The First Day in Forks passed surprisingly peacefully for Alex and Lucina. They managed to confirm their identities as transfer students, drop by the local diner, and even drive out to the beach where the local teens usually hung out. In the evening, they simply lay on the couch watching movies, enjoying the quiet. Luckily, even in a small town like Forks, food delivery existed, so they ordered pizza for dinner.

Alex laughed for a long time when the delivery guy finally arrived and GIR, MIMI, and Stitch suddenly decided to pretend they were dogs — barking, growling, and jumping around. The poor courier nearly had a heart attack. When Alex went back upstairs and told Lucina about it, she couldn't help but laugh too. What worried her more, however, was whether he'd remembered to leave a tip. Alex gave her a thumbs-up, assuring her the courier had been generously compensated for his fright.

In the end, the evening ended peacefully: Alex and Lucina fell asleep on the couch with the TV humming quietly in the background, while downstairs GIR, MIMI, and Stitch kept running their noisy gaming marathon. Even at night they didn't calm down — the racket woke Lucina, who grumbled irritably and shoved Alex off the couch, demanding he go and make the trio shut up.

Alex went downstairs, but when he tried to talk them into going to bed, all he got in return was a cheerful:

"Sleep is for the weak!"

Not wanting to argue, he simply set up a noise-canceling barrier around the couch and went back upstairs. Lucina was already dozing, so he lay down beside her quietly and wrapped an arm around her. Soon enough, sleep took him too. Only one thing he forgot — to set an alarm.

In the morning, Alex woke to a strange sensation — as if someone was staring at him. Without opening his eyes, he reached out a hand across the couch, but Lucina wasn't there. When he opened his eyes, he immediately saw a pair of dark brown eyes and strands of red hair leaning over him.

A smile spread across his face at once. He knew perfectly well who those eyes belonged to. Without asking anything, Alex grabbed the girl and pulled her down onto the couch with him. It was Gloria.

She wasn't surprised — this wasn't the first time Alex had done that. By habit, she wrapped her arms around his head, pressed him against her, and gently stroked his hair. Feeling her warm touch, Alex was already slipping back toward sleep.

"Hey, that's enough," Gloria said softly. "You're dozing off again."

"I don't wanna go to school," he mumbled, burying his face against her chest. "I'm an adult. I'm the Demon King. And Demon Kings don't go to school."

"Of course," she smirked. "But you don't want to scare everyone with your looks, do you? Come on, breakfast is waiting."

Alex sighed heavily:

"Be honest. You came here just to make sure I'm not skipping?"

"Exactly," Gloria nodded and kissed him on the lips. "The girls and I decided to take turns coming here, waking you up, and making sure you don't oversleep."

Alex rolled his eyes. He realized there was no point resisting — the girls simply wouldn't let him slack off.

When he still didn't move, Gloria shoved him off the couch without a word. He hit the floor with a thud and got up in defeat. Together, they went downstairs.

The first thing they saw was total chaos. The couch was buried under empty pizza boxes, and GIR, MIMI, and Stitch were asleep in ridiculous positions. Alex even suspected they might have robbed the local pizzeria during the night.

He dispelled the noise-canceling barrier, and immediately loud snores erupted — GIR and Stitch snoring in perfect unison.

Ignoring the racket, Alex looked over at Lucina. She was sitting at the table with a cup of coffee, eyes closed as if trying to fully wake up. But the twitch in her eyelid betrayed her: the snoring was seriously ruining her morning ritual.

Alex leaned down, kissed the corner of her eye, and sat beside her. Gloria promptly poured him a cup of coffee and set it in front of him. After the first sip, Alex felt himself slowly returning to normal — and the thought of burning down the school faded to the back of his mind.

Gloria set a couple of sandwiches in front of him and sat down beside him. She was smiling — she used to get David ready for school in the same way. But she never could've imagined that one day she'd be packing her own husband off to school.

While Alex and Lucina ate their breakfast slowly, Gloria's thoughts drifted: maybe she should send David here too, along with his girlfriend Yuki? But then she smirked to herself — her son would bolt the moment he heard the word school.

