U.S. History came next.
Mame slipped into the classroom just before the bell and paused when the teacher pointed toward an empty desk near the window.
"Take that seat," she said.
Mame followed her gesture.
Another Cullen.
He stopped for half a second, then walked over and sat down like this was perfectly normal.
Rosalie Hale did not look at him.
She stared straight ahead, posture perfect, expression distant. Beautiful in a way that felt sharp rather than warm. Most people would have been intimidated.
Mame was mostly curious.
He leaned back slightly and murmured, "Is this some kind of fate thing? Swan proximity requirement to Cullens?"
Rosalie's eyes flicked toward him, cool and assessing.
He smiled politely. "I'm Mame. Mame Swan."
No reaction.
That was fine.
He waited a beat, then added, "You're Alice's sister, right?"
That got her attention.
She turned fully this time, golden eyes sharp. "Why?"
"No reason," he said honestly. "Just met her in art. You seem related. Same… energy. Different direction."
Rosalie studied him carefully.
He did not stare.Did not linger.Did not look at her like something to be owned or admired.
Just looked.
After a moment, she looked away again. "Yes."
That was all.
But it was more than most people got.
Lunch came quickly after.
The cafeteria buzzed with noise and movement, voices overlapping, trays clattering. Mame scanned the room and immediately spotted Bella at a table with Jessica, Mike, Angela, and Eric.
He grabbed a tray and walked over.
"Mind if I sit?" he asked, already pulling out a chair beside Bella.
She looked relieved. "Please."
Mike stiffened.
Eric went pale.
Mame glanced at him and smiled pleasantly. "Hey. Camera guy."
Eric swallowed. "Uh. Hi."
Mike leaned closer to Bella. "So, you're her… brother?"
"Something like that," Mame replied calmly.
The cafeteria noise shifted.
Heads turned.
The Cullens had entered.
Bella noticed them immediately.
They moved together, beautiful and isolated, untouched by the noise around them. Students watched openly. Whispered. Stared.
As they passed, Mame followed them with his eyes and said casually, "Oh. Alice and Rosalie."
The table froze.
Jessica blinked. "You know them?"
Mame frowned slightly. "They sit next to me. Art and history. Is there a reason you're all being weird about it?"
Jessica hesitated, then leaned in eagerly. "The Cullens are… strange. They're all couples. Rosalie and Emmett. Alice and Jasper. Edward and Edith are the only ones not paired."
Mame nodded thoughtfully. "Huh. I thought they were in Washington, not Alabama."
Mike snorted despite himself.
Bella covered a smile.
"And if they're not really related," Mame continued, "it's fine, right? And if they are like…" he made air quotes, "…soul mates, and get married later when they're old enough, what's the harm?"
Jessica scoffed. "Alice is just… weird."
Mame's chair scraped back loudly as he stood.
"What," he said flatly, "do you mean my friend is weird?"
The table went silent.
"She's just a genuinely happy person," he continued, eyes hard now. "That doesn't make her weird. That makes her rare."
No one argued.
Mame turned to Bella, his expression softening instantly. "I'll see you later."
Bella nodded, a little stunned. "Okay."
He picked up his tray and walked straight across the cafeteria.
The Cullens looked up as he approached.
Mame stopped beside Alice and smiled. "Hey. Any ideas about our painting yet?"
Alice's face lit up immediately. "Oh, I have so many ideas."
Rosalie watched him carefully.
And for the first time since arriving in Forks, Mame felt it clearly.
This was not coincidence.
It was positioning.
And he had just stepped into the middle of it.
Mame set his tray down without ceremony and slid into the empty seat beside the largest Cullen.
"Hey," he said casually. "I'm Mame Swan."
Emmett blinked, then grinned. "Emmett."
Mame nodded in return, then glanced around the table. Alice was already smiling at him like this was the best part of her day. Jasper watched quietly. Rosalie's gaze was sharp but unreadable. Edward sat stiffly, eyes distant. Edith mirrored him, composed and observant.
Mame's eyes dropped to the table.
Pristine trays.Untouched food.Not a single bite taken.
He frowned.
"So," he said, taking a very deliberate bite of his sandwich, "are you guys on some kind of diet or something?"
The table went still.
Emmett raised an eyebrow. "Diet?"
Mame gestured with the sandwich. "I mean… none of you are eating."
Silence.
He chewed, swallowed, then continued without malice, just honest confusion. "If you don't want to eat, why even get food? That's just wasting it." He looked genuinely puzzled. "Kind of weird."
Rosalie's jaw tightened.
