to it. Like an obsession. If it were just to do with his scent, I'd throw my vegetarian ways aside, track him home and then drink him dry.

But I didn't want to do that.

I was torn in two completely different directions. One part wanted me to kill him and drink his blood but the other part of me wanted to keep him, like a bottle of wine I'd never drink just so no one else could drink it.

Like I said, an obsession. It as unhealthy...but I couldn't bring myself to pull away from it.

Just watching him get embarrassed about me asking him why he was asking about me...it sent shivers up my spine. Hearing his hear thumping away in his chest, sent excitement throughout my cold, undead body.

Just being this close to him made me feel like my nerves were filled were bundled up electricity. Like my skin was being touched by a fire that hurt in just the right way.

"Well, I, uh, I guess I was just worried about you--I mean, that I'd done something to upset you, I guess," he gave an embarrassed answer, scratching the back of his head as if it would scratch away the embarrassment he was feeling. But when I felt his feelings, I felt the sincerity behind what he said. Behind the worry he felt.

If I had a working heart in my body, it would've melted at the level of simple sincerity I felt from this boy. It was like everything he wanted...was to please me. It was overwhelming and just like before, it filled me with dark desires.

Luckily for me, and especially for William, I'd fed quite heavily the night before, so I didn't feel any need to actually go through with any of those thoughts.

But the urge was always there.

And despite being over 100-years-old, I felt...I felt happy when this boy worried about me like this, "W-well thank you for worrying about me but it was unnecessary. I just went to visit some relatives of mine. It had nothing to do with you," I lied but how could I possibly say that I was a Vampire and that I was irrevocably attracted to drinking his blood? He'd probably run off screaming at just the Vampire bit.

...I was too selfish to let that happen, even as I felt like I needed to distance myself from him somehow. For his own well-being.

William just nodded at my answer, not looking entirely convinced by it, which surprised me.

Seems that whatever he feels towards me doesn't cloud his perception and his judgement. He can still see when I lie which is both a testament to his perceptiveness and his unbiased nature...

Gosh, I'm liking more about him than I thought I would.

He looked like some dumb jock but he's actually a sweet, perceptive boy isn't he? A sweet boy with the body of an adonis, that is.

Looking over his body quicker than he could probably perceive, I realized he'd grown a few inches since last week which did pique my curiosity...but I couldn't really place what it reminded me of. I'm sure if it were something dangerous, it would have a scent I could recognize, no?

And William's scent is just fabulous. Nothing dangerous about it...other than it's effect on me, I guess.

Feeling a need to move the conversation along, I spoke up, "You weren't originally from Forks, were you?" I asked, wanting to know a little bit more about William.

"No," he said with a shake of his head and a small smile, "What about you? Did you grow up in Forks?" he asked, to which I felt a bout of awkwardness - I didn't want to lie to him but I needed to, so I could keep the coven hidden.

"My family and I moved here a few years ago, so no, I didn't grow up in Forks," I said with a practiced smile. How was that a lie? I guess it wasn't. But it wasn't the full truth, either. We came to Forks many, many decades ago and then left, only to return a few years ago. So you could say it was the truth...but with a lot of other contextual truth left out. "Why did you move to Forks in the first place?" I asked, trying to deflect the conversation back to him.

But as soon as I did it, I knew I'd made a mistake.

Grief, regret, self-hatred, anger, sadness - all of it flooded my senses when my telepathy passed through William's head to see what he was feeling. It was a bad habit of wanting to know what everyone was thinking and most of the time I could barely control it to stop myself from seeing what was in other people's heads unlike Edward who had better control over his telepathy.

William was...in so much pain. If it were possible, I'd be crying tears right now. When I feel emotions in someone's head, I feel them myself. Edward doesn't have such a problem - he just knows what they feel.

But I felt the anger, the self-hatred, the sadness...I felt it all pouring from William when he thought about why he moved to Forks.

I instantly felt regretful of asking such an invasive question - regretful I'd even caved in to my selfish desires to get to know William. But it was too late for that.

"Uh, personal reasons, I guess," he tried to laugh it off but the pain was clear on his face even if I didn't have my telepathy to feel what emotions he was currently feeling. Feeling regret and shameful for what I asked, I just went silent, the earlier good feelings falling apart when I felt what William was feeling.

I was such an idiot. A selfish, stupid old hag.

And like this, the biology lesson went on in near silence with only limited conversation. Even then, when the lesson ended, William asked if I wanted to walk to history with him.

Him being this sweet made me vow to myself that I would enjoy this while I could but as soon as I feel like I won't be able to control myself...I'll leave him alone. Even if my absense hurts him, it'll be better than him being dead.

Because that's what he'll be if I lose control around him.