"How's the Guild? Has it opened yet?" Alex asked, setting his cup down on the table.

"When I left, Brunhilde, Koko, Yuriko, and Saya were just heading out to open it," Gloria replied, resting her chin on her hands.

"Hm. Guess I'll have to send a clone over, let him explain the work system to the girls. Red and White understand it fine, but not everyone can follow their explanations."

"They'll manage without you," Lucina cut in, opening her eyes. "You said yourself the Guild runs automatically. All that's needed is group management and mission assignments."

Alex nodded but still created a clone and sent it to Orario. Lucina and Gloria exchanged glances: clearly, Alex would do things his own way regardless. But another thought was already forming in his mind — the Guild needed a proper staff. Someone had to monitor missions around the clock. And Alex already knew of one world where he could recruit not just personnel, but also fighters. He resolved firmly to deal with that as soon as matters in this universe were settled.

"Well, nervous?" Gloria asked with a smirk. "It's your first day at school, after all. Alex, did you even study yourself?"

"I did," he shrugged. "Not for long. Finished school at fifteen, then college — also quickly. After that, I met my father, Orario, work… well, you know the rest."

"Yes, yes, our husband the genius," Lucina drawled. "Alright, let's get ready. It's still the first day, we shouldn't skip. Besides, I want to see these so-called vampires that sparkle in the sun."

Alex smirked and snapped his fingers — his outfit changed instantly into his usual black jeans, t-shirt, and a light black hooded coat. Lucina, seeing that, kicked him under the table in annoyance before heading upstairs to change. Alex just laughed after her.

Gloria offered to pack them school lunches, but Alex declined — he was curious to see what Forks High's cafeteria had to offer.If it's bad, then I'll agree to a lunchbox, he thought.

A few minutes later, Lucina came back dressed casually: a white shirt tucked into jeans and a short jacket from Night City. Alex smiled, kissed Gloria on the cheek, and went to stand beside Lucina.

Gloria said her warm goodbyes, and a portal opened behind her, returning her to Orario.

Stepping outside, Alex and Lucina noticed Bella being seen off to school by her father. Alex waved in their direction. Charlie nodded with a smile, while Bella looked as if she felt relieved — going to school with someone, especially with Alex and Lucina, seemed like salvation. At the same time, guilt pricked her for planning to "hide" behind her new neighbors just to draw less attention.

Alex picked up on her mood without words.

"Maybe you should wear a mask?" Lucina asked dryly as she slid into the car.

"Why?" Alex said in surprise, starting the engine.

"What do you think? You want to get yourself a fan club on the very first day? Or have schoolgirls chasing you in packs?" Her stare was dry and sharp.

"Oh, come on," Alex smirked. "Those schoolgirls will be too shy to even approach. The only problem is jealous guys who can't control their hormones. But a couple of beatings will fix that."

Lucina only sighed heavily. Then she noticed something shiny sticking out of Alex's pocket. Reaching in, she pulled out… a brass knuckle.

"Seriously?" Her gaze turned flat and heavy.

Alex feigned innocence, as though he had no idea how the weapon ended up in his pocket. Lucina shook her head and shoved the knuckle-duster back, silently hoping their first day wouldn't end in a fight.

Alex pulled out onto the road, glancing now and then at the rearview mirror: Bella's old red pickup was following them. Lucina noticed it too and raised an eyebrow in question.

"It's simple," Alex explained. "She wants to use us as a shield. We're new here too, we'll draw the attention. And Bella—she's a quiet girl, you understand…"

Lucina nodded, accepting the explanation.

The drive was uneventful. But as soon as they rolled into the school parking lot, all eyes immediately turned toward Alex's car. At the same time, Bella's clattering pickup drew its own share of attention, sounding like it might fall apart on the spot. Bella quickly parked next to Alex, clearly feeling more confident under his "cover."

