Twilight - Dimensional Traveler

Mark walked over to the table where his friends were sitting.

That's when a dark-skinned boy approached, kissed Bella on the cheek, and pulled out the chair Mike was sitting on. Mike, who fell, jumped up and ran after the boy, shouting, "Tyler!"

Mark paused briefly, then kept walking.

Within a few steps, Mark reached the table. Looking at the empty seat, he said, "Can I sit here?"

Bella realized Mark was talking to her. She glanced in Mike's direction, pointed toward him, and opened her mouth as if to say something. But as if she noticed something, she gave a shy smile and replied, "Sure."

"Thanks," Mark said as he placed his tray on the table. Without saying anything else, he began to eat.

"Well, this is Bella," Jessica introduced. Mark nodded and continued eating silently.

Feeling a little embarrassed, Jessica added, "And this is Mark. He's also new this year, just like you."

"Hi," Bella said awkwardly.

Suddenly, a flash went off, and Bella ducked her head, trying to hide. "Stop," she said.

Angela had taken a photo of Bella.

"What are you doing?" Eric asked.

"Sorry, I need a photo for the article," Angela explained.

"The article's dead, Angela. Forget it, and don't bring it up again!" Eric snapped, getting up from the table.

Before leaving, he tapped Bella's shoulder and said, "I've got your back, babe."

Mark, noticing he'd be left alone with three girls, also got up and said goodbye.

"Looks like we'll need a new editorial on alcoholism," Angela said, frustrated.

"Or maybe you could do something about eating disorders. Or the stuffed speedos on the swim team," Bella joked to lighten the mood.

"That's actually a good one," Angela said, exchanging glances with Jessica.

"Mark," both girls said together.

"I was thinking the same thing," Jessica laughed. "We're talking Olympic proportions," she added.

Bella felt shy as the girls continued discussing the subject. "Yeah, I saw it during swimming class. That bulge was… intense," Jessica said.

At that moment, Bella noticed five people outside through the cafeteria window, and her interest was piqued. Seeing Mark had already caught her attention — she hadn't imagined there were more people like him.

"Who are they?" Bella asked curiously.

Angela looked in the direction Bella was pointing. "The Cullens."

"They're the children of Dr. and Mrs. Cullen," Jessica said quietly. "They moved here from Alaska a few years ago."

"They keep to themselves," Angela added.

"Like, super close-knit," Jessica said and continued. "The blonde girl is Rosalie, and the guy with dark hair is Emmett. They're kind of a couple. I'm not sure if that's legal."

"Jessica, they're not even related," Angela replied.

"Still, it's weird. They all live together, and it's weird," Jessica insisted.

Looking at the next pair entering, Jessica went on, "The short one with the spiky hair is Alice. She's really strange. She's with Jasper — the blonde who looks like he's in pain."

Bella listened quietly.

"Dr. Cullen is kind of like an adoptive dad-slash-matchmaker," Jessica added.

"He could adopt me," Angela joked.

Still staring at Edward, Bella asked, "And him?"

"That's Edward Cullen," Jessica said with a smile. "He's insanely hot, but obviously no one here is good enough for him."

Edward walked past the three girls and, using his super hearing, caught what Jessica said. He couldn't help but curl a smile at the corner of his mouth.

"Forget it. Don't waste your time," Jessica added.

Bella, realizing Jessica had picked up on her thoughts, answered quickly, "I wasn't even thinking about that."

Still, she kept watching the Cullens. For a moment, Edward looked back at her, and their gazes met — briefly colliding. Edward was the first to look away.

Soon, the lunch break was over, and everyone returned to class. Mark, who had watched everything from outside, thought to himself how nice it was to eat that melon.

...

In class, Mark sat at his desk. He and Edward were both without desk partners. He learned that his former tablemate and Edward's had moved away — apparently, they were siblings.

Just then, Bella entered the biology classroom, and all eyes turned to her.

As Bella walked in, she saw both Mark and Edward and kept her gaze on them as she passed in front of the classroom fan.

Edward caught Bella's scent and almost lost control, feeling the urge to attack her. To avoid that, he quickly covered his nose and turned away.

Bella, noticing this, looked disappointed. Mark looked at Edward sitting in front of him and decided to help. Reaching out, he placed his hand on Edward's shoulder and activated one of his many abilities.

Edward, struggling to keep control, felt the hand resting gently on his shoulder. He turned to look.

 "Are you okay?" Mark asked.

Edward was about to push Mark's hand away, but then he felt the urge to drink Bella's blood vanish instantly.

"I'm fine," Edward said, trying to understand what had just happened.

Mark, realizing his power had worked, withdrew his hand and smiled, saying nothing.