Chapter Four - Nessie's POV

My brother refused to explain the cryptic comment he'd made as we crossed the cafeteria. The murmurs around us seemed to lower in volume and flourish in numbers, heads turning towards Jay and I. While the staring was a bit uncomfortable, I was used to standing out among my family and friends. Mom had regaled us with tales of the horrors she faced in high school, but neither my twin nor I inherited the embarrassment issues she'd apparently had in her human life. However, that didn't mean we were fully comfortable with being the center of attention in a group of strangers.

Jay glanced around, a bit fidgety. They're all staring at us, Mei.

Why wouldn't they? I joked back, and his lips twitched.

Reaching the food line, my nose scrunched as I smelled the unappetizing scent of half-burnt macaroni and cheese, watery pudding, and undercooked ham. Human food was compatible with hybrids' systems, but not a favorite choice of sustenance.

"Ugh."

"Tell me about it," Jay agreed, his own face mirroring my disgust. Letting out a breath, he put his game face on. "Gotta do this, sis."

"I know, bro," I replied, stepping forwards to receive my tray. "Doesn't mean I have to like it, though."

"You shouldn't," he muttered under his breath, wincing at the sickening plop the pudding made as it landed.

We finally arrived at the end of the line and paid for our "food" before weaving to the table where our new friends sat. Halfway there, a redhead popped up and blocked our path. She tossed her hair in a practiced gesture and smiled at Jay. "Hey, I'm Chelsea. You're in my Trig class - EJ, right?"

"Yeah," he said, shifting his weight impatiently. "Nice to meet you."

Attempting to smile alluringly (I just thought she looked like a rabid dog), Chelsea asked, "Since you're new and all, you can sit with us." She gestured to the table where a gang of girls and a handful of guys sat.

Even though it wasn't stated as a question, I stepped in and answered, "Sorry, but we already have a table."

She finally looked in my direction, taking in my appearance and closeness to Jay. Eyes narrowing, she asked, "I'm sorry, but who are you?"

I was about the tartly reply that "I am leaving," when my brother cut in. "This is my sister, Nessie. Listen, thanks for the offer, but we gotta jet - can I take a rain check?" He shot his charming grin, willing her to say yes.

Chelsea blinked her dull green eyes, momentarily dazed. "Uh...yeah, sure."

"Great, see ya!" Jay and I quickly walked off, and I heard one of her friends behind us say, "Yo, Chelse, what happened?"

My brother rolled his eyes and thought, Girls.

Why are you telling me about 'em? I teased in response as we finally arrived at our intended destination. "Hey, guys," I said outloud, taking a seat beside Zaby; Jay chose one next to Reelie, of course.

"Saw the drama," the brunette said in way of greeting. "We're honored that you'd ditch sitting with the Hornets for us."

"The what?" Jay asked as Manny came and took the last seat in between me and him. I struggled not to blush as he scooted nearer to the table - and closer to me, as well.

"The Hornets are what we call the gang of popular kids," she explained, shrewdly glancing towards the people being discussed. "They rule the school with Chelsea as their Queen B - and it's the actual letter instead of the insect, cause the 'b' stands for - "

"I think they can infer what you're gonna say next, Zaby," Reelie quickly cut in, a small flush coming over her pale skin. "Anyway, their named after hornets cause if you mess with them, they'll sting you like a 'b'."

"The letter, not the word," Zaby clarified with a smirk. "It stand for a bi- "

"They get it!" Reelie only received a snicker in return. Rolling her eyes, she turned her attention back to Jay and I. "So, how have your clases been so far?"

We shrugged in sync, and my brother answered, "Good enough so far - wish we had more clases together." When she looked away shyly, he smiled and added, "With all of you guys, I mean."

"Sure," Manny said sarcastically, and I giggled. He shot me a quick smile, making my rapid heartbeat thud faster and bringing a crimson flush to my face.

Jay glared, puffing out his chest in preparation for some macho comeback when Zaby said, "Oh, looks like you two aren't the only new ones at Forks."

Stiffening, I slowly looked in the direction she'd gestured towards. There at the Hornet's table a girl sat, laughing at something Chelsea was saying (I didn't bother trying to hear exactly what was being said - her voice was annoying). Sniffing subtly, I could smell her scent immersed within the humans, much sweeter than theirs though not at a vampire's level.

I openly stared at her, and soon enough she felt my gaze. Her blue eyes, rare in such a skin tone, bored into mine before they shifted. Through my brother's thoughts, I knew she was looking at him - and I also saw the wink she sent his way. Jay's shield immediately slammed into place, so thick that I could barely even detect his presence. It was disturbing, to say the least - as if a piece of me was lost. That's how connected we were.

The girl - Ciel - turned back to the Hornets, but my brother didn't relax. It wasn't until Reelie spoke up that he snapped out of it.

The whole exchange only lasted two seconds.

"We've met her, right EJ?"

