The bell for lunch had just rung, and the cafeteria of Forks High School was a familiar chorus of clattering trays and overlapping conversations. At a table near the sunniest window, Bella Swan sat, her posture slightly tense as it often was amidst the preternatural stillness of the Cullen family. Edward’s arm was around her chair, a silent, marble guardian. Alice was describing a vision of a new dress with animated gestures, while Emmett chuckled at something Jasper said.

Published 3 months ago