Bella Swan would never forget the day she first saw the Cullens. She had already been barely paying attention to the trivial gossip that Jessica Stanley and Angela Webber were discussing, but as soon as she caught a glimpse of the most astounding people she'd seen in her life, all her focus was on them. Her eyes stayed glued to them through the window, watching as they entered the cafeteria.

"Who are they?" Bella asked. She hadn't really meant to ask, but curiosity got the best of her as they gracefully moved towards a table on the other side of the room.

It only took a second for the other two girls to know what she was talking about. Jessica and Angela shared a mischievous smile, holding in their giggles as they too watched the family pass.

"The Cullens," Angela said quietly, hoping to not be overheard.

Jessica leaned in, practically foaming at the mouth to spill all the details about them to Bella. "Doctor and Mrs. Cullen's foster kids. They all moved down here from Alaska, like, a few years ago."

"They kinda keep to themselves," Angela added softly.

"Because they're all together. Like, together together," Jessica told her with wide eyes. That certainly wasn't something Bella was expecting to hear. Jessica's eyes zeroed in on the first pair walking ahead of the others. "The blonde girl, that's Rosalie, and the big dark-haired guy, Emmett—"

Bella knew at that moment that Rosalie was the most beautiful girl she'd ever seen, and likely ever would see. Even just being in the room with the girl who could easily pass as a model made her self-conscious, and she ran a hand through her hair to make it look nicer.

The boy, Emmett, was huge just as Jessica said. Bella found herself wondering if he really was a high schooler as he could have fooled her into thinking he was a linebacker for a professional football team. The other high school boys looked like sticks compared to him. But despite his intimidating size, there was an almost playful glint in his eyes as he walked alongside Rosalie. 

"—They're a thing," Jessica continued, casting a judgmental gaze on the pair. "I'm not even sure that's legal."

Angela scoffed quietly and shook her head. "Jess, they're not actually related."

Jessica simply shrugged, knowing she wasn't going to be changing her opinion suddenly. "Yeah, but they live together. It's weird." Next, she informed Bella about the next two to pass, heading to the same table as Rosalie and Emmett, making sure to keep her voice low. "Okay, and the little dark-haired girl, Alice, she's really weird. She's with Jasper, the blonde one who looks like he's in pain."

Bella supposed that Jessica was right. Jasper did look as if he was in pain and he kept a tight grip on Alice's hand, who practically danced and twirled to their lunch table. It seemed that she calmed Jasper down a little bit from whatever was bothering him.

"Um, Dr. Cullen's, like, this foster dad slash matchmaker," Jessica said, grinning.

"Maybe he'll adopt me," Angela joked, earning a laugh from the two girls.

Then Bella glanced at the door once more, finding one other that was just as stunningly attractive as the others. He was tall, with untidy bronze-colored hair, and something about him gave off a mysterious aura — though they were all mysterious. Bella couldn't seem to take her eyes away from his breathtaking face.

"Who's he?" she asked, her voice barely coming out as he passed and made his way to his family's table.

"That's Edward Cullen," Jessica said, almost shyly. "He's totally gorgeous, obviously. But apparently, no one here is good enough for him. Like I care, you know?" she mumbled, a clear sign that she did care. "Seriously though, don't waste your time."

"I wasn't planning on it," Bella muttered. But she couldn't help but peek at Edward Cullen once more. As soon as she spotted him, she looked away and hid behind a curtain of hair, her cheeks burning red.

He had been looking back.

Bella took a moment to compose herself before turning back to Jessica and Angela. She half-listened as they told her about how Jasper and Rosalie were twins, and that Emmett, Alice, and Edward were all related as well, which was why their parents had adopted them together.

But then Jessica and Angela were scanning the same door that the Cullens had come through, clearly waiting for someone. After a moment, she arrived.

The girl was just as seemingly flawless as the others and obviously a part of the family, with perfect skin and sleek hair that somehow wasn't frizzy from the rain like everyone else's. She was tanner than her siblings — clearly of some Latin descent, but Bella couldn't place where.

Her complexion wasn't the only difference. When the other five had walked past, Bella had taken note of their pristine, elegant, and no doubt designer clothes. This girl was wearing an oversized sweater with an outdated print on it that Bella was sure her not-so-fashionable father would have picked out in a thrift store. It was paired with loose blue jeans. The cuffs were rolled up to show off dark green socks that disappeared into well-worn white sneakers.

This girl was dressed like an actual teenager and not a runway model.

But the big difference was that she didn't immediately glide over and sit with her family. She stopped and waved at many people as she passed, and then to Bella's surprise, she made her way to their table.

Jessica was the first to grab the girl's attention. "Hey, Jessica," she greeted. Her voice was light and smooth as she spoke. "Good luck at your volleyball game today. You guys are gonna totally crush it, what with you having such an amazing captain."

Jessica beamed at the girl's words — she was the captain after all. "Thanks, V. I'm excited. If we win this and our next one, then we'll move on to the regional tournament."

"You guys have got it in the bag," the girl assured her.

And then her attention turned to Bella. The Swan girl almost forgot how to function. From far away, she could handle the Cullens' unnatural beauty, but to have one of them standing before her was overwhelming. Had Rosalie been the one to speak to her, Bella might have even fled from how intimidatingly perfect she was.

"Hi, you must be the new girl. I've heard some people say Isabella and some say Bella. Which do you prefer?" she asked, smiling softly and tilting her head.

No one had asked Bella what she liked to be called, not even Charlie — she had been correcting people all day. So it was nice to have someone ask.

"Bella's good," she told her, smiling nervously.

"Well, then welcome to Forks, Bella," she said, grinning. "I'm Valeria Cullen. It's nice to meet you."

"You too," Bella managed.

Soon, Valeria was spinning on her heel, her sneakers squeaking against the tile, and she walked to her sibling's table with the same effortless grace that the others also possessed.

"And that's Valeria," Jessica told her. "AKA: the only normal one."

Usually, Angela would try to sugarcoat Jessica's snide comments, but this time she agreed, nodding slightly. "She's the only one that socializes outside of her siblings. And she's a total sweetheart — always helping people with homework and volunteering at school events."

"The others were taken in when they were really young, but I'm pretty sure they got Valeria right before they moved here, so they haven't had time to brainwash her yet."

Angela lightly scoffed. "They aren't brainwashed, Jess. I'm sure growing up in the foster system has made it difficult for them to socialize. Valeria is just a little more comfortable around others." Jessica huffed but didn't make any more rude comments about the rest of the Cullens.

Bella spared another glance at the Cullen's table, and much to her embarrassment, Edward was still watching her. He looked almost frustrated, but Bella couldn't imagine why he'd been annoyed with her. Perhaps it was because Valeria had spoken to her, who was sitting in the chair next to him.

"You said they're all together," Bella said slowly, looking back at Jessica. "So, are E - Edward and Valeria?"

"Oh, no," Jessica said, shaking her head. "I asked her about it one day, and she said he wasn't her type. Which like, Val, I love you, but how could he not be your type? He's gorgeous. But again, like I said, don't waste your time."

Bella poked at the salad on her plate, not letting her face show how relieved she was to hear that Edward and Valeria weren't together. "Thanks for the warning," she mumbled. Bella would do her best not to give the Cullens another thought.

Oh, how naive she had been.