Evelyn awoke to the incessant beeping of her alarm clock. She rubbed her eyes gently as she rolled out of bed, landing ungracefully on the cold wood floor with a dull thump. As she turned her alarm off, she noticed the sun had not quite risen behind the thick blanket of clouds that always surrounded the town of Forks. She knew she had about an hour before Bella Swan would be there to pick her up, so she shuffled out of her room, a large and unattractive yawn escaping her throat.

The house was cold, and Evelyn shivered as she waited for the shower water to heat up. She could feel the butterflies in her stomach beginning to awaken as she thought about her first day at her new school. She wasn't too fond of the idea of having all of the attention on her, but from what Bella had said, it was simply unavoidable. As she scrubbed her hair and body with some of Marie's vanilla shampoo and soap, she hoped that everyone would at least be nice.

She stayed in the shower a bit too long, realizing as she came back into her room that she only had fifteen minutes until 7. She dressed quickly in a pair of blue jeans and a cream turtleneck, throwing on her ankle rain boots and a leather jacket to complete the look. She didn't have time to dry her long bronze hair, so she let it hang down her back to air-dry into its odd mixture of waves and curls that never seemed to look the same way twice. A few swipes with a mascara wand and some lip balm later, Evelyn deemed herself acceptable to go out in public.

When she finally got downstairs, Marie was already gone. Evelyn went to grab a banana and a granola bar to put in her bag, and grinned when she saw the note from her aunt.

Evvy,
Had to leave early to help with breakfast. Help yourself to anything in the fridge. Have the best day ever today, sweetie. I love you!

-M

Evelyn had just finished packing up her school backpack when she heard a distinct grumbling, almost a roar, coming towards her house from up the road. She assumed that had to be Bella, so she grabbed her bag, umbrella, and water bottle and headed out the door just as the orange truck pulled into her driveway.

She took a deep breath before opening the door, offering Bella what she hoped looked like a casual grin. "You weren't joking when you said this thing was loud. I heard you coming from all the way down the street." She put her water and umbrella in her bag as Bella backed out of the driveway and set off towards the highway.

"I told you! It even surprises me sometimes," Bella said. She glanced at Evelyn. "Are you nervous for today?"

Evelyn shrugged. "A little. I'm more nervous for all the attention you said I'll be getting. That's not really my thing."

"I'm the same way, but don't worry too much about it. Everyone seems pretty nice and yesterday wasn't so bad except for -" she paused for a moment, her eyebrows furrowing as she seemed to remember something from the previous day. "Well, never mind. I'm still getting used to everything too, so don't feel like you're alone."

Evelyn decided not to pry, and instead offered her a grateful smile. "Thanks again for everything, Bella. I don't really know what I'd do if I didn't have someone to help me out today."

Bella grinned. "No problem, I just wish you had came a day earlier so I could've had someone too!"

The girls laughed and chatted about school, teachers, and the people as they drove. Evelyn noticed that Bella wasn't as shy as she was at the diner yesterday, and that she was really quite funny and expressive once she got comfortable. She was similar to Evelyn in that way. Evelyn had had friends in Chicago, but she had never felt such an instantaneous connection like the one she felt with Bella. For some reason, she felt like Bella was trustworthy. She could find no sign of harshness or deceit in her brown eyes, and instinctively she knew that Bella would prove to be a great friend to her here in Forks.

As the pair pulled into the parking lot of Forks High School, Evelyn felt herself deflate at the countless stares that she was already getting. Sure, the truck was loud, and Bella was still relatively new, but there was no mistaking the fact that people already knew she was here, most people staring unashamedly into the truck as they passed.

Bella pulled into a spot next to a van that looked like it should belong to a suburban mother. There was a group of kids standing around it, all staring with smiles at the truck.

"So... these are my friends, kind of. Come on, I'll introduce you," said Bella, hopping out of the truck and walking towards the group. Evelyn closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. Everything is going to be fine. She opened the door, jumped out of the truck, and followed her new friend into the unknown.

"Woah, two pretty girls in one week? I don't know what's happening, but I like it!" Evelyn blinked, slightly shocked at the dark-haired boy's outburst. She cocked an eyebrow at the boy, daring him to continue.

"Shut up, Eric. You can't just say stuff like that to people!" A brunette with perfectly curled hair scolded Eric, the first boy. "Sorry about him. Hi, I'm Jessica Stanley. You must be the other new girl."

Evelyn fought back a wince at the nickname. "No need for the 'new girl' stuff. I'm just Evelyn. Evelyn Masen."

Another boy's eyes lit up. "Masen? As in Carver Cafe Marie Masen? Dude, I love that place. Your aunt is so cool!"

"Evelyn, this is Mike. And that's Angela," Bella said, gesturing to the blonde boy who had just spoken and to the bespectacled girl next to him. Angela smiled kindly at Evelyn. She could tell already that she would like Angela the most out of the group, besides Bella, of course.