Edward's eyes flicked up sharply.
Alice froze for exactly half a second before recovering.
Emmett let out a short laugh. "You're pretty blunt, huh?"
Mame shrugged. "Food's food."
Jasper studied him more closely now, something thoughtful behind his eyes.
Alice leaned closer to Mame, whispering loudly enough for everyone to hear, "Most people don't notice."
Mame tilted his head. "Notice what?"
She smiled wider. "Exactly."
Emmett chuckled. "I like him."
Rosalie did not say anything, but she no longer looked annoyed. More… wary.
Mame took another bite of his sandwich, perfectly at ease. "Anyway," he said, turning back to Alice, "about that painting. You said you had ideas?"
"Oh, I do," Alice said brightly, instantly animated. "We should do something abstract. Motion. Feeling. Not just faces."
"Good," Mame replied. "I hate boring."
Edward watched him quietly, eyes narrowed in something that was not hostility.
Interest.
Across the cafeteria, Bella watched the scene unfold, torn between horror and amazement.
Mame Swan had just sat down with the Cullens, called out their strangest habit, and somehow lived.
And Forks High School would never be the same again.
Mame felt it again.
That look.
He paused mid-bite, slowly turned his head, and met Edward's gaze directly. Not hostile. Just… intense. Focused in a way that felt like being examined under a microscope.
Mame swallowed.
"…Do you need to go to the bathroom or something?" he asked calmly.
The table froze.
Edward blinked.
Mame tilted his head. "Because you've been staring at me like that for a solid minute."
Silence.
Alice's eyes went wide with delight.
"I mean," Mame continued, completely serious, "I'm flattered, but just so we're clear, I'm not into men. I like women. So, sorry, but it's a no."
Emmett choked.Alice burst into laughter.Jasper covered his mouth, shoulders shaking.
Rosalie's lips twitched despite herself.
Edward stared at Mame in utter disbelief.
"I wasn't—" Edward started.
Mame raised a hand politely. "It's okay. Happens sometimes. Strong jawline. Calm confidence. People get confused."
Emmett leaned back, laughing outright now. "Oh man, I love this guy."
Alice clapped once, delighted. "Can we keep him?"
Edward finally recovered enough to speak, eyes still fixed on Mame, but now wary. "You're… different."
Mame nodded. "Yeah. I've heard."
He took another bite of his sandwich, completely unbothered. "Anyway, if you're done scanning my soul, Alice and I were talking about paint."
Edward went quiet again, studying him with renewed caution.
Not because of the joke.
But because for the first time in a very long while, Edward Cullen had no idea what someone was thinking.
And that bothered him far more than being rejected.
Mame leaned back in his chair, finishing the last bite of his sandwich. The laughter around the table faded into something more relaxed, more normal, like they had crossed an invisible line together.
"So," he said casually, looking around at them, "are you guys really couples? Or is that just a Forks rumor thing?"
Alice tilted her head, smile softening. "We are."
"And how does that work," Mame asked honestly, "if you're all… you know. Family."
"Our parents adopted us," Alice explained easily. "It just… happened. We found each other."
Mame nodded slowly, considering that. "Huh. Well, that's nice."
Rosalie watched him closely, waiting for judgment that never came.
"It's kind of like the Chief taking me in," Mame continued. "Found me on the road, no place to go, and now I've got his last name."
He grinned. "So now I'm officially Mame Swan."
"Bean Swan," Alice corrected instantly.
Mame stared at her. "You really are not going to let that go, are you?"
"Nope," she said cheerfully.
Emmett laughed again. "She never does."
Mame shook his head, smiling despite himself. "I walked right into this."
Edward listened quietly, eyes narrowed in thought, no longer staring, just… attentive.
Jasper felt it too.
The calm around Mame was strange. Comfortable. Like standing near someone who did not register as threat or prey.
Alice leaned closer. "You fit in better than you think."
Mame shrugged. "I'm not trying to."
That answer lingered longer than the laughter had.
Across the cafeteria, the bell rang again, signaling the end of lunch. Students began to stand, chairs scraping loudly.
Mame picked up his tray and stood. "Well. Art partner," he said to Alice, "I'll see you later."
"You bet," she replied brightly.
He glanced once more at the group. "Nice meeting you all."
And for once, the Cullens watched someone walk away without immediately categorizing him.
They could not.
And that, more than anything else, unsettled them.
The final bell echoed through the halls, sharp and relieving.
Students spilled out of classrooms like a released tide, voices overlapping as the day finally loosened its grip. Mame found Bella near her locker, already shrugging on her jacket.