"Yeah," he replied, still thinking about Ciel. Reelie noticed his seeming indifference and retreated into her shell, swishing her hair about her face to hide it. I tried to warn Jay that his ass-like behavior was upsetting her, but the damn shield was still in place.

Trying to draw Reelie back out, I asked, "Where did you two meet?"

"French," she said quietly, playing with the remainder of her food. Zaby noticed our friend's despondency and changed the subject to some ridiculous tale about her and Reelie. But the blonde remained withdrawn.

Manny finally said in a loud voice, "Fishing Reeeel!"

"I told you not to call me that!" she hissed, glancing around to make sure no one was paying attention. A few kids had turned when Manny shouted, but soon lost interest.

He winked, and Reelie just rolled her eyes in response. "Ciel was so nice..."

"Why would she change?" I asked, in an attempt to draw Jay back into the conversation. It partially worked, because he did turn back to us but still kept his thoughts shrouded.

Realizing she (somewhat) had my brother's attention again, Reelie noticeably perked up and said, "Well, once you join the Hornets crew, you kinda have to diss everyone else to stay a part of it."

Through context clues I discerned the meaning of "diss" to be synonymous with shunning. "Oh, I get it."

"I don't," Jay grumbled, sneaking another quick peek at the girl. She had her head thrown back in laughter, as did the rest of the Hornets. I admired her smooth brown skin, knowing it would be much harder to detect a blush on her - or at least, much harder for humans to.

"She reminds me of you two," Manny said softly, and I noticed that everyone at the table was now looking at Ciel.

"How so?" I asked, scrutinizing my brother, who looked very troubled. If only I knew why.

He shifted uncomfortably. "You kinda give off the same vibe."

My lips quirked into a smile. "Really? And what vibe is that?"

I turned to face Manny and finally became conscious of the fact that this was the first conversation we'd had. His earthen eyes caught mine again, but this time I was able to maintain my awareness. "I don't really know how to describe it..." he mused, and I chuckled lightly. "It's kinda unearthly, like you three are on a whole different level."

That disturbed me for a moment. "Is that a bad thing?"

He grinned, gaze flickering down to my lips before returning to meet my own. "You tell me."

I gave him a small, sad smile in return. "As soon as I figure it out."

"Yo, Ness." My brother's call brought my attention back to reality. Somehow throughout the course of our discussion, Manny and I had inched closed to each other. We immediately pulled back, and I desperately tried to stop my cheeks from flushing as I turned to Jay, who asked, "We share English, right?"

"Yeah," I answered with an eye roll. Of course he remembered, so the only reason he'd asked the pointless question was to cut off the conversation I'd been having. Before I could make an attempt to resume it, the bell rang.

Jay immediately sprang to his feet, pulling out the chair for Reelie. She blushed, of course, and gave him a timid smile. Seemed like my brother was trying to fix the standoffish attitude he'd adopted towards our friend. I deftly stood up from my own seat, picking up my completely untouched tray and taking it to the trash as the rest of my table walked on ahead.

An euphonious voice with the slight resonance of a French accent spoke up behind me. "Big breakfast?"

I dumped the refuse-that-was-called-lunch and turned around, already knowing who was behind me. "Probably as big as yours."

Ciel smiled, her eyes glittering like sapphires as she tossed her full tray into the trash can as well. "The lunch here is affreux (Trans: awful). We should really start bringing our own."

Raising one eyebrow, I began to walk after my friends. "I'm not sure the people here would approve of what we consider to be good cuisine."

She laughed heartily, and I couldn't help but offer a small smirk in reply. I hadn't been expected that. "Ah, you're a funny girl, Nessie. I hope we can become good friends."

I faced forwards once again and saw that Jay had noticed us conversing. He was walking beside Reelie and frowning, obviously torn between staying with her and approaching us. "How do I know you're a friend?"

Ciel gave me half of shrug in reply. Turning in a different direction, she danced a few steps away before glancing over her shoulder and saying, "How would you know I'm not?"

Before I could formulate a reply, she'd already begun weaving away from me. I stopped walking for a second, watching as Ciel joined Chelsea and her gang, a smile already in place. Jay's voice sounded in my head. What were you guys talking about?

I lightly jogged to catch up with them, feeling my brother's questioning conscious once again brushing against my own. I let him rifle through my memory as I reached Zaby's side, looping my arm through hers as easily as if I'd just taken another breath. Once he was done snooping, Jay glanced over at me, ignoring the chatter of our friends and silently asking, What does this mean?

It means you were right about how this is just getting started, I told him, automatically chuckling at some joke Zaby made. Now the real question that remains: exactly what is starting?

No, Jay argued even as he kept a friendly grip on Reelie's waist. Not what exactly is starting - who exactly is starting it.

And why, I thought quietly, glancing up at the light gray sky. A small ray of sunshine burst through for an instance before it was swallowed by the clouds again. It's always the why.

~~~~~

Sorry this took so long, peeps. I'll try to have the updates sooner! :3 But let's chat about Ciel. Love her? Hate her? Totally waiting for her to hook up with EJ? It all remains to be seen...

;)