"It's nice to meet you, Evelyn. You wouldn't mind us doing a feature on you, would you?" She lifted the camera in her hands, eyes hopeful.

Mike must have seen the fear in Evelyn's eyes, because he shoved the camera down, coming to wrap an arm around Evelyn's shoulders. She tensed at the sudden contact, but she didn't want to seem rude by pulling away so she stayed quiet. "Chill on the feature stuff, Angela. The girl hasn't even been in town for 24 hours yet. Go find something else to report on."

"I was only joking, Mike." Angela stuck her tongue out, Mike quickly returning the favor.

Jessica rolled her eyes. "You know, Mike, you can chill with the knight-in-shining-armor act. I'm sure Evelyn can speak for herself."

"You're just jealous because everyone is talking about them instead of you!" Mike laughed, snatching Jessica's bag off of her shoulder and taking off down the sidewalk. Jessica shrieked in feigned anger; Evelyn could tell that the girl had feelings for Mike as she took off running after him, yelling and laughing.

"Yikes. That's just painful," Eric said, referencing Jessica's likely unrequited feelings for Mike.

"Eric," Angela warned, looking frantically between him and Evelyn. "Don't be mean. You're making a bad impression."

"Bad impression is not in my vocabulary. Anyways," he said, turning back to Evelyn. "Do you have your schedule yet? I could totally show you where the office is, if you want."

Evelyn grinned. "Actually, that would be great. You coming, Bella?"

Bella jumped as if she had been pulled from a trance. She glanced towards an empty parking spot across the lot, then back to Evelyn. "No, you go on ahead. I'm, uh, waiting for someone." She turned away again, gazing across the sea of students, her eyes searching.

Evelyn frowned at her friend, but she didn't have time to ask her anything because Eric and Angela had begun pulling her towards the school office. She couldn't help but wonder why Bella seemed so nervous. Who could she possibly be looking for, anyway?

She shook her head once, and turned to smile at whatever Angela had said as she allowed herself to be led away. She promised herself she would find out what was bothering Bella later.

***

Despite her worst fears, Evelyn found herself relaxed by the time lunch rolled around. Angela, Jessica, Mike, and Eric were in at least one of each of her classes. Jessica talked her ear off in Spanish, earning the pair several disapproving looks from Señora Brice. Mike flirted heavily with both her and Bella during Trig, but Evelyn could tell right away that he only had eyes for Bella. Her feelings weren't hurt; Mike was nice enough, but she couldn't imagine having such a clingy person as a boyfriend. Angela and Eric were in her English class, but Mr. Mason assigned her to sit at the empty table in the back of the room. She didn't mind though; it was nice to be alone and just focus for a while. She thoroughly enjoyed literature, and as she read the assigned reading list for the semester, she thought it was probably better to be alone, anyway. The others would probably think she was weird if they knew how much she enjoyed this kind of thing.

After English, Evelyn followed Angela and Eric to the cafeteria. She weaved her way through the lunch crowd towards Mike, Jessica, and Bella, who were already waiting for them. Eric and Angela sat down, and Evelyn slid into the last remaining seat between Angela and Bella.

"Ugh, can you believe Mr. Varner? He was so rude to Evelyn, made her get up and introduce herself and everything," Jessica complained.

Evelyn hid her face in her hands, shaking her head. "Oh my god, that was so embarrassing. And he kept calling on me, too. I felt so stupid."

"Really? On your first day? He really must not like you," said Eric, before shoving a fork full of salad into his mouth. Evelyn assumed he must be right; Mr. Varner gave her a bad feeling as soon as she entered the classroom. His class would be the worst one, for sure.

"So Evelyn, where did you say you were from, again?" Asked Angela, offering an encouraging smile.

"Chicago. My house was about 20 minutes outside of the city."

"Ooh, so you're another big city girl, huh? You must hate it here." Mike was listening intently. Jessica scowled as he spoke.

"I'm not sure, yet," Evelyn confessed. "But you guys are all really nice, so I guess it's not so bad."

"So like, why did you move to Forks, of all places? Did your parents have to change jobs, or something?"

"Jess, that's personal."

"What? I'm just asking a question, Angela."

Evelyn looked down at her lap, struggling to find a way to answer that wouldn't make them think she was a freak or that she needed to be pitied. Next to her, she heard Bella suck in a breath. She looked up, following her gaze towards the cafeteria doors. Her eyes widened as she took in the four god-like individuals that had just entered the room.

The first to enter was the most beautiful girl that Evelyn had ever seen. She had perfect features, her shockingly pale skin blemish free. Her shiny blonde curls fell to her waist, and she had a figure that any woman would kill for. Holding her hand was a large boy with bulging muscles to match. Evelyn hadn't known it was possible for a high school student to be that large, and yet there he was. He was dark haired and ruggedly handsome, and she could tell that he knew it by the way he swaggered into the room. Behind them, a petite girl that reminded Evelyn of a fairy flitted into the cafeteria. She looked like a ballerina when she moved, her steps reminiscent of a dance, each movement graceful and fluid.