When Alex and Lucina stepped out of the car, they were instantly the center of attention. The girls stared at Alex with interest, while the boys turned their gazes to Lucina and Bella. At that moment Alex thought that maybe a mask really would've been useful. Bella, on the other hand, grew nervous and almost instinctively moved closer to him, trying to hide behind his presence.

Irritated by all the stares, Alex gave a wide grin. That alone was enough to make most students look away in embarrassment. Bella exhaled in relief.

"Thanks," she whispered.

"No problem. We're neighbors, after all. Besides, you and your dad are the only people we know in this town," Alex replied.

Lucina took his hand, making it perfectly clear he was taken. She didn't feel like dealing with guys inviting her "out after class." At the same time, it was her way of keeping Alex off-limits to the other girls.

Alex patted Bella on the shoulder, and the three of them headed toward the school. But before they could reach the entrance, a lanky teen with an overly enthusiastic expression blocked their path.

"Hi! I'm Eric. I'm the eyes and ears of this school. If you need a shoulder to cry on or someone to take you on a lunch date—I'm your guy," he declared, openly checking out Lucina and Bella.

"Hey, Eric," Alex said warmly. "I'm Alex. My hobby is showing tricks. Tell me, Eric, do you like tricks?"

Lucina rolled her eyes and squeezed his hand tighter—a silent warning: don't start anything stupid on the very first day. She remembered all too well how his last "trick" ended—with three Tiger Claw thugs spitting teeth for a week.

Bella stared at Alex in surprise, not expecting such a reply. Eric, on the other hand, lit up with curiosity.

"What kind of tricks? With cards? Like guessing the right card? Or when the card ends up in my pocket?" Questions spilled out of him, eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Almost," Alex smirked. "But mine are with a coin. Watch."

He pulled a heavy iron coin from his pocket and held it up in front of Eric's face. Then—slowly, deliberately, without seeming to strain—he bent it between two fingers right before his eyes.

Eric froze, watching the metal yield so easily. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

"A souvenir," Alex said, dropping the coin into his hand and patting him on the shoulder.

Walking past, Alex grinned cheerfully, while Eric remained standing there, breathing heavily, clutching the bent coin. Only when the newcomers disappeared into the corridor did he wipe his brow and mutter quietly:

"What a guy…"

Bella had been walking beside them the whole time, stealing curious glances at Alex. Finally, she couldn't resist.

"How did you do that? Did you really bend it with your fingers?"

"Pff, just a simple trick. Same as with a spoon or a fork. But it makes an impression—especially on overly talkative guys," Alex said with a shrug.

Bella frowned but nodded, accepting the explanation. Lucina, however, let out a breath of relief: at least there'd been no brawling this time.

Reaching the guidance counselor's office, the trio received their class schedules. Alex quickly compared his with Lucina's and smiled: almost all the subjects matched, except for a couple of classes he would have to attend alone. Bella, after receiving her papers, lingered, her eyes betraying her reluctance to part with them.

The first class was math. Alex knocked on the door and slightly pushed it open.

"How can I help you?" the teacher asked, noticing a new student.

"We've transferred and are supposed to be in this class," Alex said, handing over the schedule.

"You must be Mr. Voldigoad and Miss Kushinada. New students?" the teacher asked for clarification.

"That's right," Alex nodded.

"Excellent. My name is Adam Howard, I teach math. The lesson is already in progress, so take a seat behind Miss Hale," he said, pointing to the empty desks.

Alex smiled and glanced at Rosalie Hale—the first of the Cullen family he had met. Then something made him uneasy: Rosalie was staring at him too… emotionally. As if she had seen a ghost.

Alex tilted his head questioningly, but Lucina just shook hers: leave it. He shrugged and led her to the back of the classroom, unhesitatingly shooing a classmate off a desk to sit next to her.

Meanwhile, a storm raged in Rosalie's mind. The whole family had heard about this guy—Alice had not stopped talking about "a certain Alex" for ten years, and her strange drawings of a rainbow-eyed boy had already become a meme in the Cullen household. Nobody fully believed it, suspecting Alice's gift might be faulty.