"Survived?" he asked.
"Barely," Bella replied, but there was a hint of relief in her voice.
They walked out together into the cool gray afternoon. The parking lot was crowded with cars and students moving in every direction. Bella spotted the red truck immediately and headed toward it.
Mame glanced back.
The Cullens were crossing the lot together, moving with their usual quiet unity. Alice noticed him instantly and lifted a hand in an enthusiastic wave.
Mame waved back without hesitation. "Later!"
Alice waved harder.
Rosalie raised an eyebrow.Emmett grinned.Edward watched thoughtfully.
Bella paused beside the truck. "You know them now?"
Mame opened the passenger door and hopped in. "More or less."
She got in and shut her door. "How are you so close to them already? Everyone says they don't really talk to anyone."
Mame buckled his seatbelt. "I promised you I'd be the distraction."
Bella started the engine. "And?"
"And now I am," he said, laughing softly.
Bella shook her head, but she was smiling. "You're unbelievable."
"Effective, though," Mame replied.
She pulled the truck out of the lot and onto the road, rain streaking across the windshield again. Forks passed by in muted greens and grays.
Bella glanced at him once. "Thanks. For today."
Mame nodded. "Anytime, sis."
The truck rumbled toward home.
And behind them, Forks High buzzed with a single new rumor.
Not about Bella Swan.
But about the boy who had walked straight into the Cullens' world and made it look easy.
The Cullen house was quiet in the way only large, carefully controlled spaces ever were.
Evening light filtered through tall windows, catching on polished wood and pale walls. The family gathered naturally in the living room, some standing, some sitting, all listening.
Alice was the first to speak. She practically bounced onto the back of the couch.
"Okay," she said brightly, "today was interesting."
Carlisle looked up from the book he had been holding. "That's usually how these conversations start."
Esme smiled gently. "Tell us."
Alice grinned. "There's a new Swan."
That earned immediate attention.
Edward stiffened slightly.Rosalie crossed her arms.Emmett leaned forward, intrigued.
"Mame Swan," Alice continued. "He sat next to me in art. And Rosalie in history."
Rosalie lifted her chin. "He wasn't like the others."
"No," Alice agreed. "He didn't look at us like objects. Or trophies. Or puzzles."
"He defended you," Jasper added quietly, eyes distant as he recalled the emotional shift in the cafeteria. "When the human girl called you weird. He got angry. Protective."
Alice's smile softened. "He called me a 'pure happy soul.'"
Emmett barked a laugh. "I like him already."
"He's rude," Rosalie said, but there was no heat in it. "Blunt. But… honest."
Edward spoke then, voice low. "He doesn't think like humans."
Everyone turned to him.
"I couldn't read him," Edward continued. "At all. Not silence. Not shields. Just… nothing where thoughts should be."
Carlisle frowned slightly. "That's unusual."
"It's exciting," Alice said, eyes bright. "I didn't see him. Not in any vision. Not arriving. Not speaking to us. Nothing. He's a blank space."
Esme clasped her hands. "That hasn't happened in a very long time."
Emmett grinned. "He also called us out for not eating."
Rosalie raised an eyebrow. "That bothered him."
"He wasn't suspicious," Jasper added. "He was genuinely irritated. The wasted food upset him."
Esme's expression softened. "That says something about him."
Edward had gone very still.
"There's more," he said.
Carlisle looked at him sharply. "Edward."
Edward nodded once. "Bella Swan is my singer."
The room went silent.
Esme's hand went to her chest.Rosalie's jaw tightened.Emmett's grin faded.Alice's smile disappeared entirely.
"A human whose blood smells uniquely and irresistibly appealing," Edward said quietly. "Being near her today took… effort."
Carlisle's voice was calm but firm. "Then you know what you need to do."
"I do," Edward said. He stood. "I'll hunt tonight. I need control before I'm near Isabella again."
Alice watched him closely. "Be careful."
Edward nodded and turned toward the door, pausing only once. "Mame knows. Not what we are. But he knows something is off. And he isn't afraid."
"That may be the most dangerous part," Rosalie said softly.
Or the most interesting, Alice thought, smiling just a little.
Edward was gone moments later, the forest swallowing his departure without a sound.
Carlisle looked around at his family. "We observe. We don't interfere."
"For now," Emmett said.
Alice's eyes sparkled. "I can't wait to see how this goes."
Outside, Forks settled into night.
And two anomalies now lived in the same house.
One the Cullens had been watching for decades.
The other had arrived without warning.
Both named Swan.