It was the last boy who entered that made her breath catch in her throat.

He was tall and muscular, his body more lean than the first boy. His hair, a glittering shade of honey-blond, had been allowed to grow out longer in contrast to the burly boy's cropped cut. She wondered what it would be like to run her fingers through it; it looked irresistibly soft. Ultimately, it was his eyes that captured Evelyn's gaze. Like the rest of the group, they were an intoxicating shade topaz. She had never seen such beauty before in her entire existence. She felt her mouth pop open in shock as she watched them all sit down at a table across the lunchroom. She knew she shouldn't stare, but she couldn't bring herself to look away.

Suddenly, the boy's eyes shifted from his family to her face, their eyes meeting. Evelyn's stomach flipped. Feeling caught, she quickly averted her gaze.

"Who are they?" Evelyn breathed, glancing back over to the table where the strangely beautiful individuals sat.

Jessica leaned forward, her previous question forgotten in favor of gossip. "That's the Cullen family. They're like, Forks' own celebrities. Dr. Cullen and his wife adopted them all, I guess she's like, their aunt or something."

"The couple is Emmett Cullen and Rosalie Hale. They're like, together together," added Angela, leaning in to speak.

Jessica nodded towards the pixie-like girl. "The little one is Alice Cullen. I'd stay away from her, though. She's super weird. And the one you were drooling over," she raised her eyebrows knowingly, " is Jasper Hale."

Evelyn felt the heat rush to her cheeks as she hid her smile. "I was not drooling," Evelyn argued lamely, knowing she had been caught red-handed. "Like you said, he's good looking. They all are."

"Relax, Evelyn. You aren't nearly as bad as Bella was yesterday." Mike made a choking noise in the back of his throat as the rest of them laughed. "I thought she was gonna pass out when she saw Edward."

Bella had flushed crimson at Mike's teasing, choosing to return her homework on the table instead of firing back at Mike. Evelyn suddenly remembered Bella searching the parking lot this morning. Maybe this Edward guy was who she was looking for?

She risked a glance back to the impossibly perfect family. Jasper Hale's mesmerizing butterscotch eyes were already waiting for hers as their gazes met once again. He was handsome; there was no denying that. To her, he was the most beautiful one of the group. And he was staring at her, of all people. She bit her lip as she turned away, trying and failing to concentrate on the conversation at her table. He had seemed so focused and intense, his eyes searching as he scanned her face. What could a guy like Jasper Hale possibly be searching for in a girl like her?

Across the lunch room, Jasper Hale studied the newcomer with a curiosity he hadn't felt in what seemed like a lifetime. She wasn't anything out of the ordinary. She was a human teenage girl, just like the dozens of others here at this school. And yet for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to take his eyes off of her. Although she was sitting down, he could tell she was tall and lean. He wouldn't be surprised if she had been an athlete at her previous school. Her shiny brown hair fell in loose waves down her back, gently framing her face in an effortlessly beautiful way. He watched her nod and laugh with her friends, her smile making his stomach flutter. She was beautiful in a subtle way; there was nothing loud or attention-demanding about her. He knew that he should look away and forget her. He should just let her fade into the background.

Jasper just couldn't get past her eyes. Other than the beauty of her crystalline green irises, the way she fearlessly held his gaze intrigued him. When she looked at him, he felt as if she could see through to his very core. He felt naked, exposed, like she was inspecting every corner and crevice of his soul. It was unsettling, to say the least, but he couldn't let it go.

"Who is she?" He asked his family, his gaze unmoving.

He heard Emmett snicker as he nudged his shoulder. "Looks like Jazz has a little crush," he taunted.

Jasper sent him a glare before looking at Alice expectantly. If anyone would know, she would.

Alice beamed at her best friend, her eyes lighting up. "Her name is Evelyn. I haven't seen anything about her, but I've heard people whispering about her in the hallways. She sounds lovely."

Jasper's mouth twitched up at the corners, but he said nothing. Evelyn. What he wouldn't give to have Edward here now, he thought. He wanted to know her, to listen to the steady stream of her thoughts. He wanted to know who she was, what she thought of the school, her life, him.

Instead, he focused on her emotional aura, tuning out the dull emotions of the mundane people surrounding him. She was easy to pick out since her particular emotional state was unique and entirely new to him. He sensed turmoil inside her. He could feel her anxiousness, her relief, her happiness. However, just beneath the surface of these feelings was a deep current of sadness. He concentrated harder. She was lonely, truly lonely, and when he probed further he could feel a deep grief that emanated through her entire being. He fought the urge to clutch his chest, her pain almost too much for him to bear.

As the lunch bell rang, he couldn't get this girl out of his head. What could have possibly happened to her to make her drown in such constant sorrow? He knew it was better to stay away; he still struggled with controlling himself, and the last thing he wanted to do was hurt someone.

As he watched her and her friends exit the cafeteria, her gaze finding his just before she disappeared, Jasper became sure of one thing.

Staying away was going to be much more difficult than he thought.

**********
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