But here he was, sitting right there, real. And next to him—the very girl who had also appeared in the drawings. Rosalie's fingers itched to turn her head again, just to be sure. But she restrained herself, keeping her gaze fixed on the board.

Alex and Lucina had no idea what thoughts were running through Rosalie's head. They were preoccupied with their little secret—using a notebook to communicate with each other. Alex knew perfectly well that vampires' hearing was far superior to humans', so he wrote the first message:

"First encounter with a vampire. This is Rosalie Hale."

Lucina, reading it, glanced at Rosalie in surprise and quickly scribbled back:

"Do they all look this perfect?"

Tapping his pen against his chin, Alex wrote:

"Consider that yes. Becoming a vampire just made her even more beautiful."

Lucina nodded and immediately typed a new question—she was curious about what other abilities the local vampires might have. All she knew so far was their strange "sparkling in the sunlight, like a disco ball."

Alex tried to write down everything he remembered. His knowledge was limited, but even these fragments were enough for Lucina to form an idea: each vampire receives something unique along with their new body.

The math lesson passed surprisingly quietly. Alex had expected the teacher to call either him or Lucina to the board, but nothing of the sort happened. Everything was unusually mundane—if you didn't count the fact that they had been exchanging notes in the notebook the entire period. When the lesson ended, Alex could almost physically feel Rosalie's gaze drilling into his back.

"She looks like she knows us," he muttered once they were in the hallway.

During the short break, Alex and Lucina stepped outside to smoke. Acting like typical "troublesome new students," they discussed Rosalie's strange behavior. Alex made guesses, but Lucina just shrugged—she had no ideas, though her curiosity clearly burned in her eyes.

Returning to class, they were soon forced to split up: Lucina had history, and Alex had physical education. He sighed heavily, trudging to the locker room and briefly considered skipping, but he changed anyway and headed into the gym.

Among the classmates, one figure immediately stood out—a tall, broad-shouldered Emmett Cullen. The only one who could match him in height was Alex himself.

The teacher droned on for what felt like ages, explaining safety rules, and Alex, hands shoved into the pockets of his shorts, almost yawned out loud. But he noticed Emmett glancing at him repeatedly. And the same thought returned:

"Why is he looking at me like he knows me too?"

When the lecture finally ended, the teacher paired the students for a tennis game. Alex's partner turned out to be Emmett.

"Hi, I'm Emmett. You must be the new guy everyone's been talking about," he said as they walked side by side.

"Alex," he nodded. "Is a new student really that rare here?"

"Being here isn't rare. But your appearance…" Emmett gave him a once-over. "Let's just say, you don't look like the others. Plus, you seem pretty athletic."

"Hm, thanks. But I'll warn you now—I have a girlfriend. Don't want to break your heart; we're not a pair," Alex smirked, crossing his arms.

Emmett laughed so hard a few students turned around.

"Relax! I've got a girlfriend too. But I like you already. I have a feeling we'll be friends," he said, clapping Alex on the shoulder.

Alex smiled, feeling the weighty slap on his shoulder. Together, they reached the tennis court. It was Alex's first time playing tennis, but thanks to his innate reflexes and intuition, he quickly grasped the rules and how to handle the racket.

During the game, they chatted: Alex tried to learn more about the school, while Emmett bombarded him with questions about his past life—where he'd studied, which city he'd lived in. Alex answered without hesitation, smoothly improvising believable "facts" as he spoke.

"Well, at least lunch is soon," Alex thought. "The only real reward after sports."

At one point, he cautiously brought up Emmett's family. Emmett, without hesitation, began talking about his relatives. Alex listened, nodding, but then caught one name that made him uneasy: Jane.

The only Jane-vampire he knew belonged to the Volturi clan. The idea that she could be among the Cullens didn't make sense to him.

The rest of the lesson passed in conversation and volleying the tennis ball.

After changing, Alex left the locker room and almost immediately ran into Lucina and Bella.

