The Calling (Aro x Marcus x Caius)

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"Hi!"

The cheerful voice made me inwardly groan, my strawberry paused against my lips right before I had the chance to take the delicious bite. Slowly raising my gaze, I stared at the pixie haired female and her oddly white smile. Don't get me wrong- I didn't HATE her or anything. I just had a small, teeny tiny, itsie bitsie preference of avoiding bubbly people...

I didn't like extroverts.

There, I said it. They sucked the energy from me like a vampire sucked blood.

"I saw you sitting here and I was wondering if you wanted to sit at my table with my family?" Alice questioned, bouncing slightly on her heels as she somewhat impatiently waited for my answer. I think she felt I'd answer yes immediately because of her popularity, but I never did like to do what was expected. I mean- why would I? I had been sitting in the same place since I came to this Highschool. On the floor, against the wall, on the least crowded side of the cafeteria, and she had never ONCE invited me to her table despite seeing me.

"I'll pass, thank you." Looking back down at my shoes, I took a bite of my strawberry, but it wasn't near as savoury as I had imagined it would be. I blamed it on the interruption. "Oh-" she clearly hadn't been expecting that, and I glanced up through my lashes to stare at her expectantly. Eventually she seemed to get the hint, a smile forcing its way onto her lips. "Well if you ever want to come sit down, you're more than welcome to!"

With that she left, her steps not as preppy as they once were. I knew I should have felt bad, but I just... didn't. Gut feeling, remember? Maybe I was just rude though.

"Do my eyes deceive me?! Did my little cupcake just turn down ALICE CULLEN?"

Instinctively, a smile slipped on my lips as I swallowed the bite of strawberry I had in my mouth, my gaze turning up to see my best friend. Eric Yorkie is what I defined as an... energetic and awkward puppy that hadn't yet grown into its tail. I might not like extroverts, but Eric was a thorn in my side I couldn't bring myself to pull out.

"Well, if I started hanging out with her, I wouldn't have time to be bothered by you." Eric grinned, moving to sit next to me on the floor. Plucking the half eaten strawberry from my fingers, Eric shoved it into his mouth much to my protests. "I was gonna eat that!!" I cried, Eric grinning as he chewed and swallowed. "You're Right. You WERE." Reaching over, I angrily ruffled his hair with my hand, Eric crying out in desperation. "Altheia! Do you know how long it takes me to do my hair?!"

You'd think he was a twelve year old girl.

"Oh yeah, I bet all thirty seconds takes soooo long." Rolling my eyes, I leaned against him, moving my cartoon of strawberries closer so we could share. "Seriously though- why turn them down? Look at how hot they are. You'd be the hottest topic in school." He had a point. Any person in this cafeteria would have jumped at the chance to eat with the group. But not me. I was 'special'. "That's the point. I don't want to be the hottest topic."

Eric gave me a strange side look as we ate before he eventually changed the subject. That's what I loved about him. He knew when to drop a topic. "Christmas break is coming up soon. You doing anything special?" He questioned, causing me to shake my head. "Gran's been acting weird lately. Keeps waking up with nightmares muttering about evil spirits coming." The two of us shared a chuckle, but I knew I was the only one worried. Yia-yia had visions to put it lightly. I might not have believed in them entirely, but I'd be a fool to ignore how eerily accurate they all were.

When I was twelve, I had tripped down on the sidewalk and twisted my ankle. A few days before, yia-yia had dreamt I was going to hurt myself somehow. When I was fifteen, yia-yia had dreamt that someone in our town would be lost. A few weeks later some girl had got drunk at a party and had to have a search team find her. I even had a suspicion that my Yia-Yia has dreamt of my parents death because every so often I'd hear her guilty mumblings, but I never said anything.

"That's lame. My family is going to Spain for the break to try and get away from all this cold." I couldn't help but snort. "You do know it gets cold in Spain, right?" Eric's jaw dropped, his eyes widening. "What? Oh come on!!" Laughing at his misery, I didn't notice Jessica Stanley walking over until she was standing above us. "Oh heeey Altheia! Didn't see you over here. What are you two talking about?"

If passive aggressiveness was a person, it would be Jessica. She didn't like me for some reason, but I figured that was just a Jessica thing.

She didn't like a lot of people.

"Just winter vacation plans." Eric spoke, oblivious of Jessica's attitude. He really was like an innocent puppy. Eric always saw the best in people and was quick to forgive. Which was something I had maaaybe put a hex on a few people for taking advantage of. Though I knew that stuff didn't work- just some easy rituals I had found in one of Yia-Yias old books and decided to play around with in good humour.

"Oh? What uh.. what are you doing, Altheia?" Jessica questioned, smiling that stupid smile of hers that reminded me of Alice. But with a lot more tension and hidden feelings. "Oh you know. Hanging out and catching up on sleep." It was a stupid joke, one that Jessica laughed way too hard at. The sound hurt my ears, but I didn't say anything. "You're so funny! Anyways, the group and I are going to head to the gym to play some volleyball before class starts. I knew Eric would want to come but you don't like volleyball, do you, Altheia?"

It wasn't a question.

"No, no I don't. I'm not a fan. But thank you sooo much for your consideration, Jessica." My smile was tense, matching Jessica's. I had to resist the urge to rip her pretty little throat out. "It's no problem! Come on, Eric. Don't want to keep the group waiting." She laughed again, Eric glancing between the two of us in confusion. He may be innocent but he wasn't dumb. However he slowly stood up, nodding. "Alright. See you later, Altheia!" He grinned before walking away, Jessica trailing after.

It shouldn't have, but it left a feeling of betrayal in me. Looking down at my lunch, I stared blankly at the remaining food. It didn't seem appetising anymore. Slowly my feelings melted away, a dull relaxation filling me.

I didn't need to look up to see Jasper.

I just continued to eat.