Whatever it takes!

Alula didn’t know what she was looking at. The strange awe-struck faces that both of her friends were making seemed new but weird to her.

When neither of the two seemed to be breaking the stare, Alula let out a huff while rolling her eyes. Seeming to be tired of just watching her two friends ogle at the other boy unabashedly. She moved to block their vision but even her presence did little to break their concentration.

Alula impatiently brought her hands together in a loud clap that caused both of her companions to jump. The twin looks of identical confusion had Alula bursting into laughter.

“Do I have your attention now?” she asked in between breaths of laughter.

As the high slowly began to dissipate, Alula took in a much-needed breath before continuing on. “Let’s head in and grab our schedule before the hallways are packed with hormonal teenagers.”

Without waiting for a response, Alula turned on her heel and began marching up the stairs two at a time. Bella cocked an eyebrow questioningly toward Jacob who shrugged helplessly. They took off, jogging to catch up with the brunette who had already disappeared into the school building.

Students seemed to part for them as they made their way through the school entrance, their curious stares seemed to burn into their backs and while Bella withered under the attention, Jacob nor Alula seemed to notice or care.

“You do know that you’re included in ‘hormonal teenagers’, don’t you?” Jacob teased,

Alula turned her head to grin at him brightly,

“Oh I know, Fang”

She bustled up to the office counter, greeting the tired looking receptionist with an almost blinding smile.

“Hello, I’m Alula Vaughn. I’m here for my schedule. I’ve come here with my friends as well, Jacob Black and Bella Swan.”

“Nice to meet you three,” rustling could be heard before three pieces of paper were placed onto the counter, the lady’s hand holding on to them with a smile on her face. “These are your class schedules as well as a map of the school just in case.”

They bobbed their heads in thanks before breaking off to compare schedules.

“Gym before lunch?” Alula groaned and Jacob clapped her hard on the back in sympathy.

“You’re not the only one, at least I have it with you. We’ll both suffer through gym and government together.”

“Alula, I think we have English together?” Alula checked her schedule and sure enough,

She looked up in time to see the odd mixture of relief and annoyance flash across the other girl’s face.

Alula considered her for a moment before brushing it off, if Bella had a problem then they could deal with it at a later point. The first day of school wasn’t the time to be causing drama. Though, maybe it was best to ask? Communication is key after all.

Alula opened her mouth-

Only to be interrupted by the loud ringing of the bell.

Alula flinched, blinking from the sudden burst of noise. The resulting bustle of the crowd did nothing to help her orientate herself. Jacob put a steading hand on her back. He’d flinched alongside her even if he hadn’t yet developed the sensitive ears that accompanied the first shift.

Alula shook herself, hoping that Bella had been too distracted by the sudden movement of students to notice.

“English,” Jacob nudged and Alula nodded, turning to address Bella.

“Come on then Ghost! Don’t want to be late on the first day. First impressions are important, you know?” Bella lowered her head but it did little to disguise the way her eyes rolled.

The cafeteria was surprisingly busy, students laughing and talking among themselves loudly. Alula found herself looking around avidly, she’d attended school on the reservation but the student pool was far smaller and the facilities had reflected that. They’d ended up eating in what should have been the teacher’s lounge.

Additionally they’d had an extra hour of lessons that had focused on werewolf-based subjects. Part of the deal that allowed her and Jacob to go to the human school was that they were to continue their studies in that particular field.

Fang had whined about it until his father had thrown the salt shaker at him. It had put a quick and immediate end to the discussion.

As they entered the cafeteria heads turned in their direction, whispers rippling among the students like wildfire. Alula rolled her eyes, pulling Jacob over to a free table while Bella trailed behind them, wilting under the attention of their fellow students like a dying flower.

The moment that they sat, they were approached.

The girl was tall, eyes sharply drifting between the trio. Behind her a small group of students huddled. Alula didn’t pay much attention to them though, she was clearly the ring leader.

“Hi! I’m Jessica. It’s so nice to meet you, we, like, never get new students here. Budge up.” She motioned for Bella to shift over, watching like a hawk as Bella awkwardly shuffled up the bench to make a space. Jessica sat down heavily.

“So why aren’t you attending the school on the reservation?”

No beating around the bush then.

Alula found herself grinning, she liked the kind of transparent honesty that seemed to roll off the girl in waves.

“Change of scenery.” She offered teasingly and Jessica smiled,

“Surely that’s not the only reason though? Are you even allowed to do that?”

“Of course.” Alula fought the urge to roll her eyes again. For people who lived in their back garden, they seemed wildly uneducated. “We got permission from our parents. It’s quite simple.”