"What are you two doing together?" he raised an eyebrow.

"We have history in the same class," Lucina explained, taking his hand.

Alex nodded and glanced at Bella. She looked tired and distant—it was easy to guess that the attention from others had worn her out.

On the way to the cafeteria, Alex turned and waved at Emmett. Emmett grinned broadly and waved back.

Lucina noticed the gesture and raised an eyebrow.

"Already made a friend?" she asked.

"Something like that," Alex smirked. "This is Emmett. Rosalie's boyfriend—the one we sat by in math class. Not a bad guy. Fun, sociable… and, strangely enough, genuinely interesting to talk to. Though sometimes he gets a bit carried away when he talks."

Hearing that Emmett was Rosalie's boyfriend, Lucina immediately realized: he was a vampire too. Bella, on the other hand, looked at Alex differently—with a hint of puzzlement and even envy. It seemed like a miracle to her that he had already found common ground with a new person on the very first day and felt so confident. Even sitting next to Lucina in history class, Bella felt awkward; she didn't know what to say. Meanwhile, Alex had already managed to make a friend and casually find out details about his companion's personal life.

To make sure Bella didn't feel left out, Alex kept the conversation going with her as well. The three of them walked together to the cafeteria. After standing in line, Alex scanned the room for an empty spot.

He heard Bella's "friends" at the next table calling her over: Jessica—the local drama queen, shy Angela, sporty Matt, and of course Eric, who shrank back and looked away as soon as he noticed Alex.

As much as Alex wanted to hear the school gossip, the prospect of sitting among a group of teenagers didn't appeal to him. Lucina clearly wasn't excited either. So Alex chose a free table in the corner. Bella excused herself from Jessica and followed them.

Once seated, Alex took a sip of coffee and looked around the cafeteria.

"I thought you'd want to hear the local gossip," Lucina remarked.

"I'm interested, don't get me wrong," Alex smirked, "but definitely not in the company of the local drama queen."

Bella frowned.

"Why are you saying that about Jessica?"

"Eh, Bella," Alex said calmly, meeting her gaze. "Girls like her will tell you to your face how great you are, but the moment you turn away—they spit in your back."

"She just seemed… well, chatty, but not mean," Bella said, embarrassed.

"No, Alex is right," Lucina interjected. "Jessica craves attention, and right now all the attention is on you. You've taken her stage."

Alex nodded.

"If you want friends, look at that quiet girl with glasses—Angela, I think. She's genuine. As for Eric and Matt… questionable choices. Think for yourself. In the worst case, you can stick with us—we're neighbors, after all."

Bella nodded thoughtfully. She remembered how Alex had said yesterday that he transferred to the school to interact with peers, not to play the adult. Yet now, listening to him, she again saw an adult before her, handing out advice.

To change the topic, Alex started talking about history. Bella recounted the lesson, while he half-listened to the voices around the cafeteria. As expected, the gossip was endless—but almost all of it concerned him, Lucina, and Bella. Jessica, of course, behaved as usual, reciting complete nonsense.

Alex barely restrained himself from rolling his eyes.

"Enough already, just say it," Lucina said, catching his gaze. Bella looked at him in confusion.

Alex sighed heavily and said loudly, "For the love of the Great Creator! Why are the gossip stories in this school so idiotic? Nothing interesting! It all comes down to who kissed whom or who got asked out. Where are the normal rumors?"

Bella blinked.

"But how did you hear all that in such noise?"

Alex paused and then said with a serious expression, "I'm a kung-fu master. I used the power of martial arts to catch every word."

"Don't listen to him, Bella," Lucina shook her head. "He's just bored."

Bella simply nodded but secretly noted that Alex really was a little strange.

As for Alex, he was genuinely disappointed: instead of juicy stories, he only heard empty chatter and gossip about himself.

"What a bore…" he thought, glancing stealthily at the doors, waiting for the vampire family posing as "normal" students to enter the cafeteria.

To be continued…

Early access to chapters on my patreon: p*treon.com/GreedHunter