I didn't have many classes with any of my siblings -- and I preferred it that way. Their eyes were constantly on me, their emotions suspicious and careful. It was a load to have to deal with at home every day, and sometimes I tried to get a break; not that hormonal teenagers weren't much better. 

One peace I had during the day at least, was a writing class. It was different from what I'd taken in the past, because it didn't follow other curriculums. Each time we went through high school each of us tried to pick a new area to take classes in, and then follow on to get a degree it in. It was one way to spend your endless time. 

I had already done a number of degrees, ranging from mathematics to war tactics to analytical sciences. This time around I was going more for the humanities; specifically psychology and the human mind. Alice and Carlisle and Edward especially supported it, because they seemed to think that it would bring me closer to humans, it would lessen the desire to drink from them. And I was interested in it because I wanted to understand what caused the  emotions --  I was hoping it could bring me to extend my abilities even further. 

I sat in the back of the class as always, watching as every girl in the room got their emotions tinged with a little pink. The teacher was reading, waiting for the bell to ring. I subtly cracked the window open a little, letting some fresh air come in. It swirled around the room and stirred up the scents, yes, but it also brought in fresh air. Something that had saved me more than once. 

I was caught by surprise when the door opened again and one of the new twins came in. Her emotions were the same cheerful yellow, though this time curiosity swirled around with it. She took steps to the teacher's desk, who had looked up when the door had opened. 

Almost immediately after that I got her scent. And oh, what a scent it was, hitting me like a better ram. It was delectable! Nice and warm, flowery, in a way, like fresh roses. My mouth pooled with venom immediately. It would be easy to take out the others -- they were weak, not fast, and there was only one other class in this building, far away. I would take out those nearest to me, perhaps snack on one or two along the way, before getting the rest. Poor girl, she would see what would be coming. It would take me max a minute to have them all knocked out before-- No. I wasn't going to let this happen. I was not a monster -- her scent smelled amazing, like the garden my mother used to take care of back in my home. My muscles began to tense and my eyes flashed black. A growl rumbled low in my throat aiding to the fire that raked down and almost coming out before I realized where I was.

About ten seconds had passed. The girl was just handing her slip for the teacher to sign. Another cool breeze swept past me and in that moment my choice became clear, I didn't have to kill her. I had a choice. There were other options. I took the deepest breath I could manage before cutting the motion off in my lungs. I could resist her if I kept her scent out of my mind; her delectable, rose-smelling, sweet -- the cool breeze flashed past again. 

My eye caught movement outside. I turned my head, glad to have another reason to look instead of staring down at the humans pumping blood. Alice was striding across the open green lawn, pausing when she hit the sidewalk, face blank. She was pulsing a brick red and black; she was terrified of something. I saw her look towards my building, before looking at Edward's science rooms, then back to me. She deliberated a minute, her emotions conflicted, before turning and walking down towards Edward's class. Hm, he must be in much of the same predicament...

The girl's steps resumed, and I listened as she got closer, until she was sitting next to me. Her scent swirled under my nose, invading my mind even though I wasn't breathing. I was flashed back to grainy, hazy remembrances of my mother's gardens, of sneaking flowers from there to give to the girls at home...but then I experienced something peculiar. My emotions began to change, from thirst and disappointment and self-hate to happiness, relaxation, and a tinge of curiosity. I looked over at the girl next to me. Her large, green doe eyes were on me, and her aura, her pure happy aura, was changing the colors of my own. 

No one had ever done that before. I blinked, bewildered. She blushed heavily and looked down, and my mind jumped ahead to planning again, her scent invading my mind as she sat there. But the urge, the fire in my throat, wasn't as strong as before. It wasn't as heavy, and it seemed that her aura, so close to mine, prevented my emotions from straying in any negative direction. 

After a minute she looked back up at me, with her wide doe eyes. In them, you could see her emotions swirling around just as strongly as I could sense them. Hm, she was quite beautiful, unlike anything I had seen in my long existence. Her aura seemed to pulse out of her, giving her a golden glow that shone from her and touched everything. It was amazing. I smiled at her, happy and at peace that someone with pure emotions was sitting next to me. She gave a gentle smile back, her emotions pulsing an even brighter yellow. 

The entire period went by rather peacefully with nothing to annoy me; it was a first, actually. I didn't want to leave, and I wasn't sure if it was because of the beautiful girl next to me, or because this class allowed me to take a break from the rest of the world. 

A/N: 1033 words