Jessica blinked at her before immediately turning her attention onto Bella.

“And what about you?”

Bella shrugged her shoulders,

“I just moved from Phoenix.”

“You don’t look like it.” Jessica told her shortly and Alula choked on her drink.

Bella laughed weakly,

“Yeah I hear that alot.”

Jessica turned then to Jacob. They stared at each other silently before she turned away again.

“So anyways, I just wanted to welcome you to the school. If you have, like, any questions feel free to hit me up.” She stood then, brushing her hair over her shoulder before jogging off to report back to her friends.

“That was weird.” Jacob said, taking a bite of his lunch.

“Don’t speak with your mouth full, Fang,” Alula told him sternly, “I’ll tell your dad.”

Jacob abruptly choked on his sandwich, whipping round to face her aghast.

“You wouldn’t!”

Alula smirked into her water,

“Who do you think told him that time you snuck out to hang out with the others.”

He stared at her open mouthed,

“That was you?!”

Alula shrugged,

“I’m loyal to Billy and only Billy I’m afraid.”

Bella had watched the interaction stony-faced, frown growing with each word. When Alula turned her head, the expression immediately dropped off her face.

Alula blinked at her, turning to follow her gaze.

Jacob was almost too infatuated with his food to notice until Alula elbowed him hard in the ribs. He turned and blatantly stared at the group.

“Well if you’re Ghost, then they’re the whole phantom troupe.”

“Ruh Rho Raggy.” Alula snorted,

“Cool your jets Scooby, and stop staring before they notice.” Alula turned to find Jessica,

“Yo Jess!” The girl whipped around to find who was calling her. She hurried over, another girl trailing after her.

“When I said feel free to ask, I didn’t think you’d take me up so fast.”

“Who are they?” Alula gestured over

The question that caused Jessica and Angela to turn around before turning straight back around again to look at the table before each other. Both were wondering how to answer the question.

"The Cullen's," Angela said, with a smile on her face as she broke the silence that covered the lunch table they were sitting at.

"They're um," Jessica chewed her lip, "they're Doctor and Mrs Cullen's foster kids."

Alula exchanged a glance with Jacob. So those were the vamps. She’d suspected as much but Jacob clearly hadn’t if his wide eyed look was any indication. Alula nudged him with her foot under the table.

Bella hadn’t stopped staring, seemingly entranced and Alula almost nudged her too before deciding better.

Jessica had continued talking, about relationships and their looks and other superficial details that Alula deemed ultimately useless. Their features were pretty on the eyes, she would admit but vampires were ultimately designed to entice humans. The flawless complexion and pretty eyes were traps made to pull humans into their clutches to drain them of life.

Alula tuned back in, Bella was asking about them, vapid, vain questions that did little to hide the sudden interest that had filled her gaze. Jessica lit up with each question, brandishing her knowledge like a blunt weapon.

Must be a penchant for gossip. Alula mused, half listening to the three gossip about the ‘mysterious Cullens”. She kept an eye on the vampires, disgust swirling in her stomach. They pranced around like they owned the place, travelling in pairs like they were glued at the hip. It was a surprisingly accurate depiction of the usual teenage romance. Alula saw through the illusion of humanity though, at the way they couldn’t step more than a foot away from the rest of their group.

Power in numbers she supposed.

A territorial showing?

“-and that one is Edward.” Jessica’s pointing was not subtle in the least, despite her attempts to be discreet.

“He’s gorgeous,” Angela finally weighed in, “but apparently nobody here’s good enough for him.” She pouted heavily and Alula whipped her gaze towards the vampire.

Alula could see the corner of his lips turn up in a self-satisfied smirk and felt the dregs of her appetite drain away. She had honestly been so wrapped up in actually seeing a vampire for the first time that she had forgotten about the super hearing.

She pushed her lunch tray away, Jacob’s eyes followed it and Alula slid it over to him without a word ignoring the look that Jacob sent her way before digging into the food feverishly.

Bella was staring at Jacob with hearts blooming in her eyes and Alula allowed herself a sigh because that was just great.

Now she’d have to try to stop Jacob’s childhood crush throwing herself at a man-eating monster. As if she didn’t already have enough on her plate.

Risking a glance at Jacob she found the teen staring at Bella with an almost identical look to the girl herself. He followed her gaze and Alula watched the lovesickness drain out of him in a similar manner to a deflating balloon. Wilting with a sad little squeak. She pressed her face into her palms and tried not to scream.

How had this gone so wrong so quickly.

Jessica, seemingly realising the havoc she’d caused, sidled away, pulling her friend with her as she went.

Alula could still feel the stares hot on the back of her neck, Bella was still staring at Edward with something gooey in her eyes, Jacob had resorted to violently stabbing at their lunch, appetite forgotten in the face of his broken heart.

Alula tried to engage both of them multiple times, both to try and salvage the situation and to take her mind off the stares. Bella answered mostly in hums and grunts and Jacob was too resigned to his misery to even grace Alula with a response at all. She poked and prodded and made jokes and brought up old stories but none of it seemed to make a dent in the sudden glumness.

The bell was a saving grace, despite it’s awful racket, Alula filtered out of the cafeteria, the positivity drained out of her in the face of teenage drama and vampires.

As the day wore on the stares began to drain her patience away. Calculus somehow found a way to be both boring and stressful. She sat at the back, next to the open window and hoped that Emmett Cullen didn’t notice the smell.

Spanish was somehow worse with both Emmett and Edward sat mere metres away from her. She knew she hadn’t escaped their attention, not with the way that they had both caught her eye as she entered the room. She sat as far away as possible, hoping that the god awful perfume and open widow washed away enough of her smell to stop them from becoming suspicious.

By the time that the final bell rang Alula was beginning to question the sanity of this whole excursion. The Cullen’s hadn’t broken the treaty since it had been established, why would they start now? She slunk down the school steps, allowing the negative thoughts to brush through her before shaking them off sharply.

Billy had asked her to do this, to make sure that the vampires were behaving themselves, to make sure that Jacob stayed safe. It was alright for her resolve to waver, she recognised the doubt for what it was. She was tired, the stares and the stress had worn her out, by tomorrow she’d be back to her usual exuberance.

She made her way over to the car, thankful that the students seemed to be more interested in getting home than staring at the new kids. She thought about her bed, about heading home and sleeping and found an unspeakable comfort in the idea. She leaned against the car door, thoughts focused so heavily on the image of her duvet and pillows that she didn’t notice the heavy gazes of the Cullen’s drilling into her with the kind of inhuman intensity that one could expect from a vampire.

“-lula?” She startled, opening her eyes to find Jacob standing directly in front of her, Bella hiding in his shadow.

“Are you alright?” He asked, placing his hand on Alula's shoulder, squeezing it lightly in reassurance.

"Huh? Oh, yeah! Yeah, I'm good, just lost in my own world," Alula chuckled lightly as she gently scratched her head. She felt her cheeks heat with an embarrassed flush.

“How was your first day at Big Kid school, Fang?” Jacob huffed at the nickname. Out of the corner of her eye, Alula watched Bella’s gaze wander to Edward Cullen as if magnetized to him.

"It was okay, I can't wait for the constant staring and whispers to stop."

Alula hummed in agreement, watching Bella nodding along distractedly.

"Well, I got to head home, gotta cook for Charlie, you see," Bella laughed quietly, giving Jacob a quick parting hug before walking off in the direction of her car. Alula watched her head swivel between the Cullen’s and the path in front of her as if she couldn’t help herself but stare.

Pretty ironic considering the fact that she didn’t like to be stared at herself.

Jacob watched her go, wilting a little more with each look she sent towards the Cullens.

“Buck up Fang, plenty of fish in the sea and all that.” Jacob scowled at her and Alula shrugged helplessly.

“Don't you think Bella is getting way too invested in them? Especially considering what they are."

Alula frowned, watching as the brunette climbed into her car and backed out onto the road, driving off towards her home.

“Jay, they’re honeypots. Humans normally stare at them, heck didn’t you see the way that Angela chick was gawking?” Jacob hummed, still scowling at the group huddled on the far side of the car park.

Honestly, Alula did think it was weird. Bella seemed almost transfixed. From what she understood about vampire-human interactions, many humans tended to be drawn in only for their survival instincts to kick in violently. The way that the students parted for them partly supported this information though that might just be the social hierarchy of high school at play. Bella didn’t seem to have that recoil, none of that danger instinct.

With a shrug, Alula cleared her mind of the thought, purposefully ignoring the way that Edward Cullen was staring a hole in the side of her head.

"I don't know what to tell you Fang other than get in the car. I need a nap."

With a shake of his head, Jacob rounded the car. Alula could’ve rolled her eyes at his obvious brooding but refrained from doing so by sheer willpower.

She immediately turned on the radio, barrelling out of the car park at a speed that had Jacob fumbling with his seatbelt. He moaned at her, turning the radio down only for Alula to immediately turn it up to its fullest extent, yelling the words along with the radio to drown out his protests.

In her peripherals, she watched the corner of Jacob’s lip quirk up and smirked to herself.

Mission